PC Catering to New Players hurts Replayability for Experienced Players

I know. That's why I do a lot of testing to find base designs that have a low risk of triggering the explosion but at the same time are as resource efficient as possible.
The problem is not even the demolishers but that many designs are only designed for 8 or 16 zombies at the same time. I usually play with 32 zombies at a time but lately I've reduced it to 8 for my melee base.
Yea. People talk ♥♥♥♥ to me for not having the zombies set at 64. But the fun pimps seem to be balancing the difficulty of the game based on 8 zombies at a time.

All this seems to be accomplishing is the widespread use of exploit bases. And when demolishers are what they are I cant blame players for using them.

 
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Glad you brought this up. I have been reading your posts. And I must ask, why do you think theres so few zombies on horde night? You can raise them to 64 but you keep saying theres only, like 3. I mean 8 is the fewest you can have.
What am I missing?
The number was irrelevant more meaning there not alot of zs. Like in blood moon they come in spatters. I have mine set on 64 vanilla game. (Modded i have a mod that increases that exponantially)

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You do know I agree with what you have been saying right? It's ok to give a compliment to people in order to make them feel better and possibly have a better day and still not be on there side. I never brown nose. I give credit where credit is due and I strongely voice my opinions, the good and the bad. I think TFP know I have no problem stating my mind on the stuff I disagree with. :)
Yeh i misinterpreted your comment sorry and comment retracted

 
Not only that but theres alot that can set off a demolisher. And 2 go off your steel blocks, traps and everything else is gone. They are no joke.
Create a base design that has the turrets only shoot them in the back. They won't explode that way.

 
Create a base design that has the turrets only shoot them in the back. They won't explode that way.
To add on that. When it comes time for the demolitioners to show up create traps and deterrents away from your base maybe 5 to 20 blocks away all around (obstacles, spikes, barbed wire, ditches etc) to slow em down so you can shoot them with nore time.

 
You can also turn DOWN the zombie block damage.

I've done that because:

1) Demolisher damage IS over the top. If it was 1 or 2 per night, then hrmm.. multiple at once? nope.

2) Zombie stacking/group damage is also over the top. 10 zeds standing in one place, beating on a block and geting group bonus damage?

3) all of the above. ;)

Damage etc gets tweaked up/down all the time. We CAN compensate one way or the other. Want zeds doing more damage and be harder? Crank UP the damage/difficulty. Want less? Ayup, turn it down.

As for dungeon POI getting boring after the umpteenth time of doing it? Derp! Of course it does. It will always do that. In ANY game.

(yes molten core, I'm looking at you)

Try a different build (we'll it an alt. hmm....)

As for 10k hrs. grats. have a cookie. (hey, there's an achievement you could use. heh)

 
Yea. People talk ♥♥♥♥ to me for not having the zombies set at 64. But the fun pimps seem to be balancing the difficulty of the game based on 8 zombies at a time.
I also think that the game is balanced for 8 zombies at a time.

All this seems to be accomplishing is the widespread use of exploit bases. And when demolishers are what they are I cant blame players for using them.
You can build bases that can handle 64 zombies + demolishers without using exploits but you will have to spend a lot of resources on this type of base.

I have a dart trap funnel base that can handle 32 zombies at a time. But it consumes about 90000 iron per horde.

For me this is not a problem because I like to spend time in the mine but when you stream or make videos the work in the mine is not very exciting for the viewer.

I love watching your videos and the number of zombies during the horde doesn't matter to me.

 
As someone that's been playing on and off since before RWG even existed, the game used to be much more simple and easy back in the day. There were fewer options in terms of base building and weapons, but Wood Log Spikes and a Shotgun were all you needed for any difficulty at any game stage. You could loot POIs without killing any zombies and enter/exit through a 1-block gap. There was more RNG in terms of loot and mining, but it was really common to get everything you need well before Day 7.

Only real danger was cops and the occasionally janky animations of dogs lol.

Also, the original Auger was OP as ♥♥♥♥

 
It's a video game, not quantum physics. It's impossible to supply endless theory-crafting and discovery after you put 1k+ hours into it.

