Help me choose settings

[FrostDragon]

Hey everyone I have been playing PZ for about a year now. And normally I don't modify the settings too much but I have been wanting to make the game as realistic as possible.

I need some help understanding the settings. What is a chunk and what is a cell? Can anyone explain?

Basically what I want to do is make the game as realistic as possible, also, i don't want it to be too easy. I find the default settings to be kind of easy, so what I normally do is add zombies. But I am unsure about what certain things mean. Such as the peak population etc.

For starters I don't think zombies should be able to move too quickly, and they shouldn't be that strong. If anyone is familiar with Walking Dead, the zombies they have don't run or anything, they always walk slowly and individually are easy to kill. Most of the characters kill them by stabbing them in the head, since they try to conserve their ammunition for emergencies.

So what I normally do is, or try to do, is make the zombies a bit weaker, by changing them from fast shambers to shamblers, and taking off their ability to lunge, which I find to be unrealistic. Then what I do is I add zombies, I make it so there is more of them. More and weaker.

My problem is that I don't understand the spawning and respawning settings.

So there is the population start multiplier, which is kind of obvious, I want there to be more zombies so I turn that up. Then there is the peak modifier which I don't really understand. I don't necessarily want zombies I have already killed or buildings I have already cleared, to have zombies spawning in them so I figure the logical choice is to turn respawning off correct?

But then how does that affect the population peak day?

I figure, that if I turn respawning off, that only affects the respawning of zombies I have already killed, correct? That doesn't mean that the game starts with X number of zombies and stays that way, right? Thereby rendering the pop peak day redundant? Or do zombies keep spawning until day 28 whether or not I have turned respawning off?

I should mention that I don't necessarily want zombies to not spawn.. I wish there was a way to have them spawn randomly but only on the edges of the map, to simulate zombies migrating over from neighbouring counties, do you know what I mean? But I feel like since that is not an option that I have no choice than to turn it off. So if I turn respawning off, then, zombies will still spawn up until the peak day at which time they will stop spawning completely and I will have a limited number of zombies on the map for the rest of my game? Or if I turn spawning off then I am left with the number of zombies that were present at the start of the game and that's it?

Lastly, I have checked out some of the presets available, such as survival, 6 months later etc.. and I have to admit they look somewhat interesting. But I was wondering, are there popular presets made by fans that are available etc? Or do people just pick and choose their settings themselves every time they start a new game?

Please share settings you like using and why?

I'll give you one more example of a setting I like to change. To me, the one hour days thing is really annoying, an hour goes by very quickly. So I usually set the days to either 2 or 3 hours. Now the issue with that is the default time for a plant to grow is 100 days. If my days are three hours that really messes things up, and so I feel like it is only natural for me to change the plant life timeline to coincide or at least be less excessive. Maybe to 40 or 50 days.

Any input is greatly appreciated.. I feel like I can't even start a new game, since I died in my last game after playing for 40+ hours ugh, until I figure out what these settings mean

Thank you!

[FrostDragon]

Can someone please help me understand what the settings mean??

[diecastano]

Are you using B41 or the Unstable B42? (They added some options in the new version)

[diecastano]

Zombie Multiplier -> It is the overal Multiply of all the below settings
Zombie Start Multiplier -> The amount of Zombies on the start
Zombie Peak Multiplier -> The Amount of Zombies spawned at the PEAK DAY
Population Peak Day -> How many days will pass until the game spawn the Peak Multiplier Quantity

So, for example: If you have a cell with 100 Zombies defaut but your multiplier is .65, your start multiplier is 0.5 and your Peak multiplier 2 you will have
Start Day: 100* 0,5 * 0,65 = 32,5
Peak Day: 100* 2 * 0,65 = 130

About the Zombie Speed: They can be:
Shamblers -> Very slow zombies...
Fast Shamblers -> Slower than your walk speed
Sprinters -> GOD HELP US, THEY ARE FAST

In B41 there is fewer options to control them, so I used to have a mod called Day and Night I believe.
In B42 you have more control, you can decide their strengh (how hard is to push them and the damage they do) and thoughtness (how resistent they are).

Well, let me read the rest... :-P

[diecastano]

Let me try to answer the respawning and the Migration:

So Zombies will migrate based on your settings, again I am using B42, so I now I have options than B41:

There are two settings: Repawn Hours and Respawn Unseen Hours and respawn multiplier:
Respawn hours is how many hours has to pass to spawn the Multiplier quantity
Respawn Unseen Hours -> How many hours has to pass BEFORE starting to respawn in that cell
Respawn multiplier: How many zombies of the total will respawn. So again, for example:

If you have
Respawn hours: 16
Respawn Unseen Hours: 72
Respawn Multiplier: 0.1

After you clear a cell with 100 zombies and leaving it, it start to count: 16 hours after you left, zombies can respawn but they will respawn after 72 hours only.... When the 72 hours has passed, it will respawn 10 zombies each 72 hours (100 * 0.1)

Hope this is right and I am clear! Lol!

