Will the SA Ever Feel like This?

[OhDan 39]

Remember your first experience playing the DayZ Mod?

I do..

Running from the coastline in any general direction hoping to see some kind of village that you can loot basic medical/food/water supplies, your only goal at that point was to survive a ZOMBIE apocalypse, this immersion is what made the DayZ Mod so successful, not the PvP, not the guns, the ZOMBIES.

I've recently revisited some old Youtube videos that I used to watch before I actually played the mod, just so I had a genuine idea of what too expect, something to hype it up for me so I could pluck up the courage to spend £20 on Arma II even though I had a shitty build.

This video in particular that I came across through Reddit was the first one I ever watched, and it sold it to me.

I strongly recommend watching it, even if you're a 'veteran DayZ player' or if you started playing just the other day.

This is exactly what DayZ SA should bring and what Rocket and the team should be trying to achieve more than the 'little' add-ons.

Do you think the SA will ever feel like this?

[Lupatchi 143]

It will be a new experience, honestly. wait for the FULL release if you want the proper experience.

[Feral (DayZ) 622]

Will the SA ever fee like this? I would say yes, of course it will.

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

For those of us that are "veterans" of the game I'm not sure we will ever get that paranoid feeling of discovery and fear that we initially experienced when we first played the mod. When we initially played it, it was something we had never experienced before, that's why it became so popular and people were willing to accept it's flaws. There's nothing the devs can do to recapture that because we have all become used to the DayZ style of gameplay.

Having said that I do feel the SA will offer us new reasons to explore the world and we will experience the paranoia and hardships that keep us coming back to the mod.

I do however think they can freshen the experience up and add content that will make weary players want to purchase and sink time into the SA. Also, if you dig beneath the surface and use your imagination to see the gameplay potential of these changes you'll quickly see that the devs are doing a lot more than making "small add-ons" to the mod. I made a post about it yesterday in response to someone that thought the SA would fail and the mod would continue to be where it's at. I'll quote my post here because I feel it's relevent to your topic too.

"The SA will be moving forward quite substantially over time, it's very early days.

The mod and all of the variations of it have one thing holding them back, they are mods of Arma 2. With that comes many problems, even if ported into Arma 3 for improved visuals these problems will remain or even get worse as Arma 3 is still in heavy development itself and it will introduce many more issues that the modders aren't familiar with, that's why DayZ is using it's own variation of the RV engine.

Seemingly "small" things being added to the SA will change the overall gameplay immensely. Some mods have basic crafting but it will always be fighting against the engine because as a mod, the developers can't change that, they can just tweak code. The SA devs can actually re-code the engine itself to suit the needs of a game like DayZ, they have people on the team that helped make the engine itself so understand it better than any modder could ever hope to.

For the SA the devs will eventually be adding THOUSANDS of new items ranging from survival equipment, crafted melee weapons, weapon modifications such as butt-stocks and fore-grips, vehicle parts to hundreds of new items of clothing all of which will have their own advantage/disadvantages and not just be there to look nice.. The new server architecture means that the scripting/hacking you see in the mod will literally no longer be possible although of course hacking will always be present as with any other mutiplayer game. It also adds the possibility of GLOBAL loot tables.

The new disease mechanic that's been discussed by Rocket has never been attempted in ANY other game. Ever. It will be complex and a gaming first, it will dramatically change the way we play. The weather will become more important too.

There's so many "small" things being changed that when added together form to make a very different game in terms of how we will approach survival within the game. I haven't even mentioned the plans he has for base-building, vehicle customisation, in-game streaming of live official radio stations or new maps yet but they're ambitious and a million miles beyond anything you've seen in the mod or any of the variations of it.

For me it's pretty simple, the mod and all of the variations of it are going to be left far behind the SA. It will take time though, intitially the public alpha will be released and some my not see the fundamental differences because content WILL be limited. As content gets added over time it will become apparent that the mods just won't be able to compete or keep up, they won't even be close they'll be forever trapped in their constant cycles of patching and bugfixing where adding the simplest thing or making the smallest changes can break the whole mod."

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.

Edited June 23, 2013 by Fraggle

[tsandrey 379]

For you, no. You already experienced DayZ, and the standalone will just be a more polished version of the mod (at first), so you won't really feel the "new game" feeling.

[Lupatchi 143]

Will the SA ever fee like this? I would say yes, of course it will.

It wont feel the same, different engine different movement, its almost a new game.

[Feral (DayZ) 622]

It wont feel the same, different engine different movement, its almost a new game.

you're right, also as fraggle says the whole new feeling of discovery, of playing something truly unique that we all felt when we first played it can never really be recaptured.

I was referring more to the atmosphere of chernarus and the feelings we get when playing the mod now.

[OhDan 39]

For those of us that are "veterans" of the game I'm not sure we will ever get that paranoid feeling of discovery and fear that we initially experienced when we first played the mod. When we initially played it, it was something we had never experienced before, that's why it became so popular and people were willing to accept it's flaws. There's nothing the devs can do to recapture that because we have all become used to the DayZ style of gameplay.

