Status Report - 26 Nov 2015

[bcharlez 2]

if the open alpha is for users test the product, why are you developing the core of the engine in this stage? Users can't test the engine, i can't report to you that you are not allocating memory in the correct way, but a can report to you that the zombie's ai is not working properly. Why don't you did it in the closed alpha(2013), or maybe why didn't you extend it?

 

Because it was only after the money they received from the sales were they able to fund such a rework. The success of the standalone's early access model allowed for development of things that originally did not seem possible. This is why they can now afford to build an entirely new engine for future Bohemia games alongside the current content development of DayZ. Initially they had no idea they would be able to afford funding the creation of a new engine. It's a good thing, so stop being negative.

Edited November 30, 2015 by bcharlez

[mfratane 5]

Because it was only after the money they received from the sales were they able to fund such a rework. The success of the standalone's early access model allowed for development of things that originally did not seem possible. This is why they can now afford to build an entirely new engine for future Bohemia games alongside the current content development of DayZ. Initially they had no idea they would be able to afford funding the creation of a new engine. It's a good thing, so stop being negative.

No, it wasn't. In 2013 dean hall said that they were building a new engine. Since 2013 they have been building it. 2013.

I'm not being negative, i'm just asking questions.

I'm a big DayZ's fan just like you.

[Komalt 27]

Hey Brian, 

 

Will we be seeing any kind of Base building/barricading/construction in the game in some form before entering into the Beta phase?  Proper testing of such a core feature I imagine should be done while still in Alpha.

[Jamryl 0]

Hey there!

I would like to know something. As you say somewhere, you planned to why not, add some AI events (random safe house invasion) I wish to know if you planned to work on a military AI.
I'm pretty sure somebody already asked about that. If I'm asking this is it's because I'll find amazing the fact that you'll need to fight against an AI military faction to get some camo pants, NATO's weapons and military vehicles. All cloths and stuff from the soviet/Comintern/Warsaw pact era could be found on military base but if you want more "modern, west type"  equipments you'll have to fight those AI military.

Obviously when I'm saying military faction it is as an event. Try to imagine a convoy made of 2 Humvee and 2 trucks. One of those trucks contains troops the other one is filled with stuff. This convoy spawn randomly on map, following a random road. Convoy's road could be found by listening radio and "catch" conversation for example.

If you want to succeed you'll have to ally with others dudes and imagine some strategy to get vehicles and defend against others player and most of the time best stuffed military enemy.
It's gonna add some more realism in my opinion, and could be set off in server option. But still a balanced military AI is needed. Most of us just don't want op AI from Dayz origins for example.

[tomtrustworthy 35]

Hey there!

I would like to know something. As you say somewhere, you planned to why not, add some AI events (random safe house invasion) I wish to know if you planned to work on a military AI.

I'm pretty sure somebody already asked about that. If I'm asking this is it's because I'll find amazing the fact that you'll need to fight against an AI military faction to get some camo pants, NATO's weapons and military vehicles. All cloths and stuff from the soviet/Comintern/Warsaw pact era could be found on military base but if you want more "modern, west type"  equipments you'll have to fight those AI military.

Obviously when I'm saying military faction it is as an event. Try to imagine a convoy made of 2 Humvee and 2 trucks. One of those trucks contains troops the other one is filled with stuff. This convoy spawn randomly on map, following a random road. Convoy's road could be found by listening radio and "catch" conversation for example.

If you want to succeed you'll have to ally with others dudes and imagine some strategy to get vehicles and defend against others player and most of the time best stuffed military enemy.

It's gonna add some more realism in my opinion, and could be set off in server option. But still a balanced military AI is needed. Most of us just don't want op AI from Dayz origins for example.

 

Pretty sure there are no plans for AI besides infected and animals. But I hope you're right and they are working on this. 

[Komalt 27]

Pretty sure there are no plans for AI besides infected and animals. But I hope you're right and they are working on this. 

 

 

Hey there!

I would like to know something. As you say somewhere, you planned to why not, add some AI events (random safe house invasion) I wish to know if you planned to work on a military AI.

