Developer Discussions: Alpha 17

[Cazmyr]

Also wanted to throw in my $0.02 about the delay.

 

I have no issue at all with it taking the time it is taking. I thank Roland and the Dev team for giving us the information they have. Especially in the face of the vitriol that in rampant on this thread. I took some time away from this and recently came back to see how everything was going and over the 100 pages I read it really was jarring to see the amount of negative, passive aggressive, nonconstructive, hateful and not to mention the off topic 'filler' that fills this thread.

 

There are a lot of great things that we could be talking about. So many features or ideas that we have for the new content. We are getting almost an entirely new game! And I think that is fantastic. I can not wait to play it and will wait another year if I have to. I have 1000s of hours in and have EASILY gotten my $8 dollars worth. #Steamsale

 

Sorry for the rant/ soap box, but after reading all the things I have read over the last 120 pages to catch up, I had to say something.

*Steps down off soap box*

 

Have a wonderful day everyone!

[Genosis]

Thanks for the valuable info. So the 62 x 31 zone is completely free from zombie spawns inside the walls if I understand correctly?

So we have to place the bedrolls down on a specific block then, right?

 

Bedrolls only prevent POI re-spawns, from what I aware of. Claim block has no effect on zombie spawns at all currently. The dimensions mentioned are related to the default 30x30 "dead-zone" that prevents sleeper spawns when your bedroll is placed. (so, placing them side by side carefully would have a 60x30 dead zone. I used my claim block as a basis for compound borders so it allows me to move around base defenses if need be.

[The Gronk]

I have never made a huge base like the ones you all have been talking about. They are fun to imagine though! It seems the size of the spawn free zone will be how many people you have and therefore bedrolls.

 

If you have 2 people then you can have a 62 x 31 rectangle as safe, if you place them exactly.

 

For the 150 x 150 base you would need to mod the sleeping bag spawn free zone or have 25 people's sleeping bags to cover that space.

 

If I had 2 people and wanted to build a huge area, like we are talking about then I would just make sure all the most valuable/ important items are in a structure within the 62 x 31 zone.

 

Essentially a medieval walled city? A strong fortification in the middle surrounded by habitation which in turn surrounded by a defensive wall.

 

I generally do that myself but the habitation is replaced by farmland. I developed the habit when there was a bug which meant that crops didn't grow unless the chunk they were on was already spawned. I think the bug was fixed but I like being able to wander out in the middle of the night to do some gardening.

[Cazmyr]

Thanks for the valuable info. So the 62 x 31 zone is completely free from zombie spawns inside the walls if I understand correctly?

So we have to place the bedrolls down on a specific block then, right?

 

My understanding is that from the pillow of the bedroll (the bedroll takes up two blocks total) you get 15 blocks in each direction of a Zombie Spawn Free Zone. This creates a 31 x 31 square.

 

I am a draftsman so please excuse the x, y and z usage, but hopefully it is clear enough.

 

The pillows need to be on the same X or Y. - Depending on the orientation of the rectangle's long edge. N/S or E/W

 

On the other axis they need to be 30 apart. - Because you do not count the sleeping bag in this case.

 

So if one pillow was at (1, 20) then the other one would be at either (1, 51) or (32, 20)

 

Not sure if this makes sense. Sorry if it does not. Hope it helps though.

[Cazmyr]

snip

 

Sounds like a lot of fun! I would like to build a castle sometime. And was in Valmod, but now A17 is coming I tend to put a farm near my base or make a rooftop farm ontop of it.

[The Gronk]

Sounds like a lot of fun! I would like to build a castle sometime. And was in Valmod, but now A17 is coming I tend to put a farm near my base or make a rooftop farm ontop of it.

 

I used to do the rooftop gardening thing but had one too many base collapses that left me cold and hungry.

[Gamida]

(Obligatory disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice!)

 

Holy hell, you mean you don't even play one on tv?

[Ouch Quit It]

My understanding is that from the pillow of the bedroll (the bedroll takes up two blocks total) you get 15 blocks in each direction of a Zombie Spawn Free Zone. This creates a 31 x 31 square.

