PC Developer Discussions: Alpha 17

[XCOUNTRY]

I think it was just an idea passed around and a couple modders thought about implementing it. I don't know if the devs actually plan on doing this, so it would be whatever your preference was.

Me personally would:

Stainless Steel Block->Reinforced concrete->destroyed (since its concrete plated in steel, IMHO)=18,000hp

All other block upgrades->destroyed (since I believe the rest are a blend/completely different--scrap iron stuff already does this after you upgrade it from wood)=Cumulative HP from all preceding blocks.

 

[Crater Creator]

It is pretty cool to stand in a room with a variety of wall blocks and improve the weak spot a zombie is beating on and then they will shift to next weakest and so on. Like having a structural engineer bang on stuff and say fix this.

So the zombies will be like engineers, eh?

Spoiler

Another part of me is thinking they're not civil engineers, they're just mindless zombies. So being able to outsmart them is reasonable.

The counter-argument to improving the A.I. is that they're not civil engineers, they're zombies. They're like a dog on a leash, that runs in circles and then doesn't understand how the leash got shorter. They don't think about structural integrity, they just go straight for trying to reach your tasty, tasty brains. As a human, your superior intelligence is your key asset against their far greater numbers...

I've said it before - they're not structural engineers, they're mindless zombies after your brains. Not taking the direct path demonstrates a level of intelligence I'm not sure zombies should possess...

On the other hand, zombies aren't engineers.

However, I want a limit on the zombie's intelligence. They're not structural engineers. They shouldn't be expected to size up a building and target the load bearing wall or pillar, per se.

You’ve highlighted exactly why I’m not a fan of this solution: zombies lack the mental capacity to grasp engineering concepts in my opinion. I mean, I’d take it over the current state where the player can become unreachable. But I would prefer that zombies be monsters, that overcome obstacles using their physical abilities...

I’ve been very trepidatious about making the zombies too smart in an un-zombie-like way. Zombies aren’t structural engineers. But I have to agree the results of going for a weak point are desirable...

Oh well... I hope I'm wrong, and the zombies still feel zombie-like.

 

[Crater Creator]

I think you'll find that the fallout system is a renamed version of the AD&D system with luck added. The original fallout game was developed as an AD&D game but the whole thing fell through and so as not to get sued by whoever the hell held the rights at the time they shifted genre to post-apocalyptic.

Neat! I didn't know that, though I did pick up right away on it having stats similar to rogue-likes, my first exposure to RPGs.

 

[Crater Creator]

Or maybe zombies ignore blocks already being targeted by other zombies. That would help them to spread out more and then if you killed a zombie another would then step forward to take its place since the block would be weaker but not currently targeted.

This sounds good to me. Even a ravenous pack of animals seems to be aware that it's seldom productive to waste all their energy bumping into each other. The block could be flagged as 'in use', or the zombie could make a bigger invisible 'hole' that extends in front of itself for purposes of the other zombies' pathfinding. Heck, that would be nice when they're just wandering, too.

 

[Crater Creator]

Was more curious to see if @Fataal was also working on (excuse the following programming ignorance) the AI part that controls how the zombies perceive/detect players and/or how a zombie determines where to wander around and if it is truly random or if the code forces zombies to gravitate in the direction a player is currently located. And by that I don't mean a straight line shot code, just a "he's over there somewhere, ballpark, yolo, wander in a northeasterly direction that'a way, maybe you'll see him" sort of code.

In A16 zombies definitely wander specifically towards your position. This makes sense with the right mindset, however. Suppose for the sake of argument that the game spawned zombies that wandered in all directions all the time, all over the map. You wouldn't even be aware of most of these zombies. You'd only see and interact with the ones that happen to wander reasonably close to you. So to save the CPU cycles of simulating a million zombies everywhere, the game culls them all out except for the ones that happen to be wandering your way. This is functionally the same as only spawning zombies that wander your way in the first place.

 

[Dagzambie]

Some one done woke up Crater Creator!

 

[Guppycur]

Wanderings wonder at the position you were at when they spawned. Move around a lot.

Makes no sense to have them wander just to wander, when no player is nearby.

It would be nice to have a random offset to the target spawn though.

 

[Roland]

Some one done woke up Crater Creator!

I’ve been working on his AI...

 

[sillls]

Thanks Roland. But what about if you overhydrate? Say like your at 95% hydration and you drink some goldenrod tea which is good for 40%.

Will overhydrating keep your stamina maxed out for awhile?

