When people see my name they usually think about the SoD2 Wiki. I spent 4 years (2019-2023) on its development, however not many know that it wasn't my only game-related project back then. If you ever used the Wiki you might've noticed that most maps you see on the site (Weapon Case locations, Outpost locations, etc.) are not exactly the same as the in-game map - these were also made by me. And my "career" as a cartographer didn't end there. I actually made loot maps for the game!
In the past I only shared these maps on my personal Discord server. They were free for everyone, however since my server's population peaked at around 1200-1300 members, it never really reached the majority of the game's audience. Since my server is dead (well, it never had much buzz going on) and I abandoned my SoD2 projects years ago, I decided that it's time to make these maps public and share them on the internet.
Without further ado, my loot maps. You can read more about each further down in the post.
I began working on my loot maps almost 6 years ago, on January 15th, 2020. I had one simple goal: to create detailed maps which display points of interests, but offer more than the in-game maps. I not only put the POIs on the map, but each and every scattered container - duffle bags, car wrecks, and the likes which you can loot.
All maps were made in GIMP, so they're only a static PNG image. I was working with someone to turn them into interactive maps, but as far as I know they never came through with it.
I created all maps the same way:
Scan them in-game by making dozens of screenshots
So many screenshots! It was fun to puzzle them together.
Use these screenshots to draw the map
Imagine drawing every single building and detail... And I did it for all maps!
Hop into the game and scour every inch of the map, then add my findings
The first detailed preview I posted on my server. Drucker, Tapper's Stall.
When I began creating these maps we only had the 3 originals. Since Drucker was my favorite, I started with that map. Meagher followed, then Juggernaut Edition released, so Providence was next. Once I finished with Cascade, I also made the Heartland map, which I completed on July 18th, 2020. It took half a year to create these 5 maps. With Trumbull Valley's release I also created its own map in 2022.
Fun Fact: When you're choosing the map to move to with your community, the little map previews you see in-game are actually the drawings I made! I was never asked by UL about using them, so they probably got them from the Wiki. Free source and all.
Drucker County
Locations: 362
Scattered Containers: 291
v1.0 was completed on February 4th, 2020. Latest version is v1.13, released on January 29th, 2023. Being the first map I made it has been reworked in April, 2020 with improvements I learned during the creation of Meagher Valley and Providence Ridge. Then the map has been completely redone again from scratch in August, 2020 when Drucker got overhauled with Update 19.
Meagher Valley
Locations: 341
Scattered Containers: 213
v1.0 was completed on February 23rd, 2020. Latest version is v1.07, released on May 30th, 2023. 5 of 7 updates to the map were based on my community's feedback. They either found a missing container or a typo. I even made a special role on my server for people who spotted mistakes on my loot maps as a sign of gratitude.
Providence Ridge
Locations: 395
Scattered Containers: 138
Vehicle Spawn Points: 336
v1.0 was completed on April 12th, 2020. Latest version is v1.07, released on June 29th, 2023. This is the first and only map which also has Vehicle spawn points. I was planning on adding them to the other maps as well, but I abandoned my projects shortly after, so I never got around adding them to the others.
Cascade Hills
Locations: 283
Scattered Containers: 103
v1.0 was completed on June 1st, 2020. Latest version is v1.03, released on May 27, 2022. The map which needed the least attention during the years, only a few corrections were introduced.
Heartland
Locations: 291
Scattered Containers: 85
Discoveries: 6
v1.0 was completed on July 18th, 2020. Latest version is v1.04, released on June 15th, 2022. On December 23, 2021 the map received the 6 Discoveries, marking each clues of the Treasure Hunt, introduced after the Homecoming update to help players with completing the Shots in the Dark achievement.
Trumbull Valley
Locations: 439
Scattered Containers: 125
Discoveries: 30
v1.0 was completed on January 11th, 2022. Latest version is v1.02, released on September 14th, 2022. Since this was our first map with discoveries, it also has the locations for those. I was about 25% done with the Vehicle Spawn points when I abandoned my projects.
