Zombies, Run! 2, an overview with links
So, I think Zombies, Run! is pretty awesome: it ties fannish interest in narrative to exercise in such a way that if you want to know what happens, you have to exercise. I love this. Note, it's frustrating because I can't spend all my time running, and I want to catch up with the story! But it's hella creative and fun, and just brilliantly done.
Teal deer warning: this is hella long. It's far from comprehensive anyway, but I'm happy to answer questions, with the caveat that I'm less than halfway into Season 1, and there's a lot I still don't know.
This guide is to the app/game itself: there are no spoilers for the storyline beyond the basic concept. If there's interest, I'd be happy to put up a post later to talk about the story and characters.
Zombies, Run! 2
Zombies, Run! 2 (ZR) is a GPS-enabled smartphone app that: 1) tracks your running/walking/cycling/elliptical exercise; 2) provides an ongoing storyline to listen to while you're exercising; 3) gives you extra incentive to exercise by way of the ongoing narrative and game-based rewards; and 4) provides interval training by way of periodic sprints during each exercise session.
ZR2 is available on iPhone and Android.
Also, it's damned addicting.
Basic Operation
This is how you do it: you pull up the app on your phone, choose a mission, put on your headphones, and hit "start" before setting out on your run. You will hear transmissions from the radio operator at Abel Township to you as Runner 5, giving you directions and the background on the current mission. These will be interspersed with songs from your playlist, assuming you have music on your phone.
Periodically a robotic voice will break in, telling you that you've picked up some piece of equipment or other supplies (a package of underwear, a can of food, a power cable for a laptop). Sometimes the robotic voice informs you that there are "Zombies detected, 100 meters." And then you have to sprint for about one minute. Or at least pick up the pace enough to outpace the zombies.
The mission will end at the 30-minute or one-hour mark, roughly, depending on which option you chose. If you turned on the Radio Mode option, after the end of the mission, you'll get tuned into Radio Abel, which is a drive-time-like radio program that uses your playlist. The DJs engage in banter and provide more world-building information, while the app continues to track your pace and location.
When you're done with your run, you hit "stop mission" and then "done". The app uploads the record of the run to the ZR website, where you can check the map, pace, and calorie-count, as well as share it with other people.
Gamification
As I see it, there are two elements to the gamification of the basic running app here.
1. The storyline. Through the narrative, you meet a variety of people in Abel Township: Sam the radio operator; Dr. Myers, who would like to find a cure for the zombie virus; Jack and Eugene, the DJs; Janine, who owns the farm which is the core of Abel; and sundry other characters, including other runners. Not only do you meet them, but they get fleshed out as characters, and as the storyline progresses, things happen to them and you care about them. Also, there's a mystery, and some conflict, and other things of ongoing narrative interest. The game enables this by keeping spoilers hidden unless you actively switch them on.
2. Base-building. This is the more traditional game-type element of the app. On the website you get a Base, which is a graphic representation of Abel Township. You get to use the supplies you've gathered to repair, rebuild, and expand Abel. You get to see community morale and population numbers improve over time, as you collect gear and put it to good use.
It's my understanding that some of the base-building intersects with the way the storyline plays out in Season 2, but I'm not entirely sure of this, or how it works out. As I'm only ten missions into Season 1, there's still a lot for me to learn.
Zombie Chases
So we all know how important and useful interval training is, right? Right.
Zombie chases are the interval training element of ZR, and to me the best thing about the app. They come fairly randomly, and not always fairly--I got hit with a chase not two minutes into a run the other morning, when I was stiff and cold and miserable. And then again on a really steep hill.
The key to the zombie chases is that the app uses the GPS to calculate your pace for the time just prior to the chase: if you don't increase your pace by at least 20% for at least one minute, the zombies will get you, and you'll lose some or all of the gear you collected on the run. Also, it's embarrassing to see "Zombies Got You" on the mission log.
What You Get
There are two separate packages for ZR, as of December 2013.
5K Training app ($1.99): 8 weeks of structured training (I didn't get this so I can't say much about it)
Zombies, Run! 2 app ($3.99), which includes:
Season 1 Missions (23 missions)
Race Missions (6 missions going from 5K to 20K, set between S1 & S2)
Season 2 Missions (64 missions, including sidequests)
Supply Missions (7 missions, indeterminate length)
Airdrop Missions (indeterminate number)
Radio Mode (indeterminate amount of time)
The app on your phone tracks your run and calculates mileage, pace, and calorie-count (if you want). Each mission has a new storyline and might introduce new characters. You can replay missions if you like. Upon completion, the app syncs with the website, where you can share your run with other ZR players, sync up with a pre-existing RunKeeper account, or post to FB or Twitter.