I started playing in A17 and now have over 1k hours. I can report that there was still a steep initial learning curve in A17. I remember crafting my first forge and putting it in my horrible Working Stiff base and looking at the crafting menu inside it for probably 30 minutes before I understood how the heck to actually craft anything in it. Trust me, it was still plenty convoluted enough for a new player even in A17.

So I learned. Now I have five of every work station before the first two weeks are up and play not only on the hardest difficulty settings but challenge myself in many ways that go beyond the given difficulty settings because the game got too easy which meant it got boring to me.

The only genre out there that escapes this pattern are MMORPG's with content that is increasingly scaled up over years and years with theme-park style content curated for veteran players. But that old content still exists for new players. You can't do that in a sandbox crafting game because by definition the content is not a curated Disney World for veterans but needs to be accessible for all from day one. The only other popular 'constant new content' games have the most banal and contrived 'updates' of all like GTAV Online and Fortnite or even worse yet mobile games. I'm in the industry myself and this game has given me much to think about which is quite rare for me and on this point specifically I say bravo to the developers.

 
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All I have to say is the game feels far more like a ghost town then it ever has. little to no roaming zombies, everybody is asleep, and wandering hordes are so incredibly lame as they are now. The only time the game feels out to get you is on horde night. Pre A17 it never felt quite like this.

Game is still fun but seems to be lacking that "relentless enemy" feeling that got me hooked in the first place. I know MM mentioned a dynamic something or other but that's no guarantee.

 
I have to agree that its too simple to get what you need or want. One of my favorite things was mining and the above ground stones that appear for every mineral is taking away my fun of exploring deep mines for my needed minerals. As well a the fact that you can buy everything at a trader, Gyrocopters to Chemistry Stations means less to look forward to in later game stages. the books are cool but some recipes could be locked for a later game stage. In other words there is not much to look forward to in the future and its become a bit more like a FPS with elements of survival, base building and crafting, when it was much better as a survival, base building and crafting game with FPS elements.

Its kind of a hand holding Oblivion with fast travel and quest markers compared to Morrowind, well that's an exaggeration of course as it is still a good game (as was Oblivion), it just seems now its taken a step back from previous versions IMO.

If I had a wish list it would be:

1) Go back to deep exploration mining to find the best sources of materials especially oil shale, and bring back iron ore instead of only scrap iron.

2) Cut down on the recipes for advanced crafting.

3) Allow players to build purple items in late stages.

4) Do not sell certain items such as vehicles, chemistry stations and the like at traders.

Sorry if this sounds like a whiny rant, I just agree with the boredom the OP is experiencing. Although it may more than likely be just me bored in gaming in general, in which case its not the games fault. I was playing Jagged Alliance: Back In Action and that game did get me way addicted the way 7 Days used to, so I don't know, maybe like BB King and "the thrill is gone" type-thing.

 
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All I have to say is the game feels far more like a ghost town then it ever has. little to no roaming zombies, everybody is asleep, and wandering hordes are so incredibly lame as they are now. The only time the game feels out to get you is on horde night. Pre A17 it never felt quite like this.
Game is still fun but seems to be lacking that "relentless enemy" feeling that got me hooked in the first place. I know MM mentioned a dynamic something or other but that's no guarantee.
I felt the same exact way and my solution for that was to turn up roaming zombie count from 1 to 2 in every biome and to cut in half the respawn days of roaming zombies in XML file. this populates the world more with zombies and makes it feel a lot more like A16...so I've been told by everyone on my server and I feel the same. You could try that and see if it helps.

 
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Removed insults

You have 1000 hours playtime and complain about it became boring now?

I have "only" around 500 hours since A15 and it continues to become more and more boring, even with mods.

There have been exactly 3 games i've ever played and came slightly above 1000 hours... and guess what... they became boring.

What do people expect? The same game with the same scenario becoming over and over reinvented again and therefore stays interesting forever? Paying 30 bucks once and got a lifetimesupport of fun?

Hint: Move on, play other games. There are 3-5 other games out there you could play. A friend told me that once. I couldn't believe it but i looked it up and to my surprise, he was right.

Antoher hint: Choose a game that is not zombie-apocalypse-survival-crafting...

