Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[Mumpfy]

ok so i never comment here but my OCD is stronger so....

MM i just saw the horde vid day 77 i think and at minute 1.15 my ocd kicked in.

 

gets grenade.... looking good, actually the pin kind of shakes a bit im liking it

 

removes the pin.... animation looking sharp

 

throws grenade..... ffs, ocd goes like a car alarm on the back of my brain...

 

"THE PIN IS BACK ON IT... YOU JUST REMOVED IT.... WHY THE F... IS IT BACK THERE... WTH?!!!!!!"

(thats just my ocd screaming at me)

 

not really trying to criticize you guys, i love the work THE FUN... PINS are doing and the game. just letting you know becouse i know its a small detail that "almost" anyone could missed and most people wouldnt even care. but my brain cant let it go.

 

modders could always fix it though if that ship has sailed....

(insert sarcasm gif here)

 

so hope that helps somehow, lol.

im going back to my ocd cave.

[ZombieHorde]

OMG just try A18 and get over it. LBD is not coming back unless someone buys the company. A18 smokes 16, 17, Fark, Crust, Gay Z, the Forrust, Subfartica, the Shaft, Stranded Geek, you name it I have a pun for it Sorry but you don't have to shove cacti up your ass to level any more.

 

The cool thing about Stranded Deep? Well, I don't know about now, but up until probably 6 months ago it was a team of two. And the immersion of the game was breathtaking! Still had lots of problems, but was playable. Very impressed with that game.

[Aldranon]

I did hear that at some point more variation in zombie behavior would be added. (ie more zombies entering "low intelligence"/destroy anything mode.) I am unsure if he meant this will come in A18, A19, etc. But I did notice that the zombies were targeting several weakened spots in his base, and not just the one spot, which is brilliant. Also, he managed to semi-drag some around, which is an improvement (over them being determined to destroy x block), imo.

 

That's why I keep on telling people that the pathway designs that exploit their AI are possibly about to become obsolete. You couldn't afford to look over your shoulder all the time, looking for a possible demolisher that spawned, and if it did end up on one's path design, that "base" would go kaboom.

 

 

Yup. There is no way a single player could easily detect, locate and then destroy an incoming Demolition Zombie while carrying on a fight again other zombies. The "Kill Chain" is just too quick in SP.

 

It would end most above ground bases, UNLESS the Demo Guy is for a extremely high GameStage. It would be like: "OK, you won the game, now lets try something Really different!"

[sillls]

Wow, I have a treat for you guys.... I recorded day 77 and it was super intense! Sorry no behemoth spawned, but I promise you some crazy action. I will need to farm 2k rounds for the next horde and have another m60 on my belt Uploading now.

 

Here you go:

 

It was a cool video.

I really liked how the jumping zombie hopped up well over four meters to get to you. Or when they jump and flew past you. lol I also liked how the vulture attacked randomly and flew away when it was shot. I also liked how the ending where they zombies didn't seem to want to give up and seemed to keep coming.

 

The pathing is still not that great as they seem to form a line at one spot and focus on that one area, then switch to the next. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. At times, only the birds and hoppers distracted you.

Well until you had them charge the front of your fort.

 

The M-60 seems to still have issues. I watched and the weapon firing seems to slow down most of the time. I thought it was low frame rate but if

it was that then why was the AK unaffected. Also everything would have slowed down and glitched but the only thing that seemed to slow down was the M-60.

 

Then the ammo for the M-60 seemed to set randomly at 6:06 at 42 round and not at 65. Buy the way, that ammo can mounted on the M-60 should hold 200 rounds.

 

Zombies seemed to glitch through the door but I'm sure you saw that.

 

I liked the ammo boxes in your inventory, a great way to carry ammo but they look too much like bullets. Even with that smaller box in the background (which I did not see at first). I recommend reversing the view so the box is in the foreground with the bullet inside the box. Also that it looks more like a box of ammo and not a crate.

 

What was that with not being able to repair your weapon at first? Is that a must fix MF?

 

Anyways, great video and I hope that you found my feedback helpful.

[ZombieSurvivor]

ok so i never comment here but my OCD is stronger so....