Zombielink
Zombielink is the website side of things: it's where you can check your stats, follow other runners, and learn more about the world and the other characters in and around Abel Township. Zombielink isn't as well-designed as I should like (I do not like how hard it is to find my run-specific stats), but it does provide some information.
The Codex basically lists all the supplies you've gathered, and--more importantly--all the characters you've met, with descriptions.
Missions lists the missions you've done and the ones upcoming, with links to the audio stream so you can re-listen to the transmissions if you want. This is where you can turn spoilers on or off.
Stats shows a graph of the days you've run, lists everything you've collected, and your total distance/time running.
Achievements are basically badges for doing things. Over time you earn more Achievements. I'm not sure what value they have.
Base shows you an aerial map of Abel Township. Unfortunately, it took me forever to figure out that the Base view on the website is static. If you want to make repairs or add housing or other support structures to your Base, you must do it through the app on your phone. (I don't get this, and find it annoying.) The point is to build out your Base, which provides for more people and support, and (I believe) opens up other storyline elements in the game.
Zombielink also has links to the ZR shop, the blog, and the Support page. What it doesn't have is a FAQ, probably because every time the app updates things change. This is not a static game, which explains why I've found it so difficult to figure things out.
Looks like there was a tutorial for new players, but I can't find it now. It's not on my app, or on the website.
Tips and Tricks
A few things I've learned over the last few weeks (I'll be adding to this as time goes by):
1. Integration with the music playlist works best on iPhones. For Android phones, there may be some trouble selecting your music (the app could not find my Google Music playlist); in which case, download and install WinAmp, make a playlist in that, and ZR will be able to see it.
2. As soon as you can, download the Radio Missions. Then set the official mission timer to half an hour. This way, when you finish an official mission, you'll automatically switch over to Radio Abel. This is important because you learn more about the community and the characters (and the story) from Jack and Eugene's banter. Radio Mode is basically one big file, so the next time you go running you'll pick right back up with Jack and Eugene at the same place you ended the last time. The nice thing about this is that you won't miss anything.
3. Do the Zombie Chases. You risk more, because if they catch you you'll drop stuff, but I think you get more stuff, and it's much better for you than just going at the same pace for the whole run. And it adds a certain spice to it.
4. The accelerometer option works fine for using a treadmill or elliptical, except it won't track distance or calories, just steps.
If anyone has anything to add here, please let me know and I'll edit it in!
Links
Review of ZR2 by Geekbeat.
Background on the game/app: a SXSW panel on ZR. ETA: There's a fantastic discussion in here about the way they consciously keep Runner 5 with an undefined gender, and that women players don't have a problem with this, but some men players complain about how Runner 5 is female. Even though Runner 5 has no defined gender--but some men feel that means Runner 5 is a woman. Fascinating. There's also a cool discussion about how the game can be played by blind runners. And a great discussion about how the game is non-competitive; it's not about comparing yourself with an objective standard, or competing with other people, but just about doing it at all. So cool. End edit.
Also a live Q&A with the writers.
Guides are harder to find. The Support pages on the website assume you know what your goals are and what to do, and only need help with how, which I found frustrating and only moderately helpful. There is a Runner's Guide to ZR 1, but the actual guide to play isn't really valid anymore, since so much was changed in Version 2.
There's a fannish Wiki, but it's rather incomplete, and the Player's Guide on it is from S1, before they radically revised the gameplay and interface.
This gaming blogger has been tracking the app for a while, but I can't get access to most of the resources he's developed.
Really, what this game needs is a forum hosted on the website. But even the blog is a Tumblr, with all the limitations that involves.
Fannishness
The producers get the fannish impulse, and are aware of how valuable it can be. They do as much as they can to provide fan-friendly characters: the women are distinctive and independent, queer characters are well-represented, and inasmuch as possible in an audio canon, the characters are of wide ethnic diversity. And the two romantic relationships I'm aware of at this point (only 11 eps into S1) are both same-sex pairings. Anyway, the producers are way into leveraging fannishness, so they sponsored a fan competition, with art, audio, and fic. And then they hired one of the fanfic writers to write for the app.
There's fic on FFN and AO3 ('ware spoilers).
Delicious list of fic links.
The producers made This Zombie Life, a This American Life parody.
They use fan voices on the radio show within the game.
This is a fabulous bit of fan art.
Here's a fan trailer for ZR.
Here's a ZR live-action short, complete with cricket bat.
Fuck yeah, Zombies Run Tumblr. Mostly playlists recently, but there are some fic recs on older pages. And some pretty great fan art (one of the advantages of an audio-based fandom: no worry about making sure your drawing looks like an actor).
