# Quick -N- Dirty "Wandering" Hordes

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/quick-n-dirty-wandering-hordes/4501>\
**Category:** The Drawing Board\
**Created:** [December 15, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/quick-n-dirty-wandering-hordes/4501 "2013-12-15T01:41:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![EkarusRyndren](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/ekarusryndren/32/80_2.png) [@EkarusRyndren](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/EkarusRyndren)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/quick-n-dirty-wandering-hordes/4501/1 "2013-12-15T01:41:10Z")

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So I got an idea. It’s quick, it’s dirty, and I’m not entirely certain it’s possible. It’s possible for monsters to spawn after x number of days. Is it possible for after y number of days a percentage chance of a “horde” spawning after a notice. For example it’s day 80 and you get a message.

“Something feels wrong, like there’s trouble on the horizon.”

then a day or so later

“The local zombies seem more active than usual.”

another day or so later

“You’re noticing a lot more zombies in the distance than usual.”

and finally

“You see a massive horde of zombies coming! Better dig in!”

at which point the game will continuously spawn zeds just inside the reality bubble for z period of time, possibly aggravated by noise?

It’s not perfect and frankly it’s another “patch” flavor but there you have it.

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**Author:** ![kevin.granade](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/kevin.granade/32/1316_2.png) [@kevin.granade](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kevin.granade)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/quick-n-dirty-wandering-hordes/4501/2 "2013-12-15T01:45:18Z")

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I kind of hate it a lot. But you know it’s a hack, so I’m not telling you anything you don’t know.  
I need to see about digging in and doing it right…

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**Author:** ![deadmerits](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/deadmerits/32/19_2.png) [@deadmerits](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/deadmerits)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/quick-n-dirty-wandering-hordes/4501/3 "2013-12-15T01:50:40Z")

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I don’t want to be discouraging but a can see a few problems not related to coding:

1. It postpones anyone working on “the real thing” (or rather a map entity that moves from tile to tile and “becomes a hoard” when it reaches the reality bubble) because it’s ‘good enough for now.’

2. New user’s may assume that this is “the real thing” and jump to conclusions about what C:DDA has to offer. (As I type this it does seem rather unlikely to be a make or break point.)

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**Author:** ![Hyena\_Grin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/hyena_grin/32/894_2.png) [@Hyena\_Grin](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Hyena_Grin)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/quick-n-dirty-wandering-hordes/4501/4 "2013-12-16T20:38:01Z")

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On the one hand, I feel like hordes are a necessary effect for the game to retain its challenge past the starting period. On the other hand… I am not sure I would want to settle for zombies literally just spawning madly on some random occasion regardless of where you are or what you’ve been up to.

A horde should really need to come from somewhere. That way you can influence the probability of a horde making it to your doorstep (by systematically clearing out the areas around your home).

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**Author:** ![deadmerits](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/deadmerits/32/19_2.png) [@deadmerits](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/deadmerits)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/quick-n-dirty-wandering-hordes/4501/5 "2013-12-16T21:18:33Z")

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Idea. Can we make the zombies continue travelling across maptiles in the last direction it saw a human? Then it’d be like if you ran close by a town on your way back to base… did that group see/smell me go by? Are they headed this way now, even as I repair my outfit eat dinner and prepare for bed?

But the reality bubble… I don’t have an answer for that.

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**Author:** ![dwarfkoala](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/dwarfkoala/32/9_2.png) [@dwarfkoala](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/dwarfkoala)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/quick-n-dirty-wandering-hordes/4501/6 "2013-12-16T23:12:55Z")

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I’d rather not have the quick and dirty implementation, as it is a hack and hacks are to be discouraged.