MM i just saw the horde vid day 77 i think and at minute 1.15 my ocd kicked in.

 

gets grenade.... looking good, actually the pin kind of shakes a bit im liking it

 

removes the pin.... animation looking sharp

 

throws grenade..... ffs, ocd goes like a car alarm on the back of my brain...

 

"THE PIN IS BACK ON IT... YOU JUST REMOVED IT.... WHY THE F... IS IT BACK THERE... WTH?!!!!!!"

(thats just my ocd screaming at me)

 

not really trying to criticize you guys, i love the work THE FUN... PINS are doing and the game. just letting you know becouse i know its a small detail that "almost" anyone could missed and most people wouldnt even care. but my brain cant let it go.

 

modders could always fix it though if that ship has sailed....

(insert sarcasm gif here)

 

so hope that helps somehow, lol.

im going back to my ocd cave.

 

I just rewatched (deleted)

 

 

EDIT: nevermind i slowed the video down and seen that the grenade thrown still has the pin...WTF!!!!!!!

this game is crap, throws copy of 7D2D and storms off.....lol jk

 

I hope this is corrected because now that you have pointed this out, I'm going to go nuts everytime i throw a grenade and see that pin still attached .

 

 

***************************************

 

(edit added comment by QA Tester-unholyjoe)

 

this is now reported.

 

thanks

 

***************************************

[madmole]

Is there a new feral block damage option, or did you tweak that in XML? I seem to remember only normal block damage and blood moon block damage.

 

I boosted them in xml to do 50% more damage. We might have nerfed it some too though, so it could be less than it was in 17, I don't know. The overall design was for single zeds to not plow through concrete like swiss cheese but a group of them will be a problem. I think the group damage boost might need more yet, but its getting close.

[MechanicalLens]

I just rewatched (deleted)

 

 

EDIT: nevermind i slowed the video down and seen that the grenade thrown still has the pin...WTF!!!!!!!

this game is crap, throws copy of 7D2D and storms off.....lol jk

 

I hope this is corrected because now that you have pointed this out, I'm going to go nuts everytime i throw a grenade and see that pin still attached.

 

Remember that you can throw pipe bombs that have yet to be primed. (Unless that has been fixed?)

 

 

***************************************

 

(edit added comment by QA Tester-unholyjoe)

 

that is so you can toss a few then ignite all with a lit one... bigger bang

 

thanks

 

***************************************

[madmole]

Thanks for the video. Was exciting. Got a few chuckles how those spiders got the drop on you and gnawed on your legs several times before you realized it lol.

 

Yeah I thought maybe it was puke or a vulture a few times because usually that is what hits you when on a tower, then I saw the pesky guys leg humping me.

[madmole]

Yea, figured there´s no point in begging like a child, so I picked up Middle Earth-Shadow of War. That Nemesis system would be a great addition to a bandit faction. Unlikely for 7d2d, but maybe in your next game?

 

What is Nemesis system?

[ZombieHorde]

No thanks, there are too many tough to navigate situations where they will look bad IMO. Its worth a try, but if it looks bad, well forget it. At a minimum we'll have survivor camps you can repair the wall before the next horde shows up, and once you do you have a small horde show up you protect them from kind of thing.

 

Any thoughts on having a radio (maybe not a 2-way radio unless you plan on putting 2-way dialogue in) in which way you can get your information?

 

Like, for example, weather reports, random horde activity news, some rich guy was seen in area x (find him and his loot is yours), you hear a distress call: "We are at this location and being chased by dogs. HEEELLLLPPPP!", and maybe worst of all, you hear the Duke, who you've peed off by not paying protection tax, or killing someone he liked or done something that displeases him.

 

"To the guy, I'll give you a nickname and you'll know who you are: Deadmeat. To Mr. Deadmeat, I'm coming after you. I've got eyes and ears everywhere and you better believe me when I say I'll find you."

 

And then you don't know which NPC's to trust.

 

Just an idea that, if done right, will add some paranoia to the game.

[madmole]

MM, is the "behemoth" a missprint? Maybe you meant the destroyer? Or should we really wait at Behemoth's 18 Alpha?

 

Hmm yes someone mentioned the behemoth recently so it was stuck in my head, no destroyers.

