PC Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[madmole]

Sounds like a major food balance issue. If food is never scarce and not hard to get or farm then why have it in the game? It is just an annoying mouse click from time to time at that point.

Until you join a server.

 

[Survager]

Nope, sorry I can't find one and I'm starving. How do I craft a hoe?

A stone hoe may be the solution to your problem =)

 

[madmole]

What is happening, like seriously. The farming system itself hasn't changed, it's just the method of getting fertile blocks. An arguably much less annoying method.

I still think they are confused somehow, despite me posting a video and the same people saying how awesome it was 3 months ago.

 

[CannedSmeef]

Lets trade out the word "complex" with "in-depth" and I think we'll all be happy. I really don't think anyone is REALLY saying "make this ♥♥♥♥ so hard no one wants to do it and rage quits!". But what I think people ARE saying is "Please make farming an in-depth and useful mechanic, it is a part of the game and we'd like to see it have some love, not be relegated to %.000000001 of the game."

It is a useful mechanic, it's passively generating free food. Now if you mean make it a more active endeavor than a "place and forget" thing, then maybe I could get behind it.

 

[Slingblade2040]

a day 1 player should look at the in game journal. if it isn't explained well enough for a noon to understand what to do then it's on the devs for not making the journal explanation simple enough for a noob to understand.

look I get making stuff easy for new players but at the same time you make it sound like these new players a idiots and need things to be as simple as possible. if they can't understand farming then how will they understand mods or other not so complex stuff day 1?

if new players don't want to read the journal on how to make things or find things then it's on them. don't dumb the game down just because some new players are to lazy to read a journal or you guys don't want to implement proper in game tutorials in the journal.

 

[madmole]

I do believe the point being made is despite the simplification of many systems, there is a large number of users that prefer more complexity to their game despite whatever metrics you are following.

Sorry but we're going to continue removing sharp sticks as needed.

 

[Guppycur]

No its not grindy. Its amazing because you aren't skipping over huge amounts of content. You can smell the roses of every incremental growth in the gear you acquire instead of skipping over two armors and going straight to steel you find various pieces and with random stats its like oh cool this piece is a little better than my last. I must have upgraded my armor a dozen times or more, and my guns of choice many times instead of going brown, yellow, blue or pink and being done. Now there is always a better item if you keep looting and the pacing is way better.
You appreciate everything a lot more now. A perk is a meaningful choice because it only happens once an hour, instead of 12 levels an hour like before. But you can specialize early and have so many options to make your player build without buying perks that its just so much better.

The cans? Just clunk. Whats wrong with boiling slow in a jar vs boiling slow in a can? You can cook charred meat on a campfire so you should be able to cook basic water as well, and cans were just a sharp stick. It takes 4x longer to boil without and feels good to me, but whatever I'm only having more fun than I've ever had at this game, what the hell do I know vs some random fan

I have zero doubt a18 is leaps and bounds better than a17, my concern is that it is not as good as it could be because of the removal of systems that have no value ad in removing them, but detract from the overall gameplay options...

- - - Updated - - -

That's great, but what the hell does vanilla have to do with what he's doing?

I'm saying maybe not make fun of him for not understanding what people like... When he clearly does.

 

[Blake_]

Alpha 20 is a post gold patch

Omg. Jeez H Christ TFP are running for their money on top of a farming plot on wheels with tied cans of water on the back!

On a side note, I agree with the farming and can change. Duke smelting will still not be enough (I'm stating an 8 player fact) just UNTIL bandits drop bullets.

Biome Zds are a nice touch, tunning them down is perfect as the random encounters get implemented in the future.

This forum has turned into a MMA fight in just 2 sentences. Too much ranting for no reason. Wtf you why are you doing a great job designing and tweaking systems! Yadayada we don't want that burn them all!

 

[madmole]

How do you get gun? Guess all players need to start with a gun now.

I just banned Tazio, keep it up.

 

[Trekkan]

It is a useful mechanic, it's passively generating free food. Now if you mean make it a more active endeavor than a "place and forget" thing, then maybe I could get behind it.

