Status Report - 15 Jan 2016

[SMoss 2101]

Evening Survivors,

In this week's Status Report, Lead Producer Brian Hicks will let us in on the work currently being conducted on design, the engine, and the renderer as we have entered the new year. Promising things lie ahead, so stay tuned!

Contents This Week

• Development Board Spotlight
• Dev Update/Hicks
• Community Spotlight: Wolverine 60fps

Development Board Spotlight

 

 

Dev Update/Hicks

Greetings Survivors!

This Status Report comes a little bit later than normal due to the team getting back into the office, and people getting settled. We're all focused on assessing the tasks ahead of us between here and beta - and prioritizing the when and how those larger engine changes will make their way to the consumer branch on Steam.

Over the last week as far as Steam goes - we've pushed a small update addressing some security issues, as well as merging over some pending filters changes for the New UI. Enough about that though - you all want to know whats going on with the under the hood type stuff - so lets get to that.

Keep in mind, we're at the start of the year - so not too much content changes will be featured in this week’s Status Report, but we will be talking about DayZ's underlying engine - and pending changes.

On the design side, Peter and his team have been focused on several awesome upcoming changes to DayZ, as well as addressing some nagging economy bugs that we've been able to nail down thanks to Feedback Tracker usage.

- Finalizing gameplay design for player constructed fortifications (tiers of walls/fences)
- Finalizing gameplay design for player constructed watch towers
- Complete audit of item category and tagging configuration (every spawnable item in game)

Over in the gameplay programming team, Mirek and crew have kicked off 2016 with the following tasks:

- Damage System implementation
- Central Hive/Servlet Package for DayZ Server tool
- Servlet & DayZ Server Modding Support
- Central Economy Region Control & Tools
- Expanding required fluids and parts for vehicles

The Enfusion/DayZ Engine team have kicked off the new year right.

- Extensive New UI bugfixing
- Cooperation w/ Design & Art on New UI skin prototype
- Optimization & Parallelization of Renderer

Straight from the mouth of Filip Doksansky, Lead Engine Programmer for Enfusion - the current renderer goals and progress are as follows:

Tasks Completed:

- Ocean Rendering
- Parallelization
- Post Processes

Current Focus:

- Simulweather (True Sky) Implementation
- Detailed Terrain Shadows
- Dynamic Lights
- Optimization Pass

Internally we're hoping to have our next .60 update out late next month. I don't want to get any of you too hyped, but internally we've been observing outstanding client side performance (frame rate) with the new renderer technology. Paired with the performance increase of the New UI, and iteration upon the inventory and UI skinning - we're *hoping* to see .60 be a hell of an update.
Please keep in mind as these systems are merged into test we could easily stumble across blocking issues, and we'll continue to keep everyone appraised on the status of these if they arise.

- Brian Hicks / Lead Producer

Community Spotlight: Wolverine 60fps

Evening people,

 

Hope you all had a good start in the new year. Over the holidays there was plenty of extra time to look at videos created by DayZ players. While doing so, I found my way to this guy's channel: "Wolverine 60fps". Yep, having a glass of grog and watching a bit of action around Elektro wasn't all too bad at all:
 

If you haven't come across his stuff already, there'll be plenty to catch via his Youtube, Twitch and Twitter accounts:
http://www.youtube.com/user/steffo88
http://www.twitch.tv/wolverine60fps
http://twitter.com/wolverine60fps

Thanks for the entertainment friend!

If you also have a nice video containing DayZ footage you'd like to share, or if you have come across some DayZ footage from other content creators, just post it in the Gallery section of the DayZ forums and we'll happily have a look.

Header image credit: S3V3N

- Michael aka SMoss / Community Manager

[scriptfactory 620]

This is super sweet. Best status report format.

[Tatanko 5591]

Congrats to S3V3N. Your "Camp Friendly" made the header image! :)

 

http://i.imgur.com/pYIiUCe.jpg

Edited January 15, 2016 by Tatanko

[Red_Ensign 990]

that'll be awesome if they can get newui reskinned, and better fps is always welcome

[Silence4all 35]

"we're hoping to have our next .60 update out late next month"

 

Thats exciting!

[igor-vk 909]

I hope we get experiential next week

[BluesAdam 9]

I hope we get experiential next week

Private stable servers will experience lack of players again it seems :)

[philbur 476]

Nope...not what I was expecting, guys.

