Because surviving a zombie apocalypse is hard enough.
Infection Free Zone is a micromanagement strategy game where you’ll be tasked with defending your HQ and fellow survivors against hordes of infected. With this game’s unique use of real-life map data, you’ll be able to play nearly anywhere in the world, from historical landmarks to most towns and cities.
In this game, your number one priority at all times will be to create a self-sustaining infection free zone by adapting to the ruined world around you. To help you get started, here are a few beginner tips to help you prepare for your first few months of survival and beyond.
Choose The Right Starting Location
Because you can choose nearly every region in the world to play in, there is no shortage of options when it comes to choosing a startling location. However, not every location is made equal.
There are several factors to take into account when choosing the right starting location in Infection Free Zone.
First, you’ll want to consider the former population density. High-population areas will sport more infected hordes. Lower-population areas, however, may not have enough supplies to meet your needs.
Horde numbers can be adjusted when setting the difficulty.
You’ll also want to choose somewhere with a variety of buildings. Buildings will be essential to gameplay, whether through scavenging, adapting, or demolition. If you choose an area that does not have a lot of buildings, you may find yourself struggling to have what you need when you need it.
Once you choose where you want to start, you’ll need to choose which building will become your HQ. Both large and small buildings have advantages and disadvantages. Larger buildings have more space for people and supplies but are more difficult to defend. Smaller buildings have less room and are easier to defend, especially in the earliest days of gameplay.
Adjust The Difficulty
When you first load into your new Infection Free Zone game file, you’ll notice that there isn’t an option to choose an easy or medium difficulty. Instead, you’ll be presented with three different sliders for people, resources, and horde numbers. You can adjust this to give you more or less of each option.
This helps you customize and tailor gameplay to your needs rather than choosing a basic difficulty level. You can also adjust other important settings during this time, such as if you want story events to occur.
Maintain High Levels Of Productivity
Infection Free Zone has a focus on two main factors: micromanagement and strategy. As a result, to accomplish the most around your base during daylight hours, you’ll want to make sure you are maintaining high levels of productivity.
If you play through the story, you’ll be instructed to adapt a building early on to have more shelters. However, while the game will only tell you to build one, you can begin adapting or demolishing other buildings at the same time. You can even start building structures such as towers.
By ensuring that you have several projects occurring at once, you’ll never have to worry about your workers being left with nothing to do. And, since you’re on a time limit before winter occurs, getting everything done in the earlier months of the year is essential.
Prepare For Winter
As if hordes of lethal infected don’t make survival difficult enough, as you navigate the challenges presented in Infection Free Zone, you’ll also need to learn to survive the seasons. This is especially true come winter.
Throughout much of the year, you’re able to sustain a community through scavenging and internal operations, such as farming. However, by the time winter rolls around, you’ll notice that you are unable to maintain wheat production during this cold period.
The first winter can be the most difficult, as you will have little supplies and technology.
Because of this, it is important to ensure that you are preparing for winter. Vehicles and weapons can make it safer for your squads to patrol the ruined cities, while shelters can boost the overall mood of your survivors. Because you won’t have access to fresh wheat, canned food is essential.
Choose The Right Buildings To Scavenge
As you progress throughout Infection Free Zone, you’ll find that there are times you may need different types of supplies. For example, during the earliest parts of your playthrough, you may need a little bit of everything, from food to weapons and ammunition. However, as you continue playing, you may find that you need food more than ammunition or vice versa.
As a result, it is important to know the right buildings to scavenge and when. You can press “V” when playing to learn more about each building in Scavenge View. Some locations, such as canteens, are better for finding food and supplies, while other locations offer different perks.
When you progress further, you may find it better to move beyond just scavenging buildings to utilize them in different ways. Some buildings can be repurposed, helping to expand your infection free zone and base. Other buildings are best demolished, as this can lend you an abundance of resources that can help build up your defenses.
Although helpful, demolition can be time-consuming, so make sure you are prepared for this hefty task.
Collect Vehicles Quickly
During at least your first day of gameplay, your squads will have to travel around your selected region on foot. This can be time-consuming, as well as dangerous. During the night, it can be nearly impossible to have your squads safely navigate the area.
This is why vehicles are important. Vehicles provide a safe and speedy method of travel for your squads. They can get to locations faster and are at less of a risk of encountering hordes of infected as they do so.
Prioritize Defenses
There are many starting areas that feature pre-built walls. However, even with walls in place, you may need to invest in additional defenses. This can help prevent infected hordes from invading your base, especially your HQ.
One of the most accessible forms of defense, especially during the early game, is a wooden tower. You can arm these with different weapons (although you’ll only have a bow in the beginning) and can attack infected hordes before they reach your main base.
Beware The Night
By your very first nightfall in Infection Free Zone, you’ll become aware of the true danger that lurks around the abandoned city you’ve come to call home. Infected are hostile mobs that will pillage nearby buildings, hide in buildings during the day, and attack your squads and HQ.
Come nightfall, your unarmed civilians—those who spend much of the day building and working near your base—will automatically return to your HQ. However, you will have to choose whether or not to have your squads return home.
You can have all squads return home at once by clicking on the walkie-talkie in the bottom right corner and giving the command. This will save you from needing to manually lead each squad back to your HQ.
Although the infected hordes are more prevalent at night, you may also encounter them in the daytime. This can occur if they are in hiding, such as in an abandoned building. While these hordes are technically hiding, you can see their icon on the map still.
