Underground Horde Arenas

[Khulkhuum]

Hi All!

 

Back to the game after some time, where i only had little time to play so i focused on other games or didn't have time at all. Having some more free time, i got back to 7DTD and to my old A18 save, but came up with a new, brilliant idead. Wondering if anyone of you had used it.

 

THE IDEA:

 

Quite some time ago i deducted that the most efficient way of killing Zombies is to line them up and shoot them in the head. As they are mostly the same height and also move their heads in a similar fashion, it's pretty straightforward to make a kill corridor of 1 block width and kite enemies through it to mow them down with a fast and precise shooting weapon. Done that in various setups, especially with an elevated walkway, but that idea has 2 huge disadvantages:

1. Both types of vultures, but also the more dextrous jumping Zs are able to get up to your position in no time.

2. Cops tend to vomit at your location, forcing you to use cover, especially from various directions they come.

 

THE SOLUTION: UNDERGROUND HALLWAY

 

The idea is pretty clear. Have a ramped way underground into a straight hallway, at which i will be standing and shooting every zombie that comes down to me. In order for this to work, i had to make a few design decisions:

1. The hallway had to be surrounded with tough material, bricks or concrete for the zombies to not dig through the ground and into it from halfway in or something, surprising me from the back.

2. It needs to be 3 blocks high, not only to have some room for Zs running through the bodies, other still alive Zs, but also Barbed Wire fence that aims to slow them down. This will allow shooting them as they are slowed down.

3. I had to dig down to rock layer, in order to have a tougher area around the hallway, but also more layers above it.

4. In order to guarantee my safety (as much as being somewhat deep underground) i created a ladder up to the surface, surrounded with 2 layers of concrete all around, up to 3 blocks above ground level and with a hatch. This makes it tough for Zs to get from the back - they have to at least destroy 2 concrete blocks to access the ladder or jump onto the 3 block high concrete "box" and destroy the hatch. Thinking of making it 3 block thick.

 

THE RESULT:

 

I started with just a couple Barbed Wire Fence placed at the entrance and a 25 block long hallway. As it's my AGI build, my weapons of choice were a T3 pistol filled with AP ammo, a T5 pistol with HP ammo and T3 M40 for support (surplus of ammo which i wanted to use). Additionally, some molotovs, contact grenades and my trusty machete. Enemies went down steadily, although i backed a couple times until i managed how to switch weapons and reload properly. In the end, i was close to my other exit, but killed every Z until 4 AM.

 

The vultures didn't bother me (afterwards there was 1 circling above), the pukers had a hard time shoot at me through the corridor and the spiders were the biggest buggers (radiated too), although they went down fast. Not many rads came as it's not even past day 50 here, but they did manage to destroy a couple concrete blocks on "the hatch box" although not directly towards the ladder. I could say it was a dashing success, although it required a lot of ammo and quite some time for preparation.

 

I will also enhance this corridor (or make a new one) making room for blade traps, turrets and other attractions.

 

Has any of you experimented with any underground arenas? Any experience with tougher hordes? Feel free to use my design also

[Boidster]

No demos either? Demos might widen the corridor a bit... :-)

[Khulkhuum]

Demos could also level the elevated walkway or "open up" the kill corridor on ground level. It all depends how are you prepared :-P

[RipClaw]

I have played around a bit with such underground passages in Alpha 17. But then Alpha 17.2 came and due to the AI change the zombies started to dig down instead of following the given path.

 

If you keep the path below 20m it should still work but otherwise I would recommend a elevated base.

[Khulkhuum]

With my current "technology level" and GameStage i'm confident on having it as is. The first horde i fought with this proved ok, gonna check next ones, especially with demos. Perhaps when i'll get obliterated i'll think about enhancing it.

 

At the moment i'm building a second "tunnel" as the first will stay as is. It's gonna have more room for blade traps, dart traps and any other contraptions i decide upon, placed on the sides of the tunnel.

[Boidster]

There's a vid out there of an underground horde base. Ramp from surface down a few blocks, with a 10m or so conga line path with blade traps (top and bottom) on either side. Dart traps at the far end, shooting the zombies' butts as they came down into the base. Player could turn off the bottom blades when demos showed up to avoid setting them off. He tested it against 8- and 16-zombie hordes IIRC. Was pretty neat.

 

I wish I could remember the guy's name. I don't watch many YT vids so I'm not up on who the popular influencers are. I'll see if I can go find it again.

 

ETA: Found it. Guy's name is Vedui.

[theFlu]

I have a similar thingy in my diggity game, day was about 98 when I last played it (18.2). A little more evolved over time though:

 

Straight tunnel (around 13 wide)

 

From the entrance to the back, in the center, a single killing corridor. Ends to a steel wall made to melee through. Half block bottom, pole on the second layer should something break the bottom and a block on top.

 

Floor in front of the wall is just normal concrete plates. Not attached to the killing path, the plates are only attached to the wall so that when a demo destroys the floor next to the wall, a controlled section collapses and isolates the damaged wall.

 

Below, another similar structure, just doubled to the sides, each side having their own setup: a lil of a ramp and a straight corridor to the wall.

 

And repeat for two more stories.

 

The upper floors are great for penetrator kills, the lowers start to be a little too short for good conga lines.

 

Some electric fences and couple SMG turrets shooting them in the back - especially handy for the frogs that you can't properly hit from that setup.. pipe bombs do the trick too of course, just needs a plenty for the greenies.

 

Last line of defense allows shooting up along a long ramp thru iron bars, with an escape tunnel the zeds refuse to path along. That I haven't finished or tested yet... shall see if I get around to continuing with it ..

[NukemDed]

tunnel direct into the side of a big hill - the steeper the better - best is a cliff.

you will hit rock soon enough. concrete tunnel straight for about 15 blocks. or 10 whatever, a good kill corridor length. terminate in vault door. tunnel extends on another 15 blocks, terminating in another vault door. repeat however much you want.

just before each door on one side a side corridor with bar filled window 1 block high accessed from inside the door.

when they come, stand at vault door with it open and shoot down kill corridor. when it gets dodgy, close the door and go to the side corridor shoot thru the bars side on to the conga line. strafe away until door nearly gone or they may bust thru bars.

run down corridor to next door. repeat.

never had to use door #3. often if there is a lull in numbers (or you crack out the rocket launcher ha ha) you can claim back a section. if you start knocking them back from the side enough you can open the door and keep advancing.

ah fun times

[Khulkhuum]

Interesting ideas, i will be testing out some more concepts i came up with. There are many ways to do it and i surely need to pimp up my corridor