Alpha 20 Dev Diary

[Blake_]

10 hours ago, faatal said:

Damage or now also falling in A20 causes them to wake.

Wait... falling doesn't happen without previous damage or a player proximity trigger for current sleepers. Ever. Does that mean that there are wandering sleepers already in the game?

[faatal]

4 hours ago, Blake_ said:

Wait... falling doesn't happen without previous damage or a player proximity trigger for current sleepers. Ever. Does that mean that there are wandering sleepers already in the game?

In A20, surprise, there are some switches that open doors where they drop and were then staying asleep.

 

You could also remove a block they were standing on.

[Blake_]

2 hours ago, faatal said:

In A20, surprise, there are some switches that open doors where they drop and were then staying asleep.

 

You could also remove a block they were standing on.

Thank goodness that new feature was tweaked then. Imagine a Night lady dropping asleep on top of you without waking up. Bad memories... bad memories I tell you.

[dcsobral]

6 hours ago, wolfbain5 said:

i always thought the speaker alarm should attract zombies. I mean they are supposedly alerted to a thrown rock. so why does the speaker not affect them?

I always wished you could select different alarms on the speaker. Please, let the sound designer add half a dozen options you can select from for each speaker!

5 hours ago, Fanatical_Meat said:

yes and the thrown rock or snowball mechanics should be dumped. Haven’t done it to distract a zombie ever.

i have thrown stuff at players and that doesn’t work plus feels unsatisfying.

I have done it a lot. It's useful when walking around at night before you have armor/guns/vehicle, and it is very useful at higher difficulties. Now, some people just stay cooped up inside their bases at night, or a POI early game, whereas other people think that's a waste of time. To each its own, but beware of how your own style affects what resources and tactics you use or not.

4 hours ago, Morloc said:

 

There was a time when the night was a lot more terrifying. Lots of zombies, if you did anything, you'd lose cover and likely get killed, or have to run which was tricky to do if you wanted to hide again. Rocks were a thing then. In recent alphas, the only time I can recall REALLY wanting to be able to distract was with a mountain lion which had be trapped up on a mountain with a super-narrow road leading up. There were more critters everywhere, and they were impossible to fight for me at that point in the game. Stupid critters are immune to distraction though.

 

 

-Arch Necromancer Morloc

Maybe that feral sense can do something about making nights dangerous again. 

3 hours ago, faatal said:

In A20, surprise, there are some switches that open doors where they drop and were then staying asleep.

 

You could also remove a block they were standing on.

Wait, what??? Nevermind the sleepers, tell me more about these door-opening switches on POIs!

[faatal]

1 hour ago, dcsobral said:

Wait, what??? Nevermind the sleepers, tell me more about these door-opening switches on POIs!

A few weeks ago, Lathan added a block trigger system which will be used for the restore power quest. Multiple triggers, like switches, can be on a layer and blocks, like doors, can respond to them by doing something such as opening or closing.

[Blake_]

3 hours ago, faatal said:

A few weeks ago, Lathan added a block trigger system which will be used for the restore power quest. Multiple triggers, like switches, can be on a layer and blocks, like doors, can respond to them by doing something such as opening or closing.

Does that mean that electrical traps can also be activated inside of a POI by, say, opening the final loot room? Have you heard or seen something like that from the level design team?

 

That feature can give a lot of gameplay to POI exploration.

 

And one last question:

 

Has that "trigger code" the ability to transform one block/asset into another ? 

[Matt115]

3 hours ago, faatal said:

A few weeks ago, Lathan added a block trigger system which will be used for the restore power quest. Multiple triggers, like switches, can be on a layer and blocks, like doors, can respond to them by doing something such as opening or closing.

Does this item be "invisible" for zombie? because it could be quiet annoying if  random zombie destroy quest  block ( like generator bank) when he will destroy everywhing on his patch

[samljer]

Steam patch:  ... "Stay tuned alpha 20 is coming!"

 

Does this mean we can expect it in the next month?

[Leopardman]

So when will the Bandits come into the game? (and friendly npc s(pls))... thought its gonna be A20... but nothing said about them  

[Odetta]

Looking good

 

https://youtu.be/hOetrAomDnM

 

 

[Laz Man]

1 hour ago, Odetta said:

Looking good

 

https://youtu.be/hOetrAomDnM

 

 

 

Mmmm, that POI and Tile stuff is looking good..... 😅

[faatal]

19 hours ago, Blake_ said:

Does that mean that electrical traps can also be activated inside of a POI by, say, opening the final loot room? Have you heard or seen something like that from the level design team?

