Alpha 20 Dev Diary

[SnowDog1942]

3 hours ago, Gazz said:

Yes, obviously.

The proposed bonuses seem... really good... but that's just the first pitch. AFAIK no balancing has yet been done in the greater context of all the perks and assorted buffs.

Good to hear!

[CptLaserPants]

Loved the stream! Regarding the new pipe weapons, would it be right to assume that the pipe shotgun is going to be an updated replacement for the blunderbuss? That's something I've been wanting to see for a while actually. 

 

And could this new tier of pipe weapons be a potential sign of scrap metal tools in the future as well? I really dig the idea of crude, salvage scrap crafting in the post-apocalypse setting. 

[Jost Amman]

@Gazz ...regarding the clothing switching / multiple sets (I know, sorry, this is not The Pimp Dreams, but it's on topic since we have been talking about it).

Would it be hard/possible to add a "dresser" object to the game that when opened will display a copy of the character outfit layout where you can place whatever clothing/armor you like and then have a button to switch that setup with the one you're currently wearing? I was thinking this because, if added, it would solve the problem of quickly switching sets without giving the player additional "magical" storage slots if added in the player sheet (like some other RPG games have done in the past).

[MechanicalLens]

25 minutes ago, CptLaserPants said:

Loved the stream! Regarding the new pipe weapons, would it be right to assume that the pipe shotgun is going to be an updated replacement for the blunderbuss? That's something I've been wanting to see for a while actually. 

 

And could this new tier of pipe weapons be a potential sign of scrap metal tools in the future as well? I really dig the idea of crude, salvage scrap crafting in the post-apocalypse setting. 

The pipe shotgun is going to be replacing the blunderbuss, yes. Also, blunderbuss ammo is going in the recycle bin; each pipe weapon will use their own respective standard ammo (9mm, etc.).

[Danidas]

12 minutes ago, Jost Amman said:

@Gazz ...regarding the clothing switching / multiple sets (I know, sorry, this is not The Pimp Dreams, but it's on topic since we have been talking about it).

Would it be hard/possible to add a "dresser" object to the game that when opened will display a copy of the character outfit layout where you can place whatever clothing/armor you like and then have a button to switch that setup with the one you're currently wearing? I was thinking this because, if added, it would solve the problem of quickly switching sets without giving the player additional "magical" storage slots if added in the player sheet (like some other RPG games have done in the past).

I would rather them making it so swapping full suits is not worth it by having the full set bonuses be nice things to have but nothing that you must have to do a role. So at most all you will need to do is swap out one or at most 2 pieces of armor to go from adventuring to mining for example.

[meganoth]

5 minutes ago, Danidas said:

I would rather them making it so swapping full suits is not worth it by having the full set bonuses be nice things to have but nothing that you must have to do a role. So at most all you will need to do is swap out one or at most 2 pieces of armor to go from adventuring to mining for example.

For mining this seems already to be true in the proposed sets. The important stuff (bonuses similar to sexrex,miner69er and mother lode) can be had with 3 pieces.

 

[Blake_]

3 minutes ago, meganoth said:

For mining this seems already to be true in the proposed sets. The important stuff (bonuses similar to sexrex,miner69er and mother lode) can be had with 3 pieces.

 

No mining is ever too fast, so no unbalance there. Time constraints are real in late game. Having the full Auger dress would be "fastastic".

[Adam the Waster]

1 hour ago, CptLaserPants said:

Loved the stream! Regarding the new pipe weapons, would it be right to assume that the pipe shotgun is going to be an updated replacement for the blunderbuss? That's something I've been wanting to see for a while actually. 

 

And could this new tier of pipe weapons be a potential sign of scrap metal tools in the future as well? I really dig the idea of crude, salvage scrap crafting in the post-apocalypse setting. 

i Was going to ask kinda the same thing but about the hunting rifle

My guess that is Pipe rifle will have one bullet, But what about the Hunting rifle? i hope TFP turn it into a Normal Hunting rifle (I don't know names fight me) maybe it could have 3 or 4 shots? because i did remember Madmole said something about a Sniper overhale or something. That or its the Grog talking again!
 

Spoiler

kinda like this!

 

[Johnny rebo]

Madmole,

In the dev stream, you mentioned bandits will utilize the new clothing/armor system. Once they are killed, do you plan on letting them all be loot-able, as in opening their inventory or having them drop a book bag, and will they’re scaled armors be retrievable (even if it’s fully degraded due to them having been killed while wearing it) or plan to to disappear like a dead zombie? 
 

 

eta: I realize this is not A20 related, but it was mentioned in the stream and it got my wheels turning...

Edited October 30, 2020 by Johnny rebo (see edit history)

[DaCombatMonkey]

Are you going to allow passengers to use weapons when riding in a vehicle?  Also, for those who want auto-walk... See attached picture.

