Turning off the power...

[Legion2213]

Would shutting down the power in the mall have saved Peter, Stephen and Fran from the raiders (even for a short time)? Just thinking that raiding a well lit mall would be a different prospect than raiding a pitch black mall full of zombies and a few folks who knew the layout of the place shooting at you. I understand that they could've waited until daylight, but it still would've bought the defenders some time to organise a defense or escape plan. What would you have done in their position?

[bassman]

It may have helped them get a bit more prepared for the invasion, but it still wouldn't have stopped the Bikers. Like Peter says "That's a professional Army" - they would get in and get what they want either way. On the other hand, they still could have raided the mall at night....they have headlights on their bikes.

[Yojimbo]

Im inclined to agree with bassman: that WAS a professional army and nothing short of another dug in and sizable professional army could have repelled the invasion, and even that would have turned into a seige. Not that 3 surviors would have much of a chance to defend the mall against a well organized attack from the outside. Turning off the power, while maybe would have given the 3 survivors a minimal tactical advantage, would not have dissuaded that group of marauders. If they were able to somehow repel the invaders' first attack, I think that the bikers would have taken it personally and then it would have become an important mission to them to invade the mall, not just for the hell of it or for supplies but to teach the people who had the gall to resist them a violent lesson. The bikers would have resorted to burning down the mall eventually just to screw with the surviors.

[ProfessorChaos]

even with the electricity out, the bikers (or someone else) would eventually try to get in and pillage the place, so i doubt that it'd do much good. if i was in their situation (after roger has died) i would have been making every possible attempt to fortify and reinforce my blockades at the exits, even if only to delay the inevitable. seems like they could have done something a little more constructive with their time during the stages right after roger's death...i know they were possibly in grief, but there's still an entire (parking lot?town?nation?world?) of ghouls outside their fortress.

[Skippy911sc]

I think the smartest thing would have been to contact them ahead of time when the bikers first made contact...give them what they wanted...there was plenty to go around and at least everyone would have remained safe. Peter, Flyboy and Fran took it way to seriously...but that was the point consumerism...the items become the most important thing. Like victims of tornadoes just remember at least everyone was safe...things can be replaced but people can't When the STUFF becomes the most important thing in our lives something is wrong!

[Danny]

i would have turned it off anyway, no esalators and whatnot. as for the bikers they would have broke in regardless, but knowing i had a chopper on the roof or could steal one of there bikes if worst caem to worst id try adn just hide- OR they should have doen a first blood and picked them off one by one. now THAT would have been an ending, people wont go near the mall becuase the 4 of them set loads of traps and stuff and whent nuts over the stuff inside, they know the tunnels, bakc ways and vents, theyve got guns and stuff, it would have been cool to see if the bikers cmae in and set up shop, btu feeling it belonged to them flyboy and the rest staged a 4 man guierilla war, poisoning food and setting traps and stuff o pick them off one by one. -course then the bikers would come back as zombies and eat them, oh the irony.

[ProfessorChaos]

^ if roger hadn't been bit, then maybe they would have done something like that... that'd be a cool alternate-universe what-if type scenario.

[SRP76]

^ if roger hadn't been bit, then maybe they would have done something like that... that'd be a cool alternate-universe what-if type scenario. Funny, I was daydreaming about the exact same thing earlier today: the biker seige, if Roger had never been bitten. With him, I think they would have done it. It wouldn't be hard to keep them out, especially if they had foreseen some kind of invasion. A large stock of Molotovs, to be thrown from the roof, would have done the trick. A wall of fire in the parking lot. Job done. But, just on spur of the moment, they could have picked off nearly all of them. I counted 32 bikers in the invasion, so there could have been no more than 35, at maximum. There is only one approach, up the road and into the parking lot. Three rifles on the roof, well-covered (not to mention being under darkness, while the bikers' lights are like target beacons), at three different points on the roof...fish in a barrel. They could have easily wiped out 2/3 of the "professional army". Especially seeing how grabassy and disorganized that so-called "army" was. If anything, I'm sure Fran could have been doing something a little more useful than walking around in the "apartment". Get on the roof and open fire, woman! The only bikers that couldn't have been shredded by the elevated crossfire on approach would be the ones inside the two vans. A total of maybe 10 or 12 people. They would be facing the flamewall (if the Molotovs had been prepped), or, at the very least, the horde of reanimates. Plus, at least one (Fran) would be left on the roof, continuing to rain lead on them. 10 people, under fire, would have a whole hell of a lot harder time getting those trucks moved than 35 unbothered people. Especially since not ALL of them would be wading out into the zombie masses; some would remain in the vans, trying not to get capped by the rooftop sniper. The odds would be heavily against them. Even if they did finally get by Fran and the undead, Peter and Stephen would have had plenty of time to set up yet another elevated crossfire overlooking the main concourse from the second level. Any raiders getting into the mall would have dead at their backs, and a turkey shoot in front. Dead meat. The power would have no bearing on any of this. And, with Roger on top of all that, it would be even easier to eradicate the invading bikers.

