This post is to serve as a guide for new players to some of the aspects of Outbreak not covered on the website. However, it is always a good idea to read through the site before you start playing. I get asked questions that are answered there a lot.

If I've missed anything please let me know and I'll put it in. This can be considered a work in progress.

 

HEALTH
Your character's health is represented by the meter on the left of the HUD. Sickness and intoxication are also displayed here. You can click on this meter to get a more in-depth description of your physical state.

Health is decreased by sickness/injury, starvation/dehydration and tiredness, with tiredness being the most prevalent cause. Scavenging, hunting and killing zombies all lower your health through fatigue (especially hunting with a melee weapon). Being in the red will stop you from performing certain tasks such as scavenging.

Health is increased by spending time in certain "rest" locations (Coach's Pub, Sam n Ella's diner, Arklay Trading Co, The Dollhouse), and quicker by spending time in the Shelter at the hospital. Medical items such as medkits, prescription pills and joints provide an instant boost, as do hunted meat, grilled steaks and grilled fish. You can also rest if you have a rented home in Outbreak by clicking the tent button on your HUD. This is limited to once every 24 hours.

Eating certain scavenged or hunted food items has a chance to make you sick, as does drinking from wells. If your character is sick you will be made aware by a yellow face on the health meter, and clicking it will tell you what your illness is. This illness can either be treated with antibiotics (usually multiple doses) or by seeking medical attention at the hospital. Sickness also causes your hunger and thirst bars to decrease more rapidly than usual.

Keep in mind that no matter how low your HUD health gets, you will not die. So don't worry about it too much.

SCAVENGING
There are various trash cans, dumpsters, piles of crap etc around Arklay that can be scavenged. Once you have scavenged you must wait for four hours to do so again, and this covers all locations. You may find common items such as food, rare items such as fuel or nothing at all. Scavenging increases your fatigue.

HUNTING AND ZOMBIES
Wild animal and zombie spawns happen in the same way. There are set spawn points for these, but the timing with which they appear is randomised.

When a zombie appears within range you will have the choice to fight it or flee. Fleeing is always successful. If you choose to fight you may use a ranged (if you have one with ammo) or melee weapon. Fighting zombies is always successful and you will receive a random amount of money from loot and possibly an item. However, you will take damage.

Wild animals work in a similar way. You may choose whether to hunt or spare the animal. Hunting gives you the choice of a ranged (if you have one with ammo) or melee weapon. Using a melee weapon causes a lot of fatigue and will often fail. Using a ranged weapon will expend either 1 or 3 ammunition and is always successful. Hunting will increase your fatigue.

TRADING
Trading commodity items in Outbreak is simply a case of giving the recipient an item in the same way you would any other SL item. To exchange HUD money you must click the backpack button on your HUD. Next click the "Trade $" button and follow the instructions. Most goods and services in Arklay cost money. And on that note...

JOBS
Sooner or later most players will want to find themselves a job to pay for things, though it is by no means a requirement. Explore the sim and you will find businesses with "help wanted" signs. Clicking one of these will get you started without needing to RP with someone from that business if no one else is available, though you should get in contact with someone from that business when you can to get your RP there started as well as OOC information pertaining to that particular business.

Businesses automatically track the amount of time each member of staff has spent within them over a rolling seven day period. You can check how much time you've accumulated by clicking the establishment's roster. Payday is every sunday, on or after which you may click the cash register to collect your earnings. The longer you have worked in the preceding week, the more money you will earn.

IMPORTANT: Players may not afk "camp" in their place of work to accumulate higher wages. If you need to go afk for more than a few minutes you should leave your place of work.

Most businesses sell some sort of commodity via vendors only available to that business' staff. New employees must put in enough work time to become a "regular" on the roster before these vendors will work for them. This prevents people from joining a business, abusing the vendor then leaving. IC this can be treated as a training period in which the character performs lower level tasks such as cleaning. You may sell vendor items on for however much you like, though some businesses have an official price. Selling the item for more than the vendor cost means that you make a profit with each sale on top of your weekly wage.

WEAPONS AND AMMO
Every character may have a melee weapon that fits the theme of Outbreak, with the exception of blades over 20 inches long like swords.

Guns and crossbows in Outbreak are represented by their own commodity items. If you do not have one of these items then your character does not have them IC. To make a ranged weapon your active one, simply attach it. You may then detach it again if you wish or leave it on. This weapon will now be used in hunting, killing zombies and in fights using the HUD. This also determines which kind of ammo you use. You may use a "prop" gun bought separately to represent an official Outbreak gun, as long as it is realistically similar in function.

To use a ranged weapon for hunting, killing zombies and in fights using the HUD you must have ammo for it. Ammo is a separate commodity item that can be bought, scavenged and in rare cases scavenged from zombies. Boxes contain 10 rounds each. To use your ammo rez it on the ground near you in the same way you would with other items such as food. This "arms" the ammo and adds it to your total, which you can check by clicking the backpack item on your HUD. You can also trade ammunition, like money, using the same HUD button. You do not need to have the corresponding weapon attached in order to arm ammunition.

 

With all that said, the HUD and related systems are there to aid with roleplay but never to replace it. RP always comes first; don't hold yourself back because of it!

• This topic was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by  Marcus Holt.