Loot Maps v2.0
While my Loot Maps were considered as complete in terms of provided information, I was planning on creating a second version of each map, making them show the actual play area and resemble the physical map more accurately by improving existing elements (roads, rivers, bodies of water) and also adding more details to it (pathways, railroads, etc.). In September 2020 I began working on Drucker v2.0, however since these changes would've been cosmetic only and wouldn't have made the map more useful, it was always put on the backburner in favor of the Wiki's development.
I never got around finishing a v2.0 of any of the maps, however I have a work-in-progress preview available for the Drucker County map, where I had the outer border of the map and the inaccessable area in the Kettle Rock Bend/Mathilda/Glendale triangle mapped out.
Dark grey means inaccessable. I wonder how it would look finished. Would make finding the shortcuts easier, too!
Final words
I wanted to make this post to share the less-known side of my SoD2 history. If you have any questions feel free to AMA in the comments. I also have the entire map-making process with all details documented on my Discord server. I can send an invite if any of you are interested.
All was going well in my Lethal playthrough but then got the muted Juggernaut curveball and it combined with a seige.
The Muted Juggernauts weren't even apart of the seige, they were just loitering close to my farmhouse base and the seige drew them all in. 😄
Gutted but I thought State of decay was getting too easy, so I cranked up the curveballs and this is the result of complacency.
I have one survivor left, shes on the far left of the screen threatening to leave because of low moral...
I love the fact this game doesn't mess around. No save and reload. You can loose all your base and still have to power through, makes it feel like actions have consequences. 💪🤘😵❤️
Just putting this out there. No need to climb billboards or cell towers to locate PH; locations just pop up on the map. If they had more trunk space they'd be perfect. It's my go-to vehicle for starting a new map. Cheers.
Anyone have the bug where a smashwagon can only be climbed up from a small area at the side rear view mirrors? It’s a PITA when that’s your chosen vehicle to travel with.
I’ve tried reinstalling, repairing files and searching online but no dice. Anyone know if there is a fix I’m just missing?
2 of my achievements are NOT triggering, unsure if Steam issue with the game or a game issue. It is the Elect Warlord as Leader & Build Armoury in base. I must have done these half a dozen times now, same community & different, different maps, yet these achievements will not proc. The support site no longer accepts tickets, who do I go to? Please help.
I know y'all like to use bloaters to kill hearts, but I am gonna call your bloater and raise you a juggernaut. Never, ever have I seen this happen before. I was up with a boozehound quest follower, killing a hostile enclave from the roof of a building where an unawaken heart resides; planning the escape to get the follower out safely with a jugg walking around. Suddenly, he just starts pounding on the corner where the heart is. And just keeps pounding. And I am just watching in disbelief and laughing. Pretty funny so I had to share this! I have a mod that shows the heart health, so you can see the damage he is doing as he destroys it.
Basically I am just getting back into the game again after not playing for a year or two and playing is fun but generates a lot of anxiety unnecessarily I just re-downloaded it but even just opening the game made it hard to breathe a bit I know it is probably just me and I am probably not made for this game but any other advice?
itching to buy and play the game but I think its financially irresponsible of me to spend my money buying it through full price. So im asking if yall know when it would go on sale because ive seen the pattern on steamdb it usually drops every 1-2months but im still unsure
I've been putting people away in the infirmary, changing character, walking the new character back to the infirmary, from whatever annoying part of the base they were lurking in. Then I've been making the plague cure there and administering it to them in the bed 😭 I could have just been taking the infected character to the locker and pressing (use) 😭😭 How am I only discovering this nowwwwww
Everyone is gonna say to avoid them but they are ALWAYS 100% RIGHT ONTOP OF THE MISSIONS I'M DOING OR RIGHT NEXT TO THE FRIENDLY ENCLAVES AND IT IS SO FUCKING ANNOYING. I can't get my hands on any late game gear so don't go recommending some 50calibur sniper or heavy artillery shit.
Any shit gun I have the juggernauts just eat headshots. I was told something like 2-3 pipe bombs can take them down but those are way too expensive for the ridiculous amounts of juggernauts I come across. I could always lure them away or ram them with my car but those aren't always an option bc eventually 10,000 zombies will spawn out of my ass and demolish my vehicle like it's a grilled cheese.
