Tips, Tricks, and Newb Questions!

[COS_Cecillian]

FINALLY, I was able to update to build 5025 and my vehicle DIDN’T DISAPPEAR. Now I can enjoy all the new graphical and in game updates with my vehicle intact.

[COS_Cecillian]

Can someone explain how the new “bionic slot” system works? Is the number on the left of the “/” (when in the bionic menu) your max capacity and the number on the right is the current amount?

[Litppunk]

Rust is actually rather slow, those red numbers are just really scary. I almost never craft minor things for upkeep of skill levels, opting instead using those red numbers to incentivize leveling up again, crafting something that has the potential to be useful.

@ Gauth In my opinion, experimental. Pick up the CDDA launcher someone made, it will simplify everything, and make updating painless. Static spawn means no new enemies will spawn where you have cleared, but as long as it is in the reality bubble, it is possible for any critters along the edge to wander in, or follow you. If you are worried about not being able to use your defenses, turn on wander spawn, and check the overmap now and then. Or make lots of noise once its on. Which will make hordes spawn in.

Settings you will probably want to play with are Spawn rate scaling factor, Item spawn progression, enemy progression, Spawn rate progression, NPC spawn rate scaling factor, and Monster evolution scaling factor

Spawn Rate Scaling Factor: Changes how dense monsters are. I run it 1.0 right now, I think I might turn that up before I mess with mob progression.

Item spawn progression: changes how dense the loot is. I started a new game and am running it at .75, but will probably quickly have it back down to .50 then .25 before long

NPC Spawn Rate Scaling Factor: Changes how many/ how often NPC’s spawn. I recommend keeping it VERY low. I’m running mine at .2 right now, should probably be lower. Just don’t forget to check the map on occasion.

Monster Evolution Scaling Factor: Changes how fast monsters evolve, for starters, I recommend keeping it very low so your not rushed to keep up with the progression from regular zombies to hulk, brutes, and other high tier zombies, and instead adjusting spawn rates, and turning on wandering spawns to up difficulty.

FOR MONSTER EVO, BIGGER = SLOWER So I run mine at 4.0 right now, might actually up it further to make more room for upping monster density.

[Gauth]

@ Gauth In my opinion, experimental. Pick up the CDDA launcher someone made, it will simplify everything, and make updating painless. Static spawn means no new enemies will spawn where you have cleared, but as long as it is in the reality bubble, it is possible for any critters along the edge to wander in, or follow you. If you are worried about not being able to use your defenses, turn on wander spawn, and check the overmap now and then. Or make lots of noise once its on. Which will make hordes spawn in.

Thanks for a detailed answer! This is really helpful.

Just want to clarify a couple of things.

I am currently using “Windows Graphical experimental” build from the front page - is it what you mean by CDDA launcher? Do I understand correctly that to update to the latest build I have to overwrite the old files?

As far as I understood from reading through settings, changes in things like Wander spawn only take hold after resetting the world and deleting all the saves. Or is it possible to reset the world without losing saves?

[X-PLODE]

I haven’t played in a few weeks ever since my bionic sniper blew up.

I think i’m going to start a game with maximum spawn.

Dynamic spawn + hordes + NPC & Z to the max it can go and lower loot to minimum, i might even minimize city size and maximize range between cities and just scavenge unique buildings that spawn on the overmap for my resources.

I’ve had no problems surviving as a forest survivor in a cabin without metal or other modern stuff before.

EDIT : Gauth
http://smf.cataclysmdda.com/index.php?topic=11833.0 TOOLS + MODS

I personally only move my config, graveyard, memorial, templates folders to a new version.

Migrating characters or/& vehicles to another world or version is also possible but i rarely do it since i don’t like playing too long with the same stuff.

[BeerBeer]

In short, my question is this: what world settings would experienced players suggest for a more or less balanced experience? That is, something that would be challenging without being curb-stompingly brutal? I don’t know what I expected, but I went into the game believing that fortification and protection of a home base is going to be a large part of it, that there is constantly going to be a sense of danger, and the way it seems now all these reinforcements and traps are more or less decorations.

That might be tricky to answer without knowing what you would consider challenging. How tough are you as a gamer in general? 5x monster spawn approaches the curb-stomping territory, IMO, at least if you start out in a city. Definitely a curb-stomper for a Really Bad Day scenario. If you start outside a city, you could pump the monster spawn to high heavens and just stay away and laugh, at least with static monster spawn. The default values are fairly relaxed IMO.

