SCUM Easy AdminHow far away a horde appears
Multiplier on the distance at which a horde's enemies are spawned.
scum.EncounterHordeSpawnDistanceMultiplier=1.000000
What does this setting do?
When a horde goes off, its enemies do not appear out of nowhere in front of the player but at a distance from which they approach. This multiplier changes that distance; it ships as 1.0.
It decides how a horde feels. A large distance gives warning time: you hear them, see them coming and get to decide – fight, barricade or leave. A small distance takes that decision away; the horde is simply there.
Large distances are not only kinder but usually the better experience. A horde you see coming is threatening. A horde that simply appears reads as a technical fault – even when it is not.
Note that a very large distance can mean the horde never reaches the player, who has long since moved on. Above 2.0 keep an eye on that, or the server computes load for enemies nobody ever sees.
Which value suits my server?
1.5 to 2.0. Warning rather than surprise.
1.0 (default).
0.5 to 0.75. The horde is suddenly there.
What to watch out for
Enemies appearing practically in front of the player are perceived as a programming fault, not as difficulty.
If the horde never reaches the player, the server computed it for nothing. Above 2.0 it is worth watching the tick rate.