PC Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[madmole]

Sounds good. Hopefully loot lists are a little less generous when it comes to high end things items such as guns - you already know that the more available something is...
Books will create more exploration incentives and randomize playthroughs a little, but definitely not to the degree of the old major recipe books. Might consider some more RNG fluctuations, when it comes to tech, while having a very expensive alternative way to get essential things (much like you kind of did with vehicles).

As for me, I anticipate the fixes to the root motion more than anything. Not being able to always avoid zombies will return that urgency which will really create the need to use core parts of the game, such as the "tower defense". It's a shame when core parts of the game don't have strong incentives behind them and are essentially optional. Sometimes the freedom of choice, eliminates more content/replayability/options than it creates.

We're workong on making the guns use the loot templates so there is a decent chance to get a gun of any class instead of pistols, shotties and hunting rifles being the norm, and hopefully stop the flow of eternal brown.

 

[RipClaw]

The wooden bow is now "primitive bow" and it sucks pretty bad.

So if I want to use the bow for hunting and killing zombies then it is best to find a compound bow as early as possible ?

With the feather nerf hunting is more challenging but you can one shot with a hunting rifle for sure to the head.

I have a feather delivery system. It's called a vulture and flies reliably towards me when I'm sitting on the bike

 

[madmole]

Unarmed combat, a great start.

You know it seems that the best weapon to use at the start of the game is your fist. Punching seems faster and more effective than things like the stone ax. Plus it feels more like combat than most melee weapons do. You also don't have to worry about suddenly not being able to swing if your weapon breaks during combat. Your fist never do.

Just keep in mind that your left is faster while the right hits harder but uses more stamina. Not counting the power punches.

I find it best to fight opening up with fast punches and then hitting them with the right when they are down. But other combinations work well to.

Another thing that I noticed is the amount of detail that goes into the punch. If you look closely you will notice that the arm and hand seem to twist as you punch. This detail most likely goes unnoticed by most but is really cool to see.

The next time you start a new game, you should try punching and see if it works for you.

My MMA training proved useful in giving the animator good direction.

 

[madmole]

So if I want to use the bow for hunting and killing zombies then it is best to find a compound bow as early as possible ?


I have a feather delivery system. It's called a vulture and flies reliably towards me when I'm sitting on the bike

Its best to find a bow with the stats you want. There is primitive, wooden and compound. I've found better wooden bows than compound, randoms stats are cool.

Yes but you will still feel the nerf. I'm doing my agility build now and you run out of arrows if you don't switch it up.

 

[bobross]

Its best to find a bow with the stats you want. There is primitive, wooden and compound. I've found better wooden bows than compound, randoms stats are cool.
Yes but you will still feel the nerf. I'm doing my agility build now and you run out of arrows if you don't switch it up.

At the risk of making it sound like I'm asking for it to be too easy again, is there a reason there's no alternate - or maybe an advanced arrow - that you can make with polymer scraps? Not much fletching these days is actually made using feathers - it's mostly rubberized plastic and the like.

Oh, and while I'm here, on the meat amounts. Is there a technical reason you went to 5 meats versus simply "20/40/60/80/100% chance to spawn a second meat on harvest" for the hunter perk? I've always wondered that.

 

[canadianbluebeer]

At the risk of making it sound like I'm asking for it to be too easy again, is there a reason there's no alternate - or maybe an advanced arrow - that you can make with polymer scraps? Not much fletching these days is actually made using feathers - it's mostly rubberized plastic and the like.
Oh, and while I'm here, on the meat amounts. Is there a technical reason you went to 5 meats versus simply "20/40/60/80/100% chance to spawn a second meat on harvest" for the hunter perk? I've always wondered that.

That is the reason. It's 20/40/50/80/100% MORE on harvest. (so 1-5 extra) No half meats here.



Oh, and MM: yer still a youngster! ( *MY* lawn is a minefield.... heh-heh-heh)

 

[sillls]

Why nerf the bow?

It's not like it had a lot of power to begin with. Some of the stronger zombies look like a Porcupine by the time they dropped.

 

[Damocles]

Its best to find a bow with the stats you want. There is primitive, wooden and compound. I've found better wooden bows than compound, randoms stats are cool.
Yes but you will still feel the nerf. I'm doing my agility build now and you run out of arrows if you don't switch it up.

Is there a tradeoff between something like damage and durability?

Such that higher damage weapons will roll a lower durability?

 

[Quantum Blue]

Oh, and while I'm here, on the meat amounts. Is there a technical reason you went to 5 meats versus simply "20/40/60/80/100% chance to spawn a second meat on harvest" for the hunter perk? I've always wondered that.

(with apologies to canadianbluebeer... is it REALLY BLUE?)

As MM has stated a couple time previously, 1 'meat' would muck up the perk system. Lvl 1 = 20% more, Lvl 2 = 40% more, etc. What kind of impact would that have for 1 meat?

