A new release! It has been quite a long time since I last worked on this. Looking through the little bit of code I reworked, I can definitely tell that my skills have improved greatly.
The big change here is how scenarios now work. You could say that there's more emphasis on custom scenarios now. To start, the original scenarios and custom scenarios have been "merged." As far as the mod can tell, there is no difference. FISS is no longer used and has been replaced by PapyrusUtil. It has (in my opinion) better and more functionality and exiledviper has a pretty good track record with keeping up with Skyrim SE/AE updates.
When you go to the Scenarios page, all of the scenarios that you have created or downloaded will dynamically appear (alphabetically). There is virtually no limit, so go wild! The original scenarios, such as The Hive, Patient Zero, Dawn of the Dead, etc. are no longer built-in but can be downloaded from the Optional Files. They were rebuilt using the New Scenario page to confirm that it works correctly.
To create a new scenario, set your other settings as you wish, then go to the New Scenario page. Here, you can set the Title and Description. The input box is limited to 30 characters, however, and there doesn't appear to be an option that allows me to increase that. That said, you can always go to your Data/SKSE/Plugins/28Days folder and manually edit it there, if you wish. Changing the file name will change the title, and opening it with a text editor (such as notepad) and updating the text for the description will update the description.
Also on the New Scenario page is a random city population option. If it is set to -1, then nothing will happen, but setting it any higher will cause a random city to have its population set to this value upon being loaded. For example, when I created "The Hive" with this, I set all population values to 0, then set the random city option to 50. This way, only a random city becomes infected with 50 zombies. There is also a toggle option to add the "OTHER" population value into the random selection as well.
Ideas and suggestions for more functionality or control are welcome.
I'll post these ideas here since the chances of them being seen is much higher - the Ideas thread is basically dead. lol
TURN ON DEATH This setting is self-explanatory. Upon death, as long as the head has not been damaged in any way, NPCs susceptible to zombification will reanimate into a zombie.
WILDFIRE (Scenario) Based of The Walking Dead and the Draugnarok mod, this scenario will slowly increase the population in all locations every day, the amount of which depends on your settings. This will inevitably result in Skyrim being overrun. It starts off slow, with maybe one or two zombies in the wild, nothing too out of the ordinary. Then you start seeing more, and more, and more, until eventually they outnumber the living, and general order collapses.
NEWSPAPERS I didn't know this was an actual feature in the Oblivion version, but in Oblivion, you were able to read newspapers that would tell you of various incidents related to the infection, and where such events were occurring, giving you an idea of how widespread the outbreak was. I'd love to see that feature make a return.
ZOMBIES REPLACE NPCS I have a vague memory of hearing that the zombies don't actually replace NPCs, but instead spawn them when away from a location. So when you enter a place like Solitude, zombies will appear but everyone else is alive initially. It would be interesting, if possible, for NPCs to be killed off-screen to simulate zombification. This would ultimately break quests as it kills even essential NPCs, so it would be disabled by default with a warning prior to activation.
INFECTION TIME This simply would allow you to set how long after initial exposure does it take for an NPC (or YOU) to succumb to the infection. A slider, anywhere from instant to 24 hours.
REANIMATION TIME This would allow you to set how long after death does it take for an NPC (or YOU) to reanimate into a zombie. A slider, anywhere from instant to 24 hours.
AIRBORNE INFECTION This allows zombies and infected NPCs to transmit the infection to others within a certain proximity, a default of around 5 feet, maximum of 25 feet, with a slider percentage chance (default 15%, as high as 100%). This would cause an outbreak to spread totally out of control without any attacks necessary.
REANIMATE AS LONG AS INFECTED If an NPC becomes infected, but is killed before the virus finishes the job, they will reanimate anyway.
CRAFT INFECTION VIAL Using an alchemy table, using specific ingredients, you would be able to craft a vial containing the zombie virus. It would behave like poison, allowing you to contaminate weapons and infect any one NPC you strike. Additionally, if you sneak up behind someone, you will be given the option to infect them. This will allow you to be the one responsible for the apocalypse.
