Will the SA Ever Feel like This?

[Grumpy Monkey 396]

This is exactly the reason why I only played the mod every once in a while to see what they did with it. I always had the idea to keep the mod on the backburner until SA comes out. It's alright though, Arma 2 and Arma 3 keeps me entertained until the release.

The thought that SA might take a while was a good assessment at the time and quite frankly I'm glad I made the descission the hold off a bit for the time being, not realizing it would take this long though.

Again I'm not complaining because Arma 2 and 3 are great and once every while ill pop on a DayZ server to check stuff out and try to sneak up some *pop* sounds in the distance for some giggles. B)

Edited June 23, 2013 by Grumpy Monkey

[WBK 176]

I don't think Zombies will ever feel "right" and they are and forever will be just a nuisance. I honestly don't care what they do to the Zombies as long as it doesn't get stupid like you not being able to fend them off with melee effectively or them hacking you down mid-sprint just because.

They weren't 'just a nuisance' in 1.7.7, and seeing as that's exactly what you described as 'getting stupid', I'd say you do care.

[Uuni 74]

tldr; Use your imagination and dig beneath the surface of what you have seen so far with the SA and you'll quickly realise they're doing a lot more than just bolting some new content onto the mod, the SA will be a much deeper, complex and immersive experience. In my humble opinion.

I would like to believe this, I wholeheartedly do, but it's the niggling feeling of it still being the buggy-as-all-hell arma2 mod beneath the surface. Reworking the server architechture, adding crafting to the engine and including customization is all fine and dandy but if all this is buil on a modded arma2 mod it's still an arma2 mod. They got the new skeleton and captured a lot of animations, yet the gameplay we've seen so far looks just like dayz mod looks like. Sure it's not exactly the same and there's a lot new under the hood but if the SA will handle like the mod, it still will feel like the mod. I'm talking especially about movement and responsiveness of the controls. Moving indoors still seems awkward as fuck, zombies still clip through walls, changing from running to gunning is slow and clunky. I'm not sure how much they can do to this stuff despite the modded engine. I haven't played the standalone so I have to work with the stuff I've seen. I know it's in very early alpha but that doesn't prevent me from worrying now does it? We saw in the e3 footage how tiny the indoor spaces were, we saw how awkward the crouch-run -> stop -> crouch-run cycle was. It's like nothing has changed at all. Glooming in the future is the release and if we want this game to reach beta before 2015 it would be nice to see some results. I very well realize how hectic it must be to work with this project and how little sneak peeks they can realistically give us, that's completely okay, I'll just keep worrying 'til I see something concrete

PS. You can forgive the lack of features if the game plays well much easier than vice versa. Hopefully DayZ standalone will amount to something awesome but it's clear that everyone will not be happy, you can't make a game that pleases everyone and has every feature imaginable ever

[need matches 84]

I think more enterable buildings will add to that "learning dayz" feeling you speak of. It will feel more real once you can enter most structures. So will small changes to the map, like more northern areas to explore. Looting cars will be neat. I think the more options for clothing, helmets, etc. will increase game immersion as well.

I know the early SA won't have vehicles, but I never really saw the point of them. Except for biks, atvs and motorbikes, as going off road feels more like "dayz" to me.

I really liked when boiling water was added to the game. Just that one small mechanic made a lot of difference IMO as far as game immersion. I like the new combining ammo and flares as well. Haven't gotten to dig a stash yet, but I like where that is going.

New content will be pumped into the basic SA with updates. This excites me. I hope there will be something that pertains to hunting. I often like going into the woods to survive in between my runs into higher pvp areas for other supplies and gear.

But,as we've seen, added "difficulty" needs to be balanced. Creating zombie superheroes while then placing less axes in the game is moving the right side UP and the left side DOWN. It created a disparity where there wasn't one before. Zombies camping loot is still a big problem. I won't get into more of my 1.7.7 feelings. We are discussing the SA here I know.

But if the SA remains balanced while adding new "difficulties", I think that the learning curve will still be satisfying. I'm still learning new ways of confronting and defending myself against bandits. Like today, I forgot to "f" off of "throw" and when a bandit surprised me in the train depot, I got away. But I waited outside to shoot him in the head, and I threw a can instead. LOL.

[Tactical-Turtle 24]

I think the ability to enter almost any building will make it feel quite fresh even to veteran players, and will add alot of opportunities for combat strategies.

[Siberian (DayZ) 527]

no chance..

cuz the KoS crowd will be moving in on day 1 of release..

sadly i beleive the intial vision for dayz's zombie survival gameplay is lost forever.

going forward it will always be just a DM on a massive map.

