PC Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

  • A18 Stable is Out!

    Votes: 2 66.7%

  • <img alt=":)" data-src="" src="___base_url___/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

    Votes: 1 33.3%
  • Total voters
    3
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One thing I got to ask.
A long time ago you guys had a poll about how long we are willing to wait for RWG map generation, and it was overwhelming victory something like we dont care how long it takes. I kind of assume this is because nobody wanted to sacrifice their map sizes since the options in that poll included map sizes and much shorter time limits as the options.

When RWG gets more love or is finished or whatever will we have the option to generate large maps again like we used to have? 20k ish

Is this the hope or goal? Or are these small maps only here to stay.
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The current world-file formats work well for 4k and 8k worlds. Above that there is a very high strain on memory, keeping all those maps stored.

For REALLY big worlds, there would have to be some changes to the world-map format, splitting them into chunks (like region files do that locally). Those chunks could be generated and processed separately.

On the other hand: 8k is quite large already. Especially when the terrain (mountains) separate areas, and more POIs are spawned. Enough for 90% of the playerbase.

Its more a question of topography in my opinion, than pure size.

And 16k does work...

 
The current world-file formats work well for 4k and 8k worlds. Above that there is a very high strain on memory, keeping all those maps stored.For REALLY big worlds, there would have to be some changes to the world-map format, splitting them into chunks (like region files do that locally). Those chunks could be generated and processed separately.

On the other hand: 8k is quite large already. Especially when the terrain (mountains) separate areas, and more POIs are spawned. Enough for 90% of the playerbase.

Its more a question of topography in my opinion, than pure size.

And 16k does work...
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Depends on your playstyle, how populated the servers you like to play on, etc. When we had them, I would use the entire map. 8k is less than 1/2 the size of what we had for a long time.

Not sure where you get 8k is plenty big for 90% of the playerbase (sounds made up), the poll I referred to tells a different story with the majority not caring how long generation takes as long the maps are big.

What I am more interested in is the plan of TFP's regarding the issue. Since they are still working on RWG, If we will see a return of the larger maps or if this is as good as its going to get.

 
All polls created in general discussions were simply fun polls for the community to see how other players were landing on different issues. They never should have been taken as official queries by TFP to drive development. If you saw the poll as an understanding between TFP and the community that they could take all the time they needed to work on RWG as long as in return the map sizes would end up being huge (20k or bigger) then that was simply your own assumption because that was never the purpose or intent of the poll.

TFP has always taken whatever time is needed and features are done when they are done regardless of community sentiments about the timeline and map sizes have been experiments to see what works and what is feasible. Right now the default size is Navezgane (6k) with one smaller maps size (4k) and one larger map size (8k).

I would plan on this being what they consider shippable as the supported sizes. This doesn't mean that other sizes won't be possible by getting under the hood but they won't be supported and your results may vary depending on your setup.

On a related note I also don't see them budging much from 8 player supported multiplayer....

 
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My mom turns 74 this December and she loves this game to pieces.

She rocks.

So it's understandable.
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Damn man! 74 and still playing videogames.. So I do have a future :)

Does she yell at the game as well sometimes?

 
All polls created in general discussions were simply fun polls for the community to see how other players were landing on different issues. They never should have been taken as official queries by TFP to drive development. If you saw the poll as an understanding between TFP and the community that they could take all the time they needed to work on RWG as long as in return the map sizes would end up being huge (20k or bigger) then that was simply your own assumption because that was never the purpose or intent of the poll.
TFP has always taken whatever time is needed and features are done when they are done regardless of community sentiments about the timeline and map sizes have been experiments to see what works and what is feasible. Right now the default size is Navezgane (6k) with one smaller maps size (4k) and one larger map size (8k).

I would plan on this being what they consider shippable as the supported sizes. This doesn't mean that other sizes won't be possible by getting under the hood but they won't be supported and your results may vary depending on your setup.

On a related note I also don't see them budging much from 8 player supported multiplayer....
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I didnt state or even assume any of that. I only used that as reference for player preference and asked if they planned to bring back larger than 8k maps.

 
Damn man! 74 and still playing videogames.. So I do have a future :) Does she yell at the game as well sometimes?
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No. She is very reserved but I will hear her chanting "No! NO! NO! NO!" when she knows she's in a dire circumstance and probably going to die. But then I get to do an Escort Quest as she returns to get her stuff.

