synystr

How about optimization and server stability? How about a game that works?

People aren't writing bad reviews because its fashionable. The game has made no progress in two years. Sure, they added more weapons and hats, but the game is fundamentally flawed. Still. You can choose to be blinded by optimism, or accept the reality. Funnily enough, that is also great advice for surviving the apocalypse.

The second anniversary of the release of DayZ SA is fast approaching, and I've taken stock of my time spent in DayZ, including the mod. Where are we going with this game? It seems the age old adage "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" has rang true once again. The problem with that is the people who are content never think of voicing their opinion because they don't need to, until its too late. Like right now. We came from the mod. Legendary, but admirably simple in the way it presented itself. You start on a beach. Survive. If you broke your legs, you need morphine. If you are hungry, eat a can of food. If you are trapped in a building by zombies, shoot your way out and make a dash for safety or hack your way out quietly and sneak away. See a car? It needs a wheel and engine parts. Simple. The problem with DayZ now is it is taking itself too seriously. In a bid to make itself "realistic", the devs, led by the community, have gone to great lengths to make the game overly complicated. But, when is a zombie apocalypse ever "realistic"? The mod worked so well because it was fun in its simplicity and it immersed you in the atmosphere of the apocalypse. Now, you have to worry about farming, an overly complicated medical and food system, fishing... etc. DayZ is turning into a camping simulator that happens to include angry, pale skinned, teleporting, pugilists... The BASE DayZ experience that hooked us hasn't even been completely emulated yet, almost 2 years in. The zombies were... barely passable... in the mod. But at least they worked. And this is a zombie survival game! I mean, that should be the FIRST priority. But no, now we can sew and do archery. I've gotten my money's worth with my 400 or so hours in game and there is plenty of things the standalone does fantastic over the mod. Plenty. But, sadly, it seems that we have forgotten where we came from, forgotten what got us hooked back in the summer of 2012. There. I've said my piece. You now have permission to lynch me.

So do inflatable My Little Pony sex dolls, but that doesn't mean they should be included in an apocalypse simulator who is trying to be realistic. But what you're saying here is that upon finding an 800 year old piece of head gear in the apocalypse, your immediate thought would be to put it on?

I just found a flanged mace and a great helm in game. How "realistic".

See? This is when people's interpretation of "reality" interferes with gameplay. When can we all just take a step back and realize this is just a game. Games aren't fun when they are ultra-realistic. They are tedious. What would be more fun? Jumping in a helicopter and flying off or jumping in a helicopter, flipping all the necessary switches in the proper order and having to deal with a realistic helicopter flight model with rotor stalling and torque to have to compensate for?

Frankly, that bullshit is whats wrong with the majority of the players. They seem to think you can survive running around screaming "I'm friendly! WANNA TEAM UP BRO??!?@". Completely delusional.

Why didn't you ask to be friends? You dirty bandit! (sarcasm)

Probably never played Halo 1 - 3. Shame. Of course, I expect you to say you have because there is no way I could ever know if you have or not... but Halo had a great universe and story before it went to 343 studios.

I'm in Hamilton! You know, the city that had the NDP candidate that didn't know what Auschwitz was and called the fence posts "phallic". Haha

Hi :D Where ya from bud?

No, they don't need to make a game especially for me. They already did. It was the mod. That's what I've been trying to get across here. The devs had a massive audience in the mod, but now they are alienating people like me who wanted DayZ to feel like the DayZ I sunk... god knows how many hours into. I purchased the standalone, when it released... on my birthday... No kidding by the way... with the belief that I was going to get the same experience. But alas, it must not meant to be.

Oh so I payed 30 bucks for an early access alpha so the devs can make a game THEY want to play? Fantastic... Where is the refund button? That has to be the best business plan I have ever heard. Turn away from what was popular with the masses to appeal to a small community. haha Yes, believe it or not, it is a computer game. You are the exact person who I am talking about.

I don't know. I'm a jaded old DayZ-er that has been playing since May of 2012. All they had to do was expand on the mod. Make it less clunky, update the graphics, make the zombies a threat... You know, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The closer you get to the tedium of reality, it becomes exactly that, tedious. Where do we draw the line? What was wrong with just using a blood bag? No, now you gotta eat 20 cans of beans and gotta go stand next to a pond and spam drink. But not too much or else you'll get stuffed and vomit and then you'll have to start all over again... Can we just suspend the disbelief and just use a freaking blood bag and get on with playing the game?

The only way to survive is treat it the apocalypse as if you were fighting a war. Assume hostile always. Trust is for the naive.

Damage Players shouldn't be able to retaliate after being shot with fatal damage. There is that one second or so gap between when he should be dead and when he actually is dead and that might not seem like much, but that's enough time for them to do serious damage to you or kill you. And its not impossible to make near instant damage calculations, I mean, every other shooter does it right. And please, don't give the whole "Oh, you're not a game dev" defence. Bodies Bodies disappear WAY to quickly. After the incident that cause me to write the above paragraph happened, I ran back to the site (Prigorodki to Bor - Travel time 10-15 minutes) only to find his and my bodies gone. That is considerably frustrating adding that to how he managed to kill me while dying. I know its in alpha but come on, mechanics should be polished before adding in pink striped balaclavas.

I'd imagine it'd be Rocket as he's project lead. Another example of authenticity being sacrificed for fun, helicopters. I highly doubt the average joe knows how to operate a helicopter, but choppers MAKE DayZ. There is nothing more fun and rewarding than successfully fixing a chopper and flying the map like a boss.

At some point, authenticity should be sacrificed for gameplay. It is a zombie apocalypse... how authentic is that?

I don't know if its in the works, and its probably too late to request it if it isn't, but can we take spray paint on our faces?

I got 3% left when opening it with brass knuckles :P

I have died numerous times to hypothermia. I don't get what I am doing wrong. In a fit of frustration I went looking for the warmest clothes instead of playing normally. Ended up wearing a down jacket, gloves, beanie/touque, hiking boots and jeans. I was still "promptly cooling off". Even built a fire to no avail. I don't know about you guys, but Chernarus doesn't look like Baffin Island in the winter to me. In fact, it looks kind of pleasant. If it is an Arctic wasteland, then put snow on the ground and give me a parka or some sort of NASA designed extreme environment suit with controlled internal atmosphere or something. Why is it so cold in Chernarus? I can understand at night or in the rain but it looks like a comfortable 15 degrees or so during the day. That's shorts weather in Canada, eh? Or let us choose a nationality. I can understand someone from California or North Africa freezing to death in 15 degree weather, but a hearty Scandinavian, Canadian or Russian takes advantage of that and sunbathes.

Dude. What's with your signature? Go on youtube and watch boar hunting videos and you'll see why I am saying that.

I really do hope its bugged because having cycling characters ever 2 hours or so because I freeze to death is comical and literally making me quit this game after 350 hours or so logged. I got my money's worth though. The way I figure it, hours played >= price x 10.

No I've died of hypothermia and on my current one I'm at the "orange" state of cold, despite wearing the warmest clothing, building a fire and it being clear skies and day.

Hmm could be the issue. But still, Chernarus doesn't look THAT cold. I shouldn't get hypothermic wearing jeans and a hoodie. Then again, I am Canadian. Maybe I am biased towards how cold cold feels.