Colony Safe Zone: Is There Even A Point?

[Immortalized Shadow]

I've been playing the game for a long time, I know its quirks. The most important one being Zombie spawning.

As it stands currently, there are really only 2 rules for where they cannot spawn.
1. Cannot spawn in the banner safe zone (obviously)
2. The lesser known, zombies cannot spawn anywhere that doesn't have a pathway to the banner.

Because of this, it seems incredibly easy to cheat the system and build anywhere outside the banner safe zone, like, stupidly easy, while still having it totally connected to your colony and no repercussions.

This is the same principle some people use to make disconnected guard towers outside their base (close enough its still within the colony's inventory range for ammunition). You can build a building totally closed off (or even just floating in the air). So long as that thing has a bed, a job block, and a grocery store after you lead colonists to there originally, you can sever their pathway to the banner and they'll just sit in that area slaying zombies outside the banner safe zone.

Hear me out on this.

Example; I started a new world and messed around with some new base designs. I try to make everything I build mirrored and modular so it can be copy and pasted in grid-like sections. Naturally, I built 4 block tall pillars evenly spaced apart with 10 blocks between (12 blocks including the pillars) with the exception of the middle sections (directly adjacent to the banner) being 13 blocks apart because the original starting area isn't equidistant in 10s, unfortunately. From there, I filled in floors, building up above the actual ground level. Everything in my colony exists on these floors, even the common tower defense-esque firing squad at the entrance is built up on a raised portion that allows zombies to go through a walkway above the main wall (which the wall is actually totally redundant).

At this stage of having everything off the ground level (Farms, crafters, beds, defenders, etc), it's totally unreachable to zombies. Even if zombies get to my banner, there is no pathway to ever harm a single colonist.

Why?
I have the games fool-proof defense utilized to the max... a 1x2 trench dug around the banner in my base excluding the small 1 block wide stair case leading down from the zombie kill-zone - the only path to the outside.

The Off-ground base is only connected to the ground via 2 main 3 block wide stair cases which have the same 1x2 trench dug in front of them, severing the pathway to the banner. Colonists don't need to ever get to the banner since the grocery store and tool shop blocks were added.

Think of the banner area itself as a big circle with a trench totally surrounding it, isolated from the rest of the world. The only connection is for the zombie path which goes up, through the killing zone, then back down into that banner area. The stair cases and mine shafts are adjacent to the banner area, but has a 1x2 trench separating them from the banner area. Wide enough to prevent zombies from being able to pathfind to the banner (which would allow them to spawn), but small enough for me to just hop over regularly if I need to.

Now, how does this work when recruiting?
Yes, I do need to manually place 1 singular block to bridge the gap between the banner area and the stair case, but its never in a vulnerable area since the 4-floored zombie kill zone is before all this.

Likewise, for my 2 mines (1 normal, original mine. 1 newer, mammoth tree mine), they are built close to the banner but have the same trench dug out at the start of the stair case so there is no pathway to the banner.

What does this mean for zombie-spawning?
It means I can build 2,000,000 blocks in any direction from my off-ground platform base or dig 2,000,000 blocks in any direction from my mines and not a single zombie will ever spawn. There's no limit to this game mechanic so long as the tiny little 1x2 trench exists at the foot of the stair cases actually joined to the banner area.

Unlimited space to do whatever you want with, never needing to spend a dime on the banner safe zone.

This is one of the main reasons why I've always loved Colony Survival, the game mechanics make sense, yet they allow you to think outside the box and get crafty to twist the rules in your favor (please never change this).

Any ideas for further exploits?

[Immortalized Shadow]

Reference pictures around the banner area and zombie kill-zone:
https://imgur.com/a/ZUaRxm4

[Banaminati]

Originally posted by Immortalized Shadow:

I've been playing the game for a long time, I know its quirks. The most important one being Zombie spawning.

As it stands currently, there are really only 2 rules for where they cannot spawn.
1. Cannot spawn in the banner safe zone (obviously)
2. The lesser known, zombies cannot spawn anywhere that doesn't have a pathway to the banner.

Because of this, it seems incredibly easy to cheat the system and build anywhere outside the banner safe zone, like, stupidly easy, while still having it totally connected to your colony and no repercussions.