 

Has that "trigger code" the ability to transform one block/asset into another ? 

Don't know. I'm sure it could if we wanted to.

19 hours ago, Matt115 said:

Does this item be "invisible" for zombie? because it could be quiet annoying if  random zombie destroy quest  block ( like generator bank) when he will destroy everywhing on his patch

Probably no, but if it is an issue, we will deal with it.

16 hours ago, samljer said:

Steam patch:  ... "Stay tuned alpha 20 is coming!"

 

Does this mean we can expect it in the next month?

No, but probably a few.

[Adam the Waster]

On 7/21/2021 at 6:22 PM, Treb said:

 

 

 

 

 

OH i like it ALOT i didn't see that on 7DTD discord

Here is a Demo for the 7DTD city. REALLY COOL but... holy hell i can kiss my PC goodbye!

this is how my PC will end up

[AndrewT]

5 hours ago, Adam the Waster said:

OH i like it ALOT i didn't see that on 7DTD discord

Here is a Demo for the 7DTD city. REALLY COOL but... holy hell i can kiss my PC goodbye!

this is how my PC will end up

Your gonna need a bigger PC.

[bdubyah]

Loving the new city RWG. Looks like it should make them look much more believable.

 

Any work being done for other POI placements? Thinking like the fishery type POIs Nav has. Would be nice for better POI placement around water as well. Docks, piers, boats, stuff like that.

[geengaween]

HI I don't post often on this forum but I had a question: 7DTD can be a very atmospheric game, are there any plans to specifically enhance the game's horror atmosphere using tricks such as scripted ambient sounds or scripted jump scares? Water dripping, the sound of scratching in the walls, distant sounds of twisting warping metal, stuff like that? I always thought the cartoon punch sound when zombies hit walls should be replaced by scratching. There are a lot of relatively small changes like that, which could make the game a lot scarier.

 

One of my most memorable moments of this game was a few alphas ago, me and a friend were stranded at night, in the dark, in the rain. We had to dig a hole in the side of a hill and hide in it while zombies walked around outside. We could see glimpses of their silhouettes moving around, and the sound of the rain made it incredibly creepy and ominous as we crouched together in the soaking mud waiting for daylight. It was one of the creepiest eeriest moments of any game I've ever played.

 

Are there any plans to enhance the atmosphere of the game to create more "accidental" creepy scenarios like that?

[Adam the Waster]

13 hours ago, AndrewT said:

Your gonna need a bigger PC.

Yep but Money

[The-Walking-Dad]

Anyone else experiencing significant spikes of lag (dunno if that's the right word, single player, game keeps freezing every now and then for sometimes two or three seconds a time) since the update to 19.6?

[zztong]

Thanks for sharing the video regarding City Tile Tech. This looks really cool. Lots of questions come to mind, fueled by some undeniable excitement for making POIs, Tiles, etc in the future:

 

1. I assume Custom Tiles will be possible. What are the possible dimensions (width, height, depth)?
2. Is it required that a Custom Tile provide for road connectivity on each side of a Tile and that the connections should be in the middle of those sides?
3. Other than the road connectivity at the edge of Tiles, designers should be free to make the roads go anywhere on the Tile, correct?
4. What do we call a place on a Tile where a POI can land? (A Parcel, perhaps? A Lot? A Plot?)
5. When the World Generator is selecting a POI to put on a Parcel, does it select from POIs that have the exact same dimensions as the Tile's Parcel, is there some wiggle room, or can any POI that isn't larger than the Parcel be chosen? (I assume it is undesirable for a tiny bus stop to be selected to fill a Parcel where a large factory was envisioned.)
6. Are there standard Parcel sizes for TFP-created Tiles? If so, could we know those dimensions?
7. How close can Parcels be to each other on a Tile? Can they touch each other?
8. I assume Tiles have a "Ground Level." Must Parcels on a Tile share the same Ground Level, or can a Parcel be elevated, or lower, then the Tile's Ground Level? (None of the examples seemed to have a POI at a different level.)
9. I assume Parcel definitions are two-dimensional, allowing for POIs to be any height, yes? (That is, we cannot define a Parcel to be above another Parcel.)
10. When designing a POI to be viable for those Tiles, it looks like we should not be providing our own sidewalks and curb-cuts (driveway connections), or is there more to the story there? For instance, if a Tile were to run a storm sewer system under the street, how would we know where to connect to it if we wanted a POI to be storm sewer accessible?
11. Is Zoning associated with a Tile? That is, do we declare a Tile to be of a specific Zone type, like "Industrial"? Or, is zoning associated with each Parcel?
12. Will settlements other than Cities use Tiles, such as the Western Town, Towns, perhaps a Farm Tile (ala Nitrogen's farm feature)?
13. Will there be Tile-level Quest stuff? For instance, maybe a "Patrol" quest where you have to spend 8 (game) hours keeping Z's under some total number on the Tile, perhaps combined with some random events like a mini-horde? Find a hidden stash on the Tile? Or, maybe a Tier 6 "Clear all POIs on this Tile" quest?

