# Spawn cars on the side of the road **URL:** \ **Category:** The Drawing Board\ **Created:** [September 6, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946 "2013-09-06T15:52:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1

**Author:** ![youtoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/779978/32.png) [@youtoo](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/youtoo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/1 "2013-09-06T15:52:03Z")

I like the mod that added all the cars. However, they clog the road. Motorcycles are really the only practical vehicle due to the difficulty in maneuvering. We don’t have roads that bypass towns and cities so we can drive around the towns. they all go through cities and maneuvering is really hard. ---

**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:** [September 6, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/2 "2013-09-06T17:11:12Z")

That’s the point of having the vehicle hulks everywhere, to act as obstacles. ---

**Author:** ![CIB](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/cib/32/903_2.png) [@CIB](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/CIB)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/3 "2013-09-06T17:22:38Z")

I thought the idea was to avoid making town clearing with cars too easy, not to ruin any chance of a free-roaming experience by car. ---

**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:** [September 6, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/4 "2013-09-06T17:35:49Z")

Vehicles are an awesome feature, but they need limitations. If you build an offroading monster truck, you can pretty much go wherever you want, but a typical sedan can’t just cut cross country with impuny. Having said that, tweaking the road generation to have some additional connections outside of towns would be reasonable, just not a guaranteed “every town has a way around it” type thing. ---

**Author:** ![Iosyn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/iosyn/32/35_2.png) [@Iosyn](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Iosyn)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/5 "2013-09-06T17:45:57Z")

> [@Kevin Granade](#): > > That’s the point of having the vehicle hulks everywhere, to act as obstacles. This. A cataclysm has occured right? So people are gonna flee in their car/truck etc. Probably even leave them on the road and continue on foot when they run out of gas, maybe hitch a ride from someone else. ---

**Author:** ![FunsizeNinja123](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/funsizeninja123/32/118_2.png) [@FunsizeNinja123](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunsizeNinja123)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/6 "2013-09-06T19:05:36Z")

Well that’s why you find random cars out on long roads with no gas. ---

**Author:** ![MarkB](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/markb/32/152_2.png) [@MarkB](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/MarkB)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/7 "2013-09-06T22:30:10Z")

> [@Iosyn](#): > > [quote=“Kevin Granade, post:2, topic:2946”]That’s the point of having the vehicle hulks everywhere, to act as obstacles. This. A cataclysm has occured right? So people are gonna flee in their car/truck etc. Probably even leave them on the road and continue on foot when they run out of gas, maybe hitch a ride from someone else.[/quote] And the vehicles with gas but broken tyres / engines didn’t just get there by chance either. They’d be the result of traffic accidents as everyone tried to flee town at once. Actually, one change for extra realism might be for the occasional wrecked car to be found partially-embedded in a damaged building, the result of the driver swerving off the road. ---

**Author:** ![FunsizeNinja123](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/funsizeninja123/32/118_2.png) [@FunsizeNinja123](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunsizeNinja123)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/8 "2013-09-06T22:31:31Z")

Or have a giant road full of cars that tried to escape. But didn’t Cata take place only 5 days after the cataclysm? ---

**Author:** ![Ian\_Strachan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/ian_strachan/32/1003_2.png) [@Ian\_Strachan](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Ian_Strachan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/9 "2013-09-06T22:37:58Z")

**Author:** ![KA101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/278dde/32.png) [@KA101](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/KA101)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/10 "2013-09-06T22:51:35Z")

[quote=“FunsizeNinja123, post:8, topic:2946”]Or have a giant road full of cars that tried to escape. But didn’t Cata take place only 5 days after the cataclysm?[/quote] Yeah. Game start is 5 days after the zed infection hit tipping point/crit mass: more zeds than the government could control. ---

**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:** [September 6, 2013, 11:49pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/11 "2013-09-06T23:49:36Z")

> [@MarkB](#): > > Actually, one change for extra realism might be for the occasional wrecked car to be found partially-embedded in a damaged building, the result of the driver swerving off the road. The only thing keeping this from happening is programmer time, ideally all of the vehicles would be obviously abandoned (with open doors etc, possibly pulled over somewhere) or p[art of a wreck scene (well, or parked) Not sure how to make that happen in a nice way though. ---

**Author:** ![Iosyn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/iosyn/32/35_2.png) [@Iosyn](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Iosyn)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/12 "2013-09-07T16:10:00Z")