I do however think they can freshen the experience up and add content that will make weary players want to purchase and sink time into the SA. Also, if you dig beneath the surface and use your imagination to see the gameplay potential of these changes you'll quickly see that the devs are doing a lot more than making "small add-ons" to the mod.

I agree with that fact that the 'small add-ons' are what makes the whole experience much more immersive, and it's extremely difficult for the devs to recapture something we've all gone through.

I think I can speak for a few people when I say, I'm hoping that the SA is something COMPLETELY different when it's finally released, and this doesn't mean Alpha. I'm content with the fact that I may not gain that full feeling that I had when I first played the mod, but for the future I hope somehow it does recapture this for the sake of future DayZ players, and I'm sure it will.

I for one will probably invest into the Alpha as I want to put across my opinions,suggestions etc.. but for someone that isn't looking to do that, I recommend staying completely away from DayZ until it's final release, or until you witness a similar video like this for the actual Standalone.

[Jamz 253]

I think it will feel different and new the first time the SA is played, but the confusion and disorientation of that first play of the mod will not be present. It will be almost as exciting though and I think a lot of the changes will add much to the experience (the ability to fire on the move for instance will change many things, from dealing with zombies to initial meetings with other survivors). I think the SA will feel like DayZ 2.

[OhDan 39]

I think the SA will feel like DayZ 2.

Sequels are rarely good, let's hope it's not like a DayZ 2

Edited June 23, 2013 by OhDan

[sixfeetgiantbunnyrabbit 40]

wow, the panic, the horror. almost forgot the screeching noises zombies made.

if the standalone can recapture that immersion, and i´m sure it will, even more so because of all the additions they are about to make to add more depth and new threats (desease, weather, etc.), i envy everybody whose experiencing that gameplay for the first time. i will find new amazing stuff in the SA but that feeling greatly portrayed in the video the OP posted propably cant be recreated for early DayZ Mod players.

Edit:

that´s the video that drew me into the game. It´s in german. Basically it´s the story of a completely clueless dayz survivor who randomly picks up a side chat talk of people meeting in "some church". A story of trust, survival, zombies, vulnerabilty, having a piss and most of all, even without accomplishing anything, intense gameplay and a real fun gaming experience. The side chat will help you through the story.

Edited June 23, 2013 by sixfeetgiantbunnyrabbit

[mick17 93]

I don't know what I will feel like playing it for the first time. I haven't played the mod in probably 6 months or more just so the experience is as new as possible. All I know is I'm going to enjoy looking through every building that I come across and hearing the birds sing while walking through the country side!

[NightmareGER 21]

Yeah hopefully it will be something like that when groups explore the New parts of the map.

But people will be less scared unless the Zombies in SA will be a real challenge.

It's a good video for showing new players what can happen in DayZ.

[King Tubbs 224]

I hopw so more zombie that work may make people more fraindly, I hope so most of my best time have been with random people but its way to rare in the mod

[BwobBwub 660]

I know it will never feel like that to me again but I will always remember the first time playing and sweating because I was scared. I wish wipe my memory of playing and have that feeling again.

Edited June 23, 2013 by BwobBwub

[Grunner 96]

I'll probably spend my first hours worming my way a few hundred meters through high grass, like I did when I first played the mod.

At least in the SA one can enter all of the buildings, so those first hours & few hundred meters won't end with much cursing because you picked the green house to crawl to.

[WBK 176]

I'm not sure we will ever get that paranoid feeling of discovery and fear that we initially experienced when we first played the mod.

I couldn't agree with this more. And that's not a knock on the game, it's just a natural outcome of familiarity and experience. To the OP, if you're looking for that feeling you felt when you first played DayZ, I don't think you'll find it in the SA. It'll be a great game, but nothing can compare to when we first started playing. Everyone had seen a few videos before they played - my first was Frankie's Ep. 29, housemate showed it to me - but you didn't really know what to expect. Daytime was creepy, like an apocalypse should be. Empty, broken civilisation and untouched nature. Just follow the roads! But nighttime was out of this world. I had nothing. I knew nothing. I would occasionally see a road and giggle with delight, but every other time I would just head for the highest ground, hoping to see something. The smallest find would bring out the biggest joy. Little unnamed villages now aren't even a stopgap on any trip I take, but back then I would search every house and every backyard feverishly for any item. Those were the days when you didn't know how long you could last without food or drink, or how many hits a zombie could dish out, where exactly items spawned in buildings, which buildings you could go into. Before you knew where anything was or how good a certain weapon was.

We won't feel anything like that again with DayZ. A new game, maybe, but that's it. But that's what survival would be like. The first few days, you're happy just to be alive, every discovery is worth tears of joy. But as you get older, wiser, more cynical, with less hope, you know what to expect from things. You know how to do things. The magic is gone, but now you live longer. You live outside of emotion now. After making it past the first few days, you can't rely on luck anymore - you're a survivor. You don't have the luxury of living, of letting your emotions get in the way. You only survive.

