# Zombies Hate Cars

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399>\
**Category:** The Drawing Board\
**Created:** [December 23, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399 "2014-12-23T23:37:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Blaze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Blaze](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Blaze)\
**Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/1 "2014-12-23T23:37:51Z")

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Whenever I head into town, the zombies destroy all the vehicles before I can do anything about it.

Zombie hits car, generates sound, brings in more zombies, those zombies hit car, repeat until no more car.

While it is a nice source of scrap and brings zombies together for an explosive to take them out, it is a bit annoying.

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**Author:** ![Jakers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@Jakers](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Jakers)\
**Post date:** [December 23, 2014, 11:44pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/2 "2014-12-23T23:44:01Z")

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[quote=“Blaze, post:1, topic:8399”]Whenever I head into town, the zombies destroy all the vehicles before I can do anything about it.

Zombie hits car, generates sound, brings in more zombies, those zombies hit car, repeat until no more car.

While it is a nice source of scrap and brings zombies together for an explosive to take them out, it is a bit annoying.[/quote]

OMG IKR. One second I’m passing by a snazzy looking electric car that I might check out later, I go to have a quick read of a Playboy uh a fairytale novel, and by the time I’m back I’m looking at a pile enough metal to reconstruct the iron giant, with a few solar panels sticking out!

Unfortunately I can’t see a way to code zombies walking around such obstacles. For now they’ll just have to be dumbasses and be all like ME SMASH CAR TO KILL PERSON ME SO CLEVER HEURHUR.

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**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:** [December 24, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/3 "2014-12-24T00:37:37Z")

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They make such great distractions at night…

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**Author:** ![KA101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/278dde/32.png) [@KA101](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/KA101)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 1:17am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/4 "2014-12-24T01:17:41Z")

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Zeds bypassing cars was considered and rejected as giving 'em a bit too much intelligence. Zed masters/necros could, if present, direct them more effectively (see: brain blob, which could also probably handle the job), but so far nobody’s coded that.

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**Author:** ![Jakers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@Jakers](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Jakers)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 1:20am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/5 "2014-12-24T01:20:34Z")

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I’ve always thought it would be possible for zeds to climb over cars, but that’s probably a huge bother to code and imbalanced.

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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 24, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/6 "2014-12-24T01:24:19Z")

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I just wish they’d bump into the car go “I’ve run into a wall” and change direction.

Not go bump into a car and go “MINE IS THE DRILL WHICH SHALL PIERCE THE HEAVENS! -whump-”

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**Author:** ![KA101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/278dde/32.png) [@KA101](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/KA101)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 1:44am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/7 "2014-12-24T01:44:36Z")

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[quote=“EkarusRyndren, post:6, topic:8399”]I just wish they’d bump into the car go “I’ve run into a wall” and change direction.

Not go bump into a car and go “MINE IS THE DRILL WHICH SHALL PIERCE THE HEAVENS! -whump-”[/quote]

KA101 sends some bio-operators to haul Ekarus out of the RMCC  
all the bio-ops move toward the rather large "car"  
they hit the sides of the “car”, decide it’s an impenetrable wall, and give up  
Ekarus doesn’t even have to lift a finger

Nope, sorry. Theirs is the drill which shall, eventually, pierce the RMCC.

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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 24, 2014, 2:18am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/8 "2014-12-24T02:18:14Z")

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[quote=“KA101, post:7, topic:8399”][quote=“EkarusRyndren, post:6, topic:8399”]I just wish they’d bump into the car go “I’ve run into a wall” and change direction.

Not go bump into a car and go “MINE IS THE DRILL WHICH SHALL PIERCE THE HEAVENS! -whump-”[/quote]

KA101 sends some bio-operators to haul Ekarus out of the RMCC  
all the bio-ops move toward the rather large "car"  
they hit the sides of the “car”, decide it’s an impenetrable wall, and give up  
Ekarus doesn’t even have to lift a finger

Nope, sorry. Theirs is the drill which shall, eventually, pierce the RMCC.[/quote]

That’s not going to end well for anyone involved. Piercing the hull of my vehicle is met with the fury of a Eldritch God. I nuked a refugee center because an NPC bashed it’s way through the vehicle because it was in the way.

Though there is something to say for watching a small horde of zombies beat a car to a pile of lag-inducing scrap metal over the course of a week…

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**Author:** ![Bonevomit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Bonevomit](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Bonevomit)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 5:00am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/9 "2014-12-24T05:00:47Z")

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This is pretty funny at 50 spawn rate.

