Scripted hoards in POIs

[Jack_Z]

I'm absolutely sure this has been addressed at least once, but as a single-player, I can't stand the scripted hoards in the level 5 and 6 POIs. I just avoid them, now. Scripting these triggers is just lazy and destroys the fun of using stealth to clear a POI for a mission. Is this the general consensus? Do the devs plan on changing this somehow?

[YourMirror]

1 hour ago, Jack_Z said:

Do the devs plan on changing this somehow?

 

No

[Kalen]

Yeah, this topic has been beat to death a number of times.   If I recall, TFP's official stance was:  Yes, stealth may need a bit of a bump.... but no, POIs aren't meant to be 100% stealth-able.

[warmer]

Every POI can be beaten without triggering zed. You can easily dig down and then through a wall or climb to the top. It's not nearly as fun, but I have beaten a ton of POI this way. If you don't like the scripted encounters, finish the POI without using the intended path. If you don't cross the trigger threshold, then it doesn't get triggered.

[theFlu]

51 minutes ago, warmer said:

Every POI can be beaten without triggering zed.

True, as long as you're not on a clear quest.

[BFT2020]

55 minutes ago, theFlu said:

True, as long as you're not on a clear quest.

 

Even if you trigger them, you can still disengage, break line of sight, and leave them confused when you come back and get sneak damage against them.

[Ramethzer0]

7 hours ago, Jack_Z said:

I'm absolutely sure this has been addressed at least once, but as a single-player, I can't stand the scripted hoards in the level 5 and 6 POIs. I just avoid them, now. Scripting these triggers is just lazy and destroys the fun of using stealth to clear a POI for a mission. Is this the general consensus? Do the devs plan on changing this somehow?

 

The general consensus is that you're not meant to rely too much upon any particular play style, and this includes stealth.   The downside of scripting triggers is that yeah, it makes the quest more difficult.  The upside is that once you understand what the triggers are, you can use that to your advantage.

 

But, fear not! - In addition to the advice above, i've got tips of my own.   The most number one overlooked aspect of this game is construction.  People only seem to remember this exists when they are constructing/converting a base, but they don't think often about this during POI's.   Mines, wooden spike traps, upgraded blocks, crafted doors, and making your own exits that the zeds can't use all help.    Use the terrain to your advantage, and once you bust up the offending meat grinder, go back to stealth.  This is where builds like INT shine because they are the kings of area denial.

 

But shhhhhh, don't tell Scyris or well have another salty 20 page thread about how stealth is broken.

Edited October 23 by Ramethzer0 (see edit history)

[theFlu]

1 hour ago, BFT2020 said:

Even if you trigger them, you can still disengage, break line of sight, and leave them confused when you come back and get sneak damage against them.

Why, yes, but I want to see warmer clear a quest without triggering the need-to-be-cleared zeds..?

[RipClaw]

My biggest gripe with these POI hordes is that they don't exist until you activate the trigger point. For example, you walk across the roof of the big prison with the helipad and there are no zombies. But when you go through a certain door, suddenly there are zombies everywhere. So if you don't go the right way, you might miss a trigger. For a clear quest, this is sometimes quite annoying.

 

[avalonnn]

17 hours ago, Ramethzer0 said:

This is where builds like INT shine because they are the kings of area denial.

 

 

You are referring to carrying a turret with you in addition to traps? I've seen some videos where carrying a turret with the correct perks can be v. powerful. 

[Whorhay]

There are defined volumes in every POI and those volumes have specific numbers of zombies and spawn points for them. When you enter that volume the game triggers the spawning of zombies. Some volumes also automatically wake up the zombies and perform a stealth check to see if they will automajically know where you are.Through experience you can start to suss out where the boundaries of these volumes are and use that to your advantage. The advantages of the volume based spawning is that the game doesn't have to spawn and keep track of the AI for dozens or hundreds of zombies that might otherwise be near you in a POI or City. This also means you can frequently wrench stuff to your hearts content and not worry about waking up zombies that are on another floor or something so long as you haven't triggered their volume.

[Ramethzer0]

7 hours ago, avalonnn said:

You are referring to carrying a turret with you in addition to traps? I've seen some videos where carrying a turret with the correct perks can be v. powerful. 

Between turrets, traps, and stun batons - yes.

[Old Crow]

8 hours ago, avalonnn said:

You are referring to carrying a turret with you in addition to traps? I've seen some videos where carrying a turret with the correct perks can be v. powerful. 

 

Very powerful, or at the very least very helpful. Max out Robotics Expert, Physician, and Electrocutioner, and you've got two turrets and a nice stun baton with a chance of instant kill.

