PC Alpha 19 Dev Diary

[mr.devolver]

Release Date of A19 is currently estimated for Summer of 2020

Bryan Adams - Summer Of 2069...

 

[Roland]

Are there any other limitations to the game that were added for Alpha 19? 

Healing is now tougher. If you break your leg you take a hit to max health and that can ONLY be fixed by using the correct medical treatment. Spamming bandages doesn’t work any longer. Only a splint will work in that particular example. There are lots of new ailments that each cause a reduction of your overall wellness and the fix isn’t always readily available— so like Madmole described I have found myself down to 12% health more often. It just isn’t easy any more to instantly and easily get your wellness back up to 100% by picking some cotton and crafting quick bandages. 

 

[sillls]

Cotton? Na! That only stops bleeding. Besides I haven't seen any cotton were I've been.  

But I hear you, the game will be harder. Looking forward to the challenge. 

OORAH!

 

[Adam the Waster]

Healing is now tougher. If you break your leg you take a hit to max health and that can ONLY be fixed by using the correct medical treatment. Spamming bandages doesn’t work any longer. Only a splint will work in that particular example. There are lots of new ailments that each cause a reduction of your overall wellness and the fix isn’t always readily available— so like Madmole described I have found myself down to 12% health more often. It just isn’t easy any more to instantly and easily get your wellness back up to 100% by picking some cotton and crafting quick bandages. 

 kinda of a shame there is no way to increase you HP aside from level (unless that is going to be a different way to get Extra max HP in A19 or beyond) kinda miss the days (A17 lol)  you bump a little bit of a perk and Boom! more HP (not wellness though that was annoying imo) ! cuz when i see i have 127 Hp or some other uneven number i want to power grind just to make it even! but that might just be me!

Cotton? Na! That only stops bleeding. Besides I haven't seen any cotton were I've been.  

But I hear you, the game will be harder. Looking forward to the challenge. 

OORAH!

Cotten + time = cloth x 2 = bandage

so you are not wrong lol

 

[Xtrakicking]

Healing is now tougher. If you break your leg you take a hit to max health and that can ONLY be fixed by using the correct medical treatment. Spamming bandages doesn’t work any longer. Only a splint will work in that particular example. There are lots of new ailments that each cause a reduction of your overall wellness and the fix isn’t always readily available— so like Madmole described I have found myself down to 12% health more often. It just isn’t easy any more to instantly and easily get your wellness back up to 100% by picking some cotton and crafting quick bandages. 

That sounds really cool. It's gonna give more incentive to pharmacies and hospitals. It also sounds like experienced players are going to find the game more difficult now, which is always fun to see.

Is there also that one broken arm buff that madmole talked about in the past, which would prevent the player from using items that required both arms such as rifles?

 

[sillls]

 kinda of a shame there is no way to increase you HP aside from level (unless that is going to be a different way to get Extra max HP in A19 or beyond) kinda miss the days (A17 lol)  you bump a little bit of a perk and Boom! more HP (not wellness though that was annoying imo) ! cuz when i see i have 127 Hp or some other uneven number i want to power grind just to make it even! but that might just be me!

Cotten + time = cloth x 2 = bandage

so you are not wrong lol

Yes this can make a bandage.

No it does not heal.  This type of bandage only stops the bleeding. 

 

[Adam the Waster]

Ahoy @madmole

i been meaning to ask this but! will their be any new weapon trees for intellect? like how most have 3. you got Stunbatons melee class, robotics (special class of weapons) and do you think we will get a range base class for intellect?

examples

Spoiler

junk rifle: able to shoot Junk rounds in a Simi auto , but can be modded to shoot auto. has a mid size mag and does not have crazy recoil like the Junker turret

Flamethrower: need i say more?

Railgun/ballista: a long makeshift gun that uses a car battery and compressed air to fire iron darts that can go clean through flesh and armor but its hard to maintain

TaZer: a makeshift weapon that uses electricity to kill targets at a mid to close range much like a shotgun and needs Buckshot to fire!

or what ever you come up with!

 

[Laz Man]

Ahoy @madmole

i been meaning to ask this but! will their be any new weapon trees for intellect? like how most have 3. you got Stunbatons melee class, robotics (special class of weapons) and do you think we will get a range base class for intellect?

examples

Spoiler

junk rifle: able to shoot Junk rounds in a Simi auto , but can be modded to shoot auto. has a mid size mag and does not have crazy recoil like the Junker turret

Flamethrower: need i say more?

