Underground bases - what's the status of making them vulnerable to zombies?

[SylenThunder]

So the definition of fanboi is someone who wants an underground threat or just someone with a different set of preferences than you have...?

 

We see this from the console kids all the time. You tell them they can't have X because the hardware cannot manage it. Then it's "shut up you stupid fanboi", or "hush you PCMR idiot". (The latter is especially funny, because PC's are by their very nature superior to a game console in 9/10 things.)

 

 

 

 

The devs are not influenced by some hypnotic minority.

No, I have a secret Dev-hypnotizing Gif image around here somewhere I can drop in the forum...

 

The devs don't steal people's mods and shoehorn them into the game.

When a mod is really good though, and falls in line with what they want to do, I'm certain that they would contact the author for permission.

I'm almost certain it's been done at least once to date.

 

The devs don't cruise the Pimp Dreams forum looking for a direction because they're fresh out of ideas.

God I hope not. Some of the threads over there....

 

The devs aren't dragging out development because they're lazy

For sure. Updating the client to a completely new version of Unity AND fixing bugs AND adding new content AND re-designing broken mechanics can't be easy work.

 

The devs aren't stumped about what they need to do or how to finish the game and so they are just redoing the same old stuff over and over and over because they are at the limit of their capabilities.

This is just a silly idea. Get out of my head Roland.

 

The devs aren't staying away from the forums because their feelings got hurt by negative comments.

It's more likely that they don't want to waste valuable time that could be spent developing a17.

 

 

Incoming hypnotic image....

[Tin]

In a bunker at a undisclosed location the 'fanbois' have cracked the code..

They've been tapping directly into the psyche of devs across the world all this time..

It's only a matter of time before they control everyone and everything..

Fanbois > Illuminati

Fanbois + Mind Control = Dev's controlled!

Fanbois = Total control!

We've all been duped..

The game was never being produced by TFP..

AAAaaaHHhhhAAhhh

[Gamida]

Big fat meany. Don't sugar coat it gam.

 

@roland I heard the devs avoid the forums except for all of the times they don't. Is that true?

 

Well she did use the word fat but I left it out. Didn't want to make him actually cry in front of his forum fans. (or his brother he said lurks)

[themirror]

Mommy i don't want to fight the zombies, can't we go underground?

No dear, we have to fight them because we bought the game and we knew it was a survival game when we bought it.

 

Well, bunker underground is a way to survive, still a survival game... the moles have bought the game as much as me or you...

Again, stop telling ppl how to play their games

 

Again and again this argument comes up and it is wrong.

 

Who says it's wrong? You?

[Atm142]

You guys seem nice.

 

It's a survival game. You or your stuff should never ever be 'safe.' there should be other ways to outsmart the horde by the skin of your teeth and keep that beautiful loot for over a year.

 

When the going gets tough I know I can just dig to bedrock and munch on yucca with zero worries and that kills the game for me. This is supposed to be a zombie apocalypse called '7 days to die.'

 

If all the humans had to do was dig down 30 meters they should call it, "actually everything is fine we just live in underground cities now"

 

I freaking LOVE mining. I guarantee I've died more from cave ins then zeds but they have a game where you can do that forever called Minecraft. I thought I was buying a semi realistic approach to surviving the zombie apocalypse. Zeds should relentlessly pursue me through the earth until they've turned their hands into nubs. My meat is simply that delicious.

 

And if you don't want zeds bugging you switch them to never run, go novice and 120 minute days. I bet I could survive with nothing but my good intentions and a decent pair of shoes until day 182. You and your bunker should be fine until Cthulhu calls us all home.

 

Having lurked forever as a fan I can guarantee 90% of everyone's top 5 7 days moments came those first few days you spent huddled in a shack at night legitimately scared of every bump and creak in the night. I know all of us can fondly remember the many incredible oh crap moments it created and the pure joy of hearing whoever plays the morning harp.

 

Man 7 days never shined so brightly as it does in those moments until someone comes along and says, 'ohdewd just dig down or reposition this block and you're immune from zombies'

 

Suddenly that beautiful bubble is popped and the zeds no longer have teeth. You realize you're an idiot for ever having worried about the zombies in the first place. They are just mindless mobs who need their face bashed in until they poo loot and xp.

 

Bottom line though, you have 14 billion options to keep you and your base safe from zombies but there is no setting I can click or .XML file I can edit that takes away the God armor of simply digging a hole.

