Ah, Seven Days to Die. Seemed like five years ago when I heard this game compared to Minecraft; at the time the comparison was very justifiable but I found myself sticking to Minecraft in those yesteryears. Thus I would forget about Seven Days to Die, especially when sandbox games like it would pop out of nowhere and we get the Minecraft version of Doom Clones for a good amount of time; regardless if they brought something new to the table or were cash-grabs. Here, 2019 Anno Domini do I have to relive some of the best and worst times of gaming memory. Yet I shall since I really got nothing to do but wrap up some posts for publishing... So uh to the post!

The first thing that really didn't shock me, this didn't even shock me when I was even keeping tabs on this, was that this is still in Alpha. In many ways, still very good to see the developers didn't quit on this and are still adding unto it. Heck, even still a possibility of differing paths to go with Seven Days to Die and a lot of programming lessons to learn from anybody looking into the matter to the company itself. The only that Alphas really could bring is the failure to capture more people until it hits Beta or full release. Not that protracted/prolonged alphas are bad, some games do require them; yet from an industry standpoint, it's like sinking into a whirlpool when it comes to potential customers and future net income. Withal (Even so), glad they are still kicking around.

Second thing that shocked me not is that the Early Alpha stuff still permeates to this day. What did made me a bit happy is to hear all these new features that basically looks towards a realistic (well as realistic as a Zombie Apocalypse game can get, even with them pushing the boundaries) way to add challenge... Of course still in alpha and many improvements needed to make these features actually a challenge before it becomes borderline Micky Mouse bullshit at times... Moving on, glad to hear diseases and environmental effects actually bare weight now on the player.

Third thing that shocked me not was the types of zombies they employ here and look into; that and their AI is a bit whack (which is unfair since they don't have the funds to have people focus on AI, then again AAA companies and their publishers seem to forget about this when blowing the budget on advertisements). Gotta say that at least there's more wildlife than I care to remember and that it's still fun to kill them zombies (even if they should tone down the bullet sponginess later on).

Now this one finally shocked me, blood moons. Hell yeah, the Terria influence kicked in to this game (and further justifies the Minecraft connection despite Minecraft basically lacking this :p). Probably the most interesting out of everything that has been listed so far truly; especially on that solved the problem of AFK-ing in some regards and at least forced people to spend time to constantly upgrade their base while preparing for events such as this.

The story/questing thing is actually a new thing I haven't seen anywhere on the internet. Good that at least they're trying to give some lore into this and actually attempt a questing system. Albeit, since early alpha, they got a lot to still learn; and other groups can learn from their mistakes to not bear them when making their acute versions of it.

What I actually am glad for is that crafting (the main point of the Minecraft comparison) actually just got bigger from the last time I checked in on the game. Truthfully, glad to see they stuck with it and actually decided to expand upon it; albeit it seems to be the main vehicle (funny to see a 4x4 truck as the second picture right underneath) of commotion and survivability in the minds of people nowadays. Also glad they are still sticking with the recipe/plan/schematics system for crafting, since it's humanly impossible to expect everyone to now how to craft a car from scratch in the real World.

Another thing that shocked me is (if I hadn't caught on to it earlier) is that vehicles actually exist and cut the time for travel (and potential conflict with the dead). I remember YouTube channels dedicating entire hours on livestreams to just find various methods to avoid the night while finding efficient and safe routes to the cities. So this addition alone does add tons of variety and avoids the clunkier methods of travelling (and the issues of those days). Albeit, tunnel-mining might still be a very viable option to consider; especially as a mineshaft railway system to connect up between the cities.

Finally, what shocked me not is that exploring has been (as per Minecraft even) not tainted but improved upon. Especially when talking about the sandbox RPM actually improved quite a fair few leagues. However, the comically absurd example still makes me laugh and unfortunately I figure it still be true nowadays as it was to the past. Also glad to hear that there are specialized buildings nowadays and not general loot buildings, been a thing I expect out of a game that's basically a realistic Zombie Minecraft clone that's not a clone (but Doom Clone argument).

And for such, I actually agree with the final thoughts of the post. As someone that hadn't sunken time playing but watching the game (live even) and coming back to see this, feels like the game actually improved. Finally, Seven Days to Die became more than a mere Minecraft clone~ :p