Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[ParaSyt]

Where's Waldo? Check out the new ghillie suit and M60!

 

"You can't see me.... BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM!!!" LOL I was just thinking how awesome a ghillie suit would be in 7D2D. You read my mind. Hopefully it raises stealth while the M60 lowers it.

[ParaSyt]

Wait, is that bayonet going to be an attachment too?

[chikorina]

PVP, but we might end up buffing your stealth skill a bit too for SP.

 

That would be nice. Lots of SP players in this game.

[madmole]

Great post Madmole, and about sums up my experience with Ark as well.

 

While I'm not a fan of every aspect of A17, I'll still be here, the day A18 drops ready to launch right back into it and give it another go. :-)

 

Thanks, yes I think it's going to rock.

[madmole]

Wait, is that bayonet going to be an attachment too?

 

It's just there to look cool.

[Drithyl]

It's just there to look cool.

 

Bitchin' m60. But how cool would it be if the bayonet was an actual attachment that changed the right click functionality to a melee thrust instead of going to iron sights/scope? Perfect for clearing a POI with it! ;D

[madmole]

Bitchin' m60. But how cool would it be if the bayonet was an actual attachment that changed the right click functionality to a melee thrust instead of going to iron sights/scope? Perfect for clearing a POI with it! ;D

 

Then you couldn't iron sight.

[Demonoid74]

With the arrival of the ghillie suit...and the abundance of player created alcohol and beer...

The number of Swamp Apes and Grass Men sightings in Arizona will Skyrocket!!!

[Drithyl]

Then you couldn't iron sight.

 

Yes, indeed, you couldn't. An acceptable choice! Stick a bayonet to it and use the weapon for POI clearing, where you won't need to iron sight, and you won't need to switch to melee weapons

[Dimpy]

You really wouldn't need to ironsight if there was a zombie within melee range and right on your crosshair, so I guess you could have it only stab if a zombies is in range and sight otherwise.

[Axe13]

I think there's a "use" button in the inventory screen.

 

Yes, I know but my point is that rather than clicking on the thing you want to use and then clicking on the use button you can hold shift and click on the thing (really one click instead of two) making it a smoother and more pleasing experience and shift+R click isn't being used. If you've ever played Empyrion and used that feature, you realize how nice it is. It's a simple QOL improvement that really does make a difference when you get used to it, which I have from playing that so much. Half the clicks in a game where you click so much is nice. But yeah, it's a greedy wish I have, I know but if implemented, everyone would appreciate it. Besides, I can't imagine it's more than a couple lines of code (can't imagine, meaning I have no idea if it really is). Maybe someone knows how to mod it in? It's like the trash cans that open when you step on the pedal lever thing. Once you get one, you never want to open the lid of a trash can with your hand again. Less steps and less bacterial transfer/cross contamination.

[madmole]

Yes, I know but my point is that rather than clicking on the thing you want to use and then clicking on the use button you can hold shift and click on the thing (really one click instead of two) making it a smoother and more pleasing experience and shift+R click isn't being used. If you've ever played Empyrion and used that feature, you realize how nice it is. It's a simple QOL improvement that really does make a difference when you get used to it, which I have from playing that so much. Half the clicks in a game where you click so much is nice. But yeah, it's a greedy wish I have, I know but if implemented, everyone would appreciate it. Besides, I can't imagine it's more than a couple lines of code (can't imagine, meaning I have no idea if it really is). Maybe someone knows how to mod it in? It's like the trash cans that open when you step on the pedal lever thing. Once you get one, you never want to open the lid of a trash can with your hand again. Less steps and less bacterial transfer/cross contamination.

 

Or you could do half the work and press A.

[Sirillion]

Thats not bad, but its just a more complicated version of what we have already. You can already get more yield with each perk without doing extra steps. I was thinking more along the lines of having some stuff you can't get seeds out of that is powerful until the higher ranks.

 

You should add some aoe ability when hitting grass, or a tool that helps do it. The crowd would go crazy for that ability.

 

Collect grass on all adjacent blocks or something like that.

[Axe13]

He can just press A.

 

Actually I have to click on it, then press A. Two clicks compared to holding shift and clicking once. It makes a difference. Really does. Play Empyrion, try it out. Clicking for hours upon hours, every click makes a difference. Anyways, thanks for the response at least, I'll take it as a no. Everyone would appreciate it though, that's all I'm saying. I didn't know I would until I tried it. It's like holding shift and left clicking to transfer items. You could just click and drag, but with so much of that throughout the game, you appreciate any shortcuts. Maybe I can work out a macro setup or something.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Or you could do half the work and press A.

 

You have to select the item then press A. If you hold shift and select the item, you could use it as you select it. And that would be half the work.

[khzmusik]

you could have it only stab if a zombies is in range and sight otherwise.

 

I was about to suggest exactly that. But, I doubt it would make it into the game.

 

For one thing, it's adding an entirely new mechanic - the "alternate attack within range X" mechanic. I doubt TFP are willing to do that this close to gold.

 

For another thing, once they implemented that mechanic for one weapon, people would want it for all weapons. "Hey, it would be cool if you hit zombies with the butt of your shotgun." "Hey, it would be great if clubs pushed zombies back." All neat ideas - but a ton of work beyond what TFP are planning for.

 

I'm willing to be pleasantly surprised though.

[blenna13]

Looks awesome!

Although if the bayonet serves no purpose does it need to be there? Or is this just some kind of placeholder?

 

I gotta be honest, not sure why’d you’d put a bayonet on the model if you have no intentions to make it functional. Seems like a tease.

[sillls]

I am rewording perks at the moment as we have more space for long descriptions. While doing it I'm improving some perks. If there are some farm related perk ideas I'm game. I don't want to change how you plant or harvest though in this conversation.

