Claim Blocks - what do they really do?

[GlassDeviant]

From what I understood, zombies aren't supposed to spawn within the range of the claim block, as shown in green when you "activate" it with the E key. Is this incorrect? Because sometimes, though rarely, I will get zombies spawning within this volume. They can be roaming groups or blood moon, but rarely individual zombies. And not just near the edges, for example there is a prison that I like to take over for a base. I dig a few blocks down into the dirt at the center of the courtyard so the claim volume is roughly centered, then bury it. Infrequently, though more than once, I have had spawns right on top of that location. In another case I cleared the boar/corn PoI with Grace, the giant, green boar and placed the claim block in the small cave just above the larger cave at the bottom of the PoI, where you find Grace.

 

[Axonius]

Interesting. I've never experienced this. I wonder if you are triggering a bug when you bury it?

[katarynna]

The landclaim block does not block bloodmoon hordes or wandering hordes. 

 

It blocks sleeper respawns and enables you to pick up workstations and electrical items that you place within it's range.

 

Bloodmoon hordes spawn iirc 30ish blocks from the location of the actual players. With a large poi like the prison, that makes it possible for them to spawn in your base especially if you are near the edge of it's boundary which makes the opposite edge a legitimate spawn point.

[Boidster]

10 hours ago, GlassDeviant said:

And not just near the edges, for example there is a prison that I like to take over for a base. I dig a few blocks down into the dirt at the center of the courtyard so the claim volume is roughly centered, then bury it. Infrequently, though more than once, I have had spawns right on top of that location. In another case I cleared the boar/corn PoI with Grace, the giant, green boar and placed the claim block in the small cave just above the larger cave at the bottom of the PoI, where you find Grace.

For what it's worth, there is also a known bug regarding LC blocks after the 1st, if your game allows multiple. POI sleepers will respawn inside the LC volume for LC blocks after the first. Breaking the LC blocks and re-setting them does change which one is "first", so at least you can move your main POI sleeper-suppression LC around if you want to. For example:

 

Place LC1 - active POI sleeper protection

Place LC2 - no POI sleeper protection

Break LC1 - LC2 now is "first" and has POI sleeper protection

Place LC3 - no POI sleeper protection

 

At least that is how it seemed to work for me in 18.4, when I last had to juggle LC blocks. If I get time I might test this out.

 

[Krougal]

The sleeping bag prevents spawns. It has a smaller range than the LCB though.

The LCB may or may not block sleeper spawns (I just stopped basing in POIs past first few days since they added quests), but it does not block regular spawns for sure.

[Kalen]

14 minutes ago, Krougal said:

The LCB may or may not block sleeper spawns

It does.... I had set up in POI before building my base and had a LCB set in the POI so I could move my workstations.   I never bothered to remove it.   I go back to the POI periodically to check and after 50 or so days, I've never seen a sleeper.

[Sjustus548]

We've found that the LCB will stop sleepers from spawning inside of the POI but it won't stop random zombies, like the ones you see in the streets or in the wilds, from spawning inside the area.  We constantly having zombies spawning inside of our walls even though we have a LCB and four sleeping bags set up in that area.  

[Krougal]

49 minutes ago, Sjustus548 said:

We've found that the LCB will stop sleepers from spawning inside of the POI but it won't stop random zombies, like the ones you see in the streets or in the wilds, from spawning inside the area.  We constantly having zombies spawning inside of our walls even though we have a LCB and four sleeping bags set up in that area.  

Try spreading the bags out so they cover more area. You can see the area the sleeping bag will cover when you go to place it. It is much smaller than the LCB area.

 

To OP nobody mentioned:

In MP they also make it more work for other people to raid your base.

[GlassDeviant]

It's usually the first LCB, the one you start with, unless I needed the space and just dropped it and let the little sack despawn. The one time I ever places more than one LCB I destroyed the old one as soon as I could. My SB and Campfire are usually right below (underground base/commandeered PoI) or above (surface base/commandeered PoI) the LCB or at most 15 blocks from it.

 

I guess I'll just continue "DWI"-ing or use smaller bases for now.

 

Thanks all

 

[SylenThunder]

11 hours ago, katarynna said:

The landclaim block does not block bloodmoon hordes or wandering hordes. 

 

It blocks sleeper respawns and enables you to pick up workstations and electrical items that you place within it's range.

