Something to help clear the air.

[Calvin Candie 189]

I don't know about you.

But when I bought DayZ in December, I did read the entire store page and I did read the part titled "Development roadmap," I believe it said:

Developers are communicating with customers using various methods.

Twitter for short comments, screenshots and updates.

Reddit for two way communication, feedback and discussion.

Tumblr/youtube for greater blog entries and overall progress.

Bug tracker for the people actually reporting bugs instead of complaining.

Just because you've chose to stay ignorant, both about the basic information on the store page and all the readily available information, which is posted and repeated on these very forums, twitter, reddit, doesn't mean the information isn't out there.

I simply don't think the dev team will ever be able to dedicate enough man hours to please the willingly ignorant and entitled segment of the player base.

If you got get it, let me get it for you:

http://www.reddit.com/user/rocket2guns

https://twitter.com/Hicks_206

https://twitter.com/ctorchia

https://twitter.com/rocket2guns

http://dayzdev.tumblr.com/

Where are the DEADLINES? Do you see any dates? 1 year is extremly abstract! I see you are an expert on project management - lol

and THESE are the type of people that Dean Hall can screw around with!

Edited July 28, 2014 by Calvin Candie

[LeeVanSpliff 156]

But I mean we're talking like a short update on progress...shouldn't whoever is in charge of managing the whole shabang know what's going on with the development? What is so wildly time-consuming about making the occasional update about what the team has been working on...I just really don't get it. 

 

Well, it's not that I don't see what you mean. I guess my point was that even though it's only like ten-twenty lines of text, it has to be damn accurate and well-phrased or all of us impatient people would go "but you worked on that silly-bug for three weeks now" or "that feature was in the works 3 months ago".

 

I'm feeling pretty damn impatient myself tbh, because I'm looking forward to have more features to play around with. I also want more info on what's happening but I think my rationale was something along the lines of: "even if it requires comparatively little effort, I'd rather have that effort thrown at the features I'm looking forward to".

 

What I WOULD like, in terms of information is a info-posted-in-exactly-one-place policy. No more merging reddit rumors with twitter info and forum posts to get an overall Franken-image of what's going on. Unfortunately it seems that insidedayz.de stopped updating, otherwise those nice fellas were handling all that for us :)

[Zed's Dead 67]

But what you people who thinks it's perfectly fine for DayZ management to keep progress obscured don't understand is how bad this looks to people.
Why not take part of the 50 million in sales and pay someone to compile exciting updates to how they are fixing the core problems? A small investment in a guy that sees the hard work being done will result in more sales when he releases reports, clips, concept art.... etc. The way DayZ is going out of their way to make it look like not much is being done is why half the population believes this game can not possibly finish by 2020. How can anyone tell they are fixing hit detection, controls, bullet dispersion, broken silencers, ambient sounds, the list goes on and on of things that we have no reason to think they are being worked on after 8 months? Perhaps they only addressed zombie pathing in the last 4 weeks since that is coming soon..... we have no clue.

Edited July 28, 2014 by Zed's Dead

[Calvin Candie 189]

But what you people who thinks it's perfectly fine for DayZ management to keep progress obscured don't understand is how bad this looks to people.

Why not take part of the 50 million in sales and pay someone to compile exciting updates to how they are fixing the core problems? A small investment in a guy that sees the hard work being done will result in more sales when he releases reports, clips, concept art.... etc. The way DayZ is going out of their way to make it look like not much is being done is why half the population believes this game can not possibly finish by 2020. How can anyone tell they are fixing hit detection, controls, bullet dispersion, broken silencers, ambient sounds, the list goes on and on of things that we have no reason to think they are being worked on after 8 months? Perhaps they only addressed zombie patching in the last 4 weeks since that is coming soon..... we have no clue.

Agree completely. Beans for you, sir!

[SmashT 10907]

I'm sorry but I really don't understand why it's so difficult to do some kind of weekly or twice a week quick update on what you're doing and how progress is going? I guess making your fanbase go out and SEARCH for what they're doing is one way of keeping them in the loop about what's going on in development...

 

Idk, just seems like a completely lazy and unorthodox way of going about the development, but that's just my opinion

 

But what you people who thinks it's perfectly fine for DayZ management to keep progress obscured don't understand is how bad this looks to people.

