PC Developer Discussions: Alpha 17

[icehot]

Except for the real bugs, I think people are complaining too much! The level of crying is too damn high!
My real concern is about the level up process.

I think A17 is an amazing update but I don't like the idea of "zombie hunt game" and this alpha looks like that. Snoman wrote a post about approaching that matter on page 2836 (post #42534) and I replayed two pages after (post #42570).

Everyone use TWD as reference and zombie killing in the show only occurs when is really necessary. I started to play the game at A14, and since A16 I’ve been seen this movement towards “zombie hunt game” and I don’t like it.

I thought 7DtD was a survival/constructing game (the real reason I love this game so much!), so the main activity to obtain XP should not be killing zombies.

I want to know the opinion of MM, Roland, Gaaz, Faatal and the rest of TFP team.

The main activity can easily be survival and constructing whilst avoiding zombies, if people just stopped farming zombies on this mad quest to get to the highest level possible in the shortest amount of time - it's like everyone wants end game by day 3 or something. I've found by concentrating on anything but killing zombies unless I'm bored, or they're getting in the way etc then I'm levelling slower and actually able to concentrate on farming, and building a horde base, looting, and exploring the new dungeon POI's etc.

It's coming up to day 28 and i'm only level 45 in my game at the moment. Got a reinforced concrete horde base surrounded by spikes and barbed wire. Also got a crafting/living type base with fewer defences for day to day stuff.

 

[Moldy Bread]

you have it, it's called the game you are playing

Way to dismiss his points.

 

[jcalvelli]

you have it, it's called the game you are playing

No, it's not. If you want to level up at least 1lv per day, especially in early game, you only can do that properly by killing zeds. Harvesting end other activities give you little XP (not enough to gain 1level/day), but the easiest zed gives 700 XP per kill, so if you want to construct better things and obtain best gear you have to focus on killing first till you have enough level to made quality level goods.

That’s an inversion of logic! In the beginning we are weak, so killing zombies should not be the first/best option to level up.

 

[Gnomaana]

Except for the real bugs, I think people are complaining too much! The level of crying is too damn high!
My real concern is about the level up process.

I think A17 is an amazing update but I don't like the idea of "zombie hunt game" and this alpha looks like that. Snoman wrote a post about approaching that matter on page 2836 (post #42534) and I replayed two pages after (post #42570).

Everyone use TWD as reference and zombie killing in the show only occurs when is really necessary. I started to play the game at A14, and since A16 I’ve been seen this movement towards “zombie hunt game” and I don’t like it.

I thought 7DtD was a survival/constructing game (the real reason I love this game so much!), so the main activity to obtain XP should not be killing zombies.

I want to know the opinion of MM, Roland, Gaaz, Faatal and the rest of TFP team.

Let me summarize. "You all are complaining too much......here is my complaint." Lol

 

[jcalvelli]

Let me summarize. "You all are complaining too much......here is my complaint." Lol

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Well, Sir, you have a point.

In my defense, I just want to know if that will be the development's direction.

Anyway, I'll continue to play and kill zeds!

Keep up the good work, TFP!

 

[Hemfive]

I think that the current weapon level system is more "real life oriented". And I like it.

I mean, a single bullet of an AK47 will do the same damage if the rifle is old or brand new.

A brand new weapon tho gives you the chance to attach more gadgets, like silencers, lights... > MODS

 

[69WithAzombie]

I wish guns weren't as common as they are currently. I don't feel as special finding one after a few days. I've seen people find a few guns on day one! For multiplayer servers there was that rush to find a gun, not anymore. If you found one you would like you you had such an advantage. But know everyone will run around with a bunch!

Also i noted this before and Fattal didn't seem to know this bug. The random radiation zones that kill you quickly. I find them mainly in deserts. Anyone else experience this? update 199

 

[xyth]

Hey Jax, did you notice this line in the XML.txt file? `Degradation: Any default value, the weapon quality system will change this later, it just has to be set.`

:smile-new:

 

[Fren]

Does anyone else finds million bird nests everywhere? I looted a house and found 12 nests around it. It's a bit too much.

well without lack of normal people around they dont have any threats so they can just make baby birds everywhere so no wonder there are so many.

