Suggestions about zombie spawns when relating to gun audible distances.

[protossmaster 10]

Currently I feel that there is a balancing issue with certian guns when it comes down to the enviroment.

Currently when you approach a zombie spawn it spawns when your close (actual distance I am not aware of but I can estimate at 20-100m)

Players use this to pinpoint where players are when viewing a area at a distance.

Once the player is away from the area the zombies eventually despawn.

Currently I feel like these mechanics are good, reduces the stress on the Hive and the server.

But I have noticed that majority of guns agro zombies that are greater than the zombie spawn distance.

weapon chart - http://i.imgur.com/ntfgw.jpg

A example of this is the m14_aim - it agros zombies in a 180m radius of the gunshot. However zombies will not spaws in 180m from a single player. (Maybe some one can provide the numbers on zombie agro distances to confirm/deny this)

The current flaw I see with snipers is that it is too easy when dealing with the enviromental consequences. I truthfully love sniping from electro sniper hill but I feel that the limited spawn radius for zombies is making sniping too easy.

Currently an AS550 is supposed to agro in a 455m radius. I feel like this is intended since the gun is anti-material. But no zombies wouldve spawned 455m away. Unless a second player triggred the spawns, you will never agro a zombie past 200m.

So my suggestion is to increase the zombie spawn distance to 300 meters or more (if the servers can handle it) or make it a option for servers to set zombie spawn distances (within a defined distance).

I feel that if zombie spawn distances are increased, snipers with as550s will have to move every shot or stay far far away from zombie spawn areas when sniping. The spawn distances will make snipers choose over a loud sniper rifle or a quieter, less powerful, sniper.

What do you guys think?

[wurocket 3]

Sounds good, hope servers can handle it. +1

[kaizer 0]

I second that idea. also, a potential alternative is for there to be a few zombies spawned within a large radius of the player at all times. this would also have the side affect of making strolls through the forest a bit more dangerous.

[Badhaggis 40]

Personally I would prefer Zombies spawning quite far away from players, possably off the the east, but being able to roam the map.

[Stubbies 67]

IMO - you have highlighted an important topic, but the aggro needs to be manged.

1.) Sniping from set positions should influence the zombies chances of locating where the shot came from. (Standing) Higher chance of locating you, (Crouched) Medium chance of locating you, (Prone) Low chance of finding shot location. Already we know about aggro distance, as you have brought up with the AS550. Zombies should use these values to charge the area where the shot came from locating the source, movement obviously would attract them too.

2.) Number of shots fired. This Obviously is going to work like a multiplier/% increase on the chance of "said" zombies locating you in this situation, E.g # 1: Sniper prone at Elektro - Fires one shot, kills target at power station. Attracts zombie, zombies searches area not finding the hidden Sniper due to shots fired, body position/concealment, distance. E.g # 2: Prone Sniper fires x3 shots at target, target killed at power station. Zombie alerted and attracted, pinpoints Snipers position because of % increase due to 3x shots.

3.) LoS* "Line of Sight" - This is now implemented into the game mechanics but not with firing, i believe this could be made of further use with firing weapons. E.g # 1: Walled area at Elektro supermarket, survivor shoots bandit looting corpse with Makarov, x2 shots fired at head and torso. Bandit killed. Zombie does not have LoS* on survivor, making it go to the area where shots were fired to locate the source. Survivor is aware of alerted Zombie and crawls through wall hiding on the opposite side, escaping the Zombie.

I personally believe with touch ups and a bit of professional tweaking, the 3 aggro mechanics I've suggested are both beneficial and immersing.

Hopefully you guys get my point, kinda hard thinking of something then putting it to paper...

Cheers

Edit: Forgot to add this, Zombies have an aggro area. So if you have attracted them depending on multipliers/percentages makes the aggro zone larger/smaller which increase's/decrease's your chance of being found. Sorry for backslash spam haha.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Stubbies

[protossmaster 10]

IMO - you have highlighted an important topic, but the aggro needs to be manged.

1.) Sniping from set positions should influence the zombies chances of locating where the shot came from. (Standing) Higher chance of locating you, (Crouched) Medium chance of locating you, (Prone) Low chance of finding shot location. Already we know about aggro distance, as you have brought up with the AS550. Zombies should use these values to charge the area where the shot came from locating the source, movement obviously would attract them too.

2.) Number of shots fired. This Obviously is going to work like a multiplier/% increase on the chance of "said" zombies locating you in this situation, E.g # 1: Sniper prone at Elektro - Fires one shot, kills target at power station. Attracts zombie, zombies searches area not finding the hidden Sniper due to shots fired, body position/concealment, distance. E.g # 2: Prone Sniper fires x3 shots at target, target killed at power station. Zombie alerted and attracted, pinpoints Snipers position because of % increase due to 3x shots.

3.) LoS* "Line of Sight" - This is now implemented into the game mechanics but not with firing, i believe this could be made of further use with firing weapons. E.g # 1: Walled area at Elektro supermarket, survivor shoots bandit looting corpse with Makarov, x2 shots fired at head and torso. Bandit killed. Zombie does not have LoS* on survivor, making it go to the area where shots were fired to locate the source. Survivor is aware of alerted Zombie and crawls through wall hiding on the opposite side, escaping the Zombie.

I personally believe with touch ups and a bit of professional tweaking, the 3 aggro mechanics I've suggested are both beneficial and immersing.

Hopefully you guys get my point, kinda hard thinking of something then putting it to paper...

Cheers

Edit: Forgot to add this, Zombies have an aggro area. So if you have attracted them depending on multipliers/percentages makes the aggro zone larger/smaller which increase's/decrease's your chance of being found. Sorry for backslash spam haha.

I like these idea since a zombie would only know the general area of where the shot came from. So shooting while prone would make it harder for them to locate you. +1

[Zheiko (DayZ) 10]

+1, I like this idea