PC Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[Roland]

We'll probably do away with pistols in toilets, there are plenty of dedicated gun boxes now.

Its the end of an era!

 

[rdunham3]

We'll probably do away with pistols in toilets, there are plenty of dedicated gun boxes now.

Please don't eliminate them entirely, just make them rare. It was a treat finding one the first time, and still humorous after all this time.

Also, my son (12) totally doesn't get why anyone would put a gun in a toilet. That naivete is almost as priceless as the find itself. (and I'll miss it when it's gone)

 

[madmole]

You just need more practice burning trough it I do agree with gas nerf though. But, it would be nice for batteries in battery bank to recharge even when we are away from base. Coming back to dark base without active deffences just because the batteries were drained since solar panels did not recharge them sucks


Nerfing gas would be better imho. Problem would be to balance the power. Because you would need to have your power source available to still hold up even if all your traps are activelly killing at once. And since you can not connect cables into one (so you can't have 10 solar banks wired into one point from which you would take a single lane with 1700W instead of having 10x170W), it would be pretty messy.

Also, as i said above, the problem with batteries not recharging. Currently i made it so i have multiple fuel generators with switches and i just turn on parts of the base that need to be activelly deffended. And then i have lights connected on solar power. Only few lights so the batteries don't run out when am away.

Relying on batteries in an apocalypse? I'd always have a gas generator for intense use times.

Are you saying if the chunk is unloaded solar cells do not charge?

I haven't touched elecricity in a real game, with FPS skills like mine who needs turrets and traps? A few molotovs and an ak, I'm in perma god mode. That said, it seems like a weird design that stuff uses more power when operating, it should be the same, so running a turret in "scan" mode is the same as if its shooting, and same with a blade trap.

 

[Roland]

Whilst I completely understand that the Gas/Horde Avoidance argument has it's place, I think that place is in the multiple threads already dedicated to it and not in the Dev Diary.
Here's hoping Roland has one of his epic clean ups soon

I would agree except that the developer was participating in the discussion and it is relevant to A18. Madmole has made his decision on the matter so if it continues to go on and on as LBD did then I'll step in but working through this stuff with the developer is what this diary is all about. Madmole is usually pretty clear and blunt when he is done with a topic and wants to move on.

 

[madmole]

What do you think about having bleed effect reduction as a separate stat for armor?
This was you can adjust it depending on the armor. So when you introduce legendary armor, or hopefully specific named armor drops, you can have that bleed effect have different %'s.

- - - Updated - - -

That sounds awesome. And I agree, legendary armor should never be craftable.

Bleed protection is a random stat on armor. We might make mods to improve it, but there should always be a small chance to bleed.

 

[madmole]

If you have to mine shale for gas I'm cool with that. Hell, I do that now anyways. I was really worries about shale nerfs.

Oh no, if you work for it you will have unlimited gas IMO. If you just scavenge you might run out if you drive a lot or are lighting up an entire hospital with generators and traps.

 

[madmole]

I was thinking emp storms or something like that in horde night would be cool. But wouldn't that effect your mechanical traps as well?

We could set the lore so it only affects 12 volt DC systems, Alternating current would be fine, or just restrict it to vehicles. Or you have to craft a fog dispenser/anti-emp shield around your base to prevent power outage in that area, and it wipes out all non protected spaces.

 

[madmole]

How do you know? Depending on implementation electric storms might just make it more challenging or dangerous to drive around. Also MM specifically mentioned payed hotels as a substitute/sanctioned way to avoid the horde. Even in the worst case the gameplay will still be there (if you can call it that, I would call it an option, an option that must be balanced to have a balanced game). Just the driving around would be replaced by sitting in a cubicle at the trader.


I wasn't talking about his argument, I was talking about your argument which simply wasn't making any sense in this context. To not balance an option because you know some people who don't use it? Well, that would be similar to saying "Hey, no need to balance the rocket launcher. I know friends who don't use it anyway"

EDIT: I take back that your reply is not making any sense in this context. You want to say there are some people who don't mind that this option exist. Fine. The argument is still not valid as you can always produce people who don't use some feature and it still must be balanced for all the people using or considering it or being influenced by it.

Yes, even influenced, as a sense of danger is part of "7 days to die", it is a horror game.

It would be fun to gamble at a trader on horde night, or have strippers or some kind of entertainment. Maybe the VIP rooms have full working crafting stations so you can get some things done, come with complimentary food and drink etc.

 

[ParadiseLostUK]

I would agree except that the developer was participating in the discussion and it is relevant to A18. Madmole has made his decision on the matter so if it continues to go on and on as LBD did then I'll step in but working through this stuff with the developer is what this diary is all about. Madmole is usually pretty clear and blunt when he is done with a topic and wants to move on.

To be fair I should probably have omitted the gas from 'gas/horde avoidance' as that is definitely still relevant, it's the horde avoidance part that has been flogged to death.

I've never actually felt the need to make a shale mine as I've always managed to accumulate stockpiles of gas without even trying, looking forward to it becoming something extra to work on.

 

[rdunham3]

We could set the lore so it only affects 12 volt DC systems, Alternating current would be fine, or just restrict it to vehicles. Or you have to craft a fog dispenser/anti-emp shield around your base to prevent power outage in that area, and it wipes out all non protected spaces.

For what little my opinion is likely worth, I'd say don't worry about the vehicle-on-horde-night types. Let them play that way if they want to. It's more effort than going from rooftop to rooftop in a town would be, and that's a pretty decent strategy too if you want to avoid fighting. You'll wind up with a whole row of half-destroyed buildings, but you'll get through the night uneaten.

Besides, you've already implemented a no-horde-night feature anyway. Someone choosing to ride one out rather than flip that setting off is choosing to consume resources. Pay in bullets, pay in fuel, pay in parkour...or just flip the dev-provided setting.

 

[madmole]

@madoleMy personal preference is: Crafting > Looting > Buying

1. Crafting - Most things in general like medical supplies, basic clothing, weapons, ammo, basic traps should be craftable or the at very least something I can craft as I gather the necessary materials for. It gives me a reason to play the game.

2. Looting - Special items / legendary items, I'm fine if the loot tables include stuff from the above, but from what I've read and watched. A18 has this covered.

3. Buying - I'm not opposed if certain items are locked behind the trader. I usually use this as a last resort, if I'm not able to craft a vehicle and want one right now, then in A18 it sounds like I can get it. If more legendary items are added, I don't know if you are open to the idea of having weapon / armor sets in the game with special attributes or perks.

Now, that I think about it what are your thoughts on having something like a "Nerdy Item set" in-game? It would consist of:

- Nerdy Glasses (would be nerfed to only have the effect of +1 intellect)

- Scientist lab coat (

- Chemist gloves

- Dust mask

- Surgeon's knife

Item effect when all worn together could be a +5% to experience gain.

Or heck anything at all.

We're mainly wanting to do scavenger quests and make players "earn" that cool fort, and not see super cluttered crafting menus. The shape builder is the first step, A19 we want to do radial pickup option on pool tables, fancy metal barstools coffee makers etc, stuff that people could not craft realistically. So if you want a nice rec room you have to go looting all the nice accessories instead of crafting stuff that looks like it was manufactured pre apocalypse.

I'm all for set bonuses. We need a way to tag sets anyway to make some perks easier to implement so hopefully we get that and it paves the way for some new perks.

 

[Haidrgna]

We're mainly wanting to do scavenger quests and make players "earn" that cool fort, and not see super cluttered crafting menus. The shape builder is the first step, A19 we want to do radial pickup option on pool tables, fancy metal barstools coffee makers etc, stuff that people could not craft realistically. So if you want a nice rec room you have to go looting all the nice accessories instead of crafting stuff that looks like it was manufactured pre apocalypse.
I'm all for set bonuses. We need a way to tag sets anyway to make some perks easier to implement so hopefully we get that and it paves the way for some new perks.

