Runway Finale

The Runway Finale is the fifth and final chapter of the third campaign, Dead Air.

The Survivors reach the airport runway in time to see a Commercial Airliner - presumably with its passengers all infected - crash. They then make their way towards a waiting Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport on the runway and establish radio contact with the pilot.

The ground team of the airport seem to all be dead or infected - the pilot informs the Survivors that the plane is in desperate need of refuelling. After opening a valve on a connected fuel tanker, the plane begins to re-fuel and the pilot gives the group notification as the tank begins to fill.

The Survivors must hold out until the plane is air-worthy against waves of Common Infected, several Tanks and other Special Infected. A minigun turret helps in the Survivors in the upcoming battle.

Eventually, the plane is filled with fuel, the engine starts, and the Survivors must board the plane from the opened hatch at the rear, evading a final rush of Infected. Success grants a view of the plane's successful departure, followed by the display of the campaign credits.

Closet Method
There is a small closet in the building to the far left of the Minigun (if you are manning it). If possible, have two people armed with pipe bombs, and two with molotovs. When the fuel pump is started, have everyone hide in the closet, with the people in front crouching so the people behind can shoot over them easily. The closet will funnel the Infected and make it easy to mow them down, and make it hard for Special Infected to get to the Survivors. If someone is grabbed by a Smoker, melee them immediately so they do not get pulled away from the closet. Use a pipe bomb if the horde starts to overwhelm the Survivors. When the pilot announces that the plane is half-full, exit the closet and prepare to face a Tank. If you have molotovs, light the Tank on fire, and then just run from it until it burns to death. Use this time to also restock on ammo, grenades, and health if need be. Once the Tank is dead, get back into the closet and fight off the Common Infected until the pilot announces that the plane is almost full. Exit the closet again for the second Tank fight and burn it to death if possible. Once the Tank is dead, get to the back of the plane and hold off the Infected until the ramp is lowered.

Boarding Gate Method
There is a boarding gate similar to the one the Survivors enter the level on that has an access ladder. The Survivors can camp this terminal, funnelling the Infected. When a Tank arrives, the Survivors need to jump on to the aircraft's wing on their right and follow it down to open ground, where the Tank can be more easily dealt with. Rinse and repeat.

Note: There are a number of walls on the terminal which can be broken by any Infected or the hunting rifle.

Runway Method
Another uncommon method is to get all four Survivors to stand out in the open space at the back of the map where the "Do not cross" tape is. There are 4 points from which hordes will come from: One on the left behind the tape, two directly ahead around the fuelling plane and one to the right of the truck (sometimes filled with gas canisters). The team should camp here until it is time for the Tank to appear and then circle around the fuelling plane to avoid the Tank's rock throws, though this method is more effective with a molotov, it also works well using only weapons to defeat the Tank.

Tanker Method
An easy method is to climb on top of the tanker and post a player on each end. Or have two on the ground and two up on top till the plane fuels.

Tail Wing Method
There is half of a crashed plane adjacent to the boarding gate used in method 2. Have all four Survivors climb up the tail and stand on the end of the plane next to the tunnel. One person should have a sniper rifle to deal with Special Infected as Smokers can still get to you, and Boomers can vomit on you from the boarding gate. However, the horde can only come up the tail of the plane, making them easy to deal with.

Mud Mound Method
Also known as "The Hill Method".

Behind the fuelling plane is a large mound of what appears to be mud. Have all four Survivors climb this mound until they reach the fence. From here they can pick off the hordes with ease. It is a good idea to have one Survivor on Smoker lookout. When the Tank comes just run to the fuelling plane and crouch down. The Tank will try to run through the plane allowing the Survivors to take leisurely shots at its ankles until it goes down. If you are quick enough you should also be able to run to the fuelling truck and restock on ammo and supplies.

Evacuation Plane Method
This method requires significant setup. First locate the truck located in front of the evacuation plane. This truck will be your starting jump point. The objective will be to move 2 of the cargo carts in front of the truck and leapfrog to the nose of the evacuation plane. You may then crouch in the center and be safe from all but Smokers. The Cargo carts can be moved by using Propane Tanks, Gas Cans and Oxygen Tanks. You can also move them with the minigun. Stand behind the cart and throw previously mentioned items into it. If you hold forward you can often "push" the cart slowly. You have much better control of it this way. Once on the plane remain crouched and wait for the plane to open up. Once it has you may drop through its tail and directly into the evacuation sceen.