 

I am a draftsman so please excuse the x, y and z usage, but hopefully it is clear enough.

 

The pillows need to be on the same X or Y. - Depending on the orientation of the rectangle's long edge. N/S or E/W

 

On the other axis they need to be 30 apart. - Because you do not count the sleeping bag in this case.

 

So if one pillow was at (1, 20) then the other one would be at either (1, 51) or (32, 20)

 

Not sure if this makes sense. Sorry if it does not. Hope it helps though.

 

The problem is as soon as you sign off the bedroll block is gone. So unless you are signed on 24/7....zombies will spawn inside of the POI that you have taken over. I had said previously to make the bedroll like the land claim and have a 20x20x20 blocked area or an adjustable area while placed and have a decay time in case the person leaves the server or doesn't sign on for awhile.....Just like the server.xml for land claim.

 

Regards

 

Ouch

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Bedrolls only prevent POI re-spawns, from what I aware of. Claim block has no effect on zombie spawns at all currently. The dimensions mentioned are related to the default 30x30 "dead-zone" that prevents sleeper spawns when your bedroll is placed. (so, placing them side by side carefully would have a 60x30 dead zone. I used my claim block as a basis for compound borders so it allows me to move around base defenses if need be.

 

see above explanation^^

[Inmyh3ad]

Bedrolls only prevent POI re-spawns, from what I aware of. Claim block has no effect on zombie spawns at all currently. The dimensions mentioned are related to the default 30x30 "dead-zone" that prevents sleeper spawns when your bedroll is placed. (so, placing them side by side carefully would have a 60x30 dead zone. I used my claim block as a basis for compound borders so it allows me to move around base defenses if need be.

 

Totally forgot about the Land Claim Block! It all makes sense now! So if I put the LCB, that are related to the 30x30 blocks, on the corner and go 29 blocks diagonal, my friend can put his down so we could have a 60x60 land to build in? Am I right?

[Survager]

\Data\Config\Localization.txt

 

When we will can do this for russian language?

[Inmyh3ad]

My understanding is that from the pillow of the bedroll (the bedroll takes up two blocks total) you get 15 blocks in each direction of a Zombie Spawn Free Zone. This creates a 31 x 31 square.

 

I am a draftsman so please excuse the x, y and z usage, but hopefully it is clear enough.

 

The pillows need to be on the same X or Y. - Depending on the orientation of the rectangle's long edge. N/S or E/W

 

On the other axis they need to be 30 apart. - Because you do not count the sleeping bag in this case.

 

So if one pillow was at (1, 20) then the other one would be at either (1, 51) or (32, 20)

 

Not sure if this makes sense. Sorry if it does not. Hope it helps though.

 

I totally understand, thanks a lot for the clarification!

[Cazmyr]

The problem is as soon as you sign off the bedroll block is gone. So unless you are signed on 24/7....zombies will spawn inside of the POI that you have taken over. I had said previously to make the bedroll like the land claim and have a 20x20x20 blocked area or an adjustable area while placed and have a decay time in case the person leaves the server or doesn't sign on for awhile.....Just like the server.xml for land claim.

 

Regards

 

Ouch

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

 

 

see above explanation^^

 

Excellent point! I totally forgot to say that. Thank you for adding it!

[Jacoviz]

I've done the italian translation for this game modifing the localization file but there is two problem:

1. You can only overwrite a language because you can't add a new one.

2. If the developers don't use a file that they keep updated (like for ex. Excel) you would find it ruined with every the updates because they add new strings without deleting the old ones, so basically you find a file full of caos.

 

I've made also the italian translation for empyrion and the developers every new update send me the updated excel file with the new strings to translate. They use a very good system.

 

If you want to take a look to the italian translation of 7 days to day take a look here:

https://7daystodie.com/forums/showthread.php?80372-Italian-translation!

