How to Make the Survivors Fight in "Dead Rising"
- 1). Equip an item you'd like to give to one of the survivors. The items should be standard sized weapons, like a bat or a rifle, and not one of the over-sized items that Frank can use such as a bench.
- 2). Approach one of the survivors when they are grouped with Frank. Up to eight survivors can be grouped at once. If the survivor is capable of carrying that weapon a menu with the "Give" option pops up. Press the "B" button to hand over the item.
- 3). Bring the armed survivor to a place where they may need to use the weapon. The willingness of the survivor to fight depends on the individual character, with over 80 distinct survivors included in the game. Most "normal" survivors, those which are not in need of assistance, story characters or defected, can be armed and may be willing to fight.
Source...