[Dreygar (DayZ) 178]

They weren't 'just a nuisance' in 1.7.7, and seeing as that's exactly what you described as 'getting stupid', I'd say you do care.

I haven't played the mod since 1.7.4. It got incredibly annoying with script kiddies and just the overall buggyness of the game. Though, as mentioned they can make the zombies hard as they want (I don't care) as long as they give the player the ability to properly defend themselves.

To go with that... if it gets stupid, IE Horrible melee, always getting infected/spotted/unable to evade/etc then I'll just not play the game. I want to see this game succeed because we need games like this to be popular and for other games to spring up similar to it so that it has decent competition to evolve gaming to what players want.

[Dreygar (DayZ) 178]

no chance..

cuz the KoS crowd will be moving in on day 1 of release..

sadly i beleive the intial vision for dayz's zombie survival gameplay is lost forever.

going forward it will always be just a DM on a massive map.

You can play anyway you want... Stop with the crying over kill on sight. It is a lawless world and it would happen most likely anyway. We are savages in our basic form when society collapses.

[brzator47@gmail.com 524]

Probably not, no. It wasn't just that it was mostly more mature player base playing the game back then, but also all new players were lost and didn't know where they were going or what to expect. I remember stumbling across survivors and we would point our guns at each other, both unsure what to do next. Sometimes we'd end up teaming up, sometimes we'd split and go our ways, sometimes I'd get shot. We didn't have loot maps or knew what to search for in this small village either. It was great. The SA will likely succeed capturing some of that atmosphere but will never feel the same.

First thing I'm going to do when I log into Day Z. Find a weapon and go on a killing spree. Simply because I'm tired of people complaining about kill on sight.

I'm curios, why? It's a valid complaint. Yes, there are no laws and it's an open world sandbox game but even if killing on sight is your preferred way of playing, surely you can see why this game needs KoS reduced if that very post apocalyptic feel that you want is to be there? For me, a large map where everyone just shoots everyone will always feel like a deathmatch arena more than anything else. Early DayZ was much more than that.

[strongtent 74]

You can play anyway you want... Stop with the crying over kill on sight. It is a lawless world and it would happen most likely anyway. We are savages in our basic form when society collapses.

I understand this is an "Apocalypse" scenario, but it has real people with all manner of thinking, playing as well; so not everyone is so one track minded.

Hopefully the devs can find a happy medium for kill on sight dudes as well as people who actually want to experience a combined effort in the game weather or not they have a group of friends. Edited March 8, 2014 by Strongtent

[dallas 5195]

I'm looking forward to handing over money for the standalone, but in some ways I feel, I'm kind of done with Chernarus. Just like I felt I was done with Chernarus, when Operation Arrowhead was released I saw no reason to revisit good old Cherno. However DayZ came unexpected out of the blue and reinvigorate a game I thought, I was done with. I've played DayZ on and off for a year, so I'm very curious to see if the standalone can keep my interest, but since I bought ArmA in 2009 to play ArmA, the only thing DayZ cost me was a little patience and a lot of time.

I also think you'll need same kind of patience and happy go lucky attitude, you needed to enjoy the mod, to enjoy the standalone. I feel confident about my expectations about DayZ, I've voiced some concerns, some criticism and then there's a genuine hope to see Rocket succeed, not only with DayZ, but making a difference or his own niche in the industry.

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

Agreed. I've been playing on the Chernarus map for years now too. I think initially all of the changes and additions should be enough to reinvigorate it one last time for me but in the long run I'm really looking forward to any new maps that come along. I know they're coming and I know they're a long way off but knowing they're on the way is enough to keep me interested and learn the game all over again.

[sausagekingofchicago 4711]

I'm going to solo my first week or so in SA purely to recapture my early experiences. While I love the crew of nutjobs I roll with, I want to immerse myself in the game, probe the zombies to learn their weaknesses, teaching myself how to stealth again, die a lot of stupid deaths, run into random people and feel that heart pumping anxiety while hiding in the grass with nothing to defend myself with, and generally try to survive without any crutches. I still love exploring the map as it's relatively new to me compared to the old timers of ArmA and I'm pumped about the changes the devs have already shown. To me, the map only feels old now because the natural beauty of it has been ruined by 24/7 daylight. There were times during a setting sun that the game looked outright gorgeous on my old box. I'm looking forward to those magic hours in the SA (if they don't break the lighting too much :D ).