I'm pretty sure somebody already asked about that. If I'm asking this is it's because I'll find amazing the fact that you'll need to fight against an AI military faction to get some camo pants, NATO's weapons and military vehicles. All cloths and stuff from the soviet/Comintern/Warsaw pact era could be found on military base but if you want more "modern, west type"  equipments you'll have to fight those AI military.

Obviously when I'm saying military faction it is as an event. Try to imagine a convoy made of 2 Humvee and 2 trucks. One of those trucks contains troops the other one is filled with stuff. This convoy spawn randomly on map, following a random road. Convoy's road could be found by listening radio and "catch" conversation for example.

If you want to succeed you'll have to ally with others dudes and imagine some strategy to get vehicles and defend against others player and most of the time best stuffed military enemy.

It's gonna add some more realism in my opinion, and could be set off in server option. But still a balanced military AI is needed. Most of us just don't want op AI from Dayz origins for example.

 

This was discussed many times.  They won't put any AI in that are humanoids.  One of the main design philosophies is that the content in DayZ is for the most part player driven and not reliant on events too much.  That can be work for a mod or a different game.  In fact mods of this already exist in Arma 2 DayZ and Arma 3 DayZ.  

 

In my opinion its too much, and the devs shouldn't go in this direction anyway.  It should be player driven content.

Edited November 30, 2015 by Komalt

[sausagekingofchicago 4711]

A guy who wishes to remain anonymous wanted me to ask you these important questions:

 

"when will renderer be released and how much will it increase fps?"
"specific dates and numbers please"

"where are the helicopters and will they spawn in great numbers in elektro?"

 

It wasn't VIktor.

[f3cuk 2]

No, it wasn't. In 2013 dean hall said that they were building a new engine. Since 2013 they have been building it. 2013.

I'm not being negative, i'm just asking questions.

I'm a big DayZ's fan just like you.

 

Okay usually i tend not to comment on these kind of posts. But seeing as you state you are a fan, I'm going to try and talk some sense into you :P

 

Like bcharlez already explained above.

1. Big engine changes were not a plan at the start of DayZ SA
2. DayZ SA became an overwhelming success in terms of sales
3. With the newly available funds the team decided to drastically upscale the scope of the entire game (which is great cause they could have taken the money, build the game that was planned and leave us with a game that is not nearly as good as it's budget could afford)
4. They soon realised the engine in its current state would not be able to support this new scope
5. They started planning and working on a large engine overhaul (game logic transferred to enscript for faster processing, new renderer, new sound module, new player controller)

In short this is what happened and it hopefully explains better why development is slow.

 

I know that there are some worldclass dev teams out there that would have done a better job given the same time and resources. But that's not the case here is it? You can hardly expect top notch results from a couple glorified amateur modders. Cause in all honesty that's what we are dealing with, especially at first. I do feel they have come a long way since the early days and are starting to develop into a decent gaming company.

 

So yes they have not met their goals and yes progress expectations have not always been realistic. Still here we are and I'm 100% sure they are still working their asses off (devs regularly show making stupid long hours, working weekends etc.) in order to build a game that hopefully someday will be as good as we all want it to be. Until then instead of complaining, please help them achieve that goal by offering feedback in a constructive manner.

 

Also for a little in-depth about the DayZ dev team; Chris Torchia recently gave an interesting speech on the growth of their company and how hard it has been at times. It can help put things in perspective if you are not familiar with gaming development.

[sausagekingofchicago 4711]

Okay usually i tend not to comment on these kind of posts. But seeing as you state you are a fan, I'm going to try and talk some sense into you :P

 

Like bcharlez already explained above.

1. Big engine changes were not a plan at the start of DayZ SA
2. DayZ SA became an overwhelming success in terms of sales
3. With the newly available funds the team decided to drastically upscale the scope of the entire game (which is great cause they could have taken the money, build the game that was planned and leave us with a game that is not nearly as good as it's budget could afford)
4. They soon realised the engine in its current state would not be able to support this new scope
5. They started planning and working on a large engine overhaul (game logic transferred to enscript for faster processing, new renderer, new sound module, new player controller)

In short this is what happened and it hopefully explains better why development is slow.

