PC Developer Discussions: Alpha 17

[dhlmaster]

Just a suggestion for those that are getting antsy and have access to the PC. Try modding. I'll guarantee it'll do at least 2 things.

1) Give you a slightly better understanding on just how much TFP have actually done to try and give ppl the tools to try out certain suggestions they would like in the game.

2) Frustrate you enough to realize just how much TFP have gone through to bring you this game so far.

Want a world that fits your needs? Build it!

Want zeds to react more how you want them? Tweak them.

Want more items or items to be more complex? Have at it.

Will you be able to do everything you want? Maybe! Depends how far down the rabbit hole you want to go.

Now that I am into modding, I actually like the longer time between releases. I might get incredibly frustrated if I had to completely redo all of my work every couple of months. As it stands, I already have to do some extra work whenever there is a minor release (like 16.1, 16.2, 16.3, 16.4). The changes from one alpha to the next are a lot more involved than the changes in the minor releases. Entire systems get reworked.

 

[IrishGhost]

I agree 100 percent here. Since working on my stuff I have come to appreciate NEVER giving a release time and FULLY support the term Soon more than I ever have. It is NOT easy especially when you have everyone telling you different things when it comes to balance etc.
I totally get them wanting to step away for a bit and just work on their vision. I really do wish some of the people who demand it now would give modding a chance so they can experience a tenth of what Pimps have to go through in releasing an Alpha.

I just want a optimized and least buggy experience possible, major updates are just additional icing on the cake

 

[Tin]

Now that I am into modding, I actually like the longer time between releases. I might get incredibly frustrated if I had to completely redo all of my work every couple of months. As it stands, I already have to do some extra work whenever there is a minor release (like 16.1, 16.2, 16.3, 16.4). The changes from one alpha to the next are a lot more involved than the changes in the minor releases. Entire systems get reworked.

Glad you took the jump! Welcome aboard! It's a rewarding experience.

I mean, how can you go wrong when you're setting up things as close as you can to what you want?

 

[meganoth]

that's what the 3rd one was called dead matter lol, i am waiting for that one the city is in my province can not wait for it lol.
and it looks super polished already either way i can host both but take awhile to rack up 2500+ hours on it

Yep, Dead Matter really looks good. Good looking means you will have fun looking at stuff the first 10 hours until you have seen (nearly) everything. Then lets see if that game has the necessary depth and will really keep you playing for 2500 hours too. Then and only then come back and tell us of the shipwreck that 7days supposedly is. :cocksure:

sadly i think that game can derail 7dtd easy and it releases first quarter 2018,

How can it derail a game that already successfully **released** to more than 2 mio. people? If everyone stopped playing Skyrim today, would doomsayers come out and declare Skyrim derailed and a failure?

And notice that Dead Matter releases in first quarter of 2018 as an EA game as well. Anyone have a good guess on how long it will stays in EA? (Actually, since it isn't voxel, it probably will be out faster, but well, voxel is what makes 7d special)

 

[Demonoid74]

They need to make 7days to die hipster shirts...shows the old blocky terrain and says "There when it was square! Me > You!"

 

[Roland]

“I had to hop up hills”

 

[Odetta]

Yep.

Lmao!

 

[sillls]

“I had to hop up hills”

Me to.

 

[wicketness]

Ok lets get back to the real reason we are all here.....

it is all of us against this we must make sure this doesn't get out this could be what ends the human race and produces the guppycurian forum A.I that will take over the entire internet of forums.

0.o what are we gonna do.

Ctrl + Alt + Del

RIP i can handle it anymore RIP

 

[Aldranon]

don;t get me wrong i love the game but it scares me when you see the what i will call the old lion vs the young lion coming out.but time will tell, 2.5 million copies is alot i know from my own gaming group at least 100+ can no longer play the game and they are not even looking into those issues yet.

i really hope these new guys are the new blood this game needs someone to actually work on it like a job and not when you feel like it.

"Passionate Hobby" is what I called it to myself and its not entirely a bad thing in the short term. In the long term, because of the passion for the game, 7D2D will most likely become the Gold Standard for voxel games.

When will it be done? When their passion for a Part2 is stronger.

 

[stallionsden]

Yep, Dead Matter really looks good. Good looking means you will have fun looking at stuff the first 10 hours until you have seen (nearly) everything. Then lets see if that game has the necessary depth and will really keep you playing for 2500 hours too. Then and only then come back and tell us of the shipwreck that 7days supposedly is. :cocksure:


How can it derail a game that already successfully **released** to more than 2 mio. people? If everyone stopped playing Skyrim today, would doomsayers come out and declare Skyrim derailed and a failure?

And notice that Dead Matter releases in first quarter of 2018 as an EA game as well. Anyone have a good guess on how long it will stays in EA? (Actually, since it isn't voxel, it probably will be out faster, but well, voxel is what makes 7d special)

Dead matter also uses unreal engine and not unity. You can not compare games that 1. Use different engines and 2. Two of the same type a game but are still completely different.

 

[sillls]

Dead matter also uses unreal engine and not unity. You can not compare games that 1. Use different engines and 2. Two of the same type a game but are still completely different.

Which is better, unreal of unity?

 

[Bubo]

:biggrin1:

Ok lets get back to the real reason we are all here.....
it is all of us against this we must make sure this doesn't get out this could be what ends the human race and produces the guppycurian forum A.I that will take over the entire internet of forums.

