How far away can zombies hear the survivor?

[jdifran]

If I build a base atop a tall ruined POI (or build myself a really high tower), or if I were to dig down deep for an underground base, is there a limit to how far away the zombies can hear you? Does it depend on what you're doing?

 

My hope is to be able to stay in stealth mode during the night time and only cook or craft (no gunshots or mining activity).

 

I'm only talking about regular nights. I plan to fight horde nights away from my main base so as to not risk a huge collapse.

[PoppaTot]

If I build a base atop a tall ruined POI (or build myself a really high tower), or if I were to dig down deep for an underground base, is there a limit to how far away the zombies can hear you? Does it depend on what you're doing?

 

My hope is to be able to stay in stealth mode during the night time and only cook or craft (no gunshots or mining activity).

 

I'm only talking about regular nights. I plan to fight horde nights away from my main base so as to not risk a huge collapse.

 

 

Seems to me (have no proof) through experience in A17 that no matter where you are or what you are doing you will randomly have zeds spawned specifically to kill you. I have had it happen many times. Literally, completely boarded up cabin, about 02:00(ish) no torches, no lights, campfire off, no forges, nothing.... sitting in my menu looking at perks while crouched, BAM feral horde destroying the cabin?...

[Scyris]

They can hear you from pretty silly distances. I watched a zombie 100 meters or so outside of the 2nd floor of the poi I was in, suddedly look at me after I stepped on something while crouched, run in and beeline it right in front of me. I think you have to go from like say -3 to bedrock for them not to be able to detect you. Its some silly insanely high distance. I also do the same thing underground base I fall into to get into (haybales on the bottom means 0 fall damage no matter how far you fall), with a hatchevator to get out of the base in another hole.

 

Rememeber though: Barbed wire fences are king for base defense, they do like no dmg but the slow and pain animation it forces them into means they can't swing at things much and they are very easy targets, they also last forever unless a zombie directly attacks it.

[Scyris]

Seems to me (have no proof) through experience in A17 that no matter where you are or what you are doing you will randomly have zeds spawned specifically to kill you. I have had it happen many times. Literally, completely boarded up cabin, about 02:00(ish) no torches, no lights, campfire off, no forges, nothing.... sitting in my menu looking at perks while crouched, BAM feral horde destroying the cabin?...

 

I've noticed this too, like a zombie will randomly somehow know exactly where I am, it can be one already spawned its like a heat seeking missle switch gets flipped in the AI and then it beelines it to the player. Doesn't matter what I am doing at the time, one always finds me. Its happened often enough in a17e, from when i was able to play it in b197, for me to think its intentional, for random zombies to just be able to gps to the player at random times. Now if I park in a poi room for a night, I put a few barbed wire fences outside the door this way I at least get a few seconds early warning of a random zombie seeker missle coming at me.

[Randomdude]

Seems to me (have no proof) through experience in A17 that no matter where you are or what you are doing you will randomly have zeds spawned specifically to kill you.

 

This happened to me too. No sound, pitch black while checking my skill points (day 5-6ish dont remember), some random zombie starts hitting the wall of the roof im sneaking on. I don't think it was possible for him to see me, so I kinda figured it spawned just for me.

 

Just like you, I have no proof or do I know the AI enough to say this is the way it works, but it kinda felt cheesy and weird.

 

I'm a believer that just like in a good horror movie, silence once in a while, is as scary as an "event" every single second. Lets your mind play tricks on you.

[Monkworks]

currently Have a mine some 30 blocks down. I get a "3" when hiding and never hear any zombies anymore

ON horde night they dug a massive hole allway way down and killed me.. so make sure you go to your "Not Base" when it's fright night

[Krougal]

I think in 197 stealth was really messed up, it seemed 199 (or whatever was before 208) to be mostly fixed (they still consider stealth to have known issues iirc). First A17 game, first night - cowering in the middle of a cabin, crouched, not moving, not doing anything and I had zeds come barging in. This was pretty much repeatedly until that thankfully quickly released 2nd build.

[InSanity]

I seem to have had much the same experiences as you guys but in 208 it seems as though the Zs don't detect me from quite as far away which is nice, although after getting killed by ferals on day 2 in a barn I spawned only to be immediately chased down by a pack of 4 wolves.

[asmosnuts]

Its a cheat mechanism. Half a dozen times now Ive been in cleared poi at night and watched zs port in, couple of times right in front of me. Thought we were done with that 'dire wolf hordes zeroing in on you is no fun either. Made zs TOO intelligent in pathing directly to you, some sort of randomised behaviour would be better than arrow straight "thinking" zs.