[FrostDragon]

Originally posted by diecastano:

Zombie Multiplier -> It is the overal Multiply of all the below settings
Zombie Start Multiplier -> The amount of Zombies on the start
Zombie Peak Multiplier -> The Amount of Zombies spawned at the PEAK DAY
Population Peak Day -> How many days will pass until the game spawn the Peak Multiplier Quantity

So, for example: If you have a cell with 100 Zombies defaut but your multiplier is .65, your start multiplier is 0.5 and your Peak multiplier 2 you will have
Start Day: 100* 0,5 * 0,65 = 32,5
Peak Day: 100* 2 * 0,65 = 130

About the Zombie Speed: They can be:
Shamblers -> Very slow zombies...
Fast Shamblers -> Slower than your walk speed
Sprinters -> GOD HELP US, THEY ARE FAST

In B41 there is fewer options to control them, so I used to have a mod called Day and Night I believe.
In B42 you have more control, you can decide their strengh (how hard is to push them and the damage they do) and thoughtness (how resistent they are).

Well, let me read the rest... :-P

I am not playing the new one.

The only thing I am not sure about is, you said the amount of zombies spawned on peak day.. I thought it was, the amount of zombies spawned between the start and peak day. So let's say the peak day is 100 and you have 1000 then 10 will spawn for 100 days so 1000 will have spawned BY peak day. The way you write it, you make it sound like the peak day zombies all suddenly spawn on that day.. unless that is what it is supposed to be.

Also I just need to know.. What is a cell? What is a chunk??

[FrostDragon]

Originally posted by diecastano:

Let me try to answer the respawning and the Migration:

So Zombies will migrate based on your settings, again I am using B42, so I now I have options than B41:

There are two settings: Repawn Hours and Respawn Unseen Hours and respawn multiplier:
Respawn hours is how many hours has to pass to spawn the Multiplier quantity
Respawn Unseen Hours -> How many hours has to pass BEFORE starting to respawn in that cell
Respawn multiplier: How many zombies of the total will respawn. So again, for example:

If you have
Respawn hours: 16
Respawn Unseen Hours: 72
Respawn Multiplier: 0.1

After you clear a cell with 100 zombies and leaving it, it start to count: 16 hours after you left, zombies can respawn but they will respawn after 72 hours only.... When the 72 hours has passed, it will respawn 10 zombies each 72 hours (100 * 0.1)

Hope this is right and I am clear! Lol!

I appreciate your explanation.. It is all a little confusing though..

So when you say, the respawn multiplier, how many zombies WILL respawn, as in total. So if I set it at 10% and there are 100 zombies in the cell, then it will spawn 10% of them so 10 zombies every 72 hours.. and will keep going til there is 100 zombies again in the "cell"? or it will only spawn 10% of the zombies so after a cell is cleared there will only ever be 10 zombies in the cell, or the number will always go back up to the original number.. so it is impossible to ever "clear" the map?

[diecastano]

It will respawn until achieves the "Max" number of zombies of the cell, so in the case will respawn 10 zombies each 72 hours until the pop is back to 100.

To "clear" the map you have to set the respawn rate to 0, this will disable the respawn and to be sure increase the hours and unseen hours to the max. But people have reported bugs in this.

Finally, a Cell is a big square, the zombie population is controlled by this big cells. You can look into the Project Zomboid Interactive Map to see it clearly. I think it is something close to 60x60).

All the cells are divided in smaller chunks (I believe in 300x300 small chunks). This is a internal control for the game regarding loots and contructions.

[diecastano]

Dude, if you prefer, you can add me and PM me.

[Armagenesis]

I think this video explains well enough what a chunk is:
https://youtu.be/hglrA6FrxOw?si=u4HNH0kQ_-TQrxGV

It's easier to visualize if you enable debug mode and open the zombie population map.

[FrostDragon]

Originally posted by diecastano:

Dude, if you prefer, you can add me and PM me.

Hey man I appreciate it and I probably will. I did kind of want this discussion to be public though so that anyone else who is trying to figure this stuff out could read it.