0.o what are we gonna do.

Ctrl + Alt + Del

RIP i can handle it anymore RIP

"Passionate Hobby" is what I called it to myself and its not entirely a bad thing in the short term. In the long term, because of the passion for the game, 7D2D will most likely become the Gold Standard for voxel games.
When will it be done? When their passion for a Part2 is stronger.

That was rather poetic..

 

[stallionsden]

Which is better, unreal of unity?

Each has their own qualities. But imho unreal kills unity. Altho I do believe and to my understanding you can't do voxel on unreal engine or have fully destructible worlds and this is where unity exceeds.

So each has their own exceeding qualities and their own downfalls to. Someone whom has more knowledge maybe able to correct me or add to it

 

[Rickstaa]

OMG!!!..... if they can't be placed with a Bow/Crossbow.... It will be a waste of time to make work right.....
just in case you go "why?"

Scenario:

You are on a building with tons of Zombies surrounding you..you want to go from one building to another "with your Zipline"

So because you can't place it with a well placed Crossbow or bow shot...you have to run all the way to the bottom of the building "With a Tool anyways" to place it then run all the way to the top again just to use it.

Mind you in turn your running threw Zombies anyways...you might as well not place it.....and just leave......

So unless its done right..its worthless.....

and if i hurt anybody feelings putting it this way...too bad..get a life...

the Modding forums have Awesome programmers also...but you know.....

Or you know it could be placed in preparation for whatever lies ahead...

Scenario: you have looted a huge tower a few days ago which now has been respawned...rather than looting all the way to the top to run all the way back down, you get to the top and zip line down.

-Mic Drop- :hand:

 

[Royal Deluxe]

Or you know it could be placed in preparation for whatever lies ahead...Scenario: you have looted a huge tower a few days ago which now has been respawned...rather than looting all the way to the top to run all the way back down, you get to the top and zip line down.

-Mic Drop- :hand:

Or you place some haybales and jump simply down

 

[Hiperion]

I just know about Starvation mod, there's any more mod that add survivors?

 

[Gazz]

5 years isn't really that long for a game in development. I know games that take 6-8 years in development and they are a huge company with way more people working on it but the difference is they don't let you play while working on the game so you don't hear about the game until they get closer to a release date.

Team size is often misunderstood.

Having a dedicated systems designer can help. Having 20 systems designers goes everywhere and nowhere.

You do need these giant teams to put out an off-the-shelf AAA title with a pre-baked map and lots of POI.

The handcrafted play area in Fallout 4 is certainly bigger than in 7D and that's what you need a lot of people for.

TFP is a small team and has no illusions about that. You can see re-used POI and content but you will also see increasing random variations in these POI that will make you less certain whether or not this really was the same house you had just been in. =)

...my point is, these are foundations for when they're ready to be implemented, and it just so happens, A17 will implement a lot of the stuff we've been seeing lying in wait, and well, it takes time. =)
Quests alone... geesh, the potential there... I've said it before, it's got the potential to be the most powerful system in the game, and from Roland's crumb dropping lately it sounds pretty awesome.

The quest system (and the supporting infrastructure) will not suck.

I only work on bits of the "supporting infrastructure" but it will be a lot more than "kill 5 zombie nurses"...

(and I don't mean 20 zombie nurses)

Gazz can you please hofix a few bugs in the game ?As example i think it would be nice if the player drops all items of his belt every 3rd time he meets a wolf

Hmm. That would just be XML now.

Every time you get killed by dogs the dogCounter increases by 5, every time you are close to dogs it increases by 1.

Every dog you kill decreases it by 1.

Over time it decays but if it goes over 10 you get temporary cynophobia.

On encountering dogs you soil your breeches and get some sort of debuff.

The buff/item/skill system is now... quite powerful.

You singled out ONE line from his otherwise spot on post.

Yes, I do.

Steam reviews are "very positive" and recent reviews keep trending up still.

The whole social media hubbub may be crucial for a game with an expected shelf life of 3 weeks but 7DTD is not an It Girl that will be gone by then.

 

[Crater Creator]

TFP is a small team and has no illusions about that. You can see re-used POI and content but you will also see increasing random variations in these POI that will make you less certain whether or not this really was the same house you had just been in. =)

That's the most encouraging thing I've heard in some time. I'm hopefully preaching to the choir (or the architect of the church as the case may be), but handcrafted variation can't compete with procedural variation for creating the thousands of hours worth of non-repetitive content that makes this game stand out. I do hope that in time you'll leverage the same approach to characters as well as environments: the same rationale applies.

 

[Xtrakicking]

The quest system (and the supporting infrastructure) will not suck.

I only work on bits of the "supporting infrastructure" but it will be a lot more than "kill 5 zombie nurses"...

(and I don't mean 20 zombie nurses)

I think in order for it to be fun it has to blend in with the world, like in Red Dead Redemption. Is it cool to find a random note that tells you to do something? Maybe once or twice, but most of the times it isn't. Now, is it fun to walk down a road and come across a grieving woman asking for help cause her husband is trapped in a house surrounded by zombies? Hell yeah.

The quest system is one of the things that should make the world feel alive; that should make the player forget he or she's playing a game. That's very hard to accomplish, but if you nail it you got one hell of a game.