Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[GingerBeard]

You are already rewarded for speccing into them, the craft perks are also the perks that makes you better at using them.

 

Oh I agree that they're still useful, the other effects they give are really nice to have. It's more so to address those that feel crafting is undervalued now, which too an extent I can understand. Yes you can only get a tier 6 by looting, so why would you bother trying to spec into a perk to build better stuff? The problem is I could go 50hrs into a game before I see one, and it might not even be something I use. It's ultimately down to rng and time, which is why I feel its mostly fine as is. However i'm not against giving an ever so slight buff to crafted items, or just further improving the loot drops like Madmole has suggested I believe.

 

While on the topic of those perks, the Machine Gunner's stamina bonus seems out of place does it not? Not saying it's a bad effect, just that I don't see how it makes sense to pair it with automatics. I'm not really running around when using one since they have pretty effective killing power. I can usually just stand in place/walk and not use any stamina while mowing down the zeds. Just me?

[ZombieSurvivor]

They didn't stand a chance. Do the electric fences degrade? Seemed to last forever? I haven't tried one yet but you made the int build look fun.

 

Yes it was a blast! I'm loving the multilayer defense I've been able to setup. This Trap config helps me slow down the horde enough for me to actively engage them. Feels like a good balance of active defense and trap utilization.

 

Not sure if the electric posts degrade but I did take the extra precation to shield them with sheet metal to prevent collateral zombie damage. Gas consumption on generators looks like they need some balancing though. At the end of the video I think I checked how much gas was left and it hardly had dropped any.

 

I agree his video made int build look really fun. I'm glad he posted it because it has encouraged me to actually start using traps. Thank you again Laz Man . I know its like the 3rd time i said thanks lol...

[Jugginator]

 

While on the topic of those perks, the Machine Gunner's stamina bonus seems out of place does it not? Not saying it's a bad effect, just that I don't see how it makes sense to pair it with automatics. I'm not really running around when using one since they have pretty effective killing power. I can usually just stand in place/walk and not use any stamina while mowing down the zeds. Just me?

 

I think it's for harder difficulties on higher gamestages, plus to help with armor usage if you haven't invested into heavy armor perk. I find it rather useful for meleeing to start then swapping to an MG to regain stamina and finish them off, saves ammo in the end. Gives a "hold the line, retreat, hold the line" tactic boost to regain stamina used while running to a new position too.

 

I also feel gun crafting CAN be iffy, but it's useful for: crafting when RNG hates you, crafting for your friends (if you have friends), or crafting to sell to traders (really useful).

[Laz Man]

Nerv confirmed.

 

Hopefully he will be gentle....dont even think about it snow...😂

[Nimeni]

Why they are not steel bars?

We have steel ladder s, but i don t see the point in having a steal ladder and not having steel bars.

Some prison cell door would be nice to have.

[Onarr]

I think by fine tuning the stun to be less binary it will get us where we need to be. We've talked about making stun to where you start getting stunned after taking several hits depending on armor and perks, and you are slowed some, keep getting hit and you will get stunned worse (slowed more), avoid being hit and slowly return to normal movement speed. If stun meter reaches 100% you would get knocked out or fall to your knees or something. So maybe 30% stun would = 70% movement speed, and you get hit again, its 50% stun and 50% movement, etc. Avoid getting hit while stunned to get out of the stunned state, much like real life.

 

Well its up to you, I just hope you will not come up with iteration that I can pretty much ignore in heavy armor. That is somethhing I hated in Fallout 4 - they put awesome traps everywhere and then gave you perk to completely bypass it. Imho perks should provide quality of life and increased power and new playstyles but never diminish the threats and hazards too much. Consmables should be for that. I like the idea of using vitamins with your food and drink to avoid the negative symptoms. But first you need to find/craft/buy them.

[Onarr]

That is what I've heard, but in his video (I skimmed a lot) they seemed to hold up a long long time.

 

That is mostly because he designed it quite well. One wide entrance, it only zaps one Zed at the time and that prevents all other from passing, maximizing the potential.

[Kattla]

Degradation would fix all that.

 

Just keep using weapons and tools that are QL 1 or 2 simulate degradation pretty well.

Good for realism, not very good for gameplay.

[ZombieSurvivor]

@Madmole

 

Since you're a huge fan of Skyrim I thought maybe you would like this. This is funny as heck.

The Senile Scribbles: Skyrim Parody - FULL SERIES

[Cro666ie]

hi. In the notes for latest exp it says "added settings for AI Block Damage and Loot Abundance of 33 and 67 percent". Can somebody confirm does this mean the only setting we can use without affecting balance are 33, 67, and 100?.

