# Tips, Tricks, and Newb Questions!
**URL:** https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42
**Category:** The Bunker
**Created:** [January 3, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42 "2013-01-03T03:04:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 538
### Author:  [@Squid\_Snark](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Squid_Snark)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 6:20am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10742 "2015-10-10T06:20:30Z")
Okay, new newb question: are quarterpanels less durable than boards?
Right now the only difference I can see between boards and quarterpanels are that boards block line of sight while quarterpanels don’t, which suggests that quarterpanels are categorically superior.
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### Author:  [@Noctifer](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Noctifer)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 6:22am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10743 "2015-10-10T06:22:20Z")
When installing a piece, it should tell you how durable it is. I belive it tells you how durable it is and how much it weights in the vehicle installing menu.
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### Author:  [@Squid\_Snark](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Squid_Snark)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 6:26am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10744 "2015-10-10T06:26:00Z")
> [@Noctifer](#):
>
> When installing a piece, it should tell you how durable it is. I belive it tells you how durable it is and how much it weights in the vehicle installing menu.
Oh thanks, I missed that completely. Looks like stow boards have 200 durability, quarter panels have 225 durability, and boards have 240 durability.
Is there a big difference between 240 and 225 durability? Seems like it might be useful to just replace all boards with quarterpanels on my van, so I don’t have any blind spots.
Although I suppose that if I can see out through a quarterpanel, other people or creatures can also see in …
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### Author:  [@Noctifer](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Noctifer)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 6:27am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10745 "2015-10-10T06:27:26Z")
If you can see outside without cameras, everything can see inside.
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### Author:  [@Squid\_Snark](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Squid_Snark)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 6:30am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10746 "2015-10-10T06:30:49Z")
> [@Noctifer](#):
>
> If you can see outside without cameras, everything can see inside.
Do you think that is a big concern?
It’s a bit early for me to have access to the equipment and skills that would allow me to board everything up and drive with cameras as my guidance system.
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### Author:  [@Noctifer](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Noctifer)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 6:36am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10747 "2015-10-10T06:36:51Z")
It is helpful to do it now for the following.
-monster that you leave behind will not see you,
-vehicle can be used as a hiding spot in a pinch.
-once you install gear, the ability to work in peace will be necessary.
-changing all the boards will waste energy later.
In a scout vehicle (bike used to just get from point a to b) it is ok to use visible boards. However, in a mobile base you will need to transition to one that block light.
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### Author:  [@saltmummy626](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/saltmummy626)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 6:39am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10748 "2015-10-10T06:39:04Z")
Maybe this isn’t a noob question, but does “spawn rate scaling factor” affect the density or horde spawns and/or the size of the spawn pool for the hordes or is it only for world gen static spawns? I ask because building up defenses without something dangerous moving across the landscape seems a bit pointless, but horde spawns are so utterly massive that getting to a point where you can do that and the simple act of being stationary long enough to do it, a tedious hell.
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### Author:  [@Noctifer](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Noctifer)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 6:40am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10749 "2015-10-10T06:40:39Z")
To my knowledge it just affects normal world spawns and hordes have their own mechanics.
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### Author:  [@Squid\_Snark](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Squid_Snark)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 7:15am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10750 "2015-10-10T07:15:37Z")
[quote=“Noctifer, post:10747, topic:42”]It is helpful to do it now for the following.
-monster that you leave behind will not see you,
-vehicle can be used as a hiding spot in a pinch.
-once you install gear, the ability to work in peace will be necessary.
-changing all the boards will waste energy later.
In a scout vehicle (bike used to just get from point a to b) it is ok to use visible boards. However, in a mobile base you will need to transition to one that block light.[/quote]
Looks like curtains might be a good compromise for some of these visibility issues as I can throw curtains on some windows/doors and then close them when I want to sleep in the vehicle.
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### Author:  [@Arek\_PL](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Arek_PL)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 8:26am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10751 "2015-10-10T08:26:00Z")
If i delete dissector from traps it will cause any errors?
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### Author:  [@Xfin](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Xfin)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 11:10am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10752 "2015-10-10T11:10:27Z")
> [@Noctifer](#):
>
> If you can see outside without cameras, everything can see inside.
Here wonders if anyone looked in to it… would but that area of the code ‘mindblasts’ here
also,
>
>
> (Updated Oct 11) This adds an extra set of tile textures that have been modified… to be in grayscale, night vision, washed-out night vision, usable for low light situations ingame. The extra tiles are generated during tileset loading by copying the main tile surface and applying a color filter to it. The light level that was provided previously per tile is used in determining the tile texture to use. This should allow the tiles display to match closer to what ASCII was already showing based on light levels.
>
> Note: characters will not show up with night vision currently, since the player tile is always considered lit, causing the player to appear very bright when using night vision goggles.