 

And sure I can simply choose not to dig, but that would be as stupid as drowning in the ocean when a boat shows up to save me and I wave them away saying, 'nah bro, s'all good Im playing on hard mode today.' Pardon the pun but that ship has sailed.

 

Play the way you want and have a blast but I thought I got an apocalyptic zombie survival game. With zero tension it just becomes Interior Design: subterranean edition and a lot of other games out there already fill that role beautifully.

 

I love the idea of rads underground and it makes perfect sense as it inevitably bleeds to the water table. And moles can turn it off or wear rad gear but it would irradiate food and water stored down there for a very long time requiring you to at least come to the surface occassionally.

 

I adore the madmole style zombie and would love to see it in game but it brings serious technical worries mentioned previously with world destroying. Maybe script it to only appear when its obvious there is a bunker then bind it to a small radius of chunks? Again moles who want to dig can just turn it off.

 

I'd also like more hazards like lava or reanimated dinosaur fossils lol.

 

I think the best option though is the boredom meter hands down. If you do the exact same repetitive thing for 24+ hours your meter fills up until finally your character falls asleep, he then dreams of being trapped in a room with a red button. Everytime he hits the button he hears a voice that says, "GREAT JOB DO IT AGAIN BUDDY!"

 

After a thousand hits it starts spewing out fake achievements and loot as the voice gets more and more excited for your progress.

 

While back in the real world the character is asleep in real time and the player must hit the button 150,000 times to wake as zombies spawn in his tunnels.

 

Anyway thanks for reading to anyone who took the time and nix the boredom meter idea. I'm totally going to start working on that game tomorrow.

 

TL:DR plz reed moar fren

[meganoth]

Who says it's wrong? You?

 

Yes, because you claim something about my motivation (i.e. that I want to influence your playing). And I know a lot more about my motivation than you. Not everything, there is still the subconsciousness, but definitely more than you.

[zombie4hire]

I am getting tired of hearing how me wanting to change my underground experience is ruining the game for some people.

 

I am glad the developers are listening to no one but themselves.

[Gazz]

It's a complex issue and no half-baked idea will be implemented. =P

 

@roland I heard the devs avoid the forums except for all of the times they don't. Is that true?

No, it is.

[RestInPieces]

It's a complex issue and no half-baked idea will be implemented. =P

 

Think it will make it into the next update?

 

[Cadamier]

Mommy i don't want to fight the zombies, can't we go underground?

No dear, we have to fight them because we bought the game and we knew it was a survival game when we bought it.

But we can set difficulty, how many zombies spawn, etc..., why can't we just hide from or flee the zombies?

The fanbois ruled that this is how we should play so, yeah, nothing we can do so shut up and get your bow ready.

 

<Daddy>

Nambe Pambe?

 

<Nambe Pambe>

Yes daddy?

 

<Daddy>

::Towers over Nambe Pambe with a .44 Magnum in one hand and a shotgun in the other. Almost yells, with greed, revenge and a lust for battle clearly shown over his entire being.:: Its Zombie Fighting Time!

 

<Nambe Pambe> ::Cowers behind mommy, physically and mentally shaking.:: MOMMY!

[canadianbluebeer]

Hiding underground actually makes sense. Zombies don't dig, they're brainless.

 

It takes a lot of work and time to make a base down at bedrock, and you're still going to have to come up to where they can get you, for a variety of things. Food, water, ammo, etc.

 

Yes, you can grow some stuff at the bottom, some materials will not be an issue (stone, I'm looking at you), others will be.

nitrate, lead. Water not so much. Fuel on the other hand..

 

You also need a way in/out and zombies will bash that (wandering hordes are just stupid that way).

 

I'm doing underground NOW, but I do plan on having above ground later on. Below ground to survive, build up skills and materials,

then return to the surface and reclaim it from the zeds when I'm PREPARED.

 

(and ok, it's hilarious standing under a drop pit watching the zombilanche on bloodmoons)

 

Hiding forever underground, while doable, well, that's what choice is for.

 

Me, I'm building up my forces, then going on the attack.

 

Seems to fit into the concept of zombie survival etc rather nicely to me.

 

oh, remember: Opinions are like string. Every yo-yo has one.

[pahbi]

Look at the modern day doomsday preppers, underground bunkers are very popular.

