Has 7 Days to Die Become Too Focused on RPG Progression?

[juanchen]

Yes, internal logic is important. But there are lots of ways to explain stuff if you need it for gameplay balance.

For example weapons were (AFAIK) modeled as a mix of real weapons so they could save licence costs for adding real weapons. Simple explanation: This is an alternate reality.

Posting rules what zombies should be able to do or not based on reality is going out on a limb anyway. There are no zombies in reality, they already possses magic abilities like having no need to eat and no need for blood circulation to keep up their body. But on top of that a simple explanation is that in this game occultism exists and has given the zombies superhuman strength and resilience. The blood moon and some types of zombies seems to suggest something occult is happening anyway.

The reasons for TFP to give zombies superhuman strength in this game were that with typical PCs the CPU power needed to show a voxel world there wasn't enough CPU power left to field massive hordes of zombies. So to make the game dangerous at all they needed to increase the strength of the few zombies they could spawn at any time in the game.

The simple fact is that TFP follows the rule "game balance trumps realism". If something is sorely needed to give the player a challenge (and most players definitely need a challenge to find a game to be not boring) then that is implemented and explanations come later if at all.

What I am saying is that the default game will always have some challenge on horde night for the average new gamer, because most players need that challenge. But there are lots of ways to get around that eventually if that is just not for you. The zombie block damage option, a mod, simply the knowledge how to build an impervious base for horde night, even dying as the first actionon horde night makes horde night save.

Note I am not employed by TFP, I have no inside knowledge. They have probably seen your request and similar requests were posted here in the forum from time to time. We can simply wait and see what happens, but in the meantime you can use the zombie block damage option to get your wish

As you said, zombies don’t exist in real life. That’s true. But aside from zombies, almost everything else in a zombie survival game is based on reality. Those elements can be modeled after the real world, and zombies can be as well. You can think of a zombie as a moving corpse. Their main purpose is to create fear and tension. Zombies have appeared in countless games and movies, so this isn’t some secret or purely fantasy concept. Their design is still grounded in reality, which is why I don’t consider it overly unrealistic.

What I would like to see is a system where zombies are fewer in number, but each individual zombie creates a tremendous sense of pressure. For example, as I mentioned earlier, a normal zombie might be able to remove 80% of a player’s health with a single hit. At the same time, if the player accurately strikes a vital area, the zombie can be killed with one shot as well.

This approach would reduce server load because fewer zombies need to be simulated, while also creating an intense feeling of danger. Every combat decision would carry real risk, and surviving a fight would feel genuinely rewarding. That sense of high-stakes, precision-based combat could also attract a large number of skill-focused players who enjoy mastering mechanics and improving their aim.

 

[juanchen]

Yes, internal logic is important. But there are lots of ways to explain stuff if you need it for gameplay balance.

For example weapons were (AFAIK) modeled as a mix of real weapons so they could save licence costs for adding real weapons. Simple explanation: This is an alternate reality.

Posting rules what zombies should be able to do or not based on reality is going out on a limb anyway. There are no zombies in reality, they already possses magic abilities like having no need to eat and no need for blood circulation to keep up their body. But on top of that a simple explanation is that in this game occultism exists and has given the zombies superhuman strength and resilience. The blood moon and some types of zombies seems to suggest something occult is happening anyway.

The reasons for TFP to give zombies superhuman strength in this game were that with typical PCs the CPU power needed to show a voxel world there wasn't enough CPU power left to field massive hordes of zombies. So to make the game dangerous at all they needed to increase the strength of the few zombies they could spawn at any time in the game.

The simple fact is that TFP follows the rule "game balance trumps realism". If something is sorely needed to give the player a challenge (and most players definitely need a challenge to find a game to be not boring) then that is implemented and explanations come later if at all.

What I am saying is that the default game will always have some challenge on horde night for the average new gamer, because most players need that challenge. But there are lots of ways to get around that eventually if that is just not for you. The zombie block damage option, a mod, simply the knowledge how to build an impervious base for horde night, even dying as the first actionon horde night makes horde night save.

Note I am not employed by TFP, I have no inside knowledge. They have probably seen your request and similar requests were posted here in the forum from time to time. We can simply wait and see what happens, but in the meantime you can use the zombie block damage option to get your wish

Zombies should be capable of killing a player with a single attack, and players should also be able to kill a zombie with a single well-placed hit to a vital area. This kind of design would make every decision to engage in combat feel tense and meaningful.

