I don't understand why people see this as a problem. If you don't want to live underground, then don't. If you don't want to play with people that do, find (or make) a server that outlaws it...
To a degree I get where some of this is coming from. On one hand, the people who want underground to have zero safety feel like they've got half their world as basically unplayable boring content. On the other hand, you have people who are actually okay with half a world as plainly safe and solutions like "turn off zombies then!" puts them in the same boat as people who want a dangerous underground. The way people are pitted against this problem makes this a lose/lose argument.
The solutions tossed around like diggers and what not, IMO are very narrow minded solutions. Very tunnel visioned. Which is why I'm an advocate for POI's/Prefabs underground and turn the whole underground into nearly as rich of a biome as top side. Done that way, you can have all the dangers that face you up top, down below. And you still don't have to use things like digging zombies to do it.
But Roland, way way way back in this conversation made the best point that I think was made in the whole discussion.
"We don't know what AI will look like in the future". (or something like that)
So adding all these ideas now is useless. AI changes alone may resolve a lot of this. AI changes alone likely will open up a slew of opportunity to put in way better ideas than diggers and such.
So for now, it's a point that probably should get put on the back burner from an argument perspective at least. Now's really not the time to be worried about that.
Rather... They're talking about bringing in Bandits, NPC's, more Vehicles, etc. I wish they'd give us a few more road map items to discuss to help drag people away from topics that aren't even really being dealt with right now. Would probably make conversations here much more productive and fitting for what's actually coming down the pipe in the nearer future.
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What if I DO want to live underground AND I want to have to defend my position and overcome hazards in order establish it in the first place? What if I want to do that MORE than I want to just ignore it all? What about that?
They you sir are a very bad ostrich and you really should practice putting your head in the sand.
I get you. But I don't think now's really the time for that discussion ya know? AI first, figure out it's real limits, and then let's figure this stuff out.