[madmole]

17 hours ago, Survager said:

@Madmole

Now at 19 Alpha, you must complete 10 quests of a certain level in order to unlock the next trader.
For instance:
- to open the third trader, I have to complete 10 quests of the second level.
- to open the fourth trader, I have to complete 10 quests of the third level.
- to open the fifth trader, I have to complete 10 quests of the fourth level.

In Alpha 20, I will be able to switch quest tabs and select low level quests. If the completion of these quests is counted without checking the level of the quest, then I can very quickly open all the traders by simply completing the first level quests.

Will the game require you to complete quests of a certain level in order to unlock the next trader?

Not sure bud.

[Roland]

6 minutes ago, DaCombatMonkey said:

Are you going to allow passengers to use weapons when riding in a vehicle?  Also, for those who want auto-walk... See attached picture.

The secret sauce of LBD gameplay...

[madmole]

21 hours ago, Kalen said:

@madmoleI hope the repair quests actually lead to something changing in the world.   If we go through the effort of fixing up a POI, I'd hope that it would then be used for something by the trader.   It would be pretty (forgive me for saying) immersion breaking to then see the POI remain abandoned.  It would be pretty cool to see that we fixed it up for a reason.

Now that you clarified, I can answer. The lights you turn on by fixing the generator will stay on, but if you are expecting some kind of sim where settlers move in that is not this game. Everyone knows the game is starved for resources and farm animals, simulation stuff like settlers moving in would eat our lunch and we'd be back to 8 zombie hordes or even less to accommodate fluff that doesn't actually do anything once you walk down the road, but continues to bog down CPU.

I'm all for immersion but most of the time these requests are not wise roadmap additions.

Remember the POI needs to be reused by the next player.

16 hours ago, hiemfire said:

@madmole is a radiation resistant lining mod something you guys are considering?

Yes of course.

15 hours ago, MechanicalLens said:

As long as some customization is allowed.  Otherwise I'll dearly miss my matt black outfit of a black cowboy hat, black leather duster, black shirt, etc. 

Then again, it's just for roleplaying purposes, so no biggie. Currently in A19 (A18 included) I wear my appropriate armor and clothing whenever I'm out and about, while a further 20% of the time I'm chillaxing at home wearing whatever attire that I desire at the time. For example, the outfit I described above:

 

 

(Disclaimer: I made it clear that I was going to add the image above at a later time via an edit.)

 

Also @madmole When the introduction of outfits replacing the old, conventional armor/clothing, what are your plans regarding the Savage Country POI's? (i.e. the clothing stores.) If they remain the same, I suspect they could become very coveted POI's that a large portion of players would save up and loot later on in the game with a higher gamestage/lootstage to acquire as many high-tier outfit pieces as possible, and it is certainly plausible that they'd always find what they're looking for. (Ex. Need some specific footwear? Shoe racks have you covered.) With this being said, do you think any drastic changes will be made to said POI's, such as many of these racks of clothing becoming non-interactable? If you say it's too early to speak, I get that, but I definitely think it's something to keep in mind.

I'm pretty sure we will support dyes. There are way less slots but no clipping, and no ugly. It will be less customizable, but look AA at a minimum instead of 95 indy quality. The perks and full set bonuses will make up for any lost fluff. Characters and animations are the biggest thing holding us back from becoming a massive success. You can mix and match pieces as you want, and there is a badass ranger outfit that looks like what you are doing there, but 100x cooler.

[Adam the Waster]

9 minutes ago, madmole said:

 

I'm pretty sure we will support dyes. There are way less slots but no clipping, and no ugly. It will be less customizable, but look AA at a minimum instead of 95 indy quality. The perks and full set bonuses will make up for any lost fluff. Characters and animations are the biggest thing holding us back from becoming a massive success. You can mix and match pieces as you want, and there is a badass ranger outfit that looks like what you are doing there, but 100x cooler.

I KNEW THERE WAS A RANGER OUTIFT! 


The VOICES ARE PLEASED!
(I got many more :D)
 

EOD/Demolition, Field Medic, Suit and Tie, Military, Sniper, and More!

I can see them now!  

Edited October 30, 2020 by Adam the Waster (see edit history)

[madmole]

15 hours ago, Phoenixshade35 said:

In regards to the power restore quests, does this mean there could be a chance to repair generator banks and battery banks in pois that are existing for say someone wanting to live there and kinda do a repair to live type playthrough? im just curious

The generator for these won't be the same kind that you can hook power up to, so no you can't hijack free power. You can enjoy the existing lighting the POI has just like now though, but you can't tap into the power.

9 hours ago, toores said:

I saw the indoors darkening effect in the stream. Any chance this gets taken out?

 

It really feel more like a bug than a feature. You can see clearly what's inside a store and after 2 steps your screen dims to complete black. And if the POI has some areas where you go in and out a lot or there's a hole in the roof, your bightness keeps waving up and down.

 

I don't believe it adds much to the game, rather takes away and feels like something is broken in the lighting tech.

Nope otherwise the outside will be too dark and the inside will be too bright. This is the only way to have semi decent lighting indoors and outdoors with a dynamic world you can fully destroy.

