[11.3 Guide] Finding *invisible* airdrops

[Ragequit Inc.]

NOTE: This is for SP, mainly. On a multiplayer server, only the host can see the coordinates in the server's console. So if you're just a 'regular' player on MP, you'll have to convince the admin to look up and share this information, if you wish to use this method.

(but please don't harass them for it, asking once will suffice and even that might be too much for some. use discretion. :)


So, onwards to the point: you hear the plane coming and going, but just can't get 'eyes on' it or it's valuable droppings..?

Worry not, it is in fact NOT some alien stealth-technology-vehicule flying over just to get our hopes of survival up, it's just Alpha. And engine/Dx11-problems.. Or something in the lines of.


So, how to find it?

1. Make sure you have -in the controls-menu- bound 'Console' to a button you remember.

(This button-function opens up the console on the upper part of your screen, in which you can see essentially everything that's happening 'behind the screen', such as stuff spawning like the supply crate on which we're focusing here)

2. Whilst in-game, and you hear the plane, press the button you've chosen for the console.

3. Take note of the coordinates on the line such as this (these coords are just an example);
AIAirDrop: Spawned supply crate @ ((-99.1, 250.0, -1224.1))

4. How to interpret these magical numbers?

a.) you can safely ignore the middle value, that's just the elevation.

b.) the values are in reverse order compared to the coordinates seen on the in-game map. So, the first number in the console is referring to the East-West axis and the last number the North-South axis.

c.) NEGATIVE values (as seen in the example) are South and West (from their respective zero-lines) while POSITIVE values are North and East.

So, the console-coordinates in the above example, translates into 1224 S(outh), 99 W(est) on the in-game map screen.


!! NOTE !!: The crate most likely won't be EXACTLY at these coordinates, but will get you quite close. In my experience thus far, the crate's usually been within a radius of about 50 meters (blocks) from the coords.

!! NOTE 2 !!: On occasion the crate does "FALL OUT OF THE WORLD", just like other entities (animals/zeds), but it happens when the crate hits the ground (or is supposed to hit) so it'll be a bit (a few minutes?) after the crate spawns.

This will also show up in the console (in a yellow text, iirc), so it is adviced to make sure this hasn't happened before you go off finding it. -I've personally hunted for a crate for a good half an hour, forgetting to check the console before, only to find the damn crate is not on the same plane of existence anymore-

THIS MEANS: if you see it in the console that the crate has indeed "fallen off the world", DO NOT bother going looking for it. That crate is gone, forever.


I'm sure I can explain this in a more incomprehensible way, but this is the worst I came up with at this point. :) Will update, as and if necessary.

*disclaimer: I personally don't consider this 'cheating', because THE DAMN THING IS INVISIBLE! So don't bother with that line. Use, if you wish.

[Woppits]

Unless A11 changed it and I'm reasonably certain it did not, you can't access the console (or, rather, you can't see the server's output TO the console) unless you're hosting the game. As the normal host for my group, I'm able to see things like this, but nobody else can. Your tip will work for MP, but only if you're the one hosting it, or you can ask the host for the coordinates, or you somehow otherwise have access to see the server's console output (dedicated server admin, perhaps? I run mine as Listen when we decide to play it so I can't speak for dedicated server functionality).

[Draknah]

At this point cheat mode is essential to even keep the game playable...stands by river...breaks leg...begins to fly ignoring broken leg lest I turn off this crap.

[Abel G]

Originally posted by AC|R Ragequit Inc.:

PS. I don't play MP, so I don't know if and or how this might work there, but if anyone can verify the functionality (mainly whether or not one is able to use the console and see these values there), I'll add the info here.

Doesn't work in MP. First of all, the console doesn't show the airdrip (unless you connect through telnet, only then can you see the airdrop coords). 2nd, when you reach the coordinates, there isn't a supply crate. Wish the SP console commands worked in MP, only with an extra parameter to specify which player (or coordinate) to spawn to.

Overall, a very nice guide, and we appreciate it very much. I learned something from this :) I had no idea how to use coordinates in 7days before.

[Ragequit Inc.]

Originally posted by SoggySocks:

Originally posted by AC|R Ragequit Inc.:

PS. I don't play MP, so I don't know if and or how this might work there, but if anyone can verify the functionality (mainly whether or not one is able to use the console and see these values there), I'll add the info here.

Doesn't work in MP. First of all, the console doesn't show the airdrip (unless you connect through telnet, only then can you see the airdrop coords). 2nd, when you reach the coordinates, there isn't a supply crate. Wish the SP console commands worked in MP, only with an extra parameter to specify which player (or coordinate) to spawn to.

