Why can zombies destroy your backpack?

[Aceblade]

I'm very pissed that a zombie destroyed my backpack when I died getting back to homebase. I mean, do they destroy other bags on the ground/floor? No. It's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that a zombie can destroy your backpack, with all your good ♥♥♥♥, but doesn't destroy other bags, I mean come on.

[Paul]

bad zombie

[Roadie]

Did you see the zombie destroy the back pack? I have had them vanish before due to bugs or end up on somthing above where I died. I never seen a zombie hit one though.

[Aceblade]

Originally posted by Roadie:

Did you see the zombie destroy the back pack? I have had them vanish before due to bugs or end up on somthing above where I died. I never seen a zombie hit one though.

I've been told zombies destroy player backbacks. When I got close to it, it dissapeared.

[Rowdy Ronny]

The backpack is just a container and can be destroyed. Also they don't attack backpacks, but parts of your yummy brains splattered onto it when they smashed your skull in so they are attacking a brainy backpack. And not the brainless backpacks and junk around...

[Malhavok]

I get the need for difficult gameplay, but the backpack shouldn't be destroyed...if anything put a rot counter on it. On the two occasions this happened to me, it was from a horde of zombies inside a building. The blue icon disappears way before I even get back to the horde.

[jacobvandy]

I've had this happen to me a few times. I'm pretty sure what happens is that the big group of enemies will be inactive once you respawn far away, so you'll see your backpack icon. Once you get within a certain distance of that area again, though, the zombies will reactivate and possibly continue thrashing around everywhere, and that's what can destroy your backpack.

So one thing you can do if you get killed by a swarm is to re-load the game, which will make the zombies disappear and save your backpack from being destroyed. Or just turn off the option that makes you drop your loot in the first place, if it bothers you that much.

[Torriador]

The biggest thing that I've seen, that cause backpacks to be destroyed after dying, is that the pack spawns on the nearest elevation to where you died.

If there is an entity or block in the way, it spawns on top of that item.
if that item is removed ( zeds walk away, block crumbles etc. the bag drops and takes fall damage. chances are the bag will "pop"

I've edited my .xml file to prevent bakpack from dropping on death, and some others have had sucess changing the backpack material, to the same as Land Claim Block.

[Brian9824]

Some false information here. Currently backpacks despawn and MM said it might be a mistake which they will probably change

<property name="TimeStayAfterDeath" value="1200" /> <!-- player death backpacks will go poof after this many seconds. 0 means 0, not infinite. -->

Can edit it if you want

[Honor's Bastion]

To clarify from the above, the number value is in seconds so that 1200 = 1200 seconds = 20 minutes. If you are going to change, make sure you put the right value there and don't just put something like 60 or you'll regret it. For your convenience. here's a few number values:

1800 = 30 minutes
3600 = 60 minutes
7200 = 2 hours

[Red Eagle LXIX]

Originally posted by brian9824:

Some false information here. Currently backpacks despawn and MM said it might be a mistake which they will probably change

<property name="TimeStayAfterDeath" value="1200" /> <!-- player death backpacks will go poof after this many seconds. 0 means 0, not infinite. -->

Can edit it if you want

Originally posted by Honor's Bastion:

To clarify from the above, the number value is in seconds so that 1200 = 1200 seconds = 20 minutes. If you are going to change, make sure you put the right value there and don't just put something like 60 or you'll regret it. For your convenience. here's a few number values:

1800 = 30 minutes
3600 = 60 minutes
7200 = 2 hours

These are the correct and best ways to deal with this.
Alpha 14 changed backpacks from blocks to entities (to prevent the very falling and breaking issue plus a few other issues that occurred when the backpack was a block).
However Entities are far more expensive as an object type that is why they all have ways to expire and be removed from the game. Backpacks just were not given a reasonable time comparative to the range one ends up spawning from them. In my experience it takes 10-15 minutes just to get from a death spawn to a backpack when there is no bedroll set most of the time, assuming one can run most if not all of the way and does not have to detour at all. As such I set my backpacks to 3600 to give a more reasonable amount of time comparative to what one may encounter.

[Torriador]

@Red Eagle LXIX
Thanks for the clarification, I missed that mention in A14.

[Splatter58]

Another point to consider is dying on your way back to get your pack. Always mark your pack with a saved waypoint, ( that way you can delete it later). because if you die on your way back the original icon will go away, and may make it hard to locate if you weren`t totally clear as to where it was. Also noticed if your pack is empty when you die you dont get a pack icon. Hope this helps. :)

[DedZedNub]

What is the name of the file to edit?

[Red Eagle LXIX]

entityclasses.xml

[Honor's Bastion]

Originally posted by DedZedNub:

What is the name of the file to edit?

Whoops, it looks like 3 of us neglected to mention the file. You'll want to go into the entityclasses.xml in your Steam/steampapps/common/7d2d/data/config folder.

Search for the line: <entity_class name="Backpack">

That should get you to exact backpack entity.