Why not take part of the 50 million in sales and pay someone to compile exciting updates to how they are fixing the core problems? A small investment in a guy that sees the hard work being done will result in more sales when he releases reports, clips, concept art.... etc. The way DayZ is going out of their way to make it look like not much is being done is why half the population believes this game can not possibly finish by 2020. How can anyone tell they are fixing hit detection, controls, bullet dispersion, broken silencers, ambient sounds, the list goes on and on of things that we have no reason to think they are being worked on after 8 months? Perhaps they only addressed zombie patching in the last 4 weeks since that is coming soon..... we have no clue.

 

Read through all of Rockets responses in this thread.

http://www.reddit.com/r/dayz/comments/2a1fiv/dayz_dev_team_please_give_us_devblogs/

[terminal_boy 860]

Here's an idea, BIS could hire a small PR team to handle PR.

 

[–]rocket2gunsRocket 19 points

 

20 days ago

If you want to see how the project is going, play the experimental. That is far more current than any devblog ever will be. We can deploy an experimental build much faster than we can deploy a devblog as most of the process of actually generating the build is automated.

 

 

Because rather than waiting for a phone call or email from my engine tuner, I should just grab the spare set of cars to my car, get a lift over to the tuning shop and take my car out for a spin to find out how it's going...

[Zed's Dead 67]

Fair enough, but if all of their 8 months of work is being seen in each current experimental patch, then we are in deep trouble and the game will not be ready until 2020.  If all of their work is in experimental, then 8 months of work and the only serious problem that is being addressed is zombie pathing.   

 

What I'm trying to say is, I believe they have been working hard on other things, but they are not sharing it with us.

[JonySK 60]

http://www.reddit.com/r/dayz/comments/2a1fiv/dayz_dev_team_please_give_us_devblogs/

 

 We could have held back the release, or we could have released on experimental and finished the devblog: but we have been continually saying "PR is second to development".

 

 

 

 I find it pathetic and disrespectful that they call a devblog PR. It's NOT. It's informing investors about the progress they are making.

Edited July 28, 2014 by JonySK

[Death By Crowbar 1213]

I imagine it's difficult to fix core problems when the core is still being worked on and developed. You can't fix zed movement or pathing issues until you have a new system that supports it. You can't fix graphics issues with light going through walls and such until you re-work the core of the engine and have "Infusion" much more completed. It's difficult to add additional things that tax the servers until that code is optimized and the move from 32 bit to 64 bit is done to give more "breathing room" from a memory and computational standpoint. As I've played the alpha and read I'm starting to understand more of why certain no brainer totally broken things are not getting addressed any time soon, there's just an order of operations and we've got a perfectly good egg and we're trying to now grow a chicken... that shell's gonna break and then there's going to be some growing pains.

 

That analogy was inspired by the dude who posted about a friend reporting to have found chickens.

<insert GoT reference to The Hound and 2 chickens here>

[Camisado2 83]

This isn't a kickstarter so they don't need to update us on how our money is being used. This game was going to be made whether they let us in on the alpha, or made us wait till the final product. We all bought the game knowing it was in development. Knowing that BI and Dean have a plan for the game.

I'm glad there isn't any PR pumping and Michael Bay like trailers with the orgy of action promising something cool, then we get transformers 4!

I think im losing my point here....

Bottom line is....

Don't twerk if you can't handle the consequences!

[dallas 5195]

Where are the DEADLINES? Do you see any dates? 1 year is extremly abstract! I see you are an expert on project management - lol

and THESE are the type of people that Dean Hall can screw around with!

 

Screw around with?

 

I go all the way back to Operation Flashpoint, so I've got roughly 13 years worth of positive and realistic experiences with Bohemia Interactive. I also played DayZ mod though out 2012 and 2013, so I got a pretty good understanding of Rocket's approach to development and communication. 

 

I didn't walk into the standalone blindly, especially because I read the store page before I clicked that Steam purchase button. I understood that I would have to manage my own expectations and arm myself with lots of patience.

 

I also knew that Rocket couldn't possibly and constantly hold my hand and tell me every moment that everything would be all okay, that I would simply assume it and having played DayZ mod and all BI's other games, I had no problem placing my trust in the development or $30 in their pocket.

 

I remember Rocket explaining, what weekly updates, while he wished he had time to it, wasn't as high a priority as game development and that some tasks took months to complete and therefor wouldn't always be worth reporting on every week. Some impatient players, then actually suggested, that Rocket simply posted every Friday, that he was still working on DayZ...

 

While your personal experiences make you prefer to assume, you're getting scammed and stalled, my experience with BI and Rocket, leads me to assume that they are slowly and steadily on track.

