PC Alpha 18 Dev Diary!!

[SickPuppy]

Day 28 Horde, default difficulty, 60 min days, lvl 32, gs 70, max alive 10. The local PD showed up.
Changes since Day 21:

-Added more electrical fence

-Added additional junk turret (found in loot)

-Added shotgun turret

Enjoy!!!

Yup I've ditched the spikes they just don't do enough later on. Electric fences + darts combo, seems to be doing well to hold demos for headshots. Not had so much fun building in a long time.

 

[The-Walking-Dad]

Regarding this new encounter system; i don't see much of an advantage of it unless NPCs and bandits get introduced. Which will take some years/alphas. If the game can sense where you're going (can the game sense that..?), and if the game then spawns zombies in that area, don't you just end up with a lot of unused zombies if you change direction often (which I do a lot if I'm in a town). Won't that be then exactly the same as what we have now?

It seems the idea is to predict your path, spawn encounters in your predicted path, and despawn them if you don't arrive within a certain timescale. Presumably if you kept on in your new direction the game would spawn another encounter in your newly predicted path, and respawn that if you didn't arrive within a certain timescale.

I don't know how the game would handle constant changes in direction, but I'm not paid enough to work that out.

 

[Laz Man]

Nice. I like compact bases, yr use of hatches is sweet, it's one of my fav items in the whole game.

Shhhh, dont wake up snowdog lol...

 

[Jay_ombie]

Side note....you probably would enjoy this. Here's a screenshot I have from one of the old alphas....hi

594 zombies...I think my fps was at ~5 ...lol

Now that’s a cool picture.

 

[MechanicalLens]

@madmole Spelling error:

"Lean" instead of "Learn" in the description of Basic Sensors.

 

[Kalarro]

If I could do it all over again I'd have thrown out the diggable terrain. Alpha 1 could have had static Unity terrain, a simple water plane, ran 30% better, used way less ram, console wouldn't have been so beat down, allowed faster vehicles, looked as good as 18's terrain does now, (Minus the Justin talent) and we wouldn't have wasted energy on mining, cave systems, multiple versions of trees, etc. Mining could have been mining POIs with respawning nuggets like rust/skyrim/subnautica with a nice model. We'd anger 10% and gain 200% new players that don't give a ♥♥♥♥ about deformable terrain and buggy water.
At some point we might release a static terrain option for 7 days just to see the performance gains. IMO most people would run it for the performance gains and better pvp, none of this wimpy underground base business, fight like a man like in TWD. You don't see those guys living in caves/mines.

What may have made us great has also slowed us down and kept us indy looking/performing. I think mining is ok but its not part of the secret sauce, we'd still have mining it just wouldn't be ugly 3d mining. At this point we'd kind of solved it mostly but it could have saved us a lot of time and headaches, allowing us to focus on cool stuff like we are able to now.

OMFG, and Im still wondering why the direction of the game worries me. This statement is the worst comment Ive read in this forum by far.

That's precisely what made you great yes. And every player likeing the other aspect of the game, can find a better game out there that does the same. This feature is the thing that makes 7d2d the gem it is.

OFC the type of game it should be is subjective. But that theres a ton of other games that do the looting&shooting better than this game is not. So yeah, congratuilations on wanting to turn your game from the best in a not so pupular genre to a mediocre game in a very popular genre.

Hearing this from somebody who makes so many decisions in the game is the most worriesome info about the future Ive read in a lot of time.

Sorry if the post was old, I just saw some other concerned players quoting it on reddit and it is bad enough for me to not be able to shut up about it ¬¬

 

[Laz Man]

OMFG, and Im still wondering why the direction of the game worries me. This statement is the worst comment Ive read in this forum by far. That's precisely what made you great yes. And every player likeing the other aspect of the game, can find a better game out there that does the same. This feature is the thing that makes 7d2d the gem it is.

OFC the type of game it should be is subjective. But that theres a ton of other games that do the looting&shooting better than this game is not. So yeah, congratuilations on wanting to turn your game from the best in a not so pupular genre to a mediocre game in a very popular genre.

