NovaDose

Are we going to be given anytime with the server files ahead of time? I'd like to review my mods for functionality on 1.06 and add the new items and such to several of them; but will not be able to test until I have access to the server files. In previous versions we were always given a week or two before launch to do this; but rumor has it launch is planned for this week. Will we get at least a couple days a head of time? Or will it be an all out mad dash to try to update mods after this is launched?

Agreed. In the previous patch they did that; it was a huge help. I had all my mods ready on day 1 for the patch, and my server was offline and back online with the new files in minutes after the launch. That was only possible because I'd had a week before hand to do all that. If they just drop a patch on us with no forewarning then its gonna be a shit show... They don't have to let us access Livonia files either, just 1.06 as a patch would be enough. I really don't want another cluster fuck like the issue with switching to a new version of BI keys last minute, no forewarning, on the day of the patch like a couple patches ago. It took nearly until the weekend after launch for everyone to update their stuff and that all could've been prevented by simply supplying the server files a few days ahead of time....

So I've been searching around and absorbing what I can find but still have a few questions about getting into modding and things that I can mod. 1.) Is there a good tutorial that would walk me through creating a mod, packaging it, and deploying it? I've watched the one with editing the init.c and that helps but I'm looking to do more... I've tinkered with some of the xml files as well to adjust spawn rates of zombies and gear so I'm hoping some of the things I want to change (specifically axe wear and fire/cooking times) are similar to that at least 2.) The "more" I mentioned before: I'd like to start by adjusting how quickly the fire axe, splitting axe, hatchet, etc (anything that can cut down a tree) deteriorates when chopping wood. I've been de-pbo'ing several server files and I just cannot find where this would be adjusted at. 3.) I'd also like to double how long a log burns for in a fire and cut in half how long it takes to cook food (specifically on a stick but halving the time it takes to cook using all methods would be great too). 4.) Finally, and this is long term, I'd like to model a pocket watch (so if you know of a tutorial on modeling that'd be awesome), tie the watch to an action similar to how clicking with a compass opens the lid, then have the hands show the server time or, alternatively (and probably preferably at first), just have the time come up in a server message locally to the player. Can anyone give me a little direction on these things? I know I need to be self sufficient but some of this stuff (specifically 2 and 3) is probably very old hat to some of you folks here so rather than beating my head against a wall for the next two weeks trying to figure it out with trial and error I figured I would consult with the pros. thanks for any help!

If you open steam then highlight "Library" you should see tools in that list. There you can download the server files and the tools package. Once you have those I'd also recommend downloading notepad++ to edit XML files in. I used this video to help get me going: There are a few other resources kicking around about how to do things like increase (or decrease) specific item spawns or increase (or decrease) the total number of zombies on the server (google is your friend for tracking down that info). Right now I'm kind of in the same boat as you are though; I'd really like to find a video series on indepth mod creation with maybe a simple project that touches all the bases from start to finish. I'd like to eventually get to that point and if I do I'll make a video series like this if there still isn't one. But in the meantime I guess we are going the break/fix route for the time being.

I've had my fill of the mod; probably have a couple thousand hours in it actually. I really hope its not one of the last things... Seems like they are actively working on it, and we should be getting an update with them soon. Hope its a good one!

Has there been any word on when zombie count will get increased? Pretty much the only thing keeping me from being regular right now. Don't get me wrong, not trying to bitch or anything...the time away has been nice. Seriously though, I miss zombies so much.

Sure fire way to get beaten to death... "I've saved hundreds, reached down to the masses with my helping hand, some call me a messiah, others call me their leader. I smile in the face of evi...woa. Dem shades!!! MURDER!!!!"

Congratulations, you are the problem.

In what file and on what line do we make this adjustment? I assume I would have to revert the changes listed below, correct? I followed your directions, THANKS! One weird issue I'm getting now; server time changes all of a sudden with no transition and randomly. Any ideas?

You're playing it wrong. I know this is a game where you "choose your own adventure" but I'm here to tell you that the adventure you are choosing is just going to get you killed over and over and over again. The two things I see being thrown around in the complaint threads are: 1) Not enough loot 2) Zeds are too dangerous, and I keep getting infected First things first, I'm going to tell you what most of you are undoubtedly doing. You spawn after dying from infection and run to cherno or elektro. There you start searching for a gun right away. Hopefully you run into a player you can kill on sight and loot for some decent starting gear. If you don't get killed on sight first, and manage to loot someone and get a gun you head off to NWAF for PVP and military loot. Here's what I do (fresh spawn) run through cherno or elektro as fast as I can. Get a melee weapon. Focus on finding a knife, axe, matches, water bottle, compass and map. After that I get the fuck away from KOS-city (which ever one that is). From that point on I can play in the low player density areas to upgrade my starting gear. I never use a rifle on a zombie; only a pistol (makarov ammo is everywhere, and a head shot kills) or a melee weapon. I don't run through anywhere expecting to lose the zombies through a building. Everywhere I go in a city I crouch and take it slow, dealing with each zombie as they come instead of letting them chase me. Most importantly, I never get hit by a zombie. I kill them before they get close, or run the fuck away. Because I never get hit, I never get infected; that said I never use antibiotics, therefore I always have at least two boxes on me just incase. Notice the difference? If you are one of those people whose always infected then you obviously aren't playing like I am. I digress; moving on. 1) There is plenty of loot. You are just playing in areas that are way too high traffic. Get the fuck out of cherno and stop hunting players. This isn't COD…there are plenty of towns. Just because a spawn is considered "low value" doesn't mean you can't find good shit there. In fact, the contrary…because that village full of low value spawns is likely never looted, the likely-hood of finding something good is much higher than the grocery store that 50 people have ran through in the last area. 2) Stop getting hit! Read above. If you are constantly pulling aggro and constantly being chased you are obviously to aggressive and drawing attention to yourself. The run and gun mentality of battlefield is going to do nothing for you but keep getting you killed. My final point: Adapt. When this game first came out, people thought it was far too difficult. About a year later, people where complaining that it was too easy and needed to be harder. Now it's back to being too hard. Stop bitching, get back in the game, and adapt. The methods you are using and have been using no longer work, so change them. I'm a survivor, you should be too. In an apocalypse you couldn't count on their being the medicine you need in the hospital every time you visit it, could you? Basically if the game is too hard for you in it's current state then maybe you should switch back to a traditional FPS or practice more. I'm doing fine, I have no complaints, and most importantly I'm still alive. I played for almost 6 hrs last night on a server with 20 people and I'm still breathing. So what am I doing that you aren't? First of all I'm adhering to the suggestions in this post instead of picking them apart and critiquing them and telling me why I'm wrong like you are about to. Hope this helps!

you must be new here

Bye. Seriously though, revert back to 1.7.6 if you guys dont like it. If enough people do that, then the game was clearly unbalanced and something would be done. Otherwise, you stay stuck in a deprecating version until you just fall off similar to dude up there. [EDIT] I hope the stand alone is so much harder than this game that in the first 48 hours half of everyone playing rage quits never to return. One day, when the game makes it full release, the kids coming in for the first time will see it as a challenge and step up to the plate; especially after they hear tale about how many people couldn't hack it.

1. Then why am I fine with the changes. Surviving and thriving and doing just as well if not better than ever...and you're waking up on the beach with a flashlight. 2. Adapt or die. We have to go deeper. News flash: the zombies aren't killing me, they're killing you. The people aren't killing me either, but that's neither here nor there. I've never said I was a better player than anyone, in fact I think I'm average at best. The only difference between me...and say, YOU for instance is that I'm fine with and like the changes and the added "impossibly difficult game play omg wtf" you can't seem to get off the coast. Does that make me better? Well obviously in this light it does. Wouldn't you say? Or does waking up on the coast make you better?