>
> Outside view during daylight:
> !\[cata\_daylight\](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/9610892/10418483/b4ba45aa-7021-11e5-898c-99bbba06a908.png)
>
> Near dusk:
> !\[cata\_dusk\](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/9610892/10418464/75a79692-7021-11e5-83b0-02c7f0ef9d4d.png)
>
> Flashlight on:
> !\[cata\_dusk\_flashlight\](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/9610892/10418469/7e39723a-7021-11e5-8e6c-76a43136e86a.png)
>
> Standing inside a furniture store during dusk:
> !\[cata\_dusk\_store\](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/9610892/10418471/8871688e-7021-11e5-8278-4f090f707783.png)
>
> Night vision goggles at dusk:
> !\[cata\_dusk\_store\_nv\](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/9610892/10418474/956cd3a2-7021-11e5-95b2-6fadff39e2b0.png)
>
> Washed out color caused by using a flashlight with goggles:
> !\[cata\_dusk\_store\_nv\_flashlight\](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/9610892/10418477/9e3a4776-7021-11e5-8073-6f4e71931224.png)
>
> Washed out color caused by standing in daylight with goggles on:
> !\[cata\_daylight\_nv\](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/9610892/10418481/afab2174-7021-11e5-9f82-9b0349b83b9b.png)
wonder if that can be reused for Scent Vision as that also never works in tiles (As far as here is aware)
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### Author:  [@Coolthulhu](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Coolthulhu)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 12:31pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10753 "2015-10-10T12:31:42Z")
> [@Arek\_PL](#):
>
> If i delete dissector from traps it will cause any errors?
Yes.
You can make it invisible and do nothing when activated, but you can’t just delete it.
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### Author:  [@DG123](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/DG123)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 1:07pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10754 "2015-10-10T13:07:28Z")
> [@Squid\_Snark](#):
>
> [quote=“Noctifer, post:10745, topic:42”]If you can see outside without cameras, everything can see inside.
Do you think that is a big concern?
It’s a bit early for me to have access to the equipment and skills that would allow me to board everything up and drive with cameras as my guidance system.[/quote]
I actually have the opposite concern. I am currently drowning in security cameras.
I can easily make my vehicle an impenetrable box that nothing can see into. But if I do that, will it make all the enemies totally lose interest in my character, thus breaking the game?
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### Author:  [@Squid\_Snark](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Squid_Snark)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 1:34pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10755 "2015-10-10T13:34:12Z")
Here’s another vehicle-related question: where do you folks normally put your engine, car battery, etc? The default engine position on my van is in the front, but that seems hazardous because it’s the most likely side to crash in to something. Would it be safer to put the engine in the back instead? Or the middle somewhere?
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### Author:  [@DG123](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/DG123)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 1:51pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10756 "2015-10-10T13:51:18Z")
If I get a choice in the matter I put the engine and solar panels and fragile things not easily replaced as far away from the edges as possible. And especially not at the front.
I’m currently wondering how the various vehicle parts like armour and shock absorbers affect how much damage is taken by the parts of the vehicle and whether it only affects the particular tile it’s on.
i.e. Should you put shock absorbers around the outside of your vehicle or mount them on the engine?
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### Author:  [@Hazerithious](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Hazerithious)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10757 "2015-10-10T18:07:05Z")
If i understand shock absobers correctly, they should be on the front of your vehicle, where you are ramming as “Shock” damage is done to the frames and carries over to other frames. I.E. If you run into a building at high speeds, your all or most of the frames on your vehicle will be damaged. However if you have shock absorbers, they should reduce the shock damage done to the inner frames upon impact. If I understand correctly, that is.
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### Author:  [@Random\_dragon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Random_dragon)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 6:09pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10758 "2015-10-10T18:09:42Z")
Hmm. Far as I can tell, shock absorbers are literally just armor. \>\_\>
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### Author:  [@DG123](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/DG123)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 6:16pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10759 "2015-10-10T18:16:25Z")
> [@Random\_dragon](#):
>
> Hmm. Far as I can tell, shock absorbers are literally just armor. \>\_\>
This was my assumption. Hmm. Time to try triple stacking armour!
Shock absorbers, composite military plating and … rebar reinforcements? I wonder how many of those you can put on a quarterpanel with a windscreen in it.
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### Author:  [@Random\_dragon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Random_dragon)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 6:17pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10760 "2015-10-10T18:17:47Z")
Now I’m gonna want to see how tough that makes you. o3o
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### Author:  [@Xfin](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Xfin)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/tips-tricks-and-newb-questions/42/10761 "2015-10-10T18:21:37Z")
> [@DG123](#):
>
> [quote=“Random\_dragon, post:10758, topic:42”]Hmm. Far as I can tell, shock absorbers are literally just armor. \>\_\>
This was my assumption. Hmm. Time to try triple stacking armour!
Shock absorbers, composite military plating and … rebar reinforcements? I wonder how many of those you can put on a quarterpanel with a windscreen in it.[/quote]
that possible?
(still not sure how armor works)
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