PC Screamers and underground mining

[lord_ahriman]

Screamer hordes are ok for the vast majority play actions, but underground mining is a problem. From the Shadows Perk won't help at all and I don't believe it's intended, but I'm seeing screamers and zombies being teleported (or literally spawning underground) at my position 32 ~ 35 meters underground. Once, I checked the entire tunnel I was digging looking for any holes zombies dug to reach me: not a single one found. You can't mine underground for too long otherwise, at least in my save, game will spawn, most of time, four screamers at the same time. Hell, I'm getting hit by cop puke through stone blocks!! It doesn't matter if your tool is the auger or steel pickaxe the results are the same.

Does anyone have ever experienced something like this? I know I'm playing a 95% wasteland map (just a little portion is desert for oil shale mining), feral sense on but it's a little bit too much what I have described, am I right?

 

[Darthjake]

Screamer hordes are ok for the vast majority play actions, but underground mining is a problem. From the Shadows Perk won't help at all and I don't believe it's intended, but I'm seeing screamers and zombies being teleported (or literally spawning underground) at my position 32 ~ 35 meters underground. Once, I checked the entire tunnel I was digging looking for any holes zombies dug to reach me: not a single one found. You can't mine underground for too long otherwise, at least in my save, game will spawn, most of time, four screamers at the same time. Hell, I'm getting hit by cop puke through stone blocks!! It doesn't matter if your tool is the auger or steel pickaxe the results are the same.

Does anyone have ever experienced something like this? I know I'm playing a 95% wasteland map (just a little portion is desert for oil shale mining), feral sense on but it's a little bit too much what I have described, am I right?

The only thing I see different then my games is the feral sense on, well that and I don't usually hang out in the wasteland longer then I have to.

Are you crouching for From the shadows?  Granted that won't help with the auger, but I'm usually at less then 15 stealth/alertness with my steel pickaxe when I'm fully perked out into stealth.

Also are you mining on bedrock level, or have you placed player created blocks down on top of the bedrock?   I always place blocks to help prevent spawns while I'm underground, the only time I'm not on player blocks is if I'm following an ore vein up, and even then it's mine some, then pause, etc.

Hope that helps some.

 

[lord_ahriman]

The only thing I see different then my games is the feral sense on, well that and I don't usually hang out in the wasteland longer then I have to.

Are you crouching for From the shadows?  Granted that won't help with the auger, but I'm usually at less then 15 stealth/alertness with my steel pickaxe when I'm fully perked out into stealth.

Also are you mining on bedrock level, or have you placed player created blocks down on top of the bedrock?   I always place blocks to help prevent spawns while I'm underground, the only time I'm not on player blocks is if I'm following an ore vein up, and even then it's mine some, then pause, etc.

Hope that helps some.

Bedrock level mining. I usually build the entry point inside my base so I can go easily to bedrock and start mining.

Wasteland map + feral sense is a lot harder that's why I love it, maybe I will have to start mining like previous alphas: find the ore, land claim block and a few smg turrets. I could exaust an iron mine in a single night and couldn't care less about screamers and hordes. That being said, I still believe something is not ok. Perhaps my game files are corrupted, I really don't know.

 

[warmer]

I have a really long tunnel and the seem to scream at me when I am still underground. The tunnel is almost entirely contained in my land claim block zone, so that is probably why I have never experienced them spawning inside, but I am cant figure why the witch screams at me while I am underground. There is no line of sight.

 

[zombiehunter]

I have that happen too where the screamer can't see me yet she screams and suddenly I have tons of zombies dropping down into my mine hole.  It's kind of ridiculous and overdone in my opinion.

 

[Ramethzer0]

There is a chance they can still hear you IIRC. 

And then when she summons the horde they port right to your location.   If there's only a tunnel for them to fit into, that's how they pile up.

