How Big Is The Day Z Developer Team?

[Death By Crowbar 1213]

With Dean Hall leaving - there are big shoes to fill. My main question is - can the litany of major problems as follows be solved WITHOUT Dean Hall? All of these have been problems without resolution for quite some time. As someone who's purchased the game (I know, ALPHA expect nothing, if you say that punch yourself) there's a certain amount of expectations put on fixing glaring issues. There's a large contingent of the community that will simply not put up with certain bugs/development plans going unresolved. That list includes:

1. Zombies being far to stupid/weak.
2. Zombies pathing through anything they desire, walls, buildings, etc.
3. Structural integrity being a joke (zone out in a building and fall to your death, a zombie pushing you inside a wall of a building from which you can never escape, odd noises funneling to you from across the server, etc)\
4. Issues surrounding server hopping and loot farming

The devs are focusing on adding a lot of content to the game, but until they fix the clearly broken content they're going to struggle. The real question is whether or not with Dean Hall leaving the remaining Dev crew has the chops to fix the truly major issues plaguing the game. I'm giving it 1-3 months to see if these mechanical issues can be fixed or not before throwing in the towel and moving on to something else. If they cannot fix the major bugs then what's the point?

[plexico 386]

There's really no developer team, Dean just sits in his basement and codes on a laptop all day.

[Irish. 4886]

With Dean Hall leaving - there are big shoes to fill. My main question is - can the litany of major problems as follows be solved WITHOUT Dean Hall? All of these have been problems without resolution for quite some time. As someone who's purchased the game (I know, ALPHA expect nothing, if you say that punch yourself) there's a certain amount of expectations put on fixing glaring issues. There's a large contingent of the community that will simply not put up with certain bugs/development plans going unresolved. That list includes:

1. Zombies being far to stupid/weak.
2. Zombies pathing through anything they desire, walls, buildings, etc.
3. Structural integrity being a joke (zone out in a building and fall to your death, a zombie pushing you inside a wall of a building from which you can never escape, odd noises funneling to you from across the server, etc)\
4. Issues surrounding server hopping and loot farming

The devs are focusing on adding a lot of content to the game, but until they fix the clearly broken content they're going to struggle. The real question is whether or not with Dean Hall leaving the remaining Dev crew has the chops to fix the truly major issues plaguing the game. I'm giving it 1-3 months to see if these mechanical issues can be fixed or not before throwing in the towel and moving on to something else. If they cannot fix the major bugs then what's the point?

 

Dean made the dayz mod, from the game that the rest of the staff made: Arma 2. 

 

So they will be just fine without him. In fact, perhaps better off. 

[Death By Crowbar 1213]

There's really no developer team, Dean just sits in his basement and codes on a laptop all day.

That's the concern. Startups typically have a "white knight" that makes or breaks them. Dean has that persona now as far as everyone is aware, until someone arises that it's clear they have the chops to take it and run with it everyone will be concerned. This has been seen time and time again. And anyime a firm hires nearly a dozen people to replace one it's never, never a good sign.

[Death By Crowbar 1213]

In fact anytime a firm hires a dozen or so folks to replace (or replace talk of) a single person leaving it's usually a sign of them taking a downward spiral / turn. Day Z has some pants to fill (or not) very quickly. We'll know within a week or two whether this will be a good thing or whether we should log into RUST and wave our shlongs around.

[Death By Crowbar 1213]

Results speak. If all those hires happened and they were quality - we'll see results. If they were mass hires to apease clients and investors - expect a downward turn, and an immediate downward turn. They either have a plan or their investors have pressured them into repeating the "sins of old".

[LaughingJack (DayZ) 767]

There's really no developer team, Dean just sits in his basement and codes on a laptop all day.

 

Prove:

 

 

 

 

Srsly: Last thing that was mentioned was 50+ people. Maybe already including the new guys.

