Bororm

Quote from the status report: Are the devs crazy? Binoculars and scopes are extremely valuable. Binocs were even valuable in the mod which had a much higher zoom. Among all the people I play with (which has been a lot over the years) binoculars have nearly rivaled guns for loot. Scopes in the SA are almost a must with the reduced zoom from the mod. Seriously, this just seems like a crazy excuse by the devs to defend a bad idea. I have no clue how they came to this conclusion. The status report also mentioned putting aim down sights on middle mouse and having difficulty deciding what to do with it? What in the world is wrong with the current system of space bar to raise weapon, right click to aim down sights? Why do they want to change these fundamental aspects of the game to make them strangely convoluted or removed entirely? More than ever it seems like there's no clear goals among the dev team and they're just changing stuff to change stuff. If it's not broken, don't mess with it when there's already so many actual problems with the game to work on why create more?

The CLE is still a mess. All loot gets shoved to the other ends of the map. You're going to be hard pressed to find a trumpet in berezino, but hit a house on the west end of elektro and you can find 5 in a single room. When are they going to fix this shit so that the game is enjoyable. The CLE is a great system with huge potential but they don't use it. At this point I'd take the way loot spawned in the mod over this bullshit of having everything shoved away from the actual traffic. This isn't how you create incentive to travel, this is just buggy design. Fix it please.

I prefer old cherno, it was iconic. New cherno is a sprawling mess. It might feel more like an actual city now, but it has none of the charm of the old cherno. Same for most of the revamped towns. It used to be that I could tell a friend where they were by what they saw when they spawned in. Now every city has 50 of the same buildings and they all just blend together to be fairly generic.

I just don't know that I've ever even seen a post by players that was clamoring for more HUD before this, and you get a decent amount of feedback against it when it comes up. I think the majority of people simply don't care either way, and I apologize if I wrongly put you in that group and respect your opinion if you really do want more HUD, but I believe you share that same attitude along the lines of "why not? looks ok to me." Which I just don't find to be a great reason to devote time and energy into something, especially when it contradicts original goals and has wider implications. The environment becomes easier with a HUD btw, the one shown tells you how visible/audible you are to zombies and lets you know exactly how much stamina you have to avoid danger. Any ways, I don't want to clog this thread up any more. We have differing opinions obviously, and I was just hoping Hicks or the devs could address some of my concerns by elaborating on the reasons for some of these decisions.

If I'm honest, it's again more of the principle than the thing itself, though I think the stamina bar specifically has no place on the hud. It remains to be seen just how much information the rest will give you, but if I can judge roughly what % hp/blood I have left that's also fairly significant. But it again goes back to they have completely turned around on their original design philosophy, and for an incredibly lame reason. The stated reason being that players, especially new, some how need more information/help which is exactly the same as saying they are dumber than before. It's a common trend in all modern games, to dumb down the experience to appeal to a wider audience, and part of what made DayZ so appealing to me is that it broke away from that. It's the snowball effect I spoke of, where you start with something like this, add in a dynamic crosshair (again a complete flip on original design), do constant camera tweaks and the game starts to become something else entirely. If they can flip completely on those first 2 significant things, what's next? When does picking up a map give me a mini map, or a compass adds one to my hud? Even if still unlikely, it suddenly becomes not out of the question. I try to avoid being a crazy conspiracy theorist, but it's borderline that all these changes aren't also exactly the kind of thing you see in console games, which by default need simpler/easier interfaces due to the control scheme. We also know it's coming to console so it's hard not to draw some sort of connection. Regardless if that's true or not (I don't really believe it), it's still a matter of dumbing down the experience.

