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View Full Version : Barricading - a guide based on experience


oniman7
07-09-2009, 06:07 PM
This is my first guide, so bear with me. Anyways, I hope to cover a guide on barricading. It may not be right, or always the best way to do it, but it should give you a general idea how to do it, along with some tips and hints. Without further ado, here it is.

1. What is a barricade?
2. Why use them?
3. How to create a barricade
4. How to maintain a barricade
5. When to create a barricade
6. Tips and tricks


1. What is a barricade?
dictionary. com describes a barricade as:
–noun
1. a defensive barrier hastily constructed, as in a street, to stop an enemy.
2. any barrier that obstructs passage.
However, my definition's a little bit more loose.

-noun
An object or circumstance that impedes progress.
Now, as fun as it is to impede somebody's progress, it's usually frowned upon. However, there are certain times when it becomes necessary, or at least acceptable.




2.Why use them?
A barricade is a good tool for channeling or slowing zombies. This makes it easier to dispose of them with a lower risk.




3.How to create a barricade

For all the newbies out there, the first thing you want to do is press H. This will holster your weapon. Go up to whatever item it is you want to push, and right click. You'll give it a shove that will push it 2-10 feet, depending on the weight of the object.

Now, being that the object is to impede the zombie's progress, you'll want to put it in an effective place. Good examples of this are doors, gates, and thin hallways.

By putting your barricade in a place like this, you can reinforce it more because it won't be as spread out.

The next thing you want to be familiar with is the object you're pushing. For this, I have created a three-tier system:

Tier three objects: These are big and heavy. They include couches, the big blue shelves, other large objects.

Tier two objects: Smaller, but still valuable in barricades; small filing cabinets, heavy chairs, metal bed frames, etc.

Tier one objects: Small and/or light: TV's, small chairs, most wooden furniture (it's ridiculously light).

Now that you know those, you can formulate a barricade strategy.
When covering small entrances such as doors: You'll want to follow a (Tier) 1-2-3, or 3-2-1. What this means is that there are two good ways to do this. You can either start with all the light tier 1 objects, and then go bigger to back it up. Or, you can start with the huge tier 3 objects, and reinforce it with smaller things. The key to this is that the faller things behind include flipped over tables and stuff to slow the zombies once they get in.

Covering a window: You want to find tall objects, no matter what Tier they may be. You have to reinforce it though. For example, you might find a tall wooden cabinet (Tier 1). You can place that up against a window, and slide a couch behind it. Or you could flip the couch upwards and block the window, and pile random stuff behind it.

Blocking off a hallway: This isn't suggested, unless required. However, you will put a Tier 3 object in the middle, spread lengthwise. The best for this is a big red couch. On the sides, you will pile up tier 1 and 2 objects, and place tier 2 objects on top to prevent crouch jumping over. This is the hardest to maintain.

Blocking off a stair case: First of all, before you waste precious barricade supplies, make sure the stairs aren't already destroyable. While having your team mates watch your back, go to the bottom and hit the stair about 10 times with your melee weapon. If it's not breakable, proceed to step two. Step two is to push all the large objects you have down the stairs (Tier 3 and Tier 2). You should try to make them as tall as you can, because most staircases are narrow anyways. After this, put some tier 1 items behind the first stage to help support all the Tier 3 and 2's.


Alternate barricades:

This is where creativity takes over. It's usually a good mixture of ambushes, explosives, and a general mucking-up of all things zombie.
My favorite is to find a very big, weak tier 1 object, maybe a couple of them. You will barricade the door/hallway behind them, so zombies can't see behind. Then you roll up explosive barrels (or substitute IED). If neither is possible, use grenades. If those aren't possible, just have automatic weapons/ shotguns on the other side. When the objects get knocked over or broken, open up fire on the zombies. This works best with explosive barrels and grenades, then it's just simple mop up work. Be careful not to kill yourself.