TAINTED WHEAT (Scenario) Is it a virus or a fungus? Regardless, it's in the wheat! All wheat related products, including bread, will now contain traces of the infection. Enough consumption will infect the player. This scenario also creates a 1-2 day latency period in which, after the allotted time has passed, approximately 40-60% of all locations will turn into zombies.
DELAY SETTINGS FOR X TIME Simply put, you will be able to delay the mod's activation for however much time you set it to, giving you ample time to prepare before things go south.
ALLOW HORDES This might already be a thing, but this would just allow the formation of hordes in the world, between 5 and 50(?) zombies at a time.
TREATABILITY This will determine just how treatable the infection is, and if you or other NPCs can beat it. By default, the chances would be 0%, but can be changed as you please.
NPCS RETAIN THEIR LOOK AFTER ZOMBIFICATION No clue if this is possible, given zombie skeletons might be differently built, but if so, this setting would simply allow NPCs to keep their appearance after they reanimate. So a zombified Ulfric Stormcloak will look like Ulfric Stormcloak... just as a zombie.
ZOMBIES ARE FRENZIED INSTEAD The fact that infected NPCs become frenzied against all uninfected NPCs before turning is so cool. However, what if the Frenzy WAS the turn? This setting, toggleable, would simply mean all zombies are now in fact just Frenzied NPCs. They'll use their tools and weapons and are still alive, just now they will be in a constant hostile state towards anyone who isn't infected. Uninfected NPCs will fight or flee, though fighting may risk getting them infected. This setting would come with an additional option for them to not use weapons, meaning they will likely fight with just their fists. Frenzied NPCs will be able to infect just like zombies, both with weapons and with fists. These would be incredibly dangerous versions of zombies, because that means they can infect you even with their arrows.
MARTIAL LAW This feature would add an additional threshold number for other areas to respond to the growing outbreak. Once this number has passed, the player will be informed that various settlements have declared Martial Law, meaning a curfew will be in place at night in these areas, Guard populations will be doubled, and getting caught means jail. Martial Law will only be lifted when the population decreases to a certain level.
VISUAL COLLAPSE Again, no clue if this is possible, but I really would love to see the world visibly change as a result of the ongoing outbreak. Perhaps places where most of the population is dead or zombified will have boarded up windows, and any lit lanterns or candles have since gone out. Owned beds will no longer be owned, and items in abandoned homes are no longer owned, so steal away. This would purely be a visual and somewhat gameplay change, but would really sell the idea that the world is ending or has ended.
very late reply, but i just had this idea of a random chance that a small horde of undead should be roaming the wilderness would make it more immersive especially with the zombie migration chance. so that when you are roaming the lands of skyrim there is a chance to ran into them.
Hey! super excited to play this mod, no idea how i hadn't looked up a zombie apocalypse mod sooner. I'm trying to get the original scenarios to show up but i cant figure it out! i tried both using vortex and manually downloading everything as well. The mod seems to be doing fine otherwise, just don't have any scenario options. any help on getting this fixed? also, in case i cant figure it out, if you could tell me how to make the original scenarios through the custom scenario settings that would be cool haha Thanks!
Already right now playing with scenario "safe walls", zombies all over tamriel. No issues, very soon i got attacked everywhere (what i wished), very seldom then a zombie stucks in a door, no biggie. The game mechanic is depending on any doors. Is that so? Any doors? So they can span whereever a door is, even in the wilderness.
My followers seems to feel when an npc from the town got infected during atacks but is not yet turned and so they attack them.. As far i understand. During my infections I got atacked by an npc, even friendly rank, but not by a follower who is currently following me with follower function. Is that the plan? There are now big battles one after another, wherever my PC and follower appear. I tried the option of spawning zombies indoors and then were in Whiterun Dragonsreach... and hell, that is fun. Deadly fun, very soon dead... or turned and then dead. Very good.
