Throwing Rocks

[Roland]

Does anyone REALLY throw rocks in the game for any reason? Is there an actual strategy involved with throwing rocks? Share your strategies and reasons for throwing rocks down below. 

 

I do frequently throw rocks and my number one reason is to distract zombies. My number two reason is to make them fight hostile animals.

 

But I have trolled my brother by throwing a rock into his mine at night while he was down there to make a few zombies jump in and surprise him. We've also played "Bocce" or at least we picked a landmark and competed to see who could land a rock closest to it from the roof of our base.

Edited October 8, 2021 by Roland (see edit history)

[Telric]

I've done playthroughs where I can't kill a single zombie. These rocks come in handy.

[BFT2020]

In a vanilla game, not really.  In modded games where I came across ferals on day 1, distraction

[unholyjoe]

i will use stones to distract the zombies if i want to go to a particular poi or to a vehicle for looting or whatever... i dont have to use it, just fun now and then to watch them get distracted and chase the pretty little stones. i also show towards the end of the video where one seen me and was heading for me and i was able to make her go rock hunting instead of wanting to kill me. zombies is so stupid

 

watch my antics with throwing rocks - https://youtu.be/wRF5wQi04QU

Edited October 8, 2021 by unholyjoe (see edit history)

[Viktoriusiii]

I tried it multiple times... but since I am a "pre-rock-trowing-guy" it confuses me more than the Z's.
Sometimes they charge straight at me... sometimes they don't move at all...

If there was a coherent strategy (like coins in AC) I'd use it for sneaking... but it doesn't seem to work... or I'm just too stupid to get it to work consistantly.

So no. I never use it. (and why would I? Z's are basicially XP-filled-canonfodder anyways. Might have used it in the early alphas where Z's were a real threat to you and your home :D)

[Maharin]

[Slaasher]

I am never in enough danger outside for me to have to create a distraction to disengage.

If i dont feel like fighting zombies, which is rare, I just go around them.

If i die outside it is almost always because i didn't see one of the animals that comes round the corner.

I dont think throwing rocks does much to distract them ...?

Edited October 9, 2021 by Slaasher (see edit history)

[Roland]

31 minutes ago, Slaasher said:

I am never in enough danger outside for me to have to create a distraction to disengage.

 

Its not usually about being in danger. I throw rocks at night when on the roof of my base when zombies are below me. They run out into the open to chase the rock and into my line of sight. I throw rocks to cause zombies to run into hostile animals because it is fun. Mostly I throw rocks at night to distract zombies and move them out of my path so I don't have to go around them and I can just keep sneaking along. I find it enjoyable to cause them to run in a direction of my choosing.

 

Throwing rocks does nothing to animals but you can distract animals by directing a zombie at them so the two of them fight. I once sent three zombies at a wolf and then attacked the wolf and it went down in one hit. That was cool.

[Gamida]

I have used it in the very early days of a game when on a rock at night and didn't feel like fighting. When  I saw a zombie heading slowly towards me I would just toss a coin stone to my zombie and guide him away. I also used that trick you mentioned. Sometimes on a building zombies would go under me where I couldn't get a shot and I could toss a stone to bring them out in the open...also I thought for sure I did it at least one time to a wolf...you sure it is not something that works on animals too?

[unholyjoe]

17 minutes ago, Gamida said:

also I thought for sure I did it at least one time to a wolf...you sure it is not something that works on animals too?

unless playing on a modded game/server the animal's AI task list doesnt have distraction allowed.

 

(this particular task was in one of the zombie's AI task list)   

<property name="AITask-4" value="ApproachDistraction"/>

this is the current a19 AI task list for the wolf.

    <property name="AITask-1" value="BreakBlock"/>
    <property name="AITask-2" value="Territorial"/>
    <property name="AITask-3" value="ApproachAndAttackTarget" data="class=EntityAnimalStag,30,EntityPlayer,30"/>
    <property name="AITask-4" value="ApproachSpot"/>
    <property name="AITask-5" value="Look"/>
    <property name="AITask-6" value="Wander"/>
    <property name="AITask-7" value=""/>
    <property name="AITarget-1" value="SetAsTargetIfHurt"/>
    <property name="AITarget-2" value="BlockingTargetTask"/>
    <property name="AITarget-3" value="SetNearestEntityAsTarget" data="class=EntityPlayer,29,24,EntityAnimalStag,0,0"/>
    <property name="AITarget-4" value=""/>

 

Edited October 9, 2021 by unholyjoe (see edit history)

[Fanatical_Meat]

As I have said, yes I have thrown rocks no I don’t throw them in game for any particular reason.

I do

like throwing a rock down a mine shaft idea, I will try it out.

I think throwing rocks to distract a zombie sounds good on paper but in reality it just isn’t fun.

[Gamida]

1 hour ago, unholyjoe said:

unless playing on a modded game/server the animal's AI task list doesnt have distraction allowed.

 

(this particular task was in one of the zombie's AI task list)   

<property name="AITask-4" value="ApproachDistraction"/>

this is the current a19 AI task list for the wolf.