 

[Roland]

Thanks Roland. But what about if you overhydrate? Say like your at 95% hydration and you drink some goldenrod tea which is good for 40%.
Will overhydrating keep your stamina maxed out for awhile?

Hydration controls how quickly your stamina and hp replenish. It doesn’t effect the level of your max stamina or max health. If you are at 100% on water then after sprinting you’ll recover your stamina at the fastest rate. 30% means the stamina will refill more slowly. Overhydration wouldn’t do anything.

Eating gets your max stamina up to 100% and if you overeat I have no idea if that would keep you at 100% longer or not.

Just like anything those who just play and don’t worry about the levels of the bars overly and just eat a good meal twice a day will do fine with the new system and those who obsess over the bar levels and adopt it as the new core game will come on the forums and complain saying that the game is unplayable without eating all the time because they can’t function unless their bars are consistently topped out....

 

[Gnomaana]

Hydration controls how quickly your stamina and hp replenish. It doesn’t effect the level of your max stamina or max health. If you are at 100% on water then after sprinting you’ll recover your stamina at the fastest rate. 30% means the stamina will refill more slowly. Overhydration wouldn’t do anything.
Eating gets your max stamina up to 100% and if you overeat I have no idea if that would keep you at 100% longer or not.

Just like anything those who just play and don’t worry about the levels of the bars overly and just eat a good meal twice a day will do fine with the new system and those who obsess over the bar levels and adopt it as the new core game will come on the forums and complain saying that the game is unplayable without eating all the time because they can’t function unless their bars are consistently topped out....

But what about Thursdays Roland? What if every Thursday I drink 2 water, 1 gold rod tea, and eat 2 vegetable stews while standing 21.3 feet from a Trader? What then Roland?

I'm not going to even go into my Friday routine until you can answer that question.

 

[Phoenixshade35]

Roland, I gotta say this has me excited, playing different playthroughs, different maps where you play as one style and that is it, playing as a nomad has become easier to do with this system, or even a brute that only goes around killing zombies and doesnt build, but always on the road looking to end the apocolypse, will be fun, what type do you find yourself playing as?

 

[Kosmic Kerman]

Boomer was my favorite. Stuck with Hawaii 5-0 for as long as I could stomach but ultimately it wasn't worth it.

Sadly Grace Park has been implicated in the NXIVM brouhaha. Her exact involvement is unknown but she may have participated in the more shady stuff.

 

[XCOUNTRY]

What do you guys think of a special zombie spawning on the place of your dead buddy during a MP game, or your body in SP? Could set the condition that the death has to be from a zombie (unless this game follows TWD rules?). Could make base defense interesting for the pit trap guys if one of their friends got careless and died and a zombie/mini boss spawns inside the base.

 

[Gnomaana]

What do you guys think of a special zombie spawning on the place of your dead buddy during a MP game, or your body in SP? Could set the condition that the death has to be from a zombie (unless this game follows TWD rules?). Could make base defense interesting for the pit trap guys if one of their friends got careless and died and a zombie/mini boss spawns inside the base.

That would be an interesting mod. It would sort of mimic them turning into a zombie on death.

 

[Professor-Pip]

So I’ve been wondering, do zombies do damage to other zombies?

I’ve been in numerous situations where I’ve watched a zombie wail on another zombie but it’s never been clear if they are actually doing damage. I would expect them to, but I'm really not sure. If not, why not?

 

[Odetta]

@Rolands

Is there any big features that has yet to be revealed for A17?

 

[archergod]

Someone please ask @faatal to **NOT** Share daily update on AI improvement. It just make me more and more hyped. I feel like I play it already. Don't tease that hard man.

- - - Updated - - -

@Rolands
Is there any big features that has yet to be revealed for A17?

Ability for Fan to play ... aka game release to us.

 

[69WithAzombie]

No more Q and A? That was such a great way to interact with the fans and answer the many questions that the majority of us may have! Anyway we can get a few more of those? Also I remember seeing more of a interview type videos In the past on youtube. I think it was Joel's brother maybe?

 

[Aldranon]

This sounds good to me. Even a ravenous pack of animals seems to be aware that it's seldom productive to waste all their energy bumping into each other. The block could be flagged as 'in use', or the zombie could make a bigger invisible 'hole' that extends in front of itself for purposes of the other zombies' pathfinding. Heck, that would be nice when they're just wandering, too.

Even most insects will target the weaker joints of an enemy.

They often will avoid the stingers of the enemy.

And that's with a brain as big as this -> .

So, if the Amygdala, the size of your fist, is mostly intact, then you could have a formidable opponent! If that is the lore, then not every zombie should be violent.