[MOD] A15 Better Balance Mod - Spikes, guns, mining, building etc. improvements

[SurvivalUK]

The idea behind the A15 Better Balance Mod is exactly what it says, to rebalance some of the changes brought in with A15 and for me at least, inject more fun. So with this mod you'll get improved mining rewards, lower resources requirements for some key items, better loot chances, more powerful guns, spikes that work, 600 level items / skills and the ability to carry / store more materials etc.

 

<< file link at the bottom >>

 

These changes while not too drastic do improve the balance, flow and playability for miners, grinders, farmers and monster base builders.

 

For me i've played through several games now and overall it 'feels' about right for my play style. The guns are effective, mining is rewarding, building bases more practical, combat is shade more real, less if any trading required. Feels a lot more openworld and less restrictive.

 

Gun progress is now less of an issue provided you are accurate to the head so points can be better spent else where. Even a low quality gun with low skills will do the job, i even like the MP5 now! The Blunderbuss has a purpose as well without being completely OP (it does vaporise the odd Z tho), grouping is tightened but it's range has been reduced though so really good close quarters.

 

Your mileage may vary and it won't be for everyone, but have fun and i suggest increasing Z spawning to high / very high to get the most from this

 

Credits to the many mod creators on here that inspired me to look inside the XML files and give me ideas.

 

Building

Concrete, reinforced concrete and stainless steel upgrade - explosion resistance increased

Wood log spikes - marginal increase in durability

Metal spikes - downgrade to wood log spikes

Wooden spikes

• a lot more robust and will last longer without giving Z's too much damage (think damaged limbs vs killing them)

• wood 100 --> 20

 

Mining

Stone blocks

• Maxdamage 500 --> 400 (allows one shotting block with high-end tools / perks)

• Harvest stone 13 --> 16, destroy block 12 --> 16

• iron ore 2 --> 3

> 10% chance of mining extra generic ores and 1/2/4% for rare ores* upon destroying the block

• nitrate (16)

• lead (4)

• coal (18)

• scrap iron (18)

• Silver (1) /(4%)

• Gold (1) /(2%)

• Diamond (1) / (1%)

Trees - Feathers and eggs have a chance of being collected when a tree is brought down, the bigger the tree the better the chances (small trees excluded)

 

*Thanks Deccypher for the gems scaling idea

 

Perks

Beginning tutorial reward increased to 10 points

Quality Joe - 5 stages and 150 point loot (still testing values)

Steel smithing - removed steel arrowhead's (see below)

Steel arrowhead - unlock steel arrowhead's (10 point unlock, 25 archery required)

 

 

Progression

Skill point reward from Z's retained from initial A15 release (slightly more generous)

Character skills progression retrained from initial A15 release to balance the above

Gated items reduced

• Chemistry station (10 points vs 15)

• Concrete mixing (10 points vs 30)

• Steel smithing (10 points per rank vs 30)

• Workbench (10 points vs 15)

Leveling up to 600 skill / purple quality possible (500 cap removed)

• Gun smithing

• Leather working

• Misc crafting

• Science

• Tailoring

• Tool smithing

• Weapon smithing

Mining tools small increased multiplier for 90 - 100 point range

 

Loot

Calipers - marginal increase of spawn chance on rare tools group / utility worker

Dukes - increased quantities if spawned within junk group, cash registers, bikers and strippers (who are very well off)

Military ammo - increased quantities if spawned

Military weapons - mp5 and sniper increased chances

Painkillers - hydration penalty reduced from -30 to -5

Tool and die set - marginal increase of spawn chance on rare tools group / utility worker

 

Weapons

Blunderbuss - overall damage increased, shot spread tightened, range reduced

Increased head shot bonus damage on shotguns, hunting rifle, mp5, AK and .44.

Pistol - rapid fire shot to shot

Shotguns - marginal improvements shot to shot (shot sound can sometimes be quirky if rapid tho)

Sniper rifle - magazine 5 --> 10 shots (SR-25 capacity)

 

Recipes

Blunderbuss ammo - scrap iron, gunpowder and paper recipe

Bottled water - added cooling effect (to counter current A15 high temp issues)

Flaming arrows - gunpowder requirement changed to gas and crafting in backpack possible

Gunpowder - possible in backpack, chemstation and workbench

Machete recipe - crafted on the workstation (12 forged iron, 10 wood)

Torch - coal + wood recipe

Steel Polish / Upgrade recipe - added

• crafted in the chemistry station - 5 forged steel / 1 glue = quantity 25, 10 secs mix time

