Jump to content

Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!


madmole

Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!  

3 members have voted

  1. 1. Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

    • A18 Stable is Out!
      2
    • :)
      1


Recommended Posts

Did you order one? Did you order it from us and not that knock off version that should be illegal and removed? Did you track your package? Why would you bring it up here instead of amazon support desk?

 

Forgive me if I write the wrong way. I will create a separate topic for this discussion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nope.

 

No infection? Really? Is there a reason for that? I have to admit, it was annoying, but it definitely gave you a thrill of having to find those antibiotics.

 

Personally, I think if whether to have it or not, I'd say yes, have it, but perhaps no sooner than day 5. Especially with traders, and if you find the wrong one, he can sell you a pill for your first born child.

 

Bargaining or intimidation perks, anyone?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It doesn't make sense for zombies, they don't need to wear armor, or seeing armored Arlene would be jarring.

 

What about the Duke dressing his ZombieHorde (see what I did there with my name?) army? Or you've killed a bunch of bandits with armor and now there are a few zombies with armor because of that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow. I can’t speak for the Pimps but I’d say your chances of getting something nice is pretty good if you were to hang a stocking from your fireplace mantle or put a wooden shoe on your porch tonight. Sure, it’s out of season but you’re overdue. ;)

 

I'd probably rarely, if ever, use it, but for the sake of adding a few lines of code and having an option to have bandits on or off in an advanced menu (or at least the console) would be good. Especially if they require more computing power and you really love everything else in the game but your PC can't handle bandits.

 

While I'm not a fan of over complicating things, some simple on/off toggles for certain behaviour would be nice, especially as, like i said, a few lines of extra code.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A couple of questions:

 

Would it be possible to reconfigure how recipes work so that one recipe could have several options? For instance, right now bottled water can be made in a couple of way (murky water or glass jar + snowball) and these have to be separate recipes in the list. It's a small thing, but having only one recipe entry in the list regardless of how many ways there are to create it would be cleaner and less confusing from a UI perspective, and would benefit modding as well.

 

Second, I asked this a little ways back in this thread but the conversation moves so fast it might have gotten lost in the shuffle:

 

To keep food relevant without spoilage, I'd propose that plants only be allowed to grow within a reasonable band of temperature and that a "seasonal" temperature cycle be added to the biomes in addition to the daily cycles. The reason being that you could then create a situation where the player can grow and harvest food for 14 days but then can't grow anything for the next 35, for example, even in the temperate biomes. Then food sourcing becomes a signficant gameplay aspect but without all of the challenges spoilage introduces.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not really sure the sandstorms add much. It takes the player out of the game for no good reason. You can stand by a cliff wal l that spawns the shelter popout and go afk until its over. Its tolerable, but I generally dislike things that take the player out of the game.

 

I just started playing Conan again the other day. The sandstorms add atmosphere, and if they were removed the game would feel lesser for that reason alone. I certainly couldn't argue that they add much else to the game, though. Aside from atmosphere, I suppose they seem to serve mainly as an early game impediment and a reason to get you into the base building mechanics early. It also adds a sense of danger to early game adventures away from your base. I like that you can build a sandstorm mask around level 30 that negates the damage and makes the sandstorms merely cosmetic.

 

I do agree with you that I'm feeling a lack of purpose in the game (playing single player this time). I actually really like building neat things in the game, but the Purge seems to be verrrry stingy. I feel no sense of impending danger, and that meter is ticking up so slowly I'm not sure I'll ever see a purge before I get bored of the game. For that reason, everything about my base is aesthetic, rather than geared toward defense. If they would just build up that PvE threat and make it as robust as the one in 7D it would be a much better game.

 

For what it's worth, the game loop and sense of consistent overall purpose in your game is the best I've ever experienced in my 30+ years of gaming. Well done, sir.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just started playing Conan again the other day. The sandstorms add atmosphere, and if they were removed the game would feel lesser for that reason alone. I certainly couldn't argue that they add much else to the game, though. Aside from atmosphere, I suppose they seem to serve mainly as an early game impediment and a reason to get you into the base building mechanics early. It also adds a sense of danger to early game adventures away from your base. I like that you can build a sandstorm mask around level 30 that negates the damage and makes the sandstorms merely cosmetic.