[Laz Man]

8 minutes ago, zztong said:

Thanks for sharing the video regarding City Tile Tech. This looks really cool. Lots of questions come to mind, fueled by some undeniable excitement for making POIs, Tiles, etc in the future:

 

1. I assume Custom Tiles will be possible. What are the possible dimensions (width, height, depth)?
2. Is it required that a Custom Tile provide for road connectivity on each side of a Tile and that the connections should be in the middle of those sides?
3. Other than the road connectivity at the edge of Tiles, designers should be free to make the roads go anywhere on the Tile, correct?
4. What do we call a place on a Tile where a POI can land? (A Parcel, perhaps? A Lot? A Plot?)
5. When the World Generator is selecting a POI to put on a Parcel, does it select from POIs that have the exact same dimensions as the Tile's Parcel, is there some wiggle room, or can any POI that isn't larger than the Parcel be chosen? (I assume it is undesirable for a tiny bus stop to be selected to fill a Parcel where a large factory was envisioned.)
6. Are there standard Parcel sizes for TFP-created Tiles? If so, could we know those dimensions?
7. How close can Parcels be to each other on a Tile? Can they touch each other?
8. I assume Tiles have a "Ground Level." Must Parcels on a Tile share the same Ground Level, or can a Parcel be elevated, or lower, then the Tile's Ground Level? (None of the examples seemed to have a POI at a different level.)
9. I assume Parcel definitions are two-dimensional, allowing for POIs to be any height, yes? (That is, we cannot define a Parcel to be above another Parcel.)
10. When designing a POI to be viable for those Tiles, it looks like we should not be providing our own sidewalks and curb-cuts (driveway connections), or is there more to the story there? For instance, if a Tile were to run a storm sewer system under the street, how would we know where to connect to it if we wanted a POI to be storm sewer accessible?
11. Is Zoning associated with a Tile? That is, do we declare a Tile to be of a specific Zone type, like "Industrial"? Or, is zoning associated with each Parcel?
12. Will settlements other than Cities use Tiles, such as the Western Town, Towns, perhaps a Farm Tile (ala Nitrogen's farm feature)?
13. Will there be Tile-level Quest stuff? For instance, maybe a "Patrol" quest where you have to spend 8 (game) hours keeping Z's under some total number on the Tile, perhaps combined with some random events like a mini-horde? Find a hidden stash on the Tile? Or, maybe a Tier 6 "Clear all POIs on this Tile" quest?

 

Hi zztong,

 

All great questions, I am sure alot of these questions will be answered in an upcoming dev stream but can see if any of them can be answered before then...😁

[zztong]

1 minute ago, Laz Man said:

 

Hi zztong,

 

All great questions, I am sure alot of these questions will be answered in an upcoming dev stream but can see if any of them can be answered before then...😁

Sure. While I hope for answers, I completely understand if there are none.

[MechanicalLens]

So based off of the city grid video it appears that Joe Bro's Builders is getting a fairly significant overhaul.

Clunky Oil as well.

[Blake_]

 @faatal Good day to you! There's an evil twitch in my finger that compels me to mod 7dtd to add the options for (24 hour cycle) 180min days and 240min days like I were some kind of server owner or something twisted like that.

 

Is there any treatment for that twitch that you might have the time for in the coming weeks? I , we, us, them, would very much appreciate it. Just those tiny 2 number options result in a huge delayed lenghty horde night that would add a ton of game for people that just love to explore with their friends for longer periods of time. And jump straight into a beefy horde is always a good thing! I guess! (I will omit the part where it says that nights get longer as a result, in order to sell the question better).

 

Spoiler

Please say yes. Some array entries don't require huge UI redesigns and would be absolutely loved and could be done in a coffee break upside down with an elbow by the lead programmer.