Intense narrative there, but seriously. We don't find joy from finding things anymore, but we still find joy in the small things. You just have to discover what that is for yourself. One thing I do is imagine every vehicle as a military sortie, sent here to exterminate any moving object. The 'me against them' mentality almost helps bring me back to the early dayz of DayZ. Hiding from any loud noise, waiting in a bush, deciding whether to strike or to slink away. That is what gets me now. Make your own story and find your own small joys :)

[Zoop 343]

Sadly, I doubt it. The initial exploration and learning the game mechanics was possibly some of the best times I had in this game, but now that I know the ins and outs and I know how to 'game' the system, I don't think it can ever be recaptured.

I actually missed that feeling of wonder so much that I tried out the WarZ (yes, you can rightfully scorn me), but sadly it was so much a carbon copy of DayZ that it simply did nothing for me.

I expect I'll still enjoy the SA, but I'll never relive those 'golden' days I had last year.

[strongtent 74]

Just like any videogame, if you want the immersive experience and the benefits that comes along with it, you need to use your imagination.

I play every shooter with the thought process of: having fun, surviving & using my environment to my advantage.

Not necessarily in that order :P

Edited June 23, 2013 by Strongtent

[OhDan 39]

Just watched the Rezzed blog and he mentioned that if you are stationary for a long period of time (I.e Sniping in a hill), a horde of zombies are more likely to roam past you causing some what of a problem... I also looked at the new zombie animations which I didn't mention earlier on, in my honest opinion if zombies roam around the way they look in the animated state, at night, in hordes.. I'm probably gunna run in the opposite direction.

If they manage to add new sounds (Which he said they are) along with more animations, the zombies are definitely going to contribute to that immersion, and lets hope they do.

Overall, I believe that over time with the improvement to the Zombie Mechanics, the immersion may be there for veteran players, it may be more of an experienced immersion but lets hope they re-introduce that feeling of 'helplessness', because I believe that's what most of us players love. Apart from the odd 'few' that moan about zombies being 'OP', if that's your feeling, then please don't even bother buying the SA.

Edited June 23, 2013 by OhDan

[Zoop 343]

I really hope they can recapture that feeling of helplessness we had originally. I remember my first two weeks of DayZ was spent dying, not surviving. After that avoiding zombies started to come naturally, but zombies were still a major threat because they never stopped chasing you. It was unrealistic when zombies would chase you or miles, but zombies just became a complete non-issue when they implemented the feature that allowed you to lose them. There wasn't a corresponding increase in zombie difficulty to make up for the ease with which zombies could be evaded. Before we could lose zombie aggro running full-speed through Cherno was unthinkable.

[Aporis 422]

Standalone will feel like a new game, because all the new features they are adding and things that increase player interaction again

[...Viper... 7]

I doubt it will. In the SA you will still go to cherno, then head north to the airfiled. And once you are fully geared up, that's it, dont see how this is different from the mod. Saying that the new engine and the new interface will make it feel like a new game is kinda funny. It will of course improve the game, but in no way make it feel like a whole new experiance. Maybe a year or two from the release of the SA it will change enough to feel as a new game, for now the PvP factor is too strong.

[jovial 17]

The Days Ahead series by Kilroy was what made me fall in love with the game originally. I doubt I can ever relive my first moments in the game, and it kinda saddens me. :)

Since I started playing after zombies were nerfed, I've gotten into this mentality where I see them only as a minor environmental hazard, really a nuisance at best. They are no threat, in very few situations can they do more than mildly annoy me.

This will probably be a long process, judging form the E3 footage, but I feel that getting the zombies just right is key to recapturing a true apocalyptic ZOMBIE game instead of the current "49% random bandits, 50% paramilitary groups/clans, 1% heroes" game where zombies are a complete nonfactor. They need to be very dangerous, but in a non-glitchy way. The danger should come from actual gameplay fuckups, not from random glitches, or their method of movement (100 km/h zig-zag beasts).

They shouldn't walk indoors. They shouldn't lose aggro on you easily. Honestly, I think they should be able to catch up to you on foot. The moment you aggro them you should feel fear and panic, as you start looking for a place to hide, kill, or try to lose them. :D

[Dreygar (DayZ) 178]

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. There are no laws in an apocalypse, combine that with the fact that this is an open world sandbox game and it's self explanatory.

You will have new areas to explore, but still the same chernarus more or less so you aren't going to get much disorientation unless they spawn you in the forest someplace; which would be better IMO.

The medical additions should hopefully make for an interesting experience and I suspect a lot of people will be rummaging through buildings for all the various weapons, clothing, and food/drink that they can find.

Interesting ideas such as the need to poop and what not will add another element and make sure that you manage your diet and such, though I think this idea has been shelved; we'll see.

I think a lot of people will be happy as long as the most hated bugs of the Mod have been fixed, and others will be disappointed with the non-existance of vehicles, but having new content added frequently will be welcomed.

So in short ... No, you won't feel the same way about this game as you did about the mod. Simply because you've already experienced the mod, and grown accustom to its ways. The standalone just expands upon that.

Edit: I don't play this game for the Zombies. I play it for the Post Apocalyptic Survival feel, and it's open-world sandbox nature. 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.

Edited June 23, 2013 by Dreygar