Killing Floor Mapping Guide tutorial

To spawn specimens in Killing Floor we use a volume called ZombieVolume. ZombieVolumes are placed in maps in the same way you would any other sort of volume. They should not be sunk into walls or floors, and the bounds of each volume should be made to fit whatever area it inhabits. You should have the pivot of the volume in the center near the floor and it should not be inside an object or near one. It should be okay to place the pivot offset from the center if there is an object in the way.

bDebugZombieSpawning - If true it will attempt to spawn green cylinders in the spawn volume in-game to show where specimens will spawn. If the cylinder is red that means no specimen will spawn there. Ideally you want at least 6 green cylinders so a full squad of specimens can spawn together. If you are not seeing any cylinders after setting this to true then no specimens will spawn you will need to make sure the pivot of the volume is at the center towards the bottom and is not in inside or too close to an object. Because this is a debug variable, you should make sure that all volumes in your map has this set false, before you distribute your work.

bNoZAxisDistPenalty - This determines if the ZombieVolume should be weighted for spawning specimens based on its z axis location. This should be set to true if you have a map where specimen spawns are on one level but at different heights such as on an outdoor level with gentle rolling hills.

CanRespawnTime - This value sets the minimum time between spawns on your ZombieVolume. For example, if you set this value to 6, your volume could only potentially spawn a squad of specimens once every six seconds.

TouchDisableTime - When a player comes in contact with a ZombieVolume, he disables it temporarily. This is done so that specimens don't spawn in the immediate area a player is defending. This value simply determines how long a volume should remain disabled for once a player has touched it, before it is able to resume spawning enemies.

OnlyAllowedZeds - This is an array for spawning specific specimens only. By default, the array is empty and each ZombieVolume can spawn any kind of enemy, as determined by the server settings and wave configuration. But let's say you wanted a certain area where only Stalkers spawned. You could add an array entry and select ZombieStalker from the dropdown list. You have now created a Stalkers-only spawning area.

MinDistanceToPlayer - This is a very important value and probably the one you will want to adjust carefully for each of your volumes. It determines how far, in units, players must be from your volume, before it is allowed to spawn any specimens. The default value is 600, which means that specimens can spawn around corners or moderately close to a player's location. In special cases however, such as a hidden air duct above players' heads where you want to spawn specimens, you should set this to a value of "1", and otherwise players who are walking underneath the duct will prevent it from spawning. In another situation, maybe you are creating a style of map where specimens spawn in the distance, and move in on players. In such a case you might set this value to something like 1500 or more.

RoomDoorsList - If you are creating a map with open/closable doors, this is a variable you should consider. In a few cases, you will have a room or area that is completely contained when the doors are shut and welded. It really wouldn't make sense to have specimens spawning inside of this area with you, when it has been barricaded. So to prevent this, you can add entries to this array, for each perimeter door of the containable area. When a door is added to the array, its parent Volume will not spawn enemies while that door is closed or welded. If bOnlyWhenWelded is true then no specimens will spawn inside only if the door is welded. A final caveat: Do not go overboard adding doors to this array! If you associate every door in the map with a volume's door list, it will make it difficult to spawn specimens near the player.

KFZombieZoneVolume - This volume is used to block only players. Specimens will be able to walk through it. It is recommended to place this near one way barricades that specimens can climb/walk out of.

Usable doors are movers called KFDoorMover. These are movers that act normal but that can be opened outward from either direction. They have three key frames. The 0 key frame is set to a closed position and 1 and 2 are set to a open position for both directions.

There needs to be a corresponding trigger for opening the door called KFUseTrigger. It's event needs to the same name as the door's tag. For example: Door1. This links the door and the trigger together. The KFUseTrigger needs to be placed in the center of door with it's arrow pointing the same direction as the 2^nd key frame. In the trigger's properties under KFUseTrigger, "bDirectionalOpen" needs to be set to True.

WaveSpawnPeriod - This is the rate at which new squads of specimens spawn after one squad dies. Small changes in this number can make a significant difference in the difficulty and intensity of gameplay on a level. A general rule is that smaller levels should have lower times and large maps have shorter time length.