 

I do agree with you that I'm feeling a lack of purpose in the game (playing single player this time). I actually really like building neat things in the game, but the Purge seems to be verrrry stingy. I feel no sense of impending danger, and that meter is ticking up so slowly I'm not sure I'll ever see a purge before I get bored of the game. For that reason, everything about my base is aesthetic, rather than geared toward defense. If they would just build up that PvE threat and make it as robust as the one in 7D it would be a much better game.

 

For what it's worth, the game loop and sense of consistent overall purpose in your game is the best I've ever experienced in my 30+ years of gaming. Well done, sir.

 

I think the "game loop" is why I have stuck with 7 days 2100 hours later. "Here is a sandbox, but something is going to come F it up in 7 days, so get ready!". I don't think there is another game that gave me more of a reason to stick around for day 7, 14, 959, etc. Trying new things, trying those things again when a new update comes out. I wonder when the game is "gold", will I eventually become bored with it to the point I put it aside for a considerable amount of time?

 

That being said, other sand box games don't grab me much in the same way without that "pressure" the recurring 7 days is to me. I've played hundreds of hours of Ark, perhaps more of Minecraft, but I never felt the same urgency and implied will to keep going, try new things. It's a fantastic game mechanic, and I haven't been able to tear myself away very long for over a year now.

 

Here is hoping the final vision of the game stands as a fitting monument to the game play at it's core.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No infection? Really? Is there a reason for that? I have to admit, it was annoying, but it definitely gave you a thrill of having to find those antibiotics.

 

Personally, I think if whether to have it or not, I'd say yes, have it, but perhaps no sooner than day 5. Especially with traders, and if you find the wrong one, he can sell you a pill for your first born child.

 

Bargaining or intimidation perks, anyone?

 

I don't even know what I said nope to. Regarding infection we need time to rewrite it. I don't know how soon we can do that without delaying 18.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about the Duke dressing his ZombieHorde (see what I did there with my name?) army? Or you've killed a bunch of bandits with armor and now there are a few zombies with armor because of that?

 

We could possibly head/hand swap these guys.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A couple of questions:

 

Would it be possible to reconfigure how recipes work so that one recipe could have several options? For instance, right now bottled water can be made in a couple of way (murky water or glass jar + snowball) and these have to be separate recipes in the list. It's a small thing, but having only one recipe entry in the list regardless of how many ways there are to create it would be cleaner and less confusing from a UI perspective, and would benefit modding as well.

 

Second, I asked this a little ways back in this thread but the conversation moves so fast it might have gotten lost in the shuffle:

 

To keep food relevant without spoilage, I'd propose that plants only be allowed to grow within a reasonable band of temperature and that a "seasonal" temperature cycle be added to the biomes in addition to the daily cycles. The reason being that you could then create a situation where the player can grow and harvest food for 14 days but then can't grow anything for the next 35, for example, even in the temperate biomes. Then food sourcing becomes a signficant gameplay aspect but without all of the challenges spoilage introduces.

 

What if you were saving your snowball for something and it got accidentally cooked? I'm not really a fan of multiple ways to craft stuff it clutters up the recipe list. One way to do it puts force on the player to find what he needs, not just any old substitute. Realism isn't so great for most game designs.

 

So new players planting on the wrong season or time frame can't grow?

 

Honestly we just need to focus on balance. Why reinvent farming version 121? Its too easy to get seeds. I can change a few lines of xml and get the result we need. Its the same with vehicles. Too much gasoline.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just started playing Conan again the other day. The sandstorms add atmosphere, and if they were removed the game would feel lesser for that reason alone. I certainly couldn't argue that they add much else to the game, though. Aside from atmosphere, I suppose they seem to serve mainly as an early game impediment and a reason to get you into the base building mechanics early. It also adds a sense of danger to early game adventures away from your base. I like that you can build a sandstorm mask around level 30 that negates the damage and makes the sandstorms merely cosmetic.

 

I do agree with you that I'm feeling a lack of purpose in the game (playing single player this time). I actually really like building neat things in the game, but the Purge seems to be verrrry stingy. I feel no sense of impending danger, and that meter is ticking up so slowly I'm not sure I'll ever see a purge before I get bored of the game. For that reason, everything about my base is aesthetic, rather than geared toward defense. If they would just build up that PvE threat and make it as robust as the one in 7D it would be a much better game.

 

For what it's worth, the game loop and sense of consistent overall purpose in your game is the best I've ever experienced in my 30+ years of gaming. Well done, sir.