Hearing this from somebody who makes so many decisions in the game is the most worriesome info about the future Ive read in a lot of time.

This comment was like from 1 month ago and it was about a feature that "might" be added after the game gold.

 

[Doctor3D]

I never saw that comment before. Seems like MM's tastes have changed a lot over the years...Some of the things that I think are the best thing about this game, he seems to not even care about anymore. Crafting, building, zombies, and now even the voxels themselves. I don't get it.

 

[Aldranon]

I never saw that comment before. Seems like MM's tastes have changed a lot over the years...Some of the things that I think are the best thing about this game, he seems to not even care about anymore. Crafting, building, zombies, and now even the voxels themselves. I don't get it.

He's become an adrenaline junkie maybe. Or he's trying to emulate the top ten steam games that are mostly "Shooters".

 

[sinkler]

God forbid I answer some questions, the creeps will quote me out of context or manipulate my grand vision into a piece of ♥♥♥♥. Time to go dark I think.

MM, last a18 feedback from me:

- this build was stable enough for me to play 45h of pure vanilla, no mods, no CM menu. i even died once and backpack didnt spawn or just fell throw the world, yet i resisted using the CM to cheat my stuff back and roleplayed it was stolen like u wisely suggested!

- what eventually broke my spirit and made me use the CM was building with concrete from scratch (i just upgraded till then). rebars are expensive (iron/time wise) to make, and the shape menu for them is missing almost all the shapes. on the other hand, using the cubblestone/wet concrete blocks is really clunky... when i misplace a block or use the wrong rotation or shape, its time consuming fixing the errors unless you have endgame tools.

plz consider making it a priority to finish unifying the WIP shape menu.


all materials should have all the shapes, and a method to be able to pick up again if u make a mistake, so u can properly design your new layout before you commit to it. testing base designs in creative should be an option not mandatory.

otherwise it gets frustrating fast, even if u already had a design in mind. its worst if u are improvising for the first time. more expirianced players can play around that, but for me it sucked the fun out of the game and really tested my patience. xD

damn CM menu, once i get my dirty hands into it, all immersion is gone, I lose interest and quit till the next update. I never used traps/electricity, or had a 4x4/gyro, and really hoped i will manage to stick around long enough to experience endgame content this time around, since its definitely the best alpha so far IMHO.

so until next time, great game and great update. keep up the good work.

 

[Noctoras]

I'm hoping to write 50+ events and have them game staged. We can't have a group of high level bandits in a helicopter spawn in the forest to gun down the roaming day 1 survivor, but we could if a level 100 guy was blowing up a bandit camp... they called in the backup. I can't think of a single negative to it if we do it right.

I hope it won't be over-gamestaged. It is kind of good, if there are also challenges you better avoid, not only those you can deal with at your respective gamestage. This also separates a good survival experience from a dumb shooter in my eyes.

Evaluate a threat and then consider if u can engage. Always getting stuff I can deal with makes it too much of a simple shooter game.

So I kind of hope, it will only be tied rather loosely to gamestage. But that is my opinion.

 

[MechanicalLens]

Day 9, time to go into turbo mode, the trader is selling a crucible.

Okay then... THAT is awesome.

Spoiler

 

[JaxTeller718]

OMFG, and Im still wondering why the direction of the game worries me. This statement is the worst comment Ive read in this forum by far. That's precisely what made you great yes. And every player likeing the other aspect of the game, can find a better game out there that does the same. This feature is the thing that makes 7d2d the gem it is.

OFC the type of game it should be is subjective. But that theres a ton of other games that do the looting&shooting better than this game is not. So yeah, congratuilations on wanting to turn your game from the best in a not so pupular genre to a mediocre game in a very popular genre.

Hearing this from somebody who makes so many decisions in the game is the most worriesome info about the future Ive read in a lot of time.

Sorry if the post was old, I just saw some other concerned players quoting it on reddit and it is bad enough for me to not be able to shut up about it ¬¬

And that is the part that myself and others are worried about. For each small change like raw iron removed and planter boxes we move further away from what made this game so special.