Yes, they spawn from any door. I can probably use Papyrus Extender to properly make it from load doors only, but you can also use the "Claim Door: Player" spell to 'tag' the nearest door and block zombies from spawning from it.
Yes, by default, NPCs that are infected will go into a frenzy and cause other NPCs to attack them. You can turn it off in the MCM.
Spawning from every door is a great idea. Hunting the zombies in a castle, indoors therefore, and trying to block the doors is fun and makes sence in terms of game play. Doors are therefore good spawn points. So far I used "Claim-door" power, as you said, indeed. With that spell/power my game play currently is to get controll over spawn points and thus zombies spawn no more - but infected npcs from population would/shoult exist and still turn?
About doors: - I claimed all doors inside a cell/house, but next to a door the zombies still spawn. What's the reason? (Its a Mod, not a vanilla house). As a workaround in case that is a mod i think a spell that works at once on the cell (no zombies spawn in cell) would come in handy. - I rezzed a door insde skyrim in the wilderness with a mod and right away zombies appeared there. But only 1 time. By what chance is that controlled? Scenario "Dawn of the Dead". I wonder because i asume that zombies spawn only in the cell of the player while everywhere else at the same time its math-formula that calculates the amount of zombies. And btw.. is death of population also happening when player is not in the cell? Because with that "dawn of the dead" i visited a city and all citizens are still in there, no zombies around. - When activating the function "zombies only spawn at zombie-claimed doors" and the information tells that the player has (!) to use a spell to give them a door to spawn: Does it really mean they would not spawn anwywhereunless I would set a door for them to spawn?
Luckely the frenzy turn off function is there. Very smart. Because followers (and some npcs) are mostly essentiel and dont die, but create chaos. Have not seen turning them yet. (But me, lol)
glitch, bug: - Switching off the spooky weather: After unchecking in MCM it checks itself back to show spooky weather. Can not uncheck it. I managed to do it once, but i can not reprodude it because i played with a lot different options in the MCM, too.
I play aorund a lot with it now. Good action, and the zombies are looking cool!
NPCs will only become infected after being attacked by a zombie. So if you claim all of the doors, then eventually zombies will no longer spawn, and nobody will be infected. Anybody already infected will still turn, but the zombies are deleted if you get too far away (for performance reasons).
- Which mod was that? Could be something weird that the author did, like placing 2 doors. - Zombies can spawn from any door so long as the door is loaded. If you are out in the wilderness, this can be affected by your uGridsToLoad ini setting. And no, cities won't experience zombie attacks unless you are in or close enough to the city for it to be loaded. That's just how Skyrim's engine works. You are correct, though, it's just a math formula. If you wait a bit, the zombie population increases, then gradually decreases, eventually reaching 0. - Yes, the "zombies only spawn at zombie-claimed doors" option prevents spawning from doors unless you mark them as spawners with the Claim Door: Zombie spell.
Thanks for reporting the Weather Visual option issue. I'll have to look at that.
The mod in question is https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/27125 Stonespire Castle. At the left side of the door to the sleeping room, upstairs, on the corridor, not inside the room.
I just recently discovered by chance (blame on me) (while controlling with wyre bash) that your mod - after making a new scenario - creates a new save with a proper name "28 Days New Scenario"
Very convinient indeed.
Before I changed des options within the same usual save of my games (plus saving but not always reloading) by altering ingame the example scenarios, which seemed to be a natural way to me. I asume now, not being sure, that the weather option-choice is kinda "burned" in the prefabed scenarios. If that is so I don't see an issue with that.
The mod works to some extent, it's really possible to arrange a bloodbath, but it definitely needs fixes. If you want a serious and elaborate zombie apocalypse, then I do not recommend it.
