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Agreed. It's not that bad to bang through a Tier 3 loot chest, wall safe, or even a gun safe, specially if you use something like AutoHotkey to hold the mouse button so that you can stretch your legs and get a drink. A couple of mins and you're done. And, you have to figure in the time needed to assemble a small pile of mechanical parts to make the lockpicks. As I weigh it in my mind, 5 seems good, but maybe 10. I suspect 10 is good only when I think of little to know training in the lockpick skill. If you're good at lockpicking 10 might be too high.

I think the recipe for lockpicks should be changed to give 5 or 10 lockpicks as output. I comparing the cost of say 3 lockpicks to break into something and the inventory space to carry them to the cost of repairing a stone axe (or the cost of repairing an iron pick) and the time involved.

Yes, @stallionsden showed me originally. There's a feature TFP ships that they use to convert an older version's blocks to a new version's blocks. It's only needed if the block name has changed for some reason. In the game's Config folder you'll find a file called something like BlockUpdates.csv and you can make your own entries. You have to mimic the entries. I usually tack my stuff onto the end of TFP's file. I sometimes keep a copy of what I added in my modlet, but the commands won't look there to my knowledge. (I've probably never tried it.) After that, you can use these two commands in F1 at the main menu: prefabupdater loadtable prefabupdater updateblocks It doesn't give you any control over block rotations, so it cannot be used to make adjustments like that. Odd, I didn't have that happen. If the block name stayed the same in both versions of your modlet then it should have been fine when you loaded the POI in the Prefab Editor.

I don't think you can wire anything in the Prefab Editor. As far as I know, electricity is not supported in POIs. I think electricity is a player-only game-time feature. There can also be problems associated with using some of those blocks that are intended for the player in a POI.

You could use the game's Prefab Editor to design a base. It came with your copy of the game.

There were usable solar panels in A20. They're very late game and IIRC you needed bonuses to get to the upper levels of the Secret Stash before a Trader would sell you the Solar Cells to put into the panels. Once you have a panel with cells, it produces electricity that you can use to power things directly, or you can put a battery bank between them. I assume all of that still works in A21.

Thanks. I was hoping for something within XPath so that I could keep the game from complaining about duplicates if a player happened to install two modlets that happen to declare identical blocks. That is, something in XPath kind of like the old C Preprocessor declarations, where you could say "if X is not defined then define X this way."

Agreed. There is a solution that is available to you, but it involves using another application: AutoHotkey (AHK). That's a free tool for automating key strokes. When I want to autorun, I type ALT-R and it holds down the W key for me. When I want to stop, I hit the W key. I also have one that helps when mining so that I don't have to hold down the mouse button. ALT-M. There's also ALT-X which is great when you want to break open a Gun Safe with a stone axe. I've included my AHK configuration file, below, for your reference and/or use. The other entries (ALT-9 and ALT-0) aren't probably relevant to you. They help out in the Prefab Editor when I need to quickly scroll through the Parts Window choices. #NoEnv ; Recommended for performance and compatibility with future AutoHotkey releases. ; #Warn ; Enable warnings to assist with detecting common errors. SendMode Input ; Recommended for new scripts due to its superior speed and reliability. SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir% ; Ensures a consistent starting directory. ;************************************************************ ; ONLY FOR 7D2D ;************************************************************ #IfWinActive, 7 Days To Die ;************************************************************ ; ALT-R is autorun. W to stop. ;************************************************************ !r:: Send {w up}{w down} return ;************************************************************ ; ALT-M - Hold Down Left Mouse Button ;************************************************************ !m:: Click, Down return ;************************************************************ ; ALT-X - Loop on Left Mouse Button Clicks ;************************************************************ #MaxThreadsPerHotkey 3 !x:: #MaxThreadsPerHotkey 1 if KeepClicking ; This means an underlying thread is already running the loop below. { KeepClicking := false ; Signal that thread's loop to stop. return ; End this thread so that the one underneath will resume and see the change made by the line above. } ; Otherwise: KeepClicking := true Loop { Click Sleep 750 ; But leave the rest below unchanged. if not KeepClicking ; The user signaled the loop to stop by pressing Win-Z again. break ; Break out of this loop. } KeepClicking := false ; Reset in preparation for the next press of this hotkey. return ;************************************************************ ; ALT-9 - Click 100 times ;************************************************************ !9:: Loop, 100 { Click Sleep, 25 } return ;************************************************************ ; ALT-0 - Click 10 times ;************************************************************ !0:: Loop, 10 { Click Sleep, 25 } return

Sure, some people are complaining about missing jars. They've not fixed their frustration in the correct place, so they complain about missing empty jars. It's the obvious target. I don't think a love affair with empty jars is the real issue. So, yeh, pointing out the lack of other containers seems like a convincing argument -- and it is -- just not in response to the real complaint. I think what some miss is the ability to carry water away from a water source. Not only is it a fundamental human thing, but it puts the player in the driver's seat (as opposed to a loot table) and rewards their planning. Make the game such that when you point at a water source and click E you get murky water and that would be resolved without empty jars. However, free murky water on demand (if you're standing by a pond, river, or ditch) runs contrary to the early game's water scarcity goal. I think few oppose this goal. The real trick would be how to do both. I think there are options and I'd happily talk of them (again) if I had any sense it might be useful.

