Are the "casual" players THAT dumb?

[Cap'n (DayZ) 1827]

Alright, so I've been a pretty vocal complainer about the whole ammunition debacle. After doing some more reading, I stumbled across a post that changed my mind a bit, and let me understand what they're trying to accomplish with this. Do I agree with it wholeheartedly? Nope. Mostly? Yeah, I guess. Here is the quote for reference;

 

"We're not against adding more calibers but the team feels strongly we should avoid confusion of casual players.  This means we can achieve the same effect on gameplay that dilution of the ammo pool would accomplish without adding in more 7.62s, and more 9mm's.  380Auto has performance characteristics more similar to the 9mmM than 9mmP but has several advantages 1) avoids confusion 2) allow for the addition of many iconic firearms such as Makarov, RAK, PPK, MAC10, Scorpion 3) sets a precedent which might allow us to do the same with 7.62 (think .308 Win instead of 7.62x51).  " - Scubaman3D

 

Alright. I can see where you're coming from on one angle- the less calibers per weapon, the easier and more pragmatic weapon development is. Shure, more calibers would mean rarer ammunition, which I'd LOVE to see...but that's sort of a crapshoot because people complain. 

 

But then he mentions that they're trying to avoid confusion of casual players.

 

Huh?

 

I thought DayZ was marketed as a "hardcore survival game"? I look at the reviews, the media, hell, even the store page. It's always been marketed as a hardcore survival game with a steep learning curve. Now, is the average "casual player" stupid enough to confuse ammunition? And even then, isn't it part of the learning curve?

I'm sure I' mistaken a few AKM mags for 74 mags way back when I first started the mod, but isn't that part of the experience? You should learn from your mistakes, not have the developers make it easier for you. Doesn't the average person check the ammo before putting it into the gun? "Hmmm, this is 9x19 Parabellum, this here Bizon uses 9x18, I don't think it fits!", and not just stubbornly trying to jam it in there with no result?

 

This raised some questions for me. Are they trying to make the game easier? Are they trying make it easier for the art team to make weapons? What exactly does this accomplish?

 

And what will it take for me to make them add the AK-74?

[Grimey Rick 3417]

Short answer: Yes.

 

When this game began, it was marketed for the gamer who was looking for a deeper, more challenging experience. However, that little $40,000,000+ figure is starting to sway development in a more dumbed down version of what this game could be. The main source of income for DayZ is, unfortunately, the casual gamer. They buy the game because their friend has it, play it a bit, and complain incessantly until it's changed.

 

DayZ could be the best game of all time for the hardcore gamer, unfortunately, it's not gonna happen.

[BeefBacon 1185]

Well, I suppose it depends on how many weapons they want to include. If they included 20 weapons and each one of those weapons required its own ammunition then nobody would ever be able to find the right ammunition, let alone a magazine.

 

I agree that there should be more ammo types, but I think the devs are trying to streamline ammunition types to prevent the frustration of finding and sorting ammo that is virtually identical. The only reason I know the difference between SKS ammo and Mosin ammo is because they look different. I'm not a gun nut, I don't understand what the difference is between 7.62 and 5.62 mm rounds, and I'm not interested in sifting through a dozen near-identical ammo types for the sake of realism.

[LeeVanSpliff 156]

Casual players. The scourge of demanding gaming.

[scriptfactory 620]

DayZ could be the best game of all time for the hardcore gamer, unfortunately, it's not gonna happen.

 

Vanilla DayZ is going to be for casuals. Mission support will create a more hardcore experience. Which is why vanilla DayZ should have as many features as possible... even things "hardcore" gamers don't really like... like 3PP mode.

[Katana67 2907]

No.

 

The idea that some unspoken majority of players can't handle simple 1+1=2 (i.e. AK-74M + 5.45x39 = functioning weapon) is preposterous. Even then, it's not like this was a real tangible issue in the mod. And even if it were, it's arguable as to whether it's a detriment or not.

 

It's not like they even have to appeal to a broader audience. Complexity is attractive in and of itself, see every TES game... nearly every Mass Effect game... and nearly every MMO. And even then, they've got a sizable fanbase who've already purchased the game. I doubt they'd be driven off to any extent if a few new calibers were added.

 

As I said in a previous thread, I was simultaneously relieved and appalled that the "confusion" issue was really the only issue preventing them from adding more calibers. Appalled because it's so trivial. And relieved because, in being so trivial, it's easier to fix/remedy.

 

Luckily, even if we acknowledge that it will be "confusing" it's just a matter of naming things distinctly.

 

But, I dislike the term "casual" as it is applied on both sides. There's no hard divide whereby you can deem something as "casual" or "arcadey" or a "sim" or "hardcore."

[boneboys 7988]

There are too many bulletZ already already, I still don't know what goes where for half of the darned hand guns, if the same thing happens for BFG's forget it, the game will just become tedious and laborious for the average gamer.

 

Anyhow, this has been gone over and over again and again, just dean with it and stop moaning and groaning over a dead horse, things may change but the reason has been given by the Devs and only a few of you are insisting on this, I'm all for debate but calling or asking if the casual player base "dumb" is insulting.

Yes, tedious is the word.

Insulting is the Topic theme.

[kichilron 8550]

Not to mention that I personally consider myself a hardcore DayZ Player, always trying to drive the Mod to a more hardcore, survival-based experience. Survival doesn't imply that I have studied 8 years of weaponry and armory so that I know which weapon takes which ammunition.

 

I don't, yet I think the game should be hard. I am sure the game will be hardcore enough, even though survival has nothing to do with the knowledge of the weaponry.

 

Not to mention that not all of us can be American and know everything about guns, ammunitiontypes and gun-behaviour. It's natural that Americans (like you) know more about weapons than the average gamer, hence their availability - but don't expect us to have preexistent knowledge about it.

 

 

Woops, hallo Bones. :ph34r:

Edited July 20, 2014 by kichilron