philbur

Ideally, Yes... But the devs have been guilty of getting ahead of themselves in the past, and the limitations of the old tech created a real crap show with trying to get the vehicles working right. Pulling them completely was the best decision as it probably would have taken a lot of resources away from the larger core development and would inevitably been a bit of a waste of time seeing as how they evolved to the .63 state. I was not happy to hear the vehicles were being removed and initially was critical of that decision..as I thought this was a sign that the team simply couldn't figure out how to make them work...and that they were getting in over their heads. This was, again, the smart move...so I am very keen to see if they have learned from the previous mistakes and difficulties when rolling in content as complicated as vehicles and helicopters. I still would prefer to see bicycles in game before vehicles...as I am sure this would help them sort out some of the initial performance, character, animation, and server issues that might need attention...but it seems they are not even considering the bikes yet… I personally think this is a bad idea (or maybe just an oversight) so once again I look forward to being wrong! ;-)

And remember, Dev Team... Less is more, when it comes to getting the vehicles implemented...I don't want to be scouring the countryside looking for a hundred spare parts just to get my trusty Uaz up and running! If we get fully-functional basic vehicles to play with you will be able to track the rubber-banding and desync better and balance spawns easier because we will have a bunch of Mad Max's out there busting stuff up! You can add the realism and loot grind later. (please!)

@thegreatgatly "Great, Cant wait, really looking forward to your next forum post" Should have just stopped there, my man...Then maybe someone ELSE would chime in, slamming you for being a "fan-boy"! I can't see how the devs are going to please everyone (myself included) but they have managed to become at least semi-reliable and their SRs are predictably optimistic.... So why choose now (as the builds become more purposeful) to purge your sarcastic arse all over them? You can, of course...because this is a forum...but ramp up the creativity a bit, if you MUST.

The return of the scope! Not for picking off the unaware...but for scanning into towns and encouraging the use of single-shot rifles! Just imagine the horror of those who love their scoped CCWs! Too bad I cant have it MY way, eh? (make the pew-pew semi and fully auto stuff rare and make them degrade quicker than the big bore long guns, I say!)

Pow! Drop the MIke! Walk Away....

OK...So...? Where is it? It's bound to the 17th SOMEWHERE by now! :-P

Yup..Dont get me wrong...I think they are pretty close to getting the stamina sorted out... I like the time it takes to lose it, based on your load and your physical condition...and I imagine this will be better utilized when the other status dependencies get implemented, but that damn "bar" just keeps burning a hole in my immersion...along with those bouncy arrows! If and when we can choose which UI elements we can have displayed, and maybe have a couple options for the icons, I will be happy again. I know there is always the option to go with NO UI, but I am hoping for just a wee bit more choice.

FOV....FTW! The biggest issue that will probably NEVER get addressed... Peripheral vision is the key to bringing 3pp closer to 1pp and could negate the perceived benefits of 3pp for those who still feel they need it.

Good points, all. But I happened to fire up FarCry2 the other night for some fun and I was immediately aware that having NO indication of your stamina level was really refreshing and added a level of realism that really was noticeable.... Thinking about the emerging UI with the standalone I am just realizing how annoying this might become as I find myself playing "follow the bouncing arrows" with the status icons...and how I constantly follow the drop and regen of the stamina bar... It is a game within the game and I wonder, seriously, if just returning to Green, Yellow, Red Status icons and removing the stamina bar completely would enhance the in-game experience…. Turning the UI off is really not what I was thinking, because the status icons do need to be there IMO, but the arrows just seem to be too intrusive and not really necessary as a mechanic for us. Not knowing the reserve of stamina you have brings you deeper into the game during times of fight/flight and encourages you to stay alert and gives you something else to consider (without a graphic representation staring you in the face). So...maybe the opportunity to select the status icon type and behavior in the game settings? I would personally like to see smaller versions of the current icons and have them vary between the three colors depending on their states...and as for stamina...leave it off the screen and only display it in your character inventory screen. Just my opinions, and hopefully ones that resonate with enough of you that the devs carefully consider the final versions.

Copy that. Localized fog is what I am keen to see. The fog out at full draw distance is hopefully something that can be set on the servers.

You gotta admit that having a thick, rolling fog move in from the harbor of Cherno and spread into the city for an hour or so is pretty epic. This was one of my most immersive and tense play sessions in all my time on the servers. Fog belongs on the coast...in the mornings...and up along the valley towns throughout the center of the map...it just NEEDS to! :-) It allows for a completely different style of play and can convince a lot of survivors, (who normally stay clear of the big cities due to PVP and Infected) to head into the soup and at least have an even chance of getting out alive. Fog needs to behave, though...so lets all keep an eye on it and make sure the devs know when to iterate it reasonably...but again...it is such a useful element to add immersion, fear, cold, disorientation, and dread...all of which contribute to the atmosphere the team have envisioned as their ideal setting.