I've recently learned about the new red handled hammers that let you create barricades. Personally, I think it's a great feature. I've seen all kinds of ways people have used it. For example;
on the map ZPS-Cinema, two people stood outside the projector room where everybody barricades. One guy stood on a ledge, and looked down. He made the wood go straight up in the air from the ground, effectively creating a wooden fence. Needless to say, with two well supplied rifles and that fence, they won the round.
I've also seen entire barricades made of nothing but the wood. First, a quick tutorial. You pick up these red handled hammers, and it takes up one slot. You can hold three per slot. To use it, simply select it. It'll bring up a menu, two bars, one slightly longer than the other, and a circle of arrows around it. The bars are for the size of the barricade; long or short. Press right click to change. The arrow changes what direction the wood goes; for example, if the arrow points left, and you look at a pillar, the wood will just left out of the pillar. To select a different arrow, press reload, and it will move one arrow over, counter clockwise.
Now, how to use wood in a barricade. You're going to want to try to use it before you put down any furniture. The first thing you'll want to block off is the door. Depending on how wide the door is, you could use either a short or long board. Remember this; longer isn't always better. There's more to hit, and it's just as durable as the short board. Place it length-wise, and try to place it at hip level. This makes it harder for zombies to duck under it or crouch jump over it.
For the windows, there are two ways you can place the boards; vertical or horizontal. If you are limited on the hammers, do it horizontally. This allows you to cover every entrance point. However, if you have plenty of supplies, do it vertically. This will give a more effective coverage. It also makes it harder to destroy. The zombies will have to waste time destroying 2 or 3 boards instead of one.
Closed doors are a bit easier. They just require something to stand on. You're going to want to select the short board, and place it diagonally over the corner of the door. This makes it harder to break. A lot of people place one on the side of the door with the hinges (IE not the side with the handle). If you've already placed one on the hinges, and you have some extra supplies, try putting some on the other side of the door. This should give zombies a hard time.

oniman7
07-09-2009, 06:07 PM
4. Maintaining a Barricade
With one entrance: Push a chair or sofa over so you can see over the barricade. If there's one nearby, you can use a shelf or other immovable object instead. Set up an ammo supply about 5-10 feet from the barricade. This ensures that you will and your teammates will always be able to grab the ammo, but it shouldn't get covered or knocked away if the zombies move the furniture. If numbers permit, you should have at least two people up front with shotguns or revolvers. A lot of zombies will only attack a barricade for a second or so before running, and these weapons allow you to do a lot of damage in a very short amount of time. Next, there should be one person with his/her weapon holstered. That person will help combat the zombies by pushing in the opposite direction, so the barricade doesn't move. Everybody else should be in back, ready to take down zombies in case of a breach. In this situation, experienced players should also consider grenades. They're useful for taking out large groups of zombies, or for killing some hiding around a corner. However, only experienced players should try this because it can kill your teammates/destroy your barricade if it's done wrong. I wouldn't suggest IEDs if you're with other people. Too often I've destroyed the barricade, and the wood from hammers has skewered me and my teammates, couches bludgeon people, and the explosion (on some servers) will kill anybody in the immediate range.
If you find you have the need to escape due to low health or ammo, needing to finish an objective, etc., you will need a plan. The one drawback of having only one entrance is having only one exit, unless there's a window that you can jump out (but obviously not in). In this case, break the window, and everybody should run. But should you need to go out the only exit, which is probably covered with zombies, you will need a lot of teamwork to get out of there alive. If zombies know your position-- and you can only tell by listening to their chat, or if zombies have attacked you before-- then you need to throw a grenade or IED around the corner if you have any. This should kill any lurking zombies. Then, you all move out as one group. Anybody who's weak or really low on ammo will preferably go to the center of the group, with anybody on the outside guarding them. After this, it's up to you what to do. Good teamwork and communication is key.

With more than one entrance:
A little bit trickier. By what I consider the map-making rule of thumb, rooms with multiple entrances are more likely to be bigger, and have more objects to barricade. Obviously this isn't always the case, but we're going to assume it is. Anyways, you're going to first barricade the biggest or most accessible entrance. In the beginning, this is where most of the zombies are probably going to come. Most zombies just try to overwhelm you in the beginning. Put a couple of tier 3 objects to block the door, making sure to leave enough supplies to barricade the other entrance(s).You're obviously going to want to barricade the most accessible entrance the best. However, don't discount the other entrances. The thing to remember in this game is that the other zombies are human, and therefore, will learn from their mistakes and most likely figure out what your weakest zone is. The defense strategy on this is fairly loose. If numbers permit, there should be one person at every entrance at all times. Anybody else should act as a floater, checking a different barricade every 10 or so seconds to make sure their teammates don't need help repairing or defending their barricade. As far as ammo goes, you should keep a singe pool in a well protected, easily reached area. Even something as simple as a table or couch could work. If you can convince everybody, it's best to keep only the ammo that's in your weapon, or an extra clip for your main weapon(s). This does two things; distributes ammo somewhat evenly, and keeps everybody a bit lighter in case they need to run.
If you do find yourself needing to run, you will have options. Talk to everybody in your group. Find out what they can/can't do, how much ammo they have, where they want to go, etc. Instead of the last strategy, you probably will not want to throw a grenade if you have to escape with multiple exits. This may do nothing but alert the zombies to which one you're leaving out. Remember, as survivors, you will need every advantage you can get. Even the little bit of stealth that can be afforded to a large group is helpful.

