PC Developer Discussions: Alpha 17

[konrax]

I mostly optimize as I work on stuff. I don't believe in writing slow junk and then coming back later to fix it. Coming back later to me is for optimizing the optimizations.
A17 has a variety of optimizations I have done, like AI updates use about 25% of CPU they used to use. I know others have also made optimizations, but some systems have also gotten more complex like pathing and vehicles, which generally means slower, but a lot of the time that is situational. For example, pathing is slower in some ways, but faster in others.

Bottom line is every feature needs CPU and or GPU power to run. Making the game more complicated is not free. It eats into the CPU, GPU, memory, disk or network bandwidth budgets. You can only optimize so much before you approach the maximum theoretical speed that a system will run at with the features it has. That means we have to tailor the features to some minimum hardware spec that gets us a playable experience, which is totally subjective. If a 10 year old laptop averages 5 FPS, then no amount of optimizations will fix that, short of removing large features, which we would not do.

Optimizing is one of my favorite programming tasks, so I will be keenly following any performance issues you guys or I have with A17, once we get to the playing it part of development.

Thanks for all this great information.

Just wondering if you think increased zombie pack sizes will be a realistic expectation for the community to have in a17?

 

[Xeen]

If I'm not mistaken, faatal said something along the lines of only giving the zombieDog?! the dig deal at the start, if it makes it in?! not a (100% sure anymore).

Yeah I think he was trying it out on the dog first for testing and if all goes well use it for the other zombies that he wanted to have the ability.

 

[archergod]

Well so one week of July is out, even if we are looking for First week of August release and time it take Madmole to respond, isn't it time for him to do his "Madmole Game play" video step? if he do that in next 1-2 days then by their speed [not saying it is slow, but been realistic here], it will be first of August to release Experimental A17.

Regards @faatal's optimization comment, I partially agree with you, but if a 10 yr old render at 5 Fps, optimization can make it go 8-10fps don't underestimate optimization . And though pathing and vehicle physical get complex, it is because you optimize it to take all. So, if A16 works on one Ideal machine, I am guess we can assume that machine can run A17's complex system without any problem as new content make it complex, but your optimization reduce hardware for new content to old machine level. If this statement proves to be true, then I thnk most of us will be happy as we see new content without buying new graphics card or RAM.

 

[Pichii]

I find myself checking this site almost everyday, sometimes (Usually) multiple times a day.

I find myself frothing at the mouth and trying to find the antibiotics I stashed in this crate sometime before I left on that scouting mission days ago...

"Where the hell are they!?"

Eureka! You found them! As you put the pill to your lips and attempt to dry-swallow it, you crumple to the ground dead of infection and thus, join the hordes of undead.

PS: If you dont give us MOAR news soon, you will be responsible for killing the last of the surviving population of humanity. :distrust:

 

[Crater Creator]

That "hungry" zombie is a dead ringer for a lady I know in town. Her name is Vickie. Since i am obese, I don't think it is unfair or cruel to comment that TFP must have been working from a pic of Vickie cuz I was shocked when I saw her in the game. We have shakie willie and "angry young man" as well (the guy that stamps around with fists at his sides)

Group photo!!!!

 

[Sinz]

sorry, dont mean to come off as an ass, but pretty sure its been said that TFP arent following any specific zombie "canon."
I actually prefer the sleepers over swarming zombies. those are easier than sleepers to get rid of and pose no challenge (unless you're playing on always run and you're level 1)

Quite the contrary, Madmole said that the core inspiration for 7 Days to Die is The Walking Dead, Minecraft and Fallout.

The discussion of people missing zombies swarming in city streets actually was specifically referring to making the city a challenge for low levels. Check the other posts.

Wasn’t rummaging in containers supposed to make noise and attract zombies? That would be the counter balance to take/deposit all. Of course, being able to push one button to empty a container quickly before the zombie hits you is kind of a cheat...

It's only the initial opening that makes the sound which is also quite quiet if you're crouched but you're absolutely right. But the "loot all" button has been in since day one.

Well, I really hope they bring back zombies in the streets and the scary city atmosphere in A17. Not sure why we can't have both wandering zeds and sleepers. It's good to see people agree with me, because right now if you find a city... You win.

Yeah in A16 sleepers are too easy hopefully they're more perceptive in A17. I've seen mention that sleeper spawns are better for A17. If sleepers are more perceptive and spawn better maybe we'll see more out on the streets from the outdoor sleeper spawn spots since they should hear us walking past?

Just tested chairs and they seem fine.

Awesome

Nice! Do you think you can put a list of the states and the animation names you are using in the entityclasses.xml or in the readme.txt that are currently available? ex: manually turn of the jump state that I seen in the vid (for ahh the heavy zeds..) or Manually remove or add the digging state to other entities if that ends up being done.

Would be awesome if we had that as a xml edit we could do, for after we play the death out of the vanilla game ofc

This would be nice.

 

[TSBX]

Would be really nice if one of the entries from new buffs.XML fell off of the back of a truck...

 

[Darkfoxx117]

Would be really nice if one of the entries from new buffs.XML fell off of the back of a truck...

TFP work in the back of trucks and constantly on the move to keep their whereabouts a mystery to A17 enthusiasts.