 

In that case, I would suggest a perk that makes it so you don't have to keep replanting every time you harvest.

[hiigaran]

Can we put this m60 on the Jeep?

[ParaSyt]

Actually I have to click on it, then press A. Two clicks compared to holding shift and clicking once. It makes a difference. Really does. Play Empyrion, try it out. Clicking for hours upon hours, every click makes a difference. Anyways, thanks for the response at least, I'll take it as a no. Everyone would appreciate it though, that's all I'm saying. I didn't know I would until I tried it. It's like holding shift and left clicking to transfer items. You could just click and drag, but with so much of that throughout the game, you appreciate any shortcuts. Maybe I can work out a macro setup or something.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

 

 

You have to select the item then press A. If you hold shift and select the item, you could use it as you select it. And that would be half the work.

 

I like the way it is now. Both are two steps. The way you want it is you hold a use button then select what item to use, which seems to open up more room for errors like eating broken glass. The way it is now you select the item and then you use it, if you eat broken glass then, well you had a chance to change your decision but you didn't. Your way is not any quicker or smoother just riskier.

[Dimpy]

For one thing, it's adding an entirely new mechanic - the "alternate attack within range X" mechanic. I doubt TFP are willing to do that this close to gold.

 

This is still probably overdesign, but another way the bayonet could be done is if every weapon has a passive defense value that reduces the amount of damage that zombies do to you, and the bayonet increases that defense value by a lot compared to other guns. Maybe there could be some thorns damage associated too.

Getting the math and balance right on that though, it's not trivial.

[Axe13]

I like the way it is now. Both are two steps. The way you want it is you hold a use button then select what item to use, which seems to open up more room for errors like eating broken glass. The way it is now you select the item and then you use it, if you eat broken glass then, well you had a chance to change your decision but you didn't. Your way is not any quicker or smoother just riskier.

 

ok, I'm not arguing that it is for everybody, I'm more just relating my experience with that as preferred. And requesting it as an option. But to me that is more of an issue of: why was the option to eat glass included in the first place? You could as easily mistake which button you are clicking to use an item (A) and scrap it(S), which I have done. There's no difference there. I'm saying if to transfer items you had to drag each or even if you had to click to select it, then press a button to transfer it as a two part transfer, believe me you would appreciate being able to do it the way it is now by holding shift and clicking. It's an option that is already in the game for transferring, I'm just saying it would be nice to have for using items too. It could be both that you could press A or hold shift and right click. Or if it was that I could hover over the item and press A to use or hold A and click on an item to use, any of those would be an improvement. Not a game breaking thing to have missing, but very nice in Empyrion which is very similar in nature to 7DTD, and would be very nice in this game.

[Axe13]

Also it is quicker and smoother. If you want to eat several potatoes and drink a couple jars of water and a beer all at once, just hold shift and click on each one while holding shift. To do it the way it is now you have to click on it and release, then click A and release, then click on the next one and release, then click on A and release....etc. Two click and release cycles, where as what I'm speaking of, you hold shift throughout and just click on what you want to use. If the Devs are taking things from other games that work and are good ideas, this is one. That's my statement. Only reposted because it seemed my post was overlooked due to no response. I just wanted them to hear the idea and say yea or nay.

[Guppycur]

PVP, but we might end up buffing your stealth skill a bit too for SP.

 

How will you combat the pvp players turning off shadows, low grass, etc etc that they do? Thinking the suit will stand out quite a bit, unless maybe those graphics will go down too?

[meganoth]

That would be possible with no code, so ideas like that are more plausible. I've been thinking about some fictional alchemy for the game. Boost stats, damage resistance, zombie juice so they can't smell you, etc. To me expanding farming is what we should do, not reinvent the wheel with clunky irrigation systems. Maybe what you make c4 from is gp and a rare plant to make plastic explosives.

 

* A carnivorous plant: A plant that is like a spike trap hitting anyone for 20 damage and turning back into a crop (equivalent to what happens with harvesting normal plants). Then it has to grow back to carnivorous plant. It would need graphics design work, but the rest should be possible in XML.

 

* A variation would be a "thicket" type plant that slows zombies minimally (like a weak barbed wire, but without degradation)

 

* A poisoned dagger weapon mod (for the dagger naturally) with a plant as ingredient.

 

* Fruits that smell to zombies like human flesh. Throw it at a zombie and other zombies near it are more likely to attack this one (this needs changes to the AI code but zombies already do that if other zombies are in the way, maybe a relatively easy change).

[SrslyGTFO]

In that case, I would suggest a perk that makes it so you don't have to keep replanting every time you harvest.

 

Wait, what? You trolling, or just never played A17?

 

Moving on...

 

Some farming perk thoughts:

 

Tier 1: can harvest 1 seed from 4 produce, can till dirt

Tier 2: can harvest 1 seed from 2 produce, can till dirt faster

Tier 3: can harvest 1 mutated seed from 4 mutated produce, can harvest 2 produce from crop

Tier 4: can harvest 1 produce from late stage "growing" crop, can harvest 1 seed from 1 produce, can harvest 1 mutated seed from 2 mutated produce

Tier 5: can harvest 1 produce from early stage "growing" crop, 2 produce from late stage "growing" crop, 4 produce from full grown crop.

 

Book Bonus Ideas: 5% chance to harvest mutated seeds from normal produce, 10% chance to harvest 2 mutated produce from mutated crop

 

Slight QOL adjustment to planting/harvesting: make it so you can't punch a newly planted seed, instead make it so you have to use a shovel or hoe to dig up the seed. This will make it so accidental double-taps don't dig up a seed you just planted or from a crop you just harvested. Punching a growing seed should reset the grow timer (and maybe trigger a perk/book bonus as noted above).