This is the same principle some people use to make disconnected guard towers outside their base (close enough its still within the colony's inventory range for ammunition). You can build a building totally closed off (or even just floating in the air). So long as that thing has a bed, a job block, and a grocery store after you lead colonists to there originally, you can sever their pathway to the banner and they'll just sit in that area slaying zombies outside the banner safe zone.

Hear me out on this.

Example; I started a new world and messed around with some new base designs. I try to make everything I build mirrored and modular so it can be copy and pasted in grid-like sections. Naturally, I built 4 block tall pillars evenly spaced apart with 10 blocks between (12 blocks including the pillars) with the exception of the middle sections (directly adjacent to the banner) being 13 blocks apart because the original starting area isn't equidistant in 10s, unfortunately. From there, I filled in floors, building up above the actual ground level. Everything in my colony exists on these floors, even the common tower defense-esque firing squad at the entrance is built up on a raised portion that allows zombies to go through a walkway above the main wall (which the wall is actually totally redundant).

At this stage of having everything off the ground level (Farms, crafters, beds, defenders, etc), it's totally unreachable to zombies. Even if zombies get to my banner, there is no pathway to ever harm a single colonist.

Why?
I have the games fool-proof defense utilized to the max... a 1x2 trench dug around the banner in my base excluding the small 1 block wide stair case leading down from the zombie kill-zone - the only path to the outside.

The Off-ground base is only connected to the ground via 2 main 3 block wide stair cases which have the same 1x2 trench dug in front of them, severing the pathway to the banner. Colonists don't need to ever get to the banner since the grocery store and tool shop blocks were added.

Think of the banner area itself as a big circle with a trench totally surrounding it, isolated from the rest of the world. The only connection is for the zombie path which goes up, through the killing zone, then back down into that banner area. The stair cases and mine shafts are adjacent to the banner area, but has a 1x2 trench separating them from the banner area. Wide enough to prevent zombies from being able to pathfind to the banner (which would allow them to spawn), but small enough for me to just hop over regularly if I need to.

Now, how does this work when recruiting?
Yes, I do need to manually place 1 singular block to bridge the gap between the banner area and the stair case, but its never in a vulnerable area since the 4-floored zombie kill zone is before all this.

Likewise, for my 2 mines (1 normal, original mine. 1 newer, mammoth tree mine), they are built close to the banner but have the same trench dug out at the start of the stair case so there is no pathway to the banner.

What does this mean for zombie-spawning?
It means I can build 2,000,000 blocks in any direction from my off-ground platform base or dig 2,000,000 blocks in any direction from my mines and not a single zombie will ever spawn. There's no limit to this game mechanic so long as the tiny little 1x2 trench exists at the foot of the stair cases actually joined to the banner area.

Unlimited space to do whatever you want with, never needing to spend a dime on the banner safe zone.

This is one of the main reasons why I've always loved Colony Survival, the game mechanics make sense, yet they allow you to think outside the box and get crafty to twist the rules in your favor (please never change this).

Any ideas for further exploits?

I mean if you ever play a game looking to exploit and find weaknesses as such then you will always find your self getting bored. Just stop having that mind set and play for fun

[Immortalized Shadow]

I think it makes it more entertaining to. Challenging yourself to outsmart the makers and turn the rules into your own advantages.

[Banaminati]

Originally posted by Immortalized Shadow:

I think it makes it more entertaining to. Challenging yourself to outsmart the makers and turn the rules into your own advantages.

I see, but I mean if that is what you enjoy then why complain when your the one who found the crazy strat, I mean idk, seems strange

[Immortalized Shadow]

It wasn't intended to be a complaint. More of a guide on what I did and how it works, but worded as a question.

"If it's so easy to bypass, why does it exist at all? How can it be improved?"

I get that it can't mimic Minecraft with its light level-based spawning, way too easy to bypass that. But idk. Just wanted to put it out there to see if there is a better way to condition spawns, a better/cooler way to bypass the existing system, or other ways to utilize the bypass.

You can already make disconnected guard towers like sentry guns. I would...suppose...you could do the same with any job so long as it has a job block, area to work (if a farmer, requiring extra space), a bed, crate, tool shop, and grocery store.