PC Developer Discussions: Alpha 17

[Guest]

if you bump into more than 2 dogs before you have shotgun/automatic weapons you will die. Before it was an actual skill to be able to kite backwards while shooting arrows with your crappy bow to save your skin

Backwards kiting was more of an abuse of the bad AI pathfinding rather than skill, as many times they were running in circles or getting stuck in shrubs. Running away is not a viable option either as the stamina use was increased. As long as you're aware of your surroundings you can avoid wolves or dogs if you don't feel prepared.

 

[Aldranon]

I think the game needs a major overhaul towards combat and defense (building) in order to make hordes fun again. + some tweaks to lootIMO, horde nights should feel like a siege. Not like ticking timebombs everywhere.

I agree. The vomiting, exploding cop zombies are really absurd. Good if Monty Python made a Zombie movie maybe...

Of course, one could say its to get people used to Bandits who will spam rockets at you until there is nothing left of you or your fort. That will be fun too, right?

 

[GrumpyGringo]

Well I hope so. And they are my favourite parts too for the moment, Quests and all might become the new trend.

I'm thinking the same thing. Still excited for the release and looking forward to trying it, but it sounds more and more now that its a very different game than A16. Quest mining will take the place of zed mining. The zeds are now more of a roadblock than a lootbox. If the quests get stale, it will be fairly easy to mod new ones in I'm sure. Alot of modders can probably increase the frequency of the "dropped backpack" from the zeds also. I'm findind the dropped backpack makes more sense than finding good loot on a rotten body. My only complaint is some of the zeds should actually carry a backpack on their back. This will make them targets, but it makes sense. If I pass 10 zeds with no backpacks, I'll ignore them. If I see one in a field wandering by itself wearing a backpack, I'll most likely kill it.

Not all is lost, my children. Let them finish grooming for bugs and flossing fangs so they can release the kraken.

 

[4sheetzngeegles]

Thinning

@Faatal

Maybe this can help.

I will use the word thinning, because thats is what i've been reading, but I just called it AI adjustment.

For me to allow zombie spawn, a controlled animal spawn, and keep my resource use in check for smooth movement.

In entity classes, I included all unlike entities as enemy. Example: wolves attack anything other than wolves. Similar

to factions. I did this for each enemy ai to include all opposites, and included their corpses, giving them a bonus,

damage on corpse.

The timid animal group is set the opposite to run away from all, they are also set to only spawn at night.

My results If im out of sight/sense range and an areamasterspawner is activated I can watch ai interact

like a circle of life eco system. The benefit is at night I can hunt but must use stealth ,

" i adjusted parameters so yes, stealth does work" some time i may come across a carcass, or as a zombie is feeding,

I can either kill ranged, or fight for the food. But if im too slow the eating animation destroys the prey. It does

not lower danger, at might it makes it feel more of a fight for survival. That is where i get bones, there and the

buzzards.

 

[4sheetzngeegles]

Exactly. I have not played for fun in a year either. Why? Who wants to play a ripped up, broken, half redone game? Not me. We 'play' the game all the time, but just small parts as we work on a feature. That is generally not fun, but work. Today I loaded up a skyscraper prefab like 50 times and kited or watched zombies wander around researching a random pathing issue with AI freezing in tall buildings. That makes me great at watching the game, not so much playing it. Tomorrow I'll be doing the same, since I now know the bug is from grid updates stalling path generation, but I still have to fix it.

I dont know how your ui works so this is why im asking this question. Do you enable the zombie map icon when you are testing patterns?

 

[sillls]

Zombie's being a real threat

You know if you wanted zombies to be a real threat, you could always go back to were you had more zombies and zombie dogs wandering around in towns and city's. Like in 9.3.

Or back in Alpha 15 were if the player was discovered in a town. More zombies would spawn until there was an army attacking and would only get worse.

So why not that. Much better than instant re-spawn sleepers.

 

[MemeProf]

am i right that now we may still get meat and bones by cutting the "dead" (second-time) bodies?

 

[Guest]

Zombie's being a real threatYou know if you wanted zombies to be a real threat, you could always go back to were you had more zombies and zombie dogs wandering around in towns and city's. Like in 9.3. So why not that. Much better than instant re-spawn sleepers.