 

Bloodmoon hordes spawn iirc 30ish blocks from the location of the actual players. With a large poi like the prison, that makes it possible for them to spawn in your base especially if you are near the edge of it's boundary which makes the opposite edge a legitimate spawn point.

To expand on this some.

 

The sleeping bag blocks biome spawns and sleeper spawns. The default area of coverage is 15x15x15.

The LCB only blocks sleeper spawns. 
Nothing blocks wandering hordes, screamers, screamer hordes, or bloodmoon hordes.

[golilak]

It's day 53 and I got a random bear spawn inside my land claim area. Is that a bug or does that really happen?

[SylenThunder]

Just now, golilak said:

It's day 53 and I got a random bear spawn inside my land claim area. Is that a bug or does that really happen?

A bear would be a biome spawn. LCB does not block biome spawns, so that would be perfectly normal.

[golilak]

1 minute ago, SylenThunder said:

A bear would be a biome spawn. LCB does not block biome spawns, so that would be perfectly normal.

thanks! 

[Krougal]

10 hours ago, SylenThunder said:

To expand on this some.

 

The sleeping bag blocks biome spawns and sleeper spawns. The default area of coverage is 15x15x15.

The LCB only blocks sleeper spawns. 
Nothing blocks wandering hordes, screamers, screamer hordes, or bloodmoon hordes.

I think bags block screamer spawns; otherwise the screamer would spawn right in your base.

[JCrook1028]

3 hours ago, Krougal said:

I think bags block screamer spawns; otherwise the screamer would spawn right in your base.

Screamers spawn a set distance away from the heat source that summoned them. Similar to how bloodmoon hordes work.

[Boidster]

20 hours ago, GlassDeviant said:

It's usually the first LCB, the one you start with, unless I needed the space and just dropped it and let the little sack despawn. The one time I ever places more than one LCB I destroyed the old one as soon as I could.

I should have been a bit more explicit that the multiple-LCB bug only applies if your game allows multiple active LCBs. In vanilla settings, when you place the 2nd LCB the first one automatically breaks/deactivates. In that situation, the one-and-only active LCB block carries full protection. You don't have to go destroy the old LCB in that case, but it's nice to keep the apocalypse neat and tidy!

 

We allow 3 LCBs on our server since we tend to take over POIs for bases and often multiple bases for different purposes. Only the "oldest" active LCB has the sleeper spawn protection is I guess a better way to put it.

[ElCabong]

The land claim block also lets you move your work bench and chemistry station

[GlassDeviant]

Hmm...I've never had a screamer spawn due to just a light source, it has always been due to noise, as far as I can tell. I'll have a campfire burning, a forge smelting, but neither producing anything, and even a lantern or two (the coleman style ones that produce light when placed) going without any screamer but as soon as I start placing or upgrading blocks, or producing items in any workstation, I start hearing screamer sounds (but never within the LCB area).

 

So...where do I alter the sleeping bag area? Cos zombies appearing out of nowhere inside my steel reinforced concrete walls is the most immersion breaking thing I've experienced in the entirety of the game, out of quite a few.

 

[Krougal]

27 minutes ago, GlassDeviant said:

Hmm...I've never had a screamer spawn due to just a light source, it has always been due to noise, as far as I can tell. I'll have a campfire burning, a forge smelting, but neither producing anything, and even a lantern or two (the coleman style ones that produce light when placed) going without any screamer but as soon as I start placing or upgrading blocks, or producing items in any workstation, I start hearing screamer sounds (but never within the LCB area).

 

So...where do I alter the sleeping bag area? Cos zombies appearing out of nowhere inside my steel reinforced concrete walls is the most immersion breaking thing I've experienced in the entirety of the game, out of quite a few.

 

A lot of torches used to do it, or even candles during certain builds. But it is because of heat not light. Most anything about light and spawns is based off of  misconceptions born out of the similarities to Minecraft. Light may make it easier for zeds to spot you but it otherwise doesn't attract them.

 

Chemistry station is great for raising the heat, although enough forges/fires/cement mixers going will spawn lots of screamers too. Yes, construction noise too...sneak if you are not looking to draw attention. Same for chopping trees and mining. The workstation produces some noise but should be very little compared to the above.

 

You'd have to mod the sleeping bag range. I'm too lazy to look for where, last I remember it was non-trivial or not even accessible, but that may have been changed. If you place blocks for floor they won't spawn. It's only on terrain.