The vast array of Servers will give us every opportunity to explore and survive...regardless of your preferred difficulty level. I certainly wish for a way of categorizing players based on their "experience" (like character aging/visualization based on TOTAL STEAM hours played, as opposed to hours in-game on one particular server) so that Bambi's don't get fed to the PVP wolves so often that they become frustrated with their initial in-game experiences....but so far the Devs have remained true to one of the Core Pillars of DayZ SA and that has always been that this is truly a Hard Core Survival Sim....with a fairly steep learning curve. But it has been my general observation that most keen survivors with at least a few hundred hours in-game have all experienced a bit of frustration when they initially started playing (and remember that the earlier builds were FAR from easy to live with!) and yet the need to learn from others and work as a team is a great mechanic that almost becomes an imperative during your early adventures....which mirrors reality quite nicely, for the most part. Many players of the MOD and of the SA were initially introduced to the game by existing players and joined in on the fun as the "new guy". This is a great way to grow the player base, as the team-aspect of the SA should always be explored and encouraged.

Thanks for your contribution @JayZDayZ This is the most relevant concern of this thread, in my opinion...but not this reason. I argue that the stamina bar, while looking like a good implementation, should NOT be shortened by simply wearing clothes or carrying empty backpacks/gear containers....(except where obviously required, like raincoats, heavy garments, etc.) I am going to try to get a better idea of just how much your stamina is affected, but it seems to me so far that being punished for "gearing up" with empty packs in preparation for a long hike to your preferred loot spot is a bit too much of a grind, considering the fairly insignificant weight and mobility penalties of these items in real life. But hopefully the Beta will see a bit of an adjustment to this mechanic and all will be better balanced in upcoming patches. For the time being it helps to know that a burlap sack is usually close to high loot areas so making a long run does not necessarily mean you need to get too geared up before heading out. Lets face it, everyone...the new way of determining overall survivor stamina...and the way it is diminished...is a far better solution than we had in the early builds, and is not far off the mark as it currently stands. Balancing and buffs/nerfs are a definite "must-do" but I am waiting for a more fully-featured build before it is something that needs to be made into noise for the Devs to hear...IMHO. And Hey!, Bio!.... Look at the bright side of the OP! We are seeing more and more NEW members chiming in, with enthusiastic (albeit repetitive) comments about how the builds are doing....by now, asking new players to "read the past SRs" might do more harm than good! (considering some of the old stuff simply makes no sense without knowing how the Devs and the work have evolved).

Just bumping this list.....because it needs to be.

Sign me up! Where do I pay the extra 10 bucks for this?

If they manage to get this sorted I will immediately post to this forum my sincere apologies for anything and everything negative I have ever said to anyone .....anywhere..... (trust me....that's going to take a LOT of typing!) ;-P

The announcement today by Brian is hardly news to all of us who have followed development for the past few years. He has taken the time to clarify his current role, to explain his apparent disappearance from the SRs and Dev activities, and he has hinted at his intentions going forward. I, for one, am very appreciative that he posted that. So...the answer to your question might be A) The direction of the game will not stray too far from the CURRENT one...and B) It HAS to remain the Survival Sim that "we" all expect...and as far as "gun play" goes I seriously hope not! (it's already looking like the damn game is going to have a ridiculous amount of weapons and ammo...which kind of goes against the core survival theme in the first place). Adios, Hicks_206, All the best, and thanks for your efforts. See you on the Coast, my man.

Good Update! Thanks All. BUT! I see that my biggest gripe with the development of DayZ is still WIP...which worries me quite a bit, though. The ability to FULLY REMAP controls.... In this day and age it HAS to be easier than the team makes it sound...really... The actual key press should not even be a consideration...just the input command... ( for example: "Raise Weapon"=a key press, and "Raise Weapon and ADS"=another key press....either of which can be selectable as a HOLD action or a TOGGLE). Does this not seem odd to everyone, that DayZ (being built using new engine tech) still has the "potential" of having whacky and hard-coded keyboard commands?

Gotta Love Frankie... He originally got me interested in the Mod. His YouTube stuff is really well done and even though a lot of it is scripted, it's still a great way to get people interested in DayZ. Hope he comes back to YouTube with some SA episodes when it is closer to 1.0. (he could literally resurrect this title for a lot of the folks that gave up on it). Sada is a twit, though...so hopefully it's with Jackfrags instead! ;-P

@Baty Alquawen I would suggest you run through the main points of "interest" for your testing team so we can immediately jump in and get you guys some initial feedback that is of a more focused nature. The upcoming release of the EXP test build can quickly become a mess if we all just pile in and blast the tracker with random feedback. I suggested this many builds ago (many YEARS ago ;-p ) and I still think it would help you out if we knew EXACTLY what kind of gameplay would best benefit your analysis. For example...if you are experiencing CLE issues then ask us to gather as much loot as possible and store it, carry it, distribute it, or whatever...or if you are thinking that infected behavior is an issue then ask us to melee them or have us try to spawn as many of them in an area as we can, etc. There are a TON of things to do for all of us, but a live stream just before the new build release with SPECIFIC demonstrations of possible issues and SPECIFIC instructions on what data you would like from us would go a long way in ensuring you can begin the tweaking process efficiently. The last Stream, although interesting, was a bit random and I honestly would like to see a Stream that is more of an "instruction manual" as to the requirements from the dev team to us humble Survivors. Sort of like; "Hey guys...when we try to spawn infected in an area you just entered there seems to be an issue with it..so try ______ and try ______ so we can figure this out better..." Or maybe "hey guys...the UI seems laggy when items are moved from hot bar to ground so try it and let us know in the tracker with "Hot Bar Item Loss" in the tagline".... I still don't think we are "helping" as much as we can in particular areas that might make it easier for your team to nail down the final bugs and gameplay issues because our feedback is scattered and often confusing to organize. So...Live Stream a FULL walkthrough of your requirements, areas of "concern" and what you would MOST like us to provide feedback on, and I am positive it will make your job easier and our lives in Chernarus worthy of the occasional KOS. Looking forward to the broken mess that will ultimately signal the final push toward the finished jewel!

