PC V2.0 Storms Brewing Dev Diary

[CyberHellKen]

@faatal
In regard to the viewing or knowing that storms are active in other biomes.
Would it be possible to just have small icons, on the bottom of the screen,
one for each biome, but maybe half the size of the of basic icons or a bar
with 4 segments colorcoded to each biome? and blank if no storm.
View attachment 34861

I stand by my suggestion that biome storms should use the same buff system that biome effects do. Once a storm is active, you get a debuff just you do when entering a biome you don't have protection for. After the countdown expires, it moves into a critical state and the effects start (damage, whatever) until you find shelter, just like leaving a biome you aren't protected from does. This means you naturally get a warning if entering a biome with a storm active. It would also mean we should be able to use the buff icons rather than huge warning banners to seamlessly deal with storms.

Even better, pine forest thunderstorms could once again have an effect that isn't damaging per se, but could allow for other effects, like slightly slower movement, bloodmoon speed zombies, maybe higher gamestage spawning, etc. Right now, forest storms do nothing whatsoever, which is bizarre.

If TFP can't manage it, maybe a modder will, but I'd prefer vanilla to have this functionality.

 

[Riamus]

I stand by my suggestion that biome storms should use the same buff system that biome effects do. Once a storm is active, you get a debuff just you do when entering a biome you don't have protection for. After the countdown expires, it moves into a critical state and the effects start (damage, whatever) until you find shelter, just like leaving a biome you aren't protected from does. This means you naturally get a warning if entering a biome with a storm active. It would also mean we should be able to use the buff icons rather than huge warning banners to seamlessly deal with storms.

Even better, pine forest thunderstorms could once again have an effect that isn't damaging per se, but could allow for other effects, like slightly slower movement, bloodmoon speed zombies, maybe higher gamestage spawning, etc. Right now, forest storms do nothing whatsoever, which is bizarre.

If TFP can't manage it, maybe a modder will, but I'd prefer vanilla to have this functionality.

Faatal said they are slowing down zombies during storms for the next update, but not sure if that will include the forest "storms".

As far as storm warnings, I'll take just about anything in place of that large popup. It could be a buff timer like you mentioned, or a drone announcement as another person mentioned (that would give people a reason to use a drone). Or something else.

 

[Javabean867]

@faatal
In regard to the viewing or knowing that storms are active in other biomes.
Would it be possible to just have small icons, on the bottom of the screen,
one for each biome, but maybe half the size of the of basic icons or a bar
with 4 segments colorcoded to each biome? and blank if no storm.
View attachment 34861

oh what if you got that information from the biomes, only if you had the badge for that biome????

 

[faatal]

Faatal said they are slowing down zombies during storms for the next update, but not sure if that will include the forest "storms".

As far as storm warnings, I'll take just about anything in place of that large popup. It could be a buff timer like you mentioned, or a drone announcement as another person mentioned (that would give people a reason to use a drone). Or something else.

They will be moving at Blood Moon speeds, which would not be slow unless you changed the Blood Moon setting and made them walk.

The popup was large. I would not call the current message large as it has no background and is using the same font size as the day/time text.

 

[Riamus]

They will be moving at Blood Moon speeds, which would not be slow unless you changed the Blood Moon setting and made them walk.

The popup was large. I would not call the current message large as it has no background and is using the same font size as the day/time text.

Ah, I forgot that you said blood moon speeds. Oops.

I'll wait and see how the popup looks with your changes. Maybe it will not be as obtrusive. Though I still wouldn't mind the drone announcing incoming storm and storm ending if you have a drone.

 

[faatal]

I stand by my suggestion that biome storms should use the same buff system that biome effects do. Once a storm is active, you get a debuff just you do when entering a biome you don't have protection for. After the countdown expires, it moves into a critical state and the effects start (damage, whatever) until you find shelter, just like leaving a biome you aren't protected from does. This means you naturally get a warning if entering a biome with a storm active. It would also mean we should be able to use the buff icons rather than huge warning banners to seamlessly deal with storms.

Even better, pine forest thunderstorms could once again have an effect that isn't damaging per se, but could allow for other effects, like slightly slower movement, bloodmoon speed zombies, maybe higher gamestage spawning, etc. Right now, forest storms do nothing whatsoever, which is bizarre.

If TFP can't manage it, maybe a modder will, but I'd prefer vanilla to have this functionality.