Thanks yes, I love designs that give players a feeling of purpose. Preparing for impending doom and taking risks, surviving, scavenging, time management all tie nicely together into a 7 Days stew.

 

Conan's purge meter is crazy slow. I have 8 hours in already and its less than 10%. They probably didn't want to be too harsh on noobs. I don't know the metrics that increase the meter though, maybe advancing tech or something does it. Just a straight up every so many days would work IMO, as long as they are game staged it would be great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the "game loop" is why I have stuck with 7 days 2100 hours later. "Here is a sandbox, but something is going to come F it up in 7 days, so get ready!". I don't think there is another game that gave me more of a reason to stick around for day 7, 14, 959, etc. Trying new things, trying those things again when a new update comes out. I wonder when the game is "gold", will I eventually become bored with it to the point I put it aside for a considerable amount of time?

 

That being said, other sand box games don't grab me much in the same way without that "pressure" the recurring 7 days is to me. I've played hundreds of hours of Ark, perhaps more of Minecraft, but I never felt the same urgency and implied will to keep going, try new things. It's a fantastic game mechanic, and I haven't been able to tear myself away very long for over a year now.

 

Here is hoping the final vision of the game stands as a fitting monument to the game play at it's core.

 

Tower defense is awesome. Every blood moon I sit on my fort walls and listen to the thunder cracking, I wonder what the might do, what direction they are coming, and if I did enough to stop them. Its great every time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So new players planting on the wrong season or time frame can't grow?

 

Yup. They'd have to scavenge canned goods to survive. Or buy food from traders/vending machines. Or raid other players' bases for food.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Madmole In my opinion veichles shpuld get a part degradation, For example, Each Wheel can travel 60.000KM when its crafted Tier 6, and a engine can work for 100.000km when it gets the max km it break, if u have 1 wheel tier 2 and one tier 6 the tier 2 will stop in 20.000km and u will need to repair it, and the veichle will lose stability and start to push to the wheel broken, like in the real life, and the engine could start to turn off. Thats a good thing to make veichles harder and a better challenge.

 

Sorry if i could not explain well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does anyone know if optimizations will come to a18?

 

Game runs very poor going from 16 to 17. Main reason I stopped playing.

 

Lots of optimizations have been done. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of easy low hanging fruit. Its a bunch of work to save .01% cpu or something. But its adding up the game seems to be running pretty good in the editor lately which is a good sign. I can't promise any specific increases but hopefully it will become playable again for most people who quit for this reason.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup. They'd have to scavenge canned goods to survive. Or buy food from traders/vending machines. Or raid other players' bases for food.

 

Feel like we can accomplish the same thing by making crops randomly die for no reason, like IRL, or make seeds harder to get (balance).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Feel like we can accomplish the same thing by making crops randomly die for no reason, like IRL, or make seeds harder to get (balance).

 

Have player grown and world crops unable to craft seeds from. Instead have an un-mutated seed item (a different one for each crop) in the loot table. It could be a "Seed Vault" anti corruption parcel or something. They would be very rare. This way you could make having a farm an actual accomplishment. Keep the re growing plant mechanic.

 

Backstory should be easy to come up with why you can't plant seeds from crops grown. They are mutated or something. Would also open up some cool possibilites with perks.

 

Note: this might be a too drastic of a change for the player base

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have player grown and world crops unable to craft seeds from. Instead have an un-mutated seed item (a different one for each crop) in the loot table. It could be a "Seed Vault" anti corruption parcel or something. They would be very rare. This way you could make having a farm an actual accomplishment. Keep the re growing plant mechanic.

 

Backstory should be easy to come up with why you can't plant seeds from crops grown. They are mutated or something. Would also open up some cool possibilites with perks.

 

Why do we want to crap on farmers? I only farm to make meat stews. I get 500 eggs by looting nests and have hundreds of meat just killing every animal I see. There is tons of food at traders if I want it. I don't see the desire to crap on farmers, food is easy to get in every other way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why do we want to crap on farmers? I only farm to make meat stews. I get 500 eggs by looting nests and have hundreds of meat just killing every animal I see. There is tons of food at traders if I want it. I don't see the desire to crap on farmers, food is easy to get in every other way.

 

That's just the thing. To be a survival game, food shouldn't be easy to get. It also shouldn't be so difficult that the player does nothing but try to get enough food to survive but making food trivial takes away from the gameplay.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...