PC Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[Guest]

I thought if containers werent going to be lootable, they would look opened. that changed?

1 must fix

 

[ZombieSurvivor]

Edit: and there are is new water tower! sweet, the old ones were ugly.

I cannot wait to play.

Edit2: Whoever made the music, props. From what I have heard so far, it adds a eerie feeling to the game.

 

[EggsAisle]

Speaking of ladders... I get the feeling that functioning ladders are difficult to implement, and I've always wondered why that is. A lot of (all?) Bethesda games don't have ladders you could climb, only clickable teleports. Subnautica did something similar, buildable ladders in your seabase just teleport you to the top/bottom. Even 7DTD basically just switches off gravity while you're touching the ladder surface, which works well enough but feels a bit floaty. So what is it that makes animating a ladder climb so tricky? Is it something to do with the vertical plane? Physics? Something else?

I don't know much about game programming, just been curious since a number of games use shortcuts/simplifications.

 

[ZombieSurvivor]

Speaking of ladders... I get the feeling that functioning ladders are difficult to implement, and I've always wondered why that is. A lot of (all?) Bethesda games don't have ladders you could climb, only clickable teleports. Subnautica did something similar, buildable ladders in your seabase just teleport you to the top/bottom. Even 7DTD basically just switches off gravity while you're touching the ladder surface, which works well enough but feels a bit floaty. So what is it that makes animating a ladder climb so tricky? Is it something to do with the vertical plane? Physics? Something else?
I don't know much about game programming, just been curious since a number of games use shortcuts/simplifications.

the real question is how would you escape quickly if you are locked on to a ladder climbing and zombies are below and above?

Press a button to release and fall in the middle of a horde or the ability to just run in a direction in order to dismount the ladder...which seems better to you?

I doubt its a case of difficult programming and more along the lines of what functions better during gameplay.

I am probably wrong but thought I would throw out those 2 questions, food for thought.

 

[Laz Man]

Nice vid MM, the looting and combat looks so polished. Also noticed a good mix of non dungeon POIs as you drove buy. A18 is going come crashing in like a wrecking ball.

 

[Odetta]

Thanks mister, you sure are a pal.

 

[chikorina]

Thank you for the video. Those new zombie voices should make me jump. :cower:

Nice hangers and basketball hoop:tickled_pink:

 

[EggsAisle]

THAT NEW BURNING SHAFT ON THE SPEAR

That looks a million times better than the burning shaft we have in A17. I wound up taking it off of my weapons because it didn't look right. Bravo TFP!

 

[Survager]

- New zombie sound? Grrrr! =)

 

[MechanicalLens]

I noticed that you couldn't loot some of the closed cupboards. Is that an MF bug, or an A17 and/or A18 feature?

 

[wolfbain5]

THAT NEW BURNING SHAFT ON THE SPEAR
That looks a million times better than the burning shaft we have in A17. I wound up taking it off of my weapons because it didn't look right. Bravo TFP!

quick, someone get snowdog some ointment for his... spear. well short spear?

 

[Laz Man]

Saw a ton of new decoration blocks too. Coffee, toaster, top loaded washer and dryer. More prefabbing fun!!!

 

[Survager]

@MM, I see problem with double kick here?

 

[falloutcloud]

THAT NEW BURNING SHAFT ON THE SPEAR

Here we go again... somebody go get the doxycycline

 

[The Gronk]

I don't know much about game programming, just been curious since a number of games use shortcuts/simplifications.

It's a whole load of factors interacting which make ladders a pain to develop.

Animation: How do you line up the hands and feet to the rungs correctly? Several methods exist, none of them are fantastic. What happens to the character animation if the player tries to rotate on the ladder?

Character controller: Do you have jerky movement up the ladder? Will it give people motion sickness? Will it line up with hands and feet as mentioned above. When do you switch from running to climbing? When do you switch from climbing to falling?

Physics: Do you disable gravity while climbing? When do you enable gravity again so it doesn't feel wrong? What about getting off the ladder? How do you differentiate between climbing off and falling off, do you need to detect a platform nearby? How do you get the character through hatches?

I could go on all day with the vast array of niggling difficulties involved. This is why some people just say fudge it and have teleporting ladders.

 

[Survager]

Spear throw animation bug, I guess?

 

[ZombieSurvivor]

Spear throw animation bug, I guess?

Nice catch, looks like another MF.

That or the longer you hold it the more damage it does. so quick throw or charge that beast up a bit before throwing.

 

[Weazelsun]

I noticed that you couldn't loot some of the closed cupboards. Is that an MF bug, or an A17 and/or A18 feature?

If that's the POI, I'm thinking it must the Resident Evil style POI with a lab underneath. I don't think its a bug, as I've searched it before and I've destroyed some of those closed cupboards. They are blocks simply painted to look like a cabinet.

 

[wolfbain5]

If that's the POI, I'm thinking it must the Resident Evil style POI with a lab underneath. I don't think its a bug, as I've searched it before and I've destroyed some of those closed cupboards. They are blocks simply painted to look like a cabinet.

if that is true, then that is just wrong and a wee bit lazy. bad prefabber, no nookie for you

 

[Weazelsun]

@madmole

A18 definitely looks to be like a brand new game, the new animation I noticed in the video when applying a bandage and the sound the player makes when throwing a spear.