PC Alpha 21 Dev Diary

[Vintorez]

Anybody else getting particularly bad crashes when ALT+Tab'ing out of the game? I know it's always a bit of a gamble tabbing out of games especially during any kind of loading, but with A21e I've had some real bad ones, like not just 7 Days crashing but every program completely locking up. Even had Windows Explorer crash when I absentmindedly tabbed during random world gen, making my wallpaper go full Solitaire Victory mode. Never had it even remotely close to this volatile before.

Obviously the solution is not to alt tab, but I think it's a problem when it even affects other open programs.

Using Windows 10 with RTX 2080 and i7-9700k, 16g RAM

 

[meilodasreh]

btw is there any special reason why there still is no "inventory slot lock" feature in vanilla?

Such a great qol feature should go hand in hand with all the already included "auto stash buttons" if you ask me.

 

[BFT2020]

Yeah, I would never need to make so many antibiotics for the entire game from the number of sham sandwiches I've found.  The loot rate needs a severe reduction for these.

I make them and sell them back to the traders.  Same thing with First Aid kits.

Yes, that's likely why the reduced it.  However, I think it's been reduced too far.  Right now, it can be barely possible to scavenge enough gas to stay mobile just from cars and the occasional gas pump or barrel.  It takes so long to get a chem station that making your own gas is not an option for quite a while and leaves you short on gas even if you are only using gas for vehicles.  Right now, until you finally unlock the chem station, you aren't going to find enough gas to sustain a vehicle as well as any powered base defenses or lighting or anything else.  And without the fuel saver mod, just sustaining a vehicle is very difficult unless you do nothing bug scrap cars.

By the time I could make gas, I had half a box of engines, half of batteries, a couple hundred lights, a few hundred oil, etc. because I had to scrap so many just to have gas to drive around.  I think that's pushed gas to the extreme other end of the spectrum and somewhere between A20 and (current) A21 would be best.  I'm fine with needing to craft our own gas.  I like that we'd need to do so.  But the chem station just takes way too long to reach right now.  If you had an option to make gas (even at a lower efficiency) from the same time you can unlock crafting gas cans, then it wouldn't be a problem.

Would it surprise anyone if I was to say I like the new loot / harvest drop amounts?  

Some things I did when I purposely reduce gas in A20:

• Gas saver mod
  
• Not use the turbo function all the time
  
• Used my bicycle when I didn't really need to use a gas powered vehicle
  
• Less use of the auger / chainsaw
  
• Pushed towards battery banks as quickly as possible
  
  One generator can recharge multiple battery banks with one engine so less gas used
  
• Even if you are far from getting solar power, using the generator to recharge batteries was more efficient use of gas compared to using generators to power all your equipment
  

 

[nickasaurus rex]

That is not supposed to happen. The water-purifying attachment in my own headgear is working as intended, but if this a repeatable bug for you, please report it. Either click on the "Report an Alpha 21 Bug" red banner at the top of the forums or go to:

https://community.7daystodie.com/announcement/11-report-an-alpha-21-bug/

I have not run into the issue since restarting my game. So I guess it was just a fluke or maybe it was because I was freezing and drinking cold water? 

 

[Old Crow]

I have not run into the issue since restarting my game. So I guess it was just a fluke or maybe it was because I was freezing and drinking cold water? 

I don't think water temperature is a thing, so that shouldn't be it.

 

[hiloboys]

Just a quick question to see if its just my computer that has this issue, but What does the fun pimps intro animation screen sound like? Since I first started all I heard was broken sound. (Imagine you heard the dolby digital intro but the speakers in your house blew out and all you can hear are bits and pieces of it) I never really cared since I thought all this time its just because my laptop is old. But a friend of mine who also plays that actually spent a lot of money on his PC says he also hears the same thing. I mean everything sounds great after that, but I still have no idea what the Fun Pimps Intro sound that plays (When the pimp cane is doing its little animation thing) sounds like. Anyone else get this issue or they are fine? Haha

 

[unholyjoe]

go to where steam installed your 7dtd folder... here is mine

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\7 Days To Die\7DaysToDie_Data\StreamingAssets\Video

 

[vergilsparda]

Yeah, I would never need to make so many antibiotics for the entire game from the number of sham sandwiches I've found.  The loot rate needs a severe reduction for these.