The first SR of 2016 turns out to be a "hi everyone, we're back, and we will start working on the game again shortly"

 

No hint about Audio, either.

 

Reserving judgement until I see the Roadmap.... Tick, Tick. Tick

[Razgries 25]

Internally we're hoping to have our next .60 update out late next month. I don't want to get any of you too hyped, but internally we've been observing outstanding client side performance (frame rate) with the new renderer technology. Paired with the performance increase of the New UI, and iteration upon the inventory and UI skinning - we're *hoping* to see .60 be a hell of an update.
Please keep in mind as these systems are merged into test we could easily stumble across blocking issues, and we'll continue to keep everyone appraised on the status of these if they arise.

 

-*tries to stay calm*... Finally, I can't wait to test 0.60! Oh and that opening screen shot, what a cool little spot that is, well done whoever set that up! Base Building will be cool, but you know I have played ARK, Minecraft and RUST... People leave garbage/junk all over and it's pretty annoying, specially with how abusive people are because it's the Internet, you can literally spawn into someones prison cell... I would be happy to just fortify a position like that with some good cover to take in case of attack. We need more remote cabins in the forests, I think things like this would fit DayZ much better then snap-2-build madness like everything else is using. I mean technically everything is already available, from giant apartments/schools that could house 20+ players to individual tents.

 

Thanks for the update, and welcome back! o7

[philbur 476]

I mean technically everything is already available, from giant apartments/schools that could house 20+ players to individual tents.

You touched on something I hope will be obvious to the dev team.

Less emphasis on base building and more on barricading and modifications to existing structures.

 

We have towns, villages, and cities, already with a TON of great ideas for Survivor bases... If you want to spend your hours in-game chopping trees, scrounging for metal, and hoarding all the other materials then go ahead and play Rust, Reign of Kings, or whatever it takes to get your OCD Bob the Builder fix in. The day I can spawn in to my fortified little camp in an apartment tower overlooking Cherno and snipe KOS'es and Bandits is the day truly feel at home.

[☣BioHaze☣ 7337]

Thanks, devs/all!

 

This is exciting stuff and I hope we get to experimenting with it soon!

[ColdAtrophy 1850]

Late next month to Experimental or late next month to Stable?

[Espa 711]

I wouldn't mind firing an RPG. . That's pretty neat. Good Status Update, guys. I hope that these things go into Public Testing phase soon and that the .60 Stable is late next month, as you say.

[PaniXx 34]

Nope...not what I was expecting, guys.

The first SR of 2016 turns out to be a "hi everyone, we're back, and we will start working on the game again shortly"

 

No hint about Audio, either.

 

Reserving judgement until I see the Roadmap.... Tick, Tick. Tick

 

i don't think we will hear anything about audio till beta will occur. it is more than obvious that the sound-developer/sound-guy is working on DayZ only for a few days or some weeks in a year. He gets hired when he is needed, does his work, pushes it and leaves again. Why? Because most likely he is in a position, where he can do nothing more anymore due to restrictions caused by old modules etc. When all other modules are switched, i expect to see the results of the new audio module including him being hired again. Just think about the information how DayZ-Development went so far through Chris Torchia's presentation some months ago: Sound guy gets hired to do some little work till it is done and he can leave again (meanwhile working for his own company or for other company etc.). Else there is no other rational explanation avabile why we have seen so "much" from him over a year: his activity on this forum last year does increase my suspision. It is logical it would be waste of money for having sit him in his room for 340 days (let's assume he worked about 25 days in 2015 for DayZ) in a year and doing nothing while get paid. So he gets only hired whenever he is needed btw. the development for him can continue.

Edited January 16, 2016 by PaniXx

[joe_mcentire 2073]

i would honestly like to see/hear something from the bratislava-branch about zeds again at some point. idk but i think we haven't heard anything of substance about them in almost a year

this was in march 2015.

 

i know we heard about the player controller from time to time and why we would have to wait for it before we would see something of significance, but really nothing? no WIPs, no anything about zeds since a (almost) year? it's such a substantial part of DayZ i cannot fathom why we wouldn't hear anything in such a long time about it.

 

Other than that i really hope the antitank gun will be able to inflict significant damage to buildings, the arma franchise is still famous for their destructable environment.

 

also a bit ot but:

what are the plans regarding the vicinity window and the inventory. i think the vicinity window is - like the action menu - something which should be considered legacy and should be removed better today than tomorrow.