Railgun/ballista: a long makeshift gun that uses a car battery and compressed air to fire iron darts that can go clean through flesh and armor but its hard to maintain

TaZer: a makeshift weapon that uses electricity to kill targets at a mid to close range much like a shotgun and needs Buckshot to fire!

or what ever you come up with!

The junk stuff is the ranged equivalent technically.  I like how its turning out.  All trees dont need to have equivalents for everything as long as there is some semblance of balance in there. 

 

[Roland]

That sounds really cool. It's gonna give more incentive to pharmacies and hospitals. It also sounds like experienced players are going to find the game more difficult now, which is always fun to see.

Is there also that one broken arm buff that madmole talked about in the past, which would prevent the player from using items that required both arms such as rifles?

It has stumped me at times. I’m used to medicated bandages being the cure-all. Now when something happens you either live with it until the timer runs out or stop what you’re doing and go and craft the treatment you need. 
 

I haven’t suffered a broken arm yet but I did have a sprained arm and it prevented me from using the power attack of my melee weapon. I had a clear quest I was about to start and decided to just do it without having the use of my power attack. It turned out badly. I didn’t die and I finished the quest but I used way more ammo than I was wanting to. 
 

Have I come to rely completely on my power attack? Yes, I have. 

 

[beerfly]

Would sprained arm affect shooting or aiming ? 

 

[Liesel Weppen]

Yes this can make a bandage.

No it does not heal.  This type of bandage only stops the bleeding. 

And it restores wellness. And with this it increases your maximum health without actually healing you to that value.

 

[canadianbluebeer]

Excuse me sir, or maybe Madmole/Gazz/Faatal/Jesus Christ can respond. I found out a thing that I don't know if it is intended for alpha 18.4, nor if it is still there (likely) for a19.

Having all 7 books of shotgun messiah (wood shot bonus) also increases the stone/iron/steel axe (all axes) damage to trees. You have a19 on your hands. Can you comment on this? 

Is this a nice hidden bonus or was it an overlook? Thanks in advance.

2 shotting a 900/1200hp tree IS kinda nice.

I had all the mining perks, and most of the other melee perks, so didn't make the connection with that book series.

That would also explain the shooting out the walls in POI as well.

methinks the wood hit is applying to the machine gun as well.  (which means I have to aim more carefully)

 

[Xtrakicking]

It has stumped me at times. I’m used to medicated bandages being the cure-all. Now when something happens you either live with it until the timer runs out or stop what you’re doing and go and craft the treatment you need. 
 

I haven’t suffered a broken arm yet but I did have a sprained arm and it prevented me from using the power attack of my melee weapon. I had a clear quest I was about to start and decided to just do it without having the use of my power attack. It turned out badly. I didn’t die and I finished the quest but I used way more ammo than I was wanting to. 
 

Have I come to rely completely on my power attack? Yes, I have. 

No wonder. I also rely on the power attack. I use a steel axe as my melee, and the power attacks on that thing are amazing.

 

[FileMachete]

Any chance for the Wrench to have it's Repair/Upgrade ability restored in A19?

I've found myself making quite a few Stone Axes just for the Repair/Upgrade ability; w backpack space at a premium I really don't see packing a hammer/nailgun around...

Sry if already asked & answered 

---

Spoiler

Idea for a new Trap. Impaler Trap.

Block would be 1 x 2

On activation a metal javelin/spear would thrust out 2 blocks, pause for a second, then withdraw, then another second or two later would/could fire again.

Javelin/Spear isn't 'ammo', just the one being reused, similar to the Blade Traps blades.

Could be in the floor w a Trigger Plate on top to activate, or sideways/above triggered by the various existing means.

If the impact depth was 2 blocks then could be placed in a hallways ceiling that was 3 or 4 blocks high; if 3 high then spear could brain normal sized zeds/players, if in a 4 high then it would only hit 'tall' zeds like Biker or Lumberjack.

Might not be worth it but possibly have both a Powered & Non-Powered mode.

When Powered it continues to cycle every 2-3 seconds while triggered.

Non-Powered would require manual 'cocking', and when fired the spear would remain extended, until a player re-cocks it, or zeds break through it.

