PC Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[Ornias]

Number One is true, intended, and by design after testing and feedback from A17 showed that crafting the best led to no reason to explore.
Number two is your misconception based on looking at it through A16 and A17 eyes. Intelligence is not the build that represents crafting the best stuff. Each attribute has its own best stuff to craft. Intelligence is for crafting your own vehicles and workstations and traps and electrical components and devices and also gaining xp from traps.

Roland my whole gripe with A17 revolved around the removal of the need to explore. Everything was available thru the skill drizzle. Oh and LBD....(dead horse gif needed)

LBD is off topic, but we HAVE a dead horse gif! :deadhorse:

 

[JCrook1028]

MM, don't know if you have answered this yet or care to, but I for one would love to see a walk through of your base after the last horde night. I, as well as many others I am sure, are also wondering how those zeds were getting behind you.

I thought they beat thru the garage door after following him to it when he fell out of the base and had to find a way back in.

 

[Survager]

41. I predict streamer weekend on the 20th.

this year it can be September or December ... :friendly_wink:

 

[MechanicalLens]

this year it can be September or December ... :friendly_wink:

Nor did he state what year.

 

[JCrook1028]

Hey, there. This isn't my argument, but I think you're badly misunderstanding what madmole said and this means that you and Roland aren't talking about the same thing.
There are three different things when it comes to loot. I'm going to make sure my terminology is clear, but I can't guarantee that others will be similarly clear...

Most weapon types come in three Tiers. These Tiers are physically different items; for example wooden club/iron club/baseball bat or primitive bow/compound bow/crossbow.

Within each Tier, items of the same type have six possible Qualities. These are numbered 1-6, and are represented by different colours.

Within each Quality, items have a randomised Rating for statistics such as armour or damage. For each particular item and Quality this Rating will have a maximum and minimum and will be (normally?) distributed around an average Rating for the Tier and Quality of item. It's possible that a very high Rating item of one Quality will actually be better than a very low Rating item of the next higher Quality, but this will be an uncommon occurrence.

With that terminology clarified...

I think the issue is that what I understand madmole to be saying (and I think this is Roland's understanding too) is that when you make your own items rather than finding them, the items you make will have and average Rating for their Tier and Quality rather than a randomised one. This is to prevent spam-crafting until you get an item of the highest possible Rating. However, as you buy more perks the Tier and Quality of item you can make will increase until you can make top-Quality items of the highest Tier. It's just that the Rating of each of those items will be average for its Quality and Tier.

From your posts, you seem to think that madmole was saying that when you make your own items rather than finding them, the items you make will always be of an average Quality, and therefore they will be vastly inferior to looted items because looted items can be above average Quality.

Do you see the difference?

I think your worries about only being able to make "mid level" or "mid grade" equipment that is "far inferior" to what you'll be finding are based on this misunderstanding. From what I understand, you will be able to make top-Tier, top-Quality items that have an average Rating for that Tier/Quality. Sure, you'll be able to find slightly better items in loot (top-Tier, top-Quality, and above-average-Rating) sometimes - that's the incentive to actually keep looting for that "perfect" item. But the difference between the best item you can make and the best item you can find will be far smaller than you seem to think it will; and the best items you can make will be superior to the vast majority of items you find when looting.

You can't craft level 6 quality at all. That is strictly loot.

 

[Callum123456789]

Yes everything.

Originally Posted by Thecolours

when he explodes will it still do damage to other zombies or only block damage?

I meant so we can use this guy to our advantage

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not sure how to get both quotes

 

[sillls]

One thing that I miss about the burnt forest are those places covered with coal deposits. I mean plots the size of a house right there on the surface. Any chance we may see that again?

 

[sillls]

The way I see it if your still playing by the time they spawn, we've already weeded out the whiners. It will take thick skin to make it to that game stage IMO.
We're going to address death with some changes. If you die on blood moon, the zombies will no longer GPS to you unless you engage them in combat. This will prevent death loop. SO if you get rekt, you can spawn in the wild or if your bed roll is in a secure room you can just crouch and it will basically not know where you are and normal stealth rules will apply, until you engage, then its on again. So if you die you can hide and not get in a death loop. If you want to keep fighting you can. It will be up to the player.

This will help reduce xp loss and aggravating death loops. Of course you can do this already by not pressing the spawn button until sunrise, but this will be a bit better IMO. You could sneak off to a mine and do something and not stare at a button. If your team mate is alive the zeds will keep gps to him.

Hopefully we get this into A18, but no promises.