Edited January 16, 2016 by joe_mcentire

[ColdAtrophy 1850]

i would honestly like to see/hear something from the bratislava-branch about zeds again at some point. idk but i think we haven't heard anything of substance about them in almost a year

 

The SR before this one talks about dynamic zombie spawning. 

[philbur 476]

 

 

Other than that i really hope the antitank gun will be able to inflict significant damage to buildings, the arma franchise is still famous for their destructable environment.

 

also a bit ot but:

what are the plans regarding the vicinity window and the inventory. i think the vicinity window is - like the action menu - something which should be considered legacy and should be removed better today than tomorrow.

The M72, and the Russkies' RPG are great breaching weapons for creating doors where there was none before, heh heh...They are perfect for this so yes, the damage model will hopefully reflect this as they are awesome counter-sniper tools as well!

 

I second the notion that the "Vicinity Window" should really be killed off, as it only helps those that don't want to take the time to explore their surroundings.

[Konfucious K 183]

You touched on something I hope will be obvious to the dev team.

Less emphasis on base building and more on barricading and modifications to existing structures.

 

We have towns, villages, and cities, already with a TON of great ideas for Survivor bases... If you want to spend your hours in-game chopping trees, scrounging for metal, and hoarding all the other materials then go ahead and play Rust, Reign of Kings, or whatever it takes to get your OCD Bob the Builder fix in. The day I can spawn in to my fortified little camp in an apartment tower overlooking Cherno and snipe KOS'es and Bandits is the day truly feel at home.

 

Not trying to be facetious but isn't sniping pretty much all about KoS?

 

Also, while I echo the fortifying of existing structures opinions, I also think it is very important to be able to build camps outside of population centres or in unique locations. I would imagine I will be one of those who will spend many hours in the forests chopping trees and scrounging for raw materials so I'd like it to be in DayZ too. Sometimes I want to sit on full pop servers and never meet a single soul! :P

[Espa 711]

Devs!

 

One question! - What is the current progress on the Infected Horde Populations/Enhancing Zombie AI?

 

I just want this one question to be answered in earnest. As much as new pretty shiny things can add more to the game, DayZ needs to work on the Infected and make them the monstrous horror that we all wish them to be. I don't think I'd have even ONE outstanding complaint after that. . Weather, More Vehicles, More Guns/Items, Etc - All of this can proceed afterwards for flavor, but we're all ready to TEST extreme populations of Infected (With Intelligence AI that semi-roams, beating down doors to come after you/climbing ladders even to reach you, and swarming you like pack animals.)

 

Please give an answer if you find the time.. I'm getting a little discouraged with the present state of things.

[eno 1049]

I have to admit my heart sank a little bit when I saw an anti-tank / anti-material rocket under the paradoxically serene photo a a cozy Dayz garden setup complete with smoke emanating from the fireplace.

 

The path towards something I have been invested into DayZ to try and avoid is becoming incandescently clear. Guys farming military gear and pew pew all day long- rockets flying overhead Blackhawk Down style as little-bird choppers juke for their lives. I'm sure some kind of actual machine gun is not far off so guys will be sawing buildings in half with those in no time. Soft skills will not deter these warlords from disposing of their bodies and starting over again making many encounters unilaterally mechanical and uninspiring. So in the end in spite of all the window dressings, smoke and mirrors what we're left with is ANOTHER pvp game wrapped up in a pve safety blanket. And of course the highlight of the update is ANOTHER pvp encounter in Elektro. Dismayed. 

 

But then I swirled through my cyclone of negativity and remembered it's a big map out there- Lots of areas where these baboons won't want to go for the lack of pew pew. Minimalist players adorned in their boar skin clothing with single shot weapons and a sheep's bladder for a water bottle will have nothing in their inventories or camps that concerns them. Walking through a proverbial minefield of traps and tripwires would not be worth the risk... Small camps will eventually (I hope) be extremely hard to find unless you're on top of them- and any human encounter you experience of any nature will be one that you can choose to have or avoid as that lone-wolf or war party unknowingly treks through your territory

 

Okay. So I've come around full circle in my disposition. I do and have always appreciated the less formal, more conversational tone of the updates... and while I know this isn't "all about me!" can we please, please- PLEASE find something else to highlight in videos than pvp in Elektro? If you find yourself saying "but the pve stuff is so boring to watch!" then maybe that's a clue?