I think you're always going to need some UI, but the current system of keeping it mainly in the inventory screen is a lot better imo and the limited information provided also adds to the immersion. I realize the new one is pretty similar to the mod, but what's really wrong with the current situation besides spammed texts, which is an easy fix of just not spamming the messages so much? Sure the artwork for the statuses in the inventory screen could be slightly improved, but to put the information up constant and more in depth on your HUD just really starts to turn the game arcadey. I also just find it disheartening because of what a reversal it is on their original design philosophy. Small changes that individually you can cope with, but when they begin to snowball is where things get screwy which is very much what is worrying me. I guess I often forget that you couldn't constantly sprint at your very top speed in the mod, but there is at least another example of how it was done better. Without a stamina bar, and the subtle difference of speed, it was hardly even noticeable. As for "only one speed," maybe I wasn't quite clear. The speeds would be essentially the same to what they are now (well after some potential nerfs), you'd still be able to walk/jog/sprint, but your sprint would be affected by your weight. The differences wouldn't be terribly significant so you don't have people running at ridiculous speeds, but it would be enough that there would be incentive for scenarios like dumping your bag/gear if you're running for your life. I know it's not a perfect idea, but I just think stamina bars are the laziest way to implement stamina ever. And experience from arma 3 koth and other mods (I think exile?) just proves how incredibly awful it makes gameplay feel, when you're running kilometers with no real threat, but having to stop and lay down constantly to refill your bar or else jog at an awful pace. I want the game to slow down, I really hate the current state of pvp because of the constant sprinting, but I just think the team can be more creative than that. It's super disappointing.

I love DayZ, I have 1500+ hours into it. I've bought copies for friends, it's my favorite game since Ultima Online but some of these changes worry me. These are serious questions, I am not trying to be snarky so apologies if they come off that way at all. Why did the design team decide to do a 180 on the "no UI" goal? Toggling it on/off isn't really a great compromise because you'll always be at somewhat of a disadvantage for disabling it. Especially if it includes sound/sprint/blood notifiers, which it seems to. One of the status reports said it was to be more friendly to new users, but what has changed in players over the past few years to warrant that sort of decision? It seems to essentially say people are too dumb to figure it out and DayZ isn't about hand holding. Similarly, why was so much effort put into the dynamic crosshair, which really dumbs down the experience significantly? Most people aim from the hip now, even in your own/dev team videos you guys are using it. How can complaints/tweaks to the third person camera be justified when this is as much, if not more of an issue (after all it affects first person just as much)? Were no other options considered besides the stamina bar, which is an extremely annoying mechanic in these types of games (personal experience from multiple arma mods)? In a game where so much running is necessary, stamina bars just don't feel good at all. Personally I think a baseline constant speed, affected by weight would be a much better system. With side effects of sway/breathing and other penalties for sustained sprinting. Surely there are other alternatives as well than a straight stamina bar that are being considered?

Where do the SAWs, pk machine guns, drum mags, helicopters, RPGs, grenade launchers, land mines, range finders, nvgs and ammo crates fit into that game? I think you should tell the devs if you know, because they clearly have no idea either. Here's two more 40 slot military backpacks for you, since you're supposed to be having a hard time looting.

Completely agree, which is why it irks me so much that people even have to defend their preferred playstyle. It's like if people who preferred pvp always answered those who prefer pve's posts with "go play the long dark" or something similar. DayZ is meant to be a sandbox. No that is your false definition. Survival isn't limited to eating worms in nature, especially not in this day and age. Such a narrow definition is really limiting. You could make a game entirely based in an urban setting collecting nothing but cans of food and it would be survival. Again the devs have said players will always be the main threat, they acknowledge this fact. Sorry but you seem rather inexperienced. You can farm pumpkins in under 20 minutes, and you not only have more than enough food to feed multiple people, but the pumpkins are also persistent. So are the farm plots, so are the seeds, so is the plant material, so you have enough food for your next respawn too. Spamming apples is also easy without aggroing any zombies, since there's apple trees literally every where. Rushing to a mil base rewards you with tons of food spawning in the abundant military gear. Making a fishing pole is as easy as cutting up 2 dresses and killing a chicken. Oh, speaking of chickens, they are every where too, and eating them only involves crafting a stone knife and making a quick fire. Water is a joke of course. This stuff isn't difficult at all, survival in that sense is easy. As for traffic on the map, spend some time around altar/old fields this patch and tell me how many fresh spawns you see just B-lining straight from north/east berezino spawns to the NW. Most barely have gear, because the most efficient thing to do this patch is run straight to either NWAF or Tisy. It's an even narrower pathway than it was in previous patches, especially because they removed the furthest north spawns. You can deny pvp was the appeal all you want but it's not true. Why do you think all those pvp focused mods became more popular than the vanilla mod? Why do you think nearly every server devolved into goofy 1000 vehicle spawn with weapons, buy bases/kits mods? Don't be blind. There's room for all playstyles but pretending DayZ isn't what it is because people like to shoot each other doesn't help anyone. It doesn't need to be the main focus of the game, but it's always going to be a huge part of it. To add one more point, people are always so closed minded about why people like the pvp in DayZ over games like battlefield or cod or whatever other asinine examples you wanna throw out. The extra layers of investment into pvp are a huge draw, which again is why a pve side is necessary. Gearing up and the risk involved in losing it, as well as the other obstacles to overcome are what make the pvp appealing to many people, and the knowledge that you're taking that away from others. PvP has weight. Hmmmmmm almost like it's part of the survival aspect.

