A19 difficulty progression

[grieferbastard]

While I'd really like some changes to the loot progression I find the difficulty progression to be in a great place. I'm playing solo and dialed the difficulty back to Nomad - the game is balanced at higher difficulties a bit toward multiplayer and that's absolutely okay. Nomad seems like a really good spot for solo play.

 

I went shotgun/sledge/heavy armor this time and heavy armor feels like it's in a way better place btw. So does sledge, in a bit of a nerfed way. Heavy armor gives me great protection for the mobility lost now - crits have seen to that. Sledge is still stupid deadly against individual and isolated enemies but not workable against large fast groups. I feel like there's some real valid tradeoffs between playstyles now that was not as pronounced in A18 and older.

 

Night 7 I steamrolled and bottomed it out by 2am but I'm about 500 hours into 7d2d and have the basics down pat. I barely survived nights 14 and 21. It was a great challenge. Also the zombies themselves dropped enough loot that I didn't feel like I should have spent the night on a bicycle or hiding in a skyscraper.

 

I feel driven to research and deploy traps and concrete now for night 28+ and a dedicated kill zone, instead of doing it for convenience. POIs, especially the big ones, feel like a challenge I can handle so long as I'm making smart choices. The moment I get stupid they spiral into a BAD TIME.

 

All in all I really enjoy A19 and it feels like a good, fun experience. I have some complaints about early loot progression but I want to be clear that I find that a small concern relative to the big improvements overall in gameplay.

[BubbaJoe]

I definitely agree regarding the difficulty progression. I know compared to a lot of people I have hardly any hours in this game, but I'd say I'm probably above the global average, and from that perspective I'm really having a blast with the way the game scales up right now. I've been playing Alpha 19 exclusively on Insane, but I'm guessing the general/overall system of progression is the same across the difficulties, just advanced on the higher ones. I've been able to notice a fundamental difference in the kinds of stuff the game is throwing at me as I get higher up and the manner in which it throws it at me makes sense from a challenge perspective. Sure there is the classical 7D2D wonkiness here and there, but insofar as the overall style of difficulty progression goes I'm having a really good time being eaten by zombies.

[TWORDY]

I must admit that A19 feels solid after reaching day 62 in private online game with 3 other mates. Progression system feels polished and balanced. Every Blood Moon brings chills and excitement. Many random actions seem to be priceless and epic - partial collapse of the main base or sudden death due to unintended consumption of glass by unaware companion.