iBane

SG is an excellent showcase of how questionable the foundation of this game is. They say no publicity is bad publicity, but SG pushes that rule to the limit for SA.

Think of them as prototype 1.0 zombies if you like that better than "placeholder". The new studio BI acquired is working on prototype 2.0 with improved pathfinding, improved collision, physics/ragdoll, and I'm sure many other things. The current zombies are not really W.I.P. because (from my reading of developer comments anyway) they are not working to tweak or improve them. They are building a new prototype (2.0) basically from scratch and will completely replace the current zombies (prototype 1.0).

The place holders can be used to test gameplay components such as AI coding, clipping, pathfinding, ragdoll, physics etc., even though they are not the final version. The zombies aren't just one thing. They are a combination of many different systems and thousands of lines of code. Further more they may have tweaked the zeds for nothing related to any of this, but to test other connected systems like the new network messaging system. Or as Orlok said their behavior changed unexpectedly due to something else they changed. The point is that there are many plausible and reasonable explanations for why placeholder zombies change patch-to-patch. To say they intentionally did it, but for no good reason at all (your assertion) is not reasonable or plausible. So put your big boy pants on or go play something else for a while.

They are test zombies they can and are being used to test out different and new things even though they are placeholders. You might want to consider waiting to play until full release because the development process is hindering you from getting the gameplay experience you want.

Definitive statement about zombies as they are currently configured: "There is no point in us balancing the zombies as nearly everything about them is placeholder, specifically: New AI pathfinding due, first iteration starts being tested in next few weeksNew Zombie Behavior, allowing much more emphasis on player stealthNew collision system for AI objects" - Dean Hall http://www.reddit.com/r/dayz/comments/23y4ko/so_many_people_complaining_about_zombies/ch1paw0?context=1 /thread edit: fixed bullets

Few, if any of these, are "small" fixes in terms of effort. They are, however, small in terms of their degree of impact on actual game play. (You've admitted this in the title of your post.) These are optimizations, tweaks, and bug fixes for secondary and tertiary game components. Early Alpha is about getting primary components in place and functioning properly. If this was beta or full release you'd be right to elevate them for attention, however this is early Alpha.

Good post. One correction. The pic you have for the CZ is incorrect. That is a pic of CZ's SP-01. The in game CZ is a reproduction of the CZ 75:

Same for me, but I just got the "energized" message right before I logged off and I remember there being a delay (of a few minutes at most) before I'd see the "Healing" or "Healthy" status appear. So I was assuming I just hadn't waited long enough.

IMO it depends on the designed purpose of the mechanic. If it's supposed to bring "realism" to combat (things get damaged in combat) then I'd say it's overdone currently. Five 9mm rounds through a jacket won't ruin it...they will ruin the guy wearing it, but not the jacket. The jacket can still be worn, provide warmth, protection, and could easily be mended/patched. The permanent consequence would probably just be blood stains...and even these if addressed quickly and in the right manner could be dealt with. So I think the current system fails the "realism" test. If the mechanic is over-done intentionally (items are purposely ruined from unrealistic amounts or types of damage) as a way to add "significant consequences" to combat/KOS, then I'd say it fails to do so at this time. PVP is rampant in the game and has been since day one. Hyper item damage has done nothing to discourage this. If the survival aspects of the game change (i.e. clothing quality & type become critical due to weather, temperature, etc.) and the scarcity of good clothing is increased then maybe the hyper-damage mechanic would do something to discourage completely senseless combat/KOS (which I believe Rocket mentioned in one of the very early video dev blogs). I really doubt it though. Players with the survivor mentality will be concerned about preparing for inclement weather and the like, but these folks aren't typically running around KOS'ing or just looking for a fight. Players who are primarily focused on the PVP aspects of the game learn not to get attached to their gear (or anyone else's) and typically could care less whether combat ruins the other guy's pants...so the mechanic will be ignored by them. So, in the end, I can't find a real justification for the system as it currently works. It's not realistic and it doesn't really impact the PVP aspect of the game by adding "consequences." Maybe there is another reason the system is setup this way that I haven't thought of. I agree with the OP. There isn't much justification for the current system and it detracts from gameplay.

He should never pay to play on a server. EVER. There are tons of free servers available with options like this. Donations are fine...when they are voluntary.

You can learn how to play the game on either SA or the Mod...yes, details are different, but the basic mechanics are the same. That being said the Mod, as Salva points out, is currently in a mature state with much greater in-game content , numerous server setups/variations, additional maps, etc. I started and learned to play DayZ on the SA version, but have gone over to the Mod (mostly the EPOCH variation). I go back to SA and will continue to do so when major content updates roll-out, but between these there's just a lot more to do in the Mod. Good luck!

Try EPOCH as well. It's good fun. Lot's to do.

Is there a Wil Wheaton "Don't Be a Moron Pledge" yet?

There's a lot of 14 year old twerps (one lives in my house) that could benefit from this vid... Will is dead-on...when we grew up the kind of behavior that has now become not only commonplace, but expected in many cases, was nonexistent. Of course, online gaming for me started with DOOM, a modem, and a buddy in another dorm room down the hall. I don't need to take the pledge because I already have...good post OP.