[hiemfire]

17 minutes ago, Krougal said:

You'd have to mod the sleeping bag range. I'm too lazy to look for where, last I remember it was non-trivial or not even accessible, but that may have been changed.

For single player there is an option in the Advanced tab for the save iirc.

[Krougal]

9 hours ago, hiemfire said:

For single player there is an option in the Advanced tab for the save iirc.

There isn't. Deadzone IIRC is the minimum distance between them, so by default someone not on your team can't place a bag within 15 blocks of yours.

The LCB has both settings accessible but the bag doesn't.

[Boidster]

On 10/12/2020 at 11:47 PM, Krougal said:

Chemistry station is great for raising the heat, although enough forges/fires/cement mixers going will spawn lots of screamers too. Yes, construction noise too...sneak if you are not looking to draw attention. Same for chopping trees and mining. The workstation produces some noise but should be very little compared to the above.

You can press F8 twice (edit: in debug mode) to see chunk heat and what adds to it. I did some testing, but nothing very rigorous.

 

Forge when "On" (regardless of whether it is smelting anything) = +6% heat, steady

Torch = +heat gradually over time

Upgrading wood frame through cobble to wet concrete = +0% heat (did not expect this result)

Destroying wet concrete using steel pick = +0.5%

Destroying wood frame using claw hammer = +1.2% heat

Firing pistol = +0.4%

Firing M60 = +0.65%

 

Above 50% the heat meter turns yellow, meaning maybe that's when the chances of screamer spawns start? Above 80% it turns red. At 100% a screamer will almost always spawn. Possibly it's always always and I just missed one during my testing somehow.

 

Also, heat seems to linger for a long time. Over an hour and a half of game time passed after I turned off forges and removed torches and the heat % did not budge. Also also, surrounding chunks appear to get the same heat value as the chunk containing the forges/torches. Needs more testing.

 

Want a screamer? 14 running forges ought to guarantee it. Or shoot a couple of magazines of M60 - I got a lot of screamers when testing how far sound travels.

[hiemfire]

6 hours ago, Boidster said:

You can press F8 twice to see chunk heat and what adds to it. I did some testing, but nothing very rigorous.

 

Forge when "On" (regardless of whether it is smelting anything) = +6% heat, steady

Torch = +heat gradually over time

Upgrading wood frame through cobble to wet concrete = +0% heat (did not expect this result)

Destroying wet concrete using steel pick = +0.5%

Destroying wood frame using claw hammer = +1.2% heat

Firing pistol = +0.4%

Firing M60 = +0.65%

 

Above 50% the heat meter turns yellow, meaning maybe that's when the chances of screamer spawns start? Above 80% it turns red. At 100% a screamer will almost always spawn. Possibly it's always always and I just missed one during my testing somehow.

 

Also, heat seems to linger for a long time. Over an hour and a half of game time passed after I turned off forges and removed torches and the heat % did not budge. Also also, surrounding chunks appear to get the same heat value as the chunk containing the forges/torches. Needs more testing.

 

Want a screamer? 14 running forges ought to guarantee it. Or shoot a couple of magazines of M60 - I got a lot of screamers when testing how far sound travels.

Need to be in debug mode, otherwise tapping that twice just turns on then off the fps display.

[Solomon]

The only thing what works to get them dead stop spawning on your land is to fill your land with player crafted blocks. No matter the situation, they cant spawn on a block what a player places so even filling the entire place with basic wood blocks stops the spawns.

[Liesel Weppen]

1 hour ago, Solomon said:

The only thing what works to get them dead stop spawning on your land is to fill your land with player crafted blocks. No matter the situation, they cant spawn on a block what a player places so even filling the entire place with basic wood blocks stops the spawns.

The game doesn't track if a block is player placed or not. Afaik they only spawn on "natural" blocks. I don't know what kinds of blocks count as natural. Obviously dirt does, asphalt maybe as from what i saw zombies also spawn on streets. Wooden blocks or concrete seem not to.

 

The default protection area of a LCB is too small to cover the whole prison poi. We lived in a prison last time and extended the protection size of LCB for this reason. We haven't had any sleeper spawns since. Also no wandering hordes or screamers spawned in the yard. But on bloodmoon some single zombies spawn regularily inside the yard.