 

And Death by Crowbar...you know that there's an "Edit" button, right?^^

 

 

In fact anytime a firm hires a dozen or so folks to replace (or replace talk of) a single person leaving it's usually a sign of them taking a downward spiral / turn. Day Z has some pants to fill (or not) very quickly. We'll know within a week or two whether this will be a good thing or whether we should log into RUST and wave our shlongs around.

..AND you know that Dean is NOT leaving now, right?

 

Results speak. If all those hires happened and they were quality - we'll see results. If they were mass hires to apease clients and investors - expect a downward turn, and an immediate downward turn. They either have a plan or their investors have pressured them into repeating the "sins of old".

Bullshit. Sorry for that harsh word, but...nah. I don't wanna answer to that. Sry, I'm a programmer and such sentences just make me wanna bang my head against a wall.

Edited March 4, 2014 by LaughingJack

[Death By Crowbar 1213]

Creed of any good software shop - BUGS COME FIRST. There's a disjunct here, either you can't fix the major problems or you wont'. Can't and won't are the same thing - with Dean leaving in the next few months show us progress on the real BIG bugs or you will see defection that is revenue breaking. Decide, make the right choice, show us you have the chops.

 

... or if you can't hire me to help.

[JPWiser 251]

In fact anytime a firm hires a dozen or so folks to replace (or replace talk of) a single person leaving it's usually a sign of them taking a downward spiral / turn. Day Z has some pants to fill (or not) very quickly. We'll know within a week or two whether this will be a good thing or whether we should log into RUST and wave our shlongs around.

 

Id like to see your shlong.

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

Id like to see your shlong.

 

There is a special place in my heart for forumites like you.

[Irish. 4886]

Id like to see your shlong.

 

Can I show you mine instead? 

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

Can I show you mine instead? 

 

It might be a net trap, check the age.

[Irish. 4886]

It might be a net trap, check the age.

 

HOLY ROFLMFAO..

 

good one. :D

[terminal_boy 860]

Brooks's law 

A principle in software development which says that "adding manpower to a late software project makes it later".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks's_law

It is still in alpha, however; I don't know if that's still considered "late" when it comes to finishing a game.

Exactly.

 

There is nothing that screws up a development project as surely as throwing people and money at it without planning where these are needed.

[Death By Crowbar 1213]

Bullshit. Sorry for that harsh word, but...nah. I don't wanna answer to that. Sry, I'm a programmer and such sentences just make me wanna bang my head against a wall.

 

Lack of understanding / believing them also reveal the type of programmer you are. There's a vast difference between a startup swiss army knife (one to fit all problems) programmer vs an enterprise "cushie" programmer. Who even uses the term "programmer"? Noone who would work at companies such as Bloomberg, ESPN, Google, or any of the major game shops. "Programmer" is not a title you put on a resume. It's bunk, it's garbage, it shows inexperience and invalidates your opinion.

[LaughingJack (DayZ) 767]

I did not knew that this was my resume, and I used the "title" programmer, because "Java/C#/VB.Net senior developer" is nothing that would clear anything up here, that's why i stuck with "programmer".

Don't get hung up on that, and don't be so hurt because of my opinion. And I don't work at "Bloomberg, ESPN, Google, or any of the major game shops". I'm not even in the gaming industry. But I could relate to that quoted sentence as a "programmer", and believe me, from a Java/C#/VB.Net senior developers (better?) point of view, that has been, working in ad also leading, some bigger projects and dozens of smaller ones, it IS bullshit.

 

Editz: Again: It was only my opinion. Feel free to give a crap about it or believe me. It's up to you.

Edited March 4, 2014 by LaughingJack

[360Nation 60]

Uhh.

[Wili 156]

 

 

Dean stated that this latest addition would effectively double the dayz dev team during a live stream broadcast..

 

I hope they put all these new people to work on performance. 

[iBane 381]

Robert Zimmerman answered this question somewhere.  It's either 136 or 142.  I can't remember.