You don't get sick from them if you use a vitamin (100% disease resist) so if you're short on food but have some of them, they make for a good last-dish meal. Although in real life I'd probably just die of starvation because eating moldy bread is just about the most disgusting thing in the world (and that's coming from someone who has been in the unfortunate situation of being halfway through a moldy twinkie at one point in their life!)

As for gasoline—can't remember who was talking about it, but I'll throw my hat into the ring again—going into Salvage Operations tree is literally the best thing you can do—I'm currently running a Perception build and I maxed it out. It's crazy the difference in stuff you get between before I perked into it vs after. I wrench about 10-15 cars and have enough gas to fill more than half of my 4x4 tank (though my style of play is different than most and probably considered "cheating": I give myself a vehicle, have to carry it around until I can actually salvage gas, which still makes the early game extremely difficult in terms of rationing out your gas). Even now I'm still struggling to keep up, but I can keep my tank at about 30-40% for the majority of the time... it's the glue, water, and repair kits that are killing me!! I am a good driver I swear, but sometimes when you're off-roading your mind wanders and suddenly you've sent a tree into the stratosphere and only have 20% durability on your car left

That being said be prepared to have a lot of inventory space if you do end up speccing into Salvage Operations. You fill up on engines, radiators and batteries like it's nobody's business. I had to start scrapping them as I get them because I have little use for them right now (I don't have generators unlocked yet, so I can't add power to my base, because the proper magazines are very scarce!).

Honestly I'm pretty happy with the changes, it's made the game significantly more difficult, even on lower enemy difficulty levels. It's getting closer and closer to the survival game it is meant to be (not that it wasn't before, it was just unrefined, you know?). I'm fighting for my life just to keep up with food and water demands; it's made using the new vending machines that much better too, imo. Never used to go to them before except to maybe grab a Yucca Smoothie or some candy, but now I'm scrambling for canned food and also finding Trader Rekt.

 

[Riamus]

You don't get sick from them if you use a vitamin (100% disease resist) so if you're short on food but have some of them, they make for a good last-dish meal. Although in real life I'd probably just die of starvation because eating moldy bread is just about the most disgusting thing in the world (and that's coming from someone who has been in the unfortunate situation of being halfway through a moldy twinkie at one point in their life!)

As for gasoline—can't remember who was talking about it, but I'll throw my hat into the ring again—going into Salvage Operations tree is literally the best thing you can do—I'm currently running a Perception build and I maxed it out. It's crazy the difference in stuff you get between before I perked into it vs after. I wrench about 10-15 cars and have enough gas to fill more than half of my 4x4 tank (though my style of play is different than most and probably considered "cheating": I give myself a vehicle, have to carry it around until I can actually salvage gas, which still makes the early game extremely difficult in terms of rationing out your gas). Even now I'm still struggling to keep up, but I can keep my tank at about 30-40% for the majority of the time... it's the glue, water, and repair kits that are killing me!! I am a good driver I swear, but sometimes when you're off-roading your mind wanders and suddenly you've sent a tree into the stratosphere and only have 20% durability on your car left

That being said be prepared to have a lot of inventory space if you do end up speccing into Salvage Operations. You fill up on engines, radiators and batteries like it's nobody's business. I had to start scrapping them as I get them because I have little use for them right now (I don't have generators unlocked yet, so I can't add power to my base, because the proper magazines are very scarce!).

