Melee fighting is quite hard or it's just me?

[darjeling]

my game was going well when i had the misfortune of making too much noise by killing stealthily (with the hatchet). three zombies arrive, i equip a good big hammer, and surprise. the zombies can hit me at the same time, but i only hit one of them with a huge weapon. it's therefore impossible to kill more than one or two in a duel without dying? (dodging being limited).

If anyone can help me with firearms too. I feel like my characters miss a lot of shots. you just have to point in the zombie's direction, or something else?

And last question, is bottle and knife always stealthy? or you can be hard if you are to close from a zombie in the background?

Thanks for the tips, fellow gamers.

[TheWanderingWolf]

Yes,broken bottle,Combat Knife,Kitchen knife,Screw Driver and scalpal is least noisy item in game but it can cause other Zoms to attracted when they are very near or in line on the zombie position you are going to kill.

For Firearms,don't aim for head it would cause you to miss more shots,also don't shoot too close and only shoot when the zoms are clearly in sight with your aim if they are moving up or down from staircase you won't be able to kill them same goes for when they are climbing the edges.

Lastly try to practice dodging quickly when zoms attack you.

[Seraph]

Depends on your playstyle, but general combat tips:

Each melee weapon has five important stats:
Damage, Speed, Noise, and the hidden 'Animation length' and 'Hitbox range'

Damage is pretty straightforward. More damage equals less times you have to attack to kill or knock down the zombie.
Speed is how fast your character can swing the weapon. Smaller weapons like the knife and broken bottle come out fast and you can get a few hits in before the zombie reacts with their attack. Heavier weapons like the pipe wrench can get two at most.
Noise affects the range in which your attack will get noticed by other enemies. Bladed weapons like the combat knife and broken bottle have the lowest noises where the enemy won't notice you if their back is turned, about 3 in-game metres of audio distance. Blunt weapons and Firearms have huge audio distance, which can potentially aggro enemies from about 10m (baseball bat) to different floors and rooms (firearms).

Personally, the most important for melee combat is Hitbox range and speed. Hitbox range determines how far away your attack can hit a zombie, while speed is how long it takes for you to make a swing that will connect. This is important because zombies charging at you will attack quick, so you have to time when you attack. Heavier and larger weapons (pipe wrench, makeshift axe) can hit the enemies further before they can reach you, but if you mistime your attack they'll end up hitting you before you can connect with your attack. You can improve your timing by practice and experience, and it is possible to kill three or more zombies at once (assuming all of them are grouped up closely enough within the hitbox of a single weapon attack).

Animation length is more important for stealth kills, as the longer the animation the more prone you are to getting noticed by an enemy suddenly turning around while you're stuck in an animation stabbing an enemy another three more times. Certain weapons (pipe wrench, light cavalry saber, combat knife) have fast stealth kill animations that will help you disengage quickly to avoid getting spotted, compared to others (broken bottle, frying pan).

But the most useful tool you have is the Dodge button (Q default). You can stack up to 2 dodges at the start of combat and it refills at about one dodge every 1.5 -2 seconds. It has a very short and quick invincibility frame, but mastering the Dodge timing will let you punch a zombie to death without weapons, taking only 1 or 2 hits in the process.

[celsius03]

stealth is a thing
and noise is a thing
ignore these, you'll have hard time
utilize these, you won't have ANY problems

i don't pick up meds, cuz i never "fight" zombies
you don't even need to know how to combat in this game
learn how to stealth instead

1. open doors to lure single zombie. then take them down (this is how to use loud weapon)
2. open doors, use hiding spots to slip by (low on weapon, or just to save durability)
3. throw a bottle to idle zombies facing your way. they start patrolling
4. gain, drop aggro if you can manage it (there are many ways to do this)
5. last resort, kill and dip out. retry later. this will thin them down + reset positions

i assure you, as long as you play good, you don't need anything else

[Myth Alric]

You can kill most zombies using a quarter of your health, by just whaling on them nonstop bare fisted. Some zombies are a bit faster though, and you might lose half. As long as you are at full health though, you can beat most zombies up.