Some of my favorite moments in DayZ were spent in the pitch black, with a raging storm or a storm rolling in, with nothing but the lightening to guide my way. No waypoints, not constant daylight, no team to rely on, no friends cracking jokes in my ear. Just alone, lost in the dark, fully immersed in the world, looking for something to help me survive while never knowing if someone was stalking me. I'm looking forward to struggling to survive in the dark with nothing but a flare and a prayer. I just hope they fix the night sooner rather than later. :)

If the standalone can deliver the sense of loneliness and anxiety I first experienced in the mod, even for a few days, it would have been worth the wait.

[Kra 151]

Have a break off DayZ completely for a couple of months. I had a big break and when I came back, it was like a new game again. Found myself sneaking into towns and whatnot with high anxiety of the zeds.

[Dreygar (DayZ) 178]

I'm curios, why? It's a valid complaint. Yes, there are no laws and it's an open world sandbox game but even if killing on sight is your preferred way of playing, surely you can see why this game needs KoS reduced if that very post apocalyptic feel that you want is to be there? For me, a large map where everyone just shoots everyone will always feel like a deathmatch arena more than anything else. Early DayZ was much more than that.

The game is what you make of it, if you only see the Kill on sight issues then that is your problem for focusing on it. Restricting weapons and dumbing the game down just to reduce KoS is retarded, and that is exactly what is being done by making a lot of things rare. If you don't want to get shot, then don't be stupid and run around and say "friendly" thinking that is automatically a free pass. If weapons and ammunition are hard to find, this game will lose a lot of players.

[jovial 17]

I have to say, in answer to the thread title, most likely not at alpha release. I have high hopes for the game further down the line, but it's best to manage expectations for the alpha. It's gonna be a repeat of the mod since release, it's gonna be a long, buggy road. In the end it will have more potential than the mod ever had though, and that's what will make it worth going through again.

Hopefully. :)

[Sutinen 635]

It felt like a zombie apocalypse as a rookie. I celebrated with my friend who was with me (Watching me play) at the time when I found my first Winchester. I also sneaked past zombies, watched out for another players and avoided popular spots until I had basic loot. I thought Cherno and other major cities were too dangerous to visit.. Well, that's until I spawned at Cherno harbor and realized how easy it was.

[v3c1c 86]

My bet is on "No" SA will never be like dayz mod on first days.

I still remember my first experience with dayz mod - it was rainy night spawned near Kamenka, I found that i can light up flare.

followed the road till Kamenka and then ... all those screaming zeds, I ran into first house and started to fight back with pistol, then my flare went off. I had 1 bullet left was dark like shit and all those screams ..... I alt+f4 because I was too scared of that game (I was even more scared then playing slender)

[brzator47@gmail.com 524]

The game is what you make of it, if you only see the Kill on sight issues then that is your problem for focusing on it. Restricting weapons and dumbing the game down just to reduce KoS is retarded, and that is exactly what is being done by making a lot of things rare. If you don't want to get shot, then don't be stupid and run around and say "friendly" thinking that is automatically a free pass. If weapons and ammunition are hard to find, this game will lose a lot of players.

I think you're kinda missing the point. KoS rates in this game are extremely high, this is a fact. It has nothing to do with me or someone else focusing on it. The reason for that is mostly the player base which is why DayZ will never be the same as it was when it was ARMA players + noobs playing it. It doesn't mean nothing can be done to at least reduce it a bit however. No one wants to get rid of bandits or stop KoS, but reducing it by 10%-20% or whatever would go a long way making the game feel less like a deathmatch arena.

I'm not sure why you think they're dumbing the game down though. The SA weapons will be harder to use and require more skill. If people do leave because they can't find their DMR easily, then it's perhaps for the best for the game.

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

If weapons and ammunition are hard to find, this game will lose a lot of players.

Yup, the game probably will lose a lot of those players, that doesn't really worry me because I'm not sure it was ever really aimed at players who want constant pvp anyway, we have other games for that including Arma 3 where you have a whole warchest of military toys to use whenever you want.

It will also gain many players that it became disheartened over the mod when the playerbase shifted over the months it was at it's height last year so no harm done really.

I personally love pvp but in Dayz that needs to be within the context of a survival situation where other factors come into play that you don't have to consider in other games that have pvp elements. That's what makes it unique. If weapons are easy-come-easy-go then we might as well play Arma.

Edited June 25, 2013 by Fraggle

[Dreygar (DayZ) 178]

Reducing weapons in the standalone doesn't just disrupt PVP, but PVE (Or against zombies) as well. No one wants to be a-raped by zombies all the time, and as mentioned in the interviews they really haven't worked on melee that much which is disappointing. Make Zombies harder + Don't give you effective means of defending yourself = Stupid. So, if there is no effective melee system then we'll need to have the availability of firearms...

