If you haven't seen Project Zomboid, you might think its a basic 8-bit run-n-gun zombie shooter... but its not! So far from it! Project Zomboid is a Zombie Simulator The amount of detail in this game is absolutely amazing! Every scenario and detail is so clever that you will never play the same day twice! I read a short beginner guide on Reddit and am amazed: Keep tools as tools, not weapons - or more simply, if a tool can be used as a weapon, keep one of them in reserve and unbroken. Shovels, sledgehammers, and screwdrivers can be hard to find. Hammers are abundant and make OK blunt weapons. Water and electricity will eventually be shut off. Be prepared to live in the dark and collect water with buckets, pans, bowls, etc. You can get generators and power buildings, but that's probably going to happen later than when the power shuts down. Save a can of gas for the generator you intend to use to power the gas station to refill gas cans! Zombies hate anything you make and ignore anything else except doors and windows. They'll tear apart walls, barricades, boxes, and furniture you make if it gets in their way. Depending on your settings, random noises and even a helicopter will cause zombies to move across the map in large numbers. Listen for audio clues and get out of sight when they happen. The default setting for the helicopter is to come once and then never come back, but there still may be random gunshots, dogs, and screams. Avoiding the chopper can be done in a few ways. First, drive around unit it leaves; this keeps the horde from cornering you. Second, run out into the woods and hope the undead thin out. Third, stay in an open base and zombies will flow through the base and leave; an open base is one with no barricades on the doors and windows and everything is open on the 1st floor. I prefer option 3. On the day when the chopper normally arrives, I settle in early at home, read some books and eat soup until he leaves. If the chopper sees you outside, it follows you. If you go into a building, he hovers over it. Skill books you find help raise skills quicker. Used in conjunction with the Life & Living channel, you can gain some essential skills quickly. Finding an Alarm Clock or a Digital Watch can help a HUGE amount in knowing when the shows will air. There's a lot of info on traits you can give your character to maximize bonuses and minimize penalties. Things like "Being obese is good. It's 10 build points and you can lose the weight with time" In the long run, if you survive, you'll end up needing a permanent water source and some farm land. Plan around that. Don't be afraid to use a map. Loot might be randomized, but the crates that stand a chance of spawning something you're looking for aren't. You're going to die. A lot. It's okay. The game doesn't start with "This is how you survived" This is not a complete guide.