9 hours ago, SnowDog1942 said:

I totally get what you are saying and ive never considered myself the min/maxer type.  I guess if the bonuses are too good it may affect non min/maxer types as well by being too good to pass up.  
 

There are min/maxers that will do ANYTHING to be more efficient,  but on the opposite end of the spectrum there are gameplay mechanics that encourage tedius micromanagement because they are too good to pass up.  Im NOT saying this is how  it will play out, its just a thought on a possible downside.

 

If jumping in place was was boring and  tedius but healed you — would you accuse people of being a min maxer when they did it?
 

By the way I do think the new system sounds interesting and Im looking forward to it in action.  

You won't find a legendary full set until 500 hours into a game so I don't think it's going to be that big of a deal that compel people to change outfits all the time. The non legendary bonuses are good at blue but not OP.

[Demonoid74]

A ranger outfit that looks like the old NCR ones from Fallout New Vegas? That would be cool 

Any plans for weapon specific outfits aka Sniper , Martial Artists etc? or not going THAT specialized

 

Also for people wanting a lawn mower...and sometimes I do myself...Why not have another use for the chemical station and make a 

Defoliation bomb/grenade/spray? Would blow up a large area , BUT only effect plants and grasses? Doesn't seem like to big a stretch or

strain on available resources unlike a mower!

[madmole]

5 hours ago, Jims2cents said:

Most important question I feel is, will we be seeing any better optimizations to FPS and rendering? I own a 3k pc and watch other streamers with top line rigs having FPS drops and overall bad performance. It’s demoralizing to watch it flatline. 😕

Thanks for all the hard work you guys are doing!

Did you miss the stream? I mentioned we hired Unity to help optimize and coach us on best practices. We have full source code too so if anything they did is holding us back we can change it.

[hiemfire]

4 minutes ago, Demonoid74 said:

A ranger outfit that looks like the old NCR ones from Fallout New Vegas? That would be cool 

I'm thinking he meant more along the lines of NFS Park Ranger (think the guy from the Yogi bear cartoons) and not the military Ranger (which is US Army).

[madmole]

6 minutes ago, Demonoid74 said:

A ranger outfit that looks like the old NCR ones from Fallout New Vegas? That would be cool 

Any plans for weapon specific outfits aka Sniper , Martial Artists etc? or not going THAT specialized

 

Also for people wanting a lawn mower...and sometimes I do myself...Why not have another use for the chemical station and make a 

Defoliation bomb/grenade/spray? Would blow up a large area , BUT only effect plants and grasses? Doesn't seem like to big a stretch or

strain on available resources unlike a mower!

I imagine we'll make a new ghillie suit for the sniper since its pretty easy to model. Unless that became a mod override thing. We intend to make an outfit for about every major play style, or at least 1 per attribute but maybe two.

1 minute ago, hiemfire said:

I'm thinking he meant more along the lines of NFS Park Ranger (think the guy from the Yogi bear cartoons) and not the military Ranger (which is US Army).

He's a badass in a duster, cowboy hat, boots, etc.

[Adam the Waster]

1 minute ago, hiemfire said:

I'm thinking he meant more along the lines of NFS Park Ranger (think the guy from the Yogi bear cartoons) and not the military Ranger (which is US Army).

Last time i checked, i don't think both of them Wore big old dusters.

1 minute ago, madmole said:

I imagine we'll make a new ghillie suit for the sniper since its pretty easy to model. Unless that became a mod override thing. We intend to make an outfit for about every major play style, or at least 1 per attribute but maybe two.

He's a badass in a duster, cowboy hat, boots, etc.

does he Work better with Bow?

[madmole]

1 minute ago, Adam the Waster said:

Last time i checked, i don't think both of them Wore big old dusters.

does he Work better with Bow?

What do you mean?

[Adam the Waster]

Just now, madmole said:

What do you mean?

Ranger in my mind makes me think of "Rangers guide to Archery"

So it makes me think that Armor will have more of a "Archer" build to it (like some buffs with it)

kinda like how Scavenger makes you better with Salvage tools    

[Kalen]

8 minutes ago, madmole said:

I imagine we'll make a new ghillie suit for the sniper since its pretty easy to model. Unless that became a mod override thing. We intend to make an outfit for about every major play style, or at least 1 per attribute but maybe two.

Awesome, the more the better IMO.... what we've seen so far looked really cool.   Will we still be able to dye the new outfits?   

[Adam the Waster]

Just now, Kalen said:

Awesome, the more the better IMO.... what we've seen so far looked really cool.   Will we still be able to dye the new outfits?   

yes, yes we will

[JCrook1028]

2 hours ago, MechanicalLens said:

The pipe shotgun is going to be replacing the blunderbuss, yes. Also, blunderbuss ammo is going in the recycle bin; each pipe weapon will use their own respective standard ammo (9mm, etc.).

From what I've heard that's simply not true. Pipe weapons will exist alongside the blunderbus.