Final Thoughts from an Early MOD player....

[xalienax 621]

I started DayZ back in the early days of the MOD. The VERY early days. Before all the overhauls and re balances started, when it was first becoming a wildfire. It was first brought to my attention by fellow ARMA players and i soon found my self immersed in this strange new thing. Trading in my M1A2 Abrams tank for a pack and some survival essentials and setting off into the wilderness the perpetual tension and uncertainty kept it intense at all times.

 

Some of my best memories aren't of pitched battles in the NWAF or of Killing noobs in cherno ,but of wandering thru the woods in the dark a nervous wreck because im sure i heard foot steps but cant see anything.

 

 

Like many I was excited the moment I heard the announcement that there would be an SA! Great i thought! Finally we can get back to the official version with some optimization and anti cheat improvements. Also like many, I was eager to throw my money at something I knew I already Liked.. or thought I already liked. I purchased the first day it was available on steam and that first week was probably the high point of the SA for me. As time drew on tho, as change upon change rolled out i cant help but feel the SA is trying to separate it's self from the MOD rather then be a continuation of it with improvements.

 

 

I've already gotten more Joy from DayZ then many AAA titles I Paid 59.99 USD for only to hate and wish i could get my money back 2 days later. But the nagging feeling remains that the SA will never recapture my haydays in the mod and will likely just be to little, to late. I feel there is a move towards gamey-ness and Balance that was lacking by nature of ArmA being a simulator which i found to be preferable. I hate the attachment system, the shared ammo that shouldn't actually work. and disagree with many of the developer's priorities.

 

 

All-In-All I don't care what rocket's vision was. it doesnt matter to me. brand/dev loyalty is nothing but harmful to the individual consumer- But i would like to thank all the developers for all thier hard work and many hours of fun in both the official mod and early days of the SA. Sadly I'll now be retiring to other titles probably until full-release when i may take another look to see how it all turned out. I don't feel the SA will ever be the vanilla mod 2.0 with Better FPS and security that I had hoped for.

 

See you on the flip-Side;

-A  Bitter Mod-Vet :P

[sachad 1016]

The SA isn't the mod. I thought that was pretty much the entire point of it?

[Katana67 2907]

The SA isn't the mod. I thought that was pretty much the entire point of it?

 

Uh, what's the entire point of it? That it's separate from the mod? Sure!

 

That doesn't mean that it owes nothing, should take nothing, and should build upon nothing that made the mod great.

 

Standalone was a tech decision, not a vision decision. Hence why they started developing for the mod, and then transitioned to development for standalone. People seem to forget that Rocket and company were developing the mod before it was handed off to relatively independent folks.

Edited April 29, 2015 by Katana67

[xalienax 621]

The SA isn't the mod. I thought that was pretty much the entire point of it?

Maybe for some? I know myself and many others just wanted vanilla mod 'fixed' and released as standalone with optimizations. take my money and leave it alone before you break something! lol t some extent I think that was the original intention more or less untill it sold like hotcakes and they got more ambitious. personally i think that was a detriment.

 

To each their own i guess. I wanted vanilla mod without the hackers and better FPS in towns. maybe throw in a few new elements but that's about it. 

[blackberrygoo 1416]

Lol that's funny because now that we have this very detail oriented , much more immersive standalone , I feel like I never want to go back to those disgusting clunky , hacker with nukes filled wasteland of respawning meta game (loot system so simple you can trick it too easily) ... The standalone is tying loose ends up that the mod could never even think of completing ... Unfortunately for you and others the game doesn't move fast enough but like you said and like I know , all people who are sick of SA now will be flocking back to it when it's fully released !

Edited April 29, 2015 by Grapefruit kush

[Parazight 1599]

Final Thoughts.  It's like a Jerry Springer show!

 

So, these are your final thoughts because you're retiring until full release??  Dramatic.

 

If, for some reason, you thought Dayz SA was supposed to be 'DayZ mod part 2' then you are fooling yourself.  You DO know that this product will have mods for it, right?

