PC Torches, Candles, Lights, and Screamers

OldManBrian

OldManBrian

Refugee
What do you guys think of Torches and lights in general generating screamers because of them adding to the heatmap?

I don't really see how they add gameplay value to be honest. Usually you need quite a few torches to light up a building properly, and like 10x candles, but then you have almost non-stop screamers invading the area. I could see a greatly reduced heatmap generation (Like 0.25% instead of the 4% it is now) for primitive lighting and then 0.1% for electrical lighting or something like that. Or just removing it altogether for lighting.

Don't get me wrong, I can see the gameplay value of flashlights attracting zombies, forcing you to either risk wandering around in the dark or finding NV goggles, that makes sense. But forcing players to huddle and work in dark bases to avoid the annoyance of 24/7 screamer hordes, it doesn't seem to add anything gameplay-wise and is just more annoying than anything else.

 
I think 'heat detection' by zombies should be reduced during the day, and increased at night.

The idea being that at night, lights, candles, furnaces etc... are much more likely to draw the attention of a screamer or horde of zombies than during the day.

- P

 
I think 'heat detection' by zombies should be reduced during the day, and increased at night.
The idea being that at night, lights, candles, furnaces etc... are much more likely to draw the attention of a screamer or horde of zombies than during the day.

- P
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I REALLY like this idea. Makes sense too, especially for lighting. Lighting should flat out be basically 0 heat during the day.

 
Torches and candles give off chemicals as they burn, which maybe attracts zombies?

Either way, with the reduced heat generation in one of the patches, torches/candles give off so little that it's not really an issue. Going out chopping trees or mining generates a lot more, not to speak of firing weapons :)

Unless your base has hundreds of torches, I don't think it would be a huge impact to generating screamers (furnace would be more), and by then even a single wooden spike row would handle the incoming deadbeats :)

 
I do put torches above the drop pit. I WANT them to come investigate.. and fall in. Which they usually do.heh-heh-heh.
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Except that in a17, they will likely just avoid the pit.

 
It´s pretty much lame that candles in a room with no windows calls in screamers. How? Is the screamer superman in disguise with the x-ray vision?

I mean forges and stuff, that´s ofc needed. But a few candles that you can´t even see from outside? Really? And then they wonder when people start to lame and cheese.

Except that in a17, they will likely just avoid the pit.
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What happens if the object of attention is right in the center of the pit? I guess they will still fall. I wouldn´t expect the end of cheesing just because there is pathfinding now.

I think you can either turn this into a heavily fighting oriented game or you gotta live with the fact that there will always be a "lame" way.

It´s not a pure FPS game and attracts a lot of people who don´t play FPS. There should be a tower defense way to get over horde night as well as the option to fight face to face.

It´s a PvE game so i don´t give a flying fish if there is someone angry because i can lame in my SP game and he doesn´t have the willpower to just not doing the "lame" way.

 
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Screamers are attracted to heat. The heat given off by your Forge and your campfire if left on long enough will attract a screamer. Unfortunately having a lot of candles and torches adds to the Heat so you're more likely to trigger a screamer when you use your Forge or campfire.

I just switched to Electric whites and got rid of my torches and candles. It seems that I am not triggering a screamer that often now. It's still a little too soon for me to be sure.

 
You can have 10 torches burning around your base 24/7 and never see a screamer. Candles far more. They just add to the other things you are doing and/or slow the heat decreasing after you stop. I don't know that they really should contribute to it(or at least as much as they do), but I'm not sure they shouldn't, either. They are a sign of human activity which tends to mean they should be a beacon to zeds as well. Electricity(especially from a generator) should probably be even more attractive but I'm not sure that it is.

Having them more attracted to heat at night does seem like a sensible idea, although I'm not sure it would really make enough difference gameplay-wise to justify making it happen.

 
Overall the heat mechanic needs a little looking at and tweeking.

Obviously you have to mix things up a little and have some unexpected zombies show up from time to time.

But the current system just encourages people to cheese, and that is not necessarily unexpected, in any world you have to figure out ways around problems. But the screamers arrive on such a predictable schedule, they feel more like a mechanic than a part of the world.

- P

 
Except that in a17, they will likely just avoid the pit.
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We're going to have to find out. If I'm at the bottom of the pit, the least resistance to me, is to fall into the pit.

The 1 block of ladders at the top is added incentive.

Don't really need the big drop, just deep enough to get them in a contained area for the turrets to handle.

(mind you, the 24 block drop means the weaker zombies die without having to shoot them. saves ammo)

Only time will tell though.

:)

 
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