 

If we try to imagine what a person would really do the zombie apocalypse, the most likely thing they would do is hide and avoid conflict. Either by going underground or finding someway to stay up high off the ground.

 

That said, its kinda hard to make a fun game where you just sit in a hole all day.

 

Even the most basic zombie defenses are more than enough to handle daytime stragglers. I went underground because the constant stream of screamers was just unfun to deal with.

 

Others have mentioned putting all your forges and ovens away from your base.

 

Building underground, and putting forges away from your bases are both just work-arounds to the same problem. I suspect that if we find some way to deal with the root causes that require these work-arounds, the game would be more fun in general.

 

- P

[Roland]

I get what people are saying about how much effort it takes to dig all the way down to bedrock and establish yourself down there and that effort should be rewarded with safety— and to an extent I agree.

 

But what about just five meters down? Because that’s all it takes to be perfectly safe. Is THAT effort worthy of the same protection as a bedrock base? If we can agree that going all the way to bedrock = 100% safety, at what depth could we agree that safety starts to diminish? I’d be happier if the 100% safety zone was a thin layer at the bottom of the world. That would make me feel better about not going there if I don’t like it because I could still get a fun experience in 90% of the underworld. Do molepeople feel they need to retain the entire underworld biome for themselves or can they maybe share...?

 

Also, how does digging require any more brain power than anything else the zombies do in the game. If they sense you or smell you or hear you they should bash their way to you be that in a horizontal direction or in a vertical direction. It shouldn’t make any difference to them.

[RestInPieces]

Oh comon none looked at my post? By far the best solutions, objectively!

[Tin]

"Zombies don't dig, they're brainless"

 

-Yet-

 

They know enough to not eat the other zombies.

They can walk and run around objects.

They can see.

They can smell.

They know enough to approach 'You' but not the other zombies.

They know enough to attack you.

They know how to walk up stairs/ladders.

They know enough to gather together in large groups and attack every 7 days or form wandering hordes.

They etc,.

 

So what is it? are they totally brainless? or is their intelligence on par with being 'Instinctual' like animals?

 

If like animals:

 

Animals dig to get at food.

They're capable of working in a pack.

They're capable of getting around objects that block them.

They're etc,.

 

This is not just for you @canadianbluebeer. Nor is it a rant or me being accusatory.

I've just been seeing this a lot lately..

 

Maybe the question should be "How dumb should the zombies actually be?".

I vote that they should be 'Instinctual' at the least as far as Intelligence goes, especially when it comes to the survival portion of the game.

[Guppycur]

Or, alternatively...

 

...fix the broken aspects of above ground play so that THOSE guys can enjoy their game and then they can stop whining and trying to impose their wants onto people who just want to be left alone.

[OzHawkeye]

I get what people are saying about how much effort it takes to dig all the way down to bedrock and establish yourself down there and that effort should be rewarded with safety— and to an extent I agree.

 

The problem I see here Roland, is HOW do you combat the perfect safety from using underground bases.

 

You're absolutely right when you talk about a base a mere 5 blocks underground, it too is perfectly safe, and that is an obvious flaw.

 

The concern I have about digging zombies though is the last time that was in full swing, we ended up with Swiss cheese terrain all over the place. The problem wasn't zombies digging down to underground bases, it was zombies digging down everywhere. They themselves became the "mole people" ;-)

 

This isn't a minor issue either, since the stability of a perfectly above ground base could be compromised by digging zombies, mindlessly digging a tunnel underneath the base, indeed, even doing so without the player being aware of it, who suddenly wonders why their base has collapsed into a sinkhole. Stability, which traces a path all the way to bedrock, could be a real issue with tunneling zombies (which is an inevitable consequence to digging zombies).

 

I still think the way out of this conundrum is to add environmental hazards (somehow!) to underground bases.

 

After all, in a real zombie apocalypse (belief in such suitably suspended for this post), an underground base is exactly the sort of thing I'd be trying to build. As a survival strategy, it's both incredibly obvious, and, incredibly effective, given the established lore of zombies.

 

The one obvious environmental hazard I can think of (and no doubt others have also) is the need for air filtration - most especially if one is running all sorts of dirty, air contaminating, machines down there.

 

In a perfect world/game, building an underground base should eliminate the zombie threat, but also should impose such a high cost via other mechanics that it's not the "I Win For All Time" button it so clearly is at the moment.

