PC Alpha 19 Dev Diary

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Yeah we will definitely let people know, probably with load screen tips and possibly in game journal tips, maybe even a stage 2 tutorial after you get a cooking pot, or forge.
Maybe even a quest and/or pop up journal tip like the one in the end of tutorial quest?  Altho it would be annoying to get it while in combat...

 
¿Ahora soy solo yo, o dispararle a un animal vivo con una escopeta ya no diezma el cadáver del animal? He cazado un par de jabalíes con un barril doble recientemente y no he perdido carne de ninguno de ellos.


I thought the same thing. When I discovered that boars are no longer very friendly. I hit them with my blunderbuss and they didn't lose their hp. If your life haha

 
I think I read a post that there was a janitor zombie in the works... or maybe I heard it in one of the A19 dev streams.
I'm all for new zombies, especially ones that will work well in the world and in the POIs.
Is there any chance of also adding a generic worker zombie?... something to fill up the factories and other industrial POIs instead of always constructions workers? I know it probably would be similar to the janitor, but perhaps there is some way to make them unique.
Something simple, like this...
 
assembly-line1.jpg

 
I think a "Stamina Management" journal tip that unlocks when you acquire a metal tool would suffice. Could also add a line like "Metal tools are heavy and drain stamina quickly, eat and drink well for big jobs." to iron and steel tools.

 
May I suggest a "reverse progression" for food with game stage.  Low GS the cabinets are filled with canned food and later it's mostly seeds, empty cans murky water.  Only shamway crates have the coveted canned food late game.

I prefer to play as a survival game, not a questing rpg so I play permadeath with no traders/vendors or airdrops and most food crates and shelves on day 1 are just empty jars and drinks.  It's really just luck to survive long enough that you can clear POIs quickly, get a farm up or find a weapon that allows you to hunt since deer cant viably be killed with the base bow.   With the current design I don't think it's possible for the average player to get enough food without supplementing it from vending machines and buried treasure quests.

Additionally an option to disable traders and vending machines the way you can disable airdrops would be nice.

 
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Honestly, stage 2 tutorials would both be incredibly good and incredibly easy to overdo. I think the game would benefit dramatically overall though.
Usability improvements, easing the learning curve are high priorities for us. That is why we added the loading screen tips to help teach people the game. We can probably get one in a patch about stamina since some people are having some trouble with it. It is pretty easy early game with stone tools and the adjustment to remove food poisoning and make the food buffs was done pretty recently, so we didn't have that tool tip.

 
Nothing wrong with food, drink, stamina. Its relevant for the first time in ages and the whiners are out in force. You had stamina without a problem swinging a tool like Arnold, now its real. Deal. 

 
Maybe even a quest and/or pop up journal tip like the one in the end of tutorial quest?  Altho it would be annoying to get it while in combat...
Placing the campfire could activate it, or any action really.

I think I read a post that there was a janitor zombie in the works... or maybe I heard it in one of the A19 dev streams.
I'm all for new zombies, especially ones that will work well in the world and in the POIs.
Is there any chance of also adding a generic worker zombie?... something to fill up the factories and other industrial POIs instead of always constructions workers? I know it probably would be similar to the janitor, but perhaps there is some way to make them unique.
Something simple, like this...
 
View attachment 11355
That is very similar to the janitor actually, and the janitor will be the base for the construction worker variant.

 
2)  In A19 that is completely different and I think this is a change for the worse. No matter what time, it never gets pitch-dark. Even without any lamps you find your way. 
I agree this needs to be tweaked.  Although it does get pitch black if you're in a mine.

The navizgane and random gen maps are terrible, the pregen maps are decent, here's pregen1 with the traders marked

7DtD-renderer.png

 
The Navezgane map isn't random. It is handcrafted. What makes it terrible for you?

Also...change your brightness setting to 15% and it gets plenty dark at night.

 
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Nothing wrong with food, drink, stamina. Its relevant for the first time in ages and the whiners are out in force. You had stamina without a problem swinging a tool like Arnold, now its real. Deal. 
Agreed.

I think people are still eating canned food because that was what needed to be done in A18. A19 is the opposite. There is  zero chance of vomitting with prepared food and all the prepared foods have stamina bonuses and fill you up so much better than canned food that you will be eating less often if you eat those.  Just because canned food was super plentiful in A18 and the only way to avoid vomiting altogether doesn't mean that in A19 constantly chowing down on canned food is the best strategy.

