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There are two factions in Zombie Panic: Source; the living, and the undead. Survivors are those who have not fallen victim to the zombies and reanimated, and fight off the undead however possible.
The basic rules of survival are mainly common knowledge, easy to remember, tips to help you survive for as long as possible when dealing with the undead menace during your time playing on the survivor team.
Note: All pictures featured in this article were created using Garry's Mod, so the images do not reflect actual gameplay.
Buddy System[]
In Zombie Panic: Source, the round will start with many human players against a small (yet ever expanding) number of zombies. To ensure a higher chance of surviving the zombie onslaught, it is recommended to travel with a group. Travelling with a group of survivors will mean you have more than just yourself to cover you. More people simply means more bullets hitting zombies in the face, resulting in a higher chance of survival. Travelling in a group will also decrease your odds of being slain, as when a zombie is pursuing a group of survivors, any survivor is fair game to that zombie.
Keep Your Distance[]
When faced against a horde of shambling, claw-flailing undead, it is best to take advantage of their slow shambling speed and put distance between yourself and the walking corpses. Increasing the distance between you and your attacker will put them in a tricky situation. Be cautious however, should the distance between you and the zombie begin to shorten, you will have less reaction time to deal with the threat of a fast-shambling, hungry, foe. Be cautious of zombies trying to take advantage of this by executing ambushes around corners and other tight spaces.
Sharing[]
Weapons and ammuntion are essential in Zombie Panic: Source, as they help the survivors do away with the deadheads. However, a survivor is only capable of using one weapon at a time, which may put you at a bit of a disadvantage when faced with numerous zombies. A very effective solution to this problem, especially when combined with the buddy system, would be to share your weapons and ammunition with your teammates. Sharing allows the survivor team's killing capacity to be multiplied greatly, thus leading to a higher chance of survival for everyone.
Headshots[]
It is usually considered common knowledge to most survivors that a zombie's brain is its weak point, due to the fact that without a brain zombies cease to function, as with a human being. With this in mind, it would be wise to focus all of your attacks on the zombie's head to inflict maximum damage. A headshot with any firearm will do three times its typical amount of damage. This will not only save precious ammuntion, but it will also make those few shots with lower capacity weapons, such as the Revolver or Winchester, count. There are plenty of weapons that can kill zombies with ease if aimed at the head, the most notable being the AK-47, Revolver, and shotties. Scoring a successful headshot also has a chance to reward the player with the sight of zombie cranial fluids spilling about.
See the weapons page for more details on weapon damage.
Barricading[]
When dealing with the undead, a vialbe tactic is placing as many obstacles in between you and them as possible, be it with the use of furniture, or handy wooden planks nailed to walls with the use of a hammer. The effectiveness of the barricade is dependent on how well it was put together and positioned. Nailing boards to tight spaces such as doors, or moving furniture to block ladder access are both excellent tactics for keeping the undead at bay as you plan your next course of action. Mind you, barricades will only stall the hungry zombies, not literally stop them. Though this means that survivors could be left outside too, so another tatic to consider is putting planks at chest height thus allowing fellow survivors in and slowing approaching zombies.
Tread Lightly[]
While many would consider grabbing every weapon and piece of equipment a fair way to prepare for the zombie apocalypse, what they may not anticipate is the fatigue you will experience carrying an entire arsenal on your back. Grabbing everything in sight is not only frowned upon, as it leaves the other survivors with little to work with, but it also slows you down. Speed is one of a survivor's main advantages over the undead, and when this is taken out of the equation, you may end up as the main dish on a 12 course zombie supper. Only grab what you really need, leave the rest for your group to help you fend off the zombies. Though bringing ammo to other survivors can help you and them if you create a stockpile of weapons and ammo. Note this will also be a target for zombies though.
Rest[]
If you're always on the run, you're going to exhaust yourself. You will begin to slow down when fatigued, one of a zombie's favorite sights. To avoid becoming fatigued, rest or walk when possible [Default key shift]. There are plenty of opportunities to rest, as zombies are slow and will have to catch up with you. Take a break whenever possible to ensure that your stamina remains relatively high, and that this power you have allowed yourself to hold will be used when needed more, such as while escaping from a horde of zombies during a battle.
Triage[]
Most humans inevitably take damage during their battles with the undead. The wounds can be grevious, sometimes lethal, but thankfully there are first aid kits and pain killers that can replenish a survivor's health a fair amount. However, not many of these will spawn on the map, and often have a one-time use. It is likely that many wounded survivors will encounter a first aid kit after a battle, and all long for it to heal them of their injuries. While it is true that one should tend their wounds, due to the scarcity of these handy life-savers on the map it would be best to allow the most wounded in your group to take the first aid kit. Alternatively, allowing the most wounded survivor to take body armor is a viable option as well.
Escape Plan[]
When scouting out an area as a survivor where the threat of death is present around every corner of the map, it is best to have an escape plan when entering an area. Should the zombies suddenly appear on the scene, throwing a wrench in your plans, having an escape plan can help get you out of most sticky situations to let you live to see another day, or at least a few minutes. This can be as simple to do as spotting all the exits and entrances when entering an area, and deciding on the fly which would be the most appropriate to use when retreating.
When All Else Fails[]
Panic! If none of these basics seem to be helping your situation and you feel you're about to be overrun, get out of there[Default key P]! Panicking will give you a sudden boost of speed, regardless of how fatigued you may be. Use it to get out of any unapproved situation, but beware, as the price to pay for prolonging your life will be dropping anything you weren't holding in your hand at the time. Panic only when you absolutely must! Should your teammates suddenly see you panicking, they'll likely get the message when they see just what you were running from, so make it worth it!