Can items appear randomly now?

[Burning Bridges]

I thought I found everything. Now, after 64 days I suddenly see this.

I have been to the Logging Camp at least 10, probably 15 times, I often came on this exact route, looked around the Camp, and I am pretty certain I would have seen this on the first or second visit. Is it even possible that this has been here for all this time?

Or do things ever get spawned randomly, as has been suggested? The rucksack could have been uncovered by a blizzard.

And no, it did not contain anything special, just a pair of gloves and underwear.

[Burning Bridges]

There is also a campfire under the bridge near hydro dam, that mysteriously appeared!

Somebody must have been there.

[TarjaS]

I think that backpack is there all the time, it's just very easy to go past it without noticing it, if you're going to the trailers and concentrate on looking for the wolves.

I was at the Coastal Highway and in one of the houses, I found 100% cooked venison in the oven. Somebody must have been there a very short time ago. Of course I went on robbing their supplies and the venison was very nice.

[elloco999]

I spotted that same backpack where I hadn't seen it before... Could it be that these items were added with the updates?

[Burning Bridges]

It is practically un-missable, and I had also looked under the bridge.

Could it be that these items were added with the updates?

For now the most likely explanation.

[TarjaS]

The backpack was there in v.138 as that's when I noticed it. Haven't yet been at Mystery Lake after the big update.

[Sandra]

Weird. I also have the feeling that there are new items in the Mystery Lake Area. I wasn't at the logging camp since the update so I can't say anything about that backpack. But I was at the Lake Cabins again and in the Lone Lake Cabin I found an untouched Plastic Container. At first I thought I just missed it when I looted the cabins but in three other cabins I found Plastic Containers that were not looted yet, too. I am pretty sure I would not have missed so many containers in seven cabins. One - maybe, four - I don't think so.

@Burning Bridges: Ich bin sehr froh, dass du es ansprichst. Selbst wenn es nur Einbildung ist, halluziniere wenigstens nicht nur ich.

[Christoph]

For me the secret bunker actually changed after the update. I did a new run and while in the runs before it was a big bunker with lots of metal stuff in it (lamps, hatchet, scrap metal, prybars etc) it now was a bunker 'only‘ filled with food. Maybe they changed that. Or maybe the big bunker is in coastal road now?

[RedNanaki]

I found the backpack one time, and looked for it in my next game without finding it. And like you've already said it's pretty hard to miss, so it seems to be random whether it appears.

[elloco999]

For me the secret bunker actually changed after the update. I did a new run and while in the runs before it was a big bunker with lots of metal stuff in it (lamps, hatchet, scrap metal, prybars etc) it now was a bunker 'only‘ filled with food. Maybe they changed that. Or maybe the big bunker is in coastal road now?

There are different bunkers, with different contents. This was already in v.138. @Trandor has done a video of the different bunker interiors.

[Burning Bridges]

I think they have changed the randomization logic, so that it now triggers different things some times.

The logic must be dynamic, that means an object is activated when the randomization function says so, and it can appear at later times when the randomization function changes.

It's impossible to understand more details without knowing the code. But we do know the 380% sodas happen, or the fact that clothes suddenly all had completely different condition.

It's all based on certain calculations and they have changed them recently.

I found the backpack one time, and looked for it in my next game without finding it. And like you've already said it's pretty hard to miss, so it seems to be random whether it appears.

Yes. But I discovered it on day 62. I passed it by ca 10 times, and searched the area around Loggers Camp at least twice. Am I supposed to never have noticed this gaudy, green thing? No, I am sure and I swear it was not there!

[elloco999]

I'm okay with items appearing because of an update to the game, but if items are suddenly appearing because the game logic decides it's time to add a backpack to the map, then there should be an explanation for it's appearance. The only possible explanation would be other humans, but since you never see a living human that's not possible.

I do think the items with super conditions are somehow related to the update. Since I've started a new game I haven't found any item with a condition higher than 100%.

@RedNanaki: items are placed in the game world randomly, so if something is there in one game it doesn't have to be there in another game. That's by design. But if you're playing a game and from day 0 till 61 there is no backpack and on day 62 there suddenly is one, that's something different. This is what's happened to Burning Bridges and myself.

[RedNanaki]

Oh, I see. Did this happen before and after the update to the game? Might be why. I've never had a container randomly appear or disappear during any of my games.

[Burning Bridges]

It's not a biggie anyway.

And it would improve the game (and has been suggested before) if items can appear randomly (preferrably after blizzards). I had thought they might had gone this route when I found the backpack. If there was just a small chance that items appear (also disappear after time) because of snow storms / animals eating corpses and leaving only bones, etc, it would add new incentive to go out even when you have explored all. Knowing nothing will happen anymore kills motivation, uncertainty keeps it alive. And it would be easy to program, just a small modification to the current implementation.

I do think the items with super conditions are somehow related to the update. Since I've started a new game I haven't found any item with a condition higher than 100%.

That's exactly why I think something was changed to the calculations.I doesn't break anything in the game and creates some interesting new situations, it's just an observation