new to 7 days on the PC

[Senatorozmo]

So, I've been lurking in the shadows and playing on my console. I decided to drink the koolaid and get the pc version. I now feel completely lost and do recognize that learning by doing is no longer a thing. Okay I'm good with that......So what does everyone do while it's dark? I started a game on the "normal" map before trying a seeded map, because I need to get a feel for all the differences between the 2...be mindful I've played an entire 1 hours after I bought the game last night. I have read a lot, but am so confused. I guess strong hold bases are no good, maze bases are not good, (are underground bases any good?) Again I have no point of reference as the console game was/is radically different. I could dig a hole drop a hatch and be somewhat safe even in the 100s of days.

 

as I stated earlier I started on the standard map and found myself in the mining came not far from the junk yard. this has proven to be a great base in the past, but have no idea now. Any tips or tricks would be helpful.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Oh. I also am looking for other people to play with as well.

[Roland]

Its damn fine koolaid. Welcome.

 

There have been a number of these threads and the tips are mostly the same. Experiment and see what you like. Most base types are still feasible and work well at least for the first couple horde nights. Have fun!

[Senatorozmo]

Its damn fine koolaid. Welcome.

 

There have been a number of these threads and the tips are mostly the same. Experiment and see what you like. Most base types are still feasible and work well at least for the first couple horde nights. Have fun!

 

Thank you.

 

I love playing on the xbox, but saw everything I was missing and I don't think it is going to get updated anytime soon.

I will keep reading and get past the confusion of the perk system.

[Adam the Waster]

So, I've been lurking in the shadows and playing on my console. I decided to drink the koolaid and get the pc version. I now feel completely lost and do recognize that learning by doing is no longer a thing. Okay I'm good with that......So what does everyone do while it's dark? I started a game on the "normal" map before trying a seeded map, because I need to get a feel for all the differences between the 2...be mindful I've played an entire 1 hours after I bought the game last night. I have read a lot, but am so confused. I guess strong hold bases are no good, maze bases are not good, (are underground bases any good?) Again I have no point of reference as the console game was/is radically different. I could dig a hole drop a hatch and be somewhat safe even in the 100s of days.

 

as I stated earlier I started on the standard map and found myself in the mining came not far from the junk yard. this has proven to be a great base in the past, but have no idea now. Any tips or tricks would be helpful.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Oh. I also am looking for other people to play with as well.

 

Welcome!

 

 

also your going to see alot of things that are different.

[Roland]

Perk system is still going through revisions so there will continue to be changes. Don't worry too much about it.

[Liesel Weppen]

When starting over, best fun is if you try it out yourself, instead of reading or watching videos how other people play the game and then simple do it the same way.

 

Try building a base which you think can be defended. Then watch the hordes become bigger and elaborate what could be improved on your base. If you want to spend the bloodmoons underground and not care for the bloodmoon at all, as it worked in A14 (which is basically the console version afaik) you can disable bloodmoon entirely.

 

Undergroundbases don't work (that easily) as an absolute cheesebase anymore as zombies dig down now. There are other exploits... but that are.... exploits.

[Adam the Waster]

If you came from the console version you will soon realise there are barely any zombies wandering in the PC version compared to what you're used to. They really screwed this up in recent patches so your zombie apocalypse severely lacks zombies. Once you have a decent light source (e.g helmet light) you can basically just continue doing whatever you'd do in the day at night, there's no real threat in the game anymore to worry about.

 

In short the game is a shadow of its former self, at least zombies-wise. Don't expect much.

 

yeah i wished they brought back the "zombie amount" setting

[Liesel Weppen]

This game was made to be modded and there are a number of modlets that increase zombie counts-- double, 4x, 8x, 16x...whatever you want.

Ah, yes, a zombie apocalypse game that needs a mod to bring zombies to the game. In A19 then we need a mod to get a club into the game?

 

And in case anyone is worried that I'm trying to repress this feedback don't concern yourself. The devs know. They are fully aware of the zombie counts and how players feel about it.

Since the devs heard and are aware of the problem and even mods seem to fix this easily, there will be a fix regarding that in 18.3 and it's a shame that there was no fix in 18.2 already. Right?

[Boidster]

So, I've been lurking in the shadows and playing on my console.

