A (Brief) Look at the Standalone

[AshleyP 121]

 
Apart from being a top wit I also used to work as a games journalist, so I've decided to set down my thoughts on the new standalone, in the hope that future generations might understand what life was like in 2013:
http://women-and-dreams.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/dayz-and-confuz.html
 
So far I've explored most of the west, north-west, and north of the map, but I've generally avoided the player hotspots. My heart sank when I realised I had spawned in Kamenka, but rose again when I noticed a new supermarket had opened just outside of town. This saves having to run north to Zelenogorsk in order to kit up. Zelenogorsk itself now has some barracks, which is where I killed a man. My killcount so far is one possible, several zombies, no deaths. That man was the third player I saw, the first I saw whilst in a position of strength. Never strike unless you are in a position of strength. And when you strike, klotzen, nicht kleckern. I learned that from reading the internet.

 

I was confused by the large empty areas in the far north-west, which look unfinished:
 

 

 
Whether they're supposed to look unfinished, or if the plan is to populate them with buildings later on, I have no idea. In the latter case it'll be hairy if you wake up one morning to find yourself embedded in a building that wasn't there when you went to sleep. The "lake" in the north-west is actually just a depression in the ground, there's no water, and as a consequence if you want to explore the northern reaches you need to carry several canteens and plastic bottles. But without tents and parked vehicles etc there's not much point going there, because there's no loot to stumble upon. I used to love raiding camps. They are the enemy's weak point. Wipe out his supplies and he will die.
 
My other impression is that sniping is going to be awesome, now that you can hide indoors:

 
On the other hand, this might not be so smart if the place was swarming with zombies. Depends whether the AI will be clever enough to climb stairs and open doors. It'd be handy if you could use a hammer, some nails, and a plank of wood to barricade yourself into a building. Or if you could use a gas stove and some petrol to set fire to a building, thus flushing out any snipers. After a short while the entire map would be covered in burned-out buildings.

 

My impression is that the standalone is a good solid foundation, and of course the basic gameplay is already in place, it just has to be translated across. Forty people per severe is going to seem less crowded than the mod, because there are many more places to hide, and in general the outdoorsy engine feels much more realistic. Less as if you're running over a lot of metal panels covered in grass, more as if you're running over actual terrain.
 
At the same time, I wonder whether the developers should have gone for a lower price-point for the alpha, with a discount for the full version somewhere down the line. The trufans have now handed over their money; further sales have to come from new players, who are going to be baffled and disappointed when they load up the game and find themselves in pitch-darkness with no goal and a handful of broken zombies. New players would be better off with the mod, except that it's silly to buy into something that will presumably become a dead-end. But on the other hand, Bohemia now has a big pile of cash with which to fund their holidays further development.

[Zarniwoop 1193]

I was confused by the large empty areas in the far north-west, which look unfinished:

 

Whether they're supposed to look unfinished, or if the plan is to populate them with buildings later on, I have no idea. In the latter case it'll be hairy if you wake up one morning to find yourself embedded in a building that wasn't there when you went to sleep. The "lake" in the north-west is actually just a depression in the ground, there's no water, and as a consequence if you want to explore the northern reaches you need to carry several canteens and plastic bottles. But without tents and parked vehicles etc there's not much point going there, because there's no loot to stumble upon. I used to love raiding camps. They are the enemy's weak point. Wipe out his supplies and he will die.

 

 

Large parts of the map are still not finished. When done, the north will be awesome. Hopefully an insentive for players to head up there.

 

Also bigger servers are hopefully to come.

 

Nice read ;)

Edited December 25, 2013 by Zarniwoop

[TheNerdySecret 13]

Large parts of the map are still not finished. When done, the north will be awesome. Hopefully an insentive for players to head up there.

 

Also bigger servers are hopefully to come.

 

Nice read ;)

I hope for more players slots , like 100 should be fun 

[BushmasterTD 1]

Good brief view on it man, very enjoyable read!