[madmole]

Please tell me that the stack size of ammo has not been reduced to 100 bullets per slot. There goes my inventory space.

 

Tons of stack sizes relative to survival and combat have been nerfed (prepped food, bandages, ammo). You can hold 200 9mm though.

 

Edit: Once you find the book to bulk craft you can hold 5 boxes (500) of ammo in one slot, so think of it as a huge upgrade to storage space as a whole.

[madmole]

I hope it is a jokie or a missprint. I hate the idea of a 3m zombie that destroys my base with a few blows. Why should I build a horde base if it is only a pile of rubble after the horde? Then I can use POIs as temporary base as well and only place a few spikes around them. This is just as effective.

 

Good luck with that strategy lol.

 

Edit: At least after GS 100 or so I wouldn't try it.

[ZombieHorde]

Yeah lets drop 2 grand on an Attorney that has no jurisdiction in Nigeria.

 

But I'm sure you any attorney would LOVE to sink their teeth into Amazon, for again selling stuff they have no right to sell - and they know it.

 

Amazon is such a crooked company! I'd LOVE to see them taken down a few places, multiple times, if possible.

[madmole]

I did like LBD too. I am also looking forward to the updated exp system in a18. I do agree though that the level/exp system is more flavor. Though in a17 your crafting is gated in INT.

 

The game to me is all about looting, building, and then tower defense. Right now I sometimes forget to add my points and might have gained 5-8 levels before I start adding perks.

 

You won't in A18, leveling is much slower and designed to be peaked out at about level 80. You can keep going, but I've got 80 hours in this game at level 60. I still want to play and still need some things, but you should spend perk points wisely, its not trivial to level once you hit level 40+. With more total zeds on later blood moons it should help. I had nerd goggles and 2 grandpa's elixers and seemed to have leveled twice last night which was welcome.

[jdifran]

Thanks! Yeah they never got even close to me before, I just had Gazz turn up how many guys total spawn so before I'd mow em down and be collecting loot by midnight or one, I wanted zeds all night plus I turned up block damage on ferals so this was my first test with those settings and it was epic! I haven't had an intense game like this since A11. I can't wait for you guys to get your hands on, this is glorious.

 

I always figured the waves should keep coming from nightfall to dawn, and that them ending before dawn was a bug. But I guess you'd really have to tone down the individual waves if they endlessly spawned from 10 pm to 4 am.

 

Is there a fixed number of waves (or individual zombies), or a number based on gamestage?

[madmole]

I lol for 5m at the "Oh ♥♥♥♥!" part

 

I just played and an amazing video was made. I mean somehow the pacing just kept amping up, I think its because they do spread out like A16 and were all over the place of my fairly large compound, but once the spikes were down on my front ramp suddenly everyone moved to that location and it got intense. A few climbing over here and there and continued slow damage while I reloaded, a few spiders and vultures and cop puke slowing me down was all it took for them to breach my wall and create an oh ♥♥♥♥ moment

 

I'm stoked to repair my base and make some changes for the next horde.

[madmole]

This is fantastic news! Previously, if we wanted a longer horde, we would have to log off once the initial horde was over and thus summon in a second horde, but it was slightly immersion breaking. Glad to know that the max zombies per horde night has been raised.

 

Its more of a mid game thing, we don't want noobs on day 7 overrun. Got to give the new player a few victories then start creeping things up. Pacing has never felt this good before.

[madmole]

Thanks for that. It looked like a lot of fun.

Crazy as it sounds, but ammo / brass scarcity has always led me to play with arrows and clubs. I've never used either of those automatic weapons, but I doubt that horde could have been beaten with anything less than automatics.

 

It was interesting to see your play style changed as the ammo supply shank... you went from belly shots on automatic to head shots on semi auto/burst. Those weapons are awesome for cutting through the Zeds with only 2-3 shots, even radiated wights.

 

2 questions... why do you have that perilous drop for your own character over the spinning blade trap (I could seem myself falling through it), and was your ammo supply aquired through legit play, or through the console?

 

Specialization is quite powerful now, and with random stats you can get some pretty nice damage weapons, but I was cutting through radiated because my m60 was loaded with armor piercing rounds with the rad remover mod, and my first 500 rounds were HP rounds.

