Multiplayer on 7 Days to Die

[ArizonaTank]

Mini bikes are definitely still a work in progress software wise.

[-budd-]

Nice write up Jason, damn sorry about the bike. There's now 3 minis out there in the world. I'll need engines and batteries to make more, everything else is readily available. I'll wrench some cars to try to get engines and batteries. Engines are usually found in the undamaged cars when you wrench them. You never mentioned the sweet sound the 44 makes as i dispatched the zombies ;D. I made a bunch more ammo before i signed off so im ready to go off exploring. I've thinking about building a really tall tower in the middle of my town with an entrance from underground and then maybe put some spots on top, a little sniper nest. When i'm finding my way home at night the spots on the pharmacy can be seen a long way off. I'll be on later tonight.

[JasonPratt]

Oh yeah, true! -- due to the way the devs make sound work in this game, I could hear his 44 Mag wiping the southern incoming minihorde waaaay off, from down underground hastily forging! I don't know who it sounded sweeter to either, considering at the moment I had a giant hole in my defenses I literally could not plug yet!

I have wrench capability now, including to make new ones as old ones wear out, so I can hit cars on the road and in hub city (or wherever); help find some batteries and engines.

The next time I log in (won't be tonight), I'll be down in your base near the forge and firepit, btw.

[-budd-]

The server was pretty laggy tonight, finally gave up after dying 3 times with climb a ladder to the sky and then fall to earth death and after having to redo work i'd done 3 times. I started my new tower like structure, its across the street from the pharmacy. Don't think im going to build it as high as i planned, maybe 7 to 9 blocks high with some spike trenches around it.

[ArizonaTank]

The server was pretty laggy tonight, finally gave up after dying 3 times with climb a ladder to the sky and then fall to earth death and after having to redo work i'd done 3 times. I started my new tower like structure, its across the street from the pharmacy. Don't think im going to build it as high as i planned, maybe 7 to 9 blocks high with some spike trenches around it.

Think I'm going the tower route as well...  Reinforced concrete.  Probably a secure route from the main base to the tower...maybe underground....maybe bridge...maybe both....

[JasonPratt]

Seeing as how I already have a head start on my tower, I had better get cracking if I'm going to compete! >:D

Though I honestly don't know what a supertall tower is for, other than to try to hide above the sensing of hordes (which will fail when hornets arrive).

[OJsDad]

Well, I took a mini bike out for a spin and lost it within a couple of minutes.  I head north of Budd in town fort and the map just ended.  I stopped before I got to the end, got off the bike and was walking around.  I look back, and bike starts moving.  Then stops.  Then moves.  After a couple of more times, it went off the map.  Then started to come back, then fell.

Budd, I started to make some cement, but didn't get a lot done.  Kept getting issue when I would hit E to open the forge.  A lot of times it wouldn't open until I went up to your new horde fort and opened the hatch there.  I'll try again later.   

[JasonPratt]

It's possible we've been so long on this map that the game has gotten unstable?  ???

[JasonPratt]

Budd and I worked a lot on the map today -- although mostly I kept base while he explored, and occasionally I ran out supplies on the bike and picked up loot.

It is not very conceivable how BIG the map is. 40x40 km may be roughly the size of the Arizona county the standard map is (no doubt roughly) based on. Budd ended up in a (snowy) city a little under 3.5km from his main base; maybe around 5 km from the hub city (I forgot to check).

By comparison, the maps for Just Cause 2 and 3 (don't know about 1) are 20x20 miles, roughly about the same size. Those are the largest maps in a AAA sandbox game that I know of (except probably Lord of the Rings Online by now; whether that counts as AAA or not.) They're large enough to fly a jet around feasibly (if not very feasibly, due to the terrible jet controls in that game. Helicopters are always the way to go. Maybe 3 is better.)

In 7DtD, though, the map necessarily feels much bigger, because the fastest speed is the minibike which frankly varies based on how loaded it is (as I found out almost to my dismay tonight). Otherwise the fastest speed is your run -- for however long your stamina holds out. (Or until you glitch the map by running.  ::) )

And unlike the JCause series, this map is randomly generated (unless you're playing the stock map for the game).


Note, now that I think of it, the random landmap for Empyrion is almost surely bigger, and a lot bigger, although spread out over several planets and moons. But again, once you've made your hovercraft (much moreso anything bigger) the distance gets eaten nicely. In 7DtD, I really get the feel of how pre-auto (and pre horse!) people must have felt going from settlement to settlement at distances we'd cover on the road in half a minute.

[JasonPratt]

Anyway, I forgot what I was going to post. ;) I took some video of Budd's base, with the new expansions he (and I and OJDad, but mostly Budd) has been working on; and I'll have snapshots tomorrow.

Or maybe Tuesday. It's my turn on Barth's DCamp3 game, and I may need to coffee up and physically run out to the city Budd is looting and back tomorrow night.

[-budd-]

Well i hate to tell you this Jason. After making a couple of runs bringing stuff back i went and checked out your new edition, nice....until it collapsed on me, i mean on me :). That must of been what you meant by the bridge collapsing. It took a few blocks of the main structure with it also. There's about 4 trips left to get everything, maybe 5, but i dont think everything needs to come back.

[JasonPratt]

wut

....

WAT??

How is that even a thing that's possible?? It held up fine for several gamedays!  :'( :'(

The physics engine on this thing is either borked, or a lot more sophisticated than I've reckoned it to be so far. Or both.

Next time I'll try adding extended 45 degree block joists under it. Or words to that effect.

[JasonPratt]

Oh, and don't forget to post the snaps you took from the top of the apartment building you were on.

[-budd-]

Well time spent today was running the loot back from the city and restocking material. I ran all the stuff back from the city but left stocks for future looting i.e. weapons, ammo, food,water, some wood and iron and looting tools. There still a lot left to loot, i hit the stores i.e bookstore, shamway, tool store and shotgun messiah and the gas station. The only other thing i looted was the 5 story apartment building, all other buildings i didnt touch. Be prepared for freezing temps if you venture there. I restocked the building material and made a bunch of ammo and restocked the water supply. I mined the rock from the collapse and left what was standing standing, didn't know what your building plans are Jason. There is plenty of material for your next build. There's 200+ rebar frames and i made some concrete so if you wanted to go that way, rebar>wood>concrete>steel bars or you could back to the flagstone. I thought maybe it collapsed because maybe it was built on clay, not sure about that. Most of my build is on the pavement. I'll post the pics after i get my test vids recorded, i made some exploding crossbow bolts and flaming arrows so i'll record the test results. Base is well stocked. If anyone goes down into my mineshaft bring wood and torches, wood to make frames and ladders to get out, getting stuck is a possibility if you have no wood, i'm pretty far down at this point and there still a bunch to mine.

[BanzaiCat]

So, do you guys have a 24/7 server you're running yourselves around in, or is it just one of you hosting a game? Just curious where this is, if it's an active server.