Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[ZombieSurvivor]

*logs in reads the last few pages*

 

The weekend really brings out the trolls huh.....

 

*shakes head walks away*

 

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They said back in A17 that the smell system would come back in A18. I'm hoping that is still a fact.

[Aurelius]

I refuse to believe this until the devs confirm it.

 

I hope your right - but I vaguely remember MM saying the smell system like we had before wasn't coming back.

 

I'll gladly eat crow if we get it back

 

-A

[Xtrakicking]

*logs in reads the last few pages*

 

The weekend really brings out the trolls huh.....

 

*shakes head walks away*

 

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They said back in A17 that the smell system would come back in A18. I'm hoping that is still a fact.

 

They haven't really mentioned anything, and they're already in content lock. I do think I recall madmole saying it would come back too, though.

[Guppycur]

They haven't really mentioned anything, and they're already in content lock. I do think I recall madmole saying it would come back too, though.

 

...as breadcrumbs.

[Mechanimal]

*logs in reads the last few pages*

 

The weekend really brings out the trolls huh.....

 

*shakes head walks away*

 

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They said back in A17 that the smell system would come back in A18. I'm hoping that is still a fact.

 

Well I am not trying to troll, just looking for feedback on what everyone thinks about this new system. It works so well they cut back on Z spawns in the wild because the devs/testers sounded like they were getting owned by z the first few days of each game. So whatever it was meant for it sure sounds like it's working.

 

I can understand it not being an "official smell system" with all the dynamic variables of what a player has in their inventory. But I can see it as an unavoidable base molecular trail, because that makes sense, whether I like it or not. It's not even that abstract at all, just a matter of scale, molecules instead of much larger visual crumbs.

 

If it wasn't meant as smell then I don't what to say, it is at least a great place to start building that system once again. I personally wouldn't mind smell being forever absent, aside from animals humans have a horrible sense of smell. Though Zombos are kind of returned to a more animalistic state, enough so that I could accept it.

[Xtrakicking]

...as breadcrumbs.

 

Breadcrumbs were already planned when smell was in the game. Removing smell then saying breadcrumbs is the new smell is just a fancy way of saying another cool system got removed to not come back again.

[Guppycur]

Breadcrumbs were already planned when smell was in the game. Removing smell then saying breadcrumbs is the new smell is just a fancy way of saying another cool system got removed to not come back again.

 

Breadcrumbs were unplanned then smell then replanned.

 

...smell isn't coming back.

[ZombieSurvivor]

Well I am not trying to troll, just looking for feedback on what everyone thinks about this new system. It works so well they cut back on Z spawns in the wild because the devs/testers sounded like they were getting owned by z the first few days of each game. So whatever it was meant for it sure sounds like it's working.

 

I can understand it not being an "official smell system" with all the dynamic variables of what a player has in their inventory. But I can see it as an unavoidable base molecular trail, because that makes sense, whether I like it or not. It's not even that abstract at all, just a matter of scale, molecules instead of much larger visual crumbs.

 

If it wasn't meant as smell then I don't what to say, it is at least a great place to start building that system once again. I personally wouldn't mind smell being forever absent, aside from animals humans have a horrible sense of smell. Though Zombos are kind of returned to a more animalistic state, enough so that I could accept it.

 

Naw bro I know you are no troll lol. That wasn't directed towards you or anyone specific.

 

Personally I do not mind if it never comes back but if it does, it does indeed make the game a bit more challenging.

 

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Breadcrumbs were unplanned then smell then replanned.

 

...smell isn't coming back.

 

Say it isn't so I really thought it was coming back in A18. I'll have to find where in the world I heard it.

[Mechanimal]

Breadcrumbs were already planned when smell was in the game. Removing smell then saying breadcrumbs is the new smell is just a fancy way of saying another cool system got removed to not come back again.

 

Unless I am somehow physically dropping things as I move then I reject the actual bread-crumbs thing, it is however a great way to describe how smell trails actually work, they're just eency-weency molecular crumbs.

 

I, honestly, do not want smell in the game. I can't smell, and I don't want to smell, the world of 7DTD anyway, that actual world would be incredibly stinky in so many ways. Thing is there is no way to directly convey this sense out of our major 3. I can see when I play, and I can hear when I play, but I cannot smell, and I don't want to anyway.

 

If/when they do bring back a fuller smell system how in the hell do I gauge how stinky I am? Will there be a smell meter? Will I have to dig through menus once again to find out if I am stinky or not? That will seriously annoy me if it is poorly represented and hard to determine.

