PC Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[mr.natural]

You still need nitrate, clay and rotten flesh to make a farm plot. So find a mine, get a pickaxe etc. Maybe one less clutter item is needed but its still fairly deep and involved to get it going, and finding seeds is fun. I took pride in creating my farm one plot at a time as I found seeds as I didn't want to waste perks on seed crafting.

I see, then why not have both methods?

EDIT: I read about the programming issue with voxel, makes more sense now, but still

 

[Survager]

I always thought it would be cool if voice to chat or discord noise was picked up on and the zombies could hear it, that it would be cool AF to watch streamers whisper and stuff.

You wrote that it was stupid when I proposed this idea earlier)

 

[DaVegaNL]

I just banned Tazio, keep it up.

Threatening to ban other users because they don't agree with your views?

I guess the ground should become static, that should prevent the bar from sinking lower.

 

[mr.natural]

I'd like to put in my two cents here on this whole debacle about making the game "dumbed down" and how it's removing the soul. I've done quite a bit of reading on game design and I've seen a lot of different developers talk about their craft. One thing they all have in common is wanting to achieve elegance. Simply put, elegance is a feature that is not only effective, but it's also simple in design.
Making things more simple is not a bad thing, and if done correctly it can actually improve a feature. Let's look at the farming system for instance. Back in earlier alphas, you needed to find/craft a hoe (you probably won't find one for a while and you need metal production to make one, which has its own steps), till dirt, loot around for some fertilizer/buy one from a trader/gather a ton of ingredients to make it yourself, upgrade it by right clicking it while having said fertilizer, and then you could finally plant your food for a nice farm. That's a lot of steps for something that is as essential as food production in a survival game.

Currently in A17 the farming system is find/craft a hoe (you probably won't find one for a while and you need metal production to make one, which has its own steps), till dirt, plant the seed, and buy a couple of perks. Already this is much simpler, we just got the same result but cut out an arduous process in favor of something more intuitive. It's more immediately understood when someone tells you "oh if you want to grow food just put some points in this perk"

Now in A18 the farming system is craft a plot, place it, plant it, and buy a couple of perks. This is much more elegant than where we started, now if you wanna start a farm you just type "farm plot" and it tells you exactly what you need. No guide to metal smelting, no guide to fertilizer production, just a box and some perks.

The stone hoe is a good solution, not?

 

[MechanicalLens]

I heard fertilizer is being reintroduced in A18. I'm curious, does it function the same was as it did in A16 and prior (replacing the Living off the Land perk?), or does it speed up the growth rate of crops, or...?

 

[Aurelius]

ok peeps.. i decided to go ahead and jump back a build or so and show you a tad bit about the farm plot..
i hope it shows you what you are asking about, i thought i covered what was needed... one thing i forgot to show you was.. you can paint the plots too.. i did do a screen shot. enjoy

the plot is a 1 m block.



video:

Your comment about being able to do something else while crafting the planters is exactly why I think this is a bad move.

Oh, and uh... if people can only plant trees using the planters, I suspect you guys are going to have a very vocal and negative reaction from people who plant tree farms. Which is almost everyone who plays a long term game.

In spite of that - thanks for sharing the video

-A

Edit: They look beautiful - I love their aesthetics, and I'm ok with using them as an advanced farming plot, available after getting a perk or schematic. I think the mistake is replacing the current system with the planters.

 

[MechanicalLens]

Your comment about being able to do something else while crafting the planters is exactly why I think this is a bad move.
Oh, and uh... if people can only plant trees using the planters, I suspect you guys are going to have a very vocal and negative reaction from people who plant tree farms. Which is almost everyone who plays a long term game.

In spite of that - thanks for sharing the video

-A

For the people against this change, they'll get over it. Remember when the zombie AI was changed in A17? Or when radiateds were introduced in A16? Sleepers as well? People can choose to leave if they wish, but at the end of the day, the game benefits from these changes.

 

[Roland]

I see, then why not have both methods?
Question, why is the farm perk there then?

I don't think the farm perk affected hoe use in A17 either. The farm perk affects yield of crops so will still be as relevant in this iteration as in the past.

As Gazz said, if you want your plots to be even with the terrain you have to dig out the dirt. In actual real life gardening I use a shovel way more than I do a hoe and when I tried the farm plots for myself digging out the dirt and then using that dirt to mulch with the decayed matter and nitrate and then placing the garden box actually felt closer to actual farming than the old hoeing action.

If you liked the hoeing gameplay you get almost the same by digging (ie: direct interaction with the world)

If you liked the idea of fertilizer mixed with soil you get that now (ie: crafting together decay matter, nitrate, and clay soil)

I don't think the current system is any less complex than the old. The only real difference is the loss of a tool which may come back later anyway as a terrain leveler/grass clearer and the change in aesthetics for how the new garden plots look with the world. They now mesh perfectly with man made blocks but have lost the way they blend with surrounding dirt in natural terrain.

 

[DaVegaNL]

Group hugs to all, except DaVega, his hands tend to wander.