 

Hello Senatorozmo! Welcome to the PC version. Like you, I cut my teeth on the console version for a year or so, took a break, then came to PC for A17 and now A18. Lemme explain what changed. No...it'll take too long...lemme sum up:

 

• Most above-ground base designs will still work pretty well, BUT
  
• POIs now have "sleeper" zombies in them so you can't just waltz in and take over; there will be a fight AND
  
• Put your bedroll and/or a landclaim (much easier to make now) down to prevent respawns of the sleepers
  
• All POIs - even the small burned-out rubble houses where only a corner is standing - have little loot caches in them (check the very top of those rubble-corner houses); explore every corner of the POI
  
• The devs have "lit the way" through POIs (porch lights, flashlights pointing at open windows, etc.) if you want to follow their path through the sleepers and jump scares. Or, like me, you can bash through a random wall and take out the enemy on your terms.
  
• It's all XP -> Levels -> Points now, so you'll want to browse through the attribute & perk lists
  
• Note on the INT attribute - many people (I am an exception) do not put many points here since almost all craftable items can be learned by finding a schematic with no level gate. Find the gyrocopter schematic on Day 1? Great, you can now build Gyrocopters (normally requiring INT 8 at least I think plus several points into Engineering)! Still need the workbench (lots of these out free in the world now) and steel, etc. If you want guaranteed crafting of items, buy INT and Advanced Engineering/Grease Monkey/Yeah Science as you see fit.
  
• Underground bases are less effective, though the concrete bunker POI can be useful. Generally "make it hard for them to jump up to me" is still a superior general strategy.
  
• Pour one out for log spikes - they are no longer in the game. But hey now we have "baseball bat parts" for making baseball bats (don't ask, I don't get it either)
  
• Ores are easy to find now - they all have nodes on the surface and they have much better textures so coal looks like coal, lead looks like lead, etc.
  
• Though zombies are more rare as random encounters, as I mentioned POIs are now full of them and there are many new kinds of zombies. Oh and sometimes they will go berzerk and at you during the day.
  

 

FWIW, I played as a miner/builder/crafter on console and I still play that way. A18 is a little (okay a lot) different in how the character progresses and how crafting is learned, but the same playstyle works fine after some adjustments.

 

Do not get bogged down by the internecine warfare here in the forum. If you adapt to the game, you can have the same kind of fun you were used to.

[Senatorozmo]

Hello Senatorozmo! Welcome to the PC version. Like you, I cut my teeth on the console version for a year or so, took a break, then came to PC for A17 and now A18. Lemme explain what changed. No...it'll take too long...lemme sum up:

 

• Most above-ground base designs will still work pretty well, BUT
  
• POIs now have "sleeper" zombies in them so you can't just waltz in and take over; there will be a fight AND
  
• Put your bedroll and/or a landclaim (much easier to make now) down to prevent respawns of the sleepers
  
• All POIs - even the small burned-out rubble houses where only a corner is standing - have little loot caches in them (check the very top of those rubble-corner houses); explore every corner of the POI
  
• The devs have "lit the way" through POIs (porch lights, flashlights pointing at open windows, etc.) if you want to follow their path through the sleepers and jump scares. Or, like me, you can bash through a random wall and take out the enemy on your terms.
  
• It's all XP -> Levels -> Points now, so you'll want to browse through the attribute & perk lists
  
• Note on the INT attribute - many people (I am an exception) do not put many points here since almost all craftable items can be learned by finding a schematic with no level gate. Find the gyrocopter schematic on Day 1? Great, you can now build Gyrocopters (normally requiring INT 8 at least I think plus several points into Engineering)! Still need the workbench (lots of these out free in the world now) and steel, etc. If you want guaranteed crafting of items, buy INT and Advanced Engineering/Grease Monkey/Yeah Science as you see fit.
  
• Underground bases are less effective, though the concrete bunker POI can be useful. Generally "make it hard for them to jump up to me" is still a superior general strategy.
  
• Pour one out for log spikes - they are no longer in the game. But hey now we have "baseball bat parts" for making baseball bats (don't ask, I don't get it either)
  
• Ores are easy to find now - they all have nodes on the surface and they have much better textures so coal looks like coal, lead looks like lead, etc.
  
• Though zombies are more rare as random encounters, as I mentioned POIs are now full of them and there are many new kinds of zombies. Oh and sometimes they will go berzerk and at you during the day.
  

 

FWIW, I played as a miner/builder/crafter on console and I still play that way. A18 is a little (okay a lot) different in how the character progresses and how crafting is learned, but the same playstyle works fine after some adjustments.

 

Do not get bogged down by the internecine warfare here in the forum. If you adapt to the game, you can have the same kind of fun you were used to.

 

I see lots of changes then. I can't wait to get home tonight and try it out. Is it still smart to play on the original map seeing I know that map better than a seeded map? until I get the idea all over again?

[Senatorozmo]

Thank you everyone. I may be asking later on how to increase zombies. And I did find that POI have lots of zombies in them where they didn't on the console.