Dynamic monster spawns (hordes) should keep you on guard, necessitating traps and defensive fortifications. Static spawns are just that - once you clear an area, it’s going to stay clear, therefore questioning the need of traps and such. So, if you want your base to be at a constant risk for attack, choose hordes.

Just keep in mind that the more zombies spawn, the bigger the mess afterwards.

[Litppunk]

yea use the link that X-plode supplied, 2nd from the top. Its considered a mod, but it will organize all your mods, and auto, alert you/ let you update any time you want. If you get an unstable experimental build I think it lets you back up with ease as well. Also give you a list of other mods to add in if you want them, and allows you to easily attach other mods not on its list if you catch something in its infancy before rremyroy updates the launcher.

If you get that I 120% recommend experimental over stable. The frequent updates means any time you start to get board with things just update, to find yourself in an entirely different new game almost unrecognizable to the old one. At least that was the impression that I got the first time I did so, as a lot of big features had just been added. Usually its just small tweaks by various modders, but there are so many mods, just activate a couple to mix things up.

@ beerbeer, thats a frequent question which is why I gave the answer I did.

But that also reminded me. If you get zombie spawn to high, and have a problem keeping up with them all, turn on no zombie reanimation mod so the ones you kill don’t get back up again before you can pulp/butcher them.

[pingpong]

Do people who use more monster spawn turn off the fancy zombies? I’ve literally fought three zombies, one of the acid/corrosive types (the kind that seem to 100% your legs), maybe a feral zombie, and the necromancer. First the necromancer wouldn’t be idle for more than 2-3 steps before reviving the zombie I killed. Secondly, they weren’t hitting me or doing much damage when they hit, and I had pain resistant and good armor, so I went to wield my worn shotgun. I went from 4/5 health on all my limbs to 1/5 or less, and from like 15 pain to 450 and I died. From one corrosive zombie and some other basic type. There’s no way in hell anyone is running hordes with a zombie necromancer around.

[quote=“Gauth, post:14740, topic:42”]I’ve only recently discovered Cataclysm, and believe that the questions I’m about to ask are quite obvious for those who’ve been playing it for a while, but I can’t find definite answers anywhere else.

Which is better to use - the last stable release or experimental builds? If experimental, is it worth updating to the last release every time it appears?

I’ve started several times and died horribly almost immediately (mostly due to complete lack of understanding of some basic mechanic), then created an intentionally OP character to get the hang of the basics and in addition got lucky with my surroundings (lots of firearms and underequipped NPCs). Right now I’ve managed to establish a well-stocked base and slowly get the hang of the crafting system, but one thing I don’t quite get.

I’ve started with Static Spawn as it was by default and I didn’t tweaked what I dodn’t understand. Does it mean that new monsters never appear at all, and once I’ve cleared a location it will stay safe for the rest of the game (save for NPCs?). Does it mean that there is no point in fortifying and surrounding your location with traps and suchlike unless you relocate to a new place you haven’t explored yet? As far as I understand, if I change the setting to Wander Spawn now it won’t take effect until I reset the world, thus losing all my current progress?

In short, my question is this: what world settings would experienced players suggest for a more or less balanced experience? That is, something that would be challenging without being curb-stompingly brutal? I don’t know what I expected, but I went into the game believing that fortification and protection of a home base is going to be a large part of it, that there is constantly going to be a sense of danger, and the way it seems now all these reinforcements and traps are more or less decorations.[/quote]

If you’re trying to play Cataclysm by sitting still, you really aren’t getting it. It’s about exploring and seeing how powerful you can get and killing stuff.

[Litppunk]

yea. Its nice to build a big base and stuff. Just cuz, and because it looks nice, but all the good stuff is going to come from touring the country in an RV setup.

[pingpong]

I will mention, usually only during the second summer do I usually get a chance to drive around. Rarely if I can I’ll get a bike, to find some annoying item (hacksaw, welding goggles, something). At most I might find and appropriate a vehicle if the situation is looking dangerous (presently, Triffids were too close to my home so I had a “working” car by the end of summer).

[Litppunk]

I usually become mobile, not long after I find/make my first working RV and move everything inside. Either that or after I have looted the entire town/enough of the town that its time for RV to become my base.

[COS_Cecillian]

Is the bionic slot system in use or is just a placeholder for now? If it is actual implemented, how does it work?

[Litppunk]

I didn’t answer that one, because Im not entirely sure, but it doesn’t look like anyone else is right now, so I’ll take a swing at it. My appologies if I understand it wrong/ don’t know all the changes. My understanding is that before you could have unlimited augments, with no regard for how much space each would take up within you. So they added the slots so that you can’t stack CBMs too much. So you install it like normal and it just keeps you from putting too much stuff that would go in the same bodily location at the same time aka without uninstalling one or more to make room for the new one.

