7 Days To Die: Better Than Giant Bees Mod

[FlowerChild]

Given I've created a thread for this mod over on the 7 Days forum, I'm editing this post to simply provide a link over there as it will cut down on me having to maintain mod information in two different locations.

Please check this thread for the latest release and additional info:

Better Than Giant Bees Official Thread

[Whuppee]

Will be giving this a try immediately. Thank you for sharing.

[FlowerChild]

2nd version uploaded based on ongoing play. Link in OP has been updated.

Axed a few more recipes ;)

[Gilberreke]

Haha, there should be a Better Than config for every game out there :D

I haven't picked up 7 Days yet, maybe I will in the future :)

[Taleric]

Ahhhhhhhhh!

I suck so hard at vanilla 7DTD this will be slaughter XP

Shhhh Gil don't encourage further expansion, fixing just the couple is already a tall order. FC might call 'em lost causes and just do one shot fixes from here on out O_o

[FlowerChild]

Made a few more revisions. Most notably, I returned the club recipes to using sticks as I didn't like the way they bunched up with the metal weapons in the progression. Basically, you got clubs the same time you got a fireaxe, at which point, you didn't really need clubs anymore ;)

Also removed a couple of lingering recipes I noticed that didn't fit in, and changed the title of the thread to be slightly less aggressive in expressing my disdain for giant bees ;)

Download link in OP is updated to the new version.

[FlowerChild]

Updated the link in the OP to a alpha 9 version of the recipe file based on my own play the past couple of days.

A brief outline of what the config does. This is from memory, so it may not cover all the changes.

-Gets rid of the crossbow and crossbow bolts entirely for reasons I've discussed elsewhere. Basically it makes firearms and all the firearm crafting useless as it's pretty much the ultimate ranged weapon and can be crafted in the first few minutes of the game with an infinite supply of easy to obtain ammo.

-Gets rid of the stone axe. This thing is the swiss-army knife of tools and pretty much nukes any progression in the game. First, it's pretty much as effective as any other early game weapon like bone shanks or the various clubs. Second, it allows you to mine resources from boulders, which makes obtaining iron for forging trivial (not to mention it makes forging or finding other tools far less significant). Third, it allows you to chop down trees right off the bat and also serves as a construction tool which means construction is possible right at the start. With it gone, you have to work a bit on each individual thing it represents and it ups the fear factor quite a bit in the early game as you have to rely on preexisting structures for shelter.

-Nerfs desert resources. Driftwood is only good for burning and can't be turned into planks or stick. Yucca juice is completely removed. Did this because it's actually way easier to get beverages and wood in the desert than anywhere else as you can just pick them up off the ground which makes deserts feel like the land of plenty :P

-Removes extraneous recipes. There are only two club types, and I've gotten rid of pretty much every recipe that allows you to create a block without building a frame first. Those recipes largely nullified the whole construction system, so basically if you want to build it has to be through frames and/or rebar and then applying upgrades to them. Also got rid of all the useless furniture recipes and such, so if you want decorations like that for your base, you have to scavenge them. This also cuts down on all the annoying clutter in the crafting menu as well. Also got rid of a few entirely useless recipes like leather strips that serve no purpose whatsoever in vanilla.

-Gets rid of several of the firearm mold recipes. You can still craft all the shotgun parts yourself, but I consider stuff like rifled barrels and bolts to be beyond your primitive crafting abilities. This makes such parts or whole weapons that you find much more valuable, particularly since the crossbow is gone as well.

I think that covers the main points. I made several other little tweaks here and there so that things make a bit more sense or are a bit more challenging, but the above are the real kickers.

[Ethinolicbob]

Just a FYI, leather strips are there as a repairing agent for leather clothing (as metal strips repair tools & weapons etc)

[FlowerChild]

Just a FYI, leather strips are there as a repairing agent for leather clothing (as metal strips repair tools & weapons etc)

Doh! All right, fair enough :)

[jorgebonafe]

Unfortunately, I couldn't do anything about the giant fucking bees ;)

I saw this the other day...

http://7daystodie.com/forums/showthread ... ecial-Mobs

Helpful maybe?

[FlowerChild]

I saw this the other day...

http://7daystodie.com/forums/showthread ... ecial-Mobs

Helpful maybe?

Nah, I wouldn't want to just eliminate them as they do serve a useful gameplay purpose in terms of requiring fortifying against attack from above.

Just really wish they had chosen a different creature type to fill that role.

[Taleric]

I was thinking about their pick of bee and drawing a bank for a better option that moves that way, giant hummingbird?! :P

Regular vultures/raptors would have to swoop in ect while the bees just get free range on a z axis.

I think about the swarms in Diablo II Act2 and that might have looked cooler if done right.

Although I do run in terror from them when not equipped.

[FlowerChild]

That kind of specific hovering behavior isn't required to get the same kind of gameplay impact in terms of fortification. Obviously, the AI would need to be different for different kinds of creatures, but I think a lot could also be justified in terms of zombified animals being able to do things that normal ones couldn't. Can a zombified vulture hover in place after coming in for a swoop? Why not? I could see them flapping in a stationary position almost like a dragon or something (upright with claws and beak facing forward). I suspect it would look downright creepy rather than comical.

The AI would likely be more difficult to get right, but IMO it would be well worth it to avoid having giant fucking bees in the game ;)

[Taleric]

Oh sweet idea, yeah a dragon like hovering would be menacing. Lol damn bees :P

[DaveYanakov]

Vultures are capable of a ranged attack as well as they are known for spraying their highly acidic bile at attackers. They could literally be dragons. Also, frickin huge birds are scary in any case and buzzards are bloody massive

[Kazuya Mishima]

Not to mention that vultures defecate all over their own legs to thermoregulate and prevent overheating. Scary maybe but also a revolting animal that is content to bask in it's own feculent excretions. Since FC has a thing for poo i thought that fact would be of interest.

[Taleric]

Not to mention that vultures defecate all over their own legs to thermoregulate and prevent overheating. Scary maybe but also a revolting animal that is content to bask in it's own feculent excretions. Since FC has a thing for poo i thought that fact would be of interest.

Well, I am thoroughly sold :P vultures must replace bees. They should perch when not on attack or circle :)

At least the dogs are proper. Being comfortable with all dogs IRL I can imagine the heart pounding fear some people experience by the feeling I get from these in game. How sick would it be to have domestic dogs to tame that turn to these in situations.

[FlowerChild]

Got some good news here. The latest release of 7 Days exposes a bunch more files to modding, and it's allowed me to tweak a bunch of stuff I didn't have access to before.

I want to put in some play time before releasing anything, but I'm doing a little dance over here :)

[FlowerChild]

And..new release for Alpha 10 :)

Download link and full change log in the OP.

[DerAlex]

I'd love to play your version of 10.1 with a buddy when it's ready. Can you play your mod in MP? I'm not talking about the dedicated servers, but I imagine using P2P should be no problem, as long as all players have the same modified files? I have no idea how disconnected SP is from MP, but in the past I have converted a SP map to a MP one, so it shouldn't be that different, at least hopefully. Sadly I can't remember if you played a modified version with Icy, but I think you didn't, at least in the 2 vids I watched.

[FlowerChild]

I'd love to play your version of 10.1 with a buddy when it's ready. Can you play your mod in MP? I'm not talking about the dedicated servers, but I imagine using P2P should be no problem, as long as all players have the same modified files? I have no idea how disconnected SP is from MP, but in the past I have converted a SP map to a MP one, so it shouldn't be that different, at least hopefully. Sadly I can't remember if you played a modified version with Icy, but I think you didn't, at least in the 2 vids I watched.

Yup, me and Icy were playing with the mod. With Alpha 9, the recipe file was automatically transmitted from server to client, so the whole process was automated if the server had it installed.

I'm not absolutely certain about alpha 10 though and whether or not the other files I'm changing are transmitted like that. They reside in the same directory as the recipe file now, so hopefully they do, but I'm not 100% on that.

I suspect that at worse though, if both people have it installed it should work fine, with one caveat: you *may* have to turn off anti-cheat (Steam gives you the option of launching it without), as I notice the console has been giving me anti-cheat warnings about my modified files.

Just want to test a bit more to assure I haven't mucked anything up, and should have something ready shortly :)

[FlowerChild]

All right! I just died a few times so I think I am happy with the next release :)

Download Link

This release contains the following changes:

-Updated mod for version 10.1 of 7 Days to Die.

-Added enhanced sound effects for when dysentery progresses to stage 2.

-Changed a bunch of skill books around so that the player starts knowing very few recipes and slowly learns them over time. This creates bottlenecks at various points in the progression to help spread things out a bit better and create a transition between an initially nomadic lifestyle as you scavenge for various resources and books, into a more self-sufficient existence. The individual changes are too numerous to list, but you'll figure it out. One word of warning though: I can't effectively change the names or icons of the book items at present, so in some cases they may be misleading as to what they actually contain. If you hover your mouse over them though, you'll get a more accurate description.

-Changed (further reduced) the damage of the spiked club so that the hunting knife is a better weapon and doesn't fall between the cracks of the progression.

-Changed (increased) the damage of the hunting knife slightly and increased its durability to the same end.

-Changed (increased) the head-hit bonus damage of the fire axe slightly as it was rather low comparable to other "advanced" weapons/tools.

-Changed (reduced) the likelihood of finding eggs in nests as they were rather overabundant previously.

-Changed (reduced) the number of skill books found in bookcases as they were way too abundant before, even on minimum loot settings.

-Changed (reduced) the number of tools that you find laying about.

-Changed the way meat,fat, and hide drops work on animals so that they're consistent regardless of loot abundance settings. I did this because with the way things were, you'd often get the same amount of resources out of a rabbit than off a deer at low loot settings.

-Changed torches to set zombies on fire again since they are now a limited use single-stack item.

-Changed (increased) the duration of food poisoning to make it a more serious consideration, and decreased the rate of health loss associated with it since you'll have to endure it much longer.

-Changed (increased) the chance of getting food poisoning from old Sham sandwiches to make them more of a desperation food.

-Changed (increased) the number of yucca plants required to craft fibers once again as it was still too light.

-Changed blood bags, beakers, and blood draw kits back to being zombie-nurse specific drops as they had become overabundant.

-Changed toilets to fall if not supported and to require harvesting to collect instead of just being picked up directly, in my ongoing quest to make them the ideal decorative blocks.

-Changed hay bales, camo nets, pews, webs, and sand bags so that you can't just pick them up directly.

-Changed hay bales so that they drop a bunch of grass on destruction.

-Changed a whole bunch of blocks so that they drop either nothing or base resources (like wood or scrap metal) upon destruction, instead of the blocks upon which they are based. This applies to stuff like wood poles, cement blocks, or what have you to avoid being able to harvest blocks in ways that bypass the construction system. You may notice more consistent drops overall from destroying blocks though, as I added a number of them as part of this.

-Changed (reduced) the amount of coal and potassium nitrate you receive from crafting the corresponding ores to reduce the mass surplus that tends to occur in the late game.

-Changed the spiked club to require nails instead of scrap metal or iron ingots. This gives the wood club more of a place in the progression as it takes awhile to accumulate the required nails from loot.

-Changed mining helmets to have durability like other pieces of armor.

-Changed a lot of additional things about the loot tables to create a more challenging experience overall. I didn't note them all individually, just the main points. Overall though, you'll be finding fewer items.

-Removed the buffs/bonuses on blunt weapons that were added in Alpha 10 as this was making them rather overpowered, difficult to compare stats on them to other weapons given the ambiguous random factor involved, and ultimately difficult to balance relative to edged weapons.

-Removed almost all "post apocalyptic" equipment from the loot list like clubs and armor. I did this because it frankly sucks when you're trying to work towards a piece of equipment at the beginning of the game, like say a spiked club, only to find one in a container. Thematically, I think this works well in that it feels more like you're picking over the remnants of a civilization before it fell, rather than picking over the remnants of the remnants.

-Removed "plant fiber pants" as that was just an extraneous feature thrown in to silence people whining about running around with their ass hanging out. Personally, I feed on the angst of such people so I'm not inclined to help eliminate it.

-Removed a few items (pants and tank tops) that seemed to be missing icons in Alpha 10 and would just show up as blank inventory squares with a durability bar.

-Fixed problem where blueberry bushes were still spawning in parts of snow biomes.

Enjoy! :)

[FlowerChild]

Ack! I missed one!

Version 1.11:

Download Link

Change:

-Changed (reduced) the chance of finding pistols in desks and dressers.

[Taleric]

I finally got ok at v7D, so time for BtGB, ouch. I can make it to the first night hooking and jabbing with a fair amount of resources.

That is where it ends mostly due to water and food :(

I am just praying for cookware, even if all I have is eggs and purified water I would know what to do. I feel like I am just tossing dice for cookware and a building, till then eminent death.

What are some of your strategies? I feel like a BTW noob :P

[FlowerChild]

Well, a few tips:

-Don't forget that a stick is cookware. It won't resolve your water problem, but it can be used to cook up any meat you find. Animals tend to keel over all over the place in alpha 10 so you'll often find carcasses just laying about for free food, or see a zombie kill an animal, in which case you can kill the zombie to steal the meat.

-You can drink water without boiling it if push comes to shove. You'll likely get dysentery, but this can be survived if you have painkillers on hand. It will create other problems for you of course, but it'll get you through that first night in a pinch. Usually I think you tend to find enough bottled water to get you through if you do a fair amount of scavenging. I've tightened things up to an extent where the first day becomes a bit of an exercise in time management, similar to BTW, so try to get things done quickly so that you'll have as much time as possible left over to scavenge.

-Yes, finding shelter is an absolute priority. Given the recommended settings if you haven't secured a safe location by nightfall, feral zombies will kill you. However, with alpha 10, buildings are frigging everywhere. Find a road and follow it in one direction until you hit buildings. If you hit a wasteland...turn around and go back. Wastelands will seriously mess you up and need to be avoided (snow biomes are dangerous as well to a lesser extent due to the tougher frozen zombies).

-Make sure to keep an eye out for bags laying about (backpacks and such). They tend to have better loot in them than the cupboards and such in buildings. My theory on this is people killed while fleeing were more likely to have decent stuff on them than those that expired behind barricades in their homes (in which case they likely consumed almost everything).

-Sticks can be used as improvised tools and weapons. This can save you some real time at the start in getting a stone axe up and running, in that if you grab a stick first, you can then use the stick to harvest grass to make fibers.

-Bone shanks make great improvised weapons at start, as do wood clubs. The way I've setup the weapon stats in BTGB, it pays to have a weapon other than your stone axe at start both for the increased damage and to preserve the durability of your axe.

-Kill zombie nurses if you have a chance. They often times have pain killers on them, and will sometimes have antibiotics. The pain killers can help you survive dysentery and get over your wounds, while the antibiotics will cure dysentery and infections.