Anyway I have one last question. With the zombie peak population.. So, say for example the zombie peak population is 1500.. and the game starts with, I'm just gonna throw a random number out there, 1000. Then that means that over the course of 28 days, 500 zombies will spawn. I assume that's roughly how it works. Now, if I turn off "respawning" then does the number just stay at 1000? Or the zombies spawn until peak day but then any zombies that die don't respawn?

Lastly I just wanna say, someone should make a mod where zombies only spawn on the edges of the map, to simulate them migrating over from other counties.. as opposed to in buildings that have already been cleared and had all their doors locked, ya feel me?

Also, for migrating, can zombies in theory migrate around the entire map. Say for instance I clear Muldraugh.. Could zombies in theory slowly make their way over from other towns? Or just from the surrounding forests etc?

Thanks

[FrostDragon]

Originally posted by Armagenesis:

I think this video explains well enough what a chunk is:
https://youtu.be/hglrA6FrxOw?si=u4HNH0kQ_-TQrxGV

It's easier to visualize if you enable debug mode and open the zombie population map.

I will check that video out thank you it is much appreciated

[ProtecTron]

Hi guys, here Is my experience with settings, hope it helps:

"Jaw Stab Buff" mod Is mandatory to have that TWD feel and Stab those zeds like Carol or even elderly extras with a knife.

Population multiplier 1x
Keep it plain and simple, you define it without calculations with start and peak multipliers, they work as you posted above. I never go above 3.0 peak (small towns, so many zeds look weird to me)

Respawn hours 0, so as you Said, if you clear Muldraugh, AND zeds migrating towards the Town trying to fill those empty cell spaces, it Will remain clear.

Horde size 0 or "Rally group" 0 feels great too, zombies do not follow a "leader", hordes are formed anyways but they are loose and not as dense as normal hordes (ofc noises make them group up).

[AriGryphon]

My understanding is that while zeds will initially spawn inside buildings at the beginning, respawning requires an actual path from the edge of the map. SO they should not be respawning inside closed buildings, or even inside large fenced in areas that have already been cleared. Thus, respawning DOES simulate migration from off-screen areas. Respawning increases overall current numbers of "live" zombies, and migration moves around current "live" zombies.

So you should still be able to secure areas and get a feel of realism with respawn on. I just turn it down so they'll only trickle in a few every few days, as opposed to dozens every day on some settings. I want it to take more than a week of being way from an area for it to get back to max population for he cell as if I had never cleared.

[FrostDragon]

Originally posted by AriGryphon:

My understanding is that while zeds will initially spawn inside buildings at the beginning, respawning requires an actual path from the edge of the map. SO they should not be respawning inside closed buildings, or even inside large fenced in areas that have already been cleared. Thus, respawning DOES simulate migration from off-screen areas. Respawning increases overall current numbers of "live" zombies, and migration moves around current "live" zombies.

So you should still be able to secure areas and get a feel of realism with respawn on. I just turn it down so they'll only trickle in a few every few days, as opposed to dozens every day on some settings. I want it to take more than a week of being way from an area for it to get back to max population for he cell as if I had never cleared.

I hope you're right! I think I'm gonna play one more time with respawning on and do one final test of the mechanics and decide if I like it and I'm gonna roll with it in the future! Like I said though, I wouldn't be against respawning however.. Idk I don't think they should be able to ever come back to 100% levels either. Like after a town is cleared it should get zombies here and there but it should stay quieter, idk. i don't know if there's a setting for that

[FrostDragon]

Originally posted by ProtecTron:

Hi guys, here Is my experience with settings, hope it helps:

"Jaw Stab Buff" mod Is mandatory to have that TWD feel and Stab those zeds like Carol or even elderly extras with a knife.

Population multiplier 1x
Keep it plain and simple, you define it without calculations with start and peak multipliers, they work as you posted above. I never go above 3.0 peak (small towns, so many zeds look weird to me)

Respawn hours 0, so as you Said, if you clear Muldraugh, AND zeds migrating towards the Town trying to fill those empty cell spaces, it Will remain clear.

Horde size 0 or "Rally group" 0 feels great too, zombies do not follow a "leader", hordes are formed anyways but they are loose and not as dense as normal hordes (ofc noises make them group up).

I like this idea of the 0 rally group. That's true it seems weird that they would gravitate towards another zombie and not just walk around aimlessy looking for brains, and then ya like you say naturally build up in areas etc

I like how you mentioned TWD also, that's immediately what I thought of when I started playing I'm like I wanna make it as realistic as possible as close to TWD as I can.. But ya, I need to understand what the settings mean and what they do to be able to do that for sure