Long story short this should reduce the whining IMO. Dying once on horde night is tolerable, but dying 5-10 times or whatever sucks.

You could make look like the trader of faction that your allied with saves you and you wake up at there base to one of the traders and can stay inside for the rest of the night if you want.

 

[Dark_Corvid]

This is slightly wrong. Nobody can craft a tier 3 weapon without a book/schematic. Perks let you craft tier 2 weapons like sawed offs, Ak's, hunting rifles, but to craft the top tier 3 weapons like pump shotties, m60's, and sniper rifles you need to find a book/schematic.
Most likely you will find your weapon in loot, but it depends on play style. You can't craft guns without looting because the parts are loot only. I look at crafting as early game and for bad luck random gods. It fills the gaps looting can sometimes leaves. Its good for making a decent weapon for your buddy who joined after you got rolling, or using up spare parts to make some coin.

I know some people might be upset but this is the best version of the game ever, at least TFP all likes it.

I think that this system sounds great.

Is TFP open to the idea of rare crafting materials that add random effect similar to what could be found in looting? Might give players who are less fond of constant looting an option to be more home-body/base building types.

 

[madmole]

Why not make demolisher damage scale to GS? Locking them behind 80+ hours seems off.

Another point here is weak versions of them wouldn't teach the player that they are to be feared.

 

[madmole]

Have you tried out a shotgun build (which I am assuming is strength) yet? I hope the double barrel is as devastating as it sounds.

Yes my first play through was a strength build, is was very good. The pump shotty is t3 so expect the double barrel to not be as good, but shotguns have been buffed in general so the db is great.

 

[MechanicalLens]

Another point here is weak versions of them wouldn't teach the player that they are to be feared.

Just my opinion, but demolishers should only appear in late gamestage hordes, and should never show up in POI's. Not only could they create, let's say... "stability issues", but the demolishers are something special - something you shouldn't encounter outside of horde nights, as that could mess with their awesome aura. But again, this is just my opinion.

 

[JCrook1028]

Just my opinion, but demolishers should only appear in late gamestage hordes, and should never show up in POI's. Not only could they create, let's say... "stability issues", but the demolishers are something special - something you shouldn't encounter outside of horde nights, as that could mess with their awesome aura. But again, this is just my opinion.

They are already horde only.

 

[wolfbain5]

hey are the domolishers doing 5k to everything, zeds included, or just blocks cause he specifically upped block damage to 5k.

 

[sillls]

41. I predict streamer weekend on the 20th.

Thanks for my birthday present!

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congratulations you noticed it
most might remember this.. back in 1999... there was a Prediction of the world coming to an end in 2000 and or the worlds computers were going to stop because of old calendar system.... neither happens but seriously... this time he made it bold and underlined it...

as Trankitas stated... cross fingers

Yeah it was called Y2K...

People were running around like chickens with there heads cut off about it. Sheesh!

 

[madmole]

Hello I'm watching the video of madmole "magnumforcer"there is an error on book 5 and 6, it does not match when we look in the skill

Thanks, I'll have a look.

 

[sillls]

Another point here is weak versions of them wouldn't teach the player that they are to be feared.

If you want something to scare the crap out of you, try exploring a dark cave and run into a zombie bear.

 

[madmole]

Hen MM, I don't see any mention of AI changes on the first post and have not seen any discussion on it. Has there been any significant changes in zed pathing and behavior in 18?

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Does agility have a melee option?

Considering no LBD is mentioned TWICE in the OP, ya, that is triggering

Ask faatal about AI.

Agility governs knives and machete, as well as bows, magnum, pistol and SMG.

 

[Roland]

Another point here is weak versions of them wouldn't teach the player that they are to be feared.

People have been asking for late game content for years. TFP listened.

 

[Roland]

This is slightly wrong. Nobody can craft a tier 3 weapon without a book/schematic. Perks let you craft tier 2 weapons like sawed offs, Ak's, hunting rifles, but to craft the top tier 3 weapons like pump shotties, m60's, and sniper rifles you need to find a book/schematic.
Most likely you will find your weapon in loot, but it depends on play style. You can't craft guns without looting because the parts are loot only. I look at crafting as early game and for bad luck random gods. It fills the gaps looting can sometimes leaves. Its good for making a decent weapon for your buddy who joined after you got rolling, or using up spare parts to make some coin.

I know some people might be upset but this is the best version of the game ever, at least TFP all likes it.

Thanks for the correction. People will always be upset guaranteed.