Except survival is such a general term as to mean anything, pvp or pve. Survival could be construed to mean the primary focus is survival from other players. The devs themselves have always stated players are the biggest threat. The game from inception has been pvp focused, whether intentional or not. And yes, that was the appeal, even from the start of the mod. It doesn't mean it was every player's focus, but anyone who pretends the threat of being killed by another player wasn't what created the atmosphere and tension of the game is insane. To ignore that is absurd. The elitist attitude of telling people to go play a different game because they enjoy the strongest aspect of this one is completely asinine. If you don't see the problems with current map flow you're not paying enough attention. Finding food and water is also completely trivial. Survival in the sense that you're talking about is as easy as ever.

Tisy and the NWAF have a lot of loot, and they're pretty much the closest to the NE spawns. I'll admit I exaggerate a little bit, and they actually have seemingly reduced rifles in .61, but I can still come out with some sort of working weapon and ammo in a lot less time than it would take me to search every corner of every house on the way. The other night 3 of us came out of Tisy with 2 M4s and an AK101, with about 250 rounds each. That was on a private server, not server hopping, looting the base twice. Not limited to weapons too of course, you come out with food and the "best" clothing. Vybor seems nearly devoid of loot every time I've gone, which is also bad because soon there will be little incentive to go there. Stary is also underwhelming lately, but because of its location is still en route to the NW from most spawns. I used a bow against a guy with a gun the other day near Stary, because of course it's the only weapon I had by the time I got there. You can guess how that went, and I actually like using shit like the bow or even swords against geared players regularly. But lets be real, the bow is a mess even with its recent buffs and they've put all this effort into multiple weapons. Just dismissing a large portion (arguably the most prolific portion) of the game since its inception in the mod, of yes, shooting people, is not realistic. How can anyone with a straight face suggest that the bow should be the primary weapon when the devs are showing us screenshots of RPGs and SAWs. I play in a group and our primary intent is pvp. So taking a spawn close to my friends and close to the action is what makes sense. We also have a base, so choosing a spawn close to it makes most sense to us. As for dieing, it's inevitable. I'll admit I'm not a terribly cautious player, I also enjoy only using things like magnums or izh rifles and making a challenge for myself. The game is supposed to be a sand box and dealing with the consequences of my playstyle is fine, but every time they try to curve behavior with their loot adjustments it just ends up making the mil bases that much more lucrative and basically punishing everyone else. That said, I don't limit my activities to pvp, my group farms and hunts and does that side of things as well. It's actually also an issue imo, that I can farm some pumpkins and have more than enough food for my entire group in less time than it would take me to loot a town for an equivalent amount. Pumpkins are also seemingly persistent btw, so I can even leave extras on the ground for that next run through. I understand things are constantly changing. To be fair, .61 is better than .60 loot wise. I just think some of the decisions being made are being done for the wrong reasons. Some of it is obviously to try to promote certain behavior, but players are always going to find the most efficient way to do things no matter what you do. If you try to force a certain playstyle to be less/more lucrative, others are going to suffer for it. I think they should take a more hands off approach and just let things go. Stop trying to limit loot so much in high traffic areas/the coast and instead create incentives to move in land that are more subtle. The mod had great map flow, and it had way easier to get loot than the SA every where. You could grab assault rifles on the coast, but people still moved to the NWAF (which only had two barracks) because you had a chance at some cool gear.

Nothing in that quote you linked says its primarily a pve game. The game should be a balance of pve and pvp, but pretending that pvp isn't what made the game popular to begin with and isn't the main appeal hurts it in every way. The horrible stance a lot of people in dayz's community take of going "it's survival, go play cod" doesn't help anything. It's why we end up with situations like .5x where no loot was spawning and a vocal minority said it's great, when in fact it was a bug. Similarly we've now got a situation developing with shit map flow and people skipping entire towns to b-line to mil bases because it's not worth while. Spamming apples and grabbing m4s isn't a good pve experience either.

