My Alpha 17e feedback

[Dracknar]

Hello all survivors!

 

I felt strongly enough about my experiences so far with alpha 17e that I thought I'd come here to share it.

 

1162 hours of playtime here. Since I think about alpha 11.

 

I had been eagerly waiting for alpha 17!

I love this game.. It was always a favourite.

 

Random gen, exploring, fighting zombies, building a kick ass base to store my stuff in!

My horde night preference was always a kill cage I can get into that had bars to shoot out of.

 

I like many aspects of the new build, but the things I don't like have kind of got to me.

Of the 5 mates who started playing (had also been waiting for release) there is really now only me playing again after only a few days.

And I'm about to stop.

I reached level 29 last night. Day 15.

Instead of running on hardest difficulty like we used to, I had already dropped it down to 3. It didn't matter.

 

It's just not fun now.

 

The issues as I see:

 

- Skill gating in levels : that stone axe slog. Ugh. And getting to the stuff I want needs more levels yet, but then:

 

- gamestage advancing too quick : after going so slow to start (crafting/resource gathering to try to prepare for horde nights) I finally started killing lots of zombies to level (I like it anyway, though also base building and exploring). I reached 29! So close to so many of those tier 5 gated skills!! Excitement!! Oh.... Ferals are now spawning in the few POI's I try to get in to... I can't outrun them at all though, because :

 

- encumbrance and moving slower always. I feel so slow. I dislike encumbrance in any game. I tried to work in the system to try it out, but I just can't handle it. So much less back pack space... (yes I know perks can extend it, but I haven't reached those levels yet to unlock them... And I'm just tired of it before those levels are reached).

 

- stamina just disappears. I tried to outrun hordes and get out there and play, but stamina? Where are you? Why am I out running with hordes you ask? Because :

 

- defensive bases are dead. I died repeatedly to my first 7 day horde. I had used reinforced flagstone. I geared up, tried to improve my kill cage with 3 layers of reinforced flagstone for day 14. Spikes + barbed wire around it. I was ready...

No I wasn't. They went through it all in about 20 seconds. The entire horde attacking one block.

 

- death penalty : I don't think you need punishment for dying. I think losing all your stuff and having to try and get it back is hard enough.

Why lower skills and take away hard earned perks? Not cool.

 

Where to now? :

 

I'll probably look at modding.

Trying to improve to our tastes.

 

But... 4 of the people who are usually mad keen have stopped wanting to play. It's just not fun now.

And I can't believe I'm thinking of stopping after only a few days! I waited so long.

But really I'm not enjoying my time.

 

Last night my last mate playing only stayed in game after yet more defeat to reduce his death penalty ... He was just over it.

 

Anyway thanks for reading.

I hope the fun pumps appreciate I gave up my hour long train ride to work to write my thoughts. Instead of sleeping or playing my vita/switch. Lol. (2 month old baby in the house... My free time is much more precious now!)