[Janna3921]

Ignoring the rest of the post because I'm not sure where you are getting your information on "were ready to release to the streamers". I think it was more close to "hey, let switch to that, it offers benefits that outweigh any problems that might crop up"

 

It wasn't meant as a literal quote, although I used quotation marks, they are for emphasis, or used for a imaginary statement to separate it from the sentence. From what I read here on the forum TFPs didn't think that switching to Unity 2018 would cause a lot of problems, that the delay would be minor and to some extent, the end justifies the means concept. Unfortunately, it created some major problems.

 

Was it intentional on their part? No, if they knew it would cause a snowball of problems they would have, I think, released the alpha after some more testing and worked on Unity 2018 while we were playing. How many times have any and all of us done that? "Well, I thought it would make it better if I tried it this way" one person states to another "Well, stupid, It Didn't! " the other person responds, angrily. I've lost count of how many times I pulled that type of stunt. Anyone who says they never have are liars. Everyone at least once in their life goofs up in thinking something will work and make the job easier when all it does is mess things up and makes more work.

"Any small problems we will get will be worth the benefits" is just another example of well intentions but the outcome was the opposite of what was wanted and expected; the usage of quotations represent the imaginary thought, remark, and keeps it part of but separate from the sentence. Correct grammar? I don't know, didn't do very well in English class, still can't figure out what a prepositional phrase is or subject, verb or other. Noun is a person, place or thing is the only one I am sure of. I Hate English, almost as much as I Hate Math. Flunked basic algebra twice. Neither one makes sense.

[The Gronk]

<snipped for space>

 

To be fair, for the past few years a unity update hasn't caused any major issues but with the vast sweeping changes that have been made with the 2018 cycle they've managed to bork a _lot_ of old code and projects. A lot of people who make a living from the asset store were more than a little annoyed by the lack of backward compatibility.

[Gnomaana]

It wasn't meant as a literal quote, although I used quotation marks, they are for emphasis, or used for a imaginary statement to separate it from the sentence. From what I read here on the forum TFPs didn't think that switching to Unity 2018 would cause a lot of problems, that the delay would be minor and to some extent, the end justifies the means concept. Unfortunately, it created some major problems.

 

Was it intentional on their part? No, if they knew it would cause a snowball of problems they would have, I think, released the alpha after some more testing and worked on Unity 2018 while we were playing. How many times have any and all of us done that? "Well, I thought it would make it better if I tried it this way" one person states to another "Well, stupid, It Didn't! " the other person responds, angrily. I've lost count of how many times I pulled that type of stunt. Anyone who says they never have are liars. Everyone at least once in their life goofs up in thinking something will work and make the job easier when all it does is mess things up and makes more work.

"Any small problems we will get will be worth the benefits" is just another example of well intentions but the outcome was the opposite of what was wanted and expected; the usage of quotations represent the imaginary thought, remark, and keeps it part of but separate from the sentence. Correct grammar? I don't know, didn't do very well in English class, still can't figure out what a prepositional phrase is or subject, verb or other. Noun is a person, place or thing is the only one I am sure of. I Hate English, almost as much as I Hate Math. Flunked basic algebra twice. Neither one makes sense.

 

Didn't mean to imply I thought it was a literal quote. Sorry.

 

And I agree with most of the sentiments. We probably disagree more on the degree than the intent of their statements. Hell, I bet they even have that same type of disagreement internally. Some devs probably think the update was worth it even with a huge delay and others probably wish they had waited til after release of this Alpha. It would depend on if the new Unity helped their particular focus in the game.

[sillls]

It would be cool to be able to give basic commands to nearby zombies.

 

sit

stay

roll over

play dead.

 

 

 

lol

 

Sorry Roland, I just couldn't that one go.

[SnowDog1942]

They didn’t last long because the developers didn’t like having a predetermined date to push out content ready or not.

 

Really? Never would have guessed

[Janna3921]

I write things weird sometimes, which confuses a lot of people, even me when I go back and read it later. It makes sense when I type it, LOL

 

I will admit that I think they should have released it then put the update and worked on it while we were playing, have stated it on other sites, but I also add they meant well, didn't expect it to have problems and thought it would make it better for everyone. Trying to get it to run better on computer.