Yes, I think if you can get to a Trader and run a couple of missions then you're well on your way and water scarcity will be alleviated completely once you either have funds to consistently buy drinks from the trader or make a dew collector -- often Day 2. If something delays that then you could end up running a rather difficult hydration debt depending on the map, your play preferences, and some luck.

I joined a new game on a friendly server on Day 2 at 1044. There were 7 other players on the server. The starting quests were done by Day 2 at 1241. I took 2 Strength (taking me to 3) and 2 Club. I had learned from the previous playthrough that Stamina was going to be an issue and this purchase was aimed at making sure I could fight. I started next to the "Johnson Family Cabin" (T1) which I raided in hopes of finding useful stuff. Notable loot included 2 glue, which I used to make pieces of padded armor. I finished that POI Day 2 at 1558. I headed to the Trader which was 875m away. I hunted, killed zombies, and scavenged along the way. I earned a level and put a point in Master Chef to try and get a head start on cooking magazines. I cleared out Pass-N-Gas Store #06 (T0) around Day 2 at 1945. I liked this little POI and would eventually make it my base. I arrived at Trader Jen Day 2 at 2110. She was located in a Rural District of a Town with an Industrial District nearby. She had cookpots and grills for sale, but I could not afford them. I took a job. I started into Bear-N-Land Coal Mining around 2230. Since it was night time, it would be 6 hours until the Trader was open, I decided to "double dip" this POI. On Day 3 at 0610 I turned in my quest at the trader and used the money to buy a cookpot. I boiled some water and ate canned food. I started Abandoned Shady Farms on Day 3 at 0915. I chose to "double dip" this POI as well because the POI had a kitchen and I wanted the extra chances at food and water. On Day 3 at 1347 I turned in the quest at Trader Jen's and bought a Grill. I was into Joe's USA around 1535. I didn't know this POI so I didn't start the quest so that I could scout it out without having to worry about quest boundaries. I could see a potential ambush spot in a fenced area, a dog house -- so a potential dog in the POI, a potential trap in climbing on the container, or an ambush dropping down into the container. I "double dipped", so I played it twice. The fenced area seemed to activate on a trigger. I didn't encounter a dog. No traps. It was a nice T1 POI. On Day 3 around 1900 I turned in the quest and bought a Filter. By Day 3 around 2338 I got enough magazines to make a Dew Collector. My quest was "Buried Treasure" so that I could spend the night in the field hunting and digging. My notes start to get sparse at this point because I was almost food/water stable. I had a buried treasure quest for the night, which let me hunt Zs and animals. I turned that quest in on Day 4 around 0610. My notes stop with an entry for Day 4 at 0800 as The Wetz Residence. The rest of Day 4 probably involved another quest. That night involved moving in to Pass-N-Gas Store #06 and setting up the Dew Collector, Campfire w/Pot and Grill, and a Writable Storage Container. Summary: I suspect this playthrough is more like what the designers had envisioned. I had to manage thirst and hunger, but the quests/POIs handed out just enough to make that possible and see some progress.

I like RWG options. I think it would be great to be able to influence the placement of both spawn points and traders through options. @Vaeliorin would like to place all Traders in Towns, which I think is cool. That is, no traders in the Wilderness or on Country Tiles. I'd like the opposite. I'd like Traders to only land in the Wilderness or perhaps a Country Tile that is not connected to a Town. My thoughts are towns are dangerous, so Traders set up in the wild. Setting a distance to the start mission Trader would be nice too. Perhaps your starting supplies scale with the distance.

The first cut is just conversion: BlockConvert Tool - Done ModInfo Update - Done Tile Rotation Change - Done Revise Parts - Done Revise Decorations - Done Revise Tiles - Done Revise POIs - In Progress: 10/148 Opportunities seen so far: More variety for Country (Gateway) Tiles Open to Suggestions

That idea kind of reminds me of @Cranberry Monster's Pinball/Video Game mod, where you can salvage parts from destroyed games to make a "working" game for your base. So, perhaps salvage sticks, chalk, and balls from destroyed tables to feed a recipe for making a pool table for your base.

My very fist attempt to pick a lock was a success on the first try. Later attempts have not been. I think it is working the same, but I've maybe tried to pick 4-5 locks so far.

Just having taken the poll, and not having read the conversation, I think there are options missing. I like Learn by Looting and all the magazines. I think the magazines found a nice way to draw out the game. I like Learn by Perks. I thought that system worked reasonably well, though sometimes I am frustrated at which perks were with which abilities (like Strength) or that they're tied to an ability. I'm okay with the idea of Learn by Doing, but not to the exclusion of the others. I've played on a server that swapped in Learn by Doing and I didn't think it played very well. Then there are the notable goofy things like crafting 100 stone axes. Since TFP likes to experiment, I wonder if a mix of the three might be the best. I think the approaches could be integrated a little. That is, when you take some of the remaining Perks I think it could come with a little bit of magazine-like improvement, maybe as if you had read 2-3 magazines. I think there could also be some milestones that represent Learning by Doing that also generate some magazine-like points. For instance, when you craft your first iron tool, your first steel tool, kill your 100th zombie with a club, etc. If you make me pick one, I'm sticking with Learn by Looting for now just because I want to see how it plays out over a long game. I'd put Learn by Perks 2nd. Then I'd put Learn by Doing last.