About bugs: (English is not my native language, so if there are grammatical errors, I apologize) 1) Zombies appear literally from all doors, even if it is illogical. And also in all places. I have met them even in distant ruins. 2) I added 1 zombie to Whiterun, and over time their population even grew to 8, but when I got there, I didn't meet zombie. I tried everything - going back and forth, waiting for several days, enter houses, etc. Only prepared scenarios work. 3) Barricades have bugs. Zombies and people get stuck in them in droves and complete chaos ensues :D 4) It is only necessary to accidentally hit an ally once - the whole city will turn against you, despite the invasion of zombies :D 5) Zombie walking animations sometimes break down and they just "fly" in a standing position.
i get what most of your problems are but the zombies will increase overtime it's not a bug. if you bothered to check the mcm menu you'll see that there's a setting for the spawn increase in all the cities, you can increase or decrease the spawn rate.
for example. solitude has zombie population "0" on day 1 and a has a spawn rate of 12 as day/time passes the number of zombies will increase to the amount of spawn rate you had it set to so by the 3rd day solitude now has atleast 24 zombies spawning and it will gradually increase each passing day. though occasionally you can cull their numbers by killing the zombies that spawn in that city.
1214 comments
The big change here is how scenarios now work. You could say that there's more emphasis on custom scenarios now. To start, the original scenarios and custom scenarios have been "merged." As far as the mod can tell, there is no difference. FISS is no longer used and has been replaced by PapyrusUtil. It has (in my opinion) better and more functionality and exiledviper has a pretty good track record with keeping up with Skyrim SE/AE updates.
When you go to the Scenarios page, all of the scenarios that you have created or downloaded will dynamically appear (alphabetically). There is virtually no limit, so go wild! The original scenarios, such as The Hive, Patient Zero, Dawn of the Dead, etc. are no longer built-in but can be downloaded from the Optional Files. They were rebuilt using the New Scenario page to confirm that it works correctly.
To create a new scenario, set your other settings as you wish, then go to the New Scenario page. Here, you can set the Title and Description. The input box is limited to 30 characters, however, and there doesn't appear to be an option that allows me to increase that. That said, you can always go to your Data/SKSE/Plugins/28Days folder and manually edit it there, if you wish. Changing the file name will change the title, and opening it with a text editor (such as notepad) and updating the text for the description will update the description.
Also on the New Scenario page is a random city population option. If it is set to -1, then nothing will happen, but setting it any higher will cause a random city to have its population set to this value upon being loaded. For example, when I created "The Hive" with this, I set all population values to 0, then set the random city option to 50. This way, only a random city becomes infected with 50 zombies. There is also a toggle option to add the "OTHER" population value into the random selection as well.
Ideas and suggestions for more functionality or control are welcome.
TURN ON DEATH
This setting is self-explanatory. Upon death, as long as the head has not been damaged in any way, NPCs susceptible to zombification will reanimate into a zombie.
WILDFIRE (Scenario)
Based of The Walking Dead and the Draugnarok mod, this scenario will slowly increase the population in all locations every day, the amount of which depends on your settings. This will inevitably result in Skyrim being overrun. It starts off slow, with maybe one or two zombies in the wild, nothing too out of the ordinary. Then you start seeing more, and more, and more, until eventually they outnumber the living, and general order collapses.
NEWSPAPERS
I didn't know this was an actual feature in the Oblivion version, but in Oblivion, you were able to read newspapers that would tell you of various incidents related to the infection, and where such events were occurring, giving you an idea of how widespread the outbreak was. I'd love to see that feature make a return.
ZOMBIES REPLACE NPCS
I have a vague memory of hearing that the zombies don't actually replace NPCs, but instead spawn them when away from a location. So when you enter a place like Solitude, zombies will appear but everyone else is alive initially. It would be interesting, if possible, for NPCs to be killed off-screen to simulate zombification. This would ultimately break quests as it kills even essential NPCs, so it would be disabled by default with a warning prior to activation.
INFECTION TIME
This simply would allow you to set how long after initial exposure does it take for an NPC (or YOU) to succumb to the infection. A slider, anywhere from instant to 24 hours.
