Dear developers, my PVE server has become extremely boring. Please take a look at the reasons below:

[Pooroldman]

Dear developers, my PVE server has become extremely boring. Please take a look at the reasons below:

I have three different modes for my PVE server. One is with a 0.3x loot drop rate and 3x puppets, another with a 10x loot drop rate, and the third with a 1.3x loot drop rate. The settings vary, but they are all PVE-based.

In the 1.3x loot rate server (referred to as the "old server"), the bunkers have been exploited. With just two machetes and a whetstone, players can easily clear the bunkers. Each run takes about 2 hours, and they can get at least 20-30 gold bars or even more.

Today, while using the #listplayer command, I discovered that some players have over 4800 gold bars, and some even have over 5000. They are starting to feel bored and fed up. I started paying attention to this issue and found a serious problem: there's no way to spend gold bars! I adjusted item prices and fuel costs, but it didn't help. Puppets don't attack bases or vehicles, and players have nowhere to spend their gold bars. What should I do?

I'm watching a large number of players leaving, and I feel helpless. Please don't focus on my ID because I can't speak with my other ID. I got this game in 2018 or 2019, and I've put thousands of hours into it. I've even gained 115 kilograms because of this game!

I maintain several sets of servers, all PVE. I pay great attention to changes in this game regarding PVE.

But now, it's very difficult for me to continue. Even for events like Ironman or killing Gundams, there are no attractive rewards for players because anything in the game has become dull for PVE players.

They have enormous amounts of gold bars, and even with server updates, it's not enough because I can't just steal their hard-earned gold bars.

So please, everyone, including the developers, guide me. How can I provide sufficient rewards or implement other systems to control the growing issue of players accumulating too much? I'm really struggling with this! After all, in the current PVE environment, there isn't much that's "especially valuable." Maybe if the trade zone had Phoenix Potion and it couldn't be dropped, it could be considered... I really can't think of anything else.

[CrankyOldMan]

You will find with every update players log on see what is new and after about 2 weeks of game play they leave till the next update!

Our server capped when .9 dropped and now we have less than 10 playing at different times on a regular basis and it is that way with every update.

There's not much to do pve content wise atm unless you create events and award prizes on your own!

[Deathwhisper]

Hello :),

There are many different reasons why the number of players varies. As CrankyOldMan already said well, after patches e.g. Higher player numbers active while longer after the patch the player numbers return to a more calm level. Sales can also increase player numbers sooner or later.

Making a server attractive is another task that you can undertake to freshen things up a bit.
Conquering the fortress or other events on offer can certainly provide variety here, as can many other things such as treasure hunts or a self-written "quest".

Work with your fellow players and talk to them about which events they would like and which activities might need a change, etc. This will help you achieve the most in the end.

As for gold:

In PvE there are basically only a few dangers that make it necessary to spend gold for shelter respawn. Player vs Environment is quite one-sided as there are no raids or theft events in general.
Accordingly, especially with higher loot settings, even if they only occur periodically, very large amounts of material can be accumulated and the lack of raids means that it is fundamentally unstoppable.

Although you can counteract this by increasing costs, this only has a limited effect because the amount of danger is unbalanced by the PvE itself.

___________

In conclusion, as I said, there is no guarantee that players will play consistently. There could be other interests for the period, waiting for a patch or completely different reasons. This is something that you just have to take a little bit of consideration into. :)

[Pooroldman]

Originally posted by Deathwhisper:

Hello :),

There are many different reasons why the number of players varies. As CrankyOldMan already said well, after patches e.g. Higher player numbers active while longer after the patch the player numbers return to a more calm level. Sales can also increase player numbers sooner or later.

Making a server attractive is another task that you can undertake to freshen things up a bit.
Conquering the fortress or other events on offer can certainly provide variety here, as can many other things such as treasure hunts or a self-written "quest".

Work with your fellow players and talk to them about which events they would like and which activities might need a change, etc. This will help you achieve the most in the end.

As for gold:

In PvE there are basically only a few dangers that make it necessary to spend gold for shelter respawn. Player vs Environment is quite one-sided as there are no raids or theft events in general.
Accordingly, especially with higher loot settings, even if they only occur periodically, very large amounts of material can be accumulated and the lack of raids means that it is fundamentally unstoppable.

Although you can counteract this by increasing costs, this only has a limited effect because the amount of danger is unbalanced by the PvE itself.