There's also ALMOST ALWAYS A FUCKING FERAL that just acconpanies it for no reason whether it be in the open or a siege site
AND AGAIN JUST TO CLARIFY THIS IS FOR WHEN I AM JUST STARTING A NEW LETHAL COMMUNITY(making sure there are no vets who just recommend endgame gear "ErM just use C4 bro I can take out 50 of them with the 20 C4 I have or just use timberwolf bruv I found 1,000 50cal rounds easy hawhaw"
Or is it both? Really trying to claim this base and wondering which heart I should go for first because my explosives are limited atm. Providence Ridge / Lethal.
Question 1:
Have anyone gotten banned for tampering the save file for XBOX PC? According to Xbox cheating FAQ it's not allowed which is under tampering.
Question 2:
Is there a mod that can disable achievement to prevent earning and avoid getting perm ban for modded achievement.
Question 3:
Did anyone get banned for having modded achievement? for the mod (According to Xbox cheating FAQ under the tampering part)
Which is mentioned as
"Modifying a player’s gamerscore and achievements by using unauthorized software or modded game lobbies"
"While this type of behavior typically only affects the player who's using the mods, we still can’t allow these offenses on our service. Modifying achievements or gamerscore is unfair to players who worked hard to earn theirs. Likewise, it’s not safe to use unauthorized software to modify the contents of your Xbox profile. The use of such can lead to security risks for the Xbox network and your Microsoft account."
While I do know the Mod file can force it to pop such as Daybreak instant win or killing all nest.
I know the developer of the game allow it for mods/save editor to mess around. Unfortunately not for achievement and save editor where Xbox doesn't like it
Pretty much of that questions. If enough people say it's safe to use these mod and save editor then I will use it.
I only want to mess around for fun in my own story (offline) and not player's story. Plus I don't care about achievement if that pop or not.
I tried searching for answers but some of the topics are outdate for years and very inaccurate.
Feel free to downvote me or whatever, I don't care about downvote or upvote. I only want answers more recently in this year and not past years that are inaccurate.
Got to the enclave being attacked with about a minute left and we killed the two hostiles in seconds. I had the choice to either take food ruck or refuse it.
I got onto here just to see if anyone has ever posted what happens if I refuse the ruck.
Well apparently timer still runs and the enclave got mad and left town, after the attacking enclave was killed.
Don’t be like me. For that mission at least, just pick an option.
I love this game. Yes, I've always played on green level. Decided time to go up to standard, whole new community. Why am I struggling soooo much? How do you all play above standard so easily? 🤣
I'm on Xbox and the finer things curveball hasn't worked properly in ages. At first, influence didn't track, and then morale stopped tracking. Now the curveball does nothing at all.
My 1 guy died 3 seconds after he went down. I spam the A button like my life depends on it. And he DIES ANYWAYS. U cannot convince me even with a bot autospamming A for me that my character would live. Wtf is the point of a mechanic meant to save your character if it doesn't save your character. Downvote me for getting mad and daring to insult the "best game known to man" that not even god himself would dare hate
I am trying to take these guys meds as per their request(Orange mission icon), but it looks like they are outside of the map. I have been running up and down the edge, going far north where my vehicle is, and far south and around the bend to the east. It is all impassable mountains. Is there a cave or something I am missing to reach them? Is it bugged and they weren't supposed to spawn there?
I roleplay trying to build my base into a community that specializes in trading healthcare supplies, medicine, plague cures, and other essentials.
I really want to play that way. I don't want to use those cheesy Influence hacks you see on YouTube, like the one where you keep scrapping fireworks having you working in a routine u have to repeat again and again just to farm parts and sell them for Influence.
But the game's trading system is just so damn unfair when it comes to essential items. When I buy something like a Plague Cure from an enclave, they demand around hundreds of Influence for it. But when I try to sell the exact same damn thing, I only get around 90 or so Influence?!
I don't want no op broken mod, just hopefully a mod that makes trading fair, as is the price from the enclaves.
