Flying to a trader compound at night

[CuriouserAndCuriouser]

I'm replying *YET* again to my own thread. Apologies there, but I think I may have an idea about why they're only hitting the left forcefield. The exit ramps up from the pit end up in different places. The right-hand ramp went far wide of the bunker, making pathing back to me (most likely) easier by going for the bridge over the pit. However, the lefthand ramp curled back *towards* the bunker. Path of least resistance would probably say that the zombies would then run at the forcefield, which is closer, rather than go all the way around to the bridge. Applying that understanding, I've rerouted both paths to go straight away from the bunker, and they end up on either side of the end support about 5 or 6 blocks back. I'm hoping that's what the problem was and that this fixes it.

 

[theFlu]

I'm hoping that's what the problem was and that this fixes it.

Sounds possible.. even if it's congestion, they'll still be having "no path" from the same spot at least.

 

[Vaeliorin]

Just out of curiosity, why even have the "force field"? If those were just empty ditches, they'd accomplish the same thing. I almost always dig a 5 wide, 5 deep trench around my starter horde base, with a 2-wide bridge, and I've never had a problem with zombies pathing onto my bridge. The ramps are essentially next to the bridge.

Something like this:

 

[Riamus]

Just out of curiosity, why even have the "force field"? If those were just empty ditches, they'd accomplish the same thing. I almost always dig a 5 wide, 5 deep trench around my starter horde base, with a 2-wide bridge, and I've never had a problem with zombies pathing onto my bridge. The ramps are essentially next to the bridge.

Something like this:

People do it so they don't have to repair anything. Personally, I think it's cheesy and don't do it, but other than making it less challenging since they can't normally break through those areas, it's not really a big deal.

 

[Vaeliorin]

People do it so they don't have to repair anything. Personally, I think it's cheesy and don't do it, but other than making it less challenging since they can't normally break through those areas, it's not really a big deal.

I only have to repair stuff in the "kill zone" of that base, either because I missed a shot, or screwed up and caused a cop to explode. Sometimes random zombie attacks to the walls. But nothing in the trench ever gets damaged (because it's just to make the zombies go to the front. I could accomplish the same thing by just making the walls 2 blocks thick, but that always seemed more cheesy than a trench, to me.)

 

[theFlu]

Just out of curiosity, why even have the "force field"? If those were just empty ditches, they'd accomplish the same thing.

Yeh, in horde mechanics they're very similar; I rarely use any for fighting, but I might isolate my horde base from my home with them. And the garage, etc. Mostly they're just funny

 

[CuriouserAndCuriouser]

It's partly for the simplicity, partly for the humor. I've already dug a pit 13 blocks deep, then the forcefields are 4 blocks deep, 2 wide, with steel on top of them. To change that up would ruin the concept and might not work anymore just because it's CautiousPancake's idea and I have no idea if using trenches instead of forcefields would work correctly.

Post automatically merged: Jul 11, 2026

Just out of curiosity, why even have the "force field"? If those were just empty ditches, they'd accomplish the same thing. I almost always dig a 5 wide, 5 deep trench around my starter horde base, with a 2-wide bridge, and I've never had a problem with zombies pathing onto my bridge. The ramps are essentially next to the bridge.

Something like this:

Also...isn't concrete a bit advanced for day 19? I didn't find a cement mixer until well into the 50s. And I didn't find a crucible until long after that.

 

[Vaeliorin]

Also...isn't concrete a bit advanced for day 19? I didn't find a cement mixer until well into the 50s. And I didn't find a crucible until long after that.

Not really. I usually can buy a crucible on day 4 (first trader reset), and usually have a cement mixer by day 8 or 9. Granted, I play on 2 hour days, but I also go all out on acquiring books, because there's no other loot that's really super worth targetting.

That said, that screenshot is from A21, because I happened to have it lying around.

 

[CuriouserAndCuriouser]

I didn't find a crucible at any of the traders until just before I gathered up enough Forge Ahead mags to craft one of my own. By that point I didn't bother because I found 3 of them (crucibles) like the game was laughing at me and saying "Oh fine, give him the things already."