 
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I have to agree that its too simple to get what you need or want. One of my favorite things was mining and the above ground stones that appear for every mineral is taking away my fun of exploring deep mines for my needed minerals. As well a the fact that you can buy everything at a trader, Gyrocopters to Chemistry Stations means less to look forward to in later game stages. the books are cool but some recipes could be locked for a later game stage. In other words there is not much to look forward to in the future and its become a bit more like a FPS with elements of survival, base building and crafting, when it was much better as a survival, base building and crafting game with FPS elements.
Its kind of a hand holding Oblivion with fast travel and quest markers compared to Morrowind, well that's an exaggeration of course as it is still a good game (as was Oblivion), it just seems now its taken a step back from previous versions IMO.

If I had a wish list it would be:

1) Go back to deep exploration mining to find the best sources of materials especially oil shale, and bring back iron ore instead of only scrap iron.

2) Cut down on the recipes for advanced crafting.

3) Allow players to build purple items in late stages.

4) Do not sell certain items such as vehicles, chemistry stations and the like at traders.

Sorry if this sounds like a whiny rant, I just agree with the boredom the OP is experiencing. Although it may more than likely be just me bored in gaming in general, in which case its not the games fault. I was playing Jagged Alliance: Back In Action and that game did get me way addicted the way 7 Days used to, so I don't know, maybe like BB King and "the thrill is gone" type-thing.
1.) There would need to be a lot more to explore underground for me to thumbs up the first part. Mining early game at night was fine for me, but given the choice of exploring above ground or tinking endlessly in a hole to find ore veins, I'll take the new setup any day. I admit, I will forever be baffled about wanting iron ore back. Iron - or scrap iron for that matter - was never, IME, so hard to find that the change to having it all be scrap iron changed anything for me. It was just one less icon.

2.) Objection! Seriously tho, I love the option to buy things like that from the trader. It doesn't mean that INT is King for crafting, but you also don't get the bonuses that INT and it's skills give which still gives value to the INT and it's stuff, but without locking the player out of those advancements. Could prices be different? Eh maybe, but as someone that really does like to play a scavenger style, this is one of my favorite changes that they made.

3.) I think keeping purple locked to scavenging/trader is fine. Each of these systems need to have a point and purpose in the game. I do wish they'd open up more mod slots tho. If there is one thing that bothers me about crafting rn is that the difference between Q1 & Q2/Q3 & Q4 don't really feel worth crafting new gear without the additional mod slot.

4.) Point two covers this.

I don't think you're whining. We all have preferences. I prefer to play AGI builds, but it'd be a heck of a lot harder if I couldn't get some of that stuff from the trader and underground mining would be a pain without Miner69er.

 
I felt the same exact way and my solution for that was to turn up roaming zombie count from 1 to 2 in every biome and to cut in half the respawn days of roaming zombies in XML file. this populates the world more with zombies and makes it feel a lot more like A16...so I've been told by everyone on my server and I feel the same. You could try that and see if it helps.
Oh I do use mods/modlets to do this. I'm just saying vanilla has become empty. Had my cousin ask when he first got the game where all the zombies were. I told them they are asleep in the buildings and you have to wake them. His response rhymed with "hay".

 
Fallout skyrim borderlands all have replayability over and over cause its not easy it doesnt hand the easy route to players.
I quit my first and only Skyrim playthrough because I was basically untouchable. No enemy could do anything to me.

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I felt the same exact way and my solution for that was to turn up roaming zombie count from 1 to 2 in every biome and to cut in half the respawn days of roaming zombies in XML file. this populates the world more with zombies and makes it feel a lot more like A16...so I've been told by everyone on my server and I feel the same. You could try that and see if it helps.
I went for zombie count to 10 and respawn 0.1. Still not quite A16 but getting there.

 
Sorry but the eye rolling i think is us towards some of the things like how easy and boring this game gets quickly.
Set difficulty Insane, Zombie speed to Nightmare (always), XP gain to 300%, 30 min day cycle. Biome zombie count tweaked up as discussed.

Still boring?

 
Dont know what I can tell you...example...