REANIMATION TIME
This would allow you to set how long after death does it take for an NPC (or YOU) to reanimate into a zombie. A slider, anywhere from instant to 24 hours.
AIRBORNE INFECTION
This allows zombies and infected NPCs to transmit the infection to others within a certain proximity, a default of around 5 feet, maximum of 25 feet, with a slider percentage chance (default 15%, as high as 100%). This would cause an outbreak to spread totally out of control without any attacks necessary.
REANIMATE AS LONG AS INFECTED
If an NPC becomes infected, but is killed before the virus finishes the job, they will reanimate anyway.
CRAFT INFECTION VIAL
Using an alchemy table, using specific ingredients, you would be able to craft a vial containing the zombie virus. It would behave like poison, allowing you to contaminate weapons and infect any one NPC you strike. Additionally, if you sneak up behind someone, you will be given the option to infect them. This will allow you to be the one responsible for the apocalypse.
TAINTED WHEAT (Scenario)
Is it a virus or a fungus? Regardless, it's in the wheat! All wheat related products, including bread, will now contain traces of the infection. Enough consumption will infect the player. This scenario also creates a 1-2 day latency period in which, after the allotted time has passed, approximately 40-60% of all locations will turn into zombies.
DELAY SETTINGS FOR X TIME
Simply put, you will be able to delay the mod's activation for however much time you set it to, giving you ample time to prepare before things go south.
ALLOW HORDES
This might already be a thing, but this would just allow the formation of hordes in the world, between 5 and 50(?) zombies at a
time.
TREATABILITY
This will determine just how treatable the infection is, and if you or other NPCs can beat it. By default, the
chances would be 0%, but can be changed as you please.
NPCS RETAIN THEIR LOOK AFTER ZOMBIFICATION
No clue if this is possible, given zombie skeletons might be differently
built, but if so, this setting would simply allow NPCs to keep their
appearance after they reanimate. So a zombified Ulfric Stormcloak will
look like Ulfric Stormcloak... just as a zombie.
ZOMBIES ARE FRENZIED INSTEAD
The fact that infected NPCs become frenzied against all uninfected NPCs
before turning is so cool. However, what if the Frenzy WAS the turn?
This setting, toggleable, would simply mean all zombies are now in fact
just Frenzied NPCs. They'll use their tools and weapons and are still
alive, just now they will be in a constant hostile state towards anyone
who isn't infected. Uninfected NPCs will fight or flee, though fighting
may risk getting them infected. This setting would come with an
additional option for them to not use weapons, meaning they will likely
fight with just their fists. Frenzied NPCs will be able to infect just like zombies, both with weapons and with fists. These would be incredibly dangerous versions of zombies, because that means they can infect you even with their arrows.
MARTIAL LAW
This feature would add an additional threshold number for other areas to respond to the
growing outbreak. Once this number has passed, the player will be
informed that various settlements have declared Martial Law, meaning a
curfew will be in place at night in these areas, Guard populations will
be doubled, and getting caught means jail. Martial Law will only be lifted when the population decreases to a certain level.
VISUAL COLLAPSE
Again, no clue if this is possible, but I really would love to see the world visibly change as a result of the ongoing outbreak. Perhaps places where most of the population is dead or zombified will have boarded up windows, and any lit lanterns or candles have since gone out. Owned beds will no longer be owned, and items in abandoned homes are no longer owned, so steal away. This would purely be a visual and somewhat gameplay change, but would really sell the idea that the world is ending or has ended.
Thanks!
My followers seems to feel when an npc from the town got infected during atacks but is not yet turned and so they attack them.. As far i understand. During my infections I got atacked by an npc, even friendly rank, but not by a follower who is currently following me with follower function. Is that the plan? There are now big battles one after another, wherever my PC and follower appear. I tried the option of spawning zombies indoors and then were in Whiterun Dragonsreach... and hell, that is fun. Deadly fun, very soon dead... or turned and then dead. Very good.
