SoD2: Improved raiders system (new raider Enclaves and their activity)
I propose to rework the hostile enclaves, that to add more interest to players in the late game
What exactly I'm proposing (briefly first):
1. the emergence of raider/bandit enclaves in cities and locations, where players removed the threat of plague hearts.
2. capture of empty bases by hostile enclaves and the creation of zones of control by bandits
3. effects of raider control zones (ambushes in houses, snipers on observation sites)
4. raiders will attack outposts
5. tribute to raiders for temporary peace.
6. strengthening of bandit groups (chance of spawning in helmets, like military zombies)
And now in detail what I propose:
if the developers will like the idea of new raiders, then they can implement these mechanics in any way they want, but now I’m offering the simplest implementation option.
The emergence of raider/bandit enclaves
When players will destroy 50+% of the hearts on the map, the raider system will be activated.
(the bandits will be afraid of zombies and will not come until it is relatively safe from the plague)
Example, on Nightmare Map raiders will be activated after destroying the ninth plague heart.
When a player has completely cleared any location then raiders enclave can appear in such locations.
completely cleared means: zero buildings on this location, controlled by plague.
by location i mean (example) list of locations in Providence Ridge (Map): Pine Bluff, Hayden Cut, Prescott, Vista View, Camp Winchester and e.t.c.
But, while location have at least 1 building controlled by any heart - raider enclaves can't appear in that location.
How they will appear?
Each 1 hour (after raider system activation, when will be destroyed 50% of hearts), a game will throw random roll, as chance, that in 1 of cleared location of the map, hostile enclave will appear (only in locations where are still zero hostile enclaves and not present main base of the player).
P.S.: raider enclaves will not be able to appear in the safe area around Outposts.
Basic chance of appearing per hour: 20/30/40/50/60% (depends on Map Difficulty). And -10% to chance for each Raiders Enclave on the map (usual (not raiders) hostile enclaves will not affect this chance).
So, (example) if will be present 3 different raider enclaves on the Standart Map (second difficulty), chance of appearing new ones will be - 0%, while previous not destroyed.
If new raider enclave appear on the map a two-hour delay will be launched (new raider groups will not appear during this time).
Every time when raiders appear, they appear as new groups (not one group spawns bases at different points on the map, but different groups of raiders appear on the map).
Capture of empty bases by hostile enclaves
a1. If the location (where already present raiders enclave) has empty Home Site (place for players base), raiders will capture it after couple of hours 4/3.5/3/2.5/2 (time will depends by difficulty).
a2. When 75+% of Plague Hearts are destroyed, there is a 35% chance for each new Raider Enclave on the map that it will appear on the Home Site from the very beginning (without spawning in a regular house).
a3. Home Site can't be captured by raiders while any player is inside it (another place will become the target of capture by raiders, or new attemp of capturing will happens after 10 min).
a4. If Home Site is inside of safe area of Outpost, raiders will capture outpost by the first, and new timer for Home Site capturing will be launched..
P.S.: other enclave of other raiders can capture other home site in other part of the map.
P.S.S.: but players can destroy raider enclave (as long as the bandits live in an ordinary house), in this will stop base capturing by raiders.
b. After capturing of Home Site, previous base of raider enclave will be removed (their group will move to the base).
c. Until the base is cleared of raiders, new raider groups will not appear in this location (region), and this base will give -10% to the chance of spawning other raider groups on the world map.
d. at the captured Home Site will be spawned 5 raiders, along the perimeter of the Site. 4 on the ground, and 1 on watchtower (see point "f.")
e. this Home Site will become the center of the bandit control zone (following the same scheme as creation of curveball event zones)
f. 1 random empty small facility will be changed to Watchtower lvl 1 with guard (with random fire weapon, including short-ranged).
If players will kill this guard, other raiders will not go to Watchtower as new guards.
this facility will be destroyed (exploded), if player will clear raiders enclave from this Home Site.
Raiders will attack outposts
a. Each Raider Enclave (except neutral status after tribute) will try to capture closest players outpost with chance 20%, per hour. If current enclave already have controlled outpost, they will not try to capture other outposts, unless the outpost is blocking the capture of the base (Home Site).
Captured Outpost means - owner is player, but controller is Raider Enclave.
a2. If any Raider Enclave will successfully make a random roll and will capture the outpost, other enclaves will not try to capture other outposts in the same hour, and the next attempt will be in two hours (cooldown).
b. Raiders will auto-capture outpost if no player is inside it (if any player is inside, capture will auto fail).
c. Land mines will not work against raiders.
d. After capturing, inside outpost will be spawned solo raider with increased health (150%) and 20/25/30/35/40% spawn chance of helmet.
e. If players or zombies will kill this guard, outpost will be returned or infected (depends, what will kill it).
Hordes vs Raiders
Hordes sent for infection may try to infect normal houses (where raiders live), or outposts, controlled by raiders.
If any player is inside 100m raidus to that place, he will see battle horde vs raiders.