The Boomer
If the Survivors use the boarding gate method, attack from the side and rain vomit up at them. This is actually advantageous as they generally cannot see you.

If the Survivors make use of the runway method, you are unfortunately out of luck as open and long distances are not your forte. The best thing to do is to wait and attack when the Tank arrives.

If the Survivors decide that the tanker method is the best option, you can easily sneak up on them and cover them in bile from multiple directions. Remember that they will most likely scatter for the Tank.

If the Survivors want to use the tail wing method, you can mount the nearby boarding gate and attack from there. Alternatively it is sometimes possible to get them from below.

Finally, if the Survivors attempt to exploit the mud mound method, you are mostly out of luck. As with the runway method, the best thing to do is to wait for the Tank battle and attack then.

The Hunter
If the Survivors use the boarding gate method, pounce them at unexpected angles. If you can land a successful pounce and some walls have been removed, you may separate some Survivors, causing them grief.

If the Survivors decide that the runway method is the best option, attack with the sheer distance. The greater the distance, the more damage you can instantly inflict. Mount the plane and other obstacles and pounce from there.

If the Survivors take advantage of the tanker method, pounce the people on top. You will hopefully cause the others to stumble off and give yourself a chance to do decent damage to your target before his friends can stop you.

The tail wing method is useful as it can only be reached via one way up. This is a disadvantage for most Infected but an advantage for you. If you pounce and stumble the other Survivors over the edge, they will have to move around and back up the tail wing before they can free your target.

Finally, if the Survivors adapt to the mud mound method, your only option is to find height and leap from there. A good choice is the plane itself, from which you can pounce the Survivors and do a fair amount of instant damage.

The Smoker
If the Survivors adopt the boarding gate method, pull them off it. Separate the Survivors and drag someone off the side, whilst keeping out of sight.

If the Survivors manage to use the runway method, the best you can do is drag someone away from the runway when the others are distracted. You could also try to wait until the Tank appears.

If the Survivors embrace the tail wing method, you have a very simple yet effective solution. Drag someone down. They'll end up either coming down with you, or clinging on to the edge. The former means they'll take fall damage and will have to move around the plane to get back up. The latter means that they are technically incapacitated.

If the mud mound method is chosen by the Survivors, pull them away from their precious mound. Do this from around the side of the plane. Otherwise, wait until the Tank arrives and attack then.

The Tank
The other Infected are counting mostly on you to slay the Survivors.

If the Survivors choose the boarding gate method, try to catch them before they leave and trap them up on the boarding gate. Let their tactic be their downfall.

If the Survivors exploit the runway method, it is troublesome for you as there is a lot of space for them to move around in. However, most Survivors will run to get more ammunition and supplies after a horde. That is your saving grace. When they go to get supplies attack with force. Otherwise, hit a luggage cart around to try and hit them on the runway.

If the Survivors use the tanker method, you can fairly easily bash them to death. Luggage carts are also an easy and effective option here, too.

If the tail wing method is used, try to rush them before they can leave the tail wing. If you hit them from up there, not only will they fly backwards and get separated from their team, but they will also take large amounts of fall damage. As with other methods, if they've left, bash about a luggage cart.

If the Survivors opt to go with the mud mound method, it is actually rather advantageous for you. Although it outsmarts an AI Tank, a competent human Tank can rush around the side of the plane and bash a luggage cart into the Survivors' faces. They will all be incapacitated.

When the rescue vehicle arrives though, don't worry about the fire. They will get to the vehicle fast, so don't hold back if your enemies made a blockade of fire. Just charge through.

Survival
Boarding Gate Method


 * There is a boarding gate similar to the one the Survivors enter the level on that has an access ladder. The Survivors can camp this terminal, funnelling the Infected. When a Tank arrives, the Survivors need to jump on to the aircraft's wing on their right and follow it down to open ground, where the Tank can be more easily dealt with. Or, more foolishly, they can stand strong and hope to overwhelm the Tank before it can reach the Survivors. Rinse and repeat until you are finally overrun.


 * Note: There are a number of walls on the terminal which can be broken by any Infected or the hunting rifle.

Runway Method


 * Another method is to get all four Survivors to stand out in the open space at the back of the map where the "Do not cross" tape is. There are 4 points from which hordes will come from: One on the left behind the tape, two directly ahead around the fuelling plane and one to the right of the truck which is sometimes filled with gas canisters. The team should camp here until it is time for the Tank to appear and then circle around the fuelling plane to avoid the Tank's rock throws, though this method is more effective with a molotov, it also works well using only weapons to defeat the Tank.

