Zed Teleportation/spawning is really frustrating...

[¤ Dλmiλn ¤]

Honestly, whenever i solo play just to probably kick time or grind can also become a frustrating moment for me.

I don't like having zed's coming out of a doorway ever single ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ corner i turn to, nor I like having certains zeds spawning then bounce me around like I'm a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ ping pong ball when i look away for a split second, and it becomes extremely noticable.

And the crawlers, oh, the Crawlers, my arch nemesis, these web furry freaks will always spawn really close, especially on Lockdown, I keep noticing these spiders pop out of thin air and then proceed to smack me for like a good amount of my health, For example, Im trying to run for my life while at under 50% health, im getting charged at by crawlers while i keep spamming M1 at them, I look foward then see a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ elite crawler form into thin existence, what are YOUR thoughts on Zed Teleportation?

[Gunthak]

It's a spawn/AI tweak in the engine, largely based on current camera viewport, designed to keep players on their toes/head on a swivel, but I believe the minimum distance-to-player should be a little farther away than current. Like, regardless how I feel about drop-in spawns, aesthetically it just *looks* unattractive to catch the tp spawns manifesting quite nearby.

It can feel janky. And when something feels janky, the damage you take from it can amplify misgivings.

Edit: I.e., I'd be more likely to accept it - irrespective of distance - if there was a brief portal-ish effect (or some kinda' quick zappy air disturbance/sound cue) before the drop-in, like actual teleport tech being used.

[¤ Dλmiλn ¤]

Originally posted by Gunthak:

It's a spawn/AI tweak in the engine, largely based on current camera viewport, designed to keep players on their toes/head on a swivel, but I believe the minimum distance-to-player should be a little farther away than current. Like, regardless how I feel about drop-in spawns, aesthetically it just *looks* unattractive to catch the tp spawns manifesting quite nearby.

It can feel janky. And when something feels janky, the damage you take from it can amplify misgivings.

Edit: I.e., I'd be more likely to accept it - irrespective of distance - if there was a brief portal-ish effect (or some kinda' quick zappy air disturbance/sound cue) before the drop-in, like actual teleport tech being used.

That's also why I find it frustrating, It's like a "If they can't see it, it will do just fine!'

[Bathtub Shitter]

tbh i thought teleporting zeds were removed from the game. In early access of the game zed teleportation was god awful, and made it very hard to kite so i just figured they removed it all together. I think you might just be getting ♥♥♥♥ on by the game's spawn system i'm not sure.

[Gunthak]

Originally posted by Jon Arbuckle:

tbh i thought teleporting zeds were removed from the game. In early access of the game zed teleportation was god awful, and made it very hard to kite so i just figured they removed it all together. I think you might just be getting ♥♥♥♥ on by the game's spawn system i'm not sure.

It's vastly less prevalent, they toned down the algorithm, but you still see it.

[¤ Dλmiλn ¤]

Originally posted by Jon Arbuckle:

tbh i thought teleporting zeds were removed from the game. In early access of the game zed teleportation was god awful, and made it very hard to kite so i just figured they removed it all together. I think you might just be getting ♥♥♥♥ on by the game's spawn system i'm not sure.

It's pretty noticable when you play solo.

[Bathtub Shitter]

Ah ok. I'm just glad they toned it down cuz the teleporting back then was really bad.

[Serious]

I don't say this mechanic is reasonable or good implemented, but without it the game would be even more easy as it already is.
Sure there would be better solution to increase the difficulty, but these would take more time to develop and are very unrealistic 7 years after release.
I prefer the game with this mechanic.

Additional the teleport is not random, the zed get teleoported to a spawnarea nearby, so if you know the maps and spawnareas you also know the places where they teleport.

If it's frustrating to you i recommend playing workshop maps. It's still possible on most of them, but less frequently.

[JimmyIowa]

Originally posted by Jon Arbuckle:

tbh i thought teleporting zeds were removed from the game.

Teleporting is still extremely frequent (many times per second) and noticeable in low player count kiting games. One easy way to reveal it quite plainly is to use the CaulknBurn to singe some zeds while running, (using a perk other than firebug so you don't one shot kill them). Then just keep running. Still flaming/singed zeds will be coming at you from doorways in front of you and dropping down from spawn points above you within literally a few seconds after burning them. In fact the same singed zeds can be noticed teleporting in front of you multiple times in just a very short time span as you run.

Teleporting does not happen nearly as much in higher player count game which tend to be 95% static camping.