I'm finding it works pretty much the same, which I think is pretty effective, so long as you pay attention to your stealth meter and play the environment light, sound, proximity, and zombie pathing options are all factors. There are more tricks available to the POI creators now that can lead to zombies being activated. An activated zombies is not necessarily locked onto you. I just played fire_station_04 (Tier 2) and I'm pretty sure the intended final encounter activates the zombies when you enter the volume. (I need to look at the POI in the editor to be sure, which I haven't done yet.) But taking all of the factors into play made that encounter easy. They activated, couldn't get to me, lost track of me, and died to the bow. Back to the environment: Light - Stay out of the light; consider salvaging or destroy lights that are just inside your reach. Noise - Movement. Stop and let your stealth meter drop back down. Avoid crossing the trash that makes noise. Proximity - Keep your distance, when possible. And finally, I encourage stealth players to get creative when moving through, or around, a POI. The "dungeon path" isn't your friend. It leads to ambushes. It uses doors that open via triggers that you cannot close. It leads to pits. Stealth takes more than just moving slowly through the POI. You have to embrace all of the factors. Even then a Zombie might awaken and attack, and that's okay. Dealing with one zombie beats dealing with four. Even if they do see you now they can lose track of you if you arrange for enough time to pass.

I'm doing this right now too, but I'm not sure I'll keep doing that. Magazines are pretty new and I'm starting to think I might have been better off taking some equipment, even if I just sold it for Dukes. The interesting thing about a grab bag of magazine is it is a lottery. I'm advancing my knowledge on lots of fronts, but not necessarily getting anything out of it. I'm not saying the system is bad. I'm saying it might be too early for players like myself to fully understand the economics of our decisions.

I saw similar in a few test worlds. My guess is it is either a bug or it relates to some kind of limit in RWG. My line of thinking on the matter is that maybe RWG hit some kind of max number of Tiles that it wanted to place of each district and just stopped with a few open spots left. I think TFP made Pass-n-Gas POIs for each district and settlement, so they're likely to be common. There's another factor at play related to how RWG picks POIs for the markers on the Tiles. They implemented a weights and bias system along with a new algorithm that I think makes it more likely RWG will use more of the POIs. That's going to be complicated by all the districts and the markers available on each Tile, the number of POIs that fit that filter, the weights and biases, restrictions about how close a POI can be to its duplicate, and so forth. With so many different factors it can be hard to put it all together in your mind. Foremost on my mind is the shortage of Tier 1s in a country town near where I spawned in on the NAGG server. I want to understand what happened there.

I use bows a lot and haven't noticed a difference with the primitive bow. That doesn't mean there wasn't a change. I can be pretty oblivious sometimes.

A dew collector shaped like that would certainly collect rain. My understanding is a real life dew collector is intended for places where it doesn't rain very often, which is why in those locations they don't call it a rain water collector. Yes, I realize harvesting dew depends upon dew forming on the plastic and that's different than rain falling onto the plastic. It's still a large funnel. It will also collect bird poop if given the chance. We don't see rain water collectors shaped like that because usually we've engineered some more convenient and permanent collection method. For instance, my grandparents farm collected rainwater from the roof of the house and channeled it into a cistern. My own house here in the city has a small cistern the previous owner used to water the garden. I agree that rainwater isn't potable water. I'd also argue, despite the filter, the dew collector shouldn't turn out potable water either, but I'd certainly rather drink either before I'd want to drink pond water.

Yeh, there's some luck involved and single vs multiplayer advantages and disadvantages. I can't really decide based on my experiences if "cooking pots in T1 POIs" is a design priority, or if the design goal is to have the search for a cooking pot be an intentional complication. One thing I could think of that might take the luck out of it (if that's desired) is to make it a quest reward from the trader, or perhaps just making a cookpot a common item found at traders. I could certainly sprinkle more cookpots into my custom POIs if I knew they were supposed to be common.

That does seem like the likely result. You can scale up the number of cooking fires with cooking pots so what the filter saves you is fuel. I'm struggling to see the vision about if water is supposed to be rare and for how long. I kind of get that it is supposed to be an issue for a couple of days then not an issue at all after that. I know everything is still being tweaked and all and I'm perceiving a moving target. My perspective right now is that water isn't rare unless you're out in the wilderness and the map didn't put a water source near you, but cook pots can be rare, or not, if you're lucky. All in all, it's fun trying it all out.

Oh, I see. You could make many dew collectors with no filters and then just boil the water. Good point. I've not made a study of how much plastic is available, so maybe 250 works. The other thought I had... where filters wore out, potentially also makes for an effort to keep all the filters going.