<biome name="city">

<spawn maxcount="10" respawndelay="0.1" time="Day" entitygroup="ZombiesAll" />

<spawn maxcount="10" respawndelay="0.1" time="Night" entitygroup="ZombiesNight" />

<spawn maxcount="1" respawndelay="1" time="Any" entitygroup="ZombieDogGroup" />

</biome>

I also set the perception stat to 250. I forget what it's called now but I think it's important. Otherwise a large number could spawn but still never interact. At 250 they are heading towards you from everywhere as soon as they spawn. The only problem is that even at respawn 0.1 they come in waves and there is a definite lull if you kill them all which makes it feel "non-organic".

One thing I will say, I originally had it at 5 day and 7 night and it was decent. When I upped it to 10 I really didn't see much effect to be honest.

 
I quit my first and only Skyrim playthrough because I was basically untouchable. No enemy could do anything to me.
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I went for zombie count to 10 and respawn 0.1. Still not quite A16 but getting there.
My gripe with Skyrim and Oblivion is I played Morrowind first. Morrowind was the all out winner for hours played probably over 1000 hours (before steam counting was a thing). Another reason graphics do not always make a game greater.

Personally my thing is not the ease of combat or zombie count, I am more into the mining, scavenging, crafting and base building and these things have not been as fun as usual, aside from the base building in which I have not started my final base yet.

 
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I also think that the game is balanced for 8 zombies at a time.
I don't think do. For the simple reason that 8 zombies at a time is really zero challenge. I'm not trying to sound like an ass but even on Insane, 8 zombies at a time is not an issue. I've tried it. Lots. Even though it is 8 per player and there were 2 of us, so 16, it was a pretty weak assault. We also tended to use base designs that kept vultures out and flying harmlessly overhead. This makes the horde thin as the night passes out as your 16 zombie limit ends up being all vultures that are not engaging, and no ground zombies can spawn then. It's a serious problem when you set it 8.

We upped it to 24 the moment my friend's machine could handle it and the game is far more satisfying. I think 8 was chosen as the default for performance only.

You can build bases that can handle 64 zombies + demolishers without using exploits but you will have to spend a lot of resources on this type of base.
Depends. If your base can handle lots of explosives use, then larger maxAlive can be easier as you are taking out more of them for fewer resource if they are appearing in bigger crowds. We are mass-producing explosives these days where we used to use bullets, now that we figured demolishers out (and they got nerfed).

News flash! Not really related but in my current solo run, Survivalist difficulty, I just did my day 63 horde. I am level 105, Gamestage was 332 and I got ZERO Demolishers. I know its RNG but wth??

 
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Dont know what I can tell you...example...
<biome name="city">

<spawn maxcount="10" respawndelay="0.1" time="Day" entitygroup="ZombiesAll" />

<spawn maxcount="10" respawndelay="0.1" time="Night" entitygroup="ZombiesNight" />

<spawn maxcount="1" respawndelay="1" time="Any" entitygroup="ZombieDogGroup" />

</biome>

I also set the perception stat to 250. I forget what it's called now but I think it's important. Otherwise a large number could spawn but still never interact. At 250 they are heading towards you from everywhere as soon as they spawn. The only problem is that even at respawn 0.1 they come in waves and there is a definite lull if you kill them all which makes it feel "non-organic".

One thing I will say, I originally had it at 5 day and 7 night and it was decent. When I upped it to 10 I really didn't see much effect to be honest.
Just do this to all your biomes spawns.

<spawn maxcount="3" respawndelay="0" time="Day" entitygroup="ZombiesAll" />

<spawn maxcount="3" respawndelay="0" time="Any" entitygroup="ZombiesAll" />

<spawn maxcount="3" respawndelay="0" time="Night" entitygroup="ZombiesAll" />

If you want to get a bit more out of it double the lines.

<spawn maxcount="3" respawndelay="0" time="Day" entitygroup="ZombiesAll" />

<spawn maxcount="3" respawndelay="0" time="Day" entitygroup="ZombiesAll" />

respawndelay="0" works for instant respawn in 18.3. Kill one, and another will spawn to take its place.

Sorry to say but, the "city" adjustments doesn't do anything. Only the biome portions themselves.

At least from everything I tested out recently for a18.3

 
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