Loot Placement Modification

[Havoc302]

With the impending release of the Epoch files one of the first things I'd like to do is change the focus with the churches being the primary weapon spawn points and the various military installations around the place being completely useless.

 

I'm going to leave the churches as they are but I'd like to add weapons loot spawning in military areas as well, is this going to be hard to achieve? Is the loot system that different from A2 Epoch? Thanks.

[Darth_Rogue]

 Is the loot system that different from A2 Epoch? Thanks.

 

 

I'd say we will all find out together in about 3 weeks.   ;)

[RangeCreeds]

That is to say they even let you modify there code at this current state, I highly doubt that.

[Darth_Rogue]

Modifying existing settings won't be an issue.  All it takes is a custom loot table, which can be done without any third party addons.  All you're doing is taking the a config file from the server pbo and moving it to the mission file with new values in place.  We won't be running our server like that since the mod is still in Alpha and we want to help test it stock, but the overall process is quite simple.  

[Brez]

I have to agree with loot placement... You can get a good weapon 99 percent of the time in a chapel over a military intallation.. That doesn't seem right.

 

Also the industrial type buildings would be nice to prioritize building and vehicle related loot.

 

Just some suggestions.

[Nic]

I wouldn't say military installations are completely useless, they can spawn more loot than a church, although churches are more common. Maybe the devs did this so people could get a weapon without having to go to high pvp areas. Even though it is less realistic, it is easier to get a weapon with a lower possibility of dying. 

[Osiris72]

I wouldn't say military installations are completely useless, they can spawn more loot than a church, although churches are more common. Maybe the devs did this so people could get a weapon without having to go to high pvp areas. Even though it is less realistic, it is easier to get a weapon with a lower possibility of dying. 

That's one reason I didn't like Breaking Point, in order to have a descent weapon you had to go to the airfield or barracks which was camped to all get out, even the military towers around the map that gave rusty old guns were camped.

 

I like the fact I can gear myself up with my favorite weapons without running all over Altis and not constantly die doing so.

[Chief]

I think its nice that a good loot spawn like churches (though it sometimes gives nothing)  are so spread out.  You know there are many more churches than military bases and they are just spread out.  Makes it so you cant camp them like military installations.  That is the one good thing about this loot table.  Also military bases do spawn loot they just dont have the possibility of as much per structure or the higher chances of a weapon crate.  I think the way it is currently is fine.

[DarkRanger]

im more concerned about how the loot spawns (in the sense of having to run up, then away, then back again) then worrying about the contents.. some buildings are fine, but normal residential buildings, seem to have to rely on that trick, especially if solo'ing..

[Havoc302]

Yeah I'd like to change the density of loot spawning as well, I've been through whole towns, cleared every building (like 40+ buildings) and found only a few with furniture in them, not very realistic and also very frustrating since you have to then move out of the town like 300m, wait 2 minutes then run back in again and sweep it all again.

 

I'd also love to have completely random rubbish spawns, that appear all over the map kinda like the old heli crashes and that used to, maybe 50 or so spread out over the whole map with there always being 50 on the map, so you clear one and another spawns somewhere else.

[Chief]

Usually I find quite a few with loot.  I would say make sure you check in every room and hallway because I have seen a house with nothing in it and opened a door on the second story to find dang near 5 lootables in one room.  I have even started checking the hallways in the windowed buildings because they have the chance of a peg board on the wall and I didnt even realize it.  One thing I do is I hit lootable trash spawns while doing houses so maybe that gives me a little more time for stuff to spawn in (i dont know how you loot so Im just trying to give a suggestion)

[DarkRanger]

Usually I find quite a few with loot.  I would say make sure you check in every room and hallway because I have seen a house with nothing in it and opened a door on the second story to find dang near 5 lootables in one room.  I have even started checking the hallways in the windowed buildings because they have the chance of a peg board on the wall and I didnt even realize it.  One thing I do is I hit lootable trash spawns while doing houses so maybe that gives me a little more time for stuff to spawn in (i dont know how you loot so Im just trying to give a suggestion)

Yep I loot everything.. trying to basically, hit every building, pile, lootable object on my way.. 

[Uro]

Yeah I'd like to change the density of loot spawning as well, I've been through whole towns, cleared every building (like 40+ buildings) and found only a few with furniture in them, not very realistic and also very frustrating since you have to then move out of the town like 300m, wait 2 minutes then run back in again and sweep it all again.

 

I'd also love to have completely random rubbish spawns, that appear all over the map kinda like the old heli crashes and that used to, maybe 50 or so spread out over the whole map with there always being 50 on the map, so you clear one and another spawns somewhere else.

 

 

Why dont you post something about this that is constructive in the feedback section and maybe the dev's will take your idea's aboard, that is after all what the feedback forum is for.

 

Instead of posting in GD and effectively saying "when i get my hands on the mod im gonna rip it apart and put my own mark on it"

 

Just sayin' :)

[Havoc302]

Why dont you post something about this that is constructive in the feedback section and maybe the dev's will take your idea's aboard, that is after all what the feedback forum is for.