That is exactly what I'm saying, however this isn't the thread for it. But really I'd like to see all of the systems in the game be in-depth and fun. Farming is neither in-depth nor fun, but I think it could and should be.

 

[sillls]

No its not grindy. Its amazing because you aren't skipping over huge amounts of content. You can smell the roses of every incremental growth in the gear you acquire instead of skipping over two armors and going straight to steel you find various pieces and with random stats its like oh cool this piece is a little better than my last. I must have upgraded my armor a dozen times or more, and my guns of choice many times instead of going brown, yellow, blue or pink and being done. Now there is always a better item if you keep looting and the pacing is way better.
You appreciate everything a lot more now. A perk is a meaningful choice because it only happens once an hour, instead of 12 levels an hour like before. But you can specialize early and have so many options to make your player build without buying perks that its just so much better.

The cans? Just clunk. Whats wrong with boiling slow in a jar vs boiling slow in a can? You can cook charred meat on a campfire so you should be able to cook basic water as well, and cans were just a sharp stick. It takes 4x longer to boil without and feels good to me, but whatever I'm only having more fun than I've ever had at this game, what the hell do I know vs some random fan

I just hope you got rid of that requirement for a level one perk in cooking just to boil water. That was annoying.

 

[Guppycur]

You have to gather nitrate, rotten flesh and clay to craft the box, its about the same as before. How is what you described a challenge? Farming is piss easy and always has been. Its no more dumbed than before, its just different. Finding seeds is the challenge, crafting a hoe isn't.

Nope. Did you forget? You already simplified clay. It comes in dirt now. Nitrate? I'm pretty sure there are giant Borg ships sitting all over the ground that have plenty of that and point me towards the exact location of where to find more. Crafting a box? Not exactly rocket science. I can do that literally while I'm running. Not that I have a need to run anymore, the zombies are slower than me and soon there will be half of them.

 

[madmole]

If you are really passionate about something and wish to encourage productive conversation and debate, I recommend trying to advocate for it without being emotional and resorting to insults. To me it looks like you're just a pissed off troll that is trying to blow off some steam and if this was my game forum, I'd just ban you for acting like a child instead of repeatedly trying to respond calmly.

He's banned. I tried to explain but whatever once he started insulting that was it. I could have tested the last 3 hours but wasted time on this fool.

 

[andrough]

A stone hoe may be the solution to your problem =)

Adze*

 

[madmole]

Go in the crafting menu and find the recipe the same way you craft EVERYTHING IN THIS GAME.

You still didn't read my post, its an over complicated venture of getting a forge, ingredients etc, then a bunch of other steps.

 

[Gnomaana]

Not when it interferes with teaching a new player. Multiple ways to solve a quest are fine, but one way to teach the player how to survive is the best.

By that argument farming should be gone entirely. Two ways to get food. Loot or farm. Pick one to follow that rule.

 

[Guppycur]

well he is right Guppy is far more than a "random fan" and MM knows that ....
was kinda uncalled for really and from a "professional developer"

Um guys, as much as I appreciate the compliments, I really am just a fan like you guys. I just have a hell of a lot more free time than most people.

Trust me when I say I appreciate each and every single one of you passionate players who takes the time to defend there thoughts, even if they disagree with me and are wrong.

 

[Trekkan]

He's banned. I tried to explain but whatever once he started insulting that was it. I could have tested the last 3 hours but wasted time on this fool.

While I 100% appreciate you attempting to answer all of these posts and still not throw up your hands and give everyone the finger... you can't blame someone else for how you choose to spend your time.

 

[madmole]

Madmole, in A18 how many RWG farms have you found? In A17 I’ve found no use for farming on my own as I find plentiful corn and potatos in random farms and use it to make plentiful food. I have 20 meat stews and it’s day 14.

Loads but I'm trying to get the guys to make them all dead crops for this very reason.

 

[Survager]

Adze*

A stone shovel does not require this, why should a hoe?