SCUM Easy AdminHow far enemies hear one another
The radius within which an enemy notices another one's noise – a puppet's scream, for instance.
scum.EncounterCharacterAINoiseResponseRadiusMultiplier=1.000000
What does this setting do?
This value is not about how well enemies hear the player but how well they hear each other. When a puppet screams because it has spotted somebody, others within this radius hear it and join in. The multiplier ships as 1.0.
This is the mechanic behind the experience of one enemy suddenly becoming six. A high value lets a noise travel through a whole settlement: the first scream draws the neighbourhood, whose noise draws the next. A low value cuts those chains and keeps fights local.
For PvE servers where players are often out alone, a value below 1.0 is a kind setting: a mistake then costs one fight, not the whole village.
For harsh servers it is the opposite – and more effective than simply raising enemy counts, because it rewards moving quietly and punishes shooting. It is one of the few values that create difficulty without taking the choice away from the player.
Which value suits my server?
0.5 to 1.0. A mistake should not wake the whole village.
1.0 (default).
1.5 to 2.5. Noise has consequences.
What to watch out for
The value governs how enemies hear each other. How well they hear the player depends on other values.
Above 2.5 a single shot can set a whole settlement in motion – and generate more load than the server can take.