PC Are Screamers ruining your games?

[Vaeliorin]

Prolly somewhere like

7 Days to Die / Data / Config / sounds.xml (3297):

<SoundDataNode name="metaldestroy"> <AudioSource name="Sounds/AudioSource_Impact"/>
<Noise ID="0" noise="20" time="3" muffled_when_crouched="0.65" heat_map_strength="1.42" heat_map_time="90"/>

Huh, thanks.  That's not where I would have started looking (I'd have thought it would be defined in the block.)

 

[theFlu]

Huh, thanks.  That's not where I would have started looking (I'd have thought it would be defined in the block.)

No probs, partly why I answered; the answer is weird  

Ofc, that might not be the exact thing you're looking for, but it also could be

 

[Javabean867]

I'd just like to make it so that mining doesn't generate heat.  Screamers showing up 5-6 times a night when I'm mining annoy the heck out of me.  I guess that's more asking for heat settings than screamer settings (I imagine I can probably change it with a mod, come to think of it?)

Stay crouched, and use the highest grade pickaxe you can.  I rarely see a screamer while mining.

 

[Dead Smarty]

Stay crouched, and use the highest grade pickaxe you can.  I rarely see a screamer while mining.

That works on consoles pretty good. During mining they are not too bad to deal with, It's always a parkour maze that makes them pretty lined up and spread out. Since I encountered them the first time I stopped making my excavations nice and flat.

 

[Riamus]

I'd just like to make it so that mining doesn't generate heat.  Screamers showing up 5-6 times a night when I'm mining annoy the heck out of me.  I guess that's more asking for heat settings than screamer settings (I imagine I can probably change it with a mod, come to think of it?)

That often?  What length days do you play?  According to faatal, once you defeat a group, they won't spawn again for 21 minutes real-time IIRC unless you change areas.  On 60 minute days, that's about 8 hours, and 4 on 120 minute days, so you should only see them once or two times in a night.  They might seem to be there more often.

 

[Vaeliorin]

Stay crouched, and use the highest grade pickaxe you can.  I rarely see a screamer while mining.

You probably don't mine for 2-3 real life hours at a time.  I know how it works, I've got almost 2.5k hours.

That often?  What length days do you play?  According to faatal, once you defeat a group, they won't spawn again for 21 minutes real-time IIRC unless you change areas.  On 60 minute days, that's about 8 hours, and 4 on 120 minute days, so you should only see them once or two times in a night.  They might seem to be there more often.

2 hour days, but I admittedly haven't played a ton since 1.0 came out.  But yes, I used to get 5-6 screamers a night once they started showing up.  I wouldn't have them much for seemingly the first couple weeks, and then they'd just become endless.

 

[Dead Smarty]

That often?  What length days do you play?  According to faatal, once you defeat a group, they won't spawn again for 21 minutes real-time IIRC unless you change areas.  On 60 minute days, that's about 8 hours, and 4 on 120 minute days, so you should only see them once or two times in a night.  They might seem to be there more often.

I can imagine people don't kill them in time when mining so the next screamer is already looking for you but needs a bit of time finding you in the underground maze. So it might seems they spawn more often when it is in fact the same wave.

 

[Vaeliorin]

I can imagine people don't kill them in time when mining so the next screamer is already looking for you but needs a bit of time finding you in the underground maze. So it might seems they spawn more often when it is in fact the same wave.

Possibly other people, not me.  I don't mine that way, I make a giant pit down to bedrock (covered at the top, with stairs down to the bottom.)  Screamers (and other zombies), seem to like to jump off the stairs instead of walking down them, so I hear them hit, and kill them before they even stand up, usually.  Go back to mining, several minutes later another screamer shows up.  Occasionally one will actually scream, but not very often.

I usually have 8-10 9X9 (minimum, I go out 5 blocks in every direction from each ore node on the surface) holes (at a bare minimum) from the surface to bedrock by the time I'm done with a world.  I still never have enough stone for concrete.

Yes, I spend a ridiculous amount of time mining.

 

[Riamus]

Interesting.  I haven't experienced that, and it goes against what faatal had said.  Maybe a bug.  I could see it happening to people who mine outward since they may technically be in another area, but you said you just go down.  It might be worth putting in a bug report so they can look into it if you can reproduce it in the current version without mods... If you want to.  I'm pretty sure that isn't how it is supposed to work.  They did make changes to screamers since 1.0, though.  So if you haven't played much since then, it may already be fixed.

 

[Javabean867]

I voted that it would be good for there to be an option setting for screamer spawns but I didn't like the offered versions. I wouldn't want a setting that makes it so that I know for a certainty that after I've had one spawn I don't have to worry about it for the rest of the day no matter how wreckless or noisy I am.

The settings I would be in favor of would be simply changing the minimum heat requirement for spawns to happen up or down for less or more spawn opportunities and/or the percent chance allowed for screamers to spawn additional screamers being adjustable.

Honestly I think bringing the minimum heat check to 50 would get you where you want to be, and make the cool down timer last 60 minutes vs the current 21 minutes would get you where you want to be.  I realize it's not exactly what you asked for lol.