The ability to end fights quickly through precision and skill would attract a large number of players who enjoy mastering game mechanics and improving their combat abilities. I’ve seen too many situations where a player fires twenty or more arrows from a simple wooden bow and still can’t kill a zombie. I understand that the developers use this approach to increase difficulty, but it can also make the experience feel exhausting and repetitive. New players, in particular, often struggle to adapt to this style of gameplay.

If zombies only deal minimal damage to strong structures—for example, causing very little damage to reinforced concrete—players would have time to think, react, and make decisions. At the same time, hearing a zombie outside your base would still create intense fear and pressure because a single mistake could cost your life. That combination of vulnerability, tension, and high-risk combat would make survival feel far more exciting and rewarding.

 

[juanchen]

Yes, internal logic is important. But there are lots of ways to explain stuff if you need it for gameplay balance.

For example weapons were (AFAIK) modeled as a mix of real weapons so they could save licence costs for adding real weapons. Simple explanation: This is an alternate reality.

Posting rules what zombies should be able to do or not based on reality is going out on a limb anyway. There are no zombies in reality, they already possses magic abilities like having no need to eat and no need for blood circulation to keep up their body. But on top of that a simple explanation is that in this game occultism exists and has given the zombies superhuman strength and resilience. The blood moon and some types of zombies seems to suggest something occult is happening anyway.

The reasons for TFP to give zombies superhuman strength in this game were that with typical PCs the CPU power needed to show a voxel world there wasn't enough CPU power left to field massive hordes of zombies. So to make the game dangerous at all they needed to increase the strength of the few zombies they could spawn at any time in the game.

The simple fact is that TFP follows the rule "game balance trumps realism". If something is sorely needed to give the player a challenge (and most players definitely need a challenge to find a game to be not boring) then that is implemented and explanations come later if at all.

What I am saying is that the default game will always have some challenge on horde night for the average new gamer, because most players need that challenge. But there are lots of ways to get around that eventually if that is just not for you. The zombie block damage option, a mod, simply the knowledge how to build an impervious base for horde night, even dying as the first actionon horde night makes horde night save.

Note I am not employed by TFP, I have no inside knowledge. They have probably seen your request and similar requests were posted here in the forum from time to time. We can simply wait and see what happens, but in the meantime you can use the zombie block damage option to get your wish

Don’t assume that a system like this would make the game easy to beat. Quite the opposite.

The health and damage values of both players and zombies would never increase over time. No matter how long you play, a zombie remains just as deadly, and the player remains just as vulnerable. Progression would come from leveling up rather than becoming tougher.

For example, completing the game might require reaching level 500, but dying would reset your level back to zero. The only way to gain levels would be to kill more zombies, which means players would constantly be forced to take risks and venture into dangerous situations.

This creates a meaningful risk-versus-reward system. Every fight matters because death carries a severe penalty, while survival brings significant progress. If the developers want to increase the difficulty, they wouldn’t need to make zombies into unrealistic damage sponges. They could simply increase the number of zombies, creating more pressure and forcing players to make smarter decisions.

In this kind of system, difficulty comes from danger, tension, and risk management—not from shooting the same zombie dozens of times before it finally dies.

 

[meganoth]

But you still haven't explained how HORDE NIGHT would be dangerous at all with zombies who can't even destroy a single block!!

 

[Vaeliorin]

Cool, so find a different game, or mod the game, to play like that. I don't want that in the slightest. I'd like to still be able to play the game, despite that fact that I have serious problems with my hands.

 

[Kyoji]

1. Weapon Quality and Damage

I believe that while different qualities of the same weapon should have damage differences, the gap should not be too extreme.

For example, with the SMG:

• Quality 1: 56 damage

• Quality 2: 61 damage

• Quality 3: 66 damage

• Quality 4: 71 damage

• Quality 5: 76 damage

• Quality 6: 81 damage

This kind of progression still provides a sense of growth while ensuring that the same weapon doesn’t feel like entirely different guns across quality tiers.

Additionally, weapon attachments should provide distinct functional benefits rather than directly increasing damage. For example:

• Improved accuracy

• Reduced recoil

• Better stability

• Faster reload speed

• Increased magazine capacity

• Higher durability

I believe a weapon’s power should primarily come from the weapon itself, rather than through stacking massive damage bonuses from quality levels and multiple attachments.

I agree to a point. The issue would then be difficulty scaling. Either the game would largely be the same in terms of zombie strength or you would be outclassed. I think a better solution would be gun classifications such as civilian, police and military weaponry with the upgraded stats mores than the rarity. I think the rarity can follow your suggested damage gaps but weapon classifications would need to be widened.