Edited July 28, 2014 by Dallas

[King Raptor 191]

Well, it's not that I don't see what you mean. I guess my point was that even though it's only like ten-twenty lines of text, it has to be damn accurate and well-phrased or all of us impatient people would go "but you worked on that silly-bug for three weeks now" or "that feature was in the works 3 months ago".

 

 

Lee, stop defending the developers and start working with the customers, your friends, here! We want updates! WE WANT UPDATES!

 

What I WOULD like, in terms of information is a info-posted-in-exactly-one-place policy. No more merging reddit rumors with twitter info and forum posts to get an overall Franken-image of what's going on. Unfortunately it seems that insidedayz.de stopped updating, otherwise those nice fellas were handling all that for us :)

 

http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/forum/131-devtracker/

 

I -think- everything goes there but I never check it 'cause it also has completely irrelevant things about the developer's cats and whatnot. Not to mention that they're just excerpts which is annoying to decipher.

 

So yeah, frankennews.

[pilgrim* 3514]

..//..

So why is Bohemia going out of their way to keep their core work secret and make it look like not much is being done?

 

A lot of the work they do is very painstaking, difficult, boring, and would not make much sense if they showed it to the public.. it's not like a model shop or a film special effects studio where they build a really neat object out of plastic and string and say "that looks good and it works, now let's put it in the game"

 

For instance, all the work needed to have a bullet leave your gun when you fire it and hit another player so he is wounded - that's an important part of the game, but how could they show you that ? In fact, in the game there is not a 'bullet' that comes out of the barrel and goes towards the other player.. there is "nothing".. just a whole bunch of maths to work out the direction, and what is in the way, and to show what happens when something is hit.. and to take one cartridge out of your inventory, and show all the animations of firing, and calculate the damage to the other player .. they could alter all those calculations really a lot, and it would still look about the same to you in the game, you wouldn't see the difference.

 

And if they tried to explain this with diagrams and animations and bits of gameplay, it would take a long time too.. you'd need one team to do the game work and another whole team to act like a newsroom explaining what the first team was doing. And who would be interested in all that detail? most people only want the end result - "this gun does more damage than that gun and it has longer range", is all they want to know, not all the how and why.

 

If you are really interested, there are many websites that give an intro to programming and explain stuff about making games, how to make your own game, how 3D objects work.. they are intended for beginners. If this is interesting, you begin to get an idea of what the devs are really doing, then it only takes a few words from a developer - in a blog or a chat- and you understand what is going on pretty well. You start to be an insider and understand technical stuff about games design, just a little. so when they say "loot tables" - ok, no problem you comprehend how those work.. enough to follow what's being discussed. It makes the games you play more interesting too.

 

ok, that's my explanation for what its worth

 

what I'm saying is -  players who want can put in the effort, instead of just waiting to be fed .. because it's good to know what game design/programming work is about. They can go to meet the devs half way, they understand better and its more fun. So don't just sit around not thinking, waiting to be entertained, get in there.

Edited July 28, 2014 by pilgrim

[SmashT 10907]

I -think- everything goes there but I never check it 'cause it also has completely irrelevant things about the developer's cats and whatnot. Not to mention that they're just excerpts which is annoying to decipher.

 

So yeah, frankennews.

I'm working on an improved version, no eta though.

 

 

[Max Planck 7174]

http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/forum/131-devtracker/

 

I -think- everything goes there but I never check it 'cause it also has completely irrelevant things about the developer's cats and whatnot. Not to mention that they're just excerpts which is annoying to decipher.

 

The DevStalker is being worked upon at the moment, the idea is to filter out all the cat updates and other irrelevant stuff.

 

 

 

he and the dev team bear the OBLIGATION and the RESPONSIBILITY, in the spirit of good business ethic, to keep their buyers-investors (the community) informed, in detail and with clear weekly or monthly summary, containing the current state of the project, as well as the future plans.

 

No they don't, actually.

 

More, and better structured/presented communication would be a nice thing, but I'd much rather have them working on the game. The water won't cook any faster because you keep staring at it.

[Caboose187 (DayZ) 3036]

http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/forum/137-stable-patch-discussion/

http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/forum/135-experimental-patch-discussion/

http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/forum/131-devtracker/

http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/forum/76-announcements-information/

[haknslash 763]

Where are the DEADLINES? Do you see any dates? 1 year is extremly abstract! I see you are an expert on project management - lol

and THESE are the type of people that Dean Hall can screw around with!

