Container Contents No Longer Static On Map Load

[Jimmy]

After doing some testing, I've determined that containers may offer different contents when searching even after a map has been loaded and saved.

My observation was conducted at the Pleasant Valley Community Hall on Interloper, and I discovered that the kitchen containers may contain different loot if exiting the game and reloading the save file. So far I've observed different containers offering pork and beans, muesli bars, beef jerky and even a box of tea. The same containers may be empty on separate reloads, or contain different items.

This is interesting, as I'd worked under the impression that previously, loot in containers was determined at the time the map was loaded. Has this changed in the most recent update?

[odizzido]

I suspect the map items outside of containers spawn when you load into a map but it's easier to spawn items inside containers when you interact with them and it has always been that way. That would be how I would probably make it myself at least, not that I am an expert.

[Jimmy]

Hmm, the plot thickens!

There's 25 containers in the kitchen area of the community hall. I tested and found about one item every four reloads on average, after reloading about fifty times. That would roughly equal 1% chance to find an item in the containers.

However! After leaving the community hall and re-entering, the very first loot list returned. I found all the items originally found on my first entry into the area.

This seems to me to indicate a mix of two RNG determined loot systems. The first is determined by a static value, probably game seed value or some such. The second overlay is an additional chance, probably 1% or so, to find random loot in unopened containers, independent of the static value of the area.

[Silverhour]

I've had similar experiences myself. Any items on the ground when entering the map are generated at first entry. When you enter a new region the game auto saves, so once the map generates, it's saved as is. However, the container contents are RNG'd at first interaction, so a backpack that contained a can opener the first time you opened it, might not have that same item if you exit/reload and try again for a second 'first' time. (This is an actual example I encountered.)

Edited January 25, 2020 by Silverhour
grammar