[meganoth]

As usual the best time in a game is when you have to find out what works and what not.

 

So I'll give just one hint where to begin: Clear out a sturdy POI, cut of stairs and other accesses to higher floors and the roof and add walkways/vantage points for shooting at zombies. With a generous helping of traps this is a horde base for the first few weeks and/or a fallback position if your horde base is overrun.

[Roland]

I see lots of changes then. I can't wait to get home tonight and try it out. Is it still smart to play on the original map seeing I know that map better than a seeded map? until I get the idea all over again?

 

I like all three PREGEN maps. You should be able to have fun with those especially regarding exploration since they won't be familiar. Playing in Navezgane is like waking up to the zombie apocalypse in your own neighborhood. Playing in a generated map is like waking up in a strange place.

[canadianbluebeer]

You cannot craft the old log spikes, but they are still there in creative mode. (and yes, I'll snag them. I like them and use'em)

 

The bunker POI are nice starting points. Walling them off to prevent unwanted visitors from crashing the party, well... (since they do dig now)

 

The small bunker has a wall, easily upgraded. The bigger bunker doesn't, and the wall for that is huge. (I tried building one)

 

I still put my production rooms down at bedrock, and a couple chunks away, preferably UNDER another POI or a hill. As long as I've got 50 blocks between me and the zeds, I'm fine.

 

Horde base styles abound. Which is best? Depends on what you use to kill them with. I like machine guns, so anything straight line, single file, with slowdowns works for me. The dart trap platform still works incredibly well, just takes gobs of materials to make and keep stocked.

 

With zombies piling up on each other, you can turn down their block damage so when 40 of them all start bashing the same block, they don't rip through it like it was tissue.

 

Do NOT shoot the GREEN light on the big guy.

 

[Senatorozmo]

So quick update.....I played for about 5 hours last night on the seed Chesterkennel, or Chesterskennel....its loaded with building and what not....I have found that birds will kill you, pigs attack now, falling through a building hurts, and there is a "jump" scare to the game now. Example is when I have cleared out a building and start searching there is always 1 zombie from somewhere. I have died more in these 5 days than I think I have before....and not from zombies...from silly stuff. I have found that bandage is a must as I seem to bleed all over the place. I decided to hold up in an old iron factory where the zombies cannot get. There are tons of roaming zombies, they seem to hoard up and move more now...this may be due to me being in a town of sorts, I found lots of houses and 1 even under construction....lots of cement and cobblestone. I am not sure I like that i had to spend points to get the forge unlocked but decided it was a good investment. Archery is still valuable and quiet way to hunt.

[Senatorozmo]

I found that the vultures come to get me a lot of the time, so I tend to be under somethings. I think those birds have killed me 4 or 5 times, because I completely forget about them. 5 days in and 11 deaths due to me just not knowing, but don't worry I am loving this game.

[Liesel Weppen]

I found that the vultures come to get me a lot of the time, so I tend to be under somethings.

Are you living in the burnt forrest or dessert? There vultures spawn randomly. In the other biomes afaik not.

[Senatorozmo]

 

It is now very very normal to walk across an entire biome and encounter only 1 or 2 zombies, but inside buildings you will encounter more, but in a non-threatening controlled situation. As long as you are not dumb enough to charge into every room, the combat will be minor and easy. If you do a controlled and gradual exploration of POIs, you will wake up only one or two sleeping zombies at a time at most. This is why most players dislike the change....sleepers are ultra boring and predictable and offer little threat. The days you will be used to where you could simply walk round the wrong corner of a street and find a dozen coming at you from every direction are gone.

 

 

I have found that a snake killed me......Didn't even know snakes were a thing. I seem to be in a very large POI as I am always coming across hoards and lots of roaming zombies. There is at least 2 barns, 3 mining places, a homes depot, oil place,2 churches/ cemeteries, and a slew of homes to loot and what looks to be a failed radio hold out. I always have to keep my eyes open, but its a great time right now.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Are you living in the burnt forrest or dessert? There vultures spawn randomly. In the other biomes afaik not.

 

it is on the edge of a desert, burnt zone, and forest. the seed was either Chesterskennel or Chesterkennel. I made it on the smallest due to my computer being on the lower end of the requirements and didn't want it to take forever to build.

[Senatorozmo]

Vultures that are sleepers in POIs will always attack you no matter what if you wake them up.

 

Vultures in the wilderness only attack you if your health is more then 10 below your max. If you keep your health close to max they will circle above you but not attack. But then if you get hurt and your health drops they will dive bomb you.

 

Vultures always attack you if you are in a vehicle. They hate vehicles with a passion.

 

Well that is horrible.....