 

[Janna3921]

I get your point and like to agree partially. Decisions are an important part of the game. But what about a broader backpack instead of a bigger one?
At the moment you can theoretically have 40 times 500 (= 20000) 1m² concrete blocks in your backpack, or 40 times 250 (10000) feathers, or 20000 seeds. But if you want variety, you are lost. You even need one stack for just 15 goldenrod tea and another one if you want to drink one single bottle, because the emptied jar goes in another spot. Emptied jars you can have 500. If you find 2 bottled water you need another stack.

What I would like to see is more space in the backpack, but fewer space in total. Let's stay with the drinks:

instead of carrying up to 15goldenrod tea and xxx emptied jars, I'd like to carry for example 3 goldenrod tea, 2 red tea, one beer and 2 bottled water that I found in loot and might make more tea from. On the other hand I might just have a stack size of 15 emptied jars.

In an apocalypse, why should I leave 2 purified bottled water in a looted kitchen, because I already have 10 goldenrod tea, when I have a backpack that currently contains 2000 wood and can carry another 3000 wood? In my opinion that's nonsense.

I know I'm late to the conversation, but you know my feeling so backpack size. So much has been added but no extra room in the backpack. Just another row of slots would be a big help. I do agree that we can add too much of some stuff. That much wood, for example, could be cut back to a third less. Cutting back on water to me is not a good idea.

I stop playing in vanilla and now only play WOTW, so I don't remember what the old backpack sizes were, but there does need to be some changes. What they will be is always seen as different to the different play styles and what the various player see as important. Those who make their ammo want to have slots for lead, brass and gunpowder, that can be a lot of slots with the different type of those items.

Less of water, no, you would have players complaining of running out and not able to take time to make more drinkable water. You'd have to take time to cook the murky water, then cook the red and goldenrod tea. I go with increasing the water to 20 in fact, and players need to pick what other they want, beer, goldenrod, red, yucca, coffee, that needs to be where they make the which is important decisions.

Cut back on how much wood, stone fiber you can carry, slightly increase the amount of jars, those who use guns need to decide which ones are more important. They want slots for a rifle, pistol, ammo for both and some state they carry two riffles.

Fix the frigging weather! ! ! This isn't reality, we can't acclimate to the changes like a person does in real life. Visit a town and in one part (random gen seeds) is snow and you need warm clothes or a puffer coat, another is plains and desert, you need a poncho and some shorts and tee shirt. For forest, a long sleeve top and jeans; and you can't just stay in one biome, that changes. Be in a forest but have snow close by and you can all of a sudden have a blizzard, or a desert and have a heat wave.

One row of slots, stack books, have less variety of brass, learn how to pick and choose in ammo and guns, and in other items. At least they are getting rid of all those stupid gun parts we had to collect to make a gun.

We all have different opinions of what is important; but it won't matter who wants what, it is what the fun pimps see as important that is the deciding factor.

 

[Survager]

Last week I added some extra AI obstacle check code for the very purpose of finding partial edge blocks in the way. The AI now aggressively attacks those blocks.

Zombi now in Alpha 16 well done jump over all fences. what are you talking about?

 

[Kamikaze]

@Fataal how zombies see vehicles in patch routing? Are they avoiding it like block obstancles (stool,chair) or they didn't see it?

 

[Guppycur]

Would be really nice if one of the entries from new buffs.XML fell off of the back of a truck...

I stole this snippet from gazz while he was reenacting a scene from Ghost:

<

 

[faatal]

Nice! Do you think you can put a list of the states and the animation names you are using in the entityclasses.xml or in the readme.txt that are currently available? ex: manually turn of the jump state that I seen in the vid (for ahh the heavy zeds..) or Manually remove or add the digging state to other entities if that ends up being done.

Would be awesome if we had that as a xml edit we could do, for after we play the death out of the vanilla game ofc

The system is not as simple as that. There is not a list of states. It is a lot of variables and AI classes interacting with each other. Some feature toggles or percents could get put into xml, but not likely for A17.

 

[Ouch Quit It]

Coughs * VIDEO * Coughs

 

[kamer1337]

can we expect mining helmet to be fixed? when its turned off people still see the light

 

[faatal]

Regards @faatal's optimization comment, I partially agree with you, but if a 10 yr old render at 5 Fps, optimization can make it go 8-10fps don't underestimate optimization . And though pathing and vehicle physical get complex, it is because you optimize it to take all. So, if A16 works on one Ideal machine, I am guess we can assume that machine can run A17's complex system without any problem as new content make it complex, but your optimization reduce hardware for new content to old machine level. If this statement proves to be true, then I thnk most of us will be happy as we see new content without buying new graphics card or RAM.

Yes, 5 FPS could turn into 8-10 FPS and I knew someone would say that after I posted, which is still bad and I would not play the game on that computer. My point being that that old computer is never going to play the game well enough for me unless you removed large features from the game.

And, yes added complexity slowing it down will generally be balanced by overall optimizations that speed it back up.

 

[Survager]

Yes, when you jump you can attach to the 3rd ladder block, but if your leg is broken, you can't jump that high.Dropping from 2 meters won't break your leg, so don't need haybales for that height.

Faatal, can we climb the stairs if we have a broken arm?

 

[Henrique]

Can't wait for TFP to release A17 to shut up these whiners crying about how long it's been since an update!!

Are We There Yet? :loyal:

 

[worf3k]

i hope we can at least hobble up!

 

[Survager]

Faatal, will the zombies try to destroy the turrets and loudspeakers? Zombies respond to loud sounds, so they should try to destroy the source of the sound, no?