One entrance, by yourself:
While harder to do, it is possible to maintain a barricade like this by yourself. It will just require better planning, a higher awareness, and a little bit of luck. You will need to see all of your threats as early as possible, so the barricade should be a bit different. First, barricade the door at approximately knee, hip, and chest height if supplies permit. Then put a couch or other wide, heavy object on bottom. On top of that, stack small, (if possible) heavy objects on top of the bottom object. This will give you enough height to see over the barricade, and zombies shouldn't be able to hit you. There are two ways you may want to go; the first is a weapon such as a shotgun, with a bunch of ammo laying around, but carrying no extra. This will keep you light in case you need to make a break for it, or even move around quicker to reload/ beat off isolated zombies. The second is almost a luxury; if you happen to have an IED, or grenades, you will take one or two big weapons (maybe a Remmington and an MP5) with a bunch of ammo. If you have it, set up the IED about or 10 feet from the barricade. If you start to over run, hit 6 quickly, and then right click. That should clear the immediate area of zombies. If you don't have an IED, try chucking some grenades. If there are no explosives, go with the first strategy.
Multiple entrances by yourself:
Don't try it. Seriously. Too much to worry about, unless you've got a mass supply of barricade hammers, and sofas or other tier 3 items. If you absolutely have to, you will have to be very cautious. Find the easiest doors to barricade first. A good example of this is on the map zps_cinema. A lot of survivors like to barricade in the projector room. Near one of the doors are two green filing cabinets, one right next to the other. Get your stamina all the way up, and push on the top of the second filing cabinet. It will knock the other one down, and land in front of the door, creating a chest height barrier. Then push the couch on top of that. Be sure to look over your shoulder every couple of seconds. If possible, turn your speakers up and listen for zombie noises/footsteps. Whether the footsteps are zombie or human, you will want to know about it. After you are done barricading (if you manage to do it successfully) you will want to almost run in a circle, checking a different barricade every two seconds. Make sure to keep a single ammo pool in the middle, and carry no more ammo than you immediately need. That way, if you have to, you can run.




5. When to Create a Barricade
Usually, if your gut tells you it's a bad place to barricade, you're probably right. Communicate with the other survivors to see what they think, and what they wanna do. Good times to barricade are on ZPS maps with a decent, well armed group on a ZPS map. Other good times are whenever you come across an obvious barricade spot on any ZPS spot, whether there's a number of lives or not. There are certain ZPO maps, such as "Zombies Ate your Neighbors" where barricading is also a good thing to do. Any ZPO map where you have to survive X amount of minutes is a good map to barricade, if you can.




6. Tips and Tricks
*Be careful when using explosives around a barricade. There are many things that could go wrong. The most common is the complete and utter destruction of your barricade, followed by a mass of zombies rushing in. In addition to this, you can kill yourself and other people with the explosion.

*Remember that most of the things that you're going to barricade with are objects which have very weird physics. An explosion, or even somebody hitting it, can hit you and cause damage/death. For example, on one map, zps_cinema, in the projector room, are two very large green shelves. They are each about 6 inches from a wall, and if you push one over on top of the other, they can form a very effective barricade, because they are VERY hard to push for both zombies and humans. However, a lot of people make the mistake of getting behind them to push. This is very problematic. Because of the weight, if you push from the top, it will often rock backwards, causing it to hit you and smash you against the wall, causing instant death.

*Some people/ servers don't like barricading, especially if you barricade a closed door. Make sure you stay up to requirements on the rules, or you could be kicked or even banned from that server.

*Remember to conserve ammo. Often times, zombies will dart in and out of your vision, hoping to lure you into wasting ammo. Unless you are very experienced, and have a weapon that can instant kill (revolver, and in some cases the Remmy and Super Shorty) don't fall for it. If you toss a grenade around the corner where they're hiding, it will sometimes convince them to stop trying to hide there.
*Good teamwork and communication is vital. Even if you're in a barricaded position by yourself, it's possible there are survivors still around. If you're lucky, they're looking for shelter, or willing to let you in their barricade.

Well, that was my first attempt at a guide, and thanks for reading, I'll most likely edit this quite a lot for syntax, semantics, grammar, aesthetics, and once in a blue moon, content. :D

I'll willingly accept any suggestions.

Pomegranate
07-10-2009, 03:52 AM
I hate how the ZP devs removed all the movable furnature from the stock maps...

Remember policestation, anyone?

oniman7
07-10-2009, 07:22 AM
I remember Police Sation... I think. Is that the one where you're outside, with police cars and armored vehicles around? There's a police station, and some buildings you can go into. Wooden planks make bridges between buildings? By the way, I'd like some comments about the guide itself, if you could.

SomeGuyWithMoney
07-10-2009, 01:15 PM
I hate how the ZP devs removed all the movable furnature from the stock maps...

Remember policestation, anyone?