 

I always lower my loot abundance to 60 - 80 but now im being told this breaks the loot table. Is this true?

[Hek Harris]

I just want to share my despair at day 18...

 

I left my base in the early morning to go to loot. I come back in the evening and discover two little bitches hitting the walls inside my base. I cut off their uggly little heads without warning and there ... I discover that they entered exactly through my storage boxes. Only one was destroyed, but obviously it is the most important: the one where I store all the basic elements to craft (mechanical parts, electric ones, springs, steel bars, etc ...) and, of course, my 60 000 tokens ...

 

The only weird thing was that I had gone very far, so the wandering zombies should have despawn. Or, they appeared when I entered into the chunk (my forges were running at full throttle).

 

I feel like I was raided on my solo game... Suddendly I'm no longer in a hurry to see bandits in game

 

Whatever it is, if it's a new feature, it's awesome and ... awful.

 

[spacepiggio]

I just want to share my despair at day 18...

 

I left my base in the early morning to go to loot. I come back in the evening and discover two little bitches hitting the walls inside my base. I cut off their uggly little heads without warning and there ... I discover that they entered exactly through my storage boxes. Only one was destroyed, but obviously it is the most important: the one where I store all the basic elements to craft (mechanical parts, electric ones, springs, steel bars, etc ...) and, of course, my 60 000 tokens ...

 

The only weird thing was that I had gone very far, so the wandering zombies should have despawn. Or, they appeared when I entered into the chunk (my forges were running at full throttle).

 

I feel like I was raided on my solo game... Suddendly I'm no longer in a hurry to see bandits in game

 

Whatever it is, if it's a new feature, it's awesome and ... awful.

 

 

Got some advice for yee, Arrggghhh

Never put stuff on your X Wall, build some interior walls or something like I have been doing...Arrrggghhh

I have been putting boxes in the floor with hatches on top, same with campfires, seems to be working so far Matey...Arrrggghh

I don't see any defense out there & might be a heat source & not the attracting them, boxes have no heat.

Feel like a pirate this morning, seems to be a trend, Arrrggghhh

[Hek Harris]

Got some advice for yee, Arrggghhh

Never put stuff on your X Wall, build some interior walls or something like I have been doing...Arrrggghhh

I have been putting boxes in the floor with hatches on top, same with campfires, seems to be working so far Matey...Arrrggghh

I don't see any defense out there & might be a heat source & not the attracting them, boxes have no heat.

Feel like a pirate this morning, seems to be a trend, Arrrggghhh

TBH, all the explanations are good, including those saying I was stupid

[Merida]

On my play test yesterday. I found this POI with a big engine hanging off a chain. After clearing the place, i used the wrench on it only to be given seven plastic polymers. I would make more sense if it would give an engine or some scrap iron.

[Gareee]

So where does one get Steel Tool Schematics?

 

In loot drops... an I haven't seen one in over 160 game days as I mentioned a page back.

[Gareee]

Did you start over after the trader nerf and change to MP loot being OP, and the change to all versions where purples drop less common and later game stages? I've been crafting a fair amount of gear, I'm level 35 and have a yellow m60, pink Brass knuckles, (no steel yet) and a bunch of crap armor, and brown scrap iron gloves. I'm going to drop points into heavy armor and start crafting up some armor.

 

I don't want players looting everything, I don't want them crafting everything. I want them looting more than crafting too. Crafting is a fall back if you can't get great loot, and its early game stuff IMO. I think its close, but it takes 50-100 hours to know anything. GO put some time in and lets see how it goes. Right now changing anything would be a knee jerk reaction IMO. There is still mod crafting, I don't find a lot of mods. I craft loads of food and base stuff. I think its about right tbh.

 

 

Our new mp game is only on day 12, so most of my feedback of course has been on the entire a18 experience. Both my longer games are from thje ealier builds.

 

Aew you still playing leap frog ahead of us on versions, or are you playing on the public experiemental releases? If you are ahead of us, that could be why we are seeing different experiences.

 

(BTW, I've get to see any minibike parts in loot. I have seen parts from all the other vehicles.)

 

I'll do my 63 horde night from last week or so's start, and start up a new sp game after that.

 

(And I was really looking forward to exploring that world geared up.!)

 

BTW, is it by design that the 4x4 is a lot slower than the motorcycle? It feels like a huge motorbike.

[Gareee]

I would love to see the movement collider removed from some of the smaller stuff like terrain decorations, and stopping entities from "popping up" onto chairs and couches.

