PC Alpha 19 Dev Diary

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Hey MM, are the new skill trees done?I would love to see how they look now.

...possibly start thinking about a new character build.
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Ehh, you'll probably have enough time to start and finish a couple to a few characters by the time A19 EXP hits the market, so keep on tinkering. ;)

 
Actually my initial testing of the new zombies (Arlene) showed no performance difference. The textures are the same res. Same bones and skeleton. More triangles/verts, but that is not generally a bottleneck on GPUs these days. The artists are really just making better use of the resources they have.
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What are the problems with grass?

It seems to be just four primitively animated triangles, but you are afraid to draw the grass at a greater distance.

It doesn't look like this is a problem for any video card...

 
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iu
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I'd love to see Berthas and tourist zombies doing those moves:whoo:

 
The creepiest thing about the zombies is not their new look it is their new moves. Heart palpitation inducing for sure....
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I agree...horrifying...

...as a side note, the new player animations are awesome!

1urjPPP.gif
 
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Do you know if the Demolisher has gotten an HP nerf? It would be fine if he also didn't have the massive armor buff too. Too spongy in my opinion. You can make him do more damage to players to compensate.
[video=youtube_share;sUw6OYceV2w]

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Your supposed to shoot the red box.

 
eACCyak.jpg
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It is very noticeable that the face and the rest of the body suffered differently (in the far view). A zombie body with such a scary face can't look like this. The same goes for Arlene.

It seems that she lay for some time buried in the ground head and the rest of the body was out.

But, I like elaboration of small details...

Still, they look more like just people with dirty faces than zombies. Because the details correspond to the zombie, and the general shape of the silhouette - from a healthy man. It would be nice if the essence of the zombie was recognizable at a distance.

 
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Mr Mole,since we are getting a Badass Sniper Rifle, i was wondering if we get new Scopes?

Maybe a Thermal one, or a Night Vision one that does not burn your eyes out ? :)

I remember in A16 you showed us a video of the new sneak system with a new Nightvision. It was blue tinted and MUCH friendlier to the eye.

Completly canned or chance of return?
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No new scopes are planned yet. I made that one, but then some graphics broke, someone else fixed it, and it is what it is. What we have now isn't shippable IMO, so we'll get to it eventually.

 
Hold the horses. Previous data shows that 18.4 + 5 months is the most plausible scenario. That means 19.0 is due for release in August at the latest for Exp release, July at the earliest (+4 months) . If they cut back we just get less content and, be aware, modeling 30 new entities takes just that much time (3-5 days for entity from scratch to in-game per 1 3d modeler + 1 animator team) , so it's a win win for us if they release it that far into the Summer.
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Its done when its done. We're on the last few features of Alpha 19 then we will move to the testing phase and release it after qa approves it. Art overhaul has never impacted a release we'll be updating old art for quite some time yet. Alpha 20 is probably going to just be vehicle mods, vehicle crit system and legendary weapons, and it will be stable before the Christmas sale for sure. Its not going to have as much new content as 19 IMO. We want to focus on bugs for a while too and make sure every release is better and more stable than the last, so it could be a while yet. I do expect it to drop in May or June for sure, and I hope to be testing in April yet.

The junk drone still needs a bunch of work, RWG is getting new placement code so there aren't duplicates in the same town and an appropriate number of tiered quest pois available.

 
No new scopes are planned yet. I made that one, but then some graphics broke, someone else fixed it, and it is what it is. What we have now isn't shippable IMO, so we'll get to it eventually.
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Sounds like a plan, LOVE all the new artwork being released so far. I honestly can't wait for the update! Well I can and I will but I'm hyped for the art!

 
Mr. Mole,Not sure if you guys are in Content Lock yet, but how about an Endgame Item that can add Mod-Slots to Weapons/Armor?

Like a Mounting-thingy that uses a Mod Slot (-1) but adds 2 Mod-Slots (+2) resulting in one more Modslot effectivly? (+1)

Maybe balance that out with Cost/rarity.
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We aren't in content lock but we have been in back seat idea pie in the sky idea lock for several years now :)

 
I have a question for artists who paint zombies. Why do zombies have severe head injuries, but the rest of the body is almost uninjured? On the legs, arms and body, only abrasions and scratches can be seen. Why aren't there bare bones, missing muscle parts or bare muscle tissue?
And the second question. I already asked him a very long time, but did not receive an answer. Why are all the zombies in the game in such good shape (except for the fat tourist, cop and fat woman)?