 

[lord_ahriman]

I have a really long tunnel and the seem to scream at me when I am still underground. The tunnel is almost entirely contained in my land claim block zone, so that is probably why I have never experienced them spawning inside, but I am cant figure why the witch screams at me while I am underground. There is no line of sight.

Screamers don't call hordes just from line of sight, excessive noise will as well. Augers are loud and I'm fine zombies digging right into my position, the problem is zombies teleporting right into my position: that's not suppose to happen. Adding to that From the Shadows should help, but as of right now it doesn't.

 

[warmer]

Hmmm the way it used to work was the Witches had to see you and scream before they would spawn the zombies. When did that change?

 

[lord_ahriman]

Hmmm the way it used to work was the Witches had to see you and scream before they would spawn the zombies. When did that change?

Zombies can dig since A17 and as a heavy miner I know for a fact that underground iron and lead mine were never safe since then. In A20, feral sense on can trigger screamers hordes pretty much any kind underground mining.

 

[Roland]

I know I'm playing a 95% wasteland map (just a little portion is desert for oil shale mining), feral sense on but...

Holy crap! You picked your poison and picked it well... Maybe disable feral sense as a test while mining and see if that helps relieve the pressure.

Zombies spawned by a screamer appear in a radius around her. If that spawn circumference intersects with your tunnels it may be possible that they pop into the tunnel. That probably would be considered a bug and if you can replicate it pretty consistently, report it and describe your steps for consistent repro. The QA guys will see if they can make it happen and then put it into the quieu to get it fixed.

 

[lord_ahriman]

Holy crap! You picked your poison and picked it well... Maybe disable feral sense as a test while mining and see if that helps relieve the pressure.

Zombies spawned by a screamer appear in a radius around her. If that spawn circumference intersects with your tunnels it may be possible that they pop into the tunnel. That probably would be considered a bug and if you can replicate it pretty consistently, report it and describe your steps for consistent repro. The QA guys will see if they can make it happen and then put it into the quieu to get it fixed.

It's hard, but not that hard: 3 deaths in 80 days (all stupid deaths and totally avoidable). Of course you need to be careful and it's a slow progress at least in my opinion. My main focus was a reliable food and medical source first, so tons of rotting flesh and seeds. Once I got food, progress is a lot faster.

I never thought about radius, Roland. That could answer some spawns, others not so much. I saw zombies "popping out from the rocks" so they were falling from surface to the bedrock 'cause there was no holes at wall. I've experienced that a few times and it might be a bug. I believe the "main problem" it's mining in wasteland. Finding ores on surface is a lot harder than other biomes due to terrain characteristics so I'm digging tunnels at bedrock level until I find the ore I need. I think I'll try my old mining style which is: find the ore, build a small concrete/cobblestone surface entrance and installing smg turrets around it to kill screamers and hordes. The only thing preventing me to get back that old style is the fact I'm keeping my original outpost (bedroll in a house close to a trader) which is far from my current base.

To sum up, I'm not complaining at all about dozens screamers spawning, just the zombies popping out from rocks sometimes that drives me crazy and From the Shaddows perk that should help a bit.

 

[BenZ0]

I am honestly mostly fine with that. What I really dislike is that screamers can spawn other screamers. Idk if I am just really unlucky but often when I am fighting a screamer horde I am literally not able to kill the screamer/s fast enough before they summoned a second, third one and it goes quickly out of hand. 

Not saying I am too dumb to aim and shoot at one, but at later days with mostly feral, radiated and other stronger zombies they often run in my sight and therefore "protect" the screamer so I need to readjust my position to line up a good shot but mostly it is too late and they already screamed and ye...

Imo screamers shouldnt be able to spawn another screamer, the snowball effect of them can be just very frustrating. 

 

[BFT2020]

Imo screamers shouldnt be able to spawn another screamer, the snowball effect of them can be just very frustrating. 

See I got a totally different opinion.  I like the snowball effect as it punishes me for not handling them correctly.  It then forces me to back off and try to regroup to recover.

Otherwise, it just feels like the screamers are wandering XP farms.