If i was the developer of a game like this I would be proud of what I have been able to accomplish in a voxel world. This team took Minecraft and made it compete in the survival genre, made it look just as good as any static terrain game and introduced complexity never before seen in crafting. But the desire today seems to lie in transforming into another survival game. I can list a dozen games that do what MM described up there. Mist/Rust/Subsistence/Subnautica/Forest etc.

But how many games can you list that are just like 7 days? Thats why I hate the attitude surrounding the past, the so called legacy nonsense. Its not being resistant to changes, its not wanting to see a once unique and revolutionary game that comes along once in a lifetime become ♥♥♥♥ing Rust.

 

[-Holo-]

You need to stop over thinking it. This new system could do exactly what alpha 10 did without being stupid spawning zombies where players won't even see them, and having them hang out until they expire, counting against the spawn count and making server cpu trash. WE could spawn them where a player is headed before he gets there instead of in every chunk every 10 meters. Same thing but no waste. Stop over analyzing it, the whole thing is an illusion. Why do you care if a zombie spawns 200 meters behind a wall? All you should be concerned with is seeing zombies where you are going, and having encounters that are interesting at the right time, instead of constant bombardment of stupidity.
We aren't going to cheaply spawn zombies in front of you. Its more like hey you are going to this POI, but you've cleared 3 and havne't died or even had low health for a while, this guy needs something special. Lets spawn a bunch in the yard so when he gets there he has to think about it. Or you are hurt and the game is handing you a rough one, how about a wandering trader who might be coming on the same road you are but headed in the opposite direction. If that bothers you then you have mental issues. Skyrim and Fallout have random encounters and they are pretty sweet, but we could do a lot more with it than they do.

I'm thinking of it as spawn manager 2.0 and wandering horde 2.0. There is nothing better about the legacy spawning in any way. This could simulate that in a much more efficient way, and we could spawn challenging enemies and game stage it, instead of being limited to basic zeds. That late game guy who's getting bored? Lets give him something special. If he doesn't want to deal with it he doesn't have to, he can run. But why not put 10 raiders on the road asking for a toll?

I hope I'm not sounding negative and do apologise if so, but from that explanation I have to ask If it would be possible to unhinge the system from player gamestage and just be truly random events? I'm sure there are more then me that don't like the idea to have the game actively tell me what I can and can't have. Random ftw!

Getting more zombies out and about POI's would be great! (started up A15.2 again yesterday and damn thats fun!) But having a system constantly keeping track and portion out what it thinks are best sounds... awful really.

Just my thoughts on the idea. Could be great if used with caution!

 

[SickPuppy]

OMFG, and Im still wondering why the direction of the game worries me. This statement is the worst comment Ive read in this forum by far. That's precisely what made you great yes. And every player likeing the other aspect of the game, can find a better game out there that does the same. This feature is the thing that makes 7d2d the gem it is.

OFC the type of game it should be is subjective. But that theres a ton of other games that do the looting&shooting better than this game is not. So yeah, congratuilations on wanting to turn your game from the best in a not so pupular genre to a mediocre game in a very popular genre.

Hearing this from somebody who makes so many decisions in the game is the most worriesome info about the future Ive read in a lot of time.

Sorry if the post was old, I just saw some other concerned players quoting it on reddit and it is bad enough for me to not be able to shut up about it ¬¬

Kinda understandable though. You work on something for years you're gonna get new ideas. Dare I say it we even play different games to 7days? The other games coming out with half the complexity of 7days raking in a small fortune is a body blow to tackling a voxel monster. And then you get us lot who turn up at the forums whenever we please and tell them how it should be done.

The game has guns, it's going to have bandits pretty sure we're gonna get a lot of action. There's also building, crafting, looting, vehicles and destructible terrain, plus open to whole host of mods. How much did Angry Birds make?

Whatever way they decide to go I'm eager to see the game develop at it's own pace, can't deal with it? Go play something else for a while. And with the lessons learned tackling this monster game I'm eager to see what they come up with next. God that was beautifully put, almost gave myself a stiffy.