 

on a side note it took me 3 days to decide where I wanted to spend my 8 points lol....I love some aspects but the forge had me frustrated. 2 points gone, because I didn't want to wait on a recipe

[Boidster]

Well that is horrible.....

 

on a side note it took me 3 days to decide where I wanted to spend my 8 points lol....I love some aspects but the forge had me frustrated. 2 points gone, because I didn't want to wait on a recipe

 

Working forges can sometimes be found at traders and also in POIs (industrial ones IIRC). It's still a good investment long term. Forged Iron is the key to a lot of goodness.

 

Recommend staying in the forest biome until you get your Z legs <drops dollar into bad pun jar>. No vultures (except maybe as sleepers on the roofs of POIs) and no snakes. Pigs are perfectly peaceful creatures...who will tear your throat out if you look at them funny. Recommend an upgraded bow or a high perch before taking one on as a low-level solo.

 

Check out the stone spear as a melee weapon. The starting bow is a bit nerfed compared to console, but the next level of bow is better. The spear can alleviate some of the nerfness of the starting bow. Decent for 1-on-1 fights.

 

If you're going to do POIs, might as well take quests from the trader so you get extra loot from it.

[Senatorozmo]

Working forges can sometimes be found at traders and also in POIs (industrial ones IIRC). It's still a good investment long term. Forged Iron is the key to a lot of goodness.

 

Recommend staying in the forest biome until you get your Z legs <drops dollar into bad pun jar>. No vultures (except maybe as sleepers on the roofs of POIs) and no snakes. Pigs are perfectly peaceful creatures...who will tear your throat out if you look at them funny. Recommend an upgraded bow or a high perch before taking one on as a low-level solo.

 

Check out the stone spear as a melee weapon. The starting bow is a bit nerfed compared to console, but the next level of bow is better. The spear can alleviate some of the nerfness of the starting bow. Decent for 1-on-1 fights.

 

If you're going to do POIs, might as well take quests from the trader so you get loot from it.

 

I haven't found a good place in the forest. I have a iron foundry, that the zombies cannot get to and the vultures haven't been around in this town. I have found several really big buildings, big enough I have put chests out by the front door to hold all the loot. I found a level 2 spear, and craft level 3 bows, but they appear the same as the starting bow....I don't know. I have a grill, pots, at my camp fire, working on finding clay....always a quick oversight. Near my base is a water tower that has had a leak so there is a spot on the ground to get easy water. I think I might be in a good place. The zombies feel like playing on the console. the seed seems good and there is plenty to do. I find the forest to be a bad place as the time or 2 I have went there were wolves....not the dogs, but I can only guess wolves.....they tore me apart, or maybe it was the bears.....I don't know there is lots of stuff around and it was awesome.

 

I haven't even made it to the trader yet.

[Boidster]

Hey glad you're having fun!

 

Clay = dirt now. Just dig dirt and you get clay. No more clay deposits. Also iron is just iron now - there is no iron "ore" or "scrap iron". Or rather, what we used to think of as "scrap iron" is what you get directly from mining or scrapping stuff. Loads into the forge and gives Iron 1:1.

 

Snow is an excellent source of water, like almost too good. A few minutes digging up snowballs and you will have enough for 1,000 bottles of "murky water" (1 snowball + 1 glass jar). So when you want to move base, you can take a very large water supply with you, as snowballs.

 

Weapons now have tiers as well as levels. There are three tiers for each weapon/tool. Tier 1 for bows is the "primitive" bow. Tier 2 is "wooden". Tier 3 is "compound". If you have learned to make wooden bows, then they'll be about what you remember from console. You can reclaim ammo now, so search the corpses! Even your misses can be reclaimed if you can find them - stuck in a wall or on the ground for example.

 

Bears and wolves are definitely a significant threat. The forest is great for having plenty of resources and mild weather, but yeah it has large predators...

[Senatorozmo]

I've noticed....It must be the seed and how small I made the map. Thanks for the info on clay...I would have been looking forever and wondering where it was at. Over all I am happy with the game. I hope I can get to a point where I don't die 2x a day.....Oh question for anyone really. Why doesn't the air drop mark on the map?

[Adam the Waster]

I've noticed....It must be the seed and how small I made the map. Thanks for the info on clay...I would have been looking forever and wondering where it was at. Over all I am happy with the game. I hope I can get to a point where I don't die 2x a day.....Oh question for anyone really. Why doesn't the air drop mark on the map?

 

its a setting when you start your world. i believe Advance

[Roland]

I peeled off the other discussion that was derailing this thread. Lets keep this to friendly advice for the OP. It isn't really a TFP feedback thread.