Something to help clear the air.

[Zed's Dead 67]

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.

 

Yes, and that is why I keep mentioning the 8 month time span.     After 8 months, we are finally getting the first patch that addresses a serious and fundamental problem with the state of Alpha.   So I do feel positive and think that maybe this is a sign that subsequent patches will start having fixes to serious problems.    

[haknslash 763]

I think so as well. Once these next big updates roll out to stable where the masses play I think a lot of people will be pleased, at least for a while. Dean mentioned last week that vehicles have been in development and IMO will be the next big thing we'll see. Personally I'm more interested in barricading like you can on Dead Linger or Survive The Nights and the new renderer for DX10/11 since I stay in the woods most of the time. The renderer should help deal with some of the performance issues for most people. Once that stuff is in place and they implement the new zombie and animal AI I will be set. Give me some wild threat animals to hunt and fight with and I'm super golden.

Edited July 29, 2014 by haknslash

[King Raptor 191]

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

 

 

Looking forward to it!

[bauertschi 254]

...

My conclusion is that Rocket is not experienced enough to handle the marketing and PR side of this project. He keeps rambling on about how he and others do not have time to do detailed dev blogs and reports to the community. He mentions on several occasions the chaotic and unorganized nature of the development phase. -as in: "The devs made a new item, but I (rocket) don't know if they put it to test so I (rocket) cannot write it in the dev blog"

...

 

I think Steve Ballmer might be available, if I remember correctly. He could jump around on a stage, put his tongue out in Miley Cyrus style and tell us how great Windows 9  DayZ SA is gonna be. That seemed to work well for decades for Microsoft.

Depending on the amount of devs, it's not even Dean's job to know if this or that is in exactly what build, the teams can handle that just fine. I think the chaotic nature he talked about is more about the constant flux of goals and ideas they decide to take in or throw out, or how they can achive something. That's a well known downside of agile development, especially if there are no exactly defined software requirements to provide a certain functionality to solve a specific problem. As this is a game, there is no such thing. They are not developing a software to run a laser for a specific eye surgery. They are taking the current state, what they think can be done in what way, external input, ... think about it and adjust accordingly. A chaotic BUT proven concept. Certainly better than having hard timelines and goals and sticking to them even when you realise it could be done better during development. I like that they stay flexible at this stage.

 

...

We don't know if they are:

- pissing around the money doing nothing

- cutting costs to increase final profits by not employing more people at the expense of huge decrease in development speed

- ignorant of how to use the resources they have been given

OR MAYBE

- really doing a good job of developing

- making the right choices and correct plans for future steps

- working hard and using our investment with ethics and professional bussines standards in mind.

NOBODY KNOWS the clear answers to the above.

 

-They hired more devs, even bought at least one other studio to work on the project after the financial success, ...

-If you ever figure out exactly what the right choices and correct plans for the future are, become a broker and make tons of money.

-Last night after 8pm local time (unless I am mistaken) they pushed a new exp. update. I don't worry about how hard they work. I think hicks was in office on saturday - also streaming on twitch, but probably also doing something on the project - if testing the game by playing it is not considered useful enough here...

I never seen a clear time table of the development in the next year. Why? Is it a secret? I believe not. Are they afraid to publish it? Yes. Why? Because they do not want to answer to anyone.

 

The goals, technical base (work on the engine, newer DirectX versions, ...) are in flux. There are many things where there is not known if they will work or how they will work. And no, that is not chaos, that is software development in big projects. You have to adjust accordingly, even in traditional project management. Giving us a concrete plan AND timeline for the next year that would nail them down to certain things is just a very stupid idea. I think that even the basic roadmap for this year that Dean gave was too much and constricts them. The fact that they said they expect to go into beta a little over a year later is enough. Now that the project expanded so much, that might even change and rightly so. Anything they say about long term will just restict them.

I would also like more info on the current things, but long term? That is just too unclear. Btw Hicks said in one stream (unless my memory fails) that they are now 8 months into what should be a three year development cycle compared to other projects. He also said that he is not claiming it will take three years, so don't freak out now.

Whoever turned DayZ into early access knew the meaning of the phrase: "Take the money and run!"

I hope they change their attitude towards their freaking buyers.

 

So now you are claiming that they stopped working all together and buy yachts?

Edited July 29, 2014 by bautschi

[Calvin Candie 189]

@bautschi

I can understand your reasoning and appreciate it. Still, the proper communication would make a difference for me. An example. "We set the deadline to fix xyz issue for 01.09.2014. Currently we are on track as the progress on that issue has reached the aprox. 50% state and we expect to meet the deadline"

If in any case, the deadline cannot be met, I expect a post: "the issue could not be corrected by 01.09.2014. as the x was still not compatible with y due to interferance by z. We are working double time and expect to alighn all three by 10.09.2014."

I know it is specific and requires more work from them. But I, and many others, want to know these things on weekly or monthly basis. A simple 10 point bulleting report. That is how project management works. Also, at this state, I know they are not going to meet such demands, as we, the customers do not have power in our hands in this matter. Maybe I just have expectations set too high.

Edited July 29, 2014 by Calvin Candie

[Mookie (original) 799]

Whatever, their PR (and I work in that sector) is absolutely abysmal...

[bauertschi 254]

Hey, something official: http://dayz.com/blog/status-report-week-of-28-july-2014

 

...stole it from that thread: http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/topic/205669-new-dev-blog-questionsthoughts-about-it-suggestions/