Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[BadabingbadaBOOMSDAY!]

That sounds alright. Maybe 2 would be fine tbh. Why ask for 19 when 18 isn't done?

 

Probs because 17.3 doesn't have a confirmed date yet let alone 18, so he shot for the stars. Ugh that sounds ♥♥♥♥y I know, but I'm STARVED for content, I wanna blow zombies up with a rocket launcher again!

[Dimpy]

It's a little more complicated than a global precipitation variable but not by much and the frame-rate impact would be very low as clouds don't tend to move that quickly.

 

I'd say the global precipitation variable is too simplified. Just because you're on the final stretch is no reason to cut corners. There seems to be a tendency recently to grind down details instead of polishing them.

 

Usually I'm the one vying for as much realism as possible, but in this case, I don't see what it would add to the game. It doesn't seem like there's any way that players would actually interact with this system that they wouldn't with a global precipitation system.

[The Gronk]

Usually I'm the one vying for as much realism as possible, but in this case, I don't see what it would add to the game. It doesn't seem like there's any way that players would actually interact with this system that they wouldn't with a global precipitation system.

 

One of the simplest interactions I can think of is the ability to predict bad weather. By looking at the clouds in the distance you can tell if the weather is likely to be fine for a bit or if you're just about to head off scavenging in a storm.

 

There's also the option to try and run from or bypass bad weather. With a global variable you know that no matter which direction you go the weather will be the same, a perlin map allows for dry pockets and the possibility to avoid the storm.

[Damocles]

One of the simplest interactions I can think of is the ability to predict bad weather. By looking at the clouds in the distance you can tell if the weather is likely to be fine for a bit or if you're just about to head off scavenging in a storm.

 

There's also the option to try and run from or bypass bad weather. With a global variable you know that no matter which direction you go the weather will be the same, a perlin map allows for dry pockets and the possibility to avoid the storm.

 

You dont really need 3D Perlin-noise or something similar complex then. The player will only have a very limited view of the world anyhow (its not a flightsim). A simple cluster of "bad weather cloud models" should do the trick. With them moving slowly about the map. They can also have different LOD representations then.

 

(simplified world model: )

[AtomicUs5000]

In this context only, will I consider agreeing with Flat-Earthers.

[Trankitas]

Try the Winter Project mod by sphereii. It's awesome and is available in the mod launcher.

 

I'll check it out then

[Crater Creator]

Collector Perks? I like it, I always enjoyed doing Archeology quest in WOW to get the special Perks. so a reason to find sets of books/schematics in order to earn a rank/perk/status would be cool.

 

Will the locations of all these new books be segregated, though? The gameplay for books had been to simply loot every bookshelf you find and read every book you find immediately, unless your buddy wanted/needed it more. Collector perks, by themselves, won’t change that. Whether you collect a full set will be down to RNG luck.

 

The exception to this was paint magazines, but the logic for where to find which one was lost on most users.

[Hoshiko]

Hi !

 

Any possibility for a graphic update ? Optimization Update too ?

I can run Battleflied 5 extra but 7 days to die on medium ^^ ...

 

Thanks any way for your works.

[The Gronk]

<snipped for space>

 

That would work and produce more realistic results than a global variable.

 

It really doesn't take a hell of a lot of extra work and system resources to turn a "meh" mechanic into a "wow" mechanic.

[Ouch Quit It]

LOL, no we're being sensible professional designers. Over design is a noob designer trap. More complex means more bugs, harder to implement, and harder for players to understand. The magic under the hood is of no concern, just know that it might rain and thats good enough.

 

Sometimes grinding down details is the right call. Too many moving parts makes the game harder to balance, and players are wondering why they are freezing but there's 10000 variables at play. It was overdesigned in pre 17 and broken in 17. We'll land on something more simple that works and doesn't break immersion.

 

Madmole,

what about having certain weps do more damage to certain zeds.

Arrows for basic zs

Bullets for others

Fire for the fatties

Explosions for greenies

Etc

 

I think that would add a lot to the challenge of the game as well as usefulness of resources...you need a bit of everything

 

Ouch

 

Coughs* Release the Kracken!!! *Coughs

[A Nice Cup of Tea]

Armor mitigates the chance of getting a bleed debuff

 

Are you sure that's working properly? In my experience (and in the experience of the people in this thread) you seem to bleed just as often wearing even heavy armour as when unarmoured.

[SrslyGTFO]

Are you sure that's working properly? In my experience (and in the experience of the people in this thread) you seem to bleed just as often wearing even heavy armour as when unarmoured.

 

That's my experience as well. I should feel fairly safe fighting a single vulture in full steel armor. I bleed WAY too often and lose way too much health from a single, non-stacked bleed (get hit once and I run away quick to bandage up). I expect this when unarmored.

 

If it already works as intended, maybe colorize the bleed icon appropriately to know what the stack is at - which is basically what I posted about (light bleed = white, medium bleed = orange, heavy bleed = red). EVERY bleed feels I need a tourniquet or I'm dead. I'm not even talking about fighting irradiated. I'm talking about normal weak zombies and vultures while in full steel. Something just feels "off" about it.

 

I would expect steel, military (less so), iron and even scrap armor to mitigate bleeding more than leather and padded armor, but it doesn't seem to make much difference.