 

[SickPuppy]

I hope I'm not sounding negative and do apologise if so, but from that explanation I have to ask If it would be possible to unhinge the system from player gamestage and just be truly random events? I'm sure there are more then me that don't like the idea to have the game actively tell me what I can and can't have. Random ftw!
Getting more zombies out and about POI's would be great! (started up A15.2 again yesterday and damn thats fun!) But having a system constantly keeping track and portion out what it thinks are best sounds... awful really.

Just my thoughts on the idea. Could be great if used with caution!

Concern is understandable, 7days has been my go to game for years. When I feel sh** I boot it up and savor in its sweet sweet bosom, beat the sh** out of some zeds, maybe lock one in my basement cell and life is good again.

But we haven't seen it yet and everything in this game is designed around the player. The concept isn't anything new, wandering hordes, air drops, a trader with indestructible walls...it's all contrived. So far everything feels organic (shut up zombies in cupboards this doesn't concern u), I think we're in good hands.

 

[-Holo-]

Concern is understandable, 7days has been my go to game for years. When I feel sh** I boot it up and savor in its sweet sweet bosom, beat the sh** out of some zeds, maybe lock one in my basement cell and life is good again.
But we haven't seen it yet and everything in this game is designed around the player. The concept isn't anything new, wandering hordes, air drops, a trader with indestructible walls...it's all contrived. So far everything feels organic (shut up zombies in cupboards this doesn't concern u), I think we're in good hands.

I'm worried it will take out a lot of the old feeling of being left alone in a indifferent world. With all the leveled loot and if this system gonna sit and judge what enemies it deems I could find, or if I play badly it will make it easier for me, not putting me in charge of my destiny in the world so to speak. The only rule over a player should be random roll in a sandbox game, I think there is a danger to have a system watch over and make active decision regarding what enemies to encounter (except on bloodmoon, since there's no way to avoid that as a player)

7Days has been one of my most time played game on steam since I started playing in A14, but I'm just terrified it will evolve into something I don't want to play (without options to mod it right) Since it has no real equal to swap to.

I hope it will be used to populate the world again, but used wrongly, I think it can hurt the experience and fullfillment as a player. If I'm doing great, is that because I'm good, or the game thinks I'm bad so I get easy obstacles? Or turned around, I'm being skilled so the game punishes with extreme dangers until it's over? It's a hard balance which I don't feel the game should make in a sandbox type.

All this is of course just speculation from that text Madmole wrote so I'm taking it with a grain of salt understanding we don't have the full picture, but best to atleast point it out!

 

[Jay_ombie]

7 days has become a religion like and spawned a unique following from its very first alpha.

Initially stamped as a minecraft clone, it’s stepped out from the crowd and now reformed itself into an amazing fully destructible survival gem.

That is what 7 days was, is and always should be.

 

[Ayrton]

Quantum can you add to the faq that we're planning a localization update to the four supported languages this winter, and after that will will look at the challenges to Chinese, Portugese, Japanese and Russian?

Thank you very much Madmole, we are anxious for the translation, thank you very much!

 

[Guppys Fur]

So you're going to ignore my question , in fact half the forum posts that hate the balance of this patch and act high and mighty?
I should have known better. The developers of this game give no 2 cents about what the community thinks unless it favors their decisions.

Im sorry, but are talking about the same game?

I truly disliked A17, but with A18 i have a blast. The Server i host is as full as it havent in 2 years and the vast majority come with me to the same conclusion:

Madmole, Fataal, Gazz and the whole of TFP made an unbeliveable effort to bring 7 Days to die back on Track.

Sure you can dislike some changes like Hoe gone and Terrain blocks gone, but the advantages weigh so much more.

Yes, Mr. Mole has a blunt nature in responding but that has nothing to do with you personal. And if worded correctly he is quiet receiveable for constructive critism.

Be happy that he responds at all. I am and appriciate that. he or the others cant read every post and to be honest? As i read your Comment i cant blame them for skipping it, the way you showed manners or rather said the lack of it.

You say something about "acting high and mighty" ? Have a look in the mirror.