There is already a (de)buff for the storm if you look at the buff section of the UI. Some of us wanted the more obvious UI for newer or less skilled players. "But I don't want to see it"...well that is what mods are for until the year 2039 where we add a custom UI designer.

Not bizarre, but starting area. Everyone got married to the forest, but it is the starting area, so go west young man. Yes bases are hard to move. Life is hard. Doing a teleport your base like V Rising would be cool, except we have a very irregular MP voxel world where they have lots of nice little base areas all over the place. Maybe a monster RV or Jimmy comes and moves all your storage crates for you.

"manage it"? LOL. It is a choice we choose to make. You make it sound like we forgot how to do stuff. Where is my keeboard? My dog done ate it!

 

[faatal]

Ah, I forgot that you said blood moon speeds. Oops.

I'll wait and see how the popup looks with your changes. Maybe it will not be as obtrusive. Though I still wouldn't mind the drone announcing incoming storm and storm ending if you have a drone.

Wait no more as those changes are in b289. It was bigger before, but I don't know what actual released build it was first shrunk in.

Post automatically merged: Sunday at 10:22 PM

@faatal
In regard to the viewing or knowing that storms are active in other biomes.
Would it be possible to just have small icons, on the bottom of the screen,
one for each biome, but maybe half the size of the of basic icons or a bar
with 4 segments colorcoded to each biome? and blank if no storm.
View attachment 34861

Maybe. Allan and I have been discussing and possibly up near the version number. Small squares.

 

[CyberHellKen]

There is already a (de)buff for the storm if you look at the buff section of the UI. Some of us wanted the more obvious UI for newer or less skilled players. "But I don't want to see it"...well that is what mods are for until the year 2039 where we add a custom UI designer.

Not bizarre, but starting area. Everyone got married to the forest, but it is the starting area, so go west young man. Yes bases are hard to move. Life is hard. Doing a teleport your base like V Rising would be cool, except we have a very irregular MP voxel world where they have lots of nice little base areas all over the place. Maybe a monster RV or Jimmy comes and moves all your storage crates for you.

"manage it"? LOL. It is a choice we choose to make. You make it sound like we forgot how to do stuff. Where is my keeboard? My dog done ate it!

Starting to sound like a snarky Joel over there. Re-reading my post, I realize I got too snarky myself, so I apologize for that. After 5000+ hours in this game, I'm fully aware of how to move a base, and I do every time I switch traders, I never once complained about that, in fact, I look forward to it! I voiced my feedback, and yes, I'm a bit frustrated at the implementation of storms. Sorry if I'm a bit grumpy, I suppose my expectations were higher since that was a feature I was really looking forward to. If you've already made some changes, I'll look forward to them since I just restarted on the latest experimental today and haven't had time to venture past the forest yet or even get a storm at all. I think the framework is great and hope for expansion of it, either by TFP or modders, honestly. Even with my few negatives about how storms mechanics function, overall, 2.0 seems pretty good, and the positives far outweigh the negatives IMHO. I even complimented you all on how much better performance has been in this version, but it seems like you only focused on my criticisms and none of the positive feedback. I'll try to be less toxic about it, my bad. I get too passionate about my favorite game.

I should emphasize what I meant by "managing it" not being possible -- not due to technical reasons, but due to design choices, WHICH IS FINE. Just say so, and as usual, I'll look to see if a modder adds the systems I'm looking for and continue having fun without it regardless. My point was simple -- I do wish some things I want were in vanilla, but by no means do I expect TFP to do it. All I can do is ask. If you thought I was criticizing your abilities, you're mistaken, but I could see how it might be taken that way.

By the same token, it's why I asked if wetness would return in a new form since it was a system that worked well and I was quite used to, but now it doesn't exist at all -- it was jarring. Had I been visiting the forums every week like I used to (in a busy time of my life rn), I would have asked about it months ago when it was first mentioned to be removed. I'll adjust to it being gone, just like I've adjusted to every other thing TFP has ripped out for not being in line with whatever the game design choices are (jars, cans, LBD, etc). You said it's gone and not returning, so I have no expectation for it in vanilla, and can still hope a modder finds a way to recreate it in an immersive way. Nothing wrong with that at all.

Have a great day!

Post automatically merged: Sunday at 11:45 PM

Wait no more as those changes are in b289. It was bigger before, but I don't know what actual released build it was first shrunk in.

