Erosion - Vegetation changes

[PaleHorse]

So something that has bugged me, and probably everyone else that has lived in the country off the beaten path, is that when erosion really sets in and plants start to take over it really hinders you simply due to time constraints of maintaining your patch of land. I've seen some people building wood floors on their paths to fight erosion... this is not the way it needs to be.

My first issue, while not a big issue, could change immersion to a degree. I've lived in the country for awhile in the past and anyone who walks or drives a particular trail long enough knows that the vegetation is pretty much null and void on that path. If a change could take place where frequently driven over land would negate erosion growth in that area for a set time and even destroy grass and bushes after frequent and repetitive travel would be a great addition.

This leads me to the next thing, THE TREES. I'm sorry, but not sorry at all. Currently the tree saplings are the most frustrating part of this idea of living outside of a city. They are numerous, and grow almost constantly - I would cut my area back of these saplings and some bushes only for new saplings to grow up overnight. Trees don't work like this (duh), they should not slow you down in a vehicle nearly as much as they do. Currently they bring you to an almost grinding halt. The frequency of these sapling trees growing should be drastically turned down if nothing else.

On top of my suggested changes, a lawnmower vehicle would be a great addition. Louder, slower, and tougher on gas than a truck, it could help you maintain your plot much easier while also possibly attracting a few zombies that lurk in the woods. And hey, who is to say that I won't want to drive down the main strip of a city in overalls slamming a beer and smoking ciggs on my trusty lawnmower while I blast a horde with my shotgun following behind me almost keeping up with the machine?

Side note: I've looked into coding Lua to make part of this idea come to life myself and coding is just not for me. I would do it myself otherwise.

[Playbahnosh]

You can decrease the erosion speed, that would slow down tree growth. Default erosion is way too fast in my opinion as well, there is no way forests grow, walls crack and vines envelop a house in a couple of months. Years maybe. Slowing erosion to 1/10th of it's default would be closer to realistic.

[PaleHorse]

Originally posted by Playbahnosh:

You can decrease the erosion speed, that would slow down tree growth. Default erosion is way too fast in my opinion as well, there is no way forests grow, walls crack and vines envelop a house in a couple of months. Years maybe. Slowing erosion to 1/10th of it's default would be closer to realistic.

Yea, I get that. I have slowed down erosion in my game settings, but grass and bushes should not be lumped in with tree saplings I feel like - grass grows very fast during all seasons but winter and bushes aren't that far behind them, vines have somewhat of a middle ground but can be just as fast as grass if not faster in certain scenarios. If you're not familiar with the plant Kudzu I would suggest looking it up, it grows fast and is very widespread. The cracks in the walls of buildings are their own issue but I agree it should be slowed down substantially on the normal setting.

I haven't made it to winter on my play through yet, does plant growth from erosion slow down during winter?

[Playbahnosh]

Originally posted by PaleHorse:

I haven't made it to winter on my play through yet, does plant growth from erosion slow down during winter?

IIRC all plant growth slows down during winter, definitely farm crops, I'm not entirely sure about erosion but I would think so.

[quothz]

The erosion system has its issues but I like the rate generally - it pairs really nicely with zombie decay. As they get easier to kill, the nice, open yards and fields become full of questionable blind spots and the suburbs have a claustrophobic feel. Of course people should set their own settings but I wouldn't change one without the other.

I, too, wish there were an easier way to upkeep yards. It's only a little unrealistic - I myself have to go around weekly in warm months with a shovel and knife to keep ash and hackberries from taking over - but it's sure tedious for minimal, if any, in-game benefit.

Perhaps we'll be able to designate an NPC for yard maintenance some day. Lawnmowers would be nice, but still a bit of a chore, especially if the devs make gasoline more scarce one day. I think they'd be fun to have around regardless, so I'm all for it - especially if that means some day I can use a lawnmower to dispatch a crawler.

[PaleHorse]

Originally posted by quothz:

The erosion system has its issues but I like the rate generally - it pairs really nicely with zombie decay. As they get easier to kill, the nice, open yards and fields become full of questionable blind spots and the suburbs have a claustrophobic feel.

I really agree with you there, it adds the ambiance where it's needed and gives you the feeling that everything that was normal is slowly slipping away due to being unkempt by the general population. My sole issue is honestly the frequency the tree saplings are set to spawn at a normal rate of erosion. If this was addressed my issues with erosion would be next to nothing and only be smaller gripes such as what I mentioned about frequently used paths and adding in a riding/push gas lawnmower. And I mean thinking about it, you could add in one of the push ones that are purely mechanical energy with no fuel involved as well. The mower is just more of a fun thought than an actual concern over sapling spawning.

I do like the fact that generally if I want to off-road after a few months there will be some scouting out and chopping down of the area which becomes more and more difficult as time goes on due to areas being grown up, that aspect is great. Again my gripe is the frequency of the sapling spawns in a mostly empty field that has just been purged of its relatives.