sandbox Straight simulation / Reduced meta-events

[Footmuffin]

When you lovely developers have the time, why not add a sandbox setting thing that takes that sweet metagame thing you wrote and scales it back a little, try and make it more realistic in that zombies won't magically seek you out after a time.

 

Plenty of people have gotten miffed about how the zeebs still manage to find y'all after a bit; why not offer another experience to add some additional variety and still stay close to the lore you're going for? I definitely don't mean to ask you to do this right now or add it to survival or anything.

 

<3

[GodWaffle]

Agreed, zombies should only be able to find me if I make the mistake that draws them to me, not because of an AI director.

 

Survival can have the AI director but I'd love a sandbox option that switches it off.

[Walther]

and, why not also give the option to make meta events more common. like, hourly common ^^ make them run the map like crazy

[GodWaffle]

and, why not also give the option to make meta events more common. like, hourly common ^^ make them run the map like crazy

 

Actually thinking about this, didn't they say the meta-events are temporary until NPC's come along and create events themselves (gunshots mostly I'd assume, or some idiot running away from a horde towards your house)

 

I don't know if the meta events will be necessary then.. if they are, let's hope they happen to NPC's too, why would the helicopters always hover above my house when there are plenty other people who have days to ruin.

[Walther]

I don't know if the meta events will be necessary then.. if they are, let's hope they happen to NPC's too, why would the helicopters always hover above my house when there are plenty other people who have days to ruin.

 

 

 

well, npcs kinda suffice for enough trouble on the map thats right. didnt think of this. the question is, how many npcs are we talking? what if I uhm kill them all? no events left then... the occasional helicopter could still fly over houses IMO. gunshots not though... there will be enough shooting once they are in

[Suomiboi]

There will be lots of meta "events" when and after the NPCs are done. Probably "natural" zombie migration (towards towns etc.), NPCs shooting guns, NPCs Drawing hordes after them and the choppers etc will get more real (a mondoid post mentioned gunners on choppers). And these events will "happen" all over the map, so when this is done the zombie movement won't only be towards you but more randomized with some sense in it. Basically everything happening outside the streamed world is a meta event. (Also off screen NPC to NPC interaction would be considered as a meta event.)

[GodWaffle]

 

I don't know if the meta events will be necessary then.. if they are, let's hope they happen to NPC's too, why would the helicopters always hover above my house when there are plenty other people who have days to ruin.

 

 

 

well, npcs kinda suffice for enough trouble on the map thats right. didnt think of this. the question is, how many npcs are we talking? what if I uhm kill them all? no events left then... the occasional helicopter could still fly over houses IMO. gunshots not though... there will be enough shooting once they are in

 

I don't think you'll be able to kill all of the NPC's in the world, there are supposed to be a lot of them spread across the map, and also don't expect them to be docile either - a single NPC may even be able to kill the player, so imagine going at a group of NPC's, don't think you'd be able to win especially if they also have firearms.  I'm assuming if the NPC count gets too low, more will appear on the edge of the map, unless it's how zombies work (I think I read that the zombies are finite, you can technically kill them all, but we're talking a LOT of zombies, too many to really consider clearing)

[Rathlord]

You guys are getting confused about the word meta (likely because it's utterly meaningless as a word).

Meta events are largely placeholders for when real things are happening. Once the real thins happen, most if not all will be removed.

On the other hand, the meta SYSTEM is what controls very thing that goes on offscreen. That will be getting improved upon later.

The sadist AI will cause real events to happen under the meta system to shake things up.

The zombies will never know where you are specifically in any magical fashion. They might be drawn to you by real events, though.

Zombies are infinite for the time being. Survivors and zombies alike will migrate from the edges of the world and then move about based upon what happens within the meta system.

This is all "as I understand it," but I've been keeping up with everything they've said in public about it since 2011 so it should be fairly accurate.

[LeoIvanov]

A couple of days ago I played Zomboid... All was good, and I was sneaking nearby a huge horde (I've had graceful as a trait) and all was good, So imagine there is a lonely house by the road, and the road is practically filled with zombies, but none of them either face or see you yet. So I continue sneaking, trying to get to the door and suddenly a single, loud gunshot was fired. Not only I was shaken because about 3 dozens of zombies turn around towards me, but the gunshot itself sounded so close that it took me a minute to realize that it was a meta-event. I never thought an isometric game would scare me better than any outlast games.

 

After I ran a couple of quarters away from the horde that was chasing after me, I entered my safehouse and closed the game. That's how stressful it can be. I love it.

[Rathlord]

Just wait till you turn around and there's a dude with a revolver pointed at you.

[k12314]

Just wait till you turn around and there's a dude with a revolver pointed at you.

 

You mean me, correct?

 

Sir, I am very sorry for the intrusion, but I would very much appreciate it if you gave me your food and water so that I do not have to shoot you in the head and take it myself.

[ZimTown]

The Devs can make the game however they want but if that want a game that we love like few others and go down in history then it would be good to give ideas like this to us in the sandbox box, personally I hate when a the Z's find me because of a game mechanic not my lack of skill, makes be mad grumble grumble

 

campaign mode game play the way the Devs dreamed

[Footmuffin]

Which is precisely why I recommended this be only a sand-y-box-y thing-y.

[Suomiboi]

The thing you're missing here, as I said before, is that it's not like this system is the final in terms of meta game. All of the zombies aren't gonna gather in hordes to places near your safe house because of chopper raids and gun shots. The final thing won't be comparable to the current if I've understood anything correctly. The zombie movement will be natural and depend on real events happening across the map which essentially will be the meta game.

 

My point being that it most likely will not be needed as the zombie movement won't be towards you unless you do something attracting that attention. What the Sadistic AI director will do is sometimes make events in the world that might send a horde to your vicinity. Now turning the S.A.I.D. off could be a sandbox option!

 

Imagine a scenario where you will be camping in the middle of the forest, for example here. You've been staying there for 3 months without disturbance and in peace, building your fortress of solitude. At this point the sadistic AI decides, enough is enough and creates an explosion or a gun fight in the west farm. The event then starts drawing the attention of a small horde in Muldraugh that on the way starts drawing multiple zombies with it. Now you have a huge horde heading from Muldraugh to the western farm and guess who happens to be in the way.

This is how I see the sadistic AI director and imo it doesn't magically find you. It's just atm the only metagame events created are happening near you. This will change.

[CliffExcellent]

That sounds incredibly dull. While a horde randomly breaking through my safehouse might be annoying it's certainly more interesting than just sitting there waiting for time to pass so you can get a new high score.

[Suomiboi]

That sounds incredibly dull. While a horde randomly breaking through my safehouse might be annoying it's certainly more interesting than just sitting there waiting for time to pass so you can get a new high score.

Yes it might be to you but it's what some people want to do. And I think it should be allowed for them. The point here is choosing the location where you will try to survive. If you are in the middle of nowhere you will have other things to worry about such as where to get more supplies like medicine and extra food whereas in the edge of a town you are more susceptible to an attack, not to talk about the centers. The AI director is there just to stir things up, not to send waves of zombies to your exact location.