[xalienax 621]

Lol that's funny because now that we have this very detail oriented , much more immersive standalone , I feel like I never want to go back to those disgusting clunky , hacker with nukes filled wasteland of respawning meta game (loot system so simple you can trick it too easily) ... The standalone is tying loose ends up that the mod could never even think of completing ... Unfortunately for you and others the game doesn't move fast enough but like you said and like I know , all people who are sick of SA now will be flocking back to it when it's fully released !

Too Much detail imho. For me it's a case of less was more. SA has become a bit of an exercise in tedium. (And this from an EVE online player, A game many have described as 'spreadsheets in space'). It's not so much about game's pacing either. heck im all for less loot, less hacks, More challenge, etc. For example the Textual status messages and having to go to the gear screen to see a permanent status message. I much prefered the basic HUD in vanilla mod. A clear representation of I have a broken bone, I Am hungry(and how severely) same with thirst and body temperature. It's not easy mode.. i don't want the debug screen back that shows exact amount of Blood and all that but a constant real time representation of the things i would be able to 'feel' in real life would be much better. I also Hate 24/7 daytime, Accelerated time. etc. 

 

Final Thoughts.  It's like a Jerry Springer show!

 

So, these are your final thoughts because you're retiring until full release??  Dramatic.

 

If, for some reason, you thought Dayz SA was supposed to be 'DayZ mod part 2' then you are fooling yourself.  You DO know that this product will have mods for it, right?

I wanted Mod part 2 with improvements- primarily focused around fixing bugs/exploits and improving performance. Many of us who bought on day 1 before a clear roadmap was out pretty much had that expectation. not about being dramatic or anything just pretty much 'has nothing more to offer' at this point. atleast nothing more that i care for.

[Grimey Rick 3417]

I both agree and disagree. I once looked back at the Mod through rose-colored glasses, but after returning to it recently, I realized how evil nostalgia can be. Both have their pros and cons, however, we still have a voice when it comes to the Standalone.

I suggest you stay rather than quit and offer constructive criticism rather than cynical sob stories of how much you dislike it. Even if it ends up as a steaming pile of crap, you can at least say you tried, right? (;

[monolith1985 109]

I also agree and disagree. Standalone doesn't capture the same feeling the mod did, but at the same time it does have greater immersion and is a more authentic zombie apocalypse.

I don't see why people say you are whining etc, you put up a descriptive post, instead of just saying it's crap. I would say wait and come back at final release, there might be enough change and additions that will recapture the glory days of the mod, perhaps even surpass them

[gibonez 3633]

The further Stand alone is from the mod the better off it will be as both a game and as an IP.

 

 

BIS needs Dayz to stand out and not be anything like Arma in order to diversify its properties.

 

Arma  = Military sim

Takeon = Comprehensive simulation with various different scopes

Carrier Command = Scifi property

Dayz = Zombie Survival horror focused on a regular civilian survivor

 

The more steps it does to separate the tittles the better each one has to stand out from each other and not render BI as a developer of Arma variants.

[xalienax 621]

I both agree and disagree. I once looked back at the Mod through rose-colored glasses, but after returning to it recently, I realized how evil nostalgia can be. Both have their pros and cons, however, we still have a voice when it comes to the Standalone.

I suggest you stay rather than quit and offer constructive criticism rather than cynical sob stories of how much you dislike it. Even if it ends up as a steaming pile of crap, you can at least say you tried, right? (;

I have done for a While. I wouldn't say its all cynical either. as i mentioned in my OP it has already earned its price and then some. Not done following it and will certainly keep an 'ear to the ground' but as it stands I feel they have made certain choices (not bugs/Alper-related Issues But actual design decisions) that move it further away from what I had hoped for. At this point i would say my position is "Hoping for the best, But not expecting it". I will definately give it a Looksie if they do anything HUGE or at release but im pretty much done playing for now.

 

I also agree and disagree. Standalone doesn't capture the same feeling the mod did, but at the same time it does have greater immersion and is a more authentic zombie apocalypse.