 

Regardless I'll accept whatever they do, but if I had a choice I would negate smell entirely, forever, unless they can somehow pull it off effectively.

 

I honestly want to be wrong. But this is a dev choice, in an evolving alpha, so I am down to try out whatever, and won't make any kind of final judgement until I have thoroughly played multiple games with the system in place. Just spitballing and debating.

[Guppycur]

Breadcrumbs are an abstract combination of smell, sound, light, and movement detection.

[ZombieSurvivor]

Breadcrumbs are an abstract combination of smell, sound, light, and movement detection.

 

exactly, well said.

[Dark_Corvid]

Breadcrumbs are an abstract combination of smell, sound, light, and movement detection.

 

And sounds like they work very well. I'm pretty excited to see the system in action.

[sillls]

Sure, left is default, right is with the brick block having a -100 density.

 

...but I can promise you, the devs who actually handle this stuff are already aware, there's likely some justification against it (even though some of their prefabbers use this trick too)

 

 

I love it! TFP's please add the effect on the right to the game.

[Doombringer101]

And sounds like they work very well. I'm pretty excited to see the system in action.

 

Agreed.

[Mechanimal]

Breadcrumbs are an abstract combination of smell, sound, light, and movement detection.

 

Ok, can tolerate that, to a point... unless I am stealthing, then the ONLY thing I can't control is smell, especially if it's not an interactive system. In that case a player should not be compromised for it. It would ruin stealth, especially if it's not a metric I can control in any way.

[Aurelius]

Unless I am somehow physically dropping things as I move then I reject the actual bread-crumbs thing, it is however a great way to describe how smell trails actually work, they're just eency-weency molecular crumbs.

 

I, honestly, do not want smell in the game. I can't smell, and I don't want to smell, the world of 7DTD anyway, that actual world would be incredibly stinky in so many ways. Thing is there is no way to directly convey this sense out of our major 3. I can see when I play, and I can hear when I play, but I cannot smell, and I don't want to anyway.

 

If/when they do bring back a fuller smell system how in the hell do I gauge how stinky I am? Will there be a smell meter? Will I have to dig through menus once again to find out if I am stinky or not? That will seriously annoy me if it is poorly represented and hard to determine.

 

Regardless I'll accept whatever they do, but if I had a choice I would negate smell entirely, forever, unless they can somehow pull it off effectively.

 

I honestly want to be wrong. But this is a dev choice, in an evolving alpha, so I am down to try out whatever, and won't make any kind of final judgement until I have thoroughly played multiple games with the system in place. Just spitballing and debating.

 

When the old smell system was in place, your sneak meter would become "less sneaky" when you had stinky food on you. You couldn't get to 100% hidden unless you dropped it. It made sneaking a challenge because you could no longer haul a stack of meat stew with you as you went out scavenging. You had to take something else that had poorer nutritional value. (Meaningful choice.)

 

The terminology "bread-crumb" was just a way to describe how the system worked without going into detail. The game keeps track of each location you visit, in order, just like as if you are dropping breadcrumbs behind you.

 

I could imagine some modder using inventory food or active light sources to modify the search area (see faatals description,) making it easier (or harder, from guts) for zombies to locate you.

 

-A

[Mechanimal]

When the old smell system was in place, your sneak meter would become "less sneaky" when you had stinky food on you. You couldn't get to 100% hidden unless you dropped it. It made sneaking a challenge because you could no longer haul a stack of meat stew with you as you went out scavenging. You had to take something else that had poorer nutritional value. (Meaningful choice.)

 

The terminology "bread-crumb" was just a way to describe how the system worked without going into detail. The game keeps track of each location you visit, in order, just like as if you are dropping breadcrumbs behind you.

 

I could imagine some modder using inventory food or active light sources to modify the search area (see faatals description,) making it easier for zombies to locate you.

 

-A

 

Ah, ok. I wasn't around yet when smell was a thing. I have over 2000 hours in but have only been playing since A16, barely played A17(level locks, loss of LBD, losing E to harvest, and temp control becoming a late game thing drove me nuts.) So I'm a noob compared to most of you, despite my hour count.

 

I did think it was a thing in an early game where I got surprise mauled by a pack of stealth wolves. I was hunting and thought it was all the meat. I was wrong, but it gave me an idea of what it could be like.

 

If/when they bring it back then I would deal by being mindful of what I carried, but I would want a clear way of knowing. Affecting the stealth meter is alright, would have to play it out and see. I always stealth POIs, so it will seriously affect my gameplay.

