7 Days to Die Alpha 16 : BAD COMPANY (Patreon)

The Bad Company 7 Days to Die server has been updated to alpha 16 experimental and you are welcome to join immediately.

Address :  85.236.100.48

Port : 25200 

Password : chimpChanges to the default gameLet us begin with the golden rule for the upcoming changes : I will set up the server in a way I believe will be the most rewarding (in terms of enjoyment) for players in the long run. If I get this right, we'll have a healthy server population for a good length of time. If it's wrong the server will be empty.

While there will be a scenario to the world we end up building I'll decide that when the finalised version of A16 is released. Until then I'm talking only about the rules that will be introduced to the server. These rules are intended to make the late game harder, and to ensure that nobody ever feels like they're not at risk.

This stems from a fundamental problem with survival games : they're always toughest at the very beginning. From that point on you acquire better gear, you level up and you make the world easier to survive, eventually you have no fear of the world and are effectively a superhero in the game. This is the point that many players drop out, as there is a definite link between challenge and player retention (it's also why non-sandbox games get harder as you progress, not easier).

7D2D ramps up zombie difficulty over time, but only to a degree - it reach maximum around day 70, I believe. We're also limited by the number of zombies that can spawn - if we upped it continually, the challenge could be increased over time, but the maximum on server at once is 64 (recommended - we run at 80, which may cause performance problems). Fundamentally, once you have the best gear with max survival skills, ridiculous levels of resources and hardcore combat skills you are effectively immortal (unless ladders). At that point the challenge of the game is all but gone.

I've chewed on several ideas for maintaining the challenge over time:

Permadeath (you die, you restart), all zombies sprinting ferals all the time, remove concrete and/or spikes from the game.

But the current frontrunner is much more simple.

- Have a low level cap.

Currently I'm planning to set the cap to level 50 (and I've made leveling up ridiculously fast so you can test this out). This might be too low, might be too high... no idea! Get in and try it out (starting a fresh profile will allow you a do-over).

So, why a level cap?

The fundamental reason is that it stops anyone becoming a superhero. You can't make the best gear, survive for days, build the ultimate fortress and use any weapon to kill everything stone dead without assistance. The idea is that you can choose to specialise and become The Greatest at a particular discipline or two, or become a jack of all trades where you are reasonably competent across several skills.

This should also lead to much greater player interaction. It will lead to the possibility of reintroducing the player-driven economy, but that's a decision for later.

It might end up being a lousy idea, but we should be able to find out whether that's the case pretty quickly. Get used to placing orders for gear, and working with an escort if out looting...

 Will you be a survivalist? Warrior? Builder? Crafter? Medic? Farmer? You can't be them all. Or rather, you can't be best at them all.

Other changes (currently):

- Removed the minibike book

- Reduced loot quantity

-Increased loot respawn timeEverything is subject to change, but I encourage you to give the limits a try to see what you think (when they become active).The server may be reset multiple times until we lock into the A16 build when the finalised version releases.

Sharpen your knives!

-CF