A17 need advice on how to play

[topheron]

I've played a17 for a while now, and I'm hoping to get some suggestions on how to accomplish my play goals.

 

What I'm really having problems with in A17 is finding safety.

 

In A16 I dug to bedrock, did my cooking and crafting and prepwork and inventory management at night.

 

So my primary question is... how do I create a safe place in A17?

 

What are the best practices to stay alive at night and on blood moon nights?

 

How do I cook, do inventory management and craft without being killed?

[Umbrella]

Hi Topheron,

 

A first remark is that total safety is probably what TFP tries to remove from the game, especially with the new IA. In the current state however, there still exist rather safe base designs. I would also say that now, building up is much safer than caving down.

 

A few advices for the first days:

- Crouch is your best ally early on. You can really move near zombies and gather resources if you remain crouched.

- A ladder starting at 3rd height is a safe entrance to any roof.

 

For the hordes, there are a few baseless options, depending on your build. A full str build with coffee or beer can take the horde fighting in the street. A full agility build may fight it in the water. A full perception build would use slowing traps in a corridor while shooting zombies from distance, a full int build could flee on minibike...

 

For base designs, from safest to requiring more active defense:

 

- Trader base. Unreachable, glitch, takes most of the fun out, but requires a few days to build

-> Build a deep gap all around trader and attach your base to the highest indestructible blocks.

 

- Fall bases. Requires a bit of digging and materials, reduces xp gain. Saves ammo.

-> 3 times 25 block falls should kill most zombies.

 

- Melee bases. Split Zs damages on many blocks. Requires a bit of material. Saves ammo.

-> Build a floor with horizontal pillar 50. Can be combined with fall.

 

- Toothless bases. Only special zombies are a threat (dog, spider, cops). Block damages are very low (cobblestone can stand the 3 first hordes with only little repair). Saves ammo.

-> Build walls as 1 block on ground, 1 empty, and 1/2 block facing up. Zs will see this as a path and wont damage blocks a lot, while you can melee them. There are tricks to prevent Zs from climbing above.

 

- Platform with traps all around.

-> platform 2 high, traps 1 high. Since the path goes on the trap, the Z will move to the next as traps break.

[Crater Creator]

Non-Blood Moon nights are about stealth. You don't need walls that can withstand zombie attacks so long as they never come after you. Actively hunt down any zombies near your base before nightfall. Then get inside and keep quiet. Make sure there aren't holes in the walls through which they can see you. Consider investing in perks like "In the Shadows." Minimize station use to keep your heat low enough that you don't get screamers.

 

Beyond stealth, set up traps and sensors, not necessarily to kill everything that comes, but to make the zombies slower and more noisy so you know they're coming. To prepare for the worst, build in some lines of sight so you can counterattack zombies banging on your door. And always have two exits, so you're not trapped if they break through.

[Roland]

For the first few weeks you can set up camp on the roof of pretty much any brick commercial building and be safe. As Crater mentioned stealth works really well in A17.2. If you crouch and move around outside without a light source, the zombies can't find you on a nonbloodmoon night. You can throw stones away from your position and zombies in the area will run to where the stone lands. You can even shoot a zombie and then quietly move away 5-8 blocks distance from where you were when you fired and the zombie will run to where you were but not see where you are now.

[PoppaTot]

For the first few weeks you can set up camp on the roof of pretty much any brick commercial building and be safe. As Crater mentioned stealth works really well in A17.2. If you crouch and move around outside without a light source, the zombies can't find you on a nonbloodmoon night. You can throw stones away from your position and zombies in the area will run to where the stone lands. You can even shoot a zombie and then quietly move away 5-8 blocks distance from where you were when you fired and the zombie will run to where you were but not see where you are now.

 

A few saves ago I lived on a giant boulder with 2 forges, workbench, campfire, bedroll, and two storage boxes while I leveled and gathered supplies to build for a couple weeks. I agree that nighttime is pretty simple now if you stealth and throw rocks.

[topheron]

Thanks everyone!

 

This really gives me a lot to go on!

 

Thank you!

[Crater Creator]

I'm not sure what it is, but I pretty much never remember to throw rocks to give enemies a false positive to investigate, despite liking stealth and playing plenty of games that have this mechanic. Somehow, it never occurs to me.