Mainly performance related issues and not being able to walk anywhere without being chased.

 

[Jedo]

Madmolic theme avatar , just anything with huge beard . lol but not the underwear theme

Those themes are not mutually exclusive...

 

[4sheetzngeegles]

Sills if you like to edit, try this just 4sheetzngeegles in entity class zombiemaletemplate change

<property name="NoiseAlertThreshold" value="5"/>

<property name="SmellAlertThreshold" value="40"/>

<property name="SightRange" value="500"/> go between 100 and 500

<property name="SightScale" value="0,7"/>

after if you dont like it just change it back

 

[Aldranon]

Zombie's being a real threat
You know if you wanted zombies to be a real threat, you could always go back to were you had more zombies and zombie dogs wandering around in towns and city's. Like in 9.3.

Or back in Alpha 15 were if the player was discovered in a town. More zombies would spawn until there was an army attacking and would only get worse.

So why not that. Much better than instant re-spawn sleepers.

I agree with this too. I did like the Hub City.

With POI's:

With a high enough stealth, a maxed out melee weapon and perks, I believe you will be able to clear out POI's pretty quickly. A full powered melee sneak attack on each sleeper will see to that.

However, unknowns that could make things interesting will be the "Tricks and Traps" and the Boss zombie at the end (who is hopefully not sleeping).

 

[Brimstone]

I am so excited now! LOL you are just having that effect! Come on everyone! Here the people sing! We want PANTIES! Batgirl panties all the better! Love your new AV!

OK, I'll bite... but panties just aren't really my thing, personally

(It's OK, though, Roland... I don't judge)

 

[Anabella]

I could be wrong here but I believe it was animal gore blocks that raised the heatmap and not zombie gore blocks. Someone with a PhD in TFP XMLs can correct if I’m TOOMA.

It was animal only.

 

[Guppycur]

But, those zombies have to be respawned. They don't hang around while you leave and wander around for 10 minutes. Large POIs have many sleeper volumes, usually next to each other and dozens of zombies. If you come back in another direction, it may not be able to respawn in the same spots without being seen.

The problem with the system is that zombies can respawn in an area that's not only been cleared, but also blocked off from an uncleared area due to a barricade, and that's just weird.

If volumes didn't have to be rectangles, poi makers could more intelligently design them and you could limit the respawns per volume, not poi.

 

[Matt 1977]

Im so glad the Factorio forums are not like here. A pleasant read to say the least.

Didnt faatal say the sleepers respawn was a bug or something?

 

[Guppycur]

Don't know. Just thinking. I've always thought animals were too rare. I'd be starving and wandering about early game just trying to find something to eat. Missing with my arrows as the meat runs away, but it was fun. Finally get that kill and yay I won't starve. 30-40 hours in and I'm bored as it starts getting safe. Safe is boring. Time to nuke the world and starve again.

Spawns aren't too rare, but rabbits and chickens are nearly useless spawns... You rarely SEE them, so rarely catch them.

Traps would solve that.

 

[Pichii]

Errrr.... No thanks. (Left click=use DENIED)

"Use" remapped to left mouse button 8/26/18

I will immediately undo this. Why would you ever think this was a good idea? lmao.

If people wanted it that way, they would have already mapped it thus. xD

This is as insane as moving your controllers "fire" button to right thumb stick from right trigger. LoL

 

[Guppycur]

Im so glad the Factorio forums are not like here. A pleasant read to say the least.
Didnt faatal say the sleepers respawn was a bug or something?

He acknowledged that they could be improved, then postulated they could be bugged, but didn't know.

 

[Pichii]

Spawns aren't too rare, but rabbits and chickens are nearly useless spawns... You rarely SEE them, so rarely catch them.
Traps would solve that.

If you have problems finding food, its not because there are few animals...

Error Exists Between Keyboard and PC.

Big game is abundant in the Timber biome. (The one with the pine trees)

Forest biome is 2nd best.

Desert and plains suck as all you will find is rabbits and the occasional piggy, snakes are not worth the effort.

The best way to find food though is by looting houses with sinks and fridges...

MUCH more effective than trying to hunt.

Hunting just increases your wellness too with bacon/eggs.

 

[Matt 1977]

He acknowledged that they could be improved, then postulated they could be bugged, but didn't know.

Thx Guppy