Alpha 21 Dev Diary

[Roland]

1 minute ago, bdubyah said:

And about those gory deaths, any new ones coming?

 

maybe....actually I honestly can't remember on that what is already in A20 and what is new for A21.

[Laz Man]

11 minutes ago, Roland said:

 

maybe....actually I honestly can't remember on that what is already in A20 and what is new for A21.

 

In A20, I believe only the gibs on zombie Steve were added.

[bdubyah]

Yeah, poor ol' Steve is the only cool one in a20. Lol. So are there more now? I figured it would've been something to show off.

[7000 hours spent in 7D2D]

Im gonna go ahead and assume that "done when its done" means not anytime soon and stop asking cause it annoys us lol.

 

Makes me a little sad as I have some fond memories of playing a new update around christmas time and can say that even with mods im getting a lil bored lately.

 

Would love to see you guys be able to add holiday events to the game, giant santa zombie who drops christmas canes we can pop in the mouth for a buff or two idk.

 

 

[Riamus]

1 hour ago, Laz Man said:

 

Imagine a player crafting 100 high poly deco blocks and placing them all next to each other.

 

On top of that place several light sources on them.

 

FPS will start taking a hit.  It snowballs pretty quickly.

 

In my opinion this is more important in multiplayer where unrestricted high poly placement leads to poor performance for others.

 

Not saying it will never happen since optimization is ongoing, but probably not a priority until all other core features are in.

I understand that a player can build something that causes poor performance.  That is already true and that is the point I was making.

 

Yes, it can cause problems on a server and I think the server admin can put in place rules for their server, such as that if your building causes significant last to others, a warning is issued to tone it down and failure to comply will cause you to be banned from the server.  I see no problem leaving such things in the hands of server admins if it becomes a problem.

 

As mentioned, players can already do this.  Just place as hundred bulletproof glass blocks and you will start seeing problems.  Can it be abused? Sure.  But if a player is having performance problems in their own base, I don't think they will want to keep it that way.  I think the percent of people who would abuse this is very low.

 

If the devs think it is too much chance for abuse, then they can put in a maximum number of those blocks in a chunk and can provide notification to the player when using the items that there is such a limit due to performance problems.  This could then be a setting in the game.  Single player can disable it.  Servers can set it to whatever they feel is best for their players.  It is a win for everyone.

 

At worst, all the basic items that are not high poly should be added, such as the barrels I mentioned.  I for one prefer to keep items in containers that make sense - water in the water dispenser, gas in a gas barrel, beer in the wooden wine casks (close enough for beer barrels), etc.  Having certain items disabled/hidden is more annoying to me than if I were to experience performance problems.  I have a feeling many would say the same and if playing on servers would prefer to have these items available and then just find a better server if they have too many problems on a given server.

[bdubyah]

Could do a building limit thing like ARK has for certain things. Tag all of the more expensive blocks and scan the area when placing them. If there's too many don't allow more until some are removed. Could have a setting for it where you can increase/decrease the limit.

 

Or, just let players do as they want. If they lag their game that's on them. Servers can monitor their own players.

[DanLW]

2 hours ago, Roland said:

But now TFP has invested not only in special death sounds, and animations, but also in gory final hits that really make it clear. WIth all that investment into signs of final death I doubt they would ever remove it all just so we have that ambiguous worry about whether they are down for good or might get back up again. Madmole has even said that he likes knowing at the time of the final hit that it is the final hit. 

I do like the "finishing moves" and am definitely not for removing them.  However, they don't happen 100% of the time.  It is certainly gratifying when it does happen.  But when it doesn't happen, I also like the ambiguity.

 

Maybe one mod could be to scramble the pain and death sounds in sounds.xml.  That would really keep people guessing when the death sound plays and the zombie comes back for more!

[Blake_]

I love the XP notification, because I find it 'gamey' and rewarding. XP is another resource and that feedback is very appreciated by me and my team, and it's easier to see than the xp bar while fighting (which doesn't really matter). That said, I do see why it would be a problem to fully experience the survival-horror part of the game, as knowing when a death happens is a bit lame for the immersion aspect. 

 

I suggest putting several elements of the HUD as optional, specially that one.

[Jarinex]

7 hours ago, RipClaw said:

I can imagine applications where this indicator would be helpful for experienced players as well.

 

For example, the level designers could design particularly dangerous POIs for players who want a challenge. Instead of making these buildings obvious, players can use this feature to identify these buildings. 