[COS_Cecillian]

I didn’t answer that one, because Im not entirely sure, but it doesn’t look like anyone else is right now, so I’ll take a swing at it. My appologies if I understand it wrong/ don’t know all the changes. My understanding is that before you could have unlimited augments, with no regard for how much space each would take up within you. So they added the slots so that you can’t stack CBMs too much. So you install it like normal and it just keeps you from putting too much stuff that would go in the same bodily location at the same time aka without uninstalling one or more to make room for the new one.

Thanks. I already most of what you said, but it’s ok. What I was trying to find was what the numbers meant. When you hover over a specific bionic, it connects to a certain body part and that body part will have two values divided by a “/” (i.e. 311/80). After installing some new bionics, the number on the right appears to mean the total number of slot spaces taken up for that body part, but I do not know what the right value is.

[deoxy]

Do people who use more monster spawn turn off the fancy zombies? I’ve literally fought three zombies, one of the acid/corrosive types (the kind that seem to 100% your legs), maybe a feral zombie, and the necromancer. First the necromancer wouldn’t be idle for more than 2-3 steps before reviving the zombie I killed. Secondly, they weren’t hitting me or doing much damage when they hit, and I had pain resistant and good armor, so I went to wield my worn shotgun. I went from 4/5 health on all my limbs to 1/5 or less, and from like 15 pain to 450 and I died. From one corrosive zombie and some other basic type. There’s no way in hell anyone is running hordes with a zombie necromancer around.

I play on 5x spawn, static, with all the “fancy” zombies.

Yes, necros are probably the most annoying… but there are ways of dealing with them.

Against a small horde (16 or less, assuming no far or other “large” zombies), the easiest solution is to just use melee, then use advanced inventory to move the corpse you just killed into your own square. Ta-da!

Skill rust:

[quote=“i2amroy, post:14739, topic:42”]Rust really needs 4 key factors to work well in my opinion.

1. The speed that it happens needs to be way turned down. This is something that should be happening on a time scale of weeks at the soonest, not hours.
2. Skills need to be separated more into “knowledge” and “practical skill”. This lets you have rust apply to them differently.
3. Rust should only burn down a few levels max of “practical skill” and at absolute most maybe 1 level of “knowledge”. This captures the aspect of you never really forgetting the basics.
4. Any rust should be able to be worked off very quickly back to the player’s actual “levels”, and simply doing a few tasks once a week or so should be enough to prevent rust from even starting (i.e., there is some “padding time” that has to be spent before the player actually starts to rust).[/quote]

Yeah, that exactly. The speed on it (even assuming 1 day is 6 days) is “medical diagnosis of serious short-term memory failure” bad. Spend 36 in-game hours fighting, wading through the blood of the dead, FINALLY sleep for 8ish hours (enough to get back up to “dead tired”)… and bam, skill rust has started on the melee skills. That’s just plain stupid.

Besides the speed issue, the rest of it could largely be addressed by simply making it a PENALTY to effective level instead of actual loss. It could go away at 2-3 times the normal gain, or so.

[Caprice]

There isn’t currently any limit on the number of bionics you can install.

The “slots” are an indication of how much you will be able to install when that limit is actually implemented, and they aren’t final - my understanding is that development on the bionic slots system is stalled by debate over exactly how the various bionics should be balanced, with regards to how much space they take up.

In other words, 311/80 means you’ve used 311 of your 80 torso slots.

[IcedPee]

I can’t get soundpacks to work. I’m in the experimental builds, I have both the Basic and ChestHole soundpacks downloaded into the cataclysm folder, and I have my music options turned on, but neither of the soundpacks do anything. The Basic soundpack creates little beeping sounds when navigating the main menu but nothing within the game itself. What am I doing wrong?

[Litppunk]

Go into the options ( ? > 2 ) or through the main menu and change the sound set.

[pisskop]

go away at 2-3 times the normal gain, or so.

6 days ti forget a complex formula in a book is not memory loss, its not having idedic memory.

itd be silly to the point of not having the mechanic if it took 2-3 weeks for rust ti happen. most survivors wont livevthat long, and im pretty certain I couldnt get most people to read the recipe and schematic for a water purifier and be able to craft a functioming model 12 days later

[Litppunk]

rust mostly just looks scary. Those red numbers only mean that the skill CAN rust now, at random integers by a single percent at a time. (If I’m not mistaken, I always try to craft something before I start losing to much) Granted every percent is hard fought for, especially at higher levels but its not like you suddenly drop several levels when rust starts.