PC Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[Onarr]

Wut. Not even close to having 2K hours to be honest, but anyone with basic FPS skills can just walk into any big city on Day 1 with a wooden bow and be perfectly fine, especially with vanilla settings - and that seems off to me. But hey, I guess a mean no is as good an answer as any, i'll just take it for what it is, no biggie.
As a side note, you seem kinda edgy about the fact people here discuss the same stuff over and over again... but then again, absolutely nothing besides you posting stuff is paving the way for interesting discussions (pics, videos, art concepts...). Can't be complaining about pages and pages of the same stuff when there hasn't been any bone thrown at us for months.

No offense taken by the way, I understand some posters can get at you especially when they just won't give up with their ideas even once you explain how it's not doable or a bad design. But at the end of the day, even though you're working your ass off, some of us kill time by reading all the content this thread has to offer and... it falls short quickly.

try https://twitter.com/joelhuenink

 

[Onarr]

Looting decorative stuff would be just perfect! It would add a sense of accomplishment to a base, more than just put a few blocks down. But the first issue still stands - We can't really make a big base as of now, where it would fit perfectly It is nice to be able to live fancy. Even in post-apo. Well, not even in post-apo. Especially in post-apo.



Well, we still do need them as decorational blocks that are in POIs and to make base feel more like home.

Real bases have curves, not... *cough*

Another reason for having a big nice base that feels like home

https://ibb.co/ZXckCMr

I think my base is both defendable AND cozy

aaaah, the post apocalypse suburban life...

also, I agree that finding unique decoration items for your base in the PoI would be pretty sweet.

 

[Shineblossom]

https://ibb.co/ZXckCMr
I think my base is both defendable AND cozy

aaaah, the post apocalypse suburban life...

also, I agree that finding unique decoration items for your base in the PoI would be pretty sweet.

It is nice, tho kinda small for me. Even in singleplayer But i like your style, looks really well thought!

On side note, i am going to pay you 5000 dukes if you show me how to land that stupid gyro on such small spot

 

[Gazz]

SPEED! I WANT SPEED Can we add this:

It could be doable if you GO PLAID and transit directly to the destination.

Building every chunk along the way would not be poossible.

 

[Scyris]

Hence the problem.
If I want to build then be a strength guy. That is a bad answer. What is 'fitting' is not really that important and clearly you dont care what is fitting either from the comments that you have posted here many times. Is is bad from a game play perspective.

Here is the thing, across ANY character I make building is a core element of that character. It is a massive element of the game and one of the things that most players are going to be actively engaged in with almost any build. However, I cannot specialize in raged combat AND be an effective builder. I am going to need to spec into close range combat styles or spread myself out. Building - almost the entire non combat portion of the game - being directly tied to one specific combat style is not very conducive to being able to specialize or make your toon unique.

Guiding my toon that direction because I want to participate in the building aspect in a meaningful way is the exact opposite of allowing us to spec how we want. With this attitude, all builders are going to be melee/shotgun builds or spread out.

Tell me - how does marrying a specific combat style to a massive non combat part of the game improve game play? How does that improve character progression? IMHO, it harms both substantially.

Also, this is one of the reasons why I think that using a fallout like perk category system is a really bad idea for this game - they are not very similar. Rather than categories like strength, perception and the like there should be categories like melee, ranged, survival etc. Ones that can be more customized to deal with the fact that 7 Days is more than killing the bad guy but is also about TD, looting and crafting.

All the more reason why I say stuff like miner 69'er, motherload and simmlar perks need to be in a general perk pool, that requires x amount of stat points bought across ALL stats to unlock or even a level based unlock a fairly low one, this way no matter what your main stat is, you can get some of that without having to gimp your build for it. For me block damage is very important as you generally have to bust down things to get at the loot. I probally spend more time destroying blocks than I do killing zombies in most games, same with building, so I agree, forcing you to go str to be good at it is kinda stupid when a large portion of the game is based around it, both destroying blocks and building things.

 

[Shineblossom]

All the more reason why I say stuff like miner 69'er, motherload and simmlar perks need to be in a general perk pool, that requires x amount of stat points bought across ALL stats to unlock or even a level based unlock a fairly low one, this way no matter what your main stat is, you can get some of that without having to gimp your build for it. For me block damage is very important as you generally have to bust down things to get at the loot. I probally spend more time destroying blocks than I do killing zombies in most games, same with building, so I agree, forcing you to go str to be good at it is kinda stupid when a large portion of the game is based around it, both destroying blocks and building things.

TNT and now C4. So where is the problem, comrade?

EDIT: Most of the pois can be abused anyway, except the large factories. No need for nerdpolling. Playing agility build and you can pretty much jump anywhere, destroy one block to get in, steal loot and jump out. Sometimes - SOMETIMES - you need to destroy the large reinforced chest, but since it is not in every POI and it is only one chest, i have no problems with smashing it. Or, in better cases, carry Auger.