Post automatically merged: Sunday at 10:22 PM

Maybe. Allan and I have been discussing and possibly up near the version number. Small squares.

This is great!! I can't wait to be destroyed by speedy zombies in a storm -- this is a compliment, btw. Seriously, I this.

 

[𝔸ngel𝕍anℍelsing]

I’ve been around the block with 7 Days to Die—over 15,000 hours, and counting. When I first fired it up, I’ll admit, I thought it was just another zombie survival grind. But after that first brutal night, I realized there was something special here. Sure, the PvE is great for learning the ropes and getting your bearings, but let’s be honest: once you’ve mastered the basics, the real heart-pounding moments come from PvP.


PvP isn’t just some side mode for thrill-seekers. It’s where the game’s systems—crafting, base building, stealth, and survival—actually come alive. Every wall you build, every trap you set, every silent crossbow shot matters when you know there’s another player out there plotting your downfall. The tension of a raid, the adrenaline of a last-ditch defense, the satisfaction of outsmarting a rival group—these are the moments that keep me coming back night after night.


But here’s the thing: it feels like PvP is always playing second fiddle. Updates come and go, and while the PvE side keeps getting polish, PvP still feels like it’s stuck in the past. We need better weapon balance, real clan systems, territory control, maybe even some structured events. Give us more tools to create our own stories, our own rivalries. The foundation is already solid—the potential is massive. All it needs is a little more attention.


I’m not asking to turn 7 Days into some hardcore esports title. I just want the PvP side to get the same care and innovation as everything else. This game has been my go-to for years, and I know I’m not alone. The community is hungry for more. Give us the tools, the systems, and the support, and we’ll do the rest.


7 Days to Die could be the ultimate PvP survival sandbox. It’s already close. Let’s take it the rest of the way.

 

[Riamus]

PVP technically is "second fiddle" because the game is designed as a PVE co-op game. They added some support for PVP, but they will always focus on PVE. If they have time to add something that improves PVP and has no negative impact on PVE, they may add it, but they have a lot already on their to-do list and are already 6 months behind, so I wouldn't expect much until after 4.0.

 

[𝔸ngel𝕍anℍelsing]

PVP technically is "second fiddle" because the game is designed as a PVE co-op game. They added some support for PVP, but they will always focus on PVE. If they have time to add something that improves PVP and has no negative impact on PVE, they may add it, but they have a lot already on their to-do list and are already 6 months behind, so I wouldn't expect much until after 4.0.

well thanks for the reply, I just think it Could be better, I did just post in the General area my thought on the matter, so I would not be too obnoxious to the Devs, I love the game so much.

 

[EvilPolygons]

By the same token, it's why I asked if wetness would return in a new form since it was a system that worked well and I was quite used to, but now it doesn't exist at all -- it was jarring. Had I been visiting the forums every week like I used to (in a busy time of my life rn), I would have asked about it months ago when it was first mentioned to be removed. I'll adjust to it being gone, just like I've adjusted to every other thing TFP has ripped out for not being in line with whatever the game design choices are (jars, cans, LBD, etc). You said it's gone and not returning, so I have no expectation for it in vanilla, and can still hope a modder finds a way to recreate it in an immersive way. Nothing wrong with that at all.

Concerning wetness, I made a suggestion to the modder who added temperature effects back into v2.0. He isn't particularly interested in rebuilding all the logic that TFP ripped out in the 2.0 update. But I was thinking perhaps wetness could come back as a simple buff that gets applied if you fall in water or get rained on. The buff by itself wouldn't really do anything, but if you get soaked while in the snow biome, then it would apply negative effects (like extra cold damage or whatever). Conversely, being wet in the desert biome might actually help you stave off the biome hazards for a little while until the buff wears off (ie, you dry off). In the burnt forest, it might prevent you from catching fire, and in the Wasteland it would probably be radioactive.

It's pretty lightweight compared to the old wetness system, but I think it would work pretty darn well with his (or other) survival mods.

 

[Khalagar]

Today, one of us died in the desert from storm+swarms+vultures due to swarms hitting while on bicycle, so I removed the Insect Swarm speedup while target on vehicle as it should not have been on there in the first place, but being a vulture they inherited it.