[Ordisoftware]

Taking out a screamer with a pistol is less dangerous than letting them scream.

One of the challenges in this game is learning how each weapon works and how to use them effectively, especially given the apparent fragility of those found lying around. These weapons often seem worn and rusty, unlike the ones crafted at the workbench, which reflects the familiar unreality of modern video games, films, and TV series.

I'm not saying the game is truly realistic. But it does create a kind of pseudo-realism and difficulty that prevents you from playing as an all-powerful god. Instead, you're encouraged to think like an ordinary human, someone who doesn't gain engineering or combat skills overnight through a tree, but who is vulnerable and unaware, and must proceed with caution.

This is just one of the many things that makes this game special. It also has an underlying flavor reminiscent of 1980s games, while still offering a modern aesthetic and gameplay.

[darjeling]

Originally posted by celsius03:

stealth is a thing
and noise is a thing
ignore these, you'll have hard time
utilize these, you won't have ANY problems

i don't pick up meds, cuz i never "fight" zombies
you don't even need to know how to combat in this game
learn how to stealth instead

1. open doors to lure single zombie. then take them down (this is how to use loud weapon)
2. open doors, use hiding spots to slip by (low on weapon, or just to save durability)
3. throw a bottle to idle zombies facing your way. they start patrolling
4. gain, drop aggro if you can manage it (there are many ways to do this)
5. last resort, kill and dip out. retry later. this will thin them down + reset positions

i assure you, as long as you play good, you don't need anything else

I was doing an all-stealth run, but then I started getting zombies coming out from behind doors/invisibles, sometimes using slightly less discreet weapons, and I started thinking that it was less feasible in midgame. It's still the best way to play =)

[darjeling]

Originally posted by TheWanderingWolf:

Yes,broken bottle,Combat Knife,Kitchen knife,Screw Driver and scalpal is least noisy item in game but it can cause other Zoms to attracted when they are very near or in line on the zombie position you are going to kill.

For Firearms,don't aim for head it would cause you to miss more shots,also don't shoot too close and only shoot when the zoms are clearly in sight with your aim if they are moving up or down from staircase you won't be able to kill them same goes for when they are climbing the edges.

Lastly try to practice dodging quickly when zoms attack you.

Ho ! thank for the tips about firearms. maybe that was my mistake. shooting a bit to high.

[Rogar]

If you are using a melee weapon and multiple zombies are after you and you have the option, you can shut a door between you and them, which will force them to bunch up together rather than potentially having space between them. Once they break the door, they will all be on top of each other, allowing your melee weapon swings to hit all of them at once.

If you are not using a melee weapon and fighting zombies 1 v 1, you can easily beat any zombie without taking any damage. Once you use your second dodge to avoid their un-interruptible attack, walk away from them a bit. They will swing once and miss due to you walking away, and then you can walk back to them and start punching again. You will have enough stamina to dodge again by the time they use their un-interruptible attack again (and can usually land 2-3 punches before they will require you to dodge). This works in small spaces as well, as you only need enough space to move about three steps away from them.

You can also intentionally aggro and pull single zombies away from rooms or the foreground/background and clear them out this way to make it less likely that multiple will aggro when you go in to do a stealth kill or something else.

[celsius03]

Originally posted by darjeling:

I was doing an all-stealth run, but then I started getting zombies coming out from behind doors/invisibles, sometimes using slightly less discreet weapons, and I started thinking that it was less feasible in midgame. It's still the best way to play =)

i'm not saying it's the best way
i'm saying the game is meant to utilize stealth
and it's viable even in endgame

you're able to clear downtown helipad building without engaging in a fight
which has the most threat rating and biggest stage i think?

i'm just telling you, you are able to do so if you choose to do it that way
you want to learn how to fight zombies, that's all good =)