- one use for non-powered could be for POI designers to have some fun, and could be used to trap a player in a corridor/room; spears acting as bars.

Not sure how un-powered triggering would work... I was thinking there used to be non-powered trip wires in 7dtd, but remembered that's in Skyrim.

Edit: now that I thought Skyrim I think that's where the Impaler idea came from; isn't there something like this in Skyrim?

 

[Blake_]

2 shotting a 900/1200hp tree IS kinda nice.

I had all the mining perks, and most of the other melee perks, so didn't make the connection with that book series.

That would also explain the shooting out the walls in POI as well.

methinks the wood hit is applying to the machine gun as well.  (which means I have to aim more carefully)

Yes, while I also think that it IS nice, I find the description of the book end bonus to be confusing and misleading : we not only one shot most wood blocks, we also increase the damage to everything wood-related (including trees)  by A LOT with many weapons and tools, and not only shotguns. 

Either the description should be adjusted, or something is oddly unexpected with the shotgun 7- book bonus. 

Also, two-shotting trees creates an unbalanced situation, as it renders some quality levels of the axes quite redundant and for coherence's sake axes should fall a tree in 3 hits, not 2. Stone, for instance, is 500 and it takes 2 hits with full stats (vs 1200 tree hp also 2 hit-fall).

I say leave the two hits for legendary weapons and the one stone hit too.

 

[sillls]

And it restores wellness. And with this it increases your maximum health without actually healing you to that value.

I just looked at the stats and tested a cloth bandage.  I know it is supposed to help increase max health but I don't see any change in it. 

While I'm at it I also noticed that there does not seem to be any effects for pain killers. 

Pain killer should:

Heal 

Dehydrate by 40 points. 

I haven't seen ether effect. 

 

[madmole]

Sorry - I thought it was on topic, the person was asking about NPCs. You've already made it clear that there are certain things with NPCs that you don't intend to ever put in the game (like human followers).

So, I was trying to point people to alternatives - with the intent that they'd stop asking, here, for stuff you already said you won't do.

It wasn't supposed to be a dig at the vanilla game. If that's how it came across, I obviously did a bad job of communicating - sorry about that.

On a related note - point taken about DLC &etc. being off topic. That's fine with me. Again sorry if I was helping to derail the thread.

EDIT: OK, the forum is acting a little wonky - the first time I hit "reply" it didn't seem to do anything so I hit it again and accidentally double-posted. D'OH!

No worries, just trying to keep the thread relevant.

Any chance of a video this weekend?

Given that its passed, nope
Bad news, I found out we have different testing branches and I was testing a pretty old build. The good news is it felt pretty solid so I can't wait to start a new game with the latest version.

Healing is now tougher. If you break your leg you take a hit to max health and that can ONLY be fixed by using the correct medical treatment. Spamming bandages doesn’t work any longer. Only a splint will work in that particular example. There are lots of new ailments that each cause a reduction of your overall wellness and the fix isn’t always readily available— so like Madmole described I have found myself down to 12% health more often. It just isn’t easy any more to instantly and easily get your wellness back up to 100% by picking some cotton and crafting quick bandages. 

Yes you have to be extra careful early game now and injuries are to be taken serious. You don't just bounce back without proper medical care and even then it takes some time for most crits to heal.

That sounds really cool. It's gonna give more incentive to pharmacies and hospitals. It also sounds like experienced players are going to find the game more difficult now, which is always fun to see.

Is there also that one broken arm buff that madmole talked about in the past, which would prevent the player from using items that required both arms such as rifles?

No we're not being that heavy handed with it (no pun intended). But doing power attacks with a broken arm hurt it or slow the healing and it affects your aim and stuff.

 

[madmole]

And it restores wellness. And with this it increases your maximum health without actually healing you to that value.

Not 100% sure because we're still fleshing out all the rules, but plain bandages do not restore any max health but just stop you from bleeding out. Regular damage doesn't lower your max health at all now, only critical injuries.

 

[Anthonydevidal]

hello madmole,  I would like too see zombies that could / will try climb,  and more zombies around town and outdoors

you know if there will be any of this.   and tell me what are you working on right now

 

[Laz Man]

Not 100% sure because we're still fleshing out all the rules, but plain bandages do not restore any max health but just stop you from bleeding out. Regular damage doesn't lower your max health at all now, only critical injuries.

I like this change as it is more intuitive and easier to understand.