PC Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[Cernwn]

Let's say your character has paranoia. Sound effects playing at random from time to time, maybe some little graphic glitches in the night between trees.

Use a sanity point system similar to the old tabletop Call of Cthulhu RPG. It does NOT have to be super-realistic, only add atmosphere and flavor to gameplay. Booze, growing crops and time slowly replenish sanity. Like Frank Reynolds from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia professes "Stuff it down with brown!". Things that lower sanity could include: murdering other players, chopping up corpses, eating human flesh, simply being near screamers/spider zombies or those creepy as ♥♥♥♥ zombie babies by BadCompany/Khelldon.

Lose too much sanity and start to feel the effects such as: hands shaking when aiming (fear/panic/PTSD), intermittent unintelligible whispering in dark places (schizophrenia), shadowy shapes moving on edges of peripheral vision as stated above that vanish when you look directly at them (paranoia), start to sway and have tunnel vision in high places such as when on a ladder or roof (vertigo), or intermittently laughing for no reason and itching imagined sores/bugs(mania).

 

[Moldy Bread]

Use a sanity point system similar to the old tabletop Call of Cthulhu RPG. It does NOT have to be super-realistic, only add atmosphere and flavor to gameplay. Booze, growing crops and time slowly replenish sanity. Like Frank Reynolds from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia professes "Stuff it down with brown!". Things that lower sanity could include: murdering other players, chopping up corpses, eating human flesh, simply being near screamers/spider zombies or those creepy as fk zombie babies by BadCompany/Khelldon.
Lose too much sanity and start to feel the effects such as: hands shaking when aiming (fear/panic/PTSD), intermittent unintelligible whispering in dark places (schizophrenia), shadowy shapes moving on edges of peripheral vision as stated above that vanish when you look directly at them (paranoia), start to sway and have tunnel vision in high places such as when on a ladder or roof (vertigo), or intermittently laughing for no reason and itching imagined sores/bugs(mania).

That's some Eternal Darkness stuff right there.

This isn't really happening!

 

[RipClaw]

It'd be cool if the game played like this when it goes gold.

Very nice illustration. Even though I think such a gameplay is possible in 7 Days to die I doubt that the basic game will look like this.

As you said before, a lot of the possible survival gameplay will be sacrificed to keep it fun for the majority of players. Survival is a challenge but only few players really enjoy it.

But I think that as soon as 7 Days goes gold there will be more mods than are today available. Then there will certainly be mods that go in this direction.

 

[The-Walking-Dad]

I haven't played for a while, but I'm looking forward to A18. I couldn't get the hang of x-path modding so gonna go back to the old ways. How's everyone doing? Roland, did you ever start on the survivalist mod you were talking about?

 

[Shineblossom]

Haha, 50% opacity zombie sprinting at you and vanishing at point blank... That would would be very effective. I would develop a paranoia of my own from playing that kind of paranoid character...

Sounds fun, doesn't it?

Wouldn't really make much of a difference to now. I sometimes it happens to me that I think I hear a zombie or see something but then there is nothing.

I've heard from some players that they are already becoming paranoid from the game and get hallucinations. With such effects it wouldn't be far to the asylum.

Well, multiple times i i heard a sound and shot that way, without aiming, just to get lucky shot on teammate who was walking behind me. The rage hahaha!

[Day 12 - Evening yada yada yada

Really freaking cool! A book please?

fear/panic/PTSD, schizophrenia, paranoia, vertigo, mania.

Sounds good! Thought different illnesses should have different causes, not only common sanity meter imho. I think i might enjoy a lot playing with schizophrenia or paranoia. It would be so realistic! (Yep, got doctors note!)

 

[RestInPieces]

Sanity would be awesome, but they were very negative to such a thing last time I heard... It could be implemented without any bars to monitor or any micromanagement, seamlessly and cleanly. All the decoration items in the game could gain some practical value and players would have an incentive to decorate and furnish a more interesting base. And most importantly it's a chance to create some quality horror.