How about yoiu think of meat differently? Rather than 1 meat, or 1 pound or kilogram or whatever, why not ounces? or any kind of factor of something smaller? 1 meat could represent 4 ounces.

The actual real world quantity doesn't even matter. (Game design triumphs over realism...) What matters is how the items and their quantities represent 'in game' different game play mechanics.

 

[madmole]

Why nerf the bow?
It's not like it had a lot of power to begin with. Some of the stronger zombies look like a Porcupine by the time they dropped.

It was not on par with tier 1 primitive weapons and was outclassing pistols with relatively zero effort stone arrows. If you specialize in archery you'll do fine with it.

 

[madmole]

Is there a tradeoff between something like damage and durability?Such that higher damage weapons will roll a lower durability?

Its random, so absolutely. If your lucky you'll find high damage and high durability, etc.

 

[madmole]

(with apologies to canadianbluebeer... is it REALLY BLUE?)
As MM has stated a couple time previously, 1 'meat' would muck up the perk system. Lvl 1 = 20% more, Lvl 2 = 40% more, etc. What kind of impact would that have for 1 meat?

How about yoiu think of meat differently? Rather than 1 meat, or 1 pound or kilogram or whatever, why not ounces? or any kind of factor of something smaller? 1 meat could represent 4 ounces.

The actual real world quantity doesn't even matter. (Game design triumphs over realism...) What matters is how the items and their quantities represent 'in game' different game play mechanics.

Yes, its a bite, not a full hamburger which is 5 meat. We needed to make everything granular so it could scale.

 

[Menace312]

5 meat... Any plans for animal farm or animal lure?

Its definitely not a kickstarter goal, but could be a sweet endgame thing...

 

[Dimpy]

5 meat... Any plans for animal farm or animal lure?Its definitely not a kickstarter goal, but could be a sweet endgame thing...

It's been said animal farms would take up too many computer resources.

 

[Roland]

It's been said animal farms would take up too many computer resources.

That's why you just go for the paperback. (Watch out for the boar)

 

[madmole]

It's been said animal farms would take up too many computer resources.

Facts.

 

[Dimpy]

Its random, so absolutely. If your lucky you'll find high damage and high durability, etc.

Weird question, but is this principle going to apply to the new sub biomes? Like you're lucky find a place that has few zombies, rich resources, nice temperture, good farm-ability, and lots of animals all at the same time?

--EDIT--

Never mind, a clearer way to ask the question would be whether the sub-biome types are handcrafted or procedurally generated, and I'm pretty sure it still handcrafted.

 

[Drithyl]

Then you aren't using enough. Stone axe got a decent buff. I usually put 4 rows around my entire base 7x7 the first horde and that takes care of quite a few zeds. My fort I play with 16 zombies alive on horde nights. I'll add a 2 high row on day 14.

On this subject, while I totally agree with you that spikes aren't useless, don't you think that a base with 4 rows of spikes (to start, might get to 10!) looks a bit silly?

I think you could achieve the same balance by making each individual spike costlier (in materials and in time) than they are now, but also more durable. That way, you spend the same materials for a single row of spikes than you do now for four of them, but they are just as effective as the four rows and you don't have a base that ends up looking like a huge sea of spikes.

This would also discourage crafting spikes on the fly as a means to kill pursuing zombies, since each spike would cost more materials and take more time to make.

 

[Roland]

On this subject, while I totally agree with you that spikes aren't useless, don't you think that a base with 4 rows of spikes (to start, might get to 10!) looks a bit silly?
I think you could achieve the same balance by making each individual spike costlier (in materials and in time) than they are now, but also more durable. That way, you spend the same materials for a single row of spikes than you do now for four of them, but they are just as effective as the four rows and you don't have a base that ends up looking like a huge sea of spikes.

This would also discourage crafting spikes on the fly as a means to kill pursuing zombies, since each spike would cost more materials and take more time to make.

People would STILL do four rows even though they were more powerful and we would still have bases with four rows of spikes but way OP compared to now.

The way to discourage crafting spikes on the fly to kill pursuing zombies is to make them be a single post that does no damage and then using an upgrade tool you have to stand there and upgrade them to wood spikes that do the damage.

 

[canadianbluebeer]

On this subject, while I totally agree with you that spikes aren't useless, don't you think that a base with 4 rows of spikes (to start, might get to 10!) looks a bit silly?
I think you could achieve the same balance by making each individual spike costlier (in materials and in time) than they are now, but also more durable. That way, you spend the same materials for a single row of spikes than you do now for four of them, but they are just as effective as the four rows and you don't have a base that ends up looking like a huge sea of spikes.

This would also discourage crafting spikes on the fly as a means to kill pursuing zombies, since each spike would cost more materials and take more time to make.

only 10 rows?? snicker. try 40 or 50 rows worth. been there, done that. (A16) we had a path to get in, zeds too stupid to use.

Can't do that now as they would use it. That be bad.

(I'm up to 11 rows right now, and expanding. (barbed wire fence after 3 of spikes, repeat)