 

[Scyris]

I'm glad to hear someone else believes this. In A16, the crossbow was my main weapon of choice. Something was done to it for A17. For many of us, we went back to the bow/compound bow as a primary weapon. It's a shame too....I used to really like the crossbow.

Same, I iused to use the crossbow in a16, but in a17 its been pretty much turned to garbage, to long of a reload, slows you down when reloading, can't reload it when aiming. The comp bow is better in pretty much every way.

 

[Crater Creator]

I doubt that. Almost universally, something that is not rendered is non-functional. Workstations get around this because they are not interacting with the world - counters are easy to progress even if the parent object is not rendered. It is usually a different story with actors that need to engage with the world itself. Deep minning is already safe past 40m but this is currently due to zed pathing as far as I am aware - they will not path more than 40 m - and therefore can change any time the pathing changes.

I could be wrong of course. I am sure someone will correct me

Not rendered doesn't mean not processed or simulated. An occlusion system that suspended gameplay things like structural integrity and zombie pathfinding calculations would be... interesting. For one thing, if non-rendered entities weren't functional, then network traffic would increase since the server would need to know what's rendering for each client for consistent behavior.

 

[Scyris]

They sell a decent amount, but IMO noone is too weak. I mean it depends on what your idea is. If you think you can mine for 5 minutes and build for 5 days, then no you won't be happy. The stone axe is boosted and I built a wood house with it. Wasn't the smartest use of time because you should just loot for 5 days straight then buy some mining perks and use the tools you will find to do a more efficient job.

I never build a base on day 1, I usually don't start till day 5, unless I find a poi I like that takes minimal work to get up to par, like the brown brick church poi I like, just need some wood frames near the cieling to make a decent base up there, then some cobblestones to make a kill corridor at the entrance. Its better this way because by day 4/5 you have better perks and tools and can get the job done faster.

 

[Crater Creator]

I can't say until we get a finished design but the idea was select deco that players can't craft would be collectable. Then we could even riff off of this and get random quests, from a trader where he says we have some settlements that are in dire need of some entertainment and need this list of supplies for a new settlement pub or whatever, and its a list randomly generated like:10 barstools

2 pool tables

20 beer

Industrial coffee maker

Then you have to find/craft this list of stuff and turn it in.

Wait, did you guys make a pool table? Oh, great. Right after I make one out of blocks to be the centerpiece of the man cave in the prefab I’m modding.

 

[Shineblossom]

Wait, did you guys make a pool table? Oh, great. Right after I make one out of blocks to be the centerpiece of the man cave in the prefab I’m modding.

It is very cute tho. I bet it can stand up to any pooltable created!

 

[ieuri]

try https://twitter.com/joelhuenink

I love it, but I had thought they were removing level gates for A18? Why would I wait until level 50 to put dirt in a wooden box?

 

[Onarr]

It is nice, tho kinda small for me. Even in singleplayer But i like your style, looks really well thought!
On side note, i am going to pay you 5000 dukes if you show me how to land that stupid gyro on such small spot

Well thats the easy part, you simply slam into the wall and boom, smooth landing all around! A lot of my landing is like that, but sometimes I actually land in the middle and feel like a king. Key is to completely stop accelerating some 20 block or so before the landing (depending on altitude). The gyrocopter keeps its momentum for a little bit and then suddenly starts falling. Than as soon as you are in the zone, quickly exit the vehicle. As I said, it does not work everytime, but when it does...damn it feels good.

Btw if you want to go bigger, I would probably make some "islands" around the central HUB, with bridges to connect. I actually intend to build this fort on a little island, with smaller buildings being on stillts in the water. Alternatively I was thinking of small tree forts all around. I just dont know what additions I would build, because the house already has everything I need - garage, helipad, workshop, toilets, kitchen, living room, bed room, basement (yep there is underground level), killing floor bunker, bedroom and garden with small pool.

 

[SnowDog1942]

I love it, but I had thought they were removing level gates for A18? Why would I wait until level 50 to put dirt in a wooden box?

Pretty sure you can get nitrate before level 50......

 

[Onarr]

I think he means he is level 50 in his game?

But damn, I love those farm plots. Finaly an even ground for my house garden

 

[Shineblossom]

Well thats the easy part, you simply slam into the wall and boom, smooth landing all around! A lot of my landing is like that, but sometimes I actually land in the middle and feel like a king. Key is to completely stop accelerating some 20 block or so before the landing (depending on altitude). The gyrocopter keeps its momentum for a little bit and then suddenly starts falling. Than as soon as you are in the zone, quickly exit the vehicle. As I said, it does not work everytime, but when it does...damn it feels good.
Btw if you want to go bigger, I would probably make some "islands" around the central HUB, with bridges to connect. I actually intend to build this fort on a little island, with smaller buildings being on stillts in the water. Alternatively I was thinking of small tree forts all around. I just dont know what additions I would build, because the house already has everything I need - garage, helipad, workshop, toilets, kitchen, living room, bed room, basement (yep there is underground level), killing floor bunker, bedroom and garden with small pool.