Praise the Faatal! I was going to build my first base in the desert, but noped out after I limped away with every limb sprained or broken, a 30% infection, fatigued, bleeding, and an abrasion basically all at once from two spitters sending the swarm after me before I could even get off the bike lol

I swear I've got fatigued more in this update than every other update in the past combined. Which isn't really a bad thing, since I used to have entire stacks of vitamins that never got used

Oh, I noticed - almost died because of it lol. Running REALLY short on my time in a biome, scootin' outta there on the mini bike, entered the previous biome and straight into a storm and that thing just wouldn't turn on a dime. Was like driving an 18-wheeler. Slid my way to a broken down building with enough coverage for shelter.

Same, I drove my bicylce into a storm and went into an Akira slide when it took me a 30 block radius to turn around lol

Best change of the update by far is that I can drive over campfires and stuff without constantly damaging my vehicle. Even with the plow mod on the 4x4 it was so miserable to try and cross burnt forest or wasteland before. I would end up just having roads plowed through all the debris that I took out with my face lol

 

[Old Crow]

Is Area 7 meant to be questable yet? I can get quests for it, but the ! doesn't appear anywhere on the surface - it's way down in (not under) the ground. There's no zombies around either.

My buddy used no collision to phase through the ground until finding the quest marker, which did activate the quest, but yikes. If this POI isn't ready yet, it probably shouldn't appear on the traders' quest lists.

 

[Old Crow]

No new explosive.

Storms do effect vehicles, but I have not seen anyone notice yet.

They probably shouldn't have shown off remote explosives in the trailer then.

And trust me, people have noticed. The effect storms have on vehicles is pretty excessive right now. Hope it's going to be tuned.

 

[CyberHellKen]

Concerning wetness, I made a suggestion to the modder who added temperature effects back into v2.0. He isn't particularly interested in rebuilding all the logic that TFP ripped out in the 2.0 update. But I was thinking perhaps wetness could come back as a simple buff that gets applied if you fall in water or get rained on. The buff by itself wouldn't really do anything, but if you get soaked while in the snow biome, then it would apply negative effects (like extra cold damage or whatever). Conversely, being wet in the desert biome might actually help you stave off the biome hazards for a little while until the buff wears off (ie, you dry off). In the burnt forest, it might prevent you from catching fire, and in the Wasteland it would probably be radioactive.

It's pretty lightweight compared to the old wetness system, but I think it would work pretty darn well with his (or other) survival mods.

Those suggestions for repurposing wetness are exactly my jam. I'll be testing that mod after I finish a vanilla playthrough. Thanks!

 

[Tete1805]

There is already a (de)buff for the storm if you look at the buff section of the UI. Some of us wanted the more obvious UI for newer or less skilled players. "But I don't want to see it"...well that is what mods are for until the year 2039 where we add a custom UI designer.

V28 confirmed in 2039! (With bandits.)

 

[P1ckl3t03]

A biome zombie is any one spawned by the biome spawner. Arlene, Biker, Moe, Joe, etc. It would be very limited if it was just frosty and spit.

We may be unusual, but in our latest co-op game, it "seems" that in the snow and desert biomes, we are mainly seeing frosty and spit respectfully. Is this something everyone else is seeing as well? If our observation is not incorrect, are there any plans to reduce the percentage of new zombies so that we get a better mix, or is this intended to be the case?

 

[Uncle Al]

We may be unusual, but in our latest co-op game, it "seems" that in the snow and desert biomes, we are mainly seeing frosty and spit respectfully. Is this something everyone else is seeing as well? If our observation is not incorrect, are there any plans to reduce the percentage of new zombies so that we get a better mix, or is this intended to be the case?

Yes, I certainly am. Probably 50% of wandering zone zombies are the special for the zone. That seems fine to me. It's similar to around A20 when a high percentage of snow biome wanderers were lumberjacks.

If the biome specific zombies were equally frequent as every other common zombie you'd hardly ever see them, so this seems like a good thing. Certainly helps distinguish the biomes. Going to the desert? Bring honey. Going to the snow? Bring a concrete umbrella...

 

[bdubyah]

Probably 50% of wandering zone zombies are the special for the zone. That seems fine to me.

I have to disagree with this. They should definitely be less common than what I've seen so far. The mutated is the wasteland's special zombie and while common in that biome, you never turn a corner and that's all you see. I feel like in the desert and snow I see 5 of the new specials for every normal zombie. Doesn't make them feel very "special".