[Tin]

Or, alternatively...

 

...fix the broken aspects of above ground play so that THOSE guys can enjoy their game and then they can stop whining and trying to impose their wants onto people who just want to be left alone.

 

No!

I want all aspects.

I want to play a underground game as well and feel just as exposed at times as an above ground game.

Maybe I can't have it all but I'm also not going to stop TFP from trying either.

edit: I also think SOME ppl, are getting hung up on that it must only be "digging zombies", when there are other ways that it could be..

[RestInPieces]

Zombies digging will result in a lot of clipping, glitching and ugly terrain. A single zombie digger (as many have mentioned in the past) won't fix these issues. Furthermore, it's already unrealistic (but necessary for gameplay) that digging is so easy, even with tools, let's not have zombies doing it too. There are plenty of other ways to make the underground interesting AND different.

[Gamida]

I am a moleperson.

 

 

 

I build underground. I didn't always. Maybe just since A16.

I am not a hermit. I craft my stuff down there but I am out and about same as everyone else killing, looting and exploring.

Horded nights my main option is grab some stamina juice, my best club (hopefully spiked) and a ranged weapon and run around like a crazy person bashing in heads until morning. I could say that I am down in the trenches on horde night with a greater chance of getting killed that those that build concrete reinforced bases and have all kinds of spikes and turrets surrounding them, picking off zombies from their nice safe perch but I don't (well technically I just did but that was for clarification purposes).

I use to make concrete bases but haven't for a while. I have also reinforced a poi but not for a while. My playstyle has changed and most likely will again as the game changes (With the addition of more vehicles I am thinking of a large underground highway system to move around. Not to be safe but to avoid hitting things that slow me down because my driving sucks).

In conclusion, everyone has their own way to play so um...you're all my hero....thank you.

[kamer1337]

we need mutated zombie worms that spawns on a player, like in terraria. they doesnt break terrain just going through

[Roland]

Or, alternatively...

 

...fix the broken aspects of above ground play so that THOSE guys can enjoy their game and then they can stop whining and trying to impose their wants onto people who just want to be left alone.

 

Or, simultaneously....

 

....fixing both aspects doesn’t need to be an either/or proposition. Plus, show me just one of THOSE guys who is whining about wanting a better underworld because the overworld needs fixing. No matter how great the overworld gets I’m still going to want a better underworld as well and that’s the same vibe I’m getting from everyone else who wants a better underworld.

 

If you’re going to play both sides for giggles at least get it right...

[Guest Rust Buddy]

Mommy i don't want to fight the zombies, can't we go underground?

No dear, we have to fight them because we bought the game and we knew it was a survival game when we bought it.

But we can set difficulty, how many zombies spawn, etc..., why can't we just hide from or flee the zombies?

The fanbois ruled that this is how we should play so, yeah, nothing we can do so shut up and get your bow ready.

 

hahaha

 

a real mommy would say since you keep arguing with each other over the toy I'm taking the toy away from both of you! Static terrain would stop both sides of the argument. then we could finally see epic hoards in the game and nobody would even miss digging tunnels with how much fun the game would get.

 

maybe Madmole will become a real mommy, here. bwahahahaha

[KingSlayerGM]

I don't mind swiss cheese, on the contrary, I love the idea of digging zeds! However only if they do not have a gps to my base.

 

Lets say it is horde night, I am standing 50 blocks below the surface, watching an old dvd on my flat screen, all the forges are off, all the cement mixers are off, every machine is off. I don't want zombies to bother me. For ♥♥♥♥s sake! How would they know where I am?

 

Yes, even if it is horde night!

[Kurogo]

I'm curious about those of you saying they want the underground to be dangerous for yourselves. What are you doing that makes it not dangerous?

 

For me, even with my mines, there is always a danger of the zombies bashing down the doors at the entrance and rushing in behind me. I'm not really digging down to bedrock, mind you, but then I stopped digging underground to avoid zombies a very long time ago. And that's the thing that confuses me, if I'm not digging underground to avoid them, it seems extremely easy to have my underground experience be dangerous right now. I have faith that the breadcrumbs system will improve this experience as well, but where's the need to add magic teleporting zombie worms or super ghost zombies that can teleport through terrain? The only answer I can come up with myself is that, despite saying you want a dangerous experience underground, you're still filling in the tunnel behind you to keep them out.