Here is my latest installment covering news about the development of the game 7 Days to Die. Currently, the Fun Pimps (the developers of 7 Days to Die) are working the Alpha 17 update for the game, which will likely make some significant steps in the game’s development. Two months ago, I had written an article covering Alpha 17’s development as it was known then, which you can read here. In this article, I will cover information that has been released since then.
They’re updating the starting menu of the game with a new screen design and tabs system. From what has been shown of it, it should make some game settings options a bit easier to find.
The developers are continuing to add new POIs, with newer features and elements to indicate back stories for the buildings. They are continuing to create new blocks, painting features, and the like. These include the addition of a microwave, new fridges, new cabinets, new stoves, rickety fences, more realistic looking rubble blocks and textures, mirrors, blocks with separate paintable trims, various new painting textures, fireplaces, new railing for stairs, crown moldings, windows with trims, climbable trellises, new paintings with wall safes behind them, new shelves, new book cases, new pipes, water heaters, closet doors, new curtains with adjusted heights, attic ladders, and new dressers. They will be changing the looting dynamic of the game with the addition of randomized loot containers and empty versions. Things such as cabinets, fridges, stoves, and microwaves will have open versions of them which don’t contain any loot. They’ll be intermixed with their regular versions and be randomly selected within POIs. This feature would balance and add a degree of variance to looting.
They’ve continued to make significant advances with vehicles. They have established an operating version of the motorcycle they’re adding. Vehicle collision is returning to the game. So, we’ll be able to run over zombies or players to damage or kill them. They’ve created an operating version of the jeep they are adding. While they are still working on finalizing features for it, it can be seen that it will operate with terrain, be able to break small obstacles, and damage things it runs into. The Jeep should also be able to transport passengers, which would make it the first multi-person vehicle for the game. Though, it is yet to be seen exactly how many it will be able to carry.
The developers are moving with the renovation of player attribute, progression, buffs and weapons systems. They plan to replace the current wellness and ability system to with a new selection of several attributes. As this is a work in progress, there isn’t much detail about what exactly it will be like. It is indicated that their changes to the progression system will aim to make advancements operate in larger, more simplified steps, and be less incremental. They plan to change the temperature system so that things that previously changed body temperature instead act to provide resistance to effects of temperature. Guns will be changed so that instead of putting it together with parts, they will instead be found as whole guns. These guns will be able to have modifications attached to them to do things such as changing firing area or extending magazine size. The crosshairs of weapons will be changed to match the area of fire, so that they more accurately indicate what they will hit. They plan to add a system of power attack moves that will deliver new impacts. They plan to add some sort of visible health bar to be able to tell a target’s health, for three seconds after engagement, or until a new target is hit. It has not yet been determined if it will be included generally or only for certain zombies.
They’re replacing the existing deer with two new deer models: one being a stag, and the other being a doe. They’re also adding new systems for better animal ragdoll effects, and adding a system where the level of damage differs depending on the part of the body that is hit (such as a headshot doing more damage than hitting a leg).
The developers also plan on adding new zombie bosses. These zombie bosses would be significantly stronger than regular zombies, and would spawn in certain important POIs.
The developers are also continuing to take steps towards the advancement of AI survivors. They have created a new system of 3D motion animation for models, which can show body and weapon movement. As stated by Joel Huenink, this solves one of the major issues that was keeping them from being able to add the bandits to the game. That is a positive indication that they are on their way to getting bandits and other new AI survivors added to the game in Alpha 17. They are also working on adding missions that players can get from Traders and the new faction groups. Personally, I am most looking forward to seeing the advancements they make for AI survivors in Alpha 17.
In his latest video, Joel Huenink stated that Alpha 17 will likely be their largest update yet, and that they are getting closer to a future beta stage.
