Did Namalsk get it right?

[crockett (DayZ) 41]

I haven't played Dayz for a while, the hackers took their toll on me, but I decided to play a bit on Sunday and jumped on a Namalsk map server for the first time.

While of course the map wasn't created just for DayZ (at least I assume it wasn't) it almost seems like it's a better fit for what I expect out of DayZ.

* Survival is the number one key element due to the terrain and lack of supplies.

If you haven't played this map, it's a very cold climate and there is very little food & drink to be found in form of Beans & Cokes as example. This means you pretty much have to keep as many heat packs as you can carry. It also means you have to carry a canteen & depend on water locations and hunt for your food.

Added to this, things like backpacks seem to be hard to come by which compounds the problem of making it hard to survive the cold & lack of easy to find food & water. I might of just been unlucky, but I was only able to find the very small vest backpack & assault back packs and out of all the players I encountered I saw only one guy with a Czech Backpack.

Meanwhile guns were plentiful and ammo was pretty easy to come by which created pretty interesting encounters with other players because it was harder for people to pick on new spawns due to the ability to get a good gun pretty quick. Yet with the lack of not being able to find higher end back packs, you had to make the choice if you want to carry one all around gun or sacrifice valuable heatpack space to carry a specialty gun & ammo.

The map is not perfect, but IMO it's just the right size as it's small enough to create lots of interaction with other players but survival loot spawns are fewer and further between.

When I play other maps I usually don't think too much of shooting another player. On Namalsk, due to the cold weather and not being able to aim well while shaking, I found my self being more careful about getting into random firefights because I had to debate if it was worth using a heatpack to warm my self up in order to aim well or just avoid contact with the other player all together. This sort of created a risk vs reward aspect.

After playing this map, it kind of makes me think this is the direction DayZ should take.. Less survival loot and a colder climate really seemed to make for a more interesting challenge.

Edited November 27, 2012 by crockett

[DrunkPunk 159]

Everything is just as plentiful on the map, you just have to know where to look. Personally, I find the heatpack thing to be more of an annoyance than adding any survival aspects to the game. Mainly because it doesn't seem to work too well. i'd say probably the best part about the map is the stronger focus on assault rifles over snipers, thanks to the shaking bit.

[Siberian (DayZ) 527]

EXACTLY..

i personaly feel Namalask is what Chernarus should have been liike..

hopefully we get more maps like this now, almost everyone ive chatted/played with loves Namalask for its added tension/survival elements..

[carpediembr 10]

The only problem is that I like the ability to "hop" servers. Not hoping for looting, but lets say this server I play breaks down or have a high latency.

Like I used to play on a server, which I had plenty of stuff and camps, but all of suddent the server started to give me a very high ping, and is kicking me for too high ping (300)

[Dankine 377]

The only problem is that I like the ability to "hop" servers. Not hoping for looting, but lets say this server I play breaks down or have a high latency.

Like I used to play on a server, which I had plenty of stuff and camps, but all of suddent the server started to give me a very high ping, and is kicking me for too high ping (300)

why is that a problem when there are plenty of namalsk servers?

[Mr Nasty 1023]

IMO the map does a lot of things right.

- could be slightly larger (ever so slightly)

- remove that stupid rail gun.

[crockett (DayZ) 41]

Everything is just as plentiful on the map, you just have to know where to look. Personally, I find the heatpack thing to be more of an annoyance than adding any survival aspects to the game. Mainly because it doesn't seem to work too well. i'd say probably the best part about the map is the stronger focus on assault rifles over snipers, thanks to the shaking bit.

Well a heat pack in real life isn't going to heat up your entire body. They are meant to be applied to certain areas, to say warm up your hands for instance or maybe place it inside a jacket. With that in mind they seem to work as I'd expect them.

But yes I agree with the shaking changing the focus. Yesterday I found a Kobra & a DMR which is a pretty good combo and I had an assault pack, which allowed me to carry both guns. The thing was in one situation for instance I came across two players that on any other map I could have easily taken out with the DMR. I had to choose not to take the shots though and let them live because I only had one heat pack and if I got into a firefight I wasn't in control of the heat pack would be needed.