And yes OP, it's mainly annoying because it totally eliminates the usefulness/purpose of tactical positioning or situational awareness skills that one normally uses in a shooter. For example, in other shooters I don't want to get flanked, surrounded, want to funnel enemies, or take them on in small numbers with tactical positioning. In KF2 none of that matters in the slightest. KF2 is a chaotic circus of teleporting enemies from all directions at all times.

I've said since 2015 that highly skilled players of other shooters don't do well in KF2 for this reason. And KF2 players actually get worse at playing normal shooters that don't use constant rapid-fire enemy teleportation.

[Darkcake99]

Thanks for posting this, I thought I was going nuts.
I figured I'd make a post ranting about crawlers and stalkers being cringe and tping practically inside me but figured nobody would believe me. I also tend to notice this happening way more on suicidal and HoE difficulties. I doubt I even have the issue on hard/normal SP.

I can relate to the frustration of taking pointless damage because the grinning game engine god decided to leave a crawler behind me. Or watching crawlers materialise just to smack you and die instantly.

gg, take points

[Gunthak]

Originally posted by JimmyIowa:

use the CaulknBurn to singe some zeds while running, (using a perk other than firebug so you don't one shot kill them). Then just keep running. Still flaming/singed zeds will be coming at you from doorways in front of you and dropping down from spawn points above you within literally a few seconds after burning them. In fact the same singed zeds can be noticed teleporting in front of you multiple times in just a very short time span as you run.

Gotta' love it. I wonder if attachable stuff stays on a zed after teleport.

[¤ Dλmiλn ¤]

Originally posted by Darkcake99:

Thanks for posting this, I thought I was going nuts.
I figured I'd make a post ranting about crawlers and stalkers being cringe and tping practically inside me but figured nobody would believe me. I also tend to notice this happening way more on suicidal and HoE difficulties. I doubt I even have the issue on hard/normal SP.

I can relate to the frustration of taking pointless damage because the grinning game engine god decided to leave a crawler behind me. Or watching crawlers materialise just to smack you and die instantly.

gg, take points

I know right?! It's so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ annoying, and it should be toned down for solo, It's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ annoying when you have literal hordes of crawlers spawn right at you when the wave starts, then continue to corner you.

oh better yet, slashers coming out of every corner I turn, cornering me when I can literally move to the side, and then bloat's always going through a corrider while I'm trying to run away, and I normally play HOE Solo.

[JANUS]

Originally posted by Gunthak:

Originally posted by JimmyIowa:

use the CaulknBurn to singe some zeds while running, (using a perk other than firebug so you don't one shot kill them). Then just keep running. Still flaming/singed zeds will be coming at you from doorways in front of you and dropping down from spawn points above you within literally a few seconds after burning them. In fact the same singed zeds can be noticed teleporting in front of you multiple times in just a very short time span as you run.

Gotta' love it. I wonder if attachable stuff stays on a zed after teleport.

Wouldn't that be a wonderful way to go? Running into your own exploding C4 because the zed teleported just ahead of you?

[Sikobae]

Originally posted by JimmyIowa:

I've said since 2015 that highly skilled players of other shooters don't do well in KF2 for this reason. And KF2 players actually get worse at playing normal shooters that don't use constant rapid-fire enemy teleportation.

You say this like FPS players exist only in two vacuums that never intersect.

[A Damn Squid]

As frustrating as I think this is, I think its because the whole kiting strategy has gotten way to easy.

[Anachronomalous]

Originally posted by Dampback:

As frustrating as I think this is, I think its because the whole kiting strategy has gotten way to easy.

Ding ding, we have a winner.

The idea behind teleporting and short-range spawns was to stop players from doing what they so often did in KF1, where they would lead a conga line of Zeds around the map and dealt with the horde at their own leisure. When the Zeds can't catch players (most of which have guns) they become much less of a threat, doubly so when the ability to sprint was added in KF2.

KF2 added the one-two-three punch of having sped-up Zeds, short-range spawning, and teleporting when breaking LOS for an extended period to counter this strategy because otherwise kites would be nearly unstoppable.

Problem is, that had the opposite effect of making kiting really risky except on a few very open maps, as going into underground tunnel areas and not parking in an area with decent lines of sight means that anyone can get cut off from anywhere by just about anything (which is intensely frustrating when it happens, so the best way to avoid it is just to not interact with that part of the map). It's hard to argue for kill-time efficiency when you can round the corner into a buggery squad of QPs at any given time.

Some Zeds can no longer teleport, per the game's wiki on mechanics[wiki.killingfloor2.com], but much of the game's trash can still freely do so.

Two steps forward, three steps back, etc.

EDIT: Fixed some misspellings in my original post that are now quoted below for posterity. Oh well. :X