[Xtrakicking]

Ah, ok. I wasn't around yet when smell was a thing. I have over 2000 hours in but have only been playing since A16, barely played A17(level locks, loss of LBD, losing E to harvest, and temp control becoming a late game thing drove me nuts.) So I'm a noob compared to most of you, despite my hour count.

 

I did think it was a thing in an early game where I got surprise mauled by a pack of stealth wolves. I was hunting and thought it was all the meat.

 

If/when they bring it back then I would deal by being mindful of what I carried, but I would want a clear way of knowing. Affecting the stealth meter is alright, would have to play it out and see. I always stealth POIs, so it will seriously affect my gameplay.

 

Back then, whenever the player had a smelly item in their backpack a buff would show up to indicate that zombies could smell them.

[Mechanimal]

Well, the subject is starting to stink, we should wait for dev input, days if necessary, they deserve some away time.

 

So, have another question for you other players: Did you also spend the vast majority of your time in the forest biome due to temperature adaptation being such a pain in the ass in A17?

 

I went to the snow biome and desert a TON more often in A16, hated going in A17. All we had to do in A16 was find and wear the right thing. In A17 I would dress for it, AND add hot/cold mods, AND spec into it, then I'd go up north or to the desert and still get a ♥♥♥♥ing temperature debuff, it drove me nuts, so I jsut never went, and have spent far far more time in the forums this year than in the actual game.

 

Just wondering what your experiences were like.

 

I also have contempt for everyone who complained about how RWG put all the snow up north and the desert down south. That was awesome, putting it back to random nonsense made me spend all my time in Navezgane only in A17, never RWG. Once I explored all the amazing new POIs I stopped playing. So to all who fought that change into place. They could at least bring it back as an option, that would be ideal for all opinions on it.

 

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Back then, whenever the player had a smelly item in their backpack a buff would show up to indicate that zombies could smell them.

 

Ah, ok, that would help. Ty.

[Ouch Quit It]

Breadcrumbs are an abstract combination of smell, sound, light, and movement detection.

 

Nope...they are little pieces of bread spread out after eating a samich

 

Coughs * VIDEO * Coughs

[Odetta]

Breadcrumbs are an abstract combination of smell, sound, light, and movement detection.

 

If you could add a tag(heat) to the player, and then tag certain food then wouldn't it work the same way? I Guess you wouldn't call it smell but maybe racket or unrest. I'd imagine you could tag any item you want to generate on-player heat. Possible right now? I don't know.

 

Or replace heat with noise, whatever.

[Zombiepoptard]

But I think that's a large part of the issue and many people have said it now: the game has gone from balancing survival, with non-7 day zombies being only a smallish part of the game and all of the other game mechanics being equally as important to survive. Now it seems to be survival is only 5% of the game and zombies and looting the majority of the rest.

 

When I first started maybe A12, I forget now, the game was a nice blend of survival and resource management and legitimate concern that your character wasn't going to starve to death, all leading up to day 7 when you would have wanted to balance things well or you wouldn't survive.

 

I loved the mini-games and different ways of doing things. Even though combining guns to get a better gun didn't make sense, it was a mechanic that got us doing something different in the game than the rest of it.

 

Largely that's my opinion about farming. Using the hoe was a different mechanic that made it that little bit more interesting. It wasn't crafting, which we do enough of already.

 

Many people, including myself, would have welcomed things like food spoilage and battery management into the game because it's all about balancing and survival and organising yourself well or suffer the consequences.

If I wanted to play a looter shooter I’d play borderlands because 7dtd gun play sucks big time and I don’t see a big revamp. People like the game because you can do anything in it. Build, Farm, Kill zombies, set traps, cook and craft. Nothing should be developed to take a back seat. It builds immersion and creates relaxing sections in between the action to reduce burnout. Farming defiantly needs to be more LITTLE bit more complex.

[falloutcloud]

If I wanted to play a looter shooter I’d play borderlands because 7dtd gun play sucks big time and I don’t see a big revamp. People like the game because you can do anything in it. Build, Farm, Kill zombies, set traps, cook and craft. Nothing should be developed to take a back seat. It builds immersion and creates relaxing sections in between the action to reduce burnout. Farming defiantly needs to be more LITTLE bit more complex.

 

17.4

1. Use hoe to change to farm soil

2. Plant seed

3. Wait to grow

4. Harvest

 

18.0

1. Craft Planter

2. Place Planter

3. Plant seed

4. Wait to grow

5. Harvest

 

Not seeing where it's less complex?

[Guppycur]

Well, whatever *initially* attracts the zombies to your spot/location is probably going to be controlled by your perks and buffs.

[Lonestarcanuck]

if a zombie knocks a tree down and a player is not around...does it make a sound?