SCUM Easy AdminHow fast bases decay
Multiplier on base element decay. The underlying figure is 672 hours, or four weeks.
scum.BaseElementsDecayRateMultiplier=1.000000
What does this setting do?
Bases do not last forever. Every element carries a decay clock, and by default it runs for 672 hours – four weeks – before the element falls apart. This multiplier changes the pace: 2.0 halves the time to two weeks, 0.5 doubles it to eight.
Decay is the most important tool against ghost bases. Without it the map fills up over months with the huts of people who stopped playing long ago – and each one costs performance and blocks building space. That is exactly why the value 0 is so dangerous: it switches decay off completely. Whatever gets built then stands forever, until an admin removes it by hand or the world is wiped.
The clock resets when the owner logs in inside their flag area. Anyone playing regularly never notices decay at all. It only ever touches bases nobody looks after any more – which is precisely the point.
Four weeks is a good number for most servers. A small, settled community can afford to be more generous. A server with high turnover should speed decay up so the map does not silt over.
Which value suits my server?
0.5 to 1.0. Building servers live on long projects – but not on ruins.
1.0 (default). Four weeks of absence is a fair line.
1.5 to 2.0. Neglect your base and you lose it.
What to watch out for
It sounds friendly and is the fastest route to a map built shut. If you truly want no decay, you need a plan for getting rid of abandoned bases some other way.
Decay only affects abandoned bases. Complaints about “decay being too fast” usually come from players who logged in outside their flag area.
The multiplier is relative, not absolute. To reach a specific number of days, divide 672 by 24 and then by the period you want in days.