Developer Discussions: Alpha 17

[Guppycur]

Is there any scenario where people will be able to run A17 almost as good as 16? Or is A16 performance gone forever? Mine isn't bad.. until 64 zombies on horde night comes along - then its a crawl. A16 I never noticed much slowdown during bloodmoones. Granted I haven't played B221 yet... but I didn't see any performance improvements listed.

 

If people would lower their graphics so that a17 looked like a16, I'm sure they'd see the same performance. a17 has better graphics, thus requires more power. So ultra on a16 != ultra on a17.

[LordoftheMoo]

It is not simply something to get resolved. It is about trade offs.

 

High end graphics need x amount of calculations to render each pixel. The higher the resolution the more pixels. We can reduce the calculations, but then it looks worse. I can now run at 4k on my RTX 2070 and get a good FPS with reflections off, but I'm not going to because it looks worse. I would rather play at 1440p with High reflections.

 

There is no scenario where an old slow GPU is going to be able to render everything at 4k and 60 FPS. You reduce quality and or resolution until you get an acceptable FPS.

 

So then I'm curious (and this is a serious question - I have heard EXACTLY this from other gaming companies in the past), is there any video card that currently exists that is capable of playing this game on maximum at say 1080 or 1440 (never mind 4k)? Or, are the settings SO resource intensive, that the game literally requires hardware that isn't on the market yet? I've run into that before, as I mentioned, and it was a good 3 years before the hardware caught up (and by that time better software existed and it looked like crap anyways )

[archergod]

2 request:

 

 

1. Can we have little more speedy vehicle. I understand they might be bring down because of MP performance, but can we just increase them like 10% more speed.

 

2. I was breaking a bolder/stone on surface, it give me good 40-45 Iron. It feels great. But when I go to mine, and found an Iron patch, it give me 30-35 Iron. The surface stone is giving so many stone, nitrate, coal, lead with iron. and only the Iron patch for which I dug and create a mine only give 30-35 iron. It is absolutely waste of time find and mining underground for them. [except for other things]. It is rather good to drive distance and pick those Resourceful stone on surface. We have to take risk of collpasing mine and the reward is not fruitful. I think those Iron/Lead/nitrate specific patch should give more of these resources like at least 100 of them in one patch. if not 150.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

 

BTW, my PC specs are: i7 6700k, 8gb ram, NVidia GeForceGTX 980Ti, Intel's M.2 1.2tb Modules. So no longer the best, but pretty good still.

 

 

Are you seeing configuration of other, 8 GB RAM, and 980.. nope it is not still pretty good for this game, It is low end for this game now. Sorry dude you are old now!!!

 

8GB was never pretty Good for this game in A16 too, Game runs on 8GB, yes, but with other background process, you need 12GB to 16GB..

[madmole]

Hey Madmole, I love the changes you did to the traders / vending machines, but did you accidently break air drops in the process? I picked 3 of them up and all of them contained massive stocks of various canned goods. As in, 8 or so inventory spaces worth lol.

 

 

 

I agree with this.

 

No I didn't touch air drops.

[madmole]

Personally...i think the game is WACKED now..too chaotic and too much dependence on traders . You might as well build every base as close to a trader now. YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO USE THEM NOW ..and at least you would have one side protected. Every quest is go to the trader...run 3 k away..kill a few zombies and run back to the trader...Rinse and Repeat.

 

The ferals and greenies show up too early and you are way too underpowered to deal with them. I went into the paper mill and a green feral cop, a green wight and a tourist materialized in front of me and attacked...at level 40...how the hell to you survive that with a yellow bow and pistol and a brown marksman rifle with no mods. WTF

 

You are encumbered with 12 feathers in one extra slot, but i can carry my minibike in my backpack.

 

RWG is a wreck with the floating buildings, missing buildings and no maps above 8k.

 

Spikes are basically useless as a main component of protecting your base early on. After a horde night its a grind to fix and replace...Exactly what the game has become....A GRIND. I never chose to jump start my game by using the traders in A16..now pretty much every component is tied directly to them.

 

In an A16 server you had multiple types of players in game. You had a group playing together and several individuals playing by themselves. Now you are forcing people to play together in a group....You have taken the single player out of the game and severely handcuffed them when they do try to play that way. `Congratulations you have made the game into exactly every other game out there.

 

I dont mind learning ..thats part of the fun, but if i am dealing with these type zombies at levle 40....what the hell am I going to face at level 150+. Are new lasers and anti aircraft guns coming in the next patch???

 

I think you should of waited another year and a half before releasing it.

 

Dissapointed IMHO

 

Ouch

80 arrows to take this down..i missed a few..but not many....bow is my favorite weapon, so I know how to use it. Limited ammo from all the others I took out with my pistols and slow loading marksman rifles.