• perk unlock - 20 points / 75 construction tools

---

All the following have their material requirements reduced:

Club - barbed

Club - iron

Club - spiked

Forged iron

Forged steel

Hoe - Iron

Iron bars (now 20 iron vs 100 in A15 vanilla)

Iron log spike frame

Pickaxe - Iron

Pickaxe - Steel

Shovel - Iron

Shovel - Steel

Stone axe

---

Fertilizer (timings reduced)

>>Cement Mixer (x2 quantity produced)

• rotting flesh 100 --> 5

• nitrate 20 --> 10

>>Chemistry station

• nitrate 20 --> 10

>>Campfire

• nitrate 30 --> 15

Bottled water recipes can now be made with either bottled water or river (murky) water**

 

**Credit to Rokhard for all the river water recipes work which were copy / pasted into this mod, thanks

 

Storage

Bottled water - stack 15 - 500 (matching empty bottles)

Cement - stack 1000 --> 2500

Clay - stack 1000 --> 2500

Coal - stack 1000 --> 2500

Concrete - stack 1000 --> 2500

Iron fragments - stack 1000 --> 2500

Nitrate - stack 1000 --> 2500

Sand - stack 1000 --> 2500

Small stone - stack 1000 --> 5000

 

Files:

Localization - Quest.txt

blocks.xml

buffs.xml

entityclasses.xml

items.xml

localization.txt

loot.xml

materials.xml

progression.xml

quests.txt

recipes.xml

 

Copy files to your Steam folder:

<whereever installed>\Steam\Steamapps\Common\7 Days To Die\Data\Config\

 

Link - v2.1:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7PTQXWeZQYDcjd2YnE4MkFZSU0

 

History - new release / revised items highlighted in gold

v2.1 - A15.1 B16 compatible, experience points gained from Z's and character level progress retained from A15

v2.0 - Created a new steel arrowhead unlock perk (10 points cost, 25 archery skill requirement). Steel polish craft time increased to 10 secs from 3. Painkiller hydration drop changed from -30 to -5. Bottled water recipes can now be crafted with river (murky) water, credit to Rokhard for suggestion / his work which was copy pasted into this mod.

v1.9 - Feathers and eggs have a chance of dropping from trees (more logical than ground nest to me, the bigger the tree the higher chance + reward)

v1.8 - A15 B105 / Stable release compatible, included entityclasses.xml with minibike map location enabled

v1.7 - A15 B104 compatible, scrap iron log spikes downgrade to metal log spikes, wood logs spikes etc.

v1.6 - Machete - new recipe within the workstation (12 forged iron, 10 wood), bottled water stack increased to 500, 10 point reward for completing 'basic survival' tutorial, added cooling effect to bottled water (to counter A15 high temp issues)

v1.5 - A15 B94 compatible, flaming arrows recipe reworked (gas vs gunpowder, no workbench required), Quality Joe up to level 5 / 150 points, gun powder available in backpack + chemstation + workbench, blunderbuss ammo recipe retained (scrap iron, gunpowder, paper), torch recipe retained (coal + wood), more wood spike balancing again

v1.4 - A15 B88 compatible, concrete and upgrades are more explosion resistant

v1.3 - added new steel polish perk / recipe (thanks UnseenOni for the suggestion), reduced shovels requirements to balance with other tools

v1.2 - work in progress <internal>

v1.1 - swapped to Google drive hosted, 600 level / purple items restored, lowered gated item point requirements, mining tools multiplier small increase.

v1.0 - release

 

Feedback welcome!

[GoofyStorm]

Looks good! I will try it out now and will give my feedback after a bit

[SurvivalUK]

Looks good! I will try it out now and will give my feedback after a bit

Great stuff, thanks

[UnseenOni]

This saves me the time of making these changes myself, granted I've already got the ore chances for Stone, but the rest are all changes that I feel are needed. Thank you for this.

[SurvivalUK]

This saves me the time of making these changes myself, granted I've already got the ore chances for Stone, but the rest are all changes that I feel are needed. Thank you for this.

Very welcome

 

v1.1 released, purple tools and whatnot are back!

[tilarium]

Wait, A15 is out!?

[SurvivalUK]

Wait, A15 is out!?

As an experimental branch to play test:

 

https://7daystodie.com/forums/showthread.php?51680-Alpha-15-New-Experimental-B83-is-Out!

[UnseenOni]

Quick suggestion for some more balancing. Reduce the amount of stainless steel stuff to upgrade from 10 to 5, it can't be crafted, only found or bought, making it a rare resource, or add a recipe for it, but expensive, since the upgrade from Steel to Stainless Steel is massive in defense. I would also implement Valmars steel spike upgrade as its simply logical. Just my ideas.