Remember the days before vomitting was added how everyone made bacon and eggs? We're back to that folks. If you don't like micromanaging your hunger constantly then stop eating foods that only raise your fullness by 10 or 15 points at a time....

I wonder what the telemetry would say about most consumed foods?

 
ah "Eureka"  Ancient Greek for " Where's my towel?!"
No, "Eureka!" means that you need a bath.

I think I read a post that there was a janitor zombie in the works... or maybe I heard it in one of the A19 dev streams.
The only way to get a knife-wrench! Practical and safe.

I think a "Stamina Management" journal tip that unlocks when you acquire a metal tool would suffice. Could also add a line like "Metal tools are heavy and drain stamina quickly, eat and drink well for big jobs." to iron and steel tools.
Yeah, but we know that too few players read journal tips. This forum proves it daily. =P

 
> The Navezgane map isn't random. It is handcrafted. What makes it terrible for you?

[SIZE=15.68px]I know it isn't random, but as the other guy mentioned Naveszgane isn't a fun map because it's fairly empty.   One of each major POI really isn't enough and random/pregen maps have a far greater density of POI typically with 8-10 towns whereas Navesgane only has 4 or 5 towns IIRC.   This makes it feel empty and boring.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=15.68px]As I mentioned in my bug report random maps aren't generating properly (at least for me) and are therefore pretty much unplayable.[/SIZE]





The issue that I've run into with my current game is that I'm on day 16, but I've already explored both crack a books, all gun stores and all the church_01's yet I only have about 1/4 of the books.  I'm at that stage where I have a farm up, steel unlocked, iron/steel tools and some t3/t4 guns so my main progression is going to be through making/finding mods.  I'm not ready for t5 pois so I'm flying around looking for more book stores or places to get the schematics I'd like to have because the GS is only 50 so raiding poi for higher tier weapons/armor isn't an option.   My progression has stalled and it's even worse on navezgane because there aren't as many pois with interesting loot, it's only a 6k map with lower city density.   If the map were 4x larger with at least 4x as many more interesting pois it would be problem solved, but I'm already on an 8k map.

I don't feel like cheesing my GS by screamer baiting or building a massive concrete base, so here I am reporting bugs and whining on the forums that the maps are too small.

> Also...change your brightness setting to 15% and it gets plenty dark at night.

Then this should be the default.

 
Night 3 I just turned in a quest. I stashed my dukes in a box for the trader reset on day 4. I was starving to the point of taking damage. On the way home to my base at about 20:00 I spot a fast food joint. I find food, a cooking pot, a grill and nearly my death. Its after 22:00 when I leave to home(not very far) I round a corner and there is a bear looking the other way between 2 houses. I come to a screeching ,yet suddenly crouched, halt and slowly back out around the other side of the house. I made it home but barely. finally cooked some bacon and eggs.

Very scary and satisfying...hope this feeling lingers.

 
With the Blunderbuss, past 10 meters its basically useless.  But if you use it as a microphone, one shot: "Mr Bo, whats your thoughts on the neo-socialist systems in Europe?  **Ka-BOOM!!**

 
How does the ray-cast pellet spread work exactly?

Do all pellets start clumped together at the barrels end, or do they start already spread out to the ray-cast number?

I.e. do they expand outward from centreline as they travel away from gun or not?
On the console, enter

showhits

 
> Also...change your brightness setting to 15% and it gets plenty dark at night.

Then this should be the default.
Why? Many people like being able to see at night. Others don't like to have such good vision without using a light. TFP has it set to what they like for visuals and gameplay. Players will come on and state all sorts of different preferences about it. All you do is change the setting to 15% once and you are good. If they make the default 15% for you and me then several other blokes will have to change it to 50% and come on here and say THAT should be the default...

 
Why? Many people like being able to see at night.
And those people have been cheesing the gamma forever.

In previous alphas night looked like night.  You knew it was dangerous because you couldnt see anything.  Now it's almost as bright as day.   In A19 I often forget it's night because I can see so well.  The exact optimal point is certainly a question of preference, and TFP should be seeking a middle ground so players can adjust up and down to their preference, but night should be noticeably and significantly darker than day time. 

A reasonable amount of ambient light from the moon so you can get around outside is fine with me, but hiding in a basement/attic with no light source should be near pitch black.  This is not currently the case.

 
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