 

While I'd like that for smaller outdoor deco like trash piles, gore piles and the like, on larger items like couches and chairs IMHO it would look bad if they just walked through them.

[Aldranon]

What exactly does weapon degradation have to do with concrete, cobble, flesh, bones, meat etc. Are we having the same conversation? You immediately went into defense mode when no one is asking to gamestage it all to hell, or remove treasure chests and working poi boxes.

 

But ok I will wait until degradation for armor goes in before i comment any further on.... food and resource gathering from a farm poi.

 

Yes, I thought you might misunderstand when I said POI's LIKE Graces.

 

"POI's that have something exceptional about them, like graces." would have been best for everyone.

[ZombieSurvivor]

While I'd like that for smaller outdoor deco like trash piles, gore piles and the like, on larger items like couches and chairs IMHO it would look bad if they just walked through them.

 

lol man i was thinking the same exact thing the first time i read his post, then I sat back and gave it a little more thought. I do not think he means turn off collision completely for these objects but instead force the zombie to stop as it would if incountering another object it is unable to jump over quickly. I agree 100% with him that it can be annoying for zombies to suddenly pop up from a small object when aiming at them and about to take a shot.

 

EDIT: after rereading his post again. Sounds like a good idea to turn off zombie collision for small objects but change the behavior for bigger objects such as couches, small tables etc so that they go around instead of popping up all of a sudden.

[Gareee]

But the one thing that should be hard coded above player level 40 is: The Auger!

Cant find it and no trader will sell it until you break level 40.

 

It is the only late game item that almost guarantees you will do OK during late game.

T3 vs T6 M60? Not really, if the T3 guy can make 5 times the ammo as the T6 guy, he is in a stronger position!

 

We have a t1 and a t2 in the first 8 days in our new mp game.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

lol man i was thinking the same exact thing the first time i read his post, then I sat back and gave it a little more thought. I do not think he means turn off collision completely for these objects but instead force the zombie to stop as it would if incountering another object it is unable to jump over quickly. I agree 100% with him that it can be annoying for zombies to suddenly pop up from a small object when aiming at them and about to take a shot.

 

Thats why you maneuver your shot position anticipating it.

[ZombieSurvivor]

Thats why you maneuver your shot position anticipating it.

 

The discussion is not about having to adjust aim its about zombies...nevermind. Let us know how it goes aiming a foot or two above a zombies head because the zombie may or may not pop up from stepping on an object. I personally cannot do that but if you are willing to teach I'm willing to learn.

 

P.S. I would like to see video of any player that can pull this off successfully...lets say...75% of the time.

[Aldranon]

We have a t1 and a t2 in the first 8 days in our new mp game.

 

Yup and I bet you think its now a bit too easy? I really don't know how MP balancing is going right now but SP is easy with one.

 

I had my first early t2 Auger and I am now floating in resources, my base is starting to get some reinforced concrete so I just ignored the Blood Moon horde completely. I also didn't move while in "sneak mode" to see if the horde would "calm down" and it appeared to work, maybe some other mechanic was going on, but the base took little damage.

[kuratowakiru]

exp world, have a constant screamer horde, 3-4 times a day, only 2 torch and a forge running.

 

start a new world, 2nd day~evening trying to clear a POI, 3 screamer came knocking. Either the heatmap is bug or the screamer threshold is.

 

and melee feel kinda off, there a lot more miss/glancing. Had a spear went through a zed shoulder/torso, miss a spear point blank torso stab. I didn't miss like this in the earlier experimental (didn't get to play b155 for long).

 

edit: omg I can hear another screamer and it not even 3rd day morning yet.

[AtomicUs5000]

exp world, have a constant screamer horde, 3-4 times a day, only 2 torch and a forge running.

 

start a new world, 2nd day~evening trying to clear a POI, 3 screamer came knocking. Either the heatmap is bug or the screamer threshold is.

 

and melee feel kinda off, there a lot more miss/glancing. Had a spear went through a zed shoulder/torso, miss a spear point blank torso stab. I didn't miss like this in the earlier experimental (didn't get to play b155 for long).

 

edit: omg I can hear another screamer and it not even 3rd day morning yet.

 

Yep that will be enough to cause a screamer loop. They’re working on it. Replace those torches with candles in the meantime and you should be fine.

[TSBX]

Thats why you maneuver your shot position anticipating it.

 

...

 

The correct solution would be to fix the problem not slap a bandage over it and say its fine.

 

According to MM we are closer than ever to the feature finished polishing stage minus NPCs and Bandits so janky inconsistencies like that should be addressed. You can only keep a cone on a pothole so long before it needs to be repaired.