The "Daylight lenght" option could also use more fragmented entries, but it certainly is not as important.

 

[Annihilatorza]

8 hours ago, MechanicalLens said:

So based off of the city grid video it appears that Joe Bro's Builders is getting a fairly significant overhaul.

Clunky Oil as well.

Seems like most buildings are getting an overhaul, I can see a lot of use of this new tech and now I am super curious of what else they have got

[Kinyajuu]

18 hours ago, zztong said:

Thanks for sharing the video regarding City Tile Tech. This looks really cool. Lots of questions come to mind, fueled by some undeniable excitement for making POIs, Tiles, etc in the future:

 

1. I assume Custom Tiles will be possible. What are the possible dimensions (width, height, depth)?
2. Is it required that a Custom Tile provide for road connectivity on each side of a Tile and that the connections should be in the middle of those sides?
3. Other than the road connectivity at the edge of Tiles, designers should be free to make the roads go anywhere on the Tile, correct?
4. What do we call a place on a Tile where a POI can land? (A Parcel, perhaps? A Lot? A Plot?)
5. When the World Generator is selecting a POI to put on a Parcel, does it select from POIs that have the exact same dimensions as the Tile's Parcel, is there some wiggle room, or can any POI that isn't larger than the Parcel be chosen? (I assume it is undesirable for a tiny bus stop to be selected to fill a Parcel where a large factory was envisioned.)
6. Are there standard Parcel sizes for TFP-created Tiles? If so, could we know those dimensions?
7. How close can Parcels be to each other on a Tile? Can they touch each other?
8. I assume Tiles have a "Ground Level." Must Parcels on a Tile share the same Ground Level, or can a Parcel be elevated, or lower, then the Tile's Ground Level? (None of the examples seemed to have a POI at a different level.)
9. I assume Parcel definitions are two-dimensional, allowing for POIs to be any height, yes? (That is, we cannot define a Parcel to be above another Parcel.)
10. When designing a POI to be viable for those Tiles, it looks like we should not be providing our own sidewalks and curb-cuts (driveway connections), or is there more to the story there? For instance, if a Tile were to run a storm sewer system under the street, how would we know where to connect to it if we wanted a POI to be storm sewer accessible?
11. Is Zoning associated with a Tile? That is, do we declare a Tile to be of a specific Zone type, like "Industrial"? Or, is zoning associated with each Parcel?
12. Will settlements other than Cities use Tiles, such as the Western Town, Towns, perhaps a Farm Tile (ala Nitrogen's farm feature)?
13. Will there be Tile-level Quest stuff? For instance, maybe a "Patrol" quest where you have to spend 8 (game) hours keeping Z's under some total number on the Tile, perhaps combined with some random events like a mini-horde? Find a hidden stash on the Tile? Or, maybe a Tier 6 "Clear all POIs on this Tile" quest?

1. Yes, each district has a set of tiles in Prefabs/RWGTiles/, they can be overwritten or simply add a number to the end and you can have any number of variants. They can be any height (meaning you can add sewers and other things underground) and must be 150x150 in size.
2. Yes, there are 4 way intersection, 3 way intersection, striaght, corner, and dead end type tiles.
3. Yes, we have several tiles where the streets veer off and dead end, alleyways, etc. within the tile. only the edges have to match up

4. We are just calling them POI spawn markers as we also have something called Part spawn markers.
5. All town/city district tiles use an exact size, the rural edges of a town will take anything that can fit in the space (down to the next POI marker size). I will be adding an option to allow the same on the district tiles via the rwg mixer.
6. Yes, Extra Small = 25x25, Small = 42x42, Medium = 60x60, Large = 100x100
7. They can be directly next to each other as the POI will always fit in the dimensions
8. They are all at the same level, doing multi height tech will be a large undertaking and not something we'll be doing for a20 for certain.
9. Yes, parcels are 2d, no height requirement as we had no need for that with the current system
10. It's better to leave out anything that isn't part of a real world lot, sidewalk from the house to the edge is fine, but you wouldn't want to put a frontage on there (at least on residential) I've seen some downtowns with front sidewalks that blended well with the downtown tiles.
11. Yes, zoning is associated with the tile. The definition of a tile to be a zone type is in it's name.

12. Yes they will, we have city, town, country town, and another I'll leave as a surprise.
13.  Nothing was planned as of yet as this tech is still new. We'll be fleshing it out after initial release as per usual.