Honestly I'm pretty happy with the changes, it's made the game significantly more difficult, even on lower enemy difficulty levels. It's getting closer and closer to the survival game it is meant to be (not that it wasn't before, it was just unrefined, you know?). I'm fighting for my life just to keep up with food and water demands; it's made using the new vending machines that much better too, imo. Never used to go to them before except to maybe grab a Yucca Smoothie or some candy, but now I'm scrambling for canned food and also finding Trader Rekt.

Yeah, they can serve as food but I've never bothered in all my games.  They usually sit around doing nothing unless I need antibiotics and RNG isn't getting me any, which is pretty rare.  Now, with the increased drop rate, I have over 150 of them.  That's compared to half that by very late game in A20.

Yeah, salvage operations is pretty critical now for gas.  Even so, you still have to really scrap a ton of cars to stay mobile.  It just feels way too low when you can't make gas until either you get lucky on a quest reward or you manage to find enough magazines, which takes quite a while.  I think the chem station has to either be unlocked sooner or else there needs to be a way to make gas before unlocking the chem station, even at an inefficient rate.

I like A21 for the most part.  There are just certain things like the gas being too low and sandwiches being too high and other things I've mentioned in other topics that bug me.  The vehicle damage you mention is another and one I know I'll end up modding to be much lower.  I mean, I've lost maybe 12% just from driving over terrain in the wilderness that was bumpy on the pregen8k map.  No rocks, trees, bones, etc.  Just simply terrain that was fairly level but had enough bump to damage the 4x4.  You can't see such things when driving around.  Losing so much durability because of stupid things like that gets annoying.  Not to mention that I have gotten to where I don't even want to use the 4x4 because it takes damage way too easily.  It has just become an annoying thing to drive now.  So I'll mod the damage values and have an enjoyable driving experience again. 

 

[NBornkilla]

Despite agreeing with your philosophy of play and let play, if a block is bugged then the devs need to know. If just a few players are basing their entire horde night strategy by exploiting a bug then it is better to get it fixed sooner rather than later as that will impact fewer people. 
 

TFP has no problem with people using blocks in creative ways but if something is bugged then they usually want to fix it. 
 

Especially if fixing it will harm the players….lmao. 

if its a bug i agree that the tfp should fix  but i see some people getting mad at others for   looking way  to either cheese the horde or hide from it  you know lol  

btw loving  the alpha 21.

 

[Aldranon]

If Zombies are supposed to be dead, then how does blood gush out a corpse when damaged(re-killed)?

Nope, the "zombies" are alive (probably 50% modified rabies virus and 50% demonic force straight from hell...)

That or we are back to the "having a bad coma dream", waiting on part 2 to start.

I'm with the "bad coma dream" for two reasons. 

1) It fits.  (Too many anti-logical things to list)

2) It adds a great plot vehicle into an expanded world that will be a part 2 when the player wakes up.

 

[Roland]

2) It adds a great plot vehicle into an expanded world that will be a part 2 when the player wakes up.

This would be a very clever ending/beginning from the original game to the sequel. Starting the game from one of the rooms in Navezgane hospital is a pretty fun challenge and would be an awesome way to start the sequel.

 

[Aldranon]

This would be a very clever ending/beginning from the original game to the sequel. Starting the game from one of the rooms in Navezgane hospital is a pretty fun challenge and would be an awesome way to start the sequel.

Maybe a greatly expanded Navazgane, but I was thinking that the player could:

1) Start in the New York area (included the airport to indicate the scale)

2) Start in a hospital and the zombie apocalypse has:

A) Just started.

B) Will start in 7 days (Giving the player time to prepare). 

C) A nod to the start of "The walking Dead" or "28 Days Later".

 

[FinkPloyd]

Regarding the changes to the random world generation and POI frequency.

My map has 3 of the same trader 'type' in close proximity so my first 2 'Trade Routes' missions are to the same trader 'type'.

As the traders are now quite specialised this appears to have limited the items I can buy (combined with the RNG is not giving me the magazines to build a motorised vehicle to explore for more distant traders).