[8_Hussars]

On 10/23/2023 at 9:45 AM, Jack_Z said:

I'm absolutely sure this has been addressed at least once, but as a single-player, I can't stand the scripted hoards in the level 5 and 6 POIs. I just avoid them, now. Scripting these triggers is just lazy and destroys the fun of using stealth to clear a POI for a mission. Is this the general consensus? Do the devs plan on changing this somehow?

This comment is often made among others.
 
There are not enough zombies,
There are too many zombies,
There are too many sleepers,
Triggers are "lazy",
Why do zombies hide there,
Dungeon POIs are dumb,
Stealth is broken (because, I cant 100% stealth a POI)

It is not obvious to me what solution is better than what currently exists, so please help me out.

How to do it better?

[meilodasreh]

On 10/23/2023 at 10:27 PM, warmer said:

You can easily dig down and then through a wall or climb to the top.

Yep, it's sometime cheese or being cheesed now.

You don't want to trigger them the way TFP want you to do it, because you don't like being ambushed and so suddenly being surrounded? Just dig yourself a new way.

But.

Problem with going though walls is that they often spawn right into your face when you enter are before-"uninhabited" room, because the trigger point was set elsewhere, so that it was intended to avoid you being able to see them spawn in.

So, not a particularly satisfying option anyway, I had situations where I got S.W.A.Tted worse trying said "cheese-shortcuts" than if I'd chosen the intended ambush.

 

[Vaeliorin]

1 hour ago, meilodasreh said:

Yep, it's sometime cheese or being cheesed now.

You don't want to trigger them the way TFP want you to do it, because you don't like being ambushed and so suddenly being surrounded? Just dig yourself a new way.

But.

Problem with going though walls is that they often spawn right into your face when you enter are before-"uninhabited" room, because the trigger point was set elsewhere, so that it was intended to avoid you being able to see them spawn in.

So, not a particularly satisfying option anyway, I had situations where I got S.W.A.Tted worse trying said "cheese-shortcuts" than if I'd chosen the intended ambush.

Heck, I had a time where I just jumped on top of a carport type thing (just poles holding up a roof) and as soon as I jumped down a bunch of soldiers spawned right on top of me.  I didn't even build up there, I jumped up there from on top of something (I had max parkour.)

[Ramethzer0]

19 hours ago, Old Crow said:

 

Very powerful, or at the very least very helpful. Max out Robotics Expert, Physician, and Electrocutioner, and you've got two turrets and a nice stun baton with a chance of instant kill.

 

Not only that, but in late game it gets ridiculously OP.   I did a video of a horde night where I am using 4 turrets working in sync.  When 2 run out of junk rounds, the other two pick right up.   You can also place junk turrets in locations apart from each other in case you have different kill zones.   Run from one set to the other when another section is threatened.   Some time ago in my MP group we will had two people that were hybridized into INT and ran 8 turrets.   We did this once before we all silently concluded it was just too much and turned horde nights into Tea Time while the sounds of active war were going on all around us.

 

INT builds are so OP that they had to nerf the hammer turrets already into joke boxes.   I do not have any illusions that junk turrets could be next on the chopping block.

 

Lemme also say that you can turn the entire tide of a battle by laying down a claim block, setting up two shotgun turrets outside of a POI just to run in and flush the horde out is incredibly satisfying when done outside of POI's like the Navezgane Prison Complex.   I felt like the gods noticed me that day.

Edited October 25 by Ramethzer0 (see edit history)

[Old Crow]

1 hour ago, Ramethzer0 said:

 

Lemme also say that you can turn the entire tide of a battle by laying down a claim block, setting up two shotgun turrets outside of a POI just to run in and flush the horde out is incredibly satisfying when done outside of POI's like the Navezgane Prison Complex.   I felt like the gods noticed me that day.

 

That is epic. You were truly shiny and chrome.

[Ramethzer0]

16 hours ago, Old Crow said:

 

That is epic. You were truly shiny and chrome.

 

Well, previous to that outcome that POI became the bane of my 7 Days existence.   I've failed it more than a few times and eventually one of my MP buddies said he finally managed to solo it.  He also said it required him to change builds.   After getting my butt kicked more times than I care to speak for, I had to declare war.

 

 

[Old Crow]

7 hours ago, Ramethzer0 said:

 

Well, previous to that outcome that POI became the bane of my 7 Days existence.   I've failed it more than a few times and eventually one of my MP buddies said he finally managed to solo it.  He also said it required him to change builds.   After getting my butt kicked more times than I care to speak for, I had to declare war.

 

 

 

And war came. XD That's one of those POIs I do with a couple of friends, just because it quickly turns into a crapshow.