I don't see why people say you are whining etc, you put up a descriptive post, instead of just saying it's crap. I would say wait and come back at final release, there might be enough change and additions that will recapture the glory days of the mod, perhaps even surpass them

I wouldn't call it 'Greater immersion' i would call it 'more tedious approaches to the same thing'. I think in some ways less was more. just adding tons of STUFF doesn't make something good. But this is ultimately a matter I'd have to respectfully disagree on, as what results in 'better game-play' or 'more immersive' is extremely subjective.

 

The further Stand alone is from the mod the better off it will be as both a game and as an IP.

 

 

BIS needs Dayz to stand out and not be anything like Arma in order to diversify its properties.

 

Arma  = Military sim

Takeon = Comprehensive simulation with various different scopes

Carrier Command = Scifi property

Dayz = Zombie Survival horror focused on a regular civilian survivor

 

The more steps it does to separate the tittles the better each one has to stand out from each other and not render BI as a developer of Arma variants.

I still stand my my assertion that dayZ was better for being part of arma. Sure they can focus more on civie gear and mre detailed medical simulation, But at the end of the day ArmA was never intended to be balanced at all and that was a good thing. They should have gone even further and made the shooting mechanics more akin to ACE and kept as realistic ballistics and damage model as feasibly possible within technical limitations. The move towards balance disgusts me and feels like casualization of the worst kind. few Examples;

 

The current effect of Clothing on damage

The simplification of ammo types that would not be interchangeable IRL (makes it easier to gear up and be wreckless)

Gimped Base Stats on weapons to incentivize attachment system. 

24/7 day even being an option

Accelerated time even being an option

 

 

Again im speaking as a soley consumer/Player. I dont care at all about the business side/ IP value / etc.

[soapy33@live.com 24]

I started DayZ back in the early days of the MOD. The VERY early days. Before all the overhauls and re balances started, when it was first becoming a wildfire. It was first brought to my attention by fellow ARMA players and i soon found my self immersed in this strange new thing. Trading in my M1A2 Abrams tank for a pack and some survival essentials and setting off into the wilderness the perpetual tension and uncertainty kept it intense at all times.

 

Some of my best memories aren't of pitched battles in the NWAF or of Killing noobs in cherno ,but of wandering thru the woods in the dark a nervous wreck because im sure i heard foot steps but cant see anything.

 

 

Like many I was excited the moment I heard the announcement that there would be an SA! Great i thought! Finally we can get back to the official version with some optimization and anti cheat improvements. Also like many, I was eager to throw my money at something I knew I already Liked.. or thought I already liked. I purchased the first day it was available on steam and that first week was probably the high point of the SA for me. As time drew on tho, as change upon change rolled out i cant help but feel the SA is trying to separate it's self from the MOD rather then be a continuation of it with improvements.

 

 

I've already gotten more Joy from DayZ then many AAA titles I Paid 59.99 USD for only to hate and wish i could get my money back 2 days later. But the nagging feeling remains that the SA will never recapture my haydays in the mod and will likely just be to little, to late. I feel there is a move towards gamey-ness and Balance that was lacking by nature of ArmA being a simulator which i found to be preferable. I hate the attachment system, the shared ammo that shouldn't actually work. and disagree with many of the developer's priorities.

 

 

All-In-All I don't care what rocket's vision was. it doesnt matter to me. brand/dev loyalty is nothing but harmful to the individual consumer- But i would like to thank all the developers for all thier hard work and many hours of fun in both the official mod and early days of the SA. Sadly I'll now be retiring to other titles probably until full-release when i may take another look to see how it all turned out. I don't feel the SA will ever be the vanilla mod 2.0 with Better FPS and security that I had hoped for.

 

See you on the flip-Side;

-A  Bitter Mod-Vet :P

I feel the same way, but a big part of if for me is my best memories are pitched battles or epic helicopter duels, granted people will say I should go back to COD or BF4 because I don't care about  super realism/Immersed when in a video game I play for fun. But getting a kill in a firefight, or getting a helicopter working to go on a rampage, or even just setting up a camp loading with gear feels so much more accomplishing when in a zombie apocalypse where everything and everyone wants you dead, and a constant threat of losing all you hard worked gear. Plus I was also hoping for the mod 2.0 with better optimization and that the standalone would try too hold too its simpler DayZ mod roots. I don't have a problem with hardcore/immersion theme for the standalone, other then its just not fun for me in its current state. and the mod is so overrun with epoch and 100000 vehicles other crazy stuff, Dayz just is not the same anymore either way :(

 

So for me in the I got:

 

Standalone = to hard to have fun because of the super realism/immersion theme the game is taking

Old DayZ mod = the perfect balance of realism/fun gameplay

Newer DayZ mod = realism thrown out the window to the point where its not even fun.

Edited April 30, 2015 by Barks

[surf_polar 110]

I for one am glad the standalone distances itself from the mod. I started pretty late in the mod admittedly, but I have never seen anything other than PvP all the time, regardless of the server which I found incredibly boring. The SA focuses on survival aspects and detail, of which I missed in the mod.

If I would want nothing but PvP, I would simply run arma, a coop mission or king of the hill.

[xalienax 621]

I for one am glad the standalone distances itself from the mod. I started pretty late in the mod admittedly, but I have never seen anything other than PvP all the time, regardless of the server which I found incredibly boring. The SA focuses on survival aspects and detail, of which I missed in the mod.

If I would want nothing but PvP, I would simply run arma, a coop mission or king of the hill.

This came later. When the official vanilla "public hive" was the only show in town things were much better. its was the ideal mix IMHO. There was and will always be PvP, But you could avoid it or even turn it to your advantage. More then once i watched 2 survivors shoot each other up only to watch one kill the other and then the 'winner' of the fire fight bleed out or get mobbed by zeds.. leaving me to pick thru both thier loot :P

 

Again no point in arguing which offers more 'enjoyment' as that is subjective, All i can say Is SA feels like to much extra 'clunk'. I like a nice clean UI not those nagging textual messages. Gear Menu in SA Feels fumbly as well compared to arma.. tho arma's gear could be just as bad for someone who didnt already have several years of arma experience so i'll plop that in the subjective category as well. After they got illness in Mod felt 'Survivaly' enough to add a unique element. zombies worked better, and there were more of them.

 

That said I Won't go full rose-tinted glasses either- There were clear issues and exploits that went un-checked for a long time. The lack of any way to limit spawns long term meant that you clouldnt balance by rarity as eventually everything would end up getting either duped or just farmed via 'loot cycling'. Long range fire was to easy just using page up/down to dial up the range and fire with laser accuracy. I dont think the solution is craptastic weapons that basically mandate 'attachments' to be brought anywhere close to realistic accuracy values. rather get that central loot economy working right. Add more calibers of rounds and do away with the interchange-ability that wouldn't work IRL. now having a gun an 5 bullets is an achievement.

[SniperV (DayZ) 43]

I was expecting successor of DayZ mod as well. The basic mod. Not those Epoch/Origins abominations. There was even the DayZed, that few people heard about, that offered true zombie survival. Which had working stamina system, milking goats and ton of other features.

 

So far SA is neither about survival nor about PvP, so I'm just waiting and waiting for a patch that will show the devs have chosen one of those directions.

[nexventor 429]

I completely agree, I think they are destroying the things that make DayZ, the special game us old timers have experienced and catering to the overly vocal newer DayZ gamers. Pretty much what most big games do, sell out to the new found success but they quickly forget that the core dynamics is what made the game so popular in the first place. 

[stinkenheim 249]

I think we can stop complaining about the ui at the moment because it's going to be changed (there's a test version image on these forums somewhere), so critiquing something that will be changed is a waste if effort IMO.

@nexventor how exactly are BI 'selling out' and 'catering to the new players'?

[scriptfactory 620]

Mod was great for various reasons. But here are some things that I loved in Mod that it seems players think isn't a part of DayZ:
 

• Hero/bandit system.
• Mountains of glorious weapons.
• Mountains of glorious vehicles.
• UI with icons.
• Global chat.

 

All of that shit was fun and when it was no longer fun I would play some "hardcore" mod like DayZero. People also say that all that shit is not a part of DayZ. Honestly, I hope someone makes a DayZ classic mod for SA.

[boneboys 7988]

To merge or not to merge, this is the question...

 

http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/topic/6794-i-give-up-this-game-is-bull-i-want-my-money-back/

[scriptfactory 620]

The butthurt is strong in this thread but it would be interesting to let it ride and see what comes of it. The forums have been kinda' boring as of late. :D

[SniperV (DayZ) 43]

In this case merging wolud mean: locking thread for no real reson.

 

What is so wrong if people just want to have a discussion comparing the mod and SA?

[benedictus 160]

 

I wanted Mod part 2 with improvements- primarily focused around fixing bugs/exploits and improving performance. Many of us who bought on day 1 before a clear roadmap was out pretty much had that expectation. not about being dramatic or anything just pretty much 'has nothing more to offer' at this point. atleast nothing more that i care for.

 

You wanted less but are getting more.. I dont see why thats a bad thing, especially when the things they gonna put in are actually gonna add something to the gameplay. 

I would agree if they only added visual stuff or just items after items..

 

But if and when the mechanics are complete and working, Im pretty sure you will get yourself a compass so that you wouldnt even accidentally pee into the mods direction.

[CJFlint 357]

My Thoughts,

 

Really this game is still in development. Its early access, which is becoming a bit too common on steam  BUT DayZ SA did it before it was cool lol if you know what I mean.

 

Every single thing I have read about it, from the dev log is the game is far from complete. Its prob got a another 10 months or so before its anywhere close to release. I really don't think it will be like the mod when its done. Best case its going to be a epic survival game, or simulator, prob a really purest form of the Day Z vision. Worst case which I don't think will happen it will fold. This is the problem with early access.....keeping the interest of the die hard play base through its growing pains.  One of the reason why sometimes I don't think early access is the best route. In fact with the GTA 5 PC release I saw a perfect example of what a perfect PC release should look like. They made every one WAIT til it was perfect. COMPLETE op of the early access model. More then once they pushed out release dates. Did not cut any corners. What happened was a next gen title, with 60 fps even on older systems. Perfect seemless game play, even puts Bethesda to shame. Its the way games should be made! Also my point is I don't mind waiting if the end product is really well done.

 

DayZ  SA is a wonderful concept, but it is buggy and filled with issues. With the .55 I saw many improvements to loot count, zombies ect. But persistants does not work well still.I found out the hard way it really is still pretty wishy washy. I decided to just simply walk away for a while and just monitor. Simply check in from time to time watch patches and wait. I still have a strong interest and want to see this game really seceed.

 

What I am concerned with, is the devs giving in and simply watering every thing down to appease the complaining. When really they just need to finish what the started and really dial it in, so it is epic. I want to feel like Im in that movie The Road when I play, or in a epoc....You guys know what I talking about. I don't any bugs and unfinished stuff. I want it to really feel like a minute by minute one day at a time survival exp.....gritty..and....SEEMLESS...I want to be able to TRUST the mechanics to work 100% of the time in game, that is HUGE. That way know one will have anyone to blame for the mis fortunes in game but them selves. 

 

So just take a breather for a while if you don't have the patience for it, or feel like investing a ton of time in it yet. Its got a long way to go yet. Hopefully it will all come together at the end.  :thumbsup:

Edited April 30, 2015 by CJFlint

[SniperV (DayZ) 43]

I'm amazed how many people seem to forget one thing: DayZ mod was (and still is) in alpha state as well. 

[CJFlint 357]

I'm amazed how many people seem to forget one thing: DayZ mod was (and still is) in alpha state as well. 

Dayz Mod was a a free super mod for arma 2...........FREE.....it was by far the most popular mods for the arma series......but it is still a mod which there is a metric ton of for arma 2

 

DayZ SA is a stand alone that is in alpha phase......30 $ last I checked.

 

Not sure what your saying......

Edited April 30, 2015 by CJFlint