 

My biggest "complaint" Not how long it is taking, not the accidental goofs such as this, but That They Don't Seem To Realize They Need a Public Relation Person.

 

Get someone to do the talking for them, post info on Steam, anywhere where players will read about the game, do interviews on gaming magazines that are mailed out and online ones that states TFPs are committed, not scamming everyone. I don't know how many times I have posted in comments on various videos I watch just stating they aren't scammers, they are committed, that the game will be great when it is finished. Comparisons need to be made on how long it took some of the AAA studios. They may not see it as important, but when some wet behind the ears 22 year old child goes "it only took such and such company two years to make Fallout 4" I go how long was it in development before they even announced it was being made. How many people do they have on their payroll? Close to 200 I think.

 

 

Don't remember which games it was, but did a research and told how long it was for three big name games, from concept to release, putting in when it was announce. One was eight years total, but only two years from announcement. They had over 100 employees, another company had over 200 employees and they take seven years, one year after announcing the game before it was released, and it was a sequel to a already released game.

 

But lots of players don't know that, they don't do research to see how long such and such AAA company took and those companies won't tell you how long it took in the talking discussion stage.

Okay, off my soap box, I love this game and I hate to read crappy, insulting posts when a PR person could help this game and just as important, this company get the recognition they deserve, instead of unfair insults.

[rdunham3]

IIRC changing every surface block in your chosen base (i.e. hoeing, placing blocks etc.) makes them invalid for spawns.

 

I haven't experimented with this much, myself, though I haven't seen anything spawn in my farmland ever so I think it probably works. I tend to have large farms for no good reason. I typically replant rather than have unnecessarily large harvested material lying unused in chests.

[Crater Creator]

Actually.

 

Steam has made their wording on Early Access games vague enough, so complaints under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act could be avoided.

 

Laws are funny, its the letter of the law and not the intent of the law that wins.

 

You make it sound like some loophole, but it’s not like the language used is somehow esoteric or difficult for non-lawyers to understand.

 

This Early Access game is not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development.

 

Totally forgot about the Land Claim Block! It all makes sense now! So if I put the LCB, that are related to the 30x30 blocks, on the corner and go 29 blocks diagonal, my friend can put his down so we could have a 60x60 land to build in? Am I right?

 

“Claim block has no effect on zombie spawns at all currently.” For more, see this FAQ thread.

[Kalex]

You aren't the only one concerned about this. But damn they use to update weekly? Must of been nice.

 

Considering how many times we had to wipe our saves and start a new game, not so much.

[SnowDog1942]

Considering how many times we had to wipe our saves and start a new game, not so much.

 

Did they force feed the update down your throat or could you choose to not accept it and continue playing for the next 3 months uninterrupted if u chose to?

[Chancer0076]

IIRC changing every surface block in your chosen base (i.e. hoeing, placing blocks etc.) makes them invalid for spawns.

 

I haven't experimented with this much, myself, though I haven't seen anything spawn in my farmland ever so I think it probably works. I tend to have large farms for no good reason. I typically replant rather than have unnecessarily large harvested material lying unused in chests.

 

I can confirm, at least for me and my friends who play on our private server, this is correct.

 

Once we have our perimeter wall built, we dig out every floor block and replace. Either with a block of some type or with "ground" (grassy ground etc.).

 

We don't get Zeds spawning in our base - well, except sleepers sometimes do but really not that often but have a feeling that may be the "sleepers bug".

[meganoth]

I'm gathering from what I read that they were ready to release it to the streamers and then the new Unity was released and thought "hey, let switch to that, it shouldn't cause to many problems"

 

If that were true they would have been fixing ONLY bugs that came from the unity switch for months now. Sorry, that doesn't sound right.

 

Considering for example that we have even heard of a few bugs Fataal was fixing lately that had nothing to do with unity, but with AI and pathing, we can conclude that the whole bug fixing part was not finished when they switched.

They might have already stopped adding new features and switched to bug fixing entirely. And unity just dumped a lot more bugs on top of the heap. But I don't think they were ready to stream then.