Post by swiers on May 4, 2007 14:31:34 GMT -5
Back to the original question...
I have a level 41 alt who mostly does revives. He's got a bounty on his head. Stocking up on ammo is both a waste of time for him, and dangerous (bounty hunters love to go stock up on ammo). So he carries a shit load of syringes, a good whack of FAK's, and BOTH an ax and a knife. (And no, he doesn't have a flak jacket. I actually dropped it- does no good vs zombies, and if I'm in an area with enough breathers to get bountied or PKed, its time to move on to somewhere less civilized where they actually need help.) Obviously he COULD use a pistol, but I just don't want to. So for me, the original question is one I;ve dealt with directly for some time.
It turns out that the "which is better, ax or knife" question is exactly the same as "which is better, teeth or claws". In both cases, it depends on the situation.
Normally the ax is better (especially if you are low on APs, and using an ax to kill, you will be). BUT, if your target has only 1, 2, or 4 HPs left, the knife comes out- its better every time. If your target has 5 or more HPs left, or has 3 HPs exactly, the ax still wins out. All other cases can be reduced to combinations of these two.
In effect, the knife is a "coup de grace" weapon for certain low (1,2,4) HP targets. I usually beat them down under 10 HPs with the ax, then consider using the knife vs how many AP's I have left. For example, if they have 7 HPs left, I'll try to hit them once with the ax, and twice with the knife. If 8, I go with two from the ax, one from the knife. And obviously if I'm really low on APs, I run away.
Of course, the better option for me is just not to have to kill at all. I'm perfectly happy to combat revive in many cases, or even to move on to another building. Attacking a zombie is often NOT the best way to deal with it, especially in an area where they outnumber survivors.
BTW, the situation for zombies with bite vs claws is quite similar, but a bit more complex due to the consideration of Tangling Grasp, Infection, and Digestion. Suffice to say, bite attacks are a lot more useful than most people think they are. I always throw in one or two as "optimizers", he aim basically being to take a target to EXACTLY zero HPs, while benefiting from "Tangling Grasp" as often as possible.
I have a level 41 alt who mostly does revives. He's got a bounty on his head. Stocking up on ammo is both a waste of time for him, and dangerous (bounty hunters love to go stock up on ammo). So he carries a shit load of syringes, a good whack of FAK's, and BOTH an ax and a knife. (And no, he doesn't have a flak jacket. I actually dropped it- does no good vs zombies, and if I'm in an area with enough breathers to get bountied or PKed, its time to move on to somewhere less civilized where they actually need help.) Obviously he COULD use a pistol, but I just don't want to. So for me, the original question is one I;ve dealt with directly for some time.
It turns out that the "which is better, ax or knife" question is exactly the same as "which is better, teeth or claws". In both cases, it depends on the situation.
Normally the ax is better (especially if you are low on APs, and using an ax to kill, you will be). BUT, if your target has only 1, 2, or 4 HPs left, the knife comes out- its better every time. If your target has 5 or more HPs left, or has 3 HPs exactly, the ax still wins out. All other cases can be reduced to combinations of these two.
In effect, the knife is a "coup de grace" weapon for certain low (1,2,4) HP targets. I usually beat them down under 10 HPs with the ax, then consider using the knife vs how many AP's I have left. For example, if they have 7 HPs left, I'll try to hit them once with the ax, and twice with the knife. If 8, I go with two from the ax, one from the knife. And obviously if I'm really low on APs, I run away.
Of course, the better option for me is just not to have to kill at all. I'm perfectly happy to combat revive in many cases, or even to move on to another building. Attacking a zombie is often NOT the best way to deal with it, especially in an area where they outnumber survivors.
BTW, the situation for zombies with bite vs claws is quite similar, but a bit more complex due to the consideration of Tangling Grasp, Infection, and Digestion. Suffice to say, bite attacks are a lot more useful than most people think they are. I always throw in one or two as "optimizers", he aim basically being to take a target to EXACTLY zero HPs, while benefiting from "Tangling Grasp" as often as possible.