Crossposted from DW, where there are
comments; comment here or there.
Teal deer warning: this is hella long. It's far from comprehensive anyway, but I'm happy to answer questions, with the caveat that I'm less than halfway into Season 1, and there's a lot I still don't know.
This guide is to the app/game itself: there are no spoilers for the storyline beyond the basic concept. If there's interest, I'd be happy to put up a post later to talk about the story and characters.
Zombies, Run! 2
Zombies, Run! 2 (ZR) is a GPS-enabled smartphone app that: 1) tracks your running/walking/cycling/elliptical exercise; 2) provides an ongoing storyline to listen to while you're exercising; 3) gives you extra incentive to exercise by way of the ongoing narrative and game-based rewards; and 4) provides interval training by way of periodic sprints during each exercise session.
ZR2 is available on iPhone and Android.
Also, it's damned addicting.
Basic Operation
This is how you do it: you pull up the app on your phone, choose a mission, put on your headphones, and hit "start" before setting out on your run. You will hear transmissions from the radio operator at Abel Township to you as Runner 5, giving you directions and the background on the current mission. These will be interspersed with songs from your playlist, assuming you have music on your phone.
Periodically a robotic voice will break in, telling you that you've picked up some piece of equipment or other supplies (a package of underwear, a can of food, a power cable for a laptop). Sometimes the robotic voice informs you that there are "Zombies detected, 100 meters." And then you have to sprint for about one minute. Or at least pick up the pace enough to outpace the zombies.
The mission will end at the 30-minute or one-hour mark, roughly, depending on which option you chose. If you turned on the Radio Mode option, after the end of the mission, you'll get tuned into Radio Abel, which is a drive-time-like radio program that uses your playlist. The DJs engage in banter and provide more world-building information, while the app continues to track your pace and location.
When you're done with your run, you hit "stop mission" and then "done". The app uploads the record of the run to the ZR website, where you can check the map, pace, and calorie-count, as well as share it with other people.
Gamification
As I see it, there are two elements to the gamification of the basic running app here.
1. The storyline. Through the narrative, you meet a variety of people in Abel Township: Sam the radio operator; Dr. Myers, who would like to find a cure for the zombie virus; Jack and Eugene, the DJs; Janine, who owns the farm which is the core of Abel; and sundry other characters, including other runners. Not only do you meet them, but they get fleshed out as characters, and as the storyline progresses, things happen to them and you care about them. Also, there's a mystery, and some conflict, and other things of ongoing narrative interest. The game enables this by keeping spoilers hidden unless you actively switch them on.
2. Base-building. This is the more traditional game-type element of the app. On the website you get a Base, which is a graphic representation of Abel Township. You get to use the supplies you've gathered to repair, rebuild, and expand Abel. You get to see community morale and population numbers improve over time, as you collect gear and put it to good use.
It's my understanding that some of the base-building intersects with the way the storyline plays out in Season 2, but I'm not entirely sure of this, or how it works out. As I'm only ten missions into Season 1, there's still a lot for me to learn.
Zombie Chases
So we all know how important and useful interval training is, right? Right.
Zombie chases are the interval training element of ZR, and to me the best thing about the app. They come fairly randomly, and not always fairly--I got hit with a chase not two minutes into a run the other morning, when I was stiff and cold and miserable. And then again on a really steep hill.
The key to the zombie chases is that the app uses the GPS to calculate your pace for the time just prior to the chase: if you don't increase your pace by at least 20% for at least one minute, the zombies will get you, and you'll lose some or all of the gear you collected on the run. Also, it's embarrassing to see "Zombies Got You" on the mission log.
What You Get
There are two separate packages for ZR, as of December 2013.
5K Training app ($1.99): 8 weeks of structured training (I didn't get this so I can't say much about it)
Zombies, Run! 2 app ($3.99), which includes:
Season 1 Missions (23 missions)
Race Missions (6 missions going from 5K to 20K, set between S1 & S2)
Season 2 Missions (64 missions, including sidequests)
Supply Missions (7 missions, indeterminate length)
Airdrop Missions (indeterminate number)
Radio Mode (indeterminate amount of time)
The app on your phone tracks your run and calculates mileage, pace, and calorie-count (if you want). Each mission has a new storyline and might introduce new characters. You can replay missions if you like. Upon completion, the app syncs with the website, where you can share your run with other ZR players, sync up with a pre-existing RunKeeper account, or post to FB or Twitter.