 

Actually, Mfratane is correct.  Plans to build a new engine were announced in early 2013.  When work officially started is unclear.  This was the plan before anyone could buy the SA.  Post release, they did reportedly scale up the game but the new engine was already planned.

 

"A couple glorified modders" is not what the development team consists of.  You seem to be partially well read on DayZ's development but you've somehow missed a lot of key information along the way.

Edited November 30, 2015 by SausageKingofChicago

[havvvy 2]

Is gonna be there a "Days survived counter" ?

[jonysky 5]

Hello Hicks,

First of all great job!, appreciate your work

Here are some questions for you :

1. You're going to make some new animation for zombies when they find a corpse on the ground, (eating corpses ) ?

2. In the future, we'll need more parts or tools to repair a vehicle? ( process more complicated? )

3. It will create more interior furnitures for buildings?

4. In the future it will be possible track someone? (temperature of the fireplaces , state of decomposition , drops of blood , footprints ... )

 

5. The possibility of small pockets for pens, paper sheets or small objects is contemplated? (only for very small items) completely independent pockets of a backpack or trouser (now I think few use a pen or paper that are occupying valuable space 2 of our inventory

Sorry for my English is very bad , I know ...

Thank you very much for your replies ... greetings from Barcelona, ​​Spain!

Edited December 1, 2015 by jonysky

[virgiltracy 34]

Hey Brian,

First of all thanks for taking the time to do a Q&A!

 

-With the audio getting redone, will the sounds of multiple infected chasing the player be improved?  Right now it is very hard to tell exactly were they are and how many are in a specific area.  I imagine shooting my gun in Zelen and hearing them all come at me.

 

On a side note the fact that in .59 ammo is very rare and guns are fairly common gives the best feel to the loot since SA was released.

 

Thanks

[FlimFlamm 509]

To any nay sayers and haters out there, I forgive you because you lack vision and understanding, but this is what you are:

 

http://www.tubechop.com/watch/7409911

 

As steady progress is made on development, more and more things are going to suddenly get added to DayZ and as the game nears something resembling feature completion the amount of stuff to do in DayZ is going to exponentially explode because of DayZ's emergent nature. One of the most important mechanics that can drive emergent gameplay is long range communication between players, because without it, hot lead can be an attractive way of saying hello and goodbye. My question is:

 

What are the current ideas or plans to enhance radio communications. Will actual radio networks be formable (CB/HAM) or possibly an antenna erected to boost the radio coms range of groups? On the console version of DayZ, it's likely that out of game communication will be much less feasible and therefore players will need to rely on an indepth and robust in game communications network to organize themselves. What are the current plants to achieve this?

Edited December 1, 2015 by FlimFlamm

[Atillahead 1]

Hello Brian,

 

"Pairing this dynamic spawning method with the existing global spawning of infected means players shouldn't be able to sight into a location and identify it as "free of players" because it does not have any infected - HOWEVER, it will also allow for an overwhelming feeling of constantly having to fight off the attention of large numbers of infected in high-traffic areas such as Chernogorsk, Berezino, Zelenogorsk, or so on."

 

Will the dynamically spawning zombies spawn in specific and limited locations where there is high-traffic or will it happen anywhere on the map where there is a lot of traffic? I play in a roleplay server where instead of in Cherno, Elektro or other big coastal cities the highest traffic of people happens in green mountain so I'm wondering if there's going to be infected there and hopefully ruin that god-forsaken place.

[☣BioHaze☣ 7337]

Hello Byron,

 

I've got a Q for your A.

 

Do you plan to implement shooting or knocking guns from peoples hands to disarm them/damaged their weapon?

[igor-vk 909]

Will there be more upgrades for zombies in this update? Like appearance or movement or behaviour? They're still kinda stiff and tend to go in the same spot in front of player.

How about increasing spawn rate of pistol magazines? There are more SMGs out there than P1 magazines.

[Hicks_206 (DayZ) 4297]

Once again... thanks for taking the time and answering our questions.. :thumbsup:

Some more questions from the german community :)

 

1) You mentioned some bigger changes for the infecteds with 0.60 - its probably a topic for one of the next SRs but..just a short teaser please... did you mean the new models or/and the AI?

 

2) ATM there are crashsites and now you talked about large amouts of infecteds... any other dynamic events planned?

