Candy machines..?

[Kauldric]

So, seriously, who is refilling the candy/vending machines in random/destroyed POIs?

And if no one, then why pay?

[MistaM]

Mr. Chief.

[Tman]

Good point actually, we can lockpick police cars for weapons etc and pickaxe through a house safe but still have to pay for some vending machine junk. hmm

[♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]

The same person who filled weapon lockers with stone spears right before the apocalypse.

[Macdallan]

Originally posted by Kauldric:

Candy machines..?

So, seriously, who is refilling the candy/vending machines in random/destroyed POIs?

And if no one, then why pay?

Buckle up, this is going to blow your mind.

The "candy" in those vending machines? It's not really candy. Those are solidified magical potions. I'm pretty sure some shellac is involved in the solidifying process but I don't really know how it's done. Apparently making them into solids increases their shelf life. That's why the "candy" never tastes stale and the effects are always the same.

I suppose you're wondering who, how, why, what, and where, right? There really is no way to ease into this at all so here it is - a wizard of immense power resides nearby and they make the "candy." I'll give that a second to sink in.

You okay? Good.

Yes, I mean a real magic wielding wizard. He tries to help out the survivors but he's only really good at a few things. Seems he's not the kind of wizard that can toss around fireballs and such. He's more of an enchanter and a pretty darn talented alchemist. Not all that great at anything else, though. His abilities explain why so many items you find can "magically" boost your stats and give you abilities they shouldn't give you like wearing pair of half rotten work gloves somehow boosts the amount of damage you do when swinging a club at a zombie. That's also why you "magically" have a jar in your hand every time you find murky water but when you finish drinking it the jar just vanishes. The wizard is behind the scenes helping you out.

Ever wonder why the vending machines run even when there's no power leading to the building? The wizard makes them work, and that's why they zap you when you hit them. Why do you think honey quickly cures the zombie virus? The wizard enchants the honey. How can you heal broken bones in a matter of hours instead of weeks? The wizard is behind that. How can you craft armoured clothing out of a handful of grass and a couple sticks using nothing but your hands? The wizard. How can you repair and craft items so quickly? Yes, the wizard. You're catching on.

So, who do you think fills the vending machines? Good guess but no, it's not the wizard. The wizard never leaves his sanctuary. We think they're filled by the wizard's servants since the wizard is obviously far too busy to do it himself given all the "magic-ing" he's doing almost constantly. The guy's gotta sleep once in a while, right? Anyway, so far these servants seem to have remained unseen. No one has ever witnessed them filling one of these vending machines or seen them toting "candy" to or from the machines.

What if someone decides not to pay? If someone doesn't pay then the wizard will no longer be able to resurrect that person if they die. How do you think you kept coming back to life every time you were eaten by zombie dogs, or stepped on a land mine and turned into a fine red mist? The wizard does that and that's why every one pays.

Why do people have to pay? Well, short story long - the wizard doesn't charge for all the other work he does for the survivors and wizards have to eat. For some reason the wizard can't conjure food. He's also a horrible cook. He's an amazing alchemist yet can't make a grilled cheese sandwich to save his life. Dude can't even boil a potato or an ear of corn. Hasn't got a clue how to grill a piece of meat. Yes, I know it's extremely silly that an adult wizard wouldn't be able to grill a piece of meat but that's just how it is. I guess he's been reading the wrong tomes or something...

Well, anyway, since he's such a terrible cook he has to buy all his food from Rekt who, as you know, charges a lot more than the food is actually worth. He also buys most of his alchemy supplies to make the "candy" that ends up in the "candy machines." If all the things the wizard does for the survivors isn't worth occasionally shelling out a few Dukes for some "candy" (which is a completely optional and totally unnecessary "luxury item") so the wizard can eat (and thus not die because the old fellow can't resurrect himself... which is why he NEVER leaves his sanctuary in this zombie apocalypse) then the wizard doesn't see any reason to keep helping those people. Since no survivor is willing to take that risk - they all pay.

Any other questions my friend?

[HondaRadio]

Another question would be - who converted the machines to use post apocalyptic currency, and why? There are still dollars laying around so it must be the same person that pays to fly an aircraft to your location with a couple of broken stone tools and some magazines. There is still electric power so somebody is maintaining the grid. I think it is a T.V show, your character is a condemned prisoner or something.

[Macdallan]

Originally posted by andycronshaw:

Another question would be - who converted the machines to use post apocalyptic currency, and why? There are still dollars laying around so it must be the same person that pays to fly an aircraft to your location with a couple of broken stone tools and some magazines. There is still electric power so somebody is maintaining the grid. I think it is a T.V show, your character is a condemned prisoner or something.

See above.

[UrbanNoodles]

To be honest, I've never really thought about that. But then again, I only use the vending machines at my local trader. I only use wild vending machines as safehavens, since they shock stunlock anything that hits them. But to answer the question, the trader could be the one that restocks them when you aren't around them? Could also explain why their inventory refreshes every now and then. Otherwise, who is bringing them all that new loot in those single player worlds?

[Tahnval]

It's done by employees of the TV company:

https://steamcommunity.com/app/251570/discussions/0/3806155532864207040/#c3806155532864538008

[Undefined]

I'd say one of Duke's men. Theoretically, there's some law and order in 7D. Duke runs Navezgane and keeps the economy going. All the traders have to pay him "taxes" and his currency is the only way to engage in commerce.

[PITI.eth]

Originally posted by ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥:

The same person who filled weapon lockers with stone spears right before the apocalypse.

lmfaoooo

[xycotta]

Originally posted by ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥:

The same person who filled weapon lockers with stone spears right before the apocalypse.

I always enjoyed finding dukes in safes and registers myself

[Crashtian]

Originally posted by xycotta:

Originally posted by ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥:

The same person who filled weapon lockers with stone spears right before the apocalypse.

I always enjoyed finding dukes in safes and registers myself

Right, like the implications being that there was quite some time between post-apocolypse and zombie outbreak.

[Sharkbait]

Originally posted by Kauldric:

So, seriously, who is refilling the candy/vending machines in random/destroyed POIs?

And if no one, then why pay?

It's the fun pimps themselves, if they didn't we would have candies and we would have the bandits XD

[Tahnval]

Originally posted by Crashtian:

Originally posted by xycotta:

I always enjoyed finding dukes in safes and registers myself

Right, like the implications being that there was quite some time between post-apocolypse and zombie outbreak.

That doesn't really fit either, since there was an organised response to the zombie outbreak. It was widely reported in newspapers, the CDC was involved, the military was involved. That implies that the zombie outbreak was the cause (or at least a major causal factor) of the collapse of civilisation, not something that happened quite some time afterwards.

Trying to retcon the wildly inconsistent backstory in 7DTD is a tall order because what's there is ad hoc disconnected pieces strewn over a decade of development without any consideration of lore. It can be entertaining to try, though.

[Githyanki]

Many times I have taken over a POI (fire station is a perfect example) as a base that contains working vending machines. Each and every day those machines a mysteriously refilled by some magical force. Perhaps the wizard has summoned forth an army of unseen servants to keep the machines stocked. As for the power its probably tesla based and uses a wireless global transmission system with a tiny receiver attached inside the machine out of view.

I also strongly suspect the wizard is actually Santa Claus and his elves are the ones restocking the machines for all the nice survivors to use.