Does the POI frequency take trader 'type' into consideration?

If not could it?

 

[hiemfire]

1) Start in the New York area (included the airport to indicate the scale)

"The city's land area is estimated to be 321 square miles (830 km2).[2] However, a more recent estimate calculates a total land area of 304.8 square miles (789.4 square kilometres)"

 

[lazdeuce]

nope, only catched a glimpse of it during what was shown as an example for an infestation quest.

You maybe right about the disadvantage of a "flat" design of the poi.

But still, heat generation is counted up within a chunk (independent from height as far as I know),

so you would trigger a screamer during the clearance of a big poi anyway, regardless of its geometry, when you go loud with your guns.

And the fact that the zeds can't reach you doesn't really matter in the end.

Because a screamer cycle, once it started to go bad, will kill! Maybe not you when you're unreachable high above, but your framerate, making it unplayable either way 

Maybe try a more silent approach at least at first, using bow&arrow or silenced guns?

And of course avoid resource harvesting in the area before you hit the quest marker.

E.g. when you find a nice ore deposit right next to the poi and collect a stack of iron, or maybe even "double dipped" all the nice cars in the parking lot,

you are likely to trigger a screamer relatively early during your run, because you raised the count pretty good already.

I wouldn't like your chances with a bow & arrow in the prison.  With the trigger system stealth is absolutely pointless and you're going to get swamped before you fire the third arrow.

That's the only thing I don't like about this alpha since I usually do a stealth build.  Everything else is fantastic.

 

[Aldranon]

"The city's land area is estimated to be 321 square miles (830 km2).[2] However, a more recent estimate calculates a total land area of 304.8 square miles (789.4 square kilometres)"

Perfect!

By the time Part2 is ready, our great-great grandchildren would [SIZE=14.6px]approve. [/SIZE]

 

[Morloc]

I think the chem station has to either be unlocked sooner or else there needs to be a way to make gas before unlocking the chem station, even at an inefficient rate.

I like the amount of gas salvaged from vehicles, but perhaps gas pumps and barrels should have significantly more...or at least a random range with a high upper limit.

-Arch Necromancer Morloc 

 

[zztong]

Will start in 7 days (Giving the player time to prepare).

I've thought about this variant a few times. I thought "7 Days to Live" as a prequel. The world starts out with vague reports of zombies and the player is one of the very few who starts to take it serious. There are reasons to engage with civilization -- buy things -- but civilization is also the source of disease and going through checkpoints is going to eat up your time. Civilization devolves into panic, looting, then the mass of infected, the mass of zombies, a military response ... and if you live, launch 7D2D.

I doubt it would be a voxel/blocks game though.

 

[meganoth]

I wouldn't like your chances with a bow & arrow in the prison.  With the trigger system stealth is absolutely pointless and you're going to get swamped before you fire the third arrow.

That's the only thing I don't like about this alpha since I usually do a stealth build.  Everything else is fantastic.

Stealth is not pointless but quite challenging to pull through. Someone demonstrated how to restealth again, and with speed and run&gun the AGI player should be able to "run around" them and away in most situations.

In my SP game I am playing in the winter biome, at the moment with a quality3 pistol and wooden bow, against half of them being normal and half feral zombies with one above default difficulty.

I am just an average player with bad reflexes and not good at making decisions under stress. And I could still clear POIs with stealth. As long as I remembered the way back and ran far away I could always restealth and finally kill them, or gun them down in a narrow place. At one time I had placed a few spike traps in the way of my backtrack path and when two ferals were coming at me I killed them with arrows behind that trap defense.

It is intense and fun, but got me nearly killed a few times when I made the wrong decision or took the wrong turn or forgot to reload my weapon after changing a mod(!). Again and again I do this mistake, not reloading my gun and getting killed because of it.

I doubt someone who is just starting with the game though would survive most of this, but as I said it was winter biome and at a higher difficulty.

Stealth is in need of some changes and balances. But not pointless at all.