 

[wolffblood]

Drop loot abundance to 50% for now, 25% once they get it fixed. You'll notice a massive drop of finding guns, etc. Heck, go into the options xml and change it to 10 (I'm assuming anything below 50% is bugged atm if their normal 25% is not seeming to work). There's stuff within their own options, no mods needed, to make this game more challenging.

As for needing other ways to lvl up other than zombies being main xp, I'm on the fence for that. I never went looking for zombies, did only a few POIs, mostly harvesting or crafting. By day 21, I was lvl 57 (it sucked because gamestage was inscreasing faster than I wanted) and I wasn't even looking to kill zombies. Mostly my zombies I killed where from the few POIs, the wandering hordes (most of them while I was crafting and building my base), BM horde, and the ones that walked up to my base. I don't feel like I have to go searching for zombies to level, I can do my harvesting, scavenging, crafting, building, exploring. XP seems to find me on its own. I've about 480 zombies killed from that alone, no looking for them. So I don't even focus on that, I focus on the rest of the aspects of the game, and the xp just comes naturally as you would expect. Now if you're going to try to hide from every zombie that comes your way, then I could see that being an issue. But I'm one to stand my ground, lol.

 

[faatal]

But the player base mostly loves it, who do you make your game for ?

You talked to a hundred people then and have a percent for me? I've seen a similar amount of people both for and against it, but that is a small sample size, so I don't claim to know the public's opinion, only my own.

I'd rather have mods make the guns more effective and varied. Ammo the limiter of constant use.

I also don't make these decisions. Owners/designers do. I just make stuff work. I have an opinion and voice it sometimes, but game companies are generally not democracies. Typically the employees who care about a feature and have an opinion may voice it and decision maker(s) may or may not listen to it or themselves or the public.

Before my employment here, as simply a player of A14-A16, I thought it made no sense, since I'm a gun owner and I don't have parts lying around. If I did, then almost none of these parts are interchangeable even across the same gun type, since different manufacturers have different specs on all these parts (AR15 a possible exception). In the end, I did not feel the need to complain to the world. I said whatever and kept on having fun as I absurdly filled my weapons chest with useless gun parts.

 

[wolffblood]

yeah, luckily I save up my ammo for BM days and just melee rest of the time. Have a stockpile of ammo for it. But thing is, even with all the saved ammo, I usually run out and have to restock and save for BM alone. I rarely use guns outside of BM hordes other than to head shot screamers before getting too close. Or to use on cops, ferals, radiated, etc. So few exceptions. And once they get their current mods out and working, I'm guessing they have plans for so many more. That will soon turn into trying to get the best ones. Once TFP actually starts saying they are nearing an end of features, then I'll look at everything more closely, but for now, while things are added, changed, removed, I can really only go along for the ride and enjoy it while I can.

 

[jcalvelli]

Drop loot abundance to 50% for now, 25% once they get it fixed. You'll notice a massive drop of finding guns, etc. Heck, go into the options xml and change it to 10 (I'm assuming anything below 50% is bugged atm if their normal 25% is not seeming to work). There's stuff within their own options, no mods needed, to make this game more challenging.
As for needing other ways to lvl up other than zombies being main xp, I'm on the fence for that. I never went looking for zombies, did only a few POIs, mostly harvesting or crafting. By day 21, I was lvl 57 (it sucked because gamestage was inscreasing faster than I wanted) and I wasn't even looking to kill zombies. Mostly my zombies I killed where from the few POIs, the wandering hordes (most of them while I was crafting and building my base), BM horde, and the ones that walked up to my base. I don't feel like I have to go searching for zombies to level, I can do my harvesting, scavenging, crafting, building, exploring. XP seems to find me on its own. I've about 480 zombies killed from that alone, no looking for them. So I don't even focus on that, I focus on the rest of the aspects of the game, and the xp just comes naturally as you would expect. Now if you're going to try to hide from every zombie that comes your way, then I could see that being an issue. But I'm one to stand my ground, lol.

That's my point, wolffblood.

I play like you do. I don't "hunt zombies down". I only kill those who came towards me (all of them) and the game flows well for me too, but if you don't do that level up will be a major issue.