Oh now you are complaining about it??

- - - Updated - - -

his hands will be full..

Oh man I totally missed this!

 

[MechanicalLens]

I don't think the farm perk affected hoe use in A17 either. The farm perk affects yield of crops so will still be as relevant in this iteration as in the past.
As Gazz said, if you want your plots to be even with the terrain you have to dig out the dirt. In actual real life gardening I use a shovel way more than I do a hoe and when I tried the farm plots for myself digging out the dirt and then using that dirt to mulch with the decayed matter and nitrate and then placing the garden box actually felt closer to actual farming than the old hoeing action.

If you liked the hoeing gameplay you get almost the same by digging (ie: direct interaction with the world)

If you liked the idea of fertilizer mixed with soil you get that now (ie: crafting together decay matter, nitrate, and clay soil)

I don't think the current system is any less complex than the old. The only real difference is the loss of a tool which may come back later anyway as a terrain leveler/grass clearer and the change in aesthetics for how the new garden plots look with the world. They now mesh perfectly with man made blocks but have lost the way they blend with surrounding dirt in natural terrain.

That could actually look pretty natural (well, "natural"); digging a wide trench in the ground, filling it with planter boxes, lining the edge with a trim of upgraded wood frames, and then painting those upgraded wood frames to look like gravel or brick or... Yes, yes... *Plotting* Ahh yes, some very aesthetically pleasing designs are definitely coming to mind...

 

[RipClaw]

I see, then why not have both methods?
Question, why is the farm perk there then?

The farm perk allows you to craft seeds and increase the yield. Anyway, that's how it is in A17. I don't know if in A18 crafting seeds is still possible.

 

[ZombieHorde]

Conventional Ralston!!
Conventional Ralston!!

My guess on this (after a Google search) and seeing as the tap and die set is removed, it's a replacement in the forge. Not sure why, though? Can't think of any benefits. Faster forging, maybe?

Okay, maybe I don't have any ideas after all.

 

[mr.natural]

I don't think the farm perk affected hoe use in A17 either. The farm perk affects yield of crops so will still be as relevant in this iteration as in the past.
As Gazz said, if you want your plots to be even with the terrain you have to dig out the dirt. In actual real life gardening I use a shovel way more than I do a hoe and when I tried the farm plots for myself digging out the dirt and then using that dirt to mulch with the decayed matter and nitrate and then placing the garden box actually felt closer to actual farming than the old hoeing action.

If you liked the hoeing gameplay you get almost the same by digging (ie: direct interaction with the world)

If you liked the idea of fertilizer mixed with soil you get that now (ie: crafting together decay matter, nitrate, and clay soil)

I don't think the current system is any less complex than the old. The only real difference is the loss of a tool which may come back later anyway as a terrain leveler/grass clearer and the change in aesthetics for how the new garden plots look with the world. They now mesh perfectly with man made blocks but have lost the way they blend with surrounding dirt in natural terrain.

Thanks, edited my post accordingly

 

[F6Knight]

ok peeps.. i decided to go ahead and jump back a build or so and show you a tad bit about the farm plot..
i hope it shows you what you are asking about, i thought i covered what was needed... one thing i forgot to show you was.. you can paint the plots too.. i did do a screen shot. enjoy

the plot is a 1 m block.



video:

Any chance for the future to get the voxel ground to connect to the farm plots instead of leaving that gap around the side? Some POI's in A17 also have this gap where the building meets the terrain, making some doors difficult to enter as the gap will get you stuck for a moment as you walk over it.

 

[DaVegaNL]

DeVega will be happy, infinite rocks!

It's the cycle of life, my friend

 

[Roland]

Any chance for the future to get the voxel ground to connect to the farm plots instead of leaving that gap around the side? Some POI's in A17 also have this gap where the building meets the terrain, making some doors difficult to enter as the gap will get you stuck for a moment as you walk over it.

TFP just discovered the ninja animals. Give them a moment to discover the gap...

 

[Gazz]

It would be nice to have a version of the farm plot that was shaped like a plate as well. That way, we wont get that gap between it and the terrain.

In order to have an empty voxel above the plate (for the plant) you would have to place the plate upside down.

How is that going to cover up the gap?

 

[MechanicalLens]

In order to have an empty voxel above the plate (for the plant) you would have to place the plate upside down.How is that going to cover up the gap?

A better option (for the player) would be to surround the farm with wood frames and paint them to look like gravel. Personally, I think it's a non-issue. A nitpicky thing.

 

[andrough]

I heard fertilizer is being reintroduced in A18. I'm curious, does it function the same was as it did in A16 and prior (replacing the Living off the Land perk?), or does it speed up the growth rate of crops, or...?

This one might be my fault from when I listed reasons I like the farm boxes. I was referring to rotten meat and nitrate being included in the recipe.

 

[chikorina]

In order to have an empty voxel above the plate (for the plant) you would have to place the plate upside down.How is that going to cover up the gap?

You're right, I guess I'll just have to place plates around the plot if I want to cover the gap:crushed: