Improved building and zombies

[Akuman]

I came up with a replacement for the modular system from my previous post. In it, I complained that the player's buildings looked cubic and did not resemble human dwellings. The solution is here:

A separate menu in which the block of structure are custom-made by the designer. These structures will be made of blocks, but will have a unique appearance and decorative elements. 

This structure will be available for improvement, but the improvement will be gradual, with the addition of decorative elements such as boards and iron plates on the doors.

Decorative elements will be tied to a group of construction blocks and will be restored (appear) after all blocks of the group, on which the element is and located in structure, reach the same technological level depending on the different level of integrity. 

Important: Decorative structures increase the integrity of each block of the group in the structure (bonus). The presence of decorative elements depends on the integrity of one block from the group on which the element is located. For example, several decorative elements can be located on top of each other on a structure. When one of the five blocks of the group is destroyed, one decorative element will disappear, but the one whose group did not include the destroyed block will remain.

The restoration of missing blocks will be carried out by universal building blocks. The blocks will take the form of the last structure installed in the zone. It is desirable that blocks of different technological levels are combined with each other, but it is also possible to make it so that the improvement occurs immediately up to the last technological level.

For developers: along with the structure, it will be necessary to create a file that remembers the location of the structure blocks and the level of blocks. This will also be needed for decorative elements. 

The player must recognize the direction and rotation of the structure by its appearance! The structure works in a block system, but does not have to be made of cubes!

As for zombies:

I think the game needs to have a horror component (maybe it's there, but I didn't notice it). Yes, there is a path through the locations indicated by lanterns, but I think it's insufficient. The variations in zombie behavior, I note, have enormous potential. How about making zombies that only attack from behind and running away as soon as they are noticed? At night, for example? Make zombies crawling on the ceiling and walls? Maybe zombies in houses will not only stand, but also walk on them? Maybe they will try to perform actions from their life before infection? How about a zombie driving a car that suddenly steps on the gas or just opens the door and climbs out? How about making zombies come out of their houses when there's a lot of noise? Zombie children, why not? Maybe some will hit their heads against the wall with a characteristic sound? This variety makes the game interesting, think about it.

I'm editing the post. This may not be the final version.

 

[geengaween]

ngl those are some cool ideas for zombies, would make the game a lot more dynamic

 

[Adam the Waster]

More Dynamic zombies would be cool would spice things up

And lower the Brightness of the game make it gritty again 

 

[Akuman]

Regarding performance. As I understand it, the main part of it is processing blocks. How about reducing the number of blocks by making them larger? Take a door, for example. Some doors take up an entire wall and when they take damage, a hole appears in them. How about replacing the block walls with a wall block? That is, the wall will be one block with damage levels and decorations. As I understand it, this should increase the game's performance three times.

 

[Adam the Waster]

Regarding performance. As I understand it, the main part of it is processing blocks. How about reducing the number of blocks by making them larger? Take a door, for example. Some doors take up an entire wall and when they take damage, a hole appears in them. How about replacing the block walls with a wall block? That is, the wall will be one block with damage levels and decorations. As I understand it, this should increase the game's performance three times.

More door types would be cool 

Spiked doors that have spikes that deal damage 

Bared doors too hit from. 

2x2 trap doors

Taller celler doors and spiked celler doors. 

 

[Akuman]

To be honest, at the moment the block system does not justify itself, in my opinion. Destructibility is unrealistic due to falling blocks. Does any of the players even need such building in 7 Days to Die? Maybe you should ask who especially likes to build in this game (conduct a survey)

I would like to add that, as I was told, with single-block walls, a lot of damage will be done to the wall due to the large area of contact with zombies. Accordingly, traps can play a big role here. In principle, you can even add some barriers and shields that will play defensive roles. 

The huge advantage of building from modules is that a designer can create a truly unique author's design much easier than drawing and thinking through dozens and hundreds of independent blocks.

 

[ParadiseLostUK]

To be honest, at the moment the block system does not justify itself, in my opinion. Destructibility is unrealistic due to falling blocks. Does any of the players even need such building in 7 Days to Die? Maybe you should ask who especially likes to build in this game (conduct a survey)

I would like to add that, as I was told, with single-block walls, a lot of damage will be done to the wall due to the large area of contact with zombies. Accordingly, traps can play a big role here. In principle, you can even add some barriers and shields that will play defensive roles. 

The huge advantage of building from modules is that a designer can create a truly unique author's design much easier than drawing and thinking through dozens and hundreds of independent blocks.

So, because you don't like the current system, it should be changed?

I suspect a large percentage of players prefer the voxel system as it is.

 

[YourMirror]

Sure. In 2.0 the whole world will just be 1 block. All performance issues solved. Who needs building right?

