PC Things that make me ask... WTF?

[bigstep70]

I want to say one thing up front, I love this game. From the first five or ten minutes I played it on my old potato of a PC way back in Alpha 14 I thought to myself, "Did they read my mind, Was this game made just for me? How did the Fun Pimps know that this is the exact game I've always wanted?" Survival, base building, apocalyptic conditions, zombies and being completely alone the whole time... It's like heaven!

Recently I've been trying to get back into prefab building and modding my offline copy of 7 Days. Offline?

Yes, meaning, I keep my Steam copy free of mods, like a virgin daughter, pure and untouched. I know I can always re-verify but I suck at writing x-path efficiently and I feel that some things just need to be permanent features of the game world. Therefore I do most of my testing from the mods folder then I append the edits directly to the core files of my "offline" copy. 99% of things that work like they should, from the mods folder, get written to the game file permanently. It's just the way I do things.

Modding takes a lot of work, reading and cross-referencing files, siphoning thru loads of code and data, trial & error and play-testing, which amounts to time.... a lot of time. I have pulled many all night sessions just to make sure that a mod or feature I'm implementing is working as it should, as I'm sure many of us modding the game have.

Now to the meat and potato's...

While sifting thru several Food and Cooking related mods from the community I decided to try to consolidate all of them, yes, ALL of them. Even some from as far back as alpha 17. This led to a massive amount of cross-referencing files to ensure there are no compatibility issues. This was expected, because This needs That, That needs This, These can only be done Here, That can only be done There... you get my drift... Then with the addition of mods it becomes a #$%@#&^ nightmare and I knew I had bitten off more than I bargained for, but I like challenging situations. Probably why I enjoy the game so much.

Then this happens. I'm looking thru original items.xml and recipes.xml to verify that a mod is not gonna cause a conflict and I find this;

<item name="foodChiliDog"> <property name="Extends" value="foodCornOnTheCob"/>

Which means any values not listed for chili-dog are assigned by the values listed in corn/cob

Hmm, I think to myself, Why extend it from corn?.

So I start poking around a bit more... code forensics I call it.

Within the same corn on the cob recipe is this;

<triggered_effect trigger="onSelfPrimaryActionEnd" action="ModifyStats" stat="water" operation="add" value="-5"/> and <display_value name="$waterAmountAdd" value="-5"/>

Which means that when you eat corn on the cob you LOSE hydration...HUH???

The corn/cob recipe is literally corn boiled in water at a cooking pot and stored in a jar. How are we losing hydration from the act of eating the corn. It makes absolutely no sense at all.

Even corn, uncooked, has its own moisture content, but you are ADDING to that by boiling/cooking it, are you not.

This is just a small example of the many discrepancies that exist in the game. Others, off the top of my head;

- can't cook, the world ended and we all lost the memory of cooking WHAT? progress gating basic needs/knowledge holds no fun factor for any gamer

- jar not returned after consumption of its contents... WHAT? are we all eating the jar? smashing it on the ground? or does it just go to from whence it came

 -drinking sounds while actually eating solid foods... WHAT? have you ever tried to drink beef stew or chicken gumbo... that's called choking

- 5 meat cooks down to 1 meat... WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? so, I need to eat approximately 10 1/lb T-bone steaks every day ... yea-naw

- boil glass jars in a fire with no pot but not a tin can... WHAT? with needing approximately 10 quarts/mason jars of water per day is it not easier to fill a can put it near the fire till it boils, for that matter, where are all the water-purification tablets...OH YEAH that's a mod

The list goes on and on and on and on... and that's just a small section of the foods within 7 Days to Die

I know its just a game, but is it not supposed to simulate a situation.

I know its for balance, but when it makes no sense it becomes ridiculous.

I know its mechanics, but when they serve no function other than frustration and annoyance it's no longer fun to play...

... and I want to play, I want to have fun. This is a great game but the more I see stupid krap like this the more I wonder if I shouldn't find a new favorite game... pffft yeah right

... or maybe just stop modding... yea-naw that's not gonna happen any time soon

... or maybe the Fun Pimps should hire a "code forensics" guy (ka-BOOM... mind blown)

- This is not meant to be a raving lunatics rant or negative in any way. They are just observations, opinions and things that irk me when playing and working with the game that I love.

- Keep your blades sharp, your guns loaded and your eyes keen... for zombies are about.

In summary;

- Corn-On-The-Cob, upon eating, should be juicy and succulent. It should return the jar, which is included in the recipe, as should other recipes that incorporate a jar.

- Chili-Dogs are not Corn-On-The-Cob

 

[Maharin]

This is the right place for this if you are trying to have a discussion about these things with other players and, rarely, some people tied to TFP in some way.  But if you're trying to get any of this changed or resolved in some meaningful way then you should probably repost this in the bug forum.

 

[Kyonshi]

Something that makes me go wtf is folks getting concerned by a Corn on the Cob and wondering if they should find another favorite game.

Come on pal.

You can also put a whole life-size Jeep in your back pack.

I get you, you're just confused by incongruities like that, it's not supposed to be a rant, but even there, you're getting tilted over nothing. A Corn on the Cob isn't dehydrating you to the brink of death... There's a @%$# ton of Water Jars in every damn cabinet.

That's what's so great about this game: mod it as you like! I added a 1% Infection cure to Red and Goldenrod Tea because once I got fed up of not finding Honey anywhere. And I'm far from being a modder. Just suspend your disbelief a bit dude

 

[bigstep70]

This is the right place for this if you are trying to have a discussion about these things with other players and, rarely, some people tied to TFP in some way.  But if you're trying to get any of this changed or resolved in some meaningful way then you should probably repost this in the bug forum.

Basically I'm just trying to vent frustration by typing out my disgust till the rage subsides. At the same time maybe gain some insight from other people that may have similar issues when hours and hours of modding can be derailed by something so minuscule. So, No I don't consider it a bug, maybe an oversight, but not worthy of a bug report.

I have a weird passion for modding and playing this game so when I eat corn and its dries my mouth I kindda wonder what the eF.

Come on pal.

You can also put a whole life-size Jeep in your back pack.  Just suspend your disbelief a bit dude

I get you and this is what I want to hear from people... some kind, any kind of response is better than silence.

 

[theFlu]

Hmm, a little challenging post to reply; I usually try to keep from posting snark, it's not useful for anyone, but what you've written here... inspires me mostly on that side.

So, I'll just step on a tangent; corn dehydrating you? Well, it all just depends on what is baseline and what is .. simulated. For example, using energy from fat produces more metabolic water than what is produced by utilizing carbohydrates, maybe that is what is being simulated there? There's also no salt in game, but maybe your concussed mind is pouring piles of it in the corn boiling water? Just because that isn't simulated as inventory doesn't mean your character can't pick some up from every kitchen...

The 5 to 1 meat issue is also quite familiar on the forum.. if you'd inspect it a little further, you'd see that it's simply a matter of unit change; the raw meat is measured in something approximating ounces, the ready made meals in something like.. small steaks. Also evidenced by the feature that you'll get measly little food from eating a unit of raw meat, but suddenly you'll get plenty from it cooked. It's merely a mouse-saving feature, you'll need to click a fifth as often to consume your meaty meal. Still a little annoying to chow down, but not that bad for "drop it on your toolbelt and eat while running to the next target".

 

[bigstep70]

using energy from fat produces more metabolic water than carbohydrates, maybe that is what is being simulated there?

Ok that works for me. I know that Joel is into weight training so maybe its his way of including what he knows about nutritional values and health into the game... sneaky.

 

[Roland]

 maybe its his way of including what he knows about nutritional values and health into the game... sneaky.

It's not...LOL

It is 100% that the lower tier foods are going to have some downside with their upside. Corn on the cob is going to rob you of a bit of hydration while filling your belly because it is a lower tier food in the game and not due to nutritional science Joel learned from body building.

Oddly, I often do get thirsty when eating corn on the cob. Of course I like it buttery and salty so that is probably the reason. Just imagine that it is smothered in butter, salt, and cayenne pepper and reach for that jar of water