Zombielink
Zombielink is the website side of things: it's where you can check your stats, follow other runners, and learn more about the world and the other characters in and around Abel Township. Zombielink isn't as well-designed as I should like (I do not like how hard it is to find my run-specific stats), but it does provide some information.
The Codex basically lists all the supplies you've gathered, and--more importantly--all the characters you've met, with descriptions.
Missions lists the missions you've done and the ones upcoming, with links to the audio stream so you can re-listen to the transmissions if you want. This is where you can turn spoilers on or off.
Stats shows a graph of the days you've run, lists everything you've collected, and your total distance/time running.
Achievements are basically badges for doing things. Over time you earn more Achievements. I'm not sure what value they have.
Base shows you an aerial map of Abel Township. Unfortunately, it took me forever to figure out that the Base view on the website is static. If you want to make repairs or add housing or other support structures to your Base, you must do it through the app on your phone. (I don't get this, and find it annoying.) The point is to build out your Base, which provides for more people and support, and (I believe) opens up other storyline elements in the game.
Zombielink also has links to the ZR shop, the blog, and the Support page. What it doesn't have is a FAQ, probably because every time the app updates things change. This is not a static game, which explains why I've found it so difficult to figure things out.
Looks like there was a tutorial for new players, but I can't find it now. It's not on my app, or on the website.
Tips and Tricks
A few things I've learned over the last few weeks (I'll be adding to this as time goes by):
1. Integration with the music playlist works best on iPhones. For Android phones, there may be some trouble selecting your music (the app could not find my Google Music playlist); in which case, download and install WinAmp, make a playlist in that, and ZR will be able to see it.
2. As soon as you can, download the Radio Missions. Then set the official mission timer to half an hour. This way, when you finish an official mission, you'll automatically switch over to Radio Abel. This is important because you learn more about the community and the characters (and the story) from Jack and Eugene's banter. Radio Mode is basically one big file, so the next time you go running you'll pick right back up with Jack and Eugene at the same place you ended the last time. The nice thing about this is that you won't miss anything.
3. Do the Zombie Chases. You risk more, because if they catch you you'll drop stuff, but I think you get more stuff, and it's much better for you than just going at the same pace for the whole run. And it adds a certain spice to it.
4. The accelerometer option works fine for using a treadmill or elliptical, except it won't track distance or calories, just steps.
If anyone has anything to add here, please let me know and I'll edit it in!
Links
Review of ZR2 by Geekbeat.
Background on the game/app: a SXSW panel on ZR. ETA: There's a fantastic discussion in here about the way they consciously keep Runner 5 with an undefined gender, and that women players don't have a problem with this, but some men players complain about how Runner 5 is female. Even though Runner 5 has no defined gender--but some men feel that means Runner 5 is a woman. Fascinating. There's also a cool discussion about how the game can be played by blind runners. And a great discussion about how the game is non-competitive; it's not about comparing yourself with an objective standard, or competing with other people, but just about doing it at all. So cool. End edit.
Also a live Q&A with the writers.
Guides are harder to find. The Support pages on the website assume you know what your goals are and what to do, and only need help with how, which I found frustrating and only moderately helpful. There is a Runner's Guide to ZR 1, but the actual guide to play isn't really valid anymore, since so much was changed in Version 2.
There's a fannish Wiki, but it's rather incomplete, and the Player's Guide on it is from S1, before they radically revised the gameplay and interface.
This gaming blogger has been tracking the app for a while, but I can't get access to most of the resources he's developed.
Really, what this game needs is a forum hosted on the website. But even the blog is a Tumblr, with all the limitations that involves.
Fannishness
The producers get the fannish impulse, and are aware of how valuable it can be. They do as much as they can to provide fan-friendly characters: the women are distinctive and independent, queer characters are well-represented, and inasmuch as possible in an audio canon, the characters are of wide ethnic diversity. And the two romantic relationships I'm aware of at this point (only 11 eps into S1) are both same-sex pairings. Anyway, the producers are way into leveraging fannishness, so they sponsored a fan competition, with art, audio, and fic. And then they hired one of the fanfic writers to write for the app.
There's fic on FFN and AO3 ('ware spoilers).
Delicious list of fic links.
The producers made This Zombie Life, a This American Life parody.
They use fan voices on the radio show within the game.
This is a fabulous bit of fan art.
Here's a fan trailer for ZR.
Here's a ZR live-action short, complete with cricket bat.
Fuck yeah, Zombies Run Tumblr. Mostly playlists recently, but there are some fic recs on older pages. And some pretty great fan art (one of the advantages of an audio-based fandom: no worry about making sure your drawing looks like an actor).
Crossposted from DW, where there are
comments; comment here or there.