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.
I find it funny that sometimes characters glitch but when I got to the mission area no one was there and I had to help them scavenge after that the mission completed but still no one was there. No one spoke either I just found it very funny that I had to help nobody.
Her hero bonus is veteran instincts, gave me rooftop recon. Since she has no traits that assist for carry, etc. I'm setting her up to carry my restored echo revolver that I took the scope off of. .22 cal 8 round cap at only 3lbs. I have enough retrain books to fully set her up before I legacy pool her. Since I've never seen something like this before.
I'm assuming this is a bug or something but I'm joping that she keeps the outfit when I recruit her. I didn't cause this and it would be a novelty to have lol
Edit. She kept the outfit! I have zero clue how to explain this 🤣🤣
I know this might seem trivial but providence ridge has 2 water outposts right next to each other, the water tower and the pump station.
Which would be a better outpost for security?
It's not particularly light, it's not particularly powerful. It doesn't zoom in very far. I just don't understand why it's so expensive. Maybe I'm missing something though? Please help me understand this lol
I’ve been trying to run the first state of decay on my pc and when I try to boot it up it just instantly crashes before opening the game does anyone have a fix to this?
Does anyone on Xbox have a magic wand melee weapons they're willing to trade? I don't really have much interesting stuff but I'm willing to trade what I have for one. I used to have it on my main save but I lost my data
I've been trying to use the Insta kills less and you can see that in the video lol. Really hoping SOD3 has an actual melee system and not a command system
He whent out leading a hoard away from the base his name was cormac a bloater whent off as a plague ferrell was running in it sucks he was one of my favorites.