helicopter event

[SpringLeaf]

havent found a topic on this. So what is it exactly? I know the noise is crazy to summon zombies but does this mean there is a spot I can get to to be resqued? I know nothing of the map. but I walked til there was no more road and found an empty sand area very wide north of the first map. Would that be the resque point or is there no such thing?

[TankGoodness]

no such thing
When you hear the helicopter coming run like hell and don't look back.

[Scrotum Scratcher]

a helicopter flies over your position and attracts a bunch of zombies

[SpringLeaf]

thank you very much guys : )

sounds like the event is more of a prank then anything xD

[TankGoodness]

I meant no such thing as being rescued by the Helicopter. I was told it is a news helicopter. I'd like to see some ariel footage of my sweet base I built or me driving like a madman away from my base on the 6 o'clock Kentucky NEWS.

[CMDR Sweeper]

I really wish we could get a Stinger MANPAD and take care of that helicopter when it shows up.

[Quill]

Originally posted by Beltneck:

helicopters are a myth made up by big media, all these people vouching for its existence are paid actors.

It's all a Deep State Conspiracy

[Shady Allie]

I have (not) been paid to say this:

One time I was playing and the helicopter event came, I was outside and no car.
I used the "walk to" tool and walked to the center of a tree, sat down and waited it out.

No zombie found me sitting there. After the event was over and the helicopter deactivated, it wasn't too bad to make my way back to safety. It seems since the zombies didn't see me, they weren't zeroing in on me and rather tried to follow the helicopter.

They were being pulled by the sound, grouping up, growing in numbers, but just kinda following the copter. Only after I left the cover of the tree and started making my way, would they find me. I lived. Your mileage may vary.

[TankGoodness]

Originally posted by Shady Allie:

I have (not) been paid to say this:

One time I was playing and the helicopter event came, I was outside and no car.
I used the "walk to" tool and walked to the center of a tree, sat down and waited it out.

No zombie found me sitting there. After the event was over and the helicopter deactivated, it wasn't too bad to make my way back to safety. It seems since the zombies didn't see me, they weren't zeroing in on me and rather tried to follow the helicopter.

They were being pulled by the sound, grouping up, growing in numbers, but just kinda following the copter. Only after I left the cover of the tree and started making my way, would they find me. I lived. Your mileage may vary.

Its pretty interesting if you stop to think how that Helicopter works.

You cannot visually see the helicopter so you can assume there really is no physical helicopter, yet you avoided being detected from hiding in a wooded area,

Presumably the game engine could not correctly direct zombies to your location, but another location instead or scattered them around as though it was searching the area.

Did the helicopter sound close by or slightly distant? I find the sound does vary which gives the impression/illusion of proximity or location.

So one can hide from the Helicopter. I found I seemed to lose one that was trailing me around as I ran into the woods, when it left momentarily I ran into a nearby home which confused or through off the helicopter when it returned as they always do. As though they went to refuel and then returned to the area, though I stayed in this vacant house and it left shortly after.

[MOK]

I have more questions about the helicopter. The event got me killed after a pretty good newbie run. I got caught out while drowsy so I got run down.

But what I want to know is about whether walkers get spawned in, or come in from off-map or something?
(I haven't tried out moving outside of my rough area, so i don't know if there's 'zone' boundaries to load)

Or does the helicopter ONLY redirect existing, spawned-in walkers?

If it's the latter, then can the helicopter be useful for basically shifting the population away from one area, concentrating it into a smaller area?

[Armagenesis]

Originally posted by MOK:

I have more questions about the helicopter. The event got me killed after a pretty good newbie run. I got caught out while drowsy so I got run down.

But what I want to know is about whether walkers get spawned in, or come in from off-map or something?
(I haven't tried out moving outside of my rough area, so i don't know if there's 'zone' boundaries to load)

Or does the helicopter ONLY redirect existing, spawned-in walkers?

If it's the latter, then can the helicopter be useful for basically shifting the population away from one area, concentrating it into a smaller area?

It's the latter through the method of spawning.

The game will check the surrounding cells from where your survivor is and place the zombies in your cells outside of the player's chunk, not actual migration.

That's what I understand from Enigma's explanation at least.

Technically you can use the helicopter to force a migration to a place away from the place you want to clear out. But kiting them manually might be faster and more guaranteed.

[MOK]

Thanks for that. Although your wording confuses me.

So the helicopter does create new walkers? Or are you saying it teleports them from elsewhere?
Does that mean there are zone boundaries in the traditional definition? Or does 'zone' and 'chunk' just refer to a sort coordinate system? Are there loading screens or no?

I ended up killing off a few survivors kiting walkers away from my home. Afterward, I haven't strayed far from it, once I could regain access. But I'm not seeing the horde anymore. Are they just out of view, or did they get despawned? Teleported back?

[Armagenesis]

Originally posted by MOK:

Thanks for that. Although your wording confuses me.

So the helicopter does create new walkers? Or are you saying it teleports them from elsewhere?
Does that mean there are zone boundaries in the traditional definition? Or does 'zone' and 'chunk' just refer to a sort coordinate system? Are there loading screens or no?

I ended up killing off a few survivors kiting walkers away from my home. Afterward, I haven't strayed far from it, once I could regain access. But I'm not seeing the horde anymore. Are they just out of view, or did they get despawned? Teleported back?

The heli event teleports existing zombies. That's it. They will roam the area surrounding the heli event happened. You can see this easier if you enable debug mode and look at population map before, during, and after the event happens.

[Kyang]

Originally posted by Armagenesis:

The heli event teleports existing zombies. That's it. They will roam the area surrounding the heli event happened. You can see this easier if you enable debug mode and look at population map before, during, and after the event happens.

Oh my god, that was why there are more zombies after heli event than before!
I usually go outside during heli event and burn like thousands of zombies with fire and think that would clear the whole town but nope there are even more zombies around the next day and the mystery is now solved :/

[MOK]

I looked up some more info, and I have the impression so far that if you do burninate gobs of Helicopter walkers, you are kind of accomplishing something.... Just not much regarding your local population, since they're imported from far away.

On the other hand, it seems that if you've got respawn turned up, the burnination isn't really accomplishing anything since the walkers you burninated are from all around. No single place is significantly easier than before. There's sort of less afterward, in any given direction, but because it's so diffuse the respawn will zap the total progress.

[MOK]

A lingering question I have though:
Who's flying the helicopter? Why? What is their goal? Are there any clues to it on the radio? I don't get to hear the tv or radio very much so far.