 

3) Could you imagine to add some suitable music/sounds to special situation as fog or something like that?

 

4) There is so much to eat, but no ******* bread? Why? :D What about adding wheat to give us the possibility to bake bread in combination with water? :P

 

5) Currently the mijority is playing much PVP, any plans for increasing the interaction? (except infecteds and walkie-talkies as start gear)

 

1) The changes mentioned for .60 (December targeted update) might end up being pushed to the first update in January - really depends on how dialing in the blockers on .59 goes. However, the changes I mentioned were detailed in the last Status Report I believe - which are changes to how they are spawned.

 

2) None planned -right now-

 

3) We're not really interested in a title enforced music selection. I've talked extensively about this one, but in short - we don't feel the narrative drive to guide the players emotions via music.

4) Well. bread is extremely perishable for one!

 

5) We can try and push players to interact - but in the end, traditionally when you hand the reins to the players, design goes a completely opposite direction to what you intended.

[Hicks_206 (DayZ) 4297]

1. To what extent is the small object interaction going to be used? Are moved object going to be persistant and or used for barricading? How will it affect loot (as in moved loot respawns?) and if so will it damage it?

 

2. Would you consider scraping real world objects for items (I.E. a fence hatcheted down for wood).

 

3. This ties in to 2. Would you use the Static Randomizer described in this Squad monthly report .

Could this be used on par with object scraping to give the world a new layer. This would stop abuse on the level of hopping for wood or what not. Or to have a part of the woods on one server but not on the other and so on.

 

4. Are any of the Advanced Social Mechanics from the 2014 roadmap still planned?

 

5. Can you reconfirm that you will be able to completly clear out a town-village of zeds like described early on in the project.

 

6. And my last and final question. How was the sound guys funeral. I mean we havent heard from him since his first post, so I assumed he died. R.I.P.

 

1) That really remains to be seen - mostly dependent upon how it performs in multiplayer, and any potential security risks caused by it.

 

2) No real plans or interest in that at this time, no sir.

 

3) No - that would not work for us. 

 

4) Can't really speak to that at this time unfortunately.

 

5) That really depends on if we decide on allowing it, or keeping the infected coming. At this time it is still entirely possible (in game currently)

[Konfucious K 183]

Hey thanks for the G&A, a few from me;

 

1) The graphics are really looking nice and the fog and weather effects are shaping up to be fantastic, so I am wondering if there will be any way to transfer this visual experience into the night-time as the current black and white appearance detracts from the amazing looking dawn and dusk scenes generated by the game?

 

2) Any plans for foxhole camouflage points to hide IN the ground or traps where a person falls into a pit, breaks their legs or is trapped? We're half way there with the random leg breaks ;P j/k

 

3) Spray painting messages/arrows onto buildings/rooftops? Tins of paint? Writing with blood? Basically is there any plans for any graffiti system?

 

4) What about tying people to objects like chairs/fences/poles? A leash for guiding/forcing people to walk? Okay maybe going a bit off the rails here but would be fantastic for hostage situations.

 

5) Radios/horns/glass bottles with coins (surely a lot of change and money lying around?) etc. for distracting or herding infected? 

 

6) Any plans for expanding the level of violence on screen? Detaching limbs or exploding sections of the body? More gore or animated head-shot perhaps?

Edited December 1, 2015 by Konfucious K

[aces 8]

And talking about dead bodies:

 

1. Will we see (semi) persistent dead bodies in the forseeable future? Nothing compares to the feeling you got in the mod when you stumbled into a heap of dead bodies. Trying to reconstruct in your mind how the conflict went down and the fear that came over you, when you realised the killers might still be around.
2. Will we also see bodies go trough different stages of decomposition? Untill they disappear after their final stage?
3. Will eating corpses, or wounded be added into the zombie AI? Another thing I miss from the mod. 

 

Thanks for taking the time to do this. Looking forward to the answers.

 

Would be nice for bodies to stay until server restart. Also, bring back the sound of flies around corpses!

Edited December 1, 2015 by aces

[narchy 63]

Hi Brian!

