5 months till the new update? Realy?

[Dancing.Russian.Man 1631]

19 hours ago, bfisher said:

I don't know much about game development.  But I do know a lot about general software development project management.  "It's done when it's done" is generally not an acceptible answer.  I presume that BI doesn't have infinite budget and DayZ's fan base doesn't have infinite patience.  Is that normal for games to just be developed for years on some open-ended timeline?

It's not the norm (especially when working with a third-party publisher) but it's not unusual. The norm is having deadlines (which can still be delayed), and often having to cut content or features for the sake of time. DayZ has only had one cut feature which was companion animals.

"We know what we want, but we don't yet know exactly when we're going to achieve it" can be an acceptable answer when you are making a product on your own terms, but it's not like BI or the devs are completely clueless as they've already shown so much confidence about them being able to reach 1.0 this year. It's not like DayZ is the only game to announce their release as a "uhh sometime in the year X, dunno which half or quarter yet but we'll get back on that." Expect more info as the year progresses.

56 minutes ago, philbur said:

Finally, as I have said ad-nauseam, if Brian is still the captain of the ship....where is he and why does he not personally comment anymore?

Hicks is the creative director, Eugen is the producer (project manager). This should also be apparent from Eugen having been the more prominent face for DayZ for a while now. They've explained this switch in roles as Hicks having been the producer in name only, but primarily doing the work of his current role. (I'm paraphrasing)

I got schooled by Raptor. :(

Edited February 4, 2018 by Dancing.Russian.Man

[RaptorM60 392]

42 minutes ago, philbur said:

"Finally, as I have said ad-nauseam, if Brian is still the captain of the ship....where is he and why does he not personally comment anymore? "

"or whatever department has ultimate ownership of DayZ SA) at Bohemia Interactive and finally get this this thing back on whatever track it is destined to take."

We have a Project Lead (David) who's the "captain of the ship" - ever since Dean's official departure (or shortly after) it's still the same person. He's got the entire team and all of its deliverables as his responsibility, practically working with Eugen and all department leads taking ownership of their parts of DayZ development. Brian's role has, over the past couple of years, shifted more towards being a guardian of the original DayZ creative vision, working together mainly with the design team on maintaining and expanding that vision, and as we're getting closer to leaving Early Access, some of his communication responsibilities were also handed over a team of Eugen, Baty and me

[RaptorM60 392]

2 hours ago, Kirov (DayZ) said:

Many thanks for your reply, but this sentence gave me a pause. It's been a long time since I saw a syringe, but those brownish antibiotics vials still spawn. And I'm quite sure they do nothing yet.

I'd like to use it as an excuse to ask about the medical system overhaul, as the fact that nobody mentions it makes me very concerned. As it currently is, the entirety of the medical system can be practically boiled down to 'wear 6 rags' -> 'apply when bleeding'. That's really that. Diseases are ridiculously easy to avoid and for seasoned players usually result from a misclick. Morphine was good for the ATC bug, now it's good for PvP situations only (otherwise you always have time for a splint). Epi and transfusion stuff is for group PvP only, obviously.

At my beginnings of DayZ, I used to carry around a full first-aid kit, because, you know, a post-apocalyptic scenario. I imagine medicine would be something quite sought after, but now it's just 6 rags for me. I believe that this aspect seems to have gotten less love than literally any other element in the game which I can think of now. Why is that and can we expect something more interesting than blood bags for Tisy pew-pews? Something that, hopefully, could make you put 'an experienced medic' on your Dayz resume?

 

 

Ultimately all the outlined major features of DayZ should be "settling down", as Eugen likes to say, during BETA, when our designers want to get back to iterating the overall balance of the gameplay while watching people actually play the game, or post feedback. We'll all be better able to tell how deep our designers can / want to go with things like the medical system. First, we need to have the "final" game where we can iterate fast, and that's waiting on some of the elementary parts of player movement/representation still being work in progress (new ladders, new vaulting, finishing touches to the melee system etc.). 

[Kirov (DayZ) 585]

3 minutes ago, RaptorM60 said:

Ultimately all the outlined major features of DayZ should be "settling down", as Eugen likes to say, during BETA, when our designers want to get back to iterating the overall balance of the gameplay while watching people actually play the game, or post feedback. We'll all be better able to tell how deep our designers can / want to go with things like the medical system. First, we need to have the "final" game where we can iterate fast, and that's waiting on some of the elementary parts of player movement still being work in progress (new ladders, new vaulting, finishing touches to the melee system). 

