Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[kuratowakiru]

Not sure, I need to get well acquainted with electricity on a play through to really decide if it needs balancing or that would be a good mod.

 

Hi Joel, quick question, any plans on revisiting on electricity stuff in the future? Like simple AND/OR logic box, or putting 2 power source to the same circuit, or even new items?

 

IIRC, 19 is vehicle update and mods, water is Soon™

[madmole]

I think this is the highest I've seen for the reviews of this game. https://store.steampowered.com/app/251570/

 

If A18 is as good as the Pimps are touting then I can see an "overwhelmingly positive" rating.

 

Also, I swear zombies don't climb ladders anymore, like at all.

 

Proof that 17 isn't as bad as the critics made it out to be. From fresh eyes (all the people buying it on sale) its a great game. That said, I do think 18 will bring back most of the disgruntled 16 crowd.

[madmole]

It shows that when steam gives incentives to write reviews so that EVERYONE does it instead of just the angry people, you get a clearer picture of the overall feeling of the overall player base instead of a single slice of those who were married to the past.

 

Oh is there a new incentive to write a review?

[Darkening Demise]

What about AI Survivors?

[madmole]

This post is about the way of pumping the character in the game. You have refused to passively increase the perk level with the help of the action, but now many players are outraged that by killing zombies you can find out how to extract ore and so on.

 

I have an idea how to add logic here)

 

We have 5 attributes. Each attribute allows you to create a specific character class. Each attribute contains perks that are needed by this character class.

 

I propose to add to the game NPC attribute teachers:

 

- NPC teacher Perception (perception attribute and his perks);

- NPC teacher Weightlifter (attribute Power and his perks);

- NPC teacher Survivor (attribute Fortitude and his perks);

- NPC teacher Slick (attribute Agility and his perks);

- NPC teacher Scientist (Intellect attribute and its perks);

 

These will be the same NPCs as traders, only they will sell knowledge (levels of attributes and perks).

 

For each level of attribute or perk, the teacher will need to give away experience points and some money, food, parts, or something else.

 

Teachers can also have separate bases, or travel the world.

 

Teachers will be able to randomly appear in the locations of merchants every few days, which is much better.

 

On the first day, the Perceptualist teacher, on the fourth day - the Survivor teacher, on the ninth day - the Scientist teacher and so on.

 

This approach will make it logical to increase the skills of the character, and will add interest to this part of the game. Also, teachers will be able to give quests, and as a reward increase some level of attribute or perk.

 

What do you think about it? I think it's very good idea... may be for A19 )))

We've talked about adding some trainers/healers/offer services dialogue to npcs. We'll see down the road.

[AGar]

I think he was being sarcastic. I'd go for a silent hill creepy alarm horn sound though.

 

That would be amazing, but that thunder already makes my heart start pounding.

[madmole]

Thing is they seem to miss the best chances of capitalising on positive sales. The release of A18 before the steam sales would have been climatic timing for the game and the reviews.

 

Still I know why it's just not ready, but times like sales and year events i.e. Halloween, Christmas etc releasing a major update at these times is major business sense.

 

That off my chest, roll on A18.

 

It doesn't matter. At the end of the day a great game will sell in large numbers. All the marketing and timing bs is fluff, the real meat and potatoes of success is simply creating an amazing product. In other words, the former is useless without the latter. We'll have a sweet stable 18 for a nice fall and Halloween sale, so it will be fine.

[madmole]

Madmole, t Alpha 18, we will be able to assemble a workbench, chemical station, concrete mixer, locksmith, forge, spotlight, etc. and draw to our base? ) Yeeeessss !!! )))

 

No I was talking about an A19 system for collecting decorations. Workstations would probably have to be crafted/bought like now.

[Guppycur]

Proof that 17 isn't as bad as the critics made it out to be. From fresh eyes (all the people buying it on sale) its a great game. That said, I do think 18 will bring back most of the disgruntled 16 crowd.

 

Game is still great, but it could be better, is the argument imo. But all of that is old news; a18 sounds like it's back to being great.

 

...and yes, I'll accept the burden and responsibility of early access to it so I can Spread the Word. I'll get my bike out and go door to door in a white shirt and tie. =)

[madmole]

Realism/suspension of disbelief is one of the more minor positive aspects of LBD. This sounds like it would be super clunky compared to what we have now, and the idea that you NEED a teacher in order to learn isn't that realistic anyway. It's certainly disempowering, and not in a good way.

TFP talked about doing it in addition to the normal way, or learn a specific perk for a quest, like fetching some parts for bob and he teaches you how to make some vehicle mod.

[madmole]

Why is the mobile prison door no longer available?

 

Zombie pathing issues.

[madmole]

Hi Joel, quick question, any plans on revisiting on electricity stuff in the future? Like simple AND/OR logic box, or putting 2 power source to the same circuit, or even new items?