[Danny]

if both swat guys got up there with the sniper rifles they got then i dont reckon they would have had a porblem, when there driving towars the mall snipe the bikers in front so when there bikes tumble they halt the people behind, then when there confused hit em ard adn fast. -man, for someone who's very anti- firearms i put a bit too much thought into that.

[SRP76]

-man, for someone who's very anti- firearms i put a bit too much thought into that. Certain values tend to be re-thought the first time a corpse shambles up and tried to eat you. A better question to the "power issue" would be: Just what the hell was the power doing going out, in the first place?! Peter was in the passageway leading to the false-wall-blocked control room. Fran upstairs. EVERYONE, zombies included, were outside from where Peter was. Nobody could have been back there, turning off the power. Then, we see a mysterious hand flip the switch to turn power back on. Again, Peter is in the vents, with nobody beyond him. W...T...F.

[jim102016]

I think the smartest thing would have been to contact them ahead of time when the bikers first made contact...give them what they wanted...there was plenty to go around and at least everyone would have remained safe. Peter, Flyboy and Fran took it way to seriously...but that was the point consumerism...the items become the most important thing. Like victims of tornadoes just remember at least everyone was safe...things can be replaced but people can't When the STUFF becomes the most important thing in our lives something is wrong! Pursuing a policy of appeasement with the bikers wouldn't have worked. How could you possibly carry it out safely, hang the keys over the edge of the roof and tell them to lock up again when they're finished shopping? I also doubt the bikers would be willing to come pick up supplies thrown off the roof. Lunatics can't be appeased, just look at Hitler. I don't think there would have been any way to defend the mall without destroying it's integrity...i.e. keeping it "zombie proofed". Perhaps killing each and every one of the bikers before they reached the parking lot of the mall would have taken care of the problem. If they had a few more people, they could pick them off from the roof, but surely the helicopter would get damaged in the crossfire, and the bikers who did get into the mall would be hell bent on getting up to the roof for some payback.

[Wyldwraith]

I disagree, Marauders of all stripes throughout the ages are in it for the loot. Demonstrate to them it's going to cost a significant manpower loss and I honestly believe they woulda gone in search of greener pastures. Their boss was a bit clever, he knows replacing any casualties is a difficult proposition. Imagine if the little band in the wall nailed even 6-7 of them on their approach...I think things would've been a lot different. They went hog wild because of the passivity they were shown. I think it's a case where realism was sacrificed to preserve the anti-consumerism message.

[Yojimbo]

I do think that a lot can be said for Peter's initial plan of action: that is, locking down as many of the stores as possible and then keeping out of sight. As he said, the bikers were after the place and not them. Perhaps then they would have been able to weather out the looting, wait until the bikers left then resealed the mall. His plan, of course, did not allow for Stephen to lose his cool and start taking pot shots at the bikers -- none of which I should add hit anyone. The result of his impotent attack of course was to piss off the bikers and spark a full blown war war. Certainly, they were caught off guard at the time of the attack, and with hindsight after they got the mall resealed, the survivors would have had the opportunity to be better prepared for the next time looters came knocking. As for taking an offensive stance on the roof from the onset of the bikers approach, it seems to me that only Peter had the skills to snipe moving targets at that distance. Certainly Stephen's abilities with the long rifle were not all that great, and in that sense maybe marginally better (or perhaps worse) than Fran's. In this regard, if Peter was really the only viable sniper of the three then perhaps he had the right idea in the first place. Assuming that Peter would have been able to drop a few of the bikers, that would have sparked an all out war, and one which he would have started with the payoff of only thinning the number of total invaders only marginally.

[Legion2213]

I do like the idea of bringing down half a dozen of the lead bikers from the roof. Peter could've done that no problem...Fly boy & Fly girl could've made themselves useful reloading rifles and chucking petrol bombs in front of the entrances. As for the idea of Roger not getting killed...Hell yes. He is probably my favorite GAR character of all time, I was ****ing gutted when he bought it. Just what the hell was the power doing going out, in the first place?! Peter was in the passageway leading to the false-wall-blocked control room. Fran upstairs. EVERYONE, zombies included, were outside from where Peter was. Nobody could have been back there, turning off the power. Then, we see a mysterious hand flip the switch to turn power back on. Again, Peter is in the vents, with nobody beyond him. W...T...F. That HUNK/4th Survivor fellow sure gets around.

[acealive1]

shutting down the power woulda made it impossibl for them to get into the stores since the security doors are mechanical. they woulda been inside the mall,but no stores would they have gotten into.