Tail Wing Method


 * There is half of a crashed plane adjacent to the boarding gate used in the Survivors' strategy. Have all four Survivors climb up the tail and stand on the end of the plane next to the tunnel. One person should have a sniper rifle to deal with Special Infected as Smokers can still get to you, and Boomers can vomit on you from the boarding gate. However, the horde can only come up the tail of the plane, making them easy to deal with. When the Tank arrives, the team should move down and fight it on open ground, then return to the tail wing.

Mud Mound Method Also known as "The Hill Method".


 * Behind the fuelling plane is a large mound of what appears to be mud. Have all four Survivors climb this mound until they reach the fence. From here they can pick off the hordes with ease. It is a good idea to have one Survivor on Smoker lookout. When the Tank comes just run to the fuelling plane and crouch down. The Tank will try to run through the plane allowing the Survivors to take leisurely shots at its ankles until it goes down. However, in survival mode the Tank will not always fall for this trick so stay sharp. If you are quick enough you should also be able to run to the fuelling truck and restock on ammo and supplies every now and then.

Behind the Scenes
An early version of the Runway seen in the materials/console folder shows that the area was virtually pitch-black at one time, which the only lighting being near some parked planes. In fact, there is no 3D skybox period. It seems that the idea of Dead Air taking place in a ruined city was not a part of Dead Air from the beginning.

In addition, there is no rubble near or on the Runway, which suggests that the idea of the Airport being bombed was not developed when the Airport chapter was first made.

Of note is that the image's name is rooftoprun.vtf. The player spends the first two maps of Dead Air running across rooftops, which is where the filename likely comes from.

Trivia

 * At the part where the plane crashes, if you listen carefully, you can hear the roaring or growling of a Tank. It could be a Tank or simply the metal of the plane twisting upon impact.
 * Some other rumours on the crash reveal that only the pilots were Infected, resulting in loss of control of the plane and its ultimate crash. Another possible reason of its crash is that a passenger that had gotten through airport security was in the early stages of infection, and subsequently led to the crash of the airliner.
 * The plane crash is considered the best "wow" moment in the game.
 * Inside the safe room where the Survivors begin, the player can usually see a box sitting on a table which advertises Valve's video game, Team Fortress 2. This also has an Easter egg as the box says collect all 10, seeing that there are only 9 classes in Team Fortress 2.
 * This finale is the only one that gives a reason for a horde to be summoned. That is the racket of the plane being fuelled. In all other finales, no reason is given for the massive attack after calling the rescue vehicle.
 * If one forgets to close the door after everyone has exited the safe room and the team has decided to stay near it for a certain amount of time, the Director has a higher chance of spawning Special Infected - most commonly a Smoker and a Boomer - inside the safe room itself.
 * Standing right in front of the plane crash can damage the player, especially in Versus mode. A average of 20-25 damage is taken if the player stands right in front of the crash, trying to collect debris.
 * It could be assumed that when the plane landed there were still some non-infected personnel at the airport, as the fuel line is connected to the plane. It seems that the person with the radio lying dead against the fuel tanker was still alive when the plane had was at the airport, as the radio is connected to the cockpit and he is next to the already connected fuel pipe but it looks like the Infected got him before he could turn it on.
 * One humorous and somewhat ironic thing to note is that the sound of a plane crashing does not draw zombies, but the sound of a fuel pump starting up will.
 * The fuel pumper is a diesel tanker, made by the "SEALT" corporation. The name and logo is a combination of chevron and shell gasoline.
 * Another theory towards the crash of the plane is that either a passenger or one of the pilots were not infected and tried to land the plane, but were overpowered by either infected themselves or the infection resulting in a loss of control and crash.
 * One thing to note is that the campaign takes place two weeks after infection and yet there are still planes flying over the already clearly marked quarantine zone. This means that there is still air traffic around the area, both military and civilian.
 * If you will look very closely at the tail of the C-130 you will notice that it has the ROKAF name, meaning the aircraft is from the Republic Of Korea Air Force. And its also weird that the pilot speaks fluent English and has no Korean accent.
 * When playing as an Infected, if you attempt to stand in the path of the crashing plane, it can be noted that the plane does not cause any damage whatsoever.
 * This level is the only finale in which a Witch is never spawned by the Director during a campaign.
 * A rare glitch may occur when a Witch is spawned but instantly killed on the plane's boarding ramp and the Survivors won't be able to get on the plane.
 * This level has the shortest way from last safe room to the rescue vehicle.