[Crater Creator]

We're not flooding thousands of voxels with this tech. Knocking down a small building is hazardous to the framerate I can only imagine entire water tables moving and huge floods with voxels putting the minimum pc requirements to 2150 computers.

 

Then perhaps instead of raising the whole water table, adopt a ‘giant rain drops’ model. The game makes ray casts down from the sky and adds water blocks individually, and/or propagates from existing water blocks. Performance should be okay, because even a few blocks per second would be enough to significantly change your surroundings. The result: real puddles after a storm that you don’t get in other, non-voxel games. New sources of water, driving hazards outside, and drowning hazards in confined spaces.

 

Just something to consider since, as far as I know, the water system we have is still unfinished and changes will come at some point.

 

I think not cutting weather would have to involve water in some way. If it just amounts to temperature changes, then I worry that would lose sight of the underlying goal: to be fun. Globally uniform weather, especially, doesn’t sound interesting if the gameplay impact is simply, wear a coat or else it will be sucky everywhere today. Gronk’s idea of moving to avoid a storm at least serves to add gameplay, whereas staying inside on a rainy day because you don’t have the right clothes is, if anything, reducing gameplay. I don’t think scenarios where it’s best to not do anything are fun.

[unlike them]

I think most people would agree the following are true statements:

1.) Finding gun parts and not whole guns was stupid. It was merely a gamey mechanic to slow players down from getting great firearms too soon.

2.) Teaching new players how to assemble, repair guns or parts was confusing.

3.) Mods that don't do damage are largely uninteresting.

4.) The current system at its core is fine, its way better than repairing individual parts (clunky AF)

5.) It just needs some sort of random ranges and it could be interesting

 

N.3 is not true. Silencers, larger magazines, scopes, faster shooting/recoil reduction are desireble even without added damage. I suspect 7d2d is the only game that adds damage to these gun parts.

[TSBX]

Has the HeatGain, //Hook Up passive effect been hooked up? Are there any more neat toys in the xml to play with?

[Lonestarcanuck]

IMO using the FILTER feature and using the "Difficulty Settings" for ANY/SCAVENGER/ADVENTURER/etc... should show all games with that setting and above, so if I set to SURVIVALIST it should also show INSANE.

 

Also need a filter for RWG vs Navezgane.

[Slingblade2040]

Will the distance for trader quests ever be adjusted? Especially tier 1.. Travelling 2+ km for tier one seems a bit off. Especially when some of those tier 1 quests want you travelling 5km. I know you said before trader quests are meant for when we have better transportation but tier 1 really seems like it would be the easiest type of beginner quest. I can understand tier 2 or higher requiring some type of transportation because of the distance into supposedly more dangerous areas but not tier 1.

[unlike them]

Any news about vehicles vs. ramps? Can vehicles climb bridges without damaging them? Last time I heard you were gonna try 1x4 ramps.

[suicidalhamster]

Stabby McStabbins is a favorite of mine lol. That would be funny.

 

if you are adding new top weapons, why not add more items with names? Taza's comes to mind. give them some sort of quirky ability that wont make them "must haves". give any game item a special name and you make it desirable even if it isnt your everyday usage item

[suicidalhamster]

N.3 is not true. Silencers, larger magazines, scopes, faster shooting/recoil reduction are desireble even without added damage. I suspect 7d2d is the only game that adds damage to these gun parts.

 

100% agree. pure DPS is alpha but not necessarily the omega +1

 

give me straight alpha and i will play for a month. bring me interesting game play and i will play for years.

[khzmusik]

N.3 is not true. Silencers, larger magazines, scopes, faster shooting/recoil reduction are desireble even without added damage.

 

It surprised me when MM said this, since it's definitely not what most people would agree is the truth. I mean, the whole discussion is with people who explicitly believe it's false.

 

Personally I see the argument, and can even agree with it. It could make the weapons system more customizable while actually simplifying things. Like, maybe there is no such thing as a sniper rifle in the game - a "sniper rifle" is a hunting rifle with a scope mod, an increased magazine size mod, and an increased fire rate mod. The fact that it's quality level 4 is what makes it do sniper rifle damage.

 

Having said that, I'm not going to cry if the system stays as it is. If anyone really truly cares they should be able to mod it using XML.

[Trankitas]

N.3 is not true. Silencers, larger magazines, scopes, faster shooting/recoil reduction are desireble even without added damage. I suspect 7d2d is the only game that adds damage to these gun parts.

 

Agree. Plus, if all mods add damage, you're making them must-have, and not a choice to take. If you don't like automatic fire receiver for the 9mm pistol cause you can't control the recoil, you have to use it anyway cause otherwise you will have potato damage

[austinre93386]

I love this game so much and have been playing since it originally came to Steam forever ago...back in 2012 i think. Keep up the hardwork!

[Tetrameth]

Are you sure that's working properly? In my experience (and in the experience of the people in this thread) you seem to bleed just as often wearing even heavy armour as when unarmoured.

 

Are prickly cactuses still a problem when wearing armor ?

[wardaemon]

A19 might see proper radiated game play and we would delete biomes before adding any more. To me its rather immersion breaking changing biomes too frequently.

 

I understand where you are coming from on the immersion breaking, but, it's kind of boring to have so much sameness. Maybe I'm biased because I'm the one weirdo that always loved the plains biome, but I really miss that bit of diversity. It was nice to have an area that was just plain (pun intended) open, without the constant heat concerns that the desert brings.