Eh. I’m still not buying the idea of it. Just seems rather unnecessary, and I agree with other posters who say it adds clutter to the UI. I do like the idea of customization of the UI, so I hope something like that is added too.

[RipClaw]

6 hours ago, ROCKGENERATION said:

Can someone explain the chunk reset option to me. What it exactly entails and why its default set to off. Thanks

@Vedui has made a video about that feature. I think he can explain it better than I can.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNwvz-VZmd0

 

 

[mstdv inc]

9 hours ago, meganoth said:

 

You are right that a death indicator is useful, but there is definitely no **need** for it. You may like it that way, but the fact that zombies have this way of playing dead in the middle of the fight should tell you that it was intended that you have to guess, make sure with another hit or always stay a bit away from fresh corpses. Since I have bad peripheral vision I still mostly get the accidental benefit of having to cope with un-dead undead 😉

 

For TFP the XP display seems to be more important than to keep players guessing, I don't think they will change the xp display. But there are many players who like this guessing game for the same reason they like feral mode.

 

 

9 hours ago, bdubyah said:

See, this I disagree with completely. There is no reason whatsoever that the game should indicate that any enemy is now dead. That should be on the player to know or find out. I am fine with a variety of options being available, but kill XP could go away and I'd be happy. You can leave crafting/looting XP, but the kill XP just makes it too easy to know if something died. And if they chose to remove the current style popup for it there is no reason some other mechanic should be added to take its place.

It's a matter of convenience.One of the responses from the game to the player's action.This is a trifle, but the comfort of the game consists of such trifles.The lack of a murder indication suggests that the game is from the 90s - early 2000s, when you just shot and did not feel any return from the game.Just cardboard targets.
I've been playing with this little thing for over a thousand hours.And this little thing added a drop of comfort every time.If this little thing is removed, then every time it will be a drop of irritation, which will become a bucket of irritation after another thousand hours.
Hiding HUD elements is not so hard, and I think it's important to take the time to do it so that everyone can configure it as they feel comfortable.This is the main message of my text.
Arguing about playing styles doesn't make sense.Everyone will choose for himself what is closer to him and it is good when the game allows you to play it in different ways.

6 hours ago, 7000 hours spent in 7D2D said:

Im gonna go ahead and assume that "done when its done" means not anytime soon and stop asking cause it annoys us lol.

 

Makes me a little sad as I have some fond memories of playing a new update around christmas time and can say that even with mods im getting a lil bored lately.

 

Would love to see you guys be able to add holiday events to the game, giant santa zombie who drops christmas canes we can pop in the mouth for a buff or two idk.

 

 

It's a little strange to read such a message.It's always been fun for me to watch how before the release of a new alpha, the current one turns into a pumpkin for people.
When the game becomes gold, people will stop playing out of habit in a year waiting for an update?

[Doomofman]

8 hours ago, Laz Man said:

 

In A20, I believe only the gibs on zombie Steve were added.

 

I'm pretty sure you can also decapitate the business man, and his head turns into Steve's when you do

[ROCKGENERATION]

3 hours ago, RipClaw said:

@Vedui has made a video about that feature. I think he can explain it better than I can.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNwvz-VZmd0

 

 

Thanks yeah that was very helpful, I agree in the video on the proximity of chunks. I think thats what I am most confused on. What actually constitutes a chunk and where you need to be to visit one. Is the gas station its own chunk or does it include more areas. Do I need to step inside, if the underground area is edited on and i dont go down there will it restore. etc. etc. I can imagine this is ambiguous for many POIs and I hope they clarify the parameters a little further other wise I think this setting will be less useful. 

I really enjoy this feature for cars and a few other things. Its seriously a nightmare after a certain point when you've set a base up and more or less conquered the bordering town and roads and there are just no vehicles for miles in any direction for you to loot anymore. Makes things start to feel a bit barren too.

Edited December 10, 2022 by ROCKGENERATION (see edit history)

[Rabbitslovecactus]

7 hours ago, Blake_ said:

I love the XP notification, because I find it 'gamey' and rewarding. XP is another resource and that feedback is very appreciated by me and my team, and it's easier to see than the xp bar while fighting (which doesn't really matter). That said, I do see why it would be a problem to fully experience the survival-horror part of the game, as knowing when a death happens is a bit lame for the immersion aspect. 

 

I suggest putting several elements of the HUD as optional, specially that one.

I agree. On a side note, I miss the old level up sound and the old bloodmoon sound. They gave the game a more rewarding feeling and sounded gamey.