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**Author:** ![iceball3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@iceball3](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/iceball3)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 6:37am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/10 "2014-12-24T06:37:44Z")

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I also sometimes see this, to a lesser extent, with houses. Mostly only due to nearby brutes and hulks, though.  
I wonder if spiked plating could be made so that bashing it would have recoil damahe against the basher (or the weapon, which would just be higher incidence of item damage than normal). Could help reduce the likelyhood of our super tanks being peeled apart by a single zombie.

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**Author:** ![Weyrling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7bcc69/32.png) [@Weyrling](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Weyrling)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 8:40am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/11 "2014-12-24T08:40:43Z")

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While I suppose it makes sense, it does get sort of annoying sometimes. For example, whenever I try to do anything that takes longer than a single turn anywhere near a city I haven’t been to yet.  
Stop to pick up more than one bag of potato chips? I get a message box that reads “You hear SMASH x99999” after 10-20 seconds of solid lag.

I suggest making most cars that spawn on city streets already trashed a lot more, this isn’t day 0 of the cataclysm so if they were going to destroy every car they walk into it should have happened before I showed up.

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**Author:** ![iceball3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@iceball3](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/iceball3)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 8:44am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/12 "2014-12-24T08:44:03Z")

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Personally, my favorite part is how an enterprising cyborg can take advantage of the situation.  
For example, put a handful of zombies between yourself and the absolutely massive pile of metal, and activate the electromagnet CBM. Beauty.

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**Author:** ![EditorRUS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc29f/32.png) [@EditorRUS](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/EditorRUS)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/13 "2014-12-24T17:57:30Z")

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[Astar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A*_search_algorithm) algorithm for the win

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**Author:** ![Coolthulhu](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/coolthulhu/32/2446_2.png) [@Coolthulhu](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Coolthulhu)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/14 "2014-12-24T23:09:58Z")

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> [@EditorRUS](#):
>
> [Astar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A*_search_algorithm) algorithm for the win

A\* requires you to know your surroundings (ie. calc what zeds see) and is too expensive to recalc every turn. And if you didn’t recalc it every turn, zombies would obviously go from waypoint to waypoint.  
DDA is supposed to run on toasters.

A highly limited (few steps) A\* with very greedy weighting could work to let them get around small obstacles, though.

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**Author:** ![EditorRUS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc29f/32.png) [@EditorRUS](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/EditorRUS)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/15 "2014-12-25T00:31:33Z")

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> A highly limited (few steps) A\* with very greedy weighting could work to let them get around small obstacles, though.

Some special case of A\*, I guess. It's not used as long as there is no vehicle between a zombie and a player. But when there is, it starts to try to find a way to get around or THROUGH vehicle. Vehicles usually aren't that big and the distances aren't huge as well.

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**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:** [December 25, 2014, 12:59am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/16 "2014-12-25T00:59:08Z")

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> DDA is supposed to run on toasters.

And the Lord then shouted - 8086 !

😃

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**Author:** ![Synthetic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/synthetic/32/406_2.png) [@Synthetic](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Synthetic)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 2:32am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/17 "2014-12-26T02:32:55Z")

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Zombie hordes pooling around and destroying cars is both hilarious and useful, but it is a bit extreme.  
They just need to ignore cars unless they are chasing after something. Right now cars act like zombie glue. They touch one and struggle against it, generating a ton of noise. They should treat vehicles like a wall if they’re just wandering around aimlessly. Once the first blow has been struck, then by all means they should go ballistic on it.  
It wouldn’t be very noticeable during the day when every zombie in sight is after you, but it would make nighttime raiding a lot less destructive.

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**Author:** ![Catfoodbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee59a6/32.png) [@Catfoodbob](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Catfoodbob)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 5:12am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/18 "2014-12-26T05:12:07Z")

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a funny thing that is sorta critical to survival at times is npcs sometimes dont realize they are shooting at a car… that is between you and them

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**Author:** ![Synthetic](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/synthetic/32/406_2.png) [@Synthetic](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Synthetic)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 5:59am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/19 "2014-12-26T05:59:09Z")

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It’s not just cars. Anything between an NPC and and its target is going to get shot. Anything that doesn’t block their vision stops existing in their minds.

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**Author:** ![Catfoodbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee59a6/32.png) [@Catfoodbob](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Catfoodbob)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 6:10am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/zombies-hate-cars/8399/20 "2014-12-26T06:10:03Z")

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should probably get a heavy duty cart with a reinforced shutter door and military composit armor to get in their way 😛

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