I think that's the vaguest possible answer you could give me, but I still accept that you can't say anything more specific at this moment. ;)

I just wanted to point out that we've been reading about the upcoming stuff sometimes very long in advance (the Littlebird, which to many players runs contrary to the Dayz experience anyway, but also RPGs, mushrooms or bears), while we still have absolutely no idea how the medical system could possibly look like and i.e. if we get to have and stave off the common cold (which IMHO should be the standard every-day consideration for every player at least in colder months). This is the one topic which hasn't been mentioned by anyone for a long while, is what I'm saying.

But anyways, I'm waiting patiently and in BETA I trust. Thanks for showing up to talk to us!

[RaptorM60 392]

Haha my apologies, although that's about everything that I can share at this moment - both because I personally don't know the details of the current intended game design of the medical system, and that recently, we usually cover only things that are the immediate topic in the design team - as was the case with the ambient spawning this last Status Report, it's been only very recently implemented into the game. That said, I'll talk to Peter and ask if we can perhaps cover it, or if he just wants to wait until there is something playable for you to try,

[Kirov (DayZ) 585]

22 minutes ago, RaptorM60 said:

Haha my apologies, although that's about everything that I can share at this moment - both because I personally don't know the details of the current intended game design of the medical system, and that recently, we usually cover only things that are the immediate topic in the design team - as was the case with the ambient spawning this last Status Report,as it got very recently implemented into the game. That said, I'll talk to Peter and ask if we can perhaps cover it, or if he just wants to wait until there is something playable for you to try,

Maybe it doesn't take my sleep away, but I'd still really appreciate if you could get some info for us. I try to follow SRs, but nothing beats a team member actually popping by to have a talk. Especially in the current impatiently-waiting-for-BETA moods. So again, thanks!

I'm asking about the medical system also because I want the team always to remember that there is a large share of players who go 'meh' on new weaponry info but instead are eager to scroll down for environment-related features. Looking forward to these in .63! I'm sure the team will deliver.

[Baker. 1484]

On 2/2/2018 at 5:08 PM, RaptorM60 said:

The business 

Somebody pin this somewhere!

[gorvi 189]

21 hours ago, bfisher said:

I don't know much about game development.  But I do know a lot about general software development project management.  "It's done when it's done" is generally not an acceptible answer.  I presume that BI doesn't have infinite budget and DayZ's fan base doesn't have infinite patience.  Is that normal for games to just be developed for years on some open-ended timeline?

Most other games do work on a somewhat open-ended timeframe and spend a majority of their development behind closed doors which can take upward to a decade.  The only difference between them and other early access games is that users now get to see what is happening from a development standpoint.  Its also one of the rare times where development can be frustrating for both developers and users.  With other titles, users are usually never aware of the game until its nearing a release candidate, the fatigue which comes with long development cycles, or problems which can set the game back.  Even some of the more popular titles can see delays for months, if not years.  I agree that some of the magic has died down, but most users have done what was recommended and took a break until they can return to a fresh experience.

Your idea of what game development can mean is a little skewed.  BI is not a small development team constantly under the gun from a larger publisher like the very competitive working environment of companies like EA.  BI currently views DayZ as an investment they are willing to gamble on and offer their full backing.  Rest assured, it will be one of the few platforms out there which offers a fully supported modding toolset that can operate within a MMO type environment.  This not only allows devs to give us the game which was originally envisioned, but modders the ability to create their own play styles or make entirely new games. 

This is the strength behind DayZ and Enfusion.  To tell your stories.

[gorvi 189]

1 hour ago, Kirov (DayZ) said:

but nothing beats a team member actually popping by to have a talk

Except this can take away from development or a devs personal life.  Brian spent many hours of his own time explaining stuff to users just to get dragged through the mud or outright ignored. 

Concerns are always valid and personally I would like to see devs chime in and talk about some sort of advanced medical system.  Something like what is offered within Project Zomboid.  This may not be a top priority at the moment though.

Sometimes patience is a virtue.

[Kirov (DayZ) 585]

3 hours ago, gorvi said:

Except this can take away from development or a devs personal life.  Brian spent many hours of his own time explaining stuff to users just to get dragged through the mud or outright ignored.

I'm so sick and tired of the self-proclaimers 'programmers' who tell me how easy it is to make a game that I appreciate any input from any person who was actually close to the development process of any game, and triple that for folks close to the DayZ dev team. SRs are full of lines like "so we did water and some animations recently", which doesn't give me any context as to how time-consuming it was, how much of that they already have, what else they could be going if not that, etc. OTOH, Raptor's Q&A above, while quite succint, helped me imagine some issues and processes in the development. Maybe even a separate work position just for that wouldn't be a bad idea?

[gorvi 189]

22 minutes ago, Kirov (DayZ) said:

Maybe even a separate work position just for that wouldn't be a bad idea?

The problem with doing this is that it would take away resources currently being used to develop the game.  Just as much as devs constantly answering questