PC Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[Gamida]

First thing bandits need when added are Pontiac Firebird Trans Ams

First they wanted boats, now you want a sled? LOLOLOL.

Shhhhh, was referencing this...

 

[AtomicUs5000]

Shhhhh, was referencing this...

Zombie Burt Reynolds confirmed for A19!

 

[Blake_]

I'm doing the fortitude build right now (which governs fists and ak/m60). I'm doing ok but not swimming in ammo but I've no GP, loads of brass. Once the mining rocks are in I should be able to find the ore I need to mass produce ammo. In my previous builds I had no shortage of brass either.

Yes. I knew you would say just that. And you are right. The game is balanced. For 1 player. And even then he is not swimming in brass bullets by day 100 because of the brass . I did some tests plays of 17.4. This is my take:

You can get a good bunch of bullets on solo, but from 4 to 8 players the numbers really fall.

If you delete steel bullets and the balanced counteroffer is not equal to what steel casings had to offer, we shall need another form of mining/getting off our asses kind of compensation.

To play late game with just enough bullets to do a tier 5 quest is ok. I'm saying I canmot thrive on bullets late game in a 2 player game, imagine in a 5 player one.I get 5000 bullet tips and 8000 gunpowder easy by day 120 with just 8 days of mining and fully perked (I'm excluding the deleted steel casings, which were a fine momentary balance to this inconvenience) and 400 brass PER WEEK actively questing and car wrenching.

A rare wasteland debris ore would be nice for brass, I can expend 1000 7.62 bullets easy in just 3 tier 5 quests. That's the reason I insist you man up with 4 or more guys and play a multiplayer testgame for 50 days forcing them all to do an All ak47 build. (Or just console to day 100 and do a few tier 5 quests with your weapon and see how much ammo you really expend and multiply it by 8 for an 8 player server + THe hOrDes).

Disclaimer: The balance for brass is on the right path and steel bullets were a weird and somehow confusing gameplay addition ( players were all like: new ammo is bad ammo? Uhmm oh nice, cheap) .

I talk without real knowledge of a18, but my take on this is that bullets are going to be a late game periodic scarcity for full weapon players unless there's an ore or something to compensate it.I suspect extra wrench resource and more ammo will not be quite enough.

As always, a pleasure.

 

[Bubo]

That's a quick fix but a better long term one would be finding a watch and a compass that would then add the UI elements. I'm not a UI guy so maybe it's doable via modding, but I doubt it because someone would have definitely done it. Because it would be awesome.

Makes no sense about the compass, press M and you know it all.

I guess if they wanted to play around with this it makes sense if it's a package deal..

It could be fun starting the game with only the quick waypoint available. Just find the 'Tracking Expert Book' for your navigational know-how, which opens:

- compass

- fog of war (uncovering of the map)

- saved waypoints

=)

Yes, would make a fun mod.

Make a loot item: Toy Boat. Scrap for 2 plastic. Done!

I win! I Win!...

LOL. Now say that fast 3x.

 

[PO_Man_3849]

Yes. I knew you would say just that. And you are right. The game is balanced. For 1 player. And even then he is not swimming in brass bullets by day 100 because of the brass . I did some tests plays of 17.4. This is my take:
You can get a good bunch of bullets on solo, but from 4 to 8 players the numbers really fall.

If you delete steel bullets and the balanced counteroffer is not equal to what steel casings had to offer, we shall need another form of mining/getting off our asses kind of compensation.

To play late game with just enough bullets to do a tier 5 quest is ok. I'm saying I canmot thrive on bullets late game in a 2 player game, imagine in a 5 player one.I get 5000 bullet tips and 8000 gunpowder easy by day 120 with just 8 days of mining and fully perked (I'm excluding the deleted steel casings, which were a fine momentary balance to this inconvenience) and 400 brass PER WEEK actively questing and car wrenching.

A rare wasteland debris ore would be nice for brass, I can expend 1000 7.62 bullets easy in just 3 tier 5 quests. That's the reason I insist you man up with 4 or more guys and play a multiplayer testgame for 50 days forcing them all to do an All ak47 build. (Or just console to day 100 and do a few tier 5 quests with your weapon and see how much ammo you really expend and multiply it by 8 for an 8 player server + THe hOrDes).

Disclaimer: The balance for brass is on the right path and steel bullets were a weird and somehow confusing gameplay addition ( players were all like: new ammo is bad ammo? Uhmm oh nice, cheap) .

I talk without real knowledge of a18, but my take on this is that bullets are going to be a late game periodic scarcity for full weapon players unless there's an ore or something to compensate it.I suspect extra wrench resource and more ammo will not be quite enough.

As always, a pleasure.

You can't compare 17.4 with 18, it's been said numerous times with balancing and the addition of perks to harvest brass from doors and other items, more ammo piles, etc, ammo will be more readily craftable.

 

[madmole]

Yes. I knew you would say just that. And you are right. The game is balanced. For 1 player. And even then he is not swimming in brass bullets by day 100 because of the brass . I did some tests plays of 17.4. This is my take:
You can get a good bunch of bullets on solo, but from 4 to 8 players the numbers really fall.

If you delete steel bullets and the balanced counteroffer is not equal to what steel casings had to offer, we shall need another form of mining/getting off our asses kind of compensation.

To play late game with just enough bullets to do a tier 5 quest is ok. I'm saying I canmot thrive on bullets late game in a 2 player game, imagine in a 5 player one.I get 5000 bullet tips and 8000 gunpowder easy by day 120 with just 8 days of mining and fully perked (I'm excluding the deleted steel casings, which were a fine momentary balance to this inconvenience) and 400 brass PER WEEK actively questing and car wrenching.

A rare wasteland debris ore would be nice for brass, I can expend 1000 7.62 bullets easy in just 3 tier 5 quests. That's the reason I insist you man up with 4 or more guys and play a multiplayer testgame for 50 days forcing them all to do an All ak47 build. (Or just console to day 100 and do a few tier 5 quests with your weapon and see how much ammo you really expend and multiply it by 8 for an 8 player server + THe hOrDes).

Disclaimer: The balance for brass is on the right path and steel bullets were a weird and somehow confusing gameplay addition ( players were all like: new ammo is bad ammo? Uhmm oh nice, cheap) .

I talk without real knowledge of a18, but my take on this is that bullets are going to be a late game periodic scarcity for full weapon players unless there's an ore or something to compensate it.I suspect extra wrench resource and more ammo will not be quite enough.

As always, a pleasure.

You'll have to wait and see. With POI's that reset for quests the only strawman arguement left would be for those who don't want to do quests they are SOL. I do quests and have all the pois to loot that I want, so therefore, endless brass.

 

[ecv]

I guess the solution is obvious then, TFP hire you and the game is finished in a day because of course your the best AAA developer with 100's of published games and nobody else has a clue what they are doing. This is what it sounds like anyway.

There have been instances of exactly that. One dude can change alot. You never know.

Just think what ID software would have become without Carmack

Nothing, that's what. Be nice to people, specially the ones interested in the same ♥♥♥♥ that you are intersted in.

I once had suggestions for a bot. I told em it's easy. They told me, if it's that easy, write your own.

I did. Had to learn a programming language for that too. Now I save 10 bucks a month. Was totally worth the six months hard work at least I know now that I was right, and that the original dev had no clue about spacial mathematics and geometry, despite his claim that he's super good at his thing.

that's why he thought it would be hard and resource intensive. Had to buy books about maths as well, those are freaking expensive (for me anyways) But yeah the satisfaction alone was worth it

Can't wait for a18, writing about the game isn't the same as finally testing new stuff!!

 

[ecv]

So being injured makes you weaker and you deal less damage?

Only after the post injury adrenaline runs out better deal with them quickly

 

[Ayrton]

Madmole, this was my question to the morning that you did not understand

Sorry for my English grief, the question was

* How is the benefits of food and drinks?

* Bleeding works?

* There are new effects? (examples poisoning, vomiting, etc.)

*Infection? it works now?

 

[madmole]

Madmole, this was my question to the morning that you did not understand
Sorry for my English grief, the question was

* How is the benefits of food and drinks?

* Bleeding works?

* There are new effects? (examples poisoning, vomiting, etc.)

*Infection? it works now?

Nothing has changed in any of those areas other than master chef is under strength now.

 

[Blake_]

You'll have to wait and see. With POI's that reset for quests the only strawman arguement left would be for those who don't want to do quests they are SOL. I do quests and have all the pois to loot that I want, so therefore, endless brass.

I see. I wouldn't want to be "abrassive" on the subject.

 

[Gideon]

This is all awesome, but...

Feature Creep much?

 

[pvmrenny]

So not one that posts much but for once would like to say great job on the game TFP....I like to diversify my game library,I'm more of a lurker just reading an keeping up on alpha developments....however I would like to say one of the main things I would like to see added later would be different zombies an recolored same zombies....o yea an the BEHEMOTH!!!!!!

 

[Roland]

I see. I wouldn't want to be "abrassive" on the subject.

Not to “tarnish” your argument about the need for scaling brass drops for busy servers, but in reality the xml files are like a slightly more complicated settings menu. The admin of a popular server should probably adjust the settings of the game for his server by increasing percentage of brass and amount of brass. I don’t think it would be difficult to add a scrap brass drop to destroyed stone so that it can be harvested in the wasteland. Just look at the xml code for stone which drops a single iron ore and copy that property to destroyed stone and find the name for scrap brass to replace iron ore. And voila.

These are basic edits that can be learned quickly and are just a small step above changing settings in an options menu. More complicated than toggling through percentages in the game menu but not as complicated as full on modding. You might even say that the xmls have been provided to us as the most glorious options menu ever seen. Pages and pages of options.

 

[SnowDog1942]

Not to “tarnish” your argument about the need for scaling brass drops for busy servers, but in reality the xml files are like a slightly more complicated settings menu. The admin of a popular server should probably adjust the settings of the game for his server by increasing percentage of brass and amount of brass. I don’t think it would be difficult to add a scrap brass drop to destroyed stone so that it can be harvested in the wasteland. Just look at the xml code for stone which drops a single iron ore and copy that property to destroyed stone and find the name for scrap brass to replace iron ore. And voila.
These are basic edits that can be learned quickly and are just a small step above changing settings in an options menu. More complicated than toggling through percentages in the game menu but not as complicated as full on modding. You might even say that the xmls have been provided to us as the most glorious options menu ever seen. Pages and pages of options.

Is zombie rage easily moddable? Speed up, slow down, chance of occuring, etc..

 

[Roland]

Yes, if it’s not hard coded. It depends on how faatal did it. There are still aspects of the game that are not optional without the more complicated modding.

 

[Tin]

Not to “tarnish” your argument about the need for scaling brass drops for busy servers, but in reality the xml files are like a slightly more complicated settings menu. The admin of a popular server should probably adjust the settings of the game for his server by increasing percentage of brass and amount of brass. I don’t think it would be difficult to add a scrap brass drop to destroyed stone so that it can be harvested in the wasteland. Just look at the xml code for stone which drops a single iron ore and copy that property to destroyed stone and find the name for scrap brass to replace iron ore. And voila.
These are basic edits that can be learned quickly and are just a small step above changing settings in an options menu. More complicated than toggling through percentages in the game menu but not as complicated as full on modding. You might even say that the xmls have been provided to us as the most glorious options menu ever seen. Pages and pages of options.

Hopefully at some point, we will be able to adjust entity jump height, and entity jump length, through the xmls at some point. would be a great addition to the xmls. :wink:

 

[Roland]

Hey everyone. I placed five blunderbusses on my tool belt and was able to quickly shift to each one mid animation. It works great and was tons of fun. Amazing how small changes can have big impacts. Five shots then retreat to reload them all really changes up combat in a satisfactory way. Never really used the blunderbuss after it was first added but doing five with interruptible reload animations is a ton of fun.

Now to think of five appropriate female names...

 

[Crater Creator]

We are 100% committed to bandits and other suvivor NPCs. This is why I'm saying no to fluff features so we can focus on what is important and continue to polish and optimize the game. Once we get a bandit framework in, NPCs will fall out of that and we'll be able to do some cool stuff....
We like to build nice framework that lets people be creative and do cool things. I feel like once we get the bandit framework in we're home free to reach gold, the rest is polish.

But... there are still loopholes, which circumvent your core gameplay loop. Treading water is one of them. It’s available to any player at any level for effectively no cost and nullifies virtually all gameplay threats. Boats may be fluff, but treading water is game breaking. So one can't consider the game gold without addressing it.

Sorry, I know that’s beyond A18 so we’re not supposed to talk about it anymore. But it’s worrisome to hear you make it sound like it’s just bandits and then polish, when it’s not. Fixing underground immunity took a lot more than polish to address, and unfortunately I suspect other loopholes will require similar effort.

I mean, there are solutions to appease the producer yelling at you to just get it done, like removing water blocks from the game. But even that means redesigning a significant part of Navezgane, and I don’t think anyone wants that.

 

[Roland]

I think he was focused on boats. He knows water itself is currently not in a shippable state and they have a definite plan to address it before gold. They do want water they’ll be proud to put their name on.

Also I’m just waiting now for the conspiracy theorists to start talking about the mysterious “Producers”....