 

[The Gronk]

Sanity would be awesome, but they were very negative to such a thing last time I heard... It could be implemented without any bars to monitor or any micromanagement, seamlessly and cleanly. All the decoration items in the game could gain some practical value and players would have an incentive to decorate and furnish a more interesting base. And most importantly it's a chance to create some quality horror.

Although I doubt it'll ever happen sanity would be a great mechanic for a zombie survival horror.

Survival is as much about morale as it is about water, food, and shelter.

 

[A Nice Cup of Tea]

I play dead is dead ultra hardcore. When I die in game I shut it down, uninstall it, delete it from my Steam library, then I buy another copy.

Luxury!

When I die I scramble my Steam password and make a new account. Then I take a hammer and smash my PC. Having to save up for a new computer and then rebuild my entire Steam library when I die is the only way to make sure there's sufficient tension about staying alive.

[/Four Yorkshiremen]

 

[Roland]

I haven't played for a while, but I'm looking forward to A18. I couldn't get the hang of x-path modding so gonna go back to the old ways. How's everyone doing? Roland, did you ever start on the survivalist mod you were talking about?

Yes.

 

[OzHawkeye]

Luxury!
When I die I scramble my Steam password and make a new account. Then I take a hammer and smash my PC. Having to save up for a new computer and then rebuild my entire Steam library when I die is the only way to make sure there's sufficient tension about staying alive.

[/Four Yorkshiremen]

And kids nowadays just woooooooooooooooonnnnnn't believe ya.

 

[Reddevil]

Yes.

Nice mod, didnt know you had one till now, it sounds pretty fun.

 

[meganoth]

Sanity would be awesome, but they were very negative to such a thing last time I heard...

No surprise there. Arthur C. Clarke: "Any sufficiently advanced insanity is indistinguishable from bugs" :cocksure:

 

[Gamida]

Luxury!
When I die I scramble my Steam password and make a new account. Then I take a hammer and smash my PC. Having to save up for a new computer and then rebuild my entire Steam library when I die is the only way to make sure there's sufficient tension about staying alive.

[/Four Yorkshiremen]

Unless you change your name, move away and start a new family what't the point.

 

[madmole]

The matter of diseases & debuffs
Nothing else to do on the forums besides wait for another video and come up with Ideas so... :fat:

Diseases/Debuffs can be group by category:

- Combat

- Food

- Weather

- Environmental

Each will have a way to cure besides waiting it out, that way you can be proactive about getting better instead of passive. Some you can wait it out if you have no choice, cause choice = good gameplay.

1. Combat - Broken legs, infection, broken arms, concussions, bleed, ragdoll dizzy effect, internal hemorrhage, broken ribs stamina debuff, gut punch nausea effect; vomit food loss of max stamina, poisoning, rabies, gunshot wound, burns.

2. Food - Tapeworm; less effective food debuff, food poisoning, vomiting, dysentery to cholera, listeria; slow attack/mining/reloading debuff, hepatitis A; slashes your max stamina and health by half, alcohol poisoning.

3. Weather - cold to flu to pneumonia, hypothermia, heat cramp, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, hyperthermia, heat rash, sunburn, frost bite.

4. Environmental - broken legs from fall, knockout/concussion from stuff falling on your head, bleed; shrapnel from explosions, typoid fever from swimming while in a weakened state, chemical flu from toxic fumes/chemicals, burns, shocks, radiation.

Just spit balling here, these effects should all be preventable and balanced so as not to become annoying (bleed right now, stun lock A16). Most importantly is that you can cure yourself with items/activities/environments. Some diseases will get worse overtime and some will cure themselves but take along time, so it'd be in the players best interest to be proactive.

Also I'm not saying we need all these, these just some ideas on the subject.

Good stuff. I'll be working in the Dallas office all week so I doubt I'll be doing any videos and my time here will be minimal.

 

[madmole]

7 Days to Die as a Survival Game
Player vs zombies

Mostly good.