Yes, by default, NPCs that are infected will go into a frenzy and cause other NPCs to attack them. You can turn it off in the MCM.
About doors:
- I claimed all doors inside a cell/house, but next to a door the zombies still spawn. What's the reason? (Its a Mod, not a vanilla house). As a workaround in case that is a mod i think a spell that works at once on the cell (no zombies spawn in cell) would come in handy.
- I rezzed a door insde skyrim in the wilderness with a mod and right away zombies appeared there. But only 1 time. By what chance is that controlled? Scenario "Dawn of the Dead". I wonder because i asume that zombies spawn only in the cell of the player while everywhere else at the same time its math-formula that calculates the amount of zombies. And btw.. is death of population also happening when player is not in the cell? Because with that "dawn of the dead" i visited a city and all citizens are still in there, no zombies around.
- When activating the function "zombies only spawn at zombie-claimed doors" and the information tells that the player has (!) to use a spell to give them a door to spawn: Does it really mean they would not spawn anwywhereunless I would set a door for them to spawn?
Luckely the frenzy turn off function is there. Very smart. Because followers (and some npcs) are mostly essentiel and dont die, but create chaos. Have not seen turning them yet. (But me, lol)
glitch, bug:
- Switching off the spooky weather: After unchecking in MCM it checks itself back to show spooky weather. Can not uncheck it. I managed to do it once, but i can not reprodude it because i played with a lot different options in the MCM, too.
I play aorund a lot with it now. Good action, and the zombies are looking cool!
- Which mod was that? Could be something weird that the author did, like placing 2 doors.
- Zombies can spawn from any door so long as the door is loaded. If you are out in the wilderness, this can be affected by your uGridsToLoad ini setting. And no, cities won't experience zombie attacks unless you are in or close enough to the city for it to be loaded. That's just how Skyrim's engine works. You are correct, though, it's just a math formula. If you wait a bit, the zombie population increases, then gradually decreases, eventually reaching 0.
- Yes, the "zombies only spawn at zombie-claimed doors" option prevents spawning from doors unless you mark them as spawners with the Claim Door: Zombie spell.
Thanks for reporting the Weather Visual option issue. I'll have to look at that.
The mod in question is https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/27125
Stonespire Castle. At the left side of the door to the sleeping room, upstairs, on the corridor, not inside the room.
I just recently discovered by chance (blame on me) (while controlling with wyre bash) that your mod - after making a new scenario - creates a new save with a proper name "28 Days New Scenario"
Very convinient indeed.
Before I changed des options within the same usual save of my games (plus saving but not always reloading) by altering ingame the example scenarios, which seemed to be a natural way to me. I asume now, not being sure, that the weather option-choice is kinda "burned" in the prefabed scenarios. If that is so I don't see an issue with that.
About bugs:
(English is not my native language, so if there are grammatical errors, I apologize)
1) Zombies appear literally from all doors, even if it is illogical. And also in all places. I have met them even in distant ruins.
2) I added 1 zombie to Whiterun, and over time their population even grew to 8, but when I got there, I didn't meet zombie. I tried everything - going back and forth, waiting for several days, enter houses, etc. Only prepared scenarios work.
3) Barricades have bugs. Zombies and people get stuck in them in droves and complete chaos ensues :D
4) It is only necessary to accidentally hit an ally once - the whole city will turn against you, despite the invasion of zombies :D
5) Zombie walking animations sometimes break down and they just "fly" in a standing position.
if you bothered to check the mcm menu you'll see that there's a setting for the spawn increase in all the cities, you can increase or decrease the spawn rate.
for example.
solitude has zombie population "0" on day 1 and a has a spawn rate of 12 as day/time passes the number of zombies will increase to the amount of spawn rate you had it set to so by the 3rd day solitude now has atleast 24 zombies spawning and it will gradually increase each passing day. though occasionally you can cull their numbers by killing the zombies that spawn in that city.