Slamming into railing is my way of parking the gyro haha.

Well, i normally build huge storages. As in modern storage hall with sections and each section is split into parts that are all marked, what do they contain. Then another storage next to the kitchen for food and drink. Armory. Also i like to kepp my worshops specialized. So drug cooking place, worshop that is part of garage (i like those big fancy garages that you can find on gas pumps or in Firemen station - i actually once lived in Firemen station). Then another room for smelting. If i can make those into separate buildings, even better. A farm, a pool, some decorative trees, park, plaza. Make walls around. I usually don't do basements, for simple reason.

I start by evening the ground on where i want to build. Then i replace whole area with concrete. Build 3 blocks tall (4th block is celling) building with LOTS of pillars to keep it stable. More like pillar forest. Then i build high walls around it. Place dirt on the celling. This way, you can either shoot down from walls or make windows to shoot from this celling. Or you can put turrets there. Then i build small village on the celling, so it is evalated compared to ground outside walls.

The pillars are important, otherwise the whole thing just collapses

 

[Onarr]

Slamming into railing is my way of parking the gyro haha.
Well, i normally build huge storages. As in modern storage hall with sections and each section is split into parts that are all marked, what do they contain. Then another storage next to the kitchen for food and drink. Armory. Also i like to kepp my worshops specialized. So drug cooking place, worshop that is part of garage (i like those big fancy garages that you can find on gas pumps or in Firemen station - i actually once lived in Firemen station). Then another room for smelting. If i can make those into separate buildings, even better. A farm, a pool, some decorative trees, park, plaza. Make walls around. I usually don't do basements, for simple reason.

I start by evening the ground on where i want to build. Then i replace whole area with concrete. Build 3 blocks tall (4th block is celling) building with LOTS of pillars to keep it stable. More like pillar forest. Then i build high walls around it. Place dirt on the celling. This way, you can either shoot down from walls or make windows to shoot from this celling. Or you can put turrets there. Then i build small village on the celling, so it is evalated compared to ground outside walls.

The pillars are important, otherwise the whole thing just collapses

No idea why, but I read drug cookie place Got to make sure to add such room in my next build

I like the idea of seperate rooms for chems, armory etc. but I always go for efficiency first. Mostly because sorting is really pain in the a**, and having to run to seperate rooms to store items would probably get old real fast for me.

 

[Shineblossom]

No idea why, but I read drug cookie place Got to make sure to add such room in my next buildI like the idea of seperate rooms for chems, armory etc. but I always go for efficiency first. Mostly because sorting is really pain in the a**, and having to run to seperate rooms to store items would probably get old real fast for me.

I will make sure that "drug cookie" room exists, the second there will be shisha in the game!

It is a bit more work, but everything has its place so you never lose anything. Also, i mostly build only really tiny base to fend off hordes and hoard all the stuff while slowly working on another, enormous base.

What works is (in case of house), if you also use halls in your house (i do), use one smaller hall as entrance hall that connects to mainhall, where you can keep few storage crates to dump in all the stuff you bring. When it is full, just use the night to sort those to their respective rooms and crates!

In case of village, you can just build a small wooden house that has door, one window leading into the middle of base and crates. Works same way! Also, in this room / building i often have one separate crate with emergency food, medicaments and ammo. Same in garage. You don't need too much. Like 5 eggs and bacon, 5 medkids and 2 mags are often enough. Just for quick "come and grab".

 

[Onarr]

I will make sure that "drug cookie" room exists, the second there will be shisha in the game!
It is a bit more work, but everything has its place so you never lose anything. Also, i mostly build only really tiny base to fend off hordes and hoard all the stuff while slowly working on another, enormous base.

What works is (in case of house), if you also use halls in your house (i do), use one smaller hall as entrance hall that connects to mainhall, where you can keep few storage crates to dump in all the stuff you bring. When it is full, just use the night to sort those to their respective rooms and crates!

In case of village, you can just build a small wooden house that has door, one window leading into the middle of base and crates. Works same way! Also, in this room / building i often have one separate crate with emergency food, medicaments and ammo. Same in garage. You don't need too much. Like 5 eggs and bacon, 5 medkids and 2 mags are often enough. Just for quick "come and grab".

I got it a bit different. I usually get some concrete early from the building sites, and create a small 6x6 bunker ASAP. The roof of it is my crafting room for foreseeable future. Over time, as I find concrete in PoIs i expand walls, in X shape, around the bunker. They two ramps next to each other, and inside is little space to place electric fences. Once I have this in 24x24 i build few pillars and can create a basis for my house. Then I just slowly improve it over time.

By the way, which Slavic lands?

 

[madmole]

Wow! Great news! I'm happy to know that.
Maybe you could showcase your new occlusion system for voxel worlds in a video, it would be super interesting.

There is nothing to see, if its working correctly. When it wasn't working right there were obvious problems that needed fixed I wouldn't want to show. If I film the editor it grabs half my desktop so that is bad.