Thought moving the tents across the map would help the situation, was hopeful. Nope. Still a case of the mil bases being so much more attractive than bothering with any towns. In fact, I find that it's even more appealing to sprint straight to a base than .60 because of the spawn changes. Before .61, I would take western spawns and make my way either west towards zeleno or north towards pogorevka, and then move west/north. Now the best course of action is to take a berezino spawn and run straight west through gorka to nwaf or tisy. I'm not alone in this, the traffic on the server I've been playing around altar is ridiculous, people are constantly taking this most direct route to the NWAF. I can get to the NWAF and find tons of cans of food in the clothing, weapons with actual ammo etc. If I spend time looting the towns on the way (berezino, gorka, novy, even Stary) I end up with a mediocre amount of ammo and a weapon if I'm lucky. More often than not I reach the middle of the map with no weapon at all. I get it, the devs want people to spend an hour in every little fucken town, looting every corner of every house. But if some one just did that before you, good luck. I shouldn't come up on Gorka and think "this isn't worth my time" which is exactly how I feel, because I know 5 people have probably been through there in the last 30 minutes any ways. I want to use civilian weapons, I don't want to have to spend longer finding them than it takes me to run to NWAF or Tisy and grab an m4 and mags. Which is still the case, 5.56 is still the most common fucken ammo in the game. Cans of food abundant in mil gear. Military clothing has the highest capacity and best weather stats (I refuse to wear it still). I get the last bit, it's realistic, but it makes everyone look the fucken same and boring. There should be a shallower discrepancy. I get hypothermic wearing hunting clothes in like 20 minutes, when I could be sitting in full gorka gear and fine. That's boring gameplay. It shouldn't take me longer to find a repeater or a carbine or a magnum than to run to a base and grab an assault rifle. Also the eastern spawns are shit and don't help the situation. Why am I going to go from a NE spawn to some where like zelenogorsk when it's quicker to hit the nwaf or tisy. At least with western spawns you could go west then north, hitting all the shit on your way. Who is going to go to the best shit first then go south unless you are really bored? It's bad flow. When are the devs gonna wake up and realize how tons of people actually play their game? Stop trying to force behaviors and let shit progress naturally, that's what made the mod such a success. Scarce loot becomes no loot when an area is high traffic, and with a shit respawn system we end up with a situation where all the loot is just on some corner of the map. Go to the new base with the 100 crashed cars north of myshkino and see what I mean. It's just so frustrating because I love the SA for so many reasons and the loot situation holds it back so much. This isn't about easy loot, it's already easy loot. It's about distributing and respawning loot in a way that doesn't make you feel like "why bother" when passing a major town. Why the fuck bother spending 30 minutes there when I can be at a base in 30 minutes with all the "best" shit. End Rant

I hope you realize they actually do significant bone damage. Even though the blood/health damage they do is not a lot, they will out right kill you before either of those stats gets low because they do bone damage. It takes maybe 8 hits, which is not a lot considering they are in packs.

Thanks for the video but that's my point. I think they should change their attitude because their attitude is "we want to get it done, we don't care about the players in the mean time." I think that attitude was more valid very early on, when the game was in its infancy. I think 2+ years in, it's time to realize, like I've said, the majority of players (consoles aside) have already bought the game and are playing it. The game is not going to be drastically different for us participating between each patch and 1.0. Hicks himself repeats the arbitrary nature of patch release numbers. So I think the attitude should change, or like I've said above, the game will just spark and wither with each update until fewer and fewer people return. The only reason for the current development strategy is from a business standpoint. They want to get 1.0 done so they can 1) use the engine for future projects 2) release to consoles 3) spike sales one more time. The only saving grace there will be that modders will fill the gap and reinvigorate DayZ SA itself. I personally feel that's a shit goal if they actually care about the game and want it to succeed on its own and not just become a platform for other projects. What's the point of this statement, because it doesn't apply to me. This is the response I often get when I bring up this topic, and it doesn't make sense. Those people who didn't want content were wrong. Largely the developers responsible for creating content are separate from the core programmers working on the major changes. Artists aren't programmers by and large. I also again think the attitude should change, and it is worth taking some programmers off the large changes for a short period to bang out that side of something like adding new weapons or items. The other thing to note is that we get those content changes with the large updates. The work is being done on them regardless, so why not release them in the interim. The trello is a current backlog of unimplemented content.