CVars from buffs can do that work already for you, if you want a set of items to have a certain effect. I helped Stallionsden set it up for his zombie hiding clothes. Tags might also work to the same end though,

 

[RestInPieces]

We could set the lore so it only affects 12 volt DC systems, Alternating current would be fine, or just restrict it to vehicles. Or you have to craft a fog dispenser/anti-emp shield around your base to prevent power outage in that area, and it wipes out all non protected spaces.

I see much merit in an EMP solution, vehicles aside. Lights flickering and failing for a few moments, Darkwood-style, would be great for a horror/suspense atmospheric effect in the heat of battle. Same goes for traps, which should in general be reliable, but if they fail momentarily they could perhaps make the course of the battle less predictable, randomly forcing the player to defend more actively for a little while or prepare more defense layers.

 

[rdunham3]

Random thought came to me just now: Could you make it so certain earlier-game building blocks (cobblestone/flagstone, maybe wood...) lose some of their SI load-bearing capabilities as they get damaged, so when they're very damaged they could cause a partial collapse even if they're not completely destroyed yet?

 

[RipClaw]

I love dissenting voices. Just because I argue an opposing viewpoint doesn’t mean I want those with a different perspective to go away. What proof do you have that I want what you claim. All the proof is to the contrary because critical threads exist right alongside praising threads.

Maybe then you shouldn't call those who disagree "the Saints who protect the playstyles that are not their own". This exaggeration could be called derogatory. I am certainly not a saint but I honestly try to bring some new perspectives into a discussion.

To say there has been zero back and forth and zero backtracking on a direction taken by the developers reveals just how far you will go to push your agenda. Please argue your side but don’t push a fantasy and call it reality.

Maybe I exaggerated a bit, but I'm honest with my posts. I started with the Alpha 15 and in every Alpha the game seemed to get more difficult. More risks and more dangers. You have more insight into development than the average player. Maybe you have seen Ideas thrown away that would lead to a too hard gameplay but most player only see the results.

 

[Gazz]

CVars from buffs can do that work already for you, if you want a set of items to have a certain effect. I helped Stallionsden set it up for his zombie hiding clothes. Tags might also work to the same end though,

Eh, it's potentially fragile to have individual armor pieces (of a kind) register with a cvar on equip/unequip.

If lag or demonic influence get this unsynched then there is no good way for fixing it.

Tracking buffs is safe...er but still very bulky.

 

[Hamburglar]

Kinda tired of waiting for a18 ngl

 

[SnowDog1942]

We'll probably do away with pistols in toilets, there are plenty of dedicated gun boxes now.

First no more turds, now no more pistols. I like looting turds and pistols in toilets. Why is my preferred playstyle being forced to change. Why do u care how I play?

Lol

 

[Trankitas]

It would be fun to gamble at a trader on horde night, or have strippers or some kind of entertainment. Maybe the VIP rooms have full working crafting stations so you can get some things done, come with complimentary food and drink etc.

I would love to see a "gamble box".

You pay lets say 500 Dukes for a box with a low tier random item, or 1000 dukes for a mid tier item (with rare high tier, low % drop).

That hooks me to games so much...

The hours I've spent in Fallout New Vegas playing caravan and gambling are way too much to count them.

 

[Syrex]

**Edited due to missing post from above somehow**... A build-able shield to protect from said storm would be a kewl lore/story/protective measure. Also, being a "blood" moon I can see the zombies being enraged causing their block/physical damage to increase significantly, much more than that of just base+zombie type+gamestage, in my opinion. Also, I would expect to see the zombies target defense measures like the turrets/traps. From what I've seen, they pretty much ignore that which is causing them harm. The damage that does occur to these items are merely a matter of circumstance/coincidence.