As far as the bugs go, yeah they suck. Some can be fixed, others will be permanent. Zombies can't run in buildings, that wont change...but people don't complain about it. Maybe you should take a nap, you sound full on mad bro. You need to change up your style of play to be a survivor. Sometimes that means not killing a single zombie in a whole session of playing. Thats right, 3-4 hrs of playing and not firing a single damned shot. You wanted a fast paced game...this is not it. I personally have laid on my belly for 20 minutes watching a building that I knew a bandit was in waiting for the time to kill him. If you're complaining about having to crawl through town then maybe this isn't the game for you? There was once a time when this was the ONLY way to play. I actually agree with everything you said. I know I'm guilty of throwing around the whole "go play COD" and "maybe you should play something else". I know. But I do feel that way. You and I both went through the times where the game just felt too hard; where you died over and over again. Now we're better, now we can survive. If telling people that they are doing it (dare I say) "wrong" and suggesting that they would have a more fulfilling experience with a traditional shooter while at the same time offering them suggestions to keep them alive and keep them trying is a crime then I guess I'm a criminal. Maybe the reason it gets repeated so much is because it's true? And in many cases the other person would be happier playing COD? Also, read above quote Your flies make me smile a little inside...

You say too many, I say not enough. The difference being that I would easily survive, and you would die... It's not that hard man, you act like its the hardest thing to do on earth. Fuck maybe I'm just THAT DAMN good. All though I highly doubt that. I think that you started playing way after average life expectancy went up over an hour or maybe slightly less. There was once a time when life expectancy was less than fifteen minutes... I'm glad for a return to that. Eventually people will adapt, and avg life will rise...I just hope the devs have the nutts to do this again and knock everyone back down a few pegs. Besides, it helps weed out the run-n-gun players. I think everyone agrees that there are bugs that need fixed, I feel that way too. I also know that people will complain about difficulty, then eventually get over it. I've had to listen to all of this before about how the zombies are too fast, or hit too hard, or i cant find a gun. But I never changed anything about either of my servers (I ran two on two different occasions and people eventually got over it, survived, and thrived. The same holds true here. Obviously you and that guy you quoted are having difficulties. Myself and others in this thread are doing just fine. Perhaps it's time there was an "elite" difficulty or something...hmm Maybe I am you o.O and I too agree with this. I found 4 different choppers recently with just a shotgun and no ammo. I could've been like "you guys are doing fine, keep up the good work". ;) Sure, maybe that wasn't the best way to present the idea; but it's my way and I'm certainly not going to edit it now. this. I dare say IT'S TOO EASY GASP complaining along with the people complaining about complaining yes, i can smell it A squad running through Cherno, shooting up the place, searching through the same hospital that 50 coast noobs have been through in the last hour. You all deserve what you've gotten. Setup a tent, use that to cure yourselves. Me and mah partner get tactical, neither of us are infected. Still alive tonight too, just played 3 hrs. I can definitively say that you need to move on to a different game man because good things are not coming for you. The COD style of play that people had gotten accustomed to was never meant to be. Crawling around slowly through a town with death right over your shoulder thanking the stars that you found a can of beans is not only the origin of this game, but its entire premise and the only thing that sets it apart from games like COD and Left4Dead. Perhaps you would like those titles better?

Apparently not lol. I just found out that you can sleep in a tent to cure the infection. That said, infection is perfect and doesn't need rebalancing at all.

