Awesome, thanks for the prompt reply.
While I'm at it, can I get a breakdown of the different Spawn Types? What I understand is this:
- Static Spawn starts out with more zombies on the board initially, no grace period, etc.
- Dynamic Spawn gives you the old grace period, and slowly increases the danger level of spawning creatures until you reach the Spawn limit of the local area.
What I am wondering is this:
- The "surviving your first day" wiki pages suggest that Static Spawn is easier. I'm unclear as to why. I think I've seen posts here suggesting it is harder.
- Does the Static Spawn start out spawning a total number of creatures equal to the spawn limit used in dynamic spawn games, or something less?
- If maps are still dynamically generated as you travel long distances overland, how does static spawning work? All local spawns are created instantly, as soon as you move into a new map area?
- In a the old game, I think certain creatures did not start showing up until either significant time passed, or until you started opening portals / wielding artifacts / activating whatever-those-halflife-events-are. In Static Spawn, are they wandering around from the start? are those effects of activating portals and halflife-reactions and wielding dimensional artifacts then meaningless? Or do additional spawns still occur even in Static mode?
Static vs dynamic, as I understand it.
Static:
All zombies are placed on the map when it loads. I presume that means that as new pieces are loaded, zombies are placed as well.
Wildlife is dynamic spawn. This is why you see dogs and cats and zombears wander in once you've cleared out an area.
Other critters are dynamically spawned. This goes from everything else from triffids to those things with the lasers eyes that look through your soul.
Dynamic:
No critters on the map initially. This gives you a 30 minute or so window to run around, make as much noise as you want, smash into things, take everything, and secure a shelter.
Once the thirty minute window is up, spawns start occurring. More noise decreases time between the spawns. In theory it is possible to clear an area of spawns, however, I'm not sure what exactly is considered "local" for the purposes the spawn pool.
May or may not have limits as to when certain special zombies and such can spawn. I think some are limited to later, but I haven't tested this lately.
The main reason why static is easier, is that you can scout. If you walk down the street and see ten hulks at the limit of your view, then those ten hulks will always be there. In dynamic, they'll be eaten by the spawn pool, to be regurgitated later somewhere else, possibly right in front of you as you beat a hasty retreat away from them. Likewise, in static, once a house is cleared, its cleared, barring wandering zombies and leading others into it. You can slowly make a safe path darting between houses and stores into a city, whereas in dynamic, the path closes pretty much as soon as it leaves your vision.
Stealth edit: Ninja'd. Though, I'd like to add that static spawn DOES respect danger level to a degree. For example, you are highly unlikely to find a hulk or brute on the edge of town. Deep in the center of a 20 tile radius city? Every other critter is likely to be a special zombie.