[branikova]

Do you know if there is a way to mod the log spikes to place them upside down?

 

I would like to try to hang them upside down with 2m clearance below then place 1/4 block rows on the floors so the zombies go over the 1/4 blocks and the spikes deal head damage instead of leg damage.

 

Something like this:

[SurvivalUK]

Quick suggestion for some more balancing. Reduce the amount of stainless steel stuff to upgrade from 10 to 5, it can't be crafted, only found or bought, making it a rare resource, or add a recipe for it, but expensive, since the upgrade from Steel to Stainless Steel is massive in defense. I would also implement Valmars steel spike upgrade as its simply logical. Just my ideas.

I like that, great idea! I'll take a look

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Do you know if there is a way to mod the log spikes to place them upside down?

 

I would like to try to hang them upside down with 2m clearance below then place 1/4 block rows on the floors so the zombies go over the 1/4 blocks and the spikes deal head damage instead of leg damage.

 

Something like this:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]16863[/ATTACH]

Love the drawing! I'll see what i can find

[UnseenOni]

That would be even better a design if you put the 1/4 blocks on top of iron bars , that way as they died, you could stand below and loot them.

 

Also, if you can figure out upside down spikes, then horizontal ones are on my list for ya to figure out. Though honestly my current dwarven fortress is so heavily fortified that I doubt any horde will get through.

[SurvivalUK]

Do you know if there is a way to mod the log spikes to place them upside down?

 

I would like to try to hang them upside down with 2m clearance below then place 1/4 block rows on the floors so the zombies go over the 1/4 blocks and the spikes deal head damage instead of leg damage.

 

Something like this:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]16863[/ATTACH]

fyi spikes in A15 are placeable in all locations:

 

[UnseenOni]

Sigh, of course they include this in the experimental and nobody says a word.

[KorruptkSwades]

-edit- nevermind

[SurvivalUK]

OP updated, feedback welcome on the balance of the steel polish perk / receipe!

 

v1.3 - added new Steel polish perk / recipe (thanks UnseenOni for the suggestion), reduced shovels requirements to balance with other tools

[branikova]

fyi spikes in A15 are placeable in all locations:

 

 

Sweet, Did it work out well when tested?

[UnseenOni]

Sweet, Did it work out well when tested?

 

I used some horizontally and they decapped a screamer who insisted on throwing herself against my polished steel bunker.

[SurvivalUK]

Sweet, Did it work out well when tested?

A mixed bag tbh. Some regular Z's ran through but did lose legs eventually (raked them through it a few times), i guess the spike hit detection assumes they'd be walking vs scrapping their heads. Spawned in some UMA's and the entry point got blocked up and they pounded away at the spikes / 1/4 concrete blocks to try and get through to me.

 

Certainly interesting!

[UnseenOni]

Any chance of this being updated for B88?

[SurvivalUK]

Almost finished it and should be able to upload later tonight

[UnseenOni]

Cool, and if I might suggest one other little change. Add harvest bonuses back to the perks like Miner69er, Knife Guy. Nothing drastic, but by the 5th level of the perk, have each one give either 2x or 2.5x harvest bonus. I request this because late game you should be spending time building and killing, not harvesting constantly. This just helps balance time spent in the field and in the base. I make the change every time they come out with a new version.

[SurvivalUK]

OP updated

 

v1.4 - A15 B88 compatible, concrete and upgrades are more explosion resistant

 

Cool, and if I might suggest one other little change. Add harvest bonuses back to the perks like Miner69er, Knife Guy. Nothing drastic, but by the 5th level of the perk, have each one give either 2x or 2.5x harvest bonus. I request this because late game you should be spending time building and killing, not harvesting constantly. This just helps balance time spent in the field and in the base. I make the change every time they come out with a new version.

I'll get my head round it tomorrow and give you some feedback

[UnseenOni]

OP updated

 

v1.4 - A15 B88 compatible, concrete and upgrades are more explosion resistant

 

 

I'll get my head round it tomorrow and give you some feedback

 

Look at the vanilla blunt skill, there is a skill based version of the harvest bonus already there, but 0ed out to do nothing.

[UnseenOni]

Sigh another version of the game has dropped.

[SurvivalUK]

Yeah, started porting over the mod this morning and all being well time wise should have it finished for later tonight

 

There's a lot to look over as they've tweaked more of the balance again, 100 wood for spikes anyone... Also the removal of some recipes to guide players to using the workstation / chemstation to add value to them.

 

Updates later