Hordes of zombies. Balance

Reaper · 2014-03-14T17:09:03.000Z

Add hordes react to light. 30 min with flash light and after 2-3 hours zombies here. Use flashlight after end turn - safe. Forget switch off vehicle headlight to night - 100% horde in range 20 tiles (or more?) go to you. Campfire don’t test, but i think effect like flashlight. Burn spider web at night - effect like from vehicle. Burn spider web at day, then go to location night - web burns, effect similar.
Branch:
https://github.com/Reaper42/Cataclysm-DDA/tree/hordes_improve
TODO:
-Check visibility of light sources on edges of map. (If use light in closed room - hordes will not react. If light in deep forest too but for weak light sources (flashlight/small campfire)
-Send signal to horde, depending on the local visibility. E.g. if player light in open window on south and horde at north - horde must not see light.

Rivet · 2014-03-14T17:13:59.000Z

I love your horde system. Any improvements are very much welcome, as wandering hordes have been a requested feature for a long time now.

If I may make a suggestion, would it be feasible for hordes to spawn in large population centers that have not already been cleared? So that if you settle down in a place next to a city, eventually its resident zombies will come to investigate all that noise and light coming from right outside town. It would make clearing nearby towns a priority for folks who plan on settling down - or else they could make a really great fortress and wait for the inevitable zombie siege.

dwarfkoala · 2014-03-14T19:36:05.000Z

I think a great improvement would be if the respawn points on the map were visible, similar to the old NPCs system

StopSignal · 2014-03-14T23:36:15.000Z

[quote=“Rivet, post:73, topic:5388”]I love your horde system. Any improvements are very much welcome, as wandering hordes have been a requested feature for a long time now.

If I may make a suggestion, would it be feasible for hordes to spawn in large population centers that have not already been cleared? So that if you settle down in a place next to a city, eventually its resident zombies will come to investigate all that noise and light coming from right outside town. It would make clearing nearby towns a priority for folks who plan on settling down - or else they could make a really great fortress and wait for the inevitable zombie siege.[/quote]

This is a really good idea, and it sounds really realistic and Fun.

KA101 · 2014-03-15T00:02:09.000Z

dwarfkoala:

I think a great improvement would be if the respawn points on the map were visible, similar to the old NPCs system

This sounds like an excellent use for binoculars, scopes, or the (likely to be renamed shortly) Eagle Eyed trait. Black H on green background, or some other symbol?

Fniff · 2014-03-15T01:20:18.000Z

I think green Z on black background would make sense.

Thinking about it, some of this code could be used for NPCs. So you have people who go from place to place but stop and investigate noise/smoke/light.

StopSignal · 2014-03-15T01:21:05.000Z

[quote=“Fniff, post:77, topic:5388”]I think green Z on black background would make sense.

Thinking about it, some of this code could be used for NPCs. So you have people who go from place to place but stop and investigate noise/smoke/light.[/quote]

Like in NEO Scavenger… it was so fun trying to hide your fires.

Fniff · 2014-03-15T01:40:58.000Z

Funny, I was just playing that today. I think in Cataclysm there should be a similiar thing in to the conversing actions in NS combat, but I digress.

Goombah · 2014-03-15T02:04:00.000Z

I am looking forwrd to the day I can lead a zombie horde onto my enemies.

kevin.granade · 2014-03-15T02:15:58.000Z

loading static zombies into hordes when they go off map would have the effect rivet is asking for.

KA101 · 2014-03-15T02:17:35.000Z

[quote=“Fniff, post:77, topic:5388”]I think green Z on black background would make sense.

Thinking about it, some of this code could be used for NPCs. So you have people who go from place to place but stop and investigate noise/smoke/light.[/quote]

Re NPCs, yeah.

I’m pretty partial to using a background so whatever glyph we end up using is clearly NOT a note. With the new colored-map-notes code (just went in maybe a week ago?) any color and any letter on a black background could be a comparatively harmless map note.

Reaper · 2014-03-15T05:45:35.000Z

loading static zombies into hordes when they go off map would have the effect rivet is asking for.

I't not easy. First i do good, that began.

About zombies on overmap. I need something like this:

I think i seen it yesterday, but can’t find it today…
…and this:

If it already coded - it’s good. Else i may code it. I don’t want code duplication.
…and…

    static point omt_to_om_copy(const point& p) { return omt_to_om_copy(p.x, p.y); }
    static tripoint omt_to_om_copy(const tripoint& p);
    static void omt_to_om(int &x, int &y);
    static void omt_to_om(point& p) { omt_to_om(p.x, p.y); }
    static void omt_to_om(tripoint& p) { omt_to_om(p.x, p.y); }
    static point omt_to_om_remain(int &x, int &y);
    static point omt_to_om_remain(point& p) { return omt_to_om_remain(p.x, p.y); }
    // submap to overmap terrain
    static point sm_to_omt_copy(int x, int y);
    static point sm_to_omt_copy(const point& p) { return sm_to_omt_copy(p.x, p.y); }
    static tripoint sm_to_omt_copy(const tripoint& p);
    static void sm_to_omt(int &x, int &y);
    static void sm_to_omt(point& p) { sm_to_omt(p.x, p.y); }
    static void sm_to_omt(tripoint& p) { sm_to_omt(p.x, p.y); }
...

Someone may explain me cataclysm coordinate system? Any codedoc?

Reaper · 2014-03-15T06:05:11.000Z

I think i seen it yesterday, but can't find it today..

Ok, i found it: [code]std::vector overmap::monsters_at(int x, int y, int z)[/code]

Reaper · 2014-03-15T07:04:55.000Z

Thread in lab:
http://smf.cataclysmdda.com/index.php?topic=5735.0

Zireael · 2014-03-15T08:13:34.000Z

[quote=“Fniff, post:77, topic:5388”]I think green Z on black background would make sense.

Thinking about it, some of this code could be used for NPCs. So you have people who go from place to place but stop and investigate noise/smoke/light.[/quote]

That’s a good idea.

Reaper · 2014-03-15T08:48:19.000Z

Zireael:

That’s a good idea.

Included.

Pakislav · 2014-03-15T11:35:30.000Z

Reaper:

Included.

Nice. You are getting shit done, and done good. I like that.

Dominae · 2014-04-01T22:12:50.000Z

With the code in game right now, is there any way to effectively “win” against the horde mechanic? As in, survive it and wipe the horde out so they stop spawning for a while and the area you are in is “safe” again?

I swear I’ve killed dozens and dozens of spawned zombies and they just never end. I’ve had to ditch 3 bases now and all their contents because I’d awake in the morning to what was basically pages and pages of things spawned around me.

kevin.granade · 2014-04-02T01:19:32.000Z

theoretically yes, practically no.
the horde implementation basically takes a town-sized spawn group from dynamic spawn and makes it wander around the map.
I’m working on a more reasonable implementation, but it’s a lot more work than the quick hack we have now.

Dominae · 2014-04-02T01:22:12.000Z

[quote=“Kevin Granade, post:90, topic:5388”]theoretically yes, practically no.
the horde implementation basically takes a town-sized spawn group from dynamic spawn and makes it wander around the map.
I’m working on a more reasonable implementation, but it’s a lot more work than the quick hack we have now.[/quote]

Aaah, gotcha’. That explains a lot, I forgot it was dynamic spawn. I think the horde is basically self-propagating itself over and over. Zombie runs into parked car, bangs on it, dynamics take over? Bleh. Guess I’ll have to keep playing “on the run” in this save.