 

I'd also like to touch base on this new level up by reading system. Not much has been mentioned about what happend with the actions (perks) like parkour, using a bow, using mining tools, hunting, running etc...

 

With the new level up by reading system for crafting, a perfect compliment to it would be a level up by doing system for anything that involves actions. This hybrid system would balance the game very well. 

 

Even the pimps admitted that the issue with the level up by doing system when it was originally implemented was the crafting aspect. But since that is fixed now with level up by reading, it will work again. 

 

Please give this hybrid system idea some thought and consideration. Many players out there would welcome this with open arms. 

Undead legacy is very popular and uses a LUBD system. 

 

Thanks

Edited December 10, 2022 by Rabbitslovecactus (see edit history)

[Survager]

• Player HUD changes
  • Danger Meter added to show danger level of biomes and POIs
  • C

I'm sorry, but this, in my opinion, will negatively affect immersion ... I hope this can be turned off in the settings or at least in the XML.

[zztong]

11 hours ago, DanLW said:

I do like the "finishing moves" and am definitely not for removing them.  However, they don't happen 100% of the time.  It is certainly gratifying when it does happen.  But when it doesn't happen, I also like the ambiguity.

 

I also like the decapitations and agree they're confirmation of death. I also think they happen too frequently. Being less frequent would make them more notable. If the frequency backed off to be a rare event then there would be room for some zombie quietly stunned or playing opossum results. Death sounds are also too frequent, specially when it is a stealth kill on a sleeping zombie. I think those should just quietly collapse.

Edited December 10, 2022 by zztong (see edit history)

[meilodasreh]

2 hours ago, Survager said:

I'm sorry, but this, in my opinion, will negatively affect immersion ... I hope this can be turned off in the settings or at least in the XML.

I am rather curious how that new feature will look, or better said what kind of useful information this really provides.

 

I mean what, would it be like

"this is 80% dangerous right now"

or

"when I go here, it switches from low danger to medium danger"

 

hmm...doesn't really seem very useful like that.

 

How it will be calculated would be nice to know.

Based on gamestage, poi tier and biome seems logical. Maybe even by the amount of zombies that are present in that area (or that can spawn in).

 

But this seems so logical all by itself, couldn't everybody figure out how dangerous a situation is, just by knowing the game a bit?

Will it be just a noob feature?

Did that game data collection software record too many rage-quits recently? 😄

[outhous]

3 hours ago, Survager said:

• Player HUD changes
  • Danger Meter added to show danger level of biomes and POIs
  • C

I'm sorry, but this, in my opinion, will negatively affect immersion ... I hope this can be turned off in the settings or at least in the XML.

As I interpreted this it only means that they will show the player that some biomes are more difficult than others. I don't think it is a meter showing that there is danger nearby. So would you disagree with just the biome/poi difficulty meter?

Edited December 10, 2022 by outhous (see edit history)

[meganoth]

14 hours ago, Riamus said:

I understand that a player can build something that causes poor performance.  That is already true and that is the point I was making.

 

Yes, it can cause problems on a server and I think the server admin can put in place rules for their server, such as that if your building causes significant last to others, a warning is issued to tone it down and failure to comply will cause you to be banned from the server.  I see no problem leaving such things in the hands of server admins if it becomes a problem.

 

As mentioned, players can already do this.  Just place as hundred bulletproof glass blocks and you will start seeing problems.  Can it be abused? Sure.  But if a player is having performance problems in their own base, I don't think they will want to keep it that way.  I think the percent of people who would abuse this is very low.

 

Sure, but would the players notice that it is some special block that costs him performance? Without FPS display they might only notice this at the next horde night when suddenly FPS starts to drop to unplayable levels. And then making the connection to having placed a lot fo those blocks in the week before? We here might have a good chance making the connection since we have heard of high polygon blocks being a problem. The typical player has almost no chance.

 

14 hours ago, Riamus said:

 

If the devs think it is too much chance for abuse, then they can put in a maximum number of those blocks in a chunk and can provide notification to the player when using the items that there is such a limit due to performance problems.  This could then be a setting in the game.  Single player can disable it.  Servers can set it to whatever they feel is best for their players.  It is a win for everyone.

 

Is there an automatic way to count block polygons? If not, they need to make a list of all say >1000 blocks with their polygon count. And a performant routine evaluating a chunk that needs to be called every time a block is placed. Just saying this isn't work done in a day. But sure, possible and a win for everyone.