Overall, a very nice guide, and we appreciate it very much. I learned something from this :) I had no idea how to use coordinates in 7days before.

Yeah, this was basically what I expected. (and what Dry Paint said, which is essentially the same)

But what do you mean 'there isn't a crate'? You mean at the coords your server's console states?

(I've been wondering how the drops work on MP in the first place. Is there just one, and how does it decide where to spawn it/them..)

*edit: if possible, can you give the coords from the console and then the coords where you tried finding it? To make sure you didn't misinterpret them :) Also mind, (I'll add this) the crate probably isn't EXACTLY at the given coords.

*edit: another possibility is that the crate "fell out of the world", which happens here and there too. That'll also be visible in the console, though.

[Uradamus]

Originally posted by SoggySocks:

2nd, when you reach the coordinates, there isn't a supply crate.

If you aren't finding the crate at the coordinates, it might be because you got them backwards or forgot to account for the negatives. As Ragequit mentioned, the map shows north-south first then east-west, but the console coordinates are east-west first, then elevation, and finally north-south, where west and south are negative values. So you want to jot down the last number first, then the first number and switch any negative values to either south or west to get them to match the map's coordinate values.

Another possibly explanation if you are getting the coordinates correct is if you are accidentally jotting down the plane's spawn location instead of the crates, which is easy to do if you are in a rush.

I've been using this trick in sp since 11.3 hit, but as you and others have mentioned by default this won't work in mp unless you are hosting.

[Abel G]

Thanks for the help, Uradamus and [AC|R] Ragequit Inc.! I've read your guide carefully and fully understand the meaning and interpretation of the coordinates and how they differ from the in game map coordinate system. With that in mind, I still tried a combination of interpretations just in case I was missing something. In the end, the crate was not in any of the locations.

Originally posted by Uradamus:

Another possibly explanation if you are getting the coordinates correct is if you are accidentally jotting down the plane's spawn location instead of the crates, which is easy to do if you are in a rush.

I did not know this :) I'll have to check again. I don't recall seeing 2 different coordinates, but I could be mistaken. Thanks for the tip!

[Ragequit Inc.]

Originally posted by SoggySocks:

Thanks for the help, Uradamus and [AC|R] Ragequit Inc.! I've read your guide carefully and fully understand the meaning and interpretation of the coordinates and how they differ from the in game map coordinate system. With that in mind, I still tried a combination of interpretations just in case I was missing something. In the end, the crate was not in any of the locations.

Originally posted by Uradamus:

Another possibly explanation if you are getting the coordinates correct is if you are accidentally jotting down the plane's spawn location instead of the crates, which is easy to do if you are in a rush.

I did not know this :) I'll have to check again. I don't recall seeing 2 different coordinates, but I could be mistaken. Thanks for the tip!

No probs. I've updated the OP, you might wanna check note 2 as well. I was supposed to put that in originally but typing in a rush, I forgot. :)

*edit: and yes, there's 2 coordinates, first for the plane, then the crate. And it's the crate's coords you want. (duh :p )

[Ragequit Inc.]

Updated a bit. (notes, etc.)

[LokitheWeaver]

I think, if memory serves me right, from several hours of play, this week-end, the console has three entries with coordinates - plane spawn, crate drop and plane despawn. So look at the numbers carefully. There is also (in SP) the option to have supply crates spawn a map marker.

Find the file, in your 7DTD directory (within STEAM, usually); under the Supply crates entry, find the line of code (below); remove the <!--- and the --> at the beginning and end of the line, so the program no longer ignores the line as a "comment". Now when you get close to the crate, it will show on your map, saving you lots of search time, and allowing you to find crates which did not land on the ground.

file: \entityclasses.xml

<!-- Supply crates -->
<entity_class name="sc_MeleeWeapons">

<!-- If set this entity shows on the map -->
<!-- <property name="MapIcon" value="map_supply_crate" /> -->

As the OP stated, planes and supply crates have been problematic since around version 10, when they changed the game settings. Prior to that, I don't ever remember an invisible plane, the crates (at least one, depending on spawn number) dropped within your view, trailing visible smoke, which lasted for a significant time, allowing you to triangulate a crate position. With the latest update, crate spawns are so far away that I suspect anyone without a top 1/2% graphics computer can run settings to actually show them. I actually found my first one, by using the OP's suggestion (a variation I came up with). It was so far away that I could not even see the supply crate's location and my "base" on the map at the same time, when zoomed to the extreme limit of showing the most map, possible.

