PC How does the spawning for wandering hordes work?

L

lxsomeone

New member
Hello,

I'm relatively new to the game and I'm having a problem with the wandering hordes because they spawn on me every freaking day. Now at first i actually liked the wandering hordes they were kinda scary and exiciting but the past 10-15 days i had them every day and at this point they are just annoying because ive dealt with them now so many times theres not really a challenge nor any kind of scaring effect for me.

Now I'm wondering is it supposed to work that way or am I experiencing some kind of bug?

And how does the spawning really work? Has it anything to do with heat?

Some other details that might be relevant:

Playing on Navezgane Map

I'm on Day 41

Gamestage: 303

Player Level: 66

Deaths: 2

I also played a little bit with xml files:

spawning.xml:

i changed the values for the blood moon hordes to appear every 10 days, that didn't work however.

I changed the values for invisible animal spawn to make them appear a little more often.

blocks.xml:

I removed heat values from torches and candles.

entitygroups.xml

removed screamer zombies

removed zombie dogs (they appear on blood moon though)

removed spider zombies

Installed mods:

SMX UI

The Katana mod from the SDK modding tutorial

 
While others likely have more details, what I've read and experienced is that you have a chance for a wandering horde to appear every day and it's composition is random, but also determined by your game stage. When it spawns, it heads straight to your current position and continues in a straight line regardless of where you go after they spawn. They will not detect you if you move away before they see you, but they do beat through everything in their straight line path. I've found it helpful to check 360 degrees often and not stay in one place for too long.

 
Hello,I'm relatively new to the game and I'm having a problem with the wandering hordes because they spawn on me every freaking day. Now at first i actually liked the wandering hordes they were kinda scary and exiciting but the past 10-15 days i had them every day and at this point they are just annoying because ive dealt with them now so many times theres not really a challenge nor any kind of scaring effect for me.

Now I'm wondering is it supposed to work that way or am I experiencing some kind of bug?

And how does the spawning really work? Has it anything to do with heat?

Some other details that might be relevant:

Playing on Navezgane Map

I'm on Day 41

Gamestage: 303

Player Level: 66

Deaths: 2

I also played a little bit with xml files:

spawning.xml:

i changed the values for the blood moon hordes to appear every 10 days, that didn't work however.

I changed the values for invisible animal spawn to make them appear a little more often.

blocks.xml:

I removed heat values from torches and candles.

entitygroups.xml

removed screamer zombies

removed zombie dogs (they appear on blood moon though)

removed spider zombies

Installed mods:

SMX UI

The Katana mod from the SDK modding tutorial
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Hello! I've experienced the same thing with vanilla, Valmod and War of the Walkers. Don't know what my game stages are in either game, but will have to check. While in the group (day 35? ~600 kills, level 90?) I'm always getting the wandering hordes of military personnel and in my SP (day 29 level 134 +1500 kills) too. Yes, it is virtually everyday that I get them part of that reason I think is because "I lead the pack" so to speak and am highest level character, most kills, etc. and therefore probably the highest games stage number. I get at least 20 of military guys and about 5 of the rad suit guys. The only challenging one was in my SP - I had just turned around to see them not a few paces from me - with my backpack full I had to retreat and make a storage to put stuff in, by that time a large portion dispersed so I couldn't get all of them :(

As for it working right I presume it does since its like this during vanilla play too. I don't think the spawning of these wondering hordes has anything to do with heat, I think the spawning of them is only related to a player/group of players to target. Albeit it could change once they've spawned especially if they find themselves getting into a high heat area. From what little I know these wandering hordes 'spawn at random' and choose a player to 'attack' but as noted they will virtually follow a path towards their target. If no enemy is engaged they will de-group and kind of 'rest' at a point past their targeted position (I would guess this is about 40 blocks but not sure; albeit I've seen them do this many times).

 
Wandering hordes are tripped a few times a day at random by the system. The size and composition of the hordes is based on your hidden player score, which is generally figured based on your level and the last time you died. These can vary from your typical wandering hordes to superhordes and packs of wolves, dogs, and even bear.

'heat' is the mechanism where player activity (particularly gunfire, forges, campfires, torches, and candles) will trigger a 'screamer' scout, which can trigger a 'screamer horde'. These can get brutally nasty fast, as these hordes are spawned in fairly close range and in a full circle around the triggering player. Getting multiple screamers can cause a 'screamer cascade', which is basically a doomsday scenario if you can't kill all the screamers fast or GTFO before you're penned in. These hordes ignore perimeter boundaries if the spawn circle is closer to you than the wall.

Heat slowly decays with inactivity, but permanent heat sources like torches and candles can maintain an elevated heat score, making it easier to break the threhshold where a scout is spawned. It's possible, with a surprisingly few number torches, to chain spawn screamers. Light sparingly (or move to electric lighting), and don't smelt metal where you secure yourself for the night. I usually put my forges in a 1 block deep hole covered by a hatch a small distance away for a low-impact solution to the problem.

There's nothing you can do about wandering hordes, except delete the wandering horde groups from the XML files somewhere. it's a good idea to expect the worst and travel as armed as possible, maintain a 'get-out' plan, and use it the moment you hear zombies smashing walls. Wandering hordes will eventually despawn from boredom.

 
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does anyone maybe know if there's a way to edit the value for the spawning probabilty without removing them completely? i haven't found anything in the xmls so far tho. And removing them completely wouldn't be a good solution for me.