___________

In conclusion, as I said, there is no guarantee that players will play consistently. There could be other interests for the period, waiting for a patch or completely different reasons. This is something that you just have to take a little bit of consideration into. :)

For PVE servers with an abundance of gold bars or funds, how to consume them is crucial. My servers will have many activities, such as triathlons, defeating Gundam, treasure hunting, and more. However, for players who have "countless gold bars" and have supported the servers for many years, it becomes meaningless. So, here are some ideas on how to "consume" more gold bars in PVE:
1.Slot machines or card games can be a good way, with server administrators having control over the winning probabilities.
2.You can have the authority to disable certain items, making them not appear on the server unless acquired through commands. For example, items like "Phoenix Potion" or "MRE" could only be obtained through special events or activities.
3.Make vehicles harder to maintain! There are too many vehicles on servers. They're accumulating endlessly, with cars left stationary like nested dolls (items or food put in a backpack, then into a box, and finally into the car). However, cars don't lose durability if they're not driven. Their maintenance cost is too low. If cars were more costly to maintain, people might have to buy repair kits at a high price, making them harder to use.
4.The "Camouflaged Zombie Clothes" can also be introduced as an easter egg. If these clothes were equipped by zombies, it would indeed impact the server's balance.
To summarize, introducing new items and making existing unique items obtainable only through "rewards" or "gambling" would make them highly valuable. The Phoenix Potion is a good example, but it can still be found in medical cabinets. Perhaps the old safe zones can serve as a "gambling" hub, allowing players to exchange gold coins for lottery events, resulting in unexpected rewards. This could also help alleviate fatigue.
Regarding fatigue, I appreciate the mechanic but believe it needs to be more impactful. There should be levels such as C4, where C1 doesn't affect you much, C2 slightly reduces your maximum stamina, C3 causes you to stumble and move slowly, and C4 renders you unable to move until you recover forcibly. Of course, there should be more reasonable medications to make that red fatigue bar less annoying. For example, energy drinks can temporarily prevent fatigue but once their effect ends, fatigue accumulates more rapidly. This way, the annoying red bar would hardly exist for an extended period. You know, some people are called "OCD"!

[marktkm]

Obligatory "not a dev", but I wouldn't look for too much in the way of changes for PVE servers before they finish the game. Their focus is on the vanilla version. Who knows though. They sometimes throw things in by surprise.

[NERFZBrave5]

make puppets dmg x10, balance traders by removing various items, other than that there realy not much to do .

[Ayahuasca]

You gained a 115 kilograms? Might be time to go for a walk ....I mean this equates to some poundage

[CrankyOldMan]

Try to think of things for the players to do.

Hunting tournaments, use the firing range for snipping contest, fishing tournaments, use the race track for an event, have the players collect puppet eyes or make teeth necklaces and

Offer rewards.

Rewards could be fame points and or cash after a soft wipe to get them rolling again.

We offered in one event a admin auto build of their camp-they dropped the blue prints and we filled them in with god mode.....

[Pooroldman]

Originally posted by CrankyOldMan:

Try to think of things for the players to do.

Hunting tournaments, use the firing range for snipping contest, fishing tournaments, use the race track for an event, have the players collect puppet eyes or make teeth necklaces and

Offer rewards.

Rewards could be fame points and or cash after a soft wipe to get them rolling again.

We offered in one event a admin auto build of their camp-they dropped the blue prints and we filled them in with god mode.....

I understand what you're getting at. When players amass an abundance of resources and fame points, regular rewards lose their appeal. Introducing elements like gambling can help recycle these resources and fame points. You're suggesting that specific items could be banned, or new, enticing items could be created to provide more attractive rewards. For example, items like the Phoenix Elixir, intelligence boost modules, elixirs that permanently increase certain skills, or even items with no inherent attributes, like "physical gold bricks" (100 gold bars = 1 gold brick, convenient for theft and storage, right?). You also mentioned cigars; if they caused temporary poisoning but could significantly reduce fatigue over a long period, they might be very popular. I understand that the "zombie disguise clothing" is an excellent reward, but it currently has a significant impact on PVE balance, especially since it can lead to rapid wealth accumulation if used strategically. Is that what you meant?

[CrankyOldMan]

It's like that with almost every game!
I capped every skill in Skyrim and when they released it again I capped legendary.
Years ago I capped every class and every skill in DAOC on a pvp server.
On pvp servers what you collect can be taken from you so the game play there is a loop, where as pve servers will get stale!

[eighthwonderbeeton8]

I think that if the developers either create periodic events to bait players with items they want, etc., or build a market among players, similar to MMORPGs, they will be closer to solving the problem raised by the OP.
In order to form a market, an auction house setch and a trade mechanism between players would need to be implemented.
In order to get players to spend money, building materials and decorations need to be bought from traders or auctioneers.
The same applies to weapons and armor. Weapons and armor need to be rare.

