About Zombie Swarm
Turn your Rust server's nights into a survival challenge.
Stop spawning random NPCs. Start orchestrating a coordinated apocalypse.
Zombie Swarm is a high-performance, squad-based system that transforms how NPCs interact with your players. This plugin doesn't scatter individual zombies across the map; it creates connected squads that patrol, hunt, and move as a single, intimidating unit.
Version Features
- Zombie Swarm gives you complete control over the threat cycle:
- Classic Terror: Hordes appear only at dusk.
- Daytime Scourge: Keep players on edge even in broad daylight.
- 24/7 Survival: Configure the swarm to be a constant and relentless threat.
- Custom Time Windows: Define the exact start and end times for horde activity.
- Nighttime Visual Effects: Optional glowing eyes effect for terrifying nighttime encounters.
- Auto-Cleanup: Automatically removes NPCs and corpses when the event ends.
Advanced Squad Intelligence
Coordinated Movement: NPCs move as a unified swarm, maintaining formation.
- Dynamic States:
- Patrol Mode: Guards areas when no players are nearby
- Chase Mode: Aggressively hunts players on detection
- Hive-Mind System: Damage one zombie… and the entire squad aggroes instantly.
- Adaptive Behavior: Zombies change actions dynamically at configurable intervals.
Server Performance & Optimization
- No Map Scanning: Uses smart player-radius spawning
- Physics Optimized: Cached environmental checks
- High-Speed Data Handling: Uses HashSets for fast entity management
- Automatic Cleanup System: Prevents entity buildup and lag
Smart Spawning System
- Efficient, immersive, and fully customizable:
- Player-Based Spawning: Hordes spawn dynamically around players
- Distance Control: Configure minimum and maximum spawn range
- Horde Limits:
- Max zombies globally
- Hordes per player
- Zombies per horde
Auto Refill: Keeps the pressure constant by replenishing hordes over time
Movement & Patrol Behavior
- Bring life (and fear) to your zombies:
- Sprint Probability: Chance for zombies to sprint during patrol
- Behavior Intervals: Control how often zombies switch actions
- Formation Spacing: Adjust how tightly squads move together
Commands & Permissions
Permission:zombieswarm.admin (or server admin)
- /swarms - Displays the current status of active hordes and global entity count.
Configuration
{
"1. General Settings": {
"Hordes Always (24/7)": false,
"Start Hour (0-24)": 12.0,
"End Hour (0-24)": 18.0,
"Clear Corpses On End": true,
"Enable Status Message": true,
"Status Message Interval (Minutes)": 2.0
},
"2. Horde Management": {
"Zombies Per Horde (Max 6)": 6,
"Max Global Zombies (Max 60)": 40,
"Hordes Per Player (Max 2)": 2,
"Refill Hordes": true,
"Drop Loot": false
},
"3. Combat Settings": {
"Detection Range (m)": 20.0,
"Target Lost Range (m)": 60.0,
"Hive-Mind (Aggro whole squad on damage)": true,
"Zombie Health (HP)": 150.0
},
"4. Spawning Logic": {
"Spawn Min Distance (m)": 50.0,
"Spawn Max Distance (m)": 60.0
},
"5. Movement & Formations": {
"Zombie Speed Multiplier (0.1 - 1.0)": 0.5,
"Squad Formation Spacing (m)": 2.0
},
"6. Patrol Behavior": {
"Patrol Sprint Probability (%)": 40,
"Behavior Change Interval (Seconds)": 12.0
},
"7. Visuals Settings": {
"Enable Glowing Eyes": true,
"Death Sound Prefab": "assets/bundled/prefabs/fx/player/gutshot_scream.prefab"
}
}
Installation
Drag ZombieSwarm.cs into your oxide/plugins folder.
The plugin will automatically start working at the next sunset (Default: 19:00).
(Optional) Adjust the night hours in the config file to match your server's day/night length.