[quote=“FunsizeNinja123, post:8, topic:2946”]Or have a giant road full of cars that tried to escape. But didn’t Cata take place only 5 days after the cataclysm?[/quote] Trust me, it doesn’t take very long for panic to spread. It’s like a fire, only it’s psychological. Starts out small, eventually you have a full blown riot on your hands. ---

**Author:** ![vultures](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/vultures/32/69_2.png) [@vultures](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/vultures)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/13 "2013-09-07T17:23:59Z")

I always like to think of 'em little american suburbs, and trees, and sidewalks, white little 2-story houses with shades and kids playing with water and stuff… and then the mechanic’s son Ron with his pickup drives up the street and suddenly smashes into old Rachel’s Prius… and everyone’s concerned. Is he OK? Maybe he had a stroke? He never drinks, ever! Let’s go see what’s gone into our little Ron! But Ron’s a Zombie now. ---

**Author:** ![youtoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/779978/32.png) [@youtoo](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/youtoo)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/14 "2013-09-11T15:54:27Z")

i have found anything beyond a motorcycle unuseable because i cant drive. if you wont spawn vehicles to the side of the road, we need some different world gen,where you have spots with wider highways that might go through the center or town or town bypasses so you can actually drive. i dont see how anyone takes a truck or something around. you just cant get by stuff. ---

**Author:** ![Rivet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/rivet/32/11_2.png) [@Rivet](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Rivet)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/15 "2013-09-11T18:48:34Z")

I’ve never found it to be a problem even in a giant, armored RV. Just go slow when you hit the spots that are thick with dead cars and slowly weave between them. Oh, and make sure your driving skill is four or higher so that you won’t randomly ram into the other cars. Also am I the only one who thinks that Cataclysm people with drive skills below four act like they’ve got some sort of suicidal palsy the moment they get behind the wheel? Every ten seconds they’re grabbing the wheel and cranking it, trying to kill themselves on the nearest obstacle for no particular reason. I don’t think I could drive that badly IRL if I was blind drunk. ---

**Author:** ![KA101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/278dde/32.png) [@KA101](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/KA101)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/16 "2013-09-11T21:57:47Z")

Yeah, 20-30 MPH tops is your friend. Keeps your noise output low(er) and gives you time to avoid obstacles. Finding a Bicycle can help too as it’s pretty low-speed and easy to maneuver through obstacles. (Counter: if it hits anything more substantial than a spider or so, it’s stopped and damaged. And good luck getting it above 12-13 MPH.) ---

**Author:** ![Ian\_Strachan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/ian_strachan/32/1003_2.png) [@Ian\_Strachan](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Ian_Strachan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/17 "2013-09-12T01:01:38Z")

> [@Kevin Granade](#): > > [quote=“MarkB, post:7, topic:2946”]Actually, one change for extra realism might be for the occasional wrecked car to be found partially-embedded in a damaged building, the result of the driver swerving off the road. The only thing keeping this from happening is programmer time, ideally all of the vehicles would be obviously abandoned (with open doors etc, possibly pulled over somewhere) or p[art of a wreck scene (well, or parked) Not sure how to make that happen in a nice way though.[/quote] As of [the PR that handles vehicles spawning into walls or other vehicles](https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/pull/2889), this should now be completely possible as long as someone updates the map generation to occasionally place vehicles through walls. Assuming I didn’t mix up which submap is which again… I did test it by debug spawning vehicles through walls, but having it happen naturally is more difficult. ---

**Author:** ![Pageman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Pageman](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Pageman)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/18 "2013-09-18T00:27:49Z")

now you can drag cars, so it should be more realistic ---

**Author:** ![youtoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/779978/32.png) [@youtoo](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/youtoo)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/19 "2013-09-18T14:02:47Z")

i think when we get to doing more world gen options, we need to add some wider roads and possible town bypass roads (loop around towns) to make using large cars more practical. wide roads can go in limited locations, but you can atleast move your truck. ---

**Author:** ![KA101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/278dde/32.png) [@KA101](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/KA101)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946/20 "2013-09-18T23:55:44Z")

> [@youtoo](#): > > i think when we get to doing more world gen options, we need to add some wider roads and possible town bypass roads (loop around towns) to make using large cars more practical. wide roads can go in limited locations, but you can atleast move your truck. Yeah, that’s the general idea behind Highways–go for a while without worrying about towns. [Next page](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/spawn-cars-on-the-side-of-the-road/2946.md?page=2)