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26307[/ATTACH]

What do you need a trader for? I just do the quests for the iron tools early on but I don't rely on them for anything. You can always run. We have new run options so you can slow zombies down if you want, total control. I had to bite the bullet and go from playing with 64 zombies solo on horde night to 24, and its pretty easy for me. I don't feel like its a grind. I haven't fought any radiated since the rebalance if they seem too hard I'll make sure they are adjusted.

[Drithyl]

What do you need a trader for? I just do the quests for the iron tools early on but I don't rely on them for anything. You can always run. We have new run options so you can slow zombies down if you want, total control. I had to bite the bullet and go from playing with 64 zombies solo on horde night to 24, and its pretty easy for me. I don't feel like its a grind. I haven't fought any radiated since the rebalance if they seem too hard I'll make sure they are adjusted.

 

The only problem with radiated zombies is their regen, so slower firing weapons have a hard time. With an automatic gun they're pretty easy. Well, to those that don't have auto guns for whatever reason, you can always load up a few spikes on you and put them between them and you when you fight them. Spikes might break fast but they do a lot of damage. Then shoot them while they're eating the spikes.

[SickPuppy]

New changes to specialize in attributes sounds good, hoping it will be learn by doing too, I miss a16 where I started a blade character and used a bone shiv from day to start practicing that skill.

 

B221 feels like less wandering hordes, less vultures, wolves and dogs. Is this a quick band aid to help performance? With death debuff reduced, zombies lower hp, a17 initial tough challenge starting to feel nerfed.

[Aldranon]

I agree, the system did not reflect the freedom to create your favorite character class very well and I didn't like the lack of early game specialization. That said we've already changed it and are testing it for a release. Now to balance this attribute points scale in cost, something like 1,1,1,2,2,3,3,4,5,6. Don't quote me there, but you can max out one attribute roughly in your mid 30's but at the expense of having zero perks.

 

Here are is my portion of the release notes on it:

Changed: Attributes are no longer gated by your level. You can specialize very early game now but attributes cost more for the higher ranks. The goal is to allow players to specialize into classes early game, and be awesome at a few things and ok or poor at other things. Or you can be a jack of all trades, the choice is yours. With the costs of the higher attributes being steeper, players will probably want to specialize in one or two attributes and get the best perks in those attributes and late game there will be less god tier characters who have every perk unlocked. We are looking for feedback such as are there any exploits or severe imbalances with this new system.

 

 

Is Screamer Farming an exploit or a strategy?

 

A good MP team could get 10 levels a day without a big problem. Its at least an imbalance.

[Jugginator]

No I didn't touch air drops.

 

Right-o. That's just my ♥♥♥♥ RNG then lol.

[Aldranon]

My only consern is that bicycles/minibikes will become obsolete, because everyone will rush to motorcycles. I definitely will. Same with iron tools/armor. Maybe leave intellect level gated as it is now?

 

Do motorcycles use more gas than minibikes? They should at least.

[Jugginator]

I've foudn the hog barely uses any gas. But, I have not touched a minibike in 17 yet. Hog is too awesome lol. I think it only cost like 40 to fill er up.

[unlike them]

Another side benefit of the removed level gating is that magazines, drugs and gear that give +1 to attributes are useful again! Major improvement! Maybe too major. A 'hammer and forge' or 'grease monkey' magazine looks OP now. But yeah, MM said forges and motorbikes can have a rare trinket/schematic to construct, so it balances out.

[Drithyl]

I've foudn the hog barely uses any gas. But, I have not touched a minibike in 17 yet. Hog is too awesome lol. I think it only cost like 40 to fill er up.

 

If it only costs 40 that's a bug, because the minibike costs 100.

[unlike them]

You need to see screenshots of Royal's constructions. He goes for epic. Surface rectangular base of flagstone upgraded to brick is not really his mojo. He's plenty creative but he's also "go large or go home" and that isn't fitting well with the A17 early game.

 

I'm intrigued. Can we see screenshots? As a fellow builder with a creativity crisis I need inspiration.

[Gazz]

Another side benefit of the removed level gating is that magazines, drugs and gear that give +1 to attributes are useful again! Major improvement! Maybe too major. A 'hammer and forge' or 'grease monkey' magazine looks OP now. But yeah, MM said forges and motorbikes can have a rare trinket/schematic to construct, so it balances out.

Oh, I'm aware.

[LionsDen]

If it only costs 40 that's a bug, because the minibike costs 100.

 

Last time I had the hog a couple of games ago it took 250 gas to fill up it's tank.