The mods are nice as well but overall I am not sure the juice is worth the squeeze for the effort in rebalancing.

2. Zombie Damage to Structures

I hope that regular zombies deal significantly reduced damage to building blocks.

For instance, when a regular zombie attacks a block with 500 hit points, it should only deal 1 damage per hit.

The reason is simple: zombies are essentially flesh-and-blood creatures. They should not be able to tear through concrete and steel structures as quickly as heavy construction machinery.

Players invest a great deal of time mining, gathering resources, crafting materials, and building defenses. Creating a truly secure fortress should be a meaningful and rewarding achievement.

If a player is willing to spend the time and resources to build a strong base, being able to safely survive inside it should be a valid and effective playstyle.

You can tweak the settings to your liking. I disagree that zombies should do so little damage. Plus if would cause issues with them in POIs.

3. Zombie Threat to Living Targets

Rather than making zombies experts at destroying buildings, I believe their real danger should lie in their threat to living targets.

I suggest:

• A single zombie attack on a player should deal 70+ damage;

• Zombie attacks should apply 100% infection chance;

• Infection should become a genuinely deadly condition that must be taken seriously.

In my view, the scariest thing about zombies should be their ability to injure and infect humans, not their ability to dismantle reinforced concrete structures.

You will eventually get hit with the amount of zombie spawn choke points so I think such things would require massive balance changes to zombie design. A neat idea muddled by copious amounts of work.

4. Importance of Headshot Mechanics

I believe the head should be the most lethal weak point on zombies.

For regular zombies, a successful headshot should result in an instant kill, regardless of the firearm used.

The current situation where players often need to empty entire magazines into a single zombie weakens the feeling of gunpower and turns combat into a mere damage sponge experience.

I would much rather see precision shooting become the most important combat skill, rather than relying on ever-increasing numerical stats.

Little to no argument here. Ideally it would be nice for zombies to have unique weak points such that armored zombies take less firearm damage, etc. I don't think every zombie should be a one shot head kill depending on the weapon but most or the trash should be.

5. Ammunition Scarcity

I hope ammunition becomes significantly more scarce in the game.

In recent versions, players can easily loot large amounts of ammo, and in the late game, it’s common to stockpile tens of thousands of rounds.

In a post-apocalyptic world, bullets should be extremely valuable, much harder to craft, and players should have to carefully consider every single shot.

At the same time, firearms themselves should be more lethal. If one bullet can effectively neutralize a threat, ammo scarcity would make every fight feel tense and meaningful.

Again, a setting you can adjust. Also the hordes are based around guns. Too much to rebalanxe.

Overall Design Philosophy

My core idea is quite simple:

• Reduce zombie threat to buildings

• Increase zombie threat to living targets

• Make firearms more deadly

• Emphasize the importance of headshots

• Reduce ammunition availability

• Increase overall resource scarcity

• Make base building truly valuable and rewarding

In short, I hope 7 Days to Die leans more toward being a hardcore post-apocalyptic survival game, rather than an action-RPG focused on numerical progression and gear stacking.

These are just my personal opinions as a long-time player and do not necessarily represent the views of all players. I understand that you have your own design goals and vision, but I still wanted to offer this perspective from an old veteran of the game.

Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestions. I wish 7 Days to Die continued success and an even brighter future.

Best regards,

A Long-Time Player

Not a bad pitch but it would require an overhaul of the game and is best left for mods at this point. You would need more than personal design philosophy for me to agree to sweeping changes.

 

[juanchen]

I agree to a point. The issue would then be difficulty scaling. Either the game would largely be the same in terms of zombie strength or you would be outclassed. I think a better solution would be gun classifications such as civilian, police and military weaponry with the upgraded stats mores than the rarity. I think the rarity can follow your suggested damage gaps but weapon classifications would need to be widened.

The mods are nice as well but overall I am not sure the juice is worth the squeeze for the effort in rebalancing.


You can tweak the settings to your liking. I disagree that zombies should do so little damage. Plus if would cause issues with them in POIs.


You will eventually get hit with the amount of zombie spawn choke points so I think such things would require massive balance changes to zombie design. A neat idea muddled by copious amounts of work.


Little to no argument here. Ideally it would be nice for zombies to have unique weak points such that armored zombies take less firearm damage, etc. I don't think every zombie should be a one shot head kill depending on the weapon but most or the trash should be.


Again, a setting you can adjust. Also the hordes are based around guns. Too much to rebalanxe.


Not a bad pitch but it would require an overhaul of the game and is best left for mods at this point. You would need more than personal design philosophy for me to agree to sweeping changes.

Do you work for the development team?