Harvest, build and base defense only are an instinctive form of playing the game (we play beyond that) and, in my opinion, that play style is the great appeal of the game, so concern me when development creates a situation harmful to that.

 

[Jimmy_James]

The weapon mod system is way better in my opinion.

If we get more mods in the future from simple to military style mods and we could really think about what mods are better for my play style I would never think of the old system again.

More variety and more options will change everything.

I never used a sledgehammer in the last Alphas but now I like to change and use different guns/tools more often because of the mods I find or craft AND what my next task is about. Going looting, hunting, hordenight, building, farming. I always change my hole stuff I’m caring on that tasks.

 

[cork]

Except for the real bugs, I think people are complaining too much! The level of crying is too damn high!
My real concern is about the level up process.

I think A17 is an amazing update but I don't like the idea of "zombie hunt game" and this alpha looks like that. Snoman wrote a post about approaching that matter on page 2836 (post #42534) and I replayed two pages after (post #42570).

Everyone use TWD as reference and zombie killing in the show only occurs when is really necessary. I started to play the game at A14, and since A16 I’ve been seen this movement towards “zombie hunt game” and I don’t like it.

I thought 7DtD was a survival/constructing game (the real reason I love this game so much!), so the main activity to obtain XP should not be killing zombies.

I want to know the opinion of MM, Roland, Gaaz, Faatal and the rest of TFP team.

I'm also a big fan of the survival and building aspects of the game and would normally try to skill zombies with traps rather than character weapons. I liked to build big tunnel systems underground but I didn't like how much xp breaking blocks would give especially after you get an auger and a good supply of gas. After several server wipes in a16, I eventually branched out to more of a nomad play style and started to enjoy other aspects of the game. 7DtD can be played a lot of ways and I am really glad there are so many modders that will tweak the game for different play styles. I can't wait to see all the mods for stable a17!

Your comment above gave me an idea for a mod where the player levels up based on number of days survived rather than the amount of stuff you kill or build. That would be an interesting take on survival and would slow the progression down. The idea would be that the player gets 1 level's worth of xp per in-game day plus a multiplier for consecutive days survived (with diminishing returns). That would be a mod I'd definitely play!

 

[Zombuild]

I just watched my first lets play of the new alpha 17 experiment and just wish to ask if somebody could answer a few things for me.

Has zombie hit points been massively boosted ? I get the feel the zombies are now just "bullet sponges" and what is up with the no more loot from dead zombies ?

I am slightly worried that the game is now going to be only for groups of players or really good players.

 

[Jimmy_James]

For now I’m waiting for the new build to start a fresh server game on insane. It took a few hours to better understand all the new stuff.

 

[JaxTeller718]

Hey Jax, did you notice this line in the XML.txt file? `Degradation: Any default value, the weapon quality system will change this later, it just has to be set.` :smile-new:

I did , but look a few lines up and there is this

"WEAPON PARTS EXAMPLE (obsolete in A17+)"

So we are back to :sadface

 

[wolffblood]

That's my point, wolffblood.
I play like you do. I don't "hunt zombies down". I only kill those who came towards me (all of them) and the game flows well for me too, but if you don't do that level up will be a major issue.

Harvest, build and base defense only are an instinctive form of playing the game (we play beyond that) and, in my opinion, that play style is the great appeal of the game, so concern me when development creates a situation harmful to that.

Only bad thing, is if they inc xp everywhere else, then it will only help those that hide from every zombie. It will inc those of us that don't go looking for zombies, but at least fights and does everything. We will level so freaking fast through the gamestages that it will then cause us issues real quick since we're not always scavenging for stuff. They would need to move gamestages around a bit, and probably a lot of other things too. Just inc xp for crafting/building won't solve anything, that's the problem. So until we get all the features in, xp gains will be very hard to get right. Because say they get it perfect right now, as they add more features and things to do, they then have to screw with xp again to then get it perfect again. All they can do is get it the best they can for now, then perfect it after all or at least majority of features are in.

 

[69WithAzombie]

Question! Did they take out POI's that were in the last alpha? If so which ones?

I haven't seen any skyscrapers and a bunch of fun old dungeon type buildings!

I hope we get them back if they are out!