PC New person and some curiosities

[Ralij]

Hi there! I'm a pretty new player and very new to the forums. I picked up in one of the early alpha days and just recently came back to it. So hi. 

So my primary question is... how often is this game updated? I mean updated to the point I would need to start a new save. I can see the dev notes and news that we're approaching 19.3 so I know its being worked on! I read somewhere that the game goes through major updates roughly once a year and those require a new save entirely... is this true? If so how close are we to that point?

I ask because I'm getting to the point where I feel I'm about done with getting a handle on the game on easy mode and wondering if I should reroll for the full experience on a randomized map or if a new update might be coming soon where I'll have to do that anyway. 

Out of curiousity how is playing the game with 'classic' zombies seen? Ie, zombies can't run, just shamble/crawl. Git gud easymode or...?

Anyway, love the updates to the game, I've loved the option to have classic zombies, and have found the game has seen some absolutely wonderful improvement since since my original attempt in 2015/16. Loving the game circa 19.2 and happy to be on board the train as we continue through the alpha and beta process.  

 

[Sjustus548]

Howdy.  Glad to see you've came back to the game.  First off you should play the game on whatever difficulty settings you want to.  No one will look down on you for playing on just walking or even if you turn horde nights off completely.  The only time you will catch slack is if you are complaining that the game is too easy while playing on the easiest difficulty.  Then people may just tell you to turn the difficulty up for more of a challenge.  Other than that play however easy or hard you want to, that's why TFP put in all the different difficulty options.  As for frequency of updates, they are releasing updates at a more frequent rate it seems but most updates won't require a map restart if you choose not to.  Keeping a map thru patches can cause some issues, some people who kept their maps from 19.0 to 19.1 had some issues with electric fences causing errors for example.  Even if you have issues the people of the forums are usually awesome at helping you find possible solutions for any issues you might come across.  We have a great community here and we are glad you have decided to join us.

 

[Roland]

I would wait for A19.3 to go stable to begin your next long term game just in case there is an annoying issue. After 19.3 releases it will likely be Spring/Summer 2021 before a game wiping update is released. 

 

[meganoth]

Major updates (for example 19.3 to 20.0) will always need a restart, minor updates (19.2 to 19.3) usually don't need a restart if you can accept minor annoyances. That is not a guarantee, just an observation. The last time a restart between minor versions was really inevitable must have been in A16 or A17). But I needs a lot of discomfort to get me annoyed, your mileage may vary

If easy mode bores you, walking zombies probably will too. Once you have better guns and lots of ammo (mid to late-game) walking zombies never are a problem. If you have a potent PC you could crank up zombie numbers (there are mods for this) to make walking zombies more of a problem, but often simple config changes and mods have a problem with overall balance.

 

[stample]

Much agree with @meganoth on increased zombies.  Classic zombies are fun, but do get easy as soon as you have any firearms.  It's just too simple to headshot them one after another.  Even with 4x or even 8x wanderers, if they never run, they are never really dangerous in the open.  You have to not be paying any attention to your surroundings to get cornered.  Inside can be another story, but you still have plenty of time to react.

Good news, though.  Each time you select the game, before loading the save, you can adjust any of the regular settings.  So if you want to try Difficulty level 2 / Always Walk and you get bored, just save your game, crank up the difficulty or change the run mode, and come back in.  You can even swap out some mods, though I recommend you back up your game first.  Changing number/types of spawns would be safe, but never add/remove a mod that changes quests or adds/removes items/blocks, because that's a good way to get your char data corrupted and save destroyed.