Yea the room that everyone used to go is now a death trap.You cant do anything on
that place..

jackass77780
07-10-2009, 05:45 PM
yeah some barricade spots are almost invincible, like the the basement in cinema. I hate how they removed those

Blitzy
07-12-2009, 03:04 PM
Pfft, I'm GLAD they removed the invincible spots. Zombies ARE players too, you know. ;)
The challenge is always good. If you're gonna stay in one place, you better be ready for a fight.




Anyways, nice worrrrk on the guide! 2 pages on barracading; you can't really get anymore in-depth. I'm gonna include a link to this in my own guide as thanks for bumping it. I wrote it a VERY long time ago and when it fell off the default viewing, I thought no-one'd ever see it again! Again, thanks for the bump, and let's hope you get the views and praise this deserves! ;)

oniman7
07-12-2009, 04:28 PM
Thanks. I'm glad somebody finally decided to make a decent reply to this. If anybody has any questions or anything they'd like to see put in, I can try to do it, but I've got about 2,500 characters left between the two opening posts.

[ZPV] Bob the Salesman
07-20-2009, 08:55 AM
yeah some barricade spots are almost invincible, like the the basement in cinema. I hate how they removed those

You are kidding me. Blocking off an entance, making it impossible for zombies to charge you isnt fun at all and it requires 0 skill. It is good that these exploits got removed. 'The room' on Policestation was awfull, and in my opinion, still is. It is not a deathtrap, they didnt change that much after all. It has only one entrance. People camp in here, putting c4 in front of the entrance. If thats their way of having 'fun' then sure.

You mention in this threat that your use of barricades is based upon experience. I'd say that if you'd really be so experienced you wouldnt use barricades. Or at least not in the way you describe it. When I use one, which I rarely do, I do it to prevend zombies from walking straight at me. Making them crouch makes it easier for me to headshot them with a magnum. But I will definatly not go sit in a room and seal it off, no thank you..

oniman7
07-20-2009, 10:58 AM
I'm experienced at barricading. Saying I have a lot of experience in the game and saying I have a lot of experience at one particular part in the game are two separate things. Kind of like golf and putting. Get it?

acker
07-20-2009, 11:17 AM
If anything, policestation office is even more of a kill zone. Those red handled boards are relatively weak, but they can go up in less than three seconds. Moving that big metal thing and the chairs used to take over half a minute with a coordinated team, and two minutes with normal pub players.

[ZPV] Bob the Salesman
07-20-2009, 11:29 AM
Wouldnt be something I'd specialize myself in, but ok ;)

SomeGuyWithMoney
07-22-2009, 01:09 PM
Holy mother of balls is this guide huge.
How hard is it to just say use the Shiny red hammer on that door.
Never the less i found your guide to be top notch.
Keep on the good work.

Kommando
07-23-2009, 04:03 AM
Yea the room that everyone used to go is now a death trap.You cant do anything on
that place..

That spot is still the best on the map. You don't have to worry about keeping your back safe, and you can easily kill off the zombies in the narrow corridor if you have some guns & ammo.

oniman7
08-02-2009, 08:11 PM
Holy mother of balls is this guide huge.
How hard is it to just say use the Shiny red hammer on that door.
Never the less i found your guide to be top notch.
Keep on the good work.

Thanks, Someguy.

I guess if you're inactive for so long, you stop getting e-mail notifications. I thought this thread was dead and gone.

iLimitlessi
08-12-2009, 07:52 AM
Wow very details guide.. im impressed.. gj

m3rkd. [youdig?]
08-16-2009, 12:37 PM
nice work oni! :D

SilenzXE
08-17-2009, 02:32 AM
Good guide.

By the way, "The Room" in policestation is in NO WAY a deathtrap. There is only ONE entrance for the zombies. AND there is a quick escape route for survivors. What more do you want?

Just my opinion.

m3rkd. [youdig?]
08-19-2009, 01:10 PM
i really hate when people go to push a heavy green sofa chair against a shelf and they don't put the back of the chair against it which allows the zombies to easily knock it over >.< *sigh*

Rukus
08-19-2009, 03:04 PM
In certain areas you can brace a prop with a board. The boards can be broken by props, but it takes 20 times longer easily. For instance, you can permanently block the front door of harvest by bringing down the 2nd wardrobe, placing it vertically, then putting a board on the door frame to brace against it.

m3rkd. [youdig?]
08-20-2009, 10:25 AM
yep! i do that all the time haha :)

i just hate that map for the reason that everyone runs to find the best guns and all and no one sits behind to guard that door while I bring the wardrobe down. >.<

oniman7
11-22-2009, 06:19 PM
Thanks for the enthusiasm, guys! I kinda got sidetracked with school, but look for more guides in a while.