Reached a point (again) where I'm fed up with the game.

[Michlo]

Thank you very much for all of the generous responses. I have some reading (and thinking) to do.

 

Cheers.

[Menace312]

More advice, in case you need it:

 

I usually take over a POI as a temporary base when I first start out. I use it for as long as I'm building my base from scratch. When done, I move.

 

This has several advantages.

1. You have a semi safe place until your base is done.

2. Building from scratch is more fun in the long run.

3. Good practice, for late game. Because then you'll often drive very far from your base to loot a town. And then you know how to build a little home away from home

[Ray Garraty]

their slightest touch on steel spikes is enough to degrade them

There were no steel spikes at all before A15 patch. But we managed to survive the horde nights somehow...

Use fall damage, blade traps, turrets and pipe grenades to your advantage.

[art1336]

I think everything was pretty much covered by everyone else, but since I have nothing to do right now that I want to do I'll take a crack.

 

So, my questions are: will the integrity of higher tier materials ever be addressed?

This might be something wrong with your game files. Some mods strengthen or weaken blocks. Wood is akin to paper for zeds, but I regularly use steel spikes and they can normally survive a 7 day horde, the little wandering hordes don't bother them. Are you sure you meant steel spikes and not scrap iron spikes? Those things are weak. Also, by your eighth week you should have concrete going.

Will we be given a point to aim for where we can finally relax a little?

Dig underground my friend. I know not everyone likes to, but if you keep your forges, concrete mixers, etc. at bedrock, away from your base (as you don't want to build right under your aboveground building and drag zeds there) and that will keep the buggers from going your direction.

Is this a bug with the sleepers? It seems to happen if I close the two main doors (I don't always).

Yes, plenty of problems with sleepers. I was teaching my nephew to play a few days ago, we took over a gas station, I drop a bedroll, and they are still spawning inside. Just an annoyance we have to get used to.

Is endless hordes after a certain day a known mechanic? I only have two forges, one in the attic and one in my mine area at bedrock so surely that isn't enough to draw them.

Two forges is okay I suppose. I think it's Cap00 on youtube that has a video showing how much "heat" different actions put on the heat map.

[Michlo]

Some responses.

 

I can survive the Hordes, that isn't the issue. It is the tedium of repairs. I thought that was clear.

 

I do now also have an underground base in the making. The main shaft IS directly beneath my farmhouse, though (accessible from within the house and including a drop for over eager zombies), all the way down to the bedrock and I've started an emergency bunker down there too. I usually mine at night whilst the zeds are busy upstairs. The main mining is away from the house, however.

 

I've not used any mods as yet. I did, however, make some XML changes, as suggested. Whilst researching zombie damage I came across the changes to stack sizes and implemented some of those. I mention that because I know, with certainty, that those changes took (and are wonderful!) but the zombies damage to blocks seems the same as before. I don't understand how as I took all of the various hand damages down to between 1 and 10. Some of them were as high as 250 so I should think there would be a noticeable difference. Do I need to edit more than the items.xml with this latest build?

 

Cheers.

[lug]

Michlo, your question may find answer more quickly posted in the mods section, though many of the modders do help out throughout the forums...

[Michlo]

Thanks, I'll try there.

 

Here are some screenshots of my farmhouse base so far, BTW.

 

I've not yet taken any of the bunker and mine as it is a long way from finished.

 

http://steamcommunity.com/id/Michlo/screenshots/

 

Cheers.

[Sjustus548]

First off, if you leave your base to go do something like you want to the zombies won't keep attacking your base for no reason. The only thing that is making them constantly attack your base is that you are there constantly doing stuff to increase the heat level of the area. Go off and do stuff. Your base will be perfectly fine.

 

I find the only time I have problems with Screamers spawning in my base is when my walls are too big. The Screamers spawn within a certain distance from a heat source and start walking that direction. If your base area is big enough or the heat source is far enough from your base there is a chance that they can spawn inside. I completely agree that this is annoying and wish there would be some way to stop it from happening. It's more than just forges that can draw them. Depending on your torches, fires, and many objects, as well as stuff you are doing in the area, that will cause Screamers to spawn. I find the worst culprit to be torches.

 

With regards to the steel spikes, don't worry about repairing them so often. There isn't any reason to keep them at full durability. Just let them degrade and make sure they are fully repaired before the blood moon.