 

Instead of posting in GD and effectively saying "when i get my hands on the mod im gonna rip it apart and put my own mark on it"

 

Just sayin' :)

You do realise the whole point of mods is to make the game different, why the hell should server owners not change it to suit their own flavour? If they didn't do that every server would be identical, what's the point in that? What makes a server great or not is how the admins change it to give it it's own unique flavour of the mod. Besides, I'm paying for the server, I'll run it how the hell I like, the thread was asking if it's easy to do, I was hoping to get people who have worked with the code already to let me know how different it is from ARMA 2 Epoch.

 

I'm not trying to change the main mod for everyone, just for mine ;) Hence not posting in the suggestions section.

[nedfox]

Havoc, we're in Alpha. IE. testing phase. 

 

Every change you make will bring tons of users complaining  that a server is buggy or unbalanced, where the devs have no influence. 

 

The whole idea about alpha is testing the mod, and being the same all over the servers will make this easier.

 

TBH, we don't give a f*ck that you pay for your server. I won't since I host myself, and going to run a plain vanilla one so we can TEST, as the TEST should be done.

 

Just wait for a forum to open like http://epochmod.com/forum/index.php?/forum/33-arma-2-dayz-mod-epoch-custom-scripting/ and then work from there.

 

And take the suggestion above, and post some feedback to the devs about unbalanced loot instead of making an unstable / unbalanced server the moment you get your hands on the files.

[Havoc302]

Now that the public release has been announced don't you think it's time that a custom scripting area be created?

 

Obviously there will be a set of popular mods that will come along that almost every server will run just like they did for ARMA 2 Epoch, some of those mods even became a main stream part of the Epoch mod itself.

 

If they wanted servers to be kept vanilla then they shouldn't have announced they're releasing the server files, what's the point in 1000+ vanilla servers? Especially when I'm sure there are certain mods that will be used on a lot of the servers that may require slight modification of the Epoch code, especially it's AH.

[GasT]

I really liked that loot was in town´s and churches. Make´s fights very spread out and interesting.

 

And it sort of makes sense since most military compounds would have been breached and looted already and most weapons would spread out in the country.

[Darth_Rogue]

Now that the public release has been announced don't you think it's time that a custom scripting area be created?

 

Obviously there will be a set of popular mods that will come along that almost every server will run just like they did for ARMA 2 Epoch, some of those mods even became a main stream part of the Epoch mod itself.

 

If they wanted servers to be kept vanilla then they shouldn't have announced they're releasing the server files, what's the point in 1000+ vanilla servers? Especially when I'm sure there are certain mods that will be used on a lot of the servers that may require slight modification of the Epoch code, especially it's AH.

You are correct that every server owner has the ability to change things up to give their own server "flair" over the others.  But at this point that shouldn't be our goal.  The mod is still in development, so we should keep things as close to stock as possible until 1.0 release.  Changing settings and mixing up the loot spawn and number of AI enemies on the map is fine (depending on the resources of your box of course).  But I would strongly suggest keeping any third party scripts off your server until 1.0. Otherwise it will just introduce too many variables and will slow down development and troubleshooting of the mod.  

[Chief]

Now that the public release has been announced don't you think it's time that a custom scripting area be created?

 

Obviously there will be a set of popular mods that will come along that almost every server will run just like they did for ARMA 2 Epoch, some of those mods even became a main stream part of the Epoch mod itself.

 

If they wanted servers to be kept vanilla then they shouldn't have announced they're releasing the server files, what's the point in 1000+ vanilla servers? Especially when I'm sure there are certain mods that will be used on a lot of the servers that may require slight modification of the Epoch code, especially it's AH.

 

No I dont think that its time for a custom scripting area.  The server files are being distributed so that people may run servers but they are supposed to keep them stock so that any problems that may arise can be reported and fixed by the mod dev team.  If you start having problems that are associated with something you added to the mod but report it as a problem then the mods will waste time trying to fix a problem that was not there in the first place.  And you are right there is no point in having 1000 vanilla servers but people seem to think that they want their own server for some reason.  Honestly I wouldnt give out the files until epoch was in full release just because of people such as yourself that dont hesitate to say and I quote "I'll run it how the hell I like".  This is not the attitude that is needed here especially when the devs are trying to release a great mod and are just looking for help to diagnose problems in this alpha state.

[TayTayTheKiller]

I really liked that loot was in town´s and churches. Make´s fights very spread out and interesting.

 

And it sort of makes sense since most military compounds would have been breached and looted already and most weapons would spread out in the country.

This x100.

[Havoc302]

Yeah it makes sense if you're running vanilla, I'm planning to throw a few AI in around the military bases though, so I'd like them to be places of interest. Nobody in an apocalypse is going to ignore a fortified position as a base, that'd just be stupid.