I calculated the number of zombies that would exist in real-life in Knox Country

[Viper]

If you want true realism, you want 0.3375 for a population multiplier with 1.0 starting multiplier. That will give you a total number of zombies corresponding to the actually-existing real-life populations of Muldraugh and West Point and the rest of the partially-fictional map.

The other settings are up to you. Personally, i play with a flat curve (1.0 for peak multiplier also) with a maxed-out Respawn Unseen Hours (8760 hours)

Also don't be a wimp, play with random zombie speed, strength, and toughness, with Eagle Eye and Pinpoint sight and hearing, and Long memory. I suggest Navigate for navigation.

Other realistic settings you might be interested in:

Compost Time 8 weeks (can be matched by 2688 hours for removal of corpses and 112 days for rotten food removal, for consistency).
Farming Speed very slow
Plant resilience very high
Farming abundance Poor
Nature abundance Poor
Always play with Slow Healer to try to get closer to realistic healing time, still too short though. Injury Severity High will also help with that.

happy realistic zombie apocalypse gaming folks.

[Greb]

Realism? I had no idea Project Zomboid was an AAA game

Thanks for taking the time to brainstorm and then share these numbers by the way, I'll give them a whirl in my next game. I usually ignore most of the settings except Zomboie and Loot ones actually, might be a good time to branch out a little, shake things up.

Cheers!

[=JpS=Red5]

A friend and I were talking about this sort of stuff the other day. I appreciate the suggestions for realistic settings.

[Kaldrak]

I'm with you on most of that, but you should also randomize sight and hearing when it becomes available. I say it's more realistic to assume rotting corpses are going to have their senses impaired, as well as their memory and navigation abilities being fairly basic.

[Viper]

yea i'm looking forward to that patch that randomizes more zombie settings, that's gonna be big

[Snake Bit]

I thought the time frame the game takes place in is the 90's?

[Animalman]

Good suggestions

I like the idea of long zombie memory as once you are set up in a strong hold you can really test the defences or have a nice shooting session from an upstairs window. The short default memory although vicious at close range once you are winning they become a little too easy.
Sounds like you could do a good dawn of the dead situation.

[Viper]

Originally posted by Government-Cheese:

I thought the time frame the game takes place in is the 90's?

it does, i used a comparison between muldraugh 1990 and 2000 census to figure out likely muldraugh population in summer 1993

[Cash the Crow]

Wouldn't it be a fair bit less than the population given deaths and evacs?

[Viper]

had to use Muldraugh specifically because real life West Point isn't nearly as big as ingame West Point and real life March Ridge is only a neighborhood of the Fort Knox base, not a real town, and so it doesn't have an independent census number

[Viper]

Originally posted by Cash the Crow:

Wouldn't it be a fair bit less than the population given deaths and evacs?

i suppose it would

[dr_magnanimus]

Are you playing in real-time? That might help make these settings more accurate if you haven't done that already.

[Viper]

i tried to play in real time but the problem is that many actions should take longer than they do ingame. If I play in real time, i can kill thousands of zombies and loot 100 houses on the first day. lmao. Instead i play lately with 8 hour days, though 6 hour days would probably be more realistic as per what an actual human could accomplish in a day

[Atalan]

If going for realism, a lot of zombies would have been killed by NPCs as well, especially the police and military.

[Another Mother's Son]

Originally posted by Viper:

If you want true realism, you want 0.3375 for a population multiplier with 1.0 starting multiplier. That will give you a total number of zombies corresponding to the actually-existing real-life populations of Muldraugh and West Point and the rest of the partially-fictional map.

Based on 1993 population reports?

[Viper]

1990 and 2000 reports, yes. estimated between those two for 1993.