Here's an AAR (after action report) for our succesful run at Dark Carnival on realism/expert on Saturday!

As always we started the campaign off badly. The problem with Dark Carnival is that is has a LONG and hard first map, leaving almost no room for 'easing in' which can be necessary at realism expert. I won't lie, I was feeling like shit for the first 30 minutes of the game myself and kept fucking up. After some adrenaline got pumping and I drank some coke I finally got into it and picked up the pace on the "calling duties" too. We made it to the saferoom with a rather hectic last few minutes, Derf dying, me getting incapped and O'Cram and Peltz sprinting and limping towards the saferoom.

After that things were relatively smooth...we wiped on the panic event at the end of the second map after me and Peltz died early and the two-man brother team of Derf and O'Cram had to do it alone. Actually, that one was totally O'Cram's fault because he didn't keep running towards the safe room but wasted time killing the alarm and running back for Derf. Ah well...second run was golden.

Chapter 3: rollercoaster time!! Love that level...SO MUCH ADRENALINE. I managed to shoot the shit out of Derf about 10 metres from the safe room, then got him up, then shot him again but didn't incap him. Not my best day. O'Cram and Peltz were behind as me and Derf made it to the saferoom, but straggled in afterwards.

Chapter 4: An easy level IF you have someone with a chainsaw. In Dark Carnival (and Dead Center) I always try to make sure I pick up one chainsaw before the endless panic event somewhere in the campaign. I never use it before that, leaving me somewhat underpowered in some situations (ie no deagle or melee weapon) but it's worth it for the payoff on these levels. Execution was perfect: hit button, horde comes, we fight them off, gates open, I pipe to the right, shoot adrenaline, fire up chainsaw and start ripping through legions of zombies. Derf was apparently running right behind me the entire run and just had to shoot a few zombies coming to my side. Made it to the saferoom easily, Derf along with me, Peltz staying outside to help the incapped O'Cram survive iirc. Me and Derf wouldn't budge from the saferoom.

FINALE: I suggested we'd try another place than the spot next to the stage...so we tied the taller of the two stage towers, with one person on spitter/smoker watch. Needless to say, we wiped countless times, either because of bad luck or just being retarded (I managed to shoot the gas can I had hauled up there, killing all of us except me because I jumped off in time...I swear I was gonna press E and throw it down but clicked mouse instead ). Then O'Cram proposed we defend on the corner of the stands...this proved to be the ideal spot. By this point Derf had bailed because he wanted to watch footy and Satis, god bless his crooked soul, had jumped in. He managed to get us to the end with little or no "warm-up" so kudos to him.

The high point of the game, however, was when the chopper came. I had been grey and hopped up on pills and adrenaline (thanks peltz) but was right next to the chopper...when it came I was fighting off horde but didn't see anyone else. I heard some screaming and whatever but I was in tunnel vision mode towards the chopper. I jump on, but I get hit by a bastard zombie as soon as I set foot on the chopper's landing rails...and die. Then, out of nowhere, Peltz, O'Cram and Satis showed up and boarded the chopper...as we fly off, I see "O'Cram has brought Rinox back from the dead" He somehow defibbed me ON the chopper as we were flying off! Hilarity ensued, 4 survivors made it!

Epic game, thanks guys. I love Dark Carnival. Maybe Peltz or Satis can tell us what happened with them once the second tank died, because all I saw was the chopper.

Man i tried to shoot that ankle nibbling zombie i really tried, i killed two of her buddies before she got you. But yeah that was funny as hell, Marco really is becoming the one but at the moment is the second because he cant dodge my bullets, yet.

Basically when the second tank showed up, eventually he zoomed in on my ass after you guys set him on fire. I was hobbling around the seats unloading my shotty into him until he took me out, then died a second or two afterward. Ocram showed up, brought me up, then got knocked down by a zombie. I tossed a mollie for cover, then I brought him up and we hobbled to the helichopper. I had nothing to do with any magical defibbing.

So O'Cram defibbed 2 peeps in a row? Lmao. Or maybe you meant incapped instead of die. Either way, no idea you guys were so disorganized. Like I said I was just tunnelling in on the chopper.

heh, yea, I was incapped. I was gray when I crawled into the chopper. When the second tank showed up, everyone just seemed to kinda split... I ran to the stage and grabbed the shotty because I was out of ammo. Next thing I knew, I saw a flaming tank but not any of you guys.

Oh I was trailing Peltz and staying in his sights, just in case I would get jockeyed or pounced. I mean, umh, I was looking out for his safety.

Why hasn't anyone made an AAR for Saturday yet? That was an awesome session. Me, Derf, O'Cram and Satis tackled Swamp Fever on realism expert and O'Cram got out alone AGAIN, the little rat. He even got the "Still got something to prove" achievement in the process.

Some highlights:

- Me and O'Cram limping towards the saferoom on the second map when a horde comes...I throw a bile jar to buy us time to get there, but O'Cram decides to use his grenade launcher on the horde but hits me, incapping us both.

- O'Cram yelling at us to get out of the way because he's got "a plan" when the tank appeared. Turns out his mystery plan involved shooting a gas can next to the door to set it on fire...hilarity ensued as we realized that shooting the can was his proposed stroke of 'tactical genius'. To quote me and Derf: Me: "THAT was your plan? shooting the cans?" Derf:"Yeah that's pretty fucking basic".

- on the third chapter, Satis and Derf died relatively soon with no defib units in sight...so me and O'Cram pressed on and did about 50% of the map with just the two of us, on realism expert. And we beat a panic event during! Ok it was one of the easier to exploit ones, but still. The last part running through the zombies while throwing a pipe was pure adrenaline. Epic shit!

- we did the finale 2-3 times...on the attempt that succeeded, the tank(s) got all of us once but we managed to get each other up. Satis got raped (by a tank?) while incapped, so he died. O'Cram outlasted the burning tanks after I got him up and managed to get up Derf, but the latter got killed before getting to the boat. And me? I was doing well, got O'Cram up halfway but then made the fatal mistake to assume that Derf was lying inside the house (and that I could grab a nice bile jar to cover our exit while I was at it)...got cornered and sandwiched by tanks, incapping me in the house and making it impossible for O'Cram and Derf to come back and get me up in time for the boat. As soon as I realized no one was coming back for me, I proceeded to commit suicide by shooting a gas can right next to me.


Oh and there was also the wheelchair incident...

Did I miss anything? What a glorious good time it was though.

Nah, I think that was it.

You guys know I haven't beaten a single campaign on expert yet? you bastards. Much less expert realism. But that's ok... I feel good knowing I repeatedly sacrifice my hillbilly self to save your worthless hides.

Hahaha, I'm sorry. We'll compile a crack team to get you through The Parish next time we play on realism expert (it's probably the easiest campaign overall), deal? And if we do and O'Cram is there, i'll personally shoot the rat in the kneecaps as he's running for the chopper.

Im a real team player. I dont give a poopies about who gets out, so long as someone does.

heh, actually I'm fine too, though it would be nice to pick up the achievements eventually. For the most part, just beating a campaign on realism expert at all is quite an achievement.

You guys are regular altruists. No wonder Marco always gets out. No thanks to me.

And yeah, I've almost forgotten how awful our first tries at the game were on expert, and how hard it is in general. We've quickly mastered expert realism...think we can beat any campaign on it fairly comfortably as long as we're all having an ok day/aren't dead tired.

I'm starting to look out for custom campaigns too btw, shouldn't take too long for them to pop up.

Oh and Satis...Hard Rain + expert realism + cool team = one of the best MP experiences evah.

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