It is now, literally, a half (game) day run, or more, depending on your settings, to retrieve a single crate.

[Abel G]

Originally posted by LokitheWeaver:

I think, if memory serves me right, from several hours of play, this week-end, the console has three entries with coordinates - plane spawn, crate drop and plane despawn. So look at the numbers carefully. There is also (in SP) the option to have supply crates spawn a map marker.

Find the file, in your 7DTD directory (within STEAM, usually); under the Supply crates entry, find the line of code (below); remove the <!--- and the --> at the beginning and end of the line, so the program no longer ignores the line as a "comment". Now when you get close to the crate, it will show on your map, saving you lots of search time, and allowing you to find crates which did not land on the ground.

file: \entityclasses.xml

<!-- Supply crates -->
<entity_class name="sc_MeleeWeapons">

<!-- If set this entity shows on the map -->
<!-- <property name="MapIcon" value="map_supply_crate" /> -->

As the OP stated, planes and supply crates have been problematic since around version 10, when they changed the game settings. Prior to that, I don't ever remember an invisible plane, the crates (at least one, depending on spawn number) dropped within your view, trailing visible smoke, which lasted for a significant time, allowing you to triangulate a crate position. With the latest update, crate spawns are so far away that I suspect anyone without a top 1/2% graphics computer can run settings to actually show them. I actually found my first one, by using the OP's suggestion (a variation I came up with). It was so far away that I could not even see the supply crate's location and my "base" on the map at the same time, when zoomed to the extreme limit of showing the most map, possible.

It is now, literally, a half (game) day run, or more, depending on your settings, to retrieve a single crate.

I think, you forgot, a comma ;P

I wonder if the icon shows up in MP. I'll have to check. Concerning PC specifications, I'm not sure that's a variable that is considered when a supply drops. I've seen the crates in the air far exceeding my draw distance, for example.

[Ragequit Inc.]

Originally posted by SoggySocks:

Originally posted by LokitheWeaver:

*snip*

I think, you forgot, a comma ;P

I wonder if the icon shows up in MP. I'll have to check. Concerning PC specifications, I'm not sure that's a variable that is considered when a supply drops. I've seen the crates in the air far exceeding my draw distance, for example.

That used to be the case. But now, even as I'm running full view distance @11 and max grass draw distance (as someone somewhere said this *might* affect the plane/crate-rendering) it is still invisible. Plus it also seems to spawn a bit further away in general. Don't quote me on that, though. :)

*edit: took out a few comma's from the op :D

@Loki; mind if I add this info into the OP? Or most likely just add a note to check your post, if necessary, as I'd like to avoid overgrowth in the OP. I was thinking about putting this in originally, but figured there has to be *some* work done actually finding it. ;)

[Uradamus]

Originally posted by LokitheWeaver:

<!-- <property name="MapIcon" value="map_supply_crate" /> -->

That is a great find, thanks for pointing it out, definitely enabling that until they get the planes and drops rendering properly again.

[Justin Sellers]

I've had a problem with some falling off of the map on random gen. I get the spawn message for the plane, the spawn message for the box, and then a yellow message saying it fell off the world at the same coordinates as the spawn. The first coordinate is listed as -94, so that would be under the earth?

[Punished One Eye Jack]

Already posted a fix for this that is far easier to understand (ex-military here, so cordinates are easy for me to read).


Simple as this folks:

Bring up command window after plane spawns, locate the line in regards to "supply crate" and you'll see a series of numbers after it (3 series of numbers).

I.E. 359.1 , 94.1, -122.1

The first set of numbers is in regards to West and East, with East bringing the number UP and West bringing the number DOWN.

The second set of number is eleveation and can be largely ignored, unless the crate is in a tree.

The last set is in regards to North and South, with North bringing the number UP and south bringing the number Down.



Want to know where you are, with your own set of these numbers? Open the command menu again and type "listplayers", from there you'll see exactly where you are (your set of numbers, which will allow you to go from there so you match up with the numbers that were given to you in regards to where the crate is).

[Ragequit Inc.]

Originally posted by justinsell:

I've had a problem with some falling off of the map on random gen. I get the spawn message for the plane, the spawn message for the box, and then a yellow message saying it fell off the world at the same coordinates as the spawn. The first coordinate is listed as -94, so that would be under the earth?

If you get the message in the console (in yellow) that the crate 'fell off the world', it literally means that crate is not in the world anymore. There's nothing you can do, that crate is gone. You can not find it. It has moved on to another dimension.
(I'll add this to the OP, to avoid confusion)