 

[Vaeliorin]

To be honest, at the moment the block system does not justify itself, in my opinion. Destructibility is unrealistic due to falling blocks. Does any of the players even need such building in 7 Days to Die? Maybe you should ask who especially likes to build in this game (conduct a survey)

If it wasn't for the building system in the game, I never would have bought it.  I don't give a rat's arse about zombies (I often consider turning non-horde night zombies off) and would have bought the game even if the enemies were something else (actually, it would be preferable to me if they were something else because then you could have more enemy variety without it being ridiculous).

So yes, the building system is very important to me, and I have no desire to be forced to use pre-built modules to build.

 

[Dead Smarty]

... Does any of the players even need such building in 7 Days to Die? ...

How about "Everyone that bought the game after 1.1"? Of all the survival games, zombie games and building games they choose this combination. For sure we hope it will get better but none of the issues are realy new.

Larger blocks will demand more different shapes of blocks, this will only shift the load of your system from one part to another. It will also force different ways of building, most likely bigger to create room for personalsation. No idea if it will be better or not but I know that I choose this game also due to the ballance in building system.

 

[Akuman]

So yes, the building system is very important to me, and I have no desire to be forced to use pre-built modules to build.

Then let me ask how diverse your construction in the game is, do you always build the same thing or experiment and how well do you do it? I think that by simplifying the construction system it will be possible to focus more on defense (tactics) and traps than on the correct placement of certain blocks, which personally tires me out. Share your opinion

No idea if it will be better or not but I know that I choose this game also due to the ballance in building system.

Just play Fallout 4 or Once Human

So, because you don't like the current system, it should be changed?

I'm talking about what can make the game more interesting and about the shortcomings that other players may not notice, but simply lose interest in the game, close it and delete it.

 

[Dead Smarty]

Just play Fallout 4 or Once Human

Bin there, done that. Choose 7D2D game now due to the limits in those systems.
Still going back to Fallout 4 on regular basis but the prefab building system seems bit meaningless besides just making things look pretty.
Got my Raider and Gunner farm traps, my Jet farm made me richer than any trader, can ignore Prestons call for help due to a few walls and turrets. It's basicly just setdressing now without purpose anymore.

Making the building system more simplyfied, more like those games, personaly I have no reason choosing this work in progres over the other kind of finished products I already own.

 

[Akuman]

Making the building system more simplyfied, more like those games, personaly I have no reason choosing this work in progres over the other kind of finished products I already own.

For me personally, 7 Days to Die is a special game not because it has mechanics from Minecraft, but because you need to hold back hordes of zombies, survive and explore the world. Construction here is in last place for me after the merchant missions and crafting. So replace it and there won't be much difference.

I initially latched on to blocks, because they tell me that you can't make a normal forest, and the game is bad with decorations and furniture crafting. With simplified construction, the world will be more immersive. Yes, I think the game will become a little different, but will it become worse?

Eleven years after the game entered early access, is the small block mechanic worth the time it took to develop and the time it takes for the mechanics to adapt to it?

As far as I understand, the game can be remade by combining the existing blocks that make up the objects into larger ones. Well, let small objects not be considered blocks.

let the debris just appear from below when blocks are destroyed, without animation of falling blocks. Why work out the physics of falling debris if you can do it as effects (particles)?

 

[Dead Smarty]

For me personally, 7 Days to Die is a special game not because it has mechanics from Minecraft, but because you need to hold back hordes of zombies, survive and explore the world. Construction here is in last place for me after the merchant missions and crafting.

In that case I just want to ask a genuine question: Why play 7D2D and not Zombie Army 1/4, Days Gone, Dying light, World War Z, Dead Island or any of the yearly COD's in zombie mode?

I had a good time in Days Gone, luring hordes into choke points, roadkills by bike, kiting the freakers in enemy camps or just cheesing it with friendly camps NPC's taking care of busines and WW Z does do a good horde as well. Most of mentioned games have their own strongpoints but the building is what made 7D2D atractive to me.

 

[Vaeliorin]

Then let me ask how diverse your construction in the game is, do you always build the same thing or experiment and how well do you do it? I think that by simplifying the construction system it will be possible to focus more on defense (tactics) and traps than on the correct placement of certain blocks, which personally tires me out. Share your opinion

I always try and build different things.  I have over 2k hours in the game, so of course I sometimes repeat things (especially early horde bases until I have resources to build whatever large base I've decided on.)

I don't want to simplify the construction system, if anything I'd rather it had been more complex.  There was an Everquest variant (I believe the name was Landmark) that had an even more detailed voxel-based building system that I would love to have.  But like I said, I play this game mostly to build stuff, and I don't want to be forced to build from simple prefabs that will stifle my ability to build whatever I want.

If you check out the prefab section of the Game Modifications section of the forums, you can find tons of amazing things people have created in the game, and it would be sad to lose all that creativity to a simplified building system that doesn't allow people to build whatever they might envision.