[Coheed_IV 381]

I have to admit my heart sank a little bit when I saw an anti-tank / anti-material rocket under the paradoxically serene photo a a cozy Dayz garden setup complete with smoke emanating from the fireplace.

 

The path towards something I have been invested into DayZ to try and avoid is becoming incandescently clear. Guys farming military gear and pew pew all day long- rockets flying overhead Blackhawk Down style as little-bird choppers juke for their lives. I'm sure some kind of actual machine gun is not far off so guys will be sawing buildings in half with those in no time. Soft skills will not deter these warlords from disposing of their bodies and starting over again making many encounters unilaterally mechanical and uninspiring. So in the end in spite of all the window dressings, smoke and mirrors what we're left with is ANOTHER pvp game wrapped up in a pve safety blanket. And of course the highlight of the update is ANOTHER pvp encounter in Elektro. Dismayed. 

 

But then I swirled through my cyclone of negativity and remembered it's a big map out there- Lots of areas where these baboons won't want to go for the lack of pew pew. Minimalist players adorned in their boar skin clothing with single shot weapons and a sheep's bladder for a water bottle will have nothing in their inventories or camps that concerns them. Walking through a proverbial minefield of traps and tripwires would not be worth the risk... Small camps will eventually (I hope) be extremely hard to find unless you're on top of them- and any human encounter you experience of any nature will be one that you can choose to have or avoid as that lone-wolf or war party unknowingly treks through your territory

 

Okay. So I've come around full circle in my disposition. I do and have always appreciated the less formal, more conversational tone of the updates... and while I know this isn't "all about me!" can we please, please- PLEASE find something else to highlight in videos than pvp in Elektro? If you find yourself saying "but the pve stuff is so boring to watch!" then maybe that's a clue?

There have been plenty of "survival" themed status reports. But, I understand your feelings. There are plenty of others that feel this way too in game. I think you'll get your experience, through Mods or searching for the perfectly configured server.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Coheed_IV

[eno 1049]

There have been plenty of "survival" themed status reports. 

 

Plenty, eh? Forgive me if I'm dubious of that claim. I don't think it's worth any of our time to go back to a year ago and count how many of each there have been- but given the fact at my own level of frustration that has developed over time I'd be hesitant to use a word like "plenty." 

 

BUT- you do get what I'm saying either way... 

[joe_mcentire 2073]

The SR before this one talks about dynamic zombie spawning. 

ok, fair enough. it is at least some info about them, very true, however at least for me not really of "significance" more a mediate feature regarding zeds. Idk if spawning of players/items/npcs is not more its own topic than a specific of zeds. idon't know if i make sense here.

 

I guess we'll have to wait and see for more infos. The bratislava branch is responsible for animals as well and the latest showcase of wolves was pretty neat tbh, so there's that.

Edited January 17, 2016 by joe_mcentire

[Espa 711]

Looked back into Dev Tracker to see where to find the post that Status Updates would be coming out Once a week (Or was it two?) and found this:

https://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/topic/229665-if-you-want-to-stop-that-damn-vehicle-in-no-time-look-no-further-rpg-is-coming/

 

Why the hell has it been 2 months since we were told we'd be getting an RPG and there's a ANOTHER one here? Good God.

 

Please stop working on silly things and pump out the Mass Zombies with Intelligent AI.. I can guarantee you that the majority of us would no longer complain if their zombies were actually a threat and a CORE part of this game instead of an afterthought.

 

Can a Dev puh-lease give us some new information on them? It's literally the main reason why I was attracted to this game in the first place and I just don't see it getting any due justice or absolute focus.

[ColdAtrophy 1850]

ok, fair enough. it is at least some info about them, very true, however at least for me not really of "significance" more a mediate feature regarding zeds. Idk if spawning of players/items/npcs is not more its own topic than a specific of zeds. idon't know if i make sense here.

 

I guess we'll have to wait and see for more infos. The bratislava branch is responsible for animals as well and the latest showcase of wolves was pretty neat tbh, so there's that.

 

I guess we fundamentally disagree on what is and is not significant. To me, cramming all of the zombies on the map into the areas where players actually are is a massive change. We are talking about going from 15:1, 10:1 zombie to player ratios to potentially 50:1, 100:1 ratios, perhaps more depending on the server population. This should dramatically affect the moment to moment gameplay and make the entire system so much less predictable.