This IMO is really what changes the play style on this map and makes you think a bit more before randomly attacking someone, making it more focused on tactical survival than just random run & gun.

Edited November 27, 2012 by crockett

[Sutinen 635]

I don't think so. I actually hated it to be honest. Chernarus is still my favorite one.

[morgan32 403]

Honestly I don't see the flint to the tinder in it.

-The temperature is annoying, you spawn shaking and heatpacks does nothing. If you're going to tweak the temperature on a map, do it right or don't do it at all.

-The map is small, I know every place worth looting by playing it just a couple of hours.

-Backpacks are not hard to find, I've found 3 Cayotes in the bunker once. Alice might be harder to find, but Cayote evens that out.

-The Railgun is stupid, it's overpowered and takes challenge away.

-People keep saying surviving is hard because of lack of food and drinks, I very rarely have any problem with it at all, just a couple of times I've died from hunger / thirst, those times being the tiems I didn't know the map at all / was lost.

With basic knowledge of loot spots on this map it turns boring fast.

EDIT: I agree with the above, Chern will ALWAYS be the best map <3

Edited November 27, 2012 by morgan32

[crockett (DayZ) 41]

Honestly I don't see the flint to the tinder in it.

-The temperature is annoying, you spawn shaking and heatpacks does nothing. If you're going to tweak the temperature on a map, do it right or don't do it at all.

-The map is small, I know every place worth looting by playing it just a couple of hours.

-Backpacks are not hard to find, I've found 3 Cayotes in the bunker once. Alice might be harder to find, but Cayote evens that out.

-The Railgun is stupid, it's overpowered and takes challenge away.

-People keep saying surviving is hard because of lack of food and drinks, I very rarely have any problem with it at all, just a couple of times I've died from hunger / thirst, those times being the tiems I didn't know the map at all / was lost.

With basic knowledge of loot spots on this map it turns boring fast.

EDIT: I agree with the above, Chern will ALWAYS be the best map <3

The problem I have with Cherno is it's just too run & gunny and there is no real sense that you are trying to survive vs just playing any other FPS. There is little reason to go anywhere but the big cities because you can find everything you need and if you are looking for combat that's the most active places to be.

[SgtDouglas 87]

I just like the feel of winter and the cold weather.

Make chernarus in the winter time? :D

That would be insanely playable partly because I love chernarus, and I love namalsk. But the two of them combined? Golden.

[raigprime 47]

It's a different game than DayZ for the reasons you described. It's a Death Match version of DayZ with each match just being effectively longer that's all. The survival element they added with the weather was great and so too the inclusion of different clothing. But it's a different game from what I see as DayZ. This isn't bad; I enjoy Namalsk. And it's pretty contrived to force player interaction with food heavily available in Vorkuta, medical supplies in Old Hospital and powerful weapons in military sites.

Again, don't get me wrong, I like to play Namalsk. But if you prefer Namalsk over Chernarus then you prefer a different type of game that is more like a conventional FPS but with "persistence" and longer death matches.

The focus is quite different between the two..

[Sutinen 635]

The problem I have with Cherno is it's just too run & gunny and there is no real sense that you are trying to survive vs just playing any other FPS. There is little reason to go anywhere but the big cities because you can find everything you need and if you are looking for combat that's the most active places to be.

You tell me which one is more runny and gunny, a map with tons of barracks or a map with only 2 of them?

http://dayzdb.com/map/namalsk#3.054.043

http://dayzdb.com/map#2.076.079

[Joshimodo 0]

My issue with the map is that it's SO focussed on player combat that I ended up missing one of my favourite things about DayZ - That first hour or so where you are scavenging for loot and vulnerable, even to zombies to some degree.

I like that it adds some extra survival element, but it's not really the right way to do it.

Focus on assault rifles is MUCH appreciated, rather than the snipe-fest Chernarus becomes.

[Mr Nasty 1023]

Namalsk is far from DayZ 'deathmatch' in comparison to Utes.

[Dankine 377]

My issue with the map is that it's SO focussed on player combat that I ended up missing one of my favourite things about DayZ - That first hour or so where you are scavenging for loot and vulnerable, even to zombies to some degree.

I like that it adds some extra survival element, but it's not really the right way to do it.

Focus on assault rifles is MUCH appreciated, rather than the snipe-fest Chernarus becomes.

hour? you can get a hatchet within minutes and, generally, a passable gun within about ten.

[morgan32 403]

hour? you can get a hatchet within minutes and, generally, a passable gun within about ten.

Fastest I've geared up is

Warm Clothes x2

M14

M4 CCO SD

lots of stanags

Coyote Backpack x2

Food/drinks

Medical supplies

Antibiotics x7

All that in about 30 minutes if not less.

Too easy to gear up.

[Dankine 377]

we were talking about chernarus but ok...

[morgan32 403]

we were talking about chernarus but ok...

Reread it now, my mistake sorry.

[jdz (DayZ) 238]

Needs to be a lot larger and AII needs to be fixed, to many people just spawn down there and loot farm the shit out of it thus completely defeating the purpose of the game

[jdz (DayZ) 238]

Fastest I've geared up is

Warm Clothes x2

M14

M4 CCO SD

lots of stanags

Coyote Backpack x2

Food/drinks

Medical supplies

Antibiotics x7

All that in about 30 minutes if not less.

Too easy to gear up.

It is possible but not always the case. The first time playing I found NVGs and a Coyote before I found a gun but there's been other times its been impossible to find anything other than an AK and assault pack.

[WalkerDown (DayZ) 296]

That's only the initial Namalsk impression.. after some days of it you'll figure that surviving in namalsk isn't necessary, simply because the map is designed for full pvp only. If you noticed there's no where to hide or build a camp, neither where to hide a vehicle or such, everything is disposed to engage the other players in a firefight (weapons are very common and strategically positioned.. so you can find one right after the spawn).

Namalsk is very very very nice (in fact my main server is running it..), but honestly is very far of what i've imagined DayZ the first days...

[jdz (DayZ) 238]

The map isn't 'designed' for anything, it is an ArmA map that is used for DayZ. People don't seem to realize this

[crockett (DayZ) 41]

That's only the initial Namalsk impression.. after some days of it you'll figure that surviving in namalsk isn't necessary, simply because the map is designed for full pvp only. If you noticed there's no where to hide or build a camp, neither where to hide a vehicle or such, everything is disposed to engage the other players in a firefight (weapons are very common and strategically positioned.. so you can find one right after the spawn).

Namalsk is very very very nice (in fact my main server is running it..), but honestly is very far of what i've imagined DayZ the first days...

Well this mod was designed as a PVP mod zombies are just the backdrop. If it were just a survival mod it would be coop like Left 4 Dead & not a sand box. This means the things that have the ability to force player interaction in any form other than run & gun is by limiting & controlling where the spawns are as well as the terrain and in this case the weather.

What I think a lot of people over look is simply the terrain of Namalsk. It is very hilly with loads of places to use the terrain for cover even if you are relativity out in the open. Added to this is the differences in coverage being snow on some spots & forest in others, means no single clothing type has an advantage over another everywhere.

The map isn't perfect and could maybe be a bit bigger but the point I was getting at is I think it's the right direction as there is a bit more of a survival feeling to it than with Chernos where I don't even care if I have a canteen or food on me because I can find it easily in 5 mins.

Chernos IMO is just way too big. Once you get out side of the big cities, it's rare to run across another player and they can in most cases easily be avoided by watching for zed spawns at the hot spots. When I play Chernos I have very little reason to want to go anywhere other than one of the big cities.

[crockett (DayZ) 41]

The map isn't 'designed' for anything, it is an ArmA map that is used for DayZ. People don't seem to realize this

Yes but by random chance of loot spawn it works out very well for creating a more interesting feel.