Well, at the risk of sounding like a hypocrit... I don't think it's so much that they "suck" but more so that they don't want to admit they are doing it wrong or change their ways. They would rather have the mod change to accomodate them. When you have one group of players who think the game is still to easy and another group that thinks its now unplayably hard then I think the problem goes well beyond simple development/game play changes and more into the realm of social engineering. They could bring the game back a few notches, alienate the hardcore survivors, and no one gets any better...or they can make it harder and harder and we either develop as players, or just keep bitching and dying and doing the same thing over and over and expecting something different. Thanks!!! I do!!! :D Many, many times I can remember cussing this game and it's creator and wondering why I keep coming back for more punishment. Than, over time, I got better. I think the current batch of players are either too new to have been here...or too accustomed to finding spawned in gear around every corner and being completely kitted in a night. The first time I had a week old character died I nearly broke my expensive ass gaming keyboard....so much rage. Or you can post your displeasure with the changes on a forum... lol It wasn't hard before, and it's not hard now either. Friendly suggestion if you are going to quit, try a game more like COD or battlefield. You will get more fulfillment out of that. (seriously not trolling, just suggesting) This game is meant for a hardcore elite few, I'm glad to see it catering to that now. This is the core problem I think. People are hell bent on getting a gun and shooting at each other and thats not what this game is primarily about. Sure, it's one aspect...but if there ever comes a time when there are no ramifications for pulling a trigger and shooting someone else then there is something wrong. People should always want to save their bullets in case they need them. Until now Cherno and Elektro have been team death match arenas and nothing more...currently people are too busy dying because of their poor playing strategy to be killing each other. ADAPTATION!!! Case in point!!! See, this guy changed his playing style and is that much more effective and will live that much longer than others who think that the game should change to suit them...and not the other way around. Good going...and great suggestion man. I'm def gonna start doing that.

It's also indicative of somewhere that's been looted out. 6 hrs last night with 20-30 other people in game. I did just fine. Played for maybe 3 the day before that, still alive. Clearly I'm doing something right that you are doing wrong man. If some people are surviving and others are dying...then clearly there's a divide between survivors and meat in the community.

i put on mah robe, and tin foil hat....

Is it just my headphones or does Ivan's audio get muddled by the rain? I'd love to see a transcript of this.

>Pulled the pin on a grenade to try to roll it around a corner. >You cant "roll" a grenade >It bounced high off the ground like it was made of rubber >Hit the ceiling, landed back at my feet.

I feel for ya man. On the one side I want to say "Don't get attached to your gear" but on the other shit like this just upsets me. Always has, always will. It's one thing to get shot in the chest turning a corner by someone who is "friendly" but its a real downer getting shot in the back running away by a "friendly"...then getting shot AGAIN trying to get away. My first time my partner and I (I almost always play with a padre) ran into the long barn in that little farm east of Cherno. As soon as we stepped in a guy drew a bead on us from the other side (I had a Macaroni, mi padre was unarmed). The guy leaned to the right, leaned to the left, leaned to the right. I saluted. He peppered my partner and winged me. I ran outside and waited for him to try to flank me. That weak ass pea shooter of mine did next to nothing to him, his AK made short work of me. From that point on I learned to shoot first, ask questions later when someone puts you between the sight rails of their gun.

I can only imagine... My story: I had only been playing for a couple weeks and was still getting a feel for the layout of the cities. My friend and I where playing at night and had started going through the paces of looting elektro. We had just moved from the power plant into the grocery store when we heard gun shots coming from down the street past the hospital. We both dipped down behind the fence across the road because we didn't want to be caught in the grocery if a bandit came in guns blazing. I kept leaning out into the street to look down the road to see if I could see anything. After a few tense moments we decided to investigate (thinking that whomever it was had logged out due to the darkness). I ran cover while my partner started doing a sweep around the back of the school and towards the back of the hospital. My partner took fire when he neared the backside of the hospital and said that he was moving to the front of the building (so I could shoot the bandit when he gave chase or stepped from concealment). As soon as mi padre stepped out I domed him. Perfect text book head shot. To this day I don't know why. There is a lot to be said for keeping your shit together and staying cool.

I'm all for making it more difficult. When I first started playing the mod I thought it was too hard...but like the challenge. Some of my friends even washed out because they said the game was just ridiculously difficult. Fast forward to the present myself and a handful of friends still play; however we have not only learned to survive but we thrive. In that environment the game has started to lose its allure. It's actually become too easy haha

tl;dr horsefag