DayZ (SA) Notifing Devs -Major issue with having all Zeds spawn at Start of Server

[logan23 118]

If I remember right, Rocket said that all loot and Zombies will spawn at the start of the server start(DayZ SA).

I a possible issue with this concerning the Zombies where players will have a friend go in and start shooting and aggro all or most of the Zombies and run to the forest or field where he or she will die or escape.

The problem comes in that now you have a town/city with 80-90 percent of it's Zombie population left in a forest or field.

This leaves player's friends to run in and loot with little to no threat.

I wanted to point this out in hopes that Rocket and team sees this post in case they haven't thought about this type of situation.

Thoughts on solutions:

1-The Zombies will turn and walk back to the city after the player who aggro them are dead.

2-Mentioned in the Dev Video that Server will respawn loot when needed as players remove the loot in the cities from the start of the Server- This could go as well for the server to spawn some zombies if the population diminishes. (Problem with this idea is that Rocket is aiming for a life cycle for the Zombies and this respawn of them would seem to conflict with that goal.

3-The game's code can look at the city zone and determine how many players who are running out with the aggro Zombies behind them. Once the Zombies are out of the zone, a certain number will un aggro and return to the city, leaving a good number (based on per player value) to continue to chase the player. These zombies would stay where they are if player escapes or dies- or the zombies could have a chance to turn and return or start wandering in a certain direction.

4-Same as the 2nd option but the determination of the number of zombies to respawn could be based on the population center/location or a life cycle number based on the Zombie's server's life cycle Value.

I feel that some form of the 3rd option would work best in keeping players from exploiting this possible issue and allow the Zombies to have a life cycle.

The question is what can be done code wise without lagging the servers.

What do you think?

any ideas

[DayzDavey 1]

sounds like good game play to me.... "You lead the zombies away with a distraction, and I'll grab us some food!"

[logan23 118]

sounds like good game play to me.... "You lead the zombies away with a distraction, and I'll grab us some food!"

Except you will have every town, city and air field with no zombies since now they are all in the forest and fields within 6 hours.

Which leads to players shooting each other like death matches in the city and Zeds will simply be something they players just walk around since they are not holding a location that has any value.

IE. Game Breaking

[ThuggleS 45]

The zeds just have to be programmed with a set patrol area.

If they have been taken out of that area and are no longer actively chasing someone they need to slowly make their way back to their normal area. This way you could work as a team to distract the zeds but then once you leave that area the zeds will walk back to their set patrol area.

I don't think that would be very difficult to program in, but I've only done a little programming so maybe I'm wrong, lol.

[IkaikaKekai 1957]

I don't think he literally means ALL zombies will spawn on server start. Just that they will start spawning on server start rather than whenever a person is in the area. IE Cherno wont have just 200 zombies in it that wont respawn till server restart. Itll start with 200 zombies, then as players kill them timers will start for respawns (kinda like how it is now, you just wont see an 'empty' city till zombies spawn, they'll already be there)

[logan23 118]

I don't think he literally means ALL zombies will spawn on server start. Just that they will start spawning on server start rather than whenever a person is in the area. IE Cherno wont have just 200 zombies in it that wont respawn till server restart. Itll start with 200 zombies, then as players kill them timers will start for respawns (kinda like how it is now, you just wont see an 'empty' city till zombies spawn, they'll already be there)

I'm almost 100 percent sure he meant all Zombies.

The reason for it is because when the game has to stop and checks to spawn zombies in the method in the Mod- it ends up affecting the lag and i believes something else to with the server.

[tsandrey 379]

They will spawn on server start. That doesn't mean they won't respawn once you clear out an area...

[Meeshe 170]

Q: How are zombie spawns going to work?

A: We're probably going to spawn all zombies + loot at the start of the mission on the server to decrease lagspikes and to remove the spawning issues we had. This also allows the potential for the whole "roving zombie" crap people keep harping on to me about (seriously, I get facebooked every day with this one request).

Q: Doesn't that mean all zombies will eventually be killed?

A: The zombies respawn, but it's done at a server level, not client like previously (which was a nightmare).

http://dayzmod.com/forum/index.php?/topic/118209-dayzgame-qa-with-rocket-on-reddit-jan-2013/

So it looks like you needn't worry. :)

Also correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the Zeds start heading back into the city after chasing you and you lose them? I'm pretty sure anytime I've taken off out of a city with Zeds chasing me, after I lose them they turn around and head back the way we came from, generally. Don't they?

[logan23 118]

Q: How are zombie spawns going to work?

A: We're probably going to spawn all zombies + loot at the start of the mission on the server to decrease lagspikes and to remove the spawning issues we had. This also allows the potential for the whole "roving zombie" crap people keep harping on to me about (seriously, I get facebooked every day with this one request).

Q: Doesn't that mean all zombies will eventually be killed?

A: The zombies respawn, but it's done at a server level, not client like previously (which was a nightmare).

http://dayzmod.com/f...eddit-jan-2013/

So it looks like you needn't worry. :)

Also correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the Zeds start heading back into the city after chasing you and you lose them? I'm pretty sure anytime I've taken off out of a city with Zeds chasing me, after I lose them they turn around and head back the way we came from, generally. Don't they?

Thanks for the info!! :D

With the mod, i believe they simply de-spawn after some time- they don't actually walk back unless they are still in the spawning zone- from what i have seen- i could be wrong but i would assume we would come across Zeds in the fields or forest which i have never seen.

Ok- i guess a moderator can throw this in the graveyard since you answered the question. I don't see why this needs to be still here.

[Sixteen18 15]

Hopefully they won't allow too much zombie kiting to begin with. Running should only be an option to get to a close hiding place or line up a shot, not creating a rediculos zombie train. Zombies not being a threat has been of the leading issues in the mod.