 

The description of the video says it was all legit game play, that is my long term real game, no cheats. Its not hard to acquire ammo if you have mines and the new brass perk books help.

 

I've never used blade traps so I put them there. I rarely fall off, I noticed that one wall didn't have iron bars on it and I still didn't fall off, but I moved to another area in case I did. The only safe way into the base after lock down is through the overhead garage door, otherwise I spike up my normal doors and ramp.

[madmole]

I also just noticed in the video that cops can now puke through bars. Interesting, interesting... *Re-planning my base design for A18 slightly*

 

Yes, if you can shoot through, their acid should come through.

[MechanicalLens]

I just played and an amazing video was made. I mean somehow the pacing just kept amping up, I think its because they do spread out like A16 and were all over the place of my fairly large compound, but once the spikes were down on my front ramp suddenly everyone moved to that location and it got intense. A few climbing over here and there and continued slow damage while I reloaded, a few spiders and vultures and cop puke slowing me down was all it took for them to breach my wall and create an oh ♥♥♥♥ moment

 

I'm stoked to repair my base and make some changes for the next horde.

 

That was one of the greatest highlights in that video, in my opinion. The zombies didn't just mindlessly focus on one to two blocks and bust through your base in a matter of seconds. You had time to react, and more importantly, they spread out more. You were even able to somewhat manipulate their behavior by shuffling around your compound. Now if they would cease ignoring landmines and such (lol), I think you have something truly golden here.

[madmole]

That was an absolutely epic showdown! My heart was racing when the zombies busted through those iron bars! I was astonished they didn't bust through the vault door in a matter of a few tens of seconds like they would do in A17. If some tweaking has been done (I do know you've nerfed individual zombie block damage), that's awesome!

 

I was convinced that "conventional horde bases" were a thing of the past. Either you had a cheesy pathway that exploited their AI and ensured they did no damage to your base, or it was a losing fight. Despite the fact that the zombies breached your base, this video has proven me otherwise.

 

I also noticed that the zombies semi-followed you around, instead of mindlessly attacking one or two blocks of your base. While they were still focusing on specific weakened points of the structure, there definitely seemed to be some minor differences in AI. (Either that, or I'm imagining things / I'm mistaken.)

 

I've been playing the crap out of the game and tweaking things. I like the AI now, I think it still does some stuff some people have complained about, but since there are dumb and smart zombies it mixes in now and feels more organic and it doesn't bother me at all.

[MechanicalLens]

Its more of a mid game thing, we don't want noobs on day 7 overrun. Got to give the new player a few victories then start creeping things up. Pacing has never felt this good before.

 

Of course, of course; it would only make sense (and for a fairer overall experience) if the horde sizes increased as each 7 days passed, eventually leading to hordes that last from dusk to dawn.

[beerfly]

I just played and an amazing video was made. I mean somehow the pacing just kept amping up, I think its because they do spread out like A16 and were all over the place of my fairly large compound, but once the spikes were down on my front ramp suddenly everyone moved to that location and it got intense. A few climbing over here and there and continued slow damage while I reloaded, a few spiders and vultures and cop puke slowing me down was all it took for them to breach my wall and create an oh ♥♥♥♥ moment

 

I'm stoked to repair my base and make some changes for the next horde.

 

It will be remembered as one of the best moments for sure.

Btw you recently said you use electricity deeper now, you can try put motion detectors pointing only an inner side of your safe space and connect them to a speaker. Set them up for only zeds and no more oh ♥♥♥♥ moments when you look at another direction. Safety first.

[madmole]

The only thing that "sucked" about it was the amount of ammo used. I hope madmole has several good mines located! Lol

 

Maybe people might feel like its cake to get ammo, but I had so much fun last night you are going to need it IMO. I was tired of never having any ammo and impossible to find mines so I spearheaded the mining overhaul so its easy to find the ore. I still only use guns when surrounded so I can stockpile a massive supply for horde night without spending more than 3-4 nights a week from midnight to 4 am mining. I have rank 3 miner/lode and I can get 5-6k ore in that time, with my pink pick with 3 mods.