[DaVegaNL]

They can always gate things through other means. If they make the bellows recipe out of more advanced components for example that would delay being able to get your own forge. They could also make the bellows be a reward for a tier 2 quest and they could make it a very expensive item in the trader's secret stash. Multiple ways to get the bellows but all of them more difficult than now meaning that whether you purchase the perk or not you still have to track down the component to build it and it isn't going to happen during the first few days.

 

They could. But have they done that? Or have they now simply scrapped all level gates?

[DaVegaNL]

It will, but I don't care what a game looks like if I'm getting 10 FPS.

 

^ this

[Kalex]

Want! Having torch timers with this play style would be epic. Having zeds drop from attics and falling though floors during the day is pretty spooky. Running the dungeon POIs at night with a 5 min torch is a whole new level of spooky. Ban the mining helm and gun flashlights! Or put 5 min batteries on them too!

 

Reminds me of the old Atari Haunted House game.

[DaVegaNL]

If people would lower their graphics so that a17 looked like a16, I'm sure they'd see the same performance. a17 has better graphics, thus requires more power. So ultra on a16 != ultra on a17.

 

Sorry but it does not.

[ParadiseLostUK]

So then I'm curious (and this is a serious question - I have heard EXACTLY this from other gaming companies in the past), is there any video card that currently exists that is capable of playing this game on maximum at say 1080 or 1440 (never mind 4k)? Or, are the settings SO resource intensive, that the game literally requires hardware that isn't on the market yet? I've run into that before, as I mentioned, and it was a good 3 years before the hardware caught up (and by that time better software existed and it looked like crap anyways )

 

I'm running with a 1080ti at 3440 x 1440 with everything maxed (except vsync and motion blur are turned off) and generally get around 50fps. It does sometimes drop to 25-35 fps in busy poi's but it's generally very smooth possibly due to gsync monitor. My processor is an i7-4790K.

[Cliffy]

My setup is similar. Ryzen 7 1800x with 16 GB RAM and had a GTX 1060 6GB until I switched to a RTX 2070 this week. Using the GTX 1060 I had good performance at 1080p. On the RTX I bumped it to 1440p. I have a 4k monitor, but FPS is just too low for that res.

 

Trees and grass on middle settings. Motion blur and DOF off.

 

What resolution are you using?

 

Hey dude, I play with an I7 Chip with 4 GHZ, 16GB Ram, and a RTX 2080. I have a 4K Monitor to.

 

So i can play on 2K and all settings up to max. But everything with reflection is off ! That kills the FPS for nearly nothing. And the Motion Blur is off, because i dont like it Rest is full up and yea... i build in a town good base some light bla bla bla. It runs between 65-160 FPS.

 

What i see every time is the most FPS drop i got is in the morning or evenening when the sun gets up or down and you got the cool light effects throught threecrowns, mountains and buildings. I think the light is the biggest FPS killer in the game. Thats why i have a higher gamma and not so much light in my base....

[DaVegaNL]

As long as certain stage-defining objects (e.g. the forge) are more difficult to craft I'm okay with the change. But as far as I can see now, you can unlock the forge and iron tools with 6 points. So midway day 1 you can have them.

 

There is talk about maybe changing some requirements for parts, or making them more expensive, or level gating some items. But that's just talk. Would like to see some changes (over the next few days) to substantiate this.

[Aldranon]

Simple problem is that the early stages are so penalizing that you simply want to reach lvl 60 or so.

And i dont speak about guns or zombies

 

Stamina, Stamina, You are hot, you are cold, stamina. You are encumbered, Stamina, you are encumbered.

This is so annoying the first 14 Hours that there is not a single second you can enjoy the game.

 

Why should i spend many real hours in building a base that will be destroyed 10 Hours later if a Zombie only looks toward it.

 

Means so more TFP try to force me to stay in a gamestage that make no fun at all, so more i want to leave it.

 

Reinforced concrete and steelwalls should be endgamestuff. Not like now where it is the only material you can rely on.

There is simply no other material you can build a base with.

Ergo: Powerleveling

 

You probably know the "Two half blocks that form a gap over a pit that has ladders up so they can do it again" trick?

 

Doesn't work all the time so... guns.

[khzmusik]

 

 

The option depth of field works as it should be...

The game looks very nice with this active, but not when i'm looking thru my "windows"

i have to disable it at night in my base

 

Is it possible to change it?

Or is this a bug

 

It is certainly possible to turn it off altogether, it's in the video options.

 

I've also noticed that depth of field is a bit wonky. Often I'll be fighting a zombie with my bow, but randomly the zombie will become blurry and some other thing in the depth of field will be clear.

 

But I'm hesitant to file a bug report, because I actually like it.