 

IIRC, 19 is vehicle update and mods, water is Soon™

 

As I said, I need to get well acquainted with it.

[madmole]

What about AI Survivors?

 

Sometime after A18.

[madmole]

That would be amazing, but that thunder already makes my heart start pounding.

 

Yes but a personal defense system could go off at any time when a random wandering horde comes near your base.

[madmole]

Game is still great, but it could be better, is the argument imo. But all of that is old news; a18 sounds like it's back to being great.

 

...and yes, I'll accept the burden and responsibility of early access to it so I can Spread the Word. I'll get my bike out and go door to door in a white shirt and tie. =)

 

Someone should make a spoof video of someone selling 7 days door to door lol.

[Gamida]

School starts around mid August here.

 

If it is going to be later you can always say you meant Canadian schools. Here they start at beginning of September. At least on the island.

 

 

 

 

We've talked about adding some trainers/healers/offer services dialogue to npcs. We'll see down the road.

 

Any chance that the trader will add a book or schematic in as a choice for your quest loot?

 

 

 

 

...and yes, I'll accept the burden and responsibility of early access to it so I can Spread the Word. I'll get my bike out and go door to door in a white shirt and tie. =)

 

Someone should make a spoof video of someone selling 7 days door to door lol.

 

Shhhhhh. Don't mention it to Guppy. Didn't you notice he mentioned wearing a white shirt and tie but nothing about pants.

[madmole]

 

Any chance that the trader will add a book or schematic in as a choice for your quest loot?

 

 

This is a great idea.

[Gamida]

This is a great idea.

 

Glad you thought so about that one and not guppy selling the game wearing shirt, tie and no pants.

[madmole]

Glad you thought so about that one and not guppy selling the game wearing shirt, tie and no pants.

 

I put it in already, books are now a potential quest reward.

[RestInPieces]

Characters start with x perk points now once you do the tutorial. Starting out forcing a big decision on new players isn't a good idea, the older fallouts were overwhelming and required an hour or more messing with a character and figuring out your specials watching tutorials in f03 and vegas that were just painful as hell, so I have no desire to go in that direction.

 

Ok, first impressions are important, but should you really be giving so much weight to the first time new players will experience a sandbox etc game, in which replayability is far more important? Not saying you can't achieve both by easing the player into some complexity gradually, but if, for example, GGG, a garage studio, was afraid of "not being accessible enough" they wouldn't be selling their stakes' majority to tencent for 100m today.

 

As for F1, 2, 3 and NV, they were pretty straightforward imo with a lot of readily available information. As for F4, the "lobotomized fallout", I don't think it was accessibility or streamlining that made it such a financial success. It definitely rode on Skyrim's success and B's brand name, had great release timing and B invested a hell of a lot of money to market it properly.

[Tin]

Oh is there a new incentive to write a review?

 

IDK, I haven't even wrote a review yet, since I don't have a full finished game to write a review on.. yet

Just a waste of time to write one, about aspects that may or may not change later.

[Roland]

A lot of reviews mention that they only wrote it for the points it gives towards the steam sale racing competition thing.

[Onarr]

It doesn't matter. At the end of the day a great game will sell in large numbers. All the marketing and timing bs is fluff, the real meat and potatoes of success is simply creating an amazing product. In other words, the former is useless without the latter. We'll have a sweet stable 18 for a nice fall and Halloween sale, so it will be fine.

 

I agree that marketing is useless without a good product, but good product, that few people know about is not viable either. Both things go hand in hand. I myself could not do marketing, I suck at it. I am way too critical of my work for that. But I do think, that it is important and its best to have someone who can spread the word about the awesome product.

[Onarr]

And here we go with phrases like "most of these players".... which was determined by one guy with a biased opinion looking at a few pages of steam reviews. #FakeNews

 

How about this, I determined that most of these players voted thumbs up because of the more traditional experience/skill system. They would given negative reviews if Lbd was still in place.

 

The facts are: LBD is gone and the reviews are "very positive".

 

Which I feel like I should remind you, given that you use a lot of fancy words related to critical thinking, does not mean causal relationship. It is not correlation either. Basically, without proper analysis of data, it has no value for statements for either party. Its simply an observation, which does not hold much merit

[FA_Q2]

Madmole,

 

Welcome back - a question if I may, have the Pimps considered large "fuel tanks" that can be attached to generators. It was a question posed in the Pimp Dreams forum, and I think a good one at that. In short, a way to just throw copious amounts of fuel at a generator to reduce the frequency by which it needs to be topped up. A good chance for another book to.

 

How often do you have to top up?

 

My generators will last a minimum of a week without me touching them at all - fuel consumption is really low. If it drains to fast you can use a second generator as well.