Though as the forum has cried, over just about everything, the developers have decided to answer those cries and make weapons and ammunition rare (Though we'll find out the definition of rare come release)

I started playing Day Z a couple weeks after it was made available, and infact my first player experience resulted in an axe to the back of the head because I was trying to be "friendly" ... early on you realize that players cannot be trusted and they shouldn't be trusted. That is the point. Stop being carebears. The game is as popular as it is now because of Bandits, and the tense moments of combat as you try to get that can of beans from the supermarket. That is Day Z, that is what it was in the beginning and that is what it will continue to be.

Kill on sight didn't ruin the mod. Scripters and bugs ruined the mod. Stop being whine babies.

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

Lol, wanting weapons to be rare doesn't make people a carebear. That's a lazy response.

Wanting EVERYTHING you collect, craft and salvage to have value can only be achieved through the player having to work for it, items being rare or at least not growing on trees is an important part of that.

Calling people that disagree with you carebares is stupid: I love pvp, I love intense firefights, I love being sniped at from a hill when I least expect it. I've played on the RV engine since OFP. I'd argue that having value attached to your gear makes those firefights more intense than it is in a game where you can just grab yourself a new gun and try again.

I really don't know how else to spell it out for you. Many people that want items in DayZ to be rare, or at least rarer than now (including guns) are liking it because everything is more intense when items have value, that does not mean people want to avoid conflicts and sit in the woods singing "cum-by-yah", it means they want added intensity to conflicts and enjoy having their pulse go through the roof because their character and items have value attached unlike most other fps or pvp games. In fact I'd say the carebears are the ones wanting loot growing on trees because they're too scared to enter a gunfight knowing their precious loot could be lost and it'll take effort retrieve it.

Edited June 25, 2013 by Fraggle

[Dreygar (DayZ) 178]

Look at every media or literature based on apocalypse's and you'll see it time and time again people turning on people... Sometimes for no reason at all. Dean has mentioned The Road plenty of times, which is very brutal proof of that. While none of that material is a guideline of how people will react in an apocalypse it does have an effect on those who watch it and associate end of the world scenarios with chaos. We are a somewhat peaceful and civilized society because of rules, in an apocalypse there are no rules and it is simple as that.

For those preaching of the "better days of Day Z" what was that? The first couple days of the game where you are trying to figure the game and map out? Yeah, I thought so. Those days cannot be replicated. Once you've learned the game, learned the map, then it's about managing your health and gear while trying to stay alive. I have friends I play the game with, so we have no reason to be friendly unless we are in a friendly mood. We might want your backpack or something we need. We're going to take it from you, simple as that. You're obviously not going to let us just take it from you, so instead of talking about it we're just going to kill you for it instead.

[Dreygar (DayZ) 178]

Lol, wanting weapons to be rare doesn't make people a carebear. That's a lazy response.

Wanting EVERYTHING you collect, craft and salvage to have value can only be achieved through the player having to work for it, items being rare or at least not growing on trees is an important part of that.

Calling people that disagree with you carebares is stupid. I love pvp, I love intense firefights. I've played on the RV engine since OFP. I'd argue that having value attached to your gear makes those firefights more intense than it is in a game where you gun just grab yourself a new gun and try again.

I really don't know how else to spell it out for you. Many people that want items in DayZ to be rare (including guns) are liking it because everything is more intense when items have value, that does not mean people want to avoid conflicts and sit in the woods singing "cum-by-yah", it means they want added intensity to conflicts and enjoy having their pulse go through the roof because their character and items have value attached unlike most other fps game. In fact I'd say the carebares are the ones wanting loot growing on trees because they're too scared to enter a gunfight knowing their precious loot could be lost.

This is where I disagree. You shouldn't value your gear, progression shouldn't be about your gear. Your player doing things and getting better at them, that is what should be valued because that is what you'll lose if he dies. Gear is meaningless.

Weapons? Yeah... Lets say that 1 A-hole finds the weapon and you've been searching for days to defend yourself. He spots you and shoots you down. So now you can't even defend yourself. Hah... yeah, lame. I'm sure if you tallied up all the weapons in Chernarus with real life statistics you'll find a ton of them. Am I saying you need to spawn with a weapon or find them in every home? No. Currently the amount of weapons in the mod is quite suitable honestly, minus that of duping on more rare weapons.

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

Well I guess pvp and kos are 2 separate debates. I love pvp and I accept (and always have done) that kos will always be a part of DayZ. It's honestly never really bothered me, I just see it as part of the game and another risk to take into account.

In the SA, people will still KOS nothing will change that but having more consequences and making people have to consider their actions more (for example, maybe you only have 15 rounds for you DMR instead of 5 clips) will affect gameplay for the better in my humble opinion.