 

[ElCabong]

Screamers are nothing but a pain in the rear. I would start cooking a meal and then smelting some iron and spawn a screamer. I go on a level five mission in spawn a screamer that I couldn't find. I kept looking for it until I began to run out of ammo and then just went to the loot area, got my stuff, and left without completing the mission.

However in this latest and greatest stable release, I haven't had any problem with them so far. I have been careful about cooking and smelting but I've done both the same time without spawning a screamer. I think I haven't had a fire going more than 8 minutes.

 

[theFlu]

I think I haven't had a fire going more than 8 minutes.

The biggest contribution by a fire is the moment of turning it on; yes, time will matter, but just turning on 4 campfires (to mass produce stuffs) is basically enough for a chance at a screamer. If you have some other heat generated already, turning on (new) fires should be considered an instant chance at one.

 

[ElCabong]

The biggest contribution by a fire is the moment of turning it on; yes, time will matter, but just turning on 4 campfires (to mass produce stuffs) is basically enough for a chance at a screamer. If you have some other heat generated already, turning on (new) fires should be considered an instant chance at one.

Well one just popped on me. I had a fire going for about 8 minutes, a dew collector, working on 10 rolls of duct tape in the work bench, and a torch to keep the base lit. For that reason I don't have near as much forged iron as I want because I have to run the campfire to make water, glue, and food. I recently quit using it to make water, murky water is stacking up in the box. It takes too long to cook the stews. I guess I should stick to bacon and eggs that will work just fine and don't take that long.

 

[theFlu]

I recently quit using it

Hmm; I wouldn't try avoiding spawning them to that extent, it's rather pointless. Just turn everything on and listen for a minute, if one popped, rush it down. Also prep your base to deal with them passively (pathing to a single door, or sufficient spikes).

I'm not saying you can't try avoiding them, but that just makes everything annoyingly slow. If you really want to avoid them, try having multiple locations with single crafting stations, forge huts, water purification stations, stew kitchens etc. The distance required isn't that far, something above 50m will do. You could just drop them on the ground on your way to the trader, but having small huts everywhere might be more entertaining

 

[Riamus]

Remember that even one campfire can cause screamers to spawn now.  Trying to avoid screamers is just a waste of time.  You'll waste far less time if you just run out and kill them immediately (or use defenses to do it for you) than to have to try and micromanage your heat generation.  After all, screamers won't spawn again for a minimum of 21 minutes after they spawned the first time if you are in the same location, no matter how much heat you generate.  I often run all workstations, or at least a lot of them, at once for long periods of time and screamers really aren't a big deal.  Takes no time to kill them and then you have peace for quite a while before having to kill them again.  It really isn't a big deal.

 

[Dead Smarty]

Well one just popped on me. I had a fire going for about 8 minutes, a dew collector, working on 10 rolls of duct tape in the work bench, and a torch to keep the base lit. For that reason I don't have near as much forged iron as I want because I have to run the campfire to make water, glue, and food. I recently quit using it to make water, murky water is stacking up in the box. It takes too long to cook the stews. I guess I should stick to bacon and eggs that will work just fine and don't take that long.

My tactic is start every workstation I need with enough to keep it going for a long time. Then run/drive away to explore or a mission and add more fuel for more smelting/crafting before it runs out. I don't have a lot of problems with screamers this way.

 

[Riamus]

My tactic is start every workstation I need with enough to keep it going for a long time. Then run/drive away to explore or a mission and add more fuel for more smelting/crafting before it runs out. I don't have a lot of problems with screamers this way.

Yeah.  You'll likely have them when you return, but it's a single group if you don't hang around for more than 20 minutes.

 

[Dead Smarty]

Yeah.  You'll likely have them when you return, but it's a single group if you don't hang around for more than 20 minutes.

I never did any serious testing if it would make a difference. But since I have a combined craft/horde base I considder it free XP and it is not holding me back in my game. At times I even try to force it to have it done with so I can do some undisturbed building on side projects.

 

[BFT2020]

I actually enjoy the current screamer mechanics in the game, but I am also the person that created a mod where you cannot repair your gear.....so take my opinions with a grain of salt.

 

[zombiehunter]

I just did a T3 quest in the desert.  The Vic Pawn Shop.  I'm getting near the end, and I hear a screamer.  Note that I have not fired a single gunshot.  I've been getting through it with a Level 1 steel club, and I'm getting a screamer???  I keep going, knowing the screamer can't see me, but soon I can hear more Zs outside.  I get to the end, up in the attic where the end of POI Zs are, and by now the Zs outside have broken in.  I have to jump down and find an exit out of the building.  Once I get outside, I count SIX screamers, and easily 30 Zs that the screamers have summoned.  It was almost like a hoard fight.

On one hand, I was thinking "this is absolutely ridiculous."  On the other hand, after I killed them all, I thought "hmmm, that was kind of fun."

What I don't like about the screamer mechanic is that TFP seems to have changed it so that they will call in their friends even if they can't see you.  In the past, they had to be able to see you to do that.  It would be good to get some clarity on that from TFP.