I am quite foolish, I'll agree with you on that one. But forum posts are definitely not on the same level as real spirited and free-flowing group conversations. No matter how it is written, you will never replicate your true personal perceptions on anything. If you were to bump in to my character in-game we would have an excellent conversation about all of this I am sure. I've seen what happens when fellow forum posters get in to arguments over opinions...and I am determined not to get caught up in that kind of thing. I try to post my opinions as just that...my personal take on things...and I am usually a bit extreme in some regards, I'll admit...but it helps to have diverse viewpoints that don't always align with consensus. You know my posts are sometimes overly critical assumptions, and thanks for keeping me honest, but the reason I chime in on these things is because I feel invested in the ultimate success of the game and I am primarily a hands-on, get it done, kind of guy. I am so old-school it's actually pretty funny...but I secretly wish that they had a professional ass-kicking motivational coach come in to their offices once in a while and after kicking over the water cooler and unplugging all their slow-cookers and lava lamps he would gather them all together and re-visit the past months' milestones and make "adjustments" to increase efficiency. Accountability and Optimization FTW! So...I'm a huge fan, and a loyal supporter of the whole project...and I am the guy that makes assumptions. The Scientific Method is based on assumptions and observations. Based on MY observations I have developed assumptions...and I must suffer the scrutiny of my peers. I look at the glass as half-empty..and I devise a plan on getting a refill. Those who look at it as half-full just ask me to get them one while I'm there, and never figure it out for themselves. They will be the first to sober up.

Ok...Good answers. But what I DO have, is a 10-year background in resource management in the tech industry...so I always look at the HR side of things first as a source of potential inefficiencies.. I just typed and re-typed about 500 words going in to detail qualifying my remarks...but that's not why we're here, right? I think the team are wasting time and effort on the wrong tasks...and you are offering excuses for them. Ever the ebb and flow of these forums, my friend...and hopefully we can rant about this stuff in-game soon, instead.

Looks like they will never get the weapons effects right, based on their current direction....So why even bother? Don't get me wrong...I am really liking the smoke effects and casing ejection stuff and am happy they are keeping true to their weapon jam/misfire modelling as well. (although they conveniently nerf the weapon recoil so as not to upset the PVP folks out there, it seems) Muzzle flashes, especially, are typically random and varied when using gas-driven semi or fully automatic weapons, and they should know this by now. Less is More! You could easily bury this game in another 5 years of design and feature implementation if every aspect of the experience was to be considered and implemented. Just drop the muzzle flash and you saved how many hours? This adds up... if they did the math on every hour of item of development that does not qualify for core gameplay then we would have our precious Beta by now. Name me a soldier who carries a weapon with a muzzle flash...and let me know what gravesite he is resting in....I'll be sure and pay my respects. Hell, even bolt-action rifles designed specifically for military or law enforcement applications typically employ amazingly effective flash suppression devices...for a good reason! And yes...I know pistol cartridges like the 9mm and 45ACP are pretty "dirty" (and 7.62/39) when fired from short-barreled pistols and SMGs...but I have been to so many gun ranges and have had so many real-life encounters with firearms (mostly just the NATO stuff, luckily) that I just cant agree with their data from those "trips to the ranges" if what we see here with muzzle flash is an indication. This is just my personal opinion, but ultimately, reading a blurb from a developer on items that can be classified as "nice to have but not critical to core gameplay or mechanics" just sparks my overall discontent in the way I perceive them utilizing their staff. I had assumed that by now they would be more task-centric and less scattered in their roadmap. The Status Reports simply amplify these misgivings by showing me fluff and post 1.0 features being worked on well before they are required. It is, indeed progress, though...so call me a critic if you want...but it is because I still see the potential immersive reality that DayZ can deliver to its players...and I hope they keep it going in that direction. As long as they know when to say enough!

Nice to squeeze this in...Thanks all. This goes a long way towards reminding me you are serious. Being delayed at an airport and "giving up" on our SR because of it was kind of surprising to me, so I'll say it again... Thank You for the update.!

Yes, we are only two people in the DayZ marketing team. Me and Martin. Devs are developing the game, we are talking with community. What is the problem? :) Please...PLEASE, don't ask us what the "problem" is, Baty... We each have our own answers to that question and MOST of them are not constructive nor are they flattering. Just keep us posted when stuff happens and we will endure.