 

14 hours ago, Riamus said:

 

At worst, all the basic items that are not high poly should be added, such as the barrels I mentioned.  I for one prefer to keep items in containers that make sense - water in the water dispenser, gas in a gas barrel, beer in the wooden wine casks (close enough for beer barrels), etc.  Having certain items disabled/hidden is more annoying to me than if I were to experience performance problems.  I have a feeling many would say the same and if playing on servers would prefer to have these items available and then just find a better server if they have too many problems on a given server.

 

With the barrels I could imagine it isn't for their poly count but for there effectiveness as bombs. Or just an oversight. But I don't think they are containers, at the moment you would not be able to store gas in them

 

[meganoth]

6 hours ago, Rabbitslovecactus said:

I agree. On a side note, I miss the old level up sound and the old bloodmoon sound. They gave the game a more rewarding feeling and sounded gamey.

 

I'd also like to touch base on this new level up by reading system. Not much has been mentioned about what happend with the actions (perks) like parkour, using a bow, using mining tools, hunting, running etc...

 

With the new level up by reading system for crafting, a perfect compliment to it would be a level up by doing system for anything that involves actions. This hybrid system would balance the game very well. 

 

Even the pimps admitted that the issue with the level up by doing system when it was originally implemented was the crafting aspect. But since that is fixed now with level up by reading, it will work again. 

 

Please give this hybrid system idea some thought and consideration. Many players out there would welcome this with open arms. 

Undead legacy is very popular and uses a LUBD system. 

 

Thanks

 

Hey, do as you like, but I'll just mention that the LBD system was **officially** and more than once declared as a dead horse. Play one of the mods that reinstates it and be happy that there are modders who have the same taste as you.

 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by meganoth (see edit history)

[NekoPawtato]

2 hours ago, meilodasreh said:

But this seems so logical all by itself, couldn't everybody figure out how dangerous a situation is, just by knowing the game a bit?

Some POI's are deceiving. Have you been to the cul-de-sac one that was under construction? 😅 It's partly why I don't raid POI's I don't recognize until I get a quest from the trader and know what tier difficulty it is.

[scootyman]

On 12/9/2022 at 12:10 PM, DanLW said:

An alternative suggestion would be to tie UI elements to game difficulty setting.  As an example:

 

Scavenger - All UI elements

Adventurer - No XP pop-up

Nomad - ...and no danejar meaterr 

Warrior - ...and no time & day

Survivalist - ...and no compass (though quest markers will still show since it would be almost impossible to find a quest without it)

Insane - ...and no health/stamina/food/water bar!

 

 

I have a feeling you have played hitman :)

Edited December 10, 2022 by scootyman (see edit history)

[Laz Man]

1 hour ago, NekoPawtato said:

Some POI's are deceiving. Have you been to the cul-de-sac one that was under construction? 😅 It's partly why I don't raid POI's I don't recognize until I get a quest from the trader and know what tier difficulty it is.

 

Although, I can understand the appeal of adventuring into the unknown, it can be frustrating exploring somewhere and getting completely wrecked.

 

That being said, it would be nice for an option to disable / hide the feature for a greater challenge for those who seek it.

[Roland]

18 minutes ago, Laz Man said:

 

Although, I can understand the appeal of adventuring into the unknown, it can be frustrating exploring somewhere and getting completely wrecked.

 

That being said, it would be nice for an option to disable / hide the feature for a greater challenge for those who seek it.

 

My most desired feature is for a native invisible HUD toggle that still lets you interact with the world. If they could just tweak F7 a tiny bit to let the player interact while it is enabled, that would be perfect. There have been a few invisibile HUD mods released over the years and it is always a fun alternative way to play. Very immersive and cinematic.

 

Even better would be the ability to hide/show different regions of the HUD so people could configure how much they need/want.

 

3 hours ago, outhous said:

As I interpreted this it only means that they will show the player that some biomes are more difficult than others. I don't think it is a meter showing that there is danger nearby. So would you disagree with just the biome/poi difficulty meter?

 

That's correct. It simply conveys the information that stepping into the desert or snow or wasteland carries more threat and danger. It has nothing to do with warning player on dynamically whether there is sudden danger threatening them. Same with POIs. At a glance you will know whether a POI is T1 - T5 when you get close to it. It will not actively reveal danger as  you explore POIs.

Edited December 10, 2022 by Roland (see edit history)

[Roland]

My last puzzle got solved so quickly and even with me trying to distract you guys with Scooby Doo instead of a real Great Dane. I hope this one is tougher and bit more ambiguous.