Perhaps you've missed it from Rezzed this year but Dean did the roadmap slideshow and it gave timeframes of when to expect each phase of the roadmap to be completed, in their respective quarter. Obviously with the hiring of new staff this takes time to get them up to speed but this game has been constantly receiving large chunks of that roadmap. Ever since version .45 we've seen the milestones met and with .46 and .47 being respectively more visually apparent, since .45 was more about the framework so that things we're seeing trickle in now like navmesh, client/server improvements, persistant items and tents (you know things being implemented on experiemental today as I type this) can be a possibility. I rarely play on stable builds and pretty much live in experimental so to me the progress has been flowing along nice for several months now.

 

Edited July 28, 2014 by haknslash

[Zed's Dead 67]

A lot of the work they do is very painstaking, difficult, boring, and would not make much sense if they showed it to the public.. it's not like a model shop or a film special effects studio where they build a really neat object out of plastic and string and say "that looks good and it works, now let's put it in the game"

 

For instance, all the work needed to have a bullet leave your gun when you fire it and hit another player so he is wounded - that's an important part of the game, but how could they show you that ? In fact, in the game there is not a 'bullet' that comes out of the barrel and goes towards the other player.. there is "nothing".. just a whole bunch of maths to work out the direction, and what is in the way, and to show what happens when something is hit.. and to take one cartridge out of your inventory, and show all the animations of firing, and calculate the damage to the other player .. they could alter all those calculations really a lot, and it would still look about the same to you in the game, you wouldn't see the difference.

 

And if they tried to explain this with diagrams and animations and bits of gameplay, it would take a long time too.. you'd need one team to do the game work and another whole team to act like a newsroom explaining what the first team was doing. And who would be interested in all that detail? most people only want the end result - "this gun does more damage than that gun and it has longer range", is all they want to know, not all the how and why.

 

If you are really interested, there are many websites that give an intro to programming and explain stuff about making games, how to make your own game, how 3D objects work.. they are intended for beginners. If this is interesting, you begin to get an idea of what the devs are really doing, then it only takes a few words from a developer - in a blog or a chat- and you understand what is going on pretty well. You start to be an insider and understand technical stuff about games design, just a little. so when they say "loot tables" - ok, no problem you comprehend how those work.. enough to follow what's being discussed. It makes the games you play more interesting too.

 

ok, that's my explanation for what its worth

 

what I'm saying is -  players who want can put in the effort, instead of just waiting to be fed .. because it's good to know what game design/programming work is about. They can go to meet the devs half way, they understand better and its more fun. So don't just sit around not thinking, waiting to be entertained, get in there.

Actually, your explanation is awesome.    You actually did make me understand why it's hard for the DayZ team to show us that they have been working on fixes.        I just never thought about it this way so thanks.      I guess I also had trouble understanding that even though a lot of code work might have been done, there is not really a way to show it has pictures, video, etc.      

 

I kind of feel like a dick now because maybe DayZ team is working their asses off even though we can't see much results yet.     So when do you think we will see more results from all the new coding?   Is the fact that some zombies have collision fixed a sign that more and more updates will have big fixes like this?   Or, will it take 8 more months to see ambient sound or silencers working?

[DeatHTaX 1217]

 

 

 

No they don't, actually.

 

More, and better structured/presented communication would be a nice thing, but I'd much rather have them working on the game. The water won't cook any faster because you keep staring at it.

 

I'll have to disagree with you on that, Max. Most successful business have shareholders and people with a stake in the company, and they have to provide reports on what the company is doing, how profits are, management has to give progress reports, etc. I mean don't get me wrong I'm not saying that they're the same thing, but I think the general concept can apply here. This -IS- a business, and don't anyone try to tell me it isn't. To some degree I do believe that they have an obligation to their supporters to make sure they are getting accurate updates on the progress of the product that they themselves paid for and helped to support. I mean what investor gives money to a project and then says "Okay here's all my money, let me know when it's done".

 

Nobody smart.

 

Now I really don't think that having someone take 20 minutes (if even that) or so twice a week to post some quick vid blog, or dedicated news source (enough of all this reddit/twitter/etc bs. IMHO i think they need to nail it down to one dedicated news source) to keep the community up to date on what the team has been working on is too much to ask as a supporter of this game, as I'm sure you are all as well. And I couldn't give two craps if the stuff they are working on is boring or not, I would like to know what's going on so I can continue to support this game, give feedback in a timely fashion on what's being developed, and keep my love affair with this game kindled.

 

Just my viewpoint on the whole thing. 