Player vs hunger

Too quickly resolved. Food should be resolvable so that you aren’t fighting it the entire game but there should be some progression to successful food preservation.

Player vs thirst

Way too quickly resolved. We should be drinking murky and radiated water at first and dealing with the consequences. 100% pure water should take some progression to achieve. Simply boiling water or snow in a can or pot shouldn’t give us 100% pure water.

Player vs exhaustion.

There is some stamina management but it was much better from a survival game perspective in 17.0. Now it is more on the arcade end of the spectrum which is probably more fun for those not looking for a survival simulator.

Player vs illness

Broken currently.

Player vs bandits

Not implemented yet

Player vs wildlife

Good. I’d like to see the aggressive non-zombie animals flee after being wounded to a certain point so it’s not just meals on wheels. Go hunt that wounded bear down.

Player vs elements

Partially functioning. I’d like to see a more dramatic buff from standing next to a burning campfire.

Player vs sleep deprivation

No intention of implementing as far as I know.

Player vs mental health

No intention of implementing as far as I know.

Player vs other players

Online experience may vary....

Death Penalty

Really just needs a death is death option. In a survival game dying should be that you lost that game. Having it be player choice is not as thrilling as knowing the save will be deleted if you die no matter what.

Hostile animals can flee now in 18.
I'd like to see in the dead is dead option a decay of stuff, so there is time for a pvp guy to loot most your things, but the guy who died by the time he gets there with a new character the loot would be gone and the fort mostly eroded. The last thing to erode is the land claim so it basically deletes everything this guy had built.

 

[madmole]

I play dead is dead ultra hardcore. When I die in game I shut it down, uninstall it, delete it from my Steam library, then I buy another copy.
Hope you're liking your new trucks I'm funding Madmole:fat:

It is time for a new truck I've had this one a year and a half, 6 months longer than their normal expiration date.

 

[madmole]

@madmoleMaster chef 5 ranks - add +20% extra healing from food items per rank.

Up to 2 times the healing from food items. So even when you are not that hungry, you still can get some decent healing from eating.

It makes sense because strength guy moves a lot if he is a melee guy and uses up energy quite a bit so he consumes food more often. (if it's too much, make it 10% per rank, up to 1,5 times)

- - - -

rank 5 - "Being a master chef you know a tip or two about eating healthy!"

That is inline with the doctor being able to heal more, so it sounds legit.

 

[madmole]

@madmole
Please change how the stats comparison numbers show FROM:

Brass Knuckles (selected) - Steel Knuckles (on mouse over)

Melee Damage - 14 (+10)

Power Attack Damage - 26 (+16)

Block Damage - 4 (+5)

TO:

Melee Damage - 14 (24)

Power Attack Damage - 26 (42)

Block Damage - 4 (9)

IMHO it's way better.

This makes more sense to me, I'll ask the guys about it.

 

[madmole]

Let's say your character has paranoia. Sound effects playing at random from time to time, maybe some little graphic glitches in the night between trees.

I can't stand games that try to do this. Don't tell me the mental state of my character, I will decide that in my role play. Its like forced role playing which nobody would enjoy. Its ok if your drunk, to have a visual, or sick but I don't want a character who's scared I'll just kill him myself he has no place in the apocalypse.

If the game scares the player great, but lets not pretend to scare the avatar.

 

[madmole]

Some questions regarding explosive bolts and the crossbow in A18: does Archery boost the damage of the crossbow while Demolitions Expert boosts the damage of the bolt? Does the Demolitions Expert perk have any effect on the bolts at all? I'm assuming it's all purely governed by Archery, but I got curious and figured I'd ask and see if anyone with access knows. To be honest I don't have any idea how it works in 17 either.
A18 looks great, looking forward to trying an agility main with some secondary perception. Not going heavy into INT and missing out on the trader perks is gonna be rough though, I love the trader and quest system.

Despite the obvious crossover, the parent skill perk governs it, so in this case archery.