    <property name="AITask-1" value="BreakBlock"/>
    <property name="AITask-2" value="Territorial"/>
    <property name="AITask-3" value="ApproachAndAttackTarget" data="class=EntityAnimalStag,30,EntityPlayer,30"/>
    <property name="AITask-4" value="ApproachSpot"/>
    <property name="AITask-5" value="Look"/>
    <property name="AITask-6" value="Wander"/>
    <property name="AITask-7" value=""/>
    <property name="AITarget-1" value="SetAsTargetIfHurt"/>
    <property name="AITarget-2" value="BlockingTargetTask"/>
    <property name="AITarget-3" value="SetNearestEntityAsTarget" data="class=EntityPlayer,29,24,EntityAnimalStag,0,0"/>
    <property name="AITarget-4" value=""/>

 

pretty sure it was a SP game. May have been modded. I will have to do a "test" lol

 

 

 

49 minutes ago, Fanatical_Meat said:

As I have said, yes I have thrown rocks no I don’t throw them in game for any particular reason.

I do

like throwing a rock down a mine shaft idea, I will try it out.

I think throwing rocks to distract a zombie sounds good on paper but in reality it just isn’t fun.

just think of it as playing fetch...we can't tame the animals so closest we will get

Edited October 9, 2021 by Gamida
separating the answers for readability (see edit history)

[unholyjoe]

47 minutes ago, Fanatical_Meat said:

As I have said, yes I have thrown rocks no I don’t throw them in game for any particular reason.

I do

like throwing a rock down a mine shaft idea, I will try it out.

I think throwing rocks to distract a zombie sounds good on paper but in reality it just isn’t fun.

no worse then for example... mahrins pic of skimming stones.... what does it do... nothing really but for some (me included) it is/was fun when i could do it... at 63 i would break my arm now trying it.

 

but its all about fun ... some like it and some dont.. nobody is forced to throw rocks. i think walking bare foot across hot coals is stupid too but there are people who can and are doing it.

[unholyjoe]

15 minutes ago, Gamida said:

pretty sure it was a SP game. May have been modded. I will have to do a "test" lol

good luck if you are going to try what i think you are going to do.. let us know/or me.... best not to hijack this thread tho.

[Gamida]

17 minutes ago, unholyjoe said:

good luck if you are going to try what i think you are going to do.. let us know/or me.... best not to hijack this thread tho.

I didn't think of it as a hijack as it is about throwing rocks. Was just going to confirm if it was modded game or not I used.

 

 

 

EDIT: Experiment done. Dire wolf, coyote, zombie dog didn't respond to thrown rocks. Must have been modded or I imagined it. Case closed...

Edited October 9, 2021 by Gamida (see edit history)

[unholyjoe]

np

 

[theFlu]

Throw stones, Ever? Yes. Mostly to watch them run around, I guess you can call that distract. There isn't any real reason to though.. The things that are a threat are already coming at you and the things that aren't.. usually aren't in the way.

 

Now, throw a stone, follow it up with a boom boom? Yeah... not that often is there a great opportunity for it, but .. it works ..

[Fanatical_Meat]

As I have said, yes I have thrown rocks no I don’t throw them in game for any particular reason.

I do

like throwing a rock down a mine shaft idea, I will try it out.

I think throwing rocks to distract a zombie sounds good on paper but in reality it just isn’t fun.

 

why did this post again???

 

I would love to know what the telemetry thing in A19 says about rock throwing & bike riding.

Both are great ideas that just don’t translate into something useful in game.

Edited October 9, 2021 by Fanatical_Meat (see edit history)

[Roland]

6 hours ago, Fanatical_Meat said:

I would love to know what the telemetry thing in A19 says about rock throwing & bike riding.

Both are great ideas that just don’t translate into something useful in game.

 

Say what?!? I love both being in the game and bicycle riding surely is useful as is rock throwing if not just simply fun. Are you just skipping over the bike and going straight to motorcycle or something? I'm usually on a bike for a couple of game weeks before I get other vehicles so it definitely comes in handy for faster travel. Plus who cares what the telemetry says? Why would they spend time removing the ability to throw rocks or the bicycle even if they aren't widely used features? They are already in and they work so leave them be and people can choose whether they want to use those features or not.

Edited October 10, 2021 by Roland (see edit history)

[NukemDed]

can you stone a chicken to death?

 

in game i mean

[Maharin]

5 hours ago, NukemDed said:

can you stone a chicken to death?

 

in game i mean

 

Sounds like a new challenge quest...

[Fanatical_Meat]

8 hours ago, Roland said:

 

Say what?!? I love both being in the game and bicycle riding surely is useful as is rock throwing if not just simply fun. Are you just skipping over the bike and going straight to motorcycle or something? I'm usually on a bike for a couple of game weeks before I get other vehicles so it definitely comes in handy for faster travel. Plus who cares what the telemetry says? Why would they spend time removing the ability to throw rocks or the bicycle even if they aren't widely used features? They are already in and they work so leave them be and people can choose whether they want to use those features or not.

Agreed it has more utility however that utility is brief. Seems like it is too close to being able to make mini bikes which are superior.

 

[canadianbluebeer]

I just kill everything.  Smipler that way.

 

 

[Maharin]

1 hour ago, Fanatical_Meat said:

Agreed it has more utility however that utility is brief. Seems like it is too close to being able to make mini bikes which are superior.

 

 

On this note, the ability to make bicycles should be available from the beginning without the need of books or perks.  It would be an early boon to getting around the world without unbalancing anything.

 

EDIT: And think about it... the wheels are hard to find and will be the limiting factor anyway.

Edited October 10, 2021 by Maharin (see edit history)

[Fanatical_Meat]

39 minutes ago, Maharin said:

 

On this note, the ability to make bicycles should be available from the beginning without the need of books or perks.  It would be an early boon to getting around the world without unbalancing anything.

 

EDIT: And think about it... the wheels are hard to find and will be the limiting factor anyway.

I would prefer bikes to he found. Like there are bikes on the sidewalk and use them.