We have all the zombies in the game have excellent pres, pumped up muscles and a beautiful ass;) Where are ordinary people who turned into zombies? =)

And do not tell me that only those who were in shape turned into zombies and ate the rest =) A fat tourist, a fat cop and a fat woman refute this statement.
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Because one guy made the first ones with no real guidance from the team. Now we're concepting more and have a lot of people making tthem and we're looking at the big picture and doing a check list. Bald guy, check, blue jeans,check, asian zombie, check, red shirt, check, black hair check... once something checked off the list it can't be used so we're ending up with a more complete demographic of zombies. The new Arlene is pretty flabby compared to the old one, Moe is not in shape, neither is the fat woman, nor the fat cop. How many fat people do we need?

This is why Steve is getting cut, the shirtless guy who stands out in the crow is going to be an Asian guy in a polo and khakis, who would also fit well in the office setup. Yo is going to be more of a cowboy without the hat, so he can help populate the western setups, yet still crossover into general public and look right.

I've put a fair amount of thought into the redesign it should be a lot better.

 
I heard that! XD

but to be real. i love the new models, yes i have my "nit picks" but i am happy that they are getting updated. i really hope that all the zombies in the near future will get this treatment. like maybe the lumberjack can spawn in the woods and snowy forest, with mud, blood, Plants/moss torn cloths etc. i personally love it!
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That is the plan, he will lose the snow frosting and be more generic so you can see him in the pine forest and the snow biome.

 
We want to focus on bugs for a while too and make sure every release is better and more stable than the last, so it could be a while yet. I do expect it to drop in May or June for sure, and I hope to be testing in April yet.
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there was this update on the testing branch some hours ago which is normally used when an exp update is coming soon... so can we expect another a18 exp update before a19?

 
Its done when its done. We're on the last few features of Alpha 19 then we will move to the testing phase and (snip)
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Thanks for the info. Looking forward to your videos which are always fun to watch.

Is it possible for you guys to squeeze in a *drop-all items-into-storage* button real quick for the sake of QoL and the new shinny skylight heavens?

That one feature would make a whole alpha worth it, even on top of the awesome work that I'm seeing lately.

 
Its done when its done. We're on the last few features of Alpha 19 then we will move to the testing phase and release it after qa approves it. Art overhaul has never impacted a release we'll be updating old art for quite some time yet. Alpha 20 is probably going to just be vehicle mods, vehicle crit system and legendary weapons, and it will be stable before the Christmas sale for sure. Its not going to have as much new content as 19 IMO. We want to focus on bugs for a while too and make sure every release is better and more stable than the last, so it could be a while yet. I do expect it to drop in May or June for sure, and I hope to be testing in April yet.

The junk drone still needs a bunch of work, RWG is getting new placement code so there aren't duplicates in the same town and an appropriate number of tiered quest pois available.
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What about 16 k maps.or just bigger??..will they ever be coming back??

 
The thing that makes me angry the most about it, is that i always fall for it again. MM last Fall: "Uhhhm yeah we gonna do small Content Updates every 3 months, first one before Christmas 2019"

always the same lies... eh "predictions" every cycle again and again and i believe him and get deeply dissapointed with every ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Month that passes^^
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I'm not pointing fingers but I think coronavirus has put a damper on everyone's lives. We planned for an April or early May release, lets see what happens. April is unlikely IMO because I'm not overly optimistic any more and I need 4 weeks of testing myself to put my stamp of approval on it. We're not far off or adding new stuff, and several system have been tested already because we've been prioritizing finishing systems that can be where someone is blocked, so those can be tested sooner than later.

 
It is very noticeable that the face and the rest of the body suffered differently (in the far view). A zombie body with such a scary face can't look like this. The same goes for Arlene.

It seems that she lay for some time buried in the ground head and the rest of the body was out.

But, I like elaboration of small details...

Still, they look more like just people with dirty faces than zombies. Because the details correspond to the zombie, and the general shape of the silhouette - from a healthy man. It would be nice if the essence of the zombie was recognizable at a distance.
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Still a huge improvement from the ones we have currently.

In my opinion, the only true thing we're lacking is some really decayed zombies showing their bones and rib cages (like some of the old models had), or zombies with their guts out.

 
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Still a huge improvement from the ones we have currently.

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Undoubtedly, technically this is better.

But I still don't like the ones that came since A13.

When the zombie accompanied the player with a look, it was amazing. It kept your attention focused and you could not count their polygons. Technical capabilities are only an extension of what designers/artists do.

They try to draw a scary erysipelas. But this is not what causes fear. During the game, the face is not something that the player sees often.

...Silhouette, movement, sounds...

By the way - their faces are not terrible, but nasty. These are different things.

Arlene isn't scary, she's nasty and funny. I look at her eye and at her saggy tits because these elements distort the character.

I can't understand - she's a young girl or an old woman?

In my opinion, the only true thing we're lacking is some really decayed zombies showing their bones and rib cages (like some of the old models had), or zombies with their guts out.
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Well, you and I know that dogs up to A5 looked much better...

 
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