Question 1) 
I loved the screenshot of the loot zoning tool. Is this the kind of thing that will be available in the modding tools? Can you give any details on what else will be available?

 

Question 2)

Did Rocket forget to tell people the password for dayzdev.tumblr.com? It hasn't been updated since April - and it is still listed as an official source in the FAQ. Worst yet, it's the TOP result on Google when looking for "DayZ Dev Blog", and top 5 for "DayZ Dev" and "DayZ". 

I've had real world friends bring it up, "Sure, they've stopped working on it - the blog hasn't been updated in forever!". etc. 

Edited December 1, 2015 by narchy

[Ouskiee 0]

1)Any information about Dayz standalone on Xbox? Specs and have you tested the game on Xbox one yet?

2)In the arma 3 exile mod you can modify your car by picking up objects and putting them on your car it self, also putting gear in a vehicle, instead of just sliding it across into the inventory will there be such a thing of picking the backpack up and placing it inside the boot of the car or open a door and put it on the seat?

3)when base building comes in will it be possible to build a cabin by yours self with wood and other materials?

Cheers!! :)

[Hicks_206 (DayZ) 4297]

Now that the weekend is over any love for the 1PP player on experimental?

 

During this current iteration of .59 I haven't  seen a helicrash anywhere, is that just bad luck or are they not spawning?

 

One request, please don't make the day night cycle on experimental the default for stable.  Since servers are supposed to reset every 12 hours now how about a default of 1 hour in the real world = 2 hours in the game world?  This way one 12 hour session is one day.  Of course options for server owners should be a bit looser.

 

1) Nope - we're still testing!

2) They are most certainly spawning, I've found several myself.

[Hicks_206 (DayZ) 4297]

@hicks!

For me the animation of bleeding has always been immersion breaking. What part of the game controls this? And when are we to expect some changes in that area?

 

Also what do you think about the way it is currently handled and/or how it will be handled?

 

Right now it is a simple, and rather crude particle effect - one that we're very interested in improving, or altogether altering.

[Hicks_206 (DayZ) 4297]

 

1) Will we have a trench coat in the future? - Really liking the drifter set in Fallout 4, has that apocalyptic feel. 

 

2) Have you beaten Fallout 4 yet?

 

3) Will the secret underground military base in cords 078.006 return?   http://dayzdb.com/map#7.078.007

 

4) Will we ever be able to power certain power plants on the map? - For example the small power plant North of Elektro city. 

 

5) Could we expect to see more heli crashes in the far northern part of the map, near Severograd and Novaya Petrovka?

 

6) Could we expect to see more options for players taking others hostage? - For example - If I can get a player to hold his hands up, can I get the option to take the gun off his shoulder / pack while pointing the gun at him. Atm, we need to make them hold their hands and then let them drop their hands in order for them to be able to drop weapons & gear... Not the best method, since it's really easy to switch to your gun and counter attack at that stage.

 

7) Will the game have layered clothing in the future? I've always find it strange to find green sweaters in the military bases, since I generally always have something better to store items with. But then thought, if it's very cold. Why not have multiple layers of clothing, maybe mitigate some same in melee attack from zombies / players. 

 

 

1) No current plans for a trench coat. It just wouldn't look - or feel right with the existing mechanics. I firmly believe if we're going to do something like that - it should flow with the wind and movement ;)

 

2) Nope!

 

3) Unfortunately, after trying out the initial "underground base" up near Kamensk - we sadly discovered our initial attempt at making it work within the engine just wasn't properly preventing players from getting stuck / sliding into and under terrain / and so on. So, don't expect that to make a return any time soon.

 

4) We don't currently have plans to enable the powering up of such large power infrastructure like an entire powerplant - that said, we are working on usage of more man portable generators and their dependent systems.

 

5) I suppose we could add some new points in sure - just as long as they aren't too close to player spawns :)

 

6) We're definitely interested in increasing the options when it comes to non-fatal player interactions. That said, its a much wiser decision to make these changes on the upcoming new animation system and player controller - rather than try and make the changes to the legacy systems currently in game that will go the way of the dodo :)

7) Right now we don't have plans (within 1.0) to look at this, that said - development of DayZ is planned to continue for at least five years past 1.0 so the sky is the limit!