But if no player is nearby, the battle will happen automatically:
Chance of killing a raider: 20% and +10% for each special zombie in the horde. If the first raider dies from a successful chance roll, the roll is repeated and the chance of killing the next one is reduced by 20%. As a result, a raider, or two raiders, or all the raiders may die (if all the raiders die, the horde will capture the building).
If horde will auto-attack Outpost instead, then chances of killing of solo guard will be 30% + 5% for each special zombie inside horde.
Strengthening of bandit groups
a. If the enclave appeared on the map as raiders (this doesn't apply to enclaves that were peaceful and then became hostile), then will be chance 10/15/20/25/30 (depends on difficulty) for each member of the enclave that he or she will spawn wearing a helmet, the same as what armored zombies wear.
b. if raiders will capture the Home Site, then chances of spawn with helmet on this Site will be x2 (20/30/40/50/60).
c. Only on Home Sites, raiders can spawn in armor, but only those who spawned without primary ranged weapon. Chance: 20/30/40/50/60. And chance - 0% if raider have spawned with primary ranged weapon.
Primary Ranged Weapon is weapon in the big slot. Pistols and revolvers are not primary weapon.
So, each raider on Home Site can spawn with helmet, or spawn with armor, or spawn with helmet + armor (independed chances).
d. raider on the armor will receive only 50% of melee damage (including zombie hits) on any part of the body, except head, and only 25% of ranged damage vs body.
the same for helmet: 50% damage reduction for melee hits vs head, and 75% damage resist vs headshots.
e. Zombie bites (unlike to zombie hits) will deal full damage to any armor.
g. players can't wear armor or helmets (because this will ruin balance).
h. raiders will recruit new recruits to their ranks; if the player does not destroy the raider Home Sites on the first try, then every 15 minutes 1 killed raider will be replaced by a new one.
This will work only for Home Sites, and dosen't work for normal enclaves (3 people on the house).
Effects of raider control zones
a. The size of the raiders' control zone will be the same as the size of the modified zombies' zones (during curveballs).
b. Inside raiders control zone, raiders can ambush any player with chance 20%, who enter any: not empty + not safe building, where are present 4+ check zones of rooms .
Example of ambush:
On "1." sample: player have opened door and auto-discover 1st room near door, but still nothing happened (ambush can happens only after scouting of second room).
On "2." sample: player have checked second room and random was rolled. Happened 15% chance and 3 raiders was spawned on "not checked rooms" + they auto detect player (have started aggro).
On "3." sample: player have jumped into window (and he enter house not through door), and here is example where 3 raiders will spawn if 15% chance of ambush will happens.
During ambush, can appear 1, or 2, or 3 raiders and chance of ambush can be checked only 1 time per house, per raider enclave (if players will clear home site from the raiders, ambush chances in this zone will be reseted for future enclaves).
Ambush raiders always will spawn without helmets and armor. And weapons on their bodies always will become damaged, after ambush raider death (that to prevent players from easily farming parts).
d. if all players will move 100+ meters away from the house where was happened ambush and where there is still a raider, they will automatically disappear.
second kind of ambush:
If any Billboard or Cell Tower or Water Tower will become inside raiders control zone,
raider snipers can appear on them with a 25% chance if the player will crosses the line "2." around them. Their firing radius will be slightly larger and will reach line "1.". Each such tower will have a 15-minute cooldown to check the sniper’s spawn chance (if the sniper does not spawn, then he is guaranteed not to spawn for the next 15 minutes).
Raider snipers:
* will shot only players (and never zombies)
* always will see and shot players (including crouching) inside circle "2."
* always will see and shot not crouched players inside circle "1." but outside "2.". And in this zone they will not see crouched players on whom their aggro has not yet started.
* aggro will resets outside "1.".
c. ambush snipers always will spawn without armor, but will be chance 30/40/50/60/70% that they will be wearing a helmet. And weapons on their bodies always will become damaged, after sniper killing (that to prevent players from easily farming parts).
d. ambush snipers will be marked on the map and they will never dissapear from distance. They can automatically disappear only after Home Site clearing.
P.S.: also, can be added other kinds of ambushes (inside raiders control zone).
Tribute to raiders for temporary peace.
Raiders enclaves who control Home Sites (different enclaves can control different home sites) can demand tribute.
Raiders who live inside normal houses and dosen't control Home Sites - can't demand tribute.
Tribute can be created as events where will be given 30 minutes to player, to bring 5/6/7/8/9 resources of a random type. If the player will brings resources, the raiders will become neutral for 3 hours (but only the group that was paid; if another group also captures another Home Site, they will demand resources separately).
After 3 hours, will start new one event for new one tribute (30 minutes timer). If player will not bring resources, neutral raiders will becdome hostile again.
if the player re-enters the game, the tribute event will not be canceled.
if the player refuses to pay and attacks the raiders, then after 3 hours they will give a second and last chance - to pay tribute and cease fire (as other event).
Conclusion:
SoD2 already have zones of control, hostile enclaves, tribute events (on some maps), helmets and e.t.c. I mean, that needed not big time and resources that to improve the existing raider mechanics to more advanced one. And such changes of raiders will be enough, for the main theme for the game update 35 or 36 or 37).