Well i guess i'll leave it as is for now and will stay as armerd as possible :tongue-new:

anyway thanks for the help guys :)

 
does anyone maybe know if there's a way to edit the value for the spawning probabilty without removing them completely? i haven't found anything in the xmls so far tho. And removing them completely wouldn't be a good solution for me.Well i guess i'll leave it as is for now and will stay as armerd as possible :tongue-new:

anyway thanks for the help guys :)
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Spawning probability is always 100% several times a day. The game WILL spawn wandering hordes, the only question is which group is spawned. The only way to stop this is to either edit the wandering horde groups, or disable zombies completely.

 
I would like to know if this is a permanent mechanic or place-holder. My understanding is that the code had to be altered to get the sleepers into the game, which nerfed the number of zombies in cities and towns, but TFP are working to have some combination of the systems. There is something spooky about being on the second floor of a wood building looting when I suddenly hear pounding on the first floor as the horde tries to get to me. Not as fun if I am trying to construct something or prepare a POI for a blood moon horde.

 
How does it work?
Poorly.
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This is probably the best answer ever for this.

They spawn frequently, often, and are home in on your location. Heat does not affect them, so it doesn't matter how much, or little you are doing. However you can usually count on one right before sundown on Blood Moon Night, and one right after you finish, in the morning. Someone else suggested looking around often, and keep moving. That's a good suggestion til something is done, if anything.

 
as for the blood moon hordes txsomeone their hard coded into game u can change their value all you want it wont do a thing. Can only increase the blood moon hordes

 
as for the blood moon hordes txsomeone their hard coded into game u can change their value all you want it wont do a thing. Can only increase the blood moon hordes
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I shouldn't have to change the code myself for something that should be fixed to begin with. There is no reason that no matter what, you get 1 right before the start of BM, 1 right after. Currently game jumped into an old file, got one morning, another in another city looting, another right before BM...and once BM is over I'll likely get a 4th. The spawning is out of control.

 
Excluding the bear,dog and animal hordes, the rest pose no real danger, you can just run away if you don't wanna kill them.After day 21, your base shod be strong enough to deal with them on its own.I find them quite nice:)

- - - Updated - - -

I shouldn't have to change the code myself for something that should be fixed to begin with. There is no reason that no matter what, you get 1 right before the start of BM, 1 right after. Currently game jumped into an old file, got one morning, another in another city looting, another right before BM...and once BM is over I'll likely get a 4th. The spawning is out of control.
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there is noting forcing you to kill them...

 
This is probably the best answer ever for this.
They spawn frequently, often, and are home in on your location. Heat does not affect them, so it doesn't matter how much, or little you are doing. However you can usually count on one right before sundown on Blood Moon Night, and one right after you finish, in the morning. Someone else suggested looking around often, and keep moving. That's a good suggestion til something is done, if anything.
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It makes sense to me that they head in your direction. They're meant to simulate all the zombies that sporadically roam the countryside in every direction. But most of these roaming zombies wouldn't be on trajectories that cross your path. Those roaming zombies don't need to be simulated, so all that's left are the ones that do happen to be going your way. It's the same way games render rain. They don't actually generate rain drops throughout the whole world; they only render the rain drops you'd see, i.e. the ones in front of your face.

Perhaps all that's needed is to introduce an offset to each wandering horde, and they'll seem more like they happen to be passing through, instead of specifically homing in on you and your base.

 
I would agree except that we don't see near misses... I mean sure, if we juke the system and are at point b during the spawn then quickly move to point a, but, and although I agree with you in general, there's a missed opportunity for wandering hordes showing up /near/ you.

 
edit horde direction

is there a way to edit where the path of the horde is like spawning it away from the player and not towards him ? also can we edit for the wandering horde to ignore every block unless they come in contact with the player ? if they get stuck its better to do the spider and maze thing walk on the side of the walls while finding an exit and join the horde again or maybe despawn after some time when player is away from it or maybe have wandering hordes only on asphalt ? XD

 
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I replaced all wolf and dog hordes with stags and boars. Also replaced vulture hordes with chickens. So rather than turning off hordes you could make them into something more useful/less deadly. The boars ignore you until you attack them, and one sneaking headshot with a bow should put them down instantly.

 
I replaced all wolf and dog hordes with stags and boars. Also replaced vulture hordes with chickens. So rather than turning off hordes you could make them into something more useful/less deadly. The boars ignore you until you attack them, and one sneaking headshot with a bow should put them down instantly.
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heh. Lunch delivered to you, instead of you becoming lunch. I like that idea.

 
I would agree except that we don't see near misses... I mean sure, if we juke the system and are at point b during the spawn then quickly move to point a, but, and although I agree with you in general, there's a missed opportunity for wandering hordes showing up /near/ you.
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I seem to recall that those hordes acted that way at one time. You'd be running through the woods and e.g. come across a pack of z's shuffling perpendicular to you on some unknown "mission". I recall that they were more frequent and generally smaller groups than what we're seeing in A16.

-Morloc

 
To me, the wandering hordes are the resupply mechanism. Like someone else mentioned, it just sucks when my bag is already full. Also, 3 rows of spikes will take care of most of them at your base if you don't want to handle them on your own. I like to handle them on my own for the xp and the loot (and I try to kill them so they don't die on top of each other or on a rock which will cause them to pop)

That said, I'm leaning towards the idea that maybe Zs shouldn't be as useful at providing loot and XP.

 
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