Talk:The Typing of the Dead

Adding to the game page: please make a note of it in the discussion area below first to avoid editing discrepancies. I might have these pages on edit mode for hours at a time.

LotBlind's Notes

I will use this section as an online notepad for myself, but I hope the notes retain coherence and intelligibility enough for review if so desired.

• per-chapter charts
  • should have all attacks
    • zombie type, minR's and maxR's, attack delays (at least for Ranged and QTE types)
  • crates
    • all possible contents, probabilities if not evenly shared
  • choices
    • first should chart out what choices there are (one path), mark down that path, and use it as a guide for other playthroughs to be able to anticipate when there are choices
    • every civilian save/death is a separate path in the chart, though it often merges right in again
  • should probably keep checking twice for each branch, i.e. that there is no great variation in camera movement lengths or other such
    • already established for most of Ch. 1, probably the same for most things in other chapters too
  • take zombie portraits from the chart-throughs unless already done

To-do

Here is how I work on this game:

Use Taksi to record the game (20fps seems to be good because of simpler algebra, e.g. 4 frames = 0.2s, though the game generally runs at something like 16fps I think)

You could use VirtualDub or Fraps as well. Couldn't get VDub to record the game on my computer.

Use VirtualDub to count frames (if necessary) from e.g. the first frame when typing has started to the frame the word rank appears

Use the Free Play mode to get to minimum difficulty when desired, by losing several continues in a row. Also getting all E's should help keep it there.

Suggestions for the moment:

With all of these, it would probably be smart to plan studies that cover more than one thing and analysing videos to the fullest. That's why discussion would be good.

• Add zombie names, descriptions and thumbnails (just big enough for identification).
• What are the letters-per-minute (and suitable bpm) and seconds-per-letter margins for each rank? I've already started with the E and D rank border.
  • Are the upper SPL limits the ones used for the "Swords at the Ready"-drill, i.e. Typing Speed 3? It has: 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 for ranks A-D.
  • Once this is figured out it will be easier to study the effect of getting different word ranks on difficulty, i.e. is it really worth while going for all those odd rank E's?
• Does it slow down axe-throwing (and similar) zombies' attacks to start typing them? In which cases?
• Time for a zombie to attack you depends on the current difficulty, i.e. the very first zombies in Ch.1 take 5-9 seconds depending on the initial difficulty setting. Are there speed run implications?
  • Theoretically there could be if it affects Moowls, Devilons etc. or throwers, which are typically what you'd want to take damage from.
  • This might be easier to study if you use the difficulty selection in the options menu in conjunction.
• Difficulty Level:
  • What is the effect of using a continue/getting a tranquilizer/losing a health/getting a certain word rank on DL? You should look for a situation when the DL is high and see by how much it drops. There are many variables, however, so it's best to discuss this in detail first lest time is wasted on a study that doesn't account for all of them.
  • Is only one zombie ever killed off when using a continue (outside of missions) or does it sometimes kill off more than one?
• Is there a direct connection between zombie rank and the HP they had in House of the Dead 2? This is a theory, mind you.
• Add a chart for overall game progression

Eventually

• Add a chart showing the different paths for each chapter
• After first TotD published run, correct and uncomment the line that adds the link to the game page (it's on the top of the game page).

Actual Open Discussion Area

Feel free to add to this area, but use signatures (four tildes in a row). LotBlind (talk) 06:06, 28 May 2013 (CDT)

Should this page have the wiki page structure as part of it for per-section discussion?

Should common often-repeated words such as continue or tranquilizer be abbreviated?

Are there better alternatives for some of the naming conventions?