First impressions and "where to now?"

[diddums 3760]

I was lucky enough to be given the alpha by a fellow forum member, big-ol-thanks to you buddy, much appreciated. 

 

Tonight I got my first proper session in. We were four of us, all from the UK, playing on a server hosted in Holland. The technical aspect was flawless. No lag, no rubberbanding, no disconnects, nothing. Genuinely impressed. The server was empty for the most part, at one point there were 8 people on the server which is as high as the count went, which probably plays a large part in the issue-free experience. 

 

The gameplay is simply excellent. I played for about 3-4 hours, with a few small glitches with inventory, and one where someone dropped some ammo for me and it fell through the floor to the floor below. No biggie. None of use had issues, it was fairly smooth and the FPS never dipped below 30 at its worst (specs to follow). 

 

For an Alpha this is very good. I've played a few alphas in my time but this one stands head and shoulders above them in terms of reliability and stability. The graphics are good, the shipwreck looks like it is a true labour of love, whoever created that needs a pat on the back.

 

The sounds need some serious work. The M4 sounds like a pellet gun (Tritton Pro+), the zombie combat is simply awful and hitting walls with an axe sounds like a bullet ricocheting. Obviously this is an Alpha so I can't complain, see this as feedback / input.

 

I love that so many buildings are enterable. Really adds a whole new layer to the game, and a gazillion hiding spots if the heat gets turned up.

 

I seem to spawn in quite thirsty. I'd recommend for anyone spawning in for the first time to find a pond and drink until you can't any more. You'll need to be in first person to drink, otherwise it won't work. You'll need to drink a lot. At first I thought the game was glitched or something, but decided to stick with it and eventually I was told that I'm stuffed. This made the game much more pleasant than my first few lives which were spent looking for drinks. If you fill up at a permanent water source, thirst will hardly be an issue. 

 

Hunger is a bit of a pain. We ran far this evening, probably the same distance as circling the map twice. I was almost permanently hungry, which became a bit of an annoyance. Nothing major, but if that could be tweaked down a tad, that'd be great. 

 

The loot table is obviously fairly small, I have so far had a revolver, a mosin and an M4. Don't know if there are many more weapons in the game, but for now I found that adequate. Obviously adding more over time will be great, but for now it's perfect.

 

The melee system is one thing I sorely missed in the mod. You're walking around with two punchers on the end of your arms and can't use them, bit of an annoyance. To see that implemented in the standalone really put a smile on my face, nice work Dean and Co. Can't wait to batter someone to death with a fire extinguisher. 

 

 

 

Of course the game needs some love still, and I'm sure Dean has loads of plans, but I'm curious to find out what the priorities are. Personally I'd go with tents, it would at least give us something to work towards, even if it's hoarding lovely stylish shoes for the missus. Vehicles would also be great, as would hunting. 

 

Definitely a very good product. Not perfect, but then it is an alpha so it can only get better. Once we start seeing more and more features implemented, I can easily see this becoming the PC game of 2014. 

 

 

 

 

[dallas 5195]

Welcome to the Standalone and the Standalone loves you too. :)

[applejaxc 2500]

No rubber banding? You weren't playing the same game, obviously.

[diddums 3760]

No rubber banding? You weren't playing the same game, obviously.

 

 

Nope, nothing. Are you still playing on that laptop? That could cause issues. 

 

I'm running an i5 2500k, 8gb, a 250gb Sammy 840 EVO and an R9 290. 

 

Smooth as a baby's bottom.

[applejaxc 2500]

 a baby's bottom.

 

Mmmmm

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

Good to hear your having fun Did's need to get some time in with you now you have the alpher.

[diddums 3760]

Good to hear your having fun Did's need to get some time in with you now you have the alpher.

Yes you do baby, yes you do.