[Cap'n (DayZ) 1827]

I for one, am relieved to see them putting work towards the game instead of constantly trying to remind us they're developing a game.

 

But whatever. My $30 was well spent, and I'm here until the end. I lay my trust in Bohemia as one of the few decent non-indie developers left out there. I'd rather see changes for myself by playing experimental than have them waste time making dev blogs every damn week.

[haknslash 763]

Actually, your explanation is awesome.    You actually did make me understand why it's hard for the DayZ team to show us that they have been working on fixes.        I just never thought about it this way so thanks.      I guess I also had trouble understanding that even though a lot of code work might have been done, there is not really a way to show it has pictures, video, etc.      

 

I kind of feel like a dick now because maybe DayZ team is working their asses off even though we can't see much results yet.     So when do you think we will see more results from all the new coding?   Is the fact that some zombies have collision fixed a sign that more and more updates will have big fixes like this?   Or, will it take 8 more months to see ambient sound or silencers working?

With all due respect I suggest you open your eyes a little more on this forum or other media avenues such as Reddit or Twitter (yes, I know they are hipster-centric media outlets but that's the easiest and fastest means for the devs to engage with the community). There is a lot of bullshit to have to sift through on there but the devs constantly are vocal about the progress of the game and are aware of issues if the community makes it known vis the bugtracker. Heck even just watching one of Hicks' Twitch livestreams during DayZ gameplay you wil learn a lot about the progress of things even though he hates to talk about it while he's playing sometimes. What I'm saying is many of the concerns or gripes people have issues with on this game can be understood more if they just open their eyes up, look around and drop the "Where's my game damnit attitudes". I'm not saying you have this attitude but many do think they're entitled for something on their dime yet bought the game knowing it was in EA state with warnings all over the place. Nobody is taking your money and running to the beach with hordes of whores lined up with cocaine for miles despite what the haters want you to believe. If that was the case they could of stopped development long ago when the cash cow came calling, yt here they are pumping out content and meeting their quarterly milestones for the most part, or pretty damn close to it. I'm not sure of the exact tolerances they had in mind for each quarterly milestone but hell my game was only $30 so I'm willing to give them whatever time they want. I got my money worth long ago and in it for the long haul. By the time this game is in beta it will not even be the same game and people need to understand this. Hicks even mentioned during a recent stream he expects to have the Steam workshop up and going near the end of alpha!

 

FWIW, just today your issue regarding ambient sounds was answered by Eugene  http://www.reddit.com/r/dayz/comments/2bxixs/dayz_experimental_servers_down/cj9wdea?context=3. previously this kind of reply would of said something along the lines of "We're aware of that ancient bug and it's on the list of course but it's not near the top". Now that they've implemented some of the big pieces, the sound has been moved to a "being worked on" status. Game development at work.

Edited July 28, 2014 by haknslash

[Max Planck 7174]

Most successful business have shareholders and people with a stake in the company, and they have to provide reports on what the company is doing, how profits are, management has to give progress reports, etc.

 

There are plenty of privately held companies who are doing very well indeed. Cargill, Koch Industries, Valve, Ikea... No shareholders, still doing fine.

What we have bought into with DayZ is a preorder of an unfinished game, not a share of the company.

 

 

Now I really don't think that having someone take 20 minutes (if even that) or so twice a week to post some quick vid blog, or dedicated news source (enough of all this reddit/twitter/etc bs. IMHO i think they need to nail it down to one dedicated news source)

 

They post tons of information, but not in the form you prefer. Not in the from I prefer either, but at least it is readily available and gets out there fairly fast (thanks, DevStalker).

At any rate, they communicate in the way they prefer and complaining about it won't change that.

We always have the choice of ignoring the game until release, because release is pretty much all they owe us at the moment.

[Zed's Dead 67]

With all due respect I suggest you open your eyes a little more on this forum or other media avenues such as Reddit or Twitter (yes, I know they are hipster-centric media outlets but that's the easiest and fastest means for the devs to engage with the community). There is a lot of bullshit to have to sift through on there but the devs constantly are vocal about the progress of the game and are aware of issues if the community makes it known vis the bugtracker. Heck even just watching one of Hicks' Twitch livestreams during DayZ gameplay you wil learn a lot about the progress of things even though he hates to talk about it while he's playing sometimes. What I'm saying is many of the concerns or gripes people have issues with on this game can be understood more if they just open their eyes up, look around and drop the "Where's my game damnit attitudes". I'm not saying you have this attitude but many do think they're entitled for something on their dime yet bought the game knowing it was in EA state with warnings all over the place. Nobody is taking your money and running to the beach with hordes of whores lined up with cocaine for miles despite what the haters want you to believe. If that was the case they could of stopped development long ago when the cash cow came calling, yt here they are pumping out content and meeting their quarterly milestones for the most part, or pretty damn close to it. I'm not sure of the exact tolerances they had in mind for each quarterly milestone but hell my game was only $30 so I'm willing to give them whatever time they want. I got my money worth long ago and in it for the long haul. By the time this game is in beta it will not even be the same game and people need to understand this. Hicks even mentioned during a recent stream he expects to have the Steam workshop up and going near the end of alpha!