When we first started playing together neither of our computers were good enough to play person to person so we played on public servers. She would always search out different servers to find good ones and it never seemed to matter if it was a PvE or PvP server that whenever I would join it later all I'd have to do is type on the world chat, "Hello, I'm Colleen77's son" and everyone would welcome me and offer to give me stuff and let me stay in their base for my first night and tell me how great it was that my Mom and I were playing this game together.

 
I didnt state or even assume any of that. I only used that as reference for player preference and asked if they planned to bring back larger than 8k maps.
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Okay good. Wasn't sure due to this line in your post.

I kind of assume this is because nobody wanted to sacrifice their map sizes since the options in that poll included map sizes and much shorter time limits as the options.
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When they had larger than 8k maps they were being generated on the fly as you played the game. That model has been scrapped. Now they are pregenerated before you play so there is no real comparison to the way maps are now and the way they were then. I'm sure they HOPE they can get the generation time down to the point where they feel comfortable supporting larger map sizes but I think they are planning for what they have now which are sizes that don't take overly long to generate and always complete generating without crashing or running out of memory and work fine with 8 people max playing together.

 
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Okay good. Wasn't sure due to this line in your post.


When they had larger than 8k maps they were being generated on the fly as you played the game. That model has been scrapped. Now they are pregenerated before you play so there is no real comparison to the way maps are now and the way they were then. I'm sure they HOPE they can get the generation time down to the point where they feel comfortable supporting larger map sizes but I think they are planning for what they have now which are sizes that don't take overly long to generate and always complete generating without crashing or running out of memory and work fine with 8 people max playing together.
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Ya, I understood that already, thanks for the answer. In the back of my head I kinda hoped they had a trick up their sleeve that they couldn't implement yet, or some additional factor that might make it possible before going gold. I will probably continue to hope that a little. haha

 
Since later stages of the game currently focus on "Industrializing" your ammo production and fort defense,...
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That's well put, it's exactly that. For me when we get to that Industrializing stage everything's pretty much setup and we're repeating what we were doing on day 7, defending the blood moon albeit magnified and with a lot more traps and options.

For me the journey getting to that point is where all the fun is. I don't even care if I die on a permadeath game it's what survival is all about. I remember a game around a12, before honey stumps were introduced. I got infected on day1 and for 7days I looted my ass off for antibiotics running round like a loon just to stay alive. Forget getting my base ready or finding good tools, I needed to survive. Around day 5 I remember sitting over a campfire, starving, thinking 'just start again, f**k it...', but then another voice in my head kicked in 'Cmon there must be something, I've played this game for 1000s of hours, get off yr fat ass and do something about it, what else can I do?'

I'd raided most of the small towns around me for days, I decided to go long, hail mary. Just follow the road until I come to a big town where a big Pop o pills might be. It felt like days running that road all night, through canyons, any sound I'd drop on my knees and sneak right round. I did find a large town and nearly shouted out irl when I saw the Pop o Pills sign flickering, glimmer of hope. I raided it didn't find antibiotics but I had enough moldy bread to cook in a beaker. I sat there looking at the campfire timer it was around 20+ minutes to cook back then. I looked at my infection timer to death, sighed out in resignation, it wouldn't cook in time. I sat there thinking 'what a fkin great ride' as I stared at the night sky accepting my fate. I'll never forget that play through. It made me push myself when I wanted to give up.

Anyways sry bout the waffle, but yeah sitting a top of my castle firing rockets and stacks of 7.62 rounds albeit fun, just isn't the same survival fun for me.

 
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A quick overview after playing A18 for a while:

1) At last, balancing feels on the right track and the perk system works how it should have worked in A17.0.

2) Books are something to look forward to - keep capitalizing on the game's exploration & rng - hope for random events and more diversity between playthroughs in the future.

3) Survival is still on the weak side. Wish for more diverse survival threats with a degree of urgency - hope the weather and disease system improves that in the future. Also feel the death penalty and GS formula have to be revisited at some point.

4) Rage has breathed some life into combat - here's to hoping for more polish and unpredictability.

It is a quite enjoyable version overall, thanks!

 
No. She is very reserved but I will hear her chanting "No! NO! NO! NO!" when she knows she's in a dire circumstance and probably going to die. But then I get to do an Escort Quest as she returns to get her stuff.
When we first started playing together neither of our computers were good enough to play person to person so we played on public servers. She would always search out different servers to find good ones and it never seemed to matter if it was a PvE or PvP server that whenever I would join it later all I'd have to do is type on the world chat, "Hello, I'm Colleen77's son" and everyone would welcome me and offer to give me stuff and let me stay in their base for my first night and tell me how great it was that my Mom and I were playing this game together.
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Awesome man! That's a very sweet story.

 
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