The administrator needs to be given the authority to restrict player crafting, change item performance, change item names, etc.

Even with the above conditions in place, a market of about 60 players is too small; it would need to be over 1,000 to get going.

In other words, in SCUM, I think the effect is low for the high hurdle to form a market among players.

The remaining proposal is for the developer to organize regular events for PvE.
First, this idea should not be a priority until 1.0v, so we cannot expect it; after 1.0v, it is up to Gamepires to get a steady revenue stream from SCUM.
If Gamepires does not receive steady revenue from SCUM, it will not be able to provide for the costs of hosting the event.

At this point, the best course of action seems to be to support the administrators by expanding the privileges of server administrators.
It is realistic to suggest the privileges we would like to see opened up to the administrators.

[Pooroldman]

Originally posted by eighthwonderbeeton8:

I think that if the developers either create periodic events to bait players with items they want, etc., or build a market among players, similar to MMORPGs, they will be closer to solving the problem raised by the OP.
In order to form a market, an auction house setch and a trade mechanism between players would need to be implemented.
In order to get players to spend money, building materials and decorations need to be bought from traders or auctioneers.
The same applies to weapons and armor. Weapons and armor need to be rare.

The administrator needs to be given the authority to restrict player crafting, change item performance, change item names, etc.

Even with the above conditions in place, a market of about 60 players is too small; it would need to be over 1,000 to get going.

In other words, in SCUM, I think the effect is low for the high hurdle to form a market among players.

The remaining proposal is for the developer to organize regular events for PvE.
First, this idea should not be a priority until 1.0v, so we cannot expect it; after 1.0v, it is up to Gamepires to get a steady revenue stream from SCUM.

At this point, the best course of action seems to be to support the administrators by expanding the privileges of server administrators.
It is realistic to suggest the privileges we would like to see opened up to the administrators.

In fact, as long as you grant a sufficient number of management permissions, this issue can be resolved. Alternatively, you could introduce some "controlled" items that cannot be dropped.

Sufficient management permissions can remove cars from the map, making it impossible to find Phoenix Pills or even completely eliminating any food. This creates a demand for special items as "rewards."

For instance, cars are excellent "reward" items, especially in PvE. You can earn a car by participating in activities, and they are highly valuable. However, the issue lies in the fact that car maintenance costs are too low. In PvE, cars can almost become "once you have it, you have it all." They can carry a lot of cargo, even serve as a mobile home, but they don't require much cost. Do you understand maintenance costs? They only need a little attention to avoid crashing into trees and refueling...

What if certain car issues could only be repaired at repair shops, and they couldn't be fixed otherwise?

So, there are currently two very serious issues in PvE servers: firstly, there's an accumulation of resources that can't be consumed, leading to a lack of interest in any activity's rewards. Secondly, zombies lack the ability to enter or attack buildings, and they can't modify their defense values. Additionally, there are no challenging bosses and rewards to look forward to (here, I once tried initiating "Kill the Gundam Robot" activities, but what rewards are worth anticipating in a PvE server?). So, if these two issues are resolved, it wouldn't require excessive development to make PvE a lot of fun! Imagine a self-destructing zombie chasing you home and blowing up the house you've painstakingly built...~

[eighthwonderbeeton8]

I respect private server admins.

They pay for the server costs, fight cheaters, and put in unpaid time to make others happy.
Nevertheless, some of the private server players are rude and swear at the admins.

You admins are great contributors to SCUM.

[Pooroldman]

Originally posted by eighthwonderbeeton8:

I respect private server admins.

They pay for the server costs, fight cheaters, and put in unpaid time to make others happy.
Nevertheless, some of the private server players are rude and swear at the admins.

You admins are great contributors to SCUM.

I have many PVE servers, and I've invested a lot of money into them. I earn money through work to cover the server costs, and once there are cheats or hacks in the game, it severely damages the fairness of the servers.
I hope the developers can see the plight of PVE servers and make some simple adjustments to provide enough space for OPs (server operators) to unlock the potential of private servers. This would make the game more open and diverse. After all, not all players around the world enjoy PVP. Of course, they can choose other games, but many players still love this game; they just don't like the PVP aspect. If there's more room to unleash the potential of this PVE mode, it can at least prevent the loss of PVE players, and that would be perfect.

[AI]

this is why the shops were a bad idea. My opinion

[Squash]

Hopefully the loot customisation JSON files for servers will help in this regard. You could implement time based loot rarity (manually of course) for each week where certain loot like weapons becomes more rare as the server days increase. As patch notes say (and documentation) you can spawn anything on any object examine now, and even customise the rarity.