 

FWIW, just today your issue regarding ambient sounds was answered by Eugene  http://www.reddit.com/r/dayz/comments/2bxixs/dayz_experimental_servers_down/cj9wdea?context=3. previously this kind of reply would of said something along the lines of "We're aware of that ancient bug and it's on the list of course but it's not near the top". Now that they've implemented some of the big pieces, the sound has been moved to a "being worked on" status. Game development at work.

Fair enough.   You are probably 100% correct.      I guess what it boils down to, is it takes a fuck load of work to even begin fixing all the problems in this game.    For 8 months of alpha release, if you play the game without reading developer updates, you see zero fixes to all of the things I mentioned.   The zombie path issue will be the first major fix that most of the fans can agree on.  Silencers, sounds, client side issues screwing up our hot keys and desync, etc.......   if they are working hard on this as you claim is mentioned in all of their blogs than I will be extremely pleased to see it come to fruition.  We are all excited about this concept and are here because we like DayZ.     My attitude is not one of entitlement to where did my money go...   I'm simply confused as to why we can't see a fix to any major problems in 8 months.    If that's because I'm too ignorant to understand coding, then that's on me.   I'm just ignorant of how games work.   I can live with that, the fact that I'm wrong.

Edited July 28, 2014 by Zed's Dead

[Calvin Candie 189]

The DevStalker is being worked upon at the moment, the idea is to filter out all the cat updates and other irrelevant stuff.

No they don't, actually.

More, and better structured/presented communication would be a nice thing, but I'd much rather have them working on the game. The water won't cook any faster because you keep staring at it.

And how do you know that they are cooking anything in the pot? I would like to state at that pot. :)

[haknslash 763]

Fair enough. You are probably 100% correct. I guess what it boils down to, is it takes a fuck load of work to even begin fixing all the problems in this game. For 8 months of alpha release, if you play the game without reading developer updates, you see zero fixes to all of the things I mentioned. The zombie path issue will be the first major fix that most of the fans can agree on. Silencers, sounds, client side issues screwing up our hot keys and desync, etc....... if they are working hard on this as you claim is mentioned in all of their blogs than I will be extremely pleased to see it come to fruition. We are all excited about this concept and are here because we like DayZ. My attitude is not one of entitlement to where did my money go... I'm simply confused as to why we can't see a fix to any major problems in 8 months. If that's because I'm too ignorant to understand coding, then that's on me. I'm just ignorant of how games work. I can live with that, the fact that I'm wrong.

Do you play on experimental? I'm curious because you've mentioned the zombie path tracing but they have just begun with implementing the first phase of the new navmesh a few minor revisions back on the current .47 experimental build. Basically zombies don't glitch near as much through walls like they do in stable. It's a pretty night and day difference to be honest even with it being the first iteration of navmesh. Give it a shot if you haven't already. You can trap zombies in a room or jail now which is always good fun.

I'm not saying DayZ will be ever get rid of all its little quirks just due to the nature of the engine but I have faith the game is headed in the right direction. The desync issues will hopefully be resolved once all of the 64 server architecture is complete. It all just takes time as this game evolves. Even in 8 months of being released this game has far exceeded any other early access game I've bought or downloaded. To me the development has not been slow for most of the time. There was sort of a lull in seeing development released when they were making all the new hires and expanding the team across different countries. That all took time and sort of set things back but ever since .45 things have been moving right along in experimental so that's why I'm confused when people say there is no development. I can sort of see how someone might think that though if they don't follow along with how things are going with the development and be a part of experimental development.

In a nutshell progress is definitely being made and if you spend you time in experimental you will see this much more frequently than in stable. Things don't go to stable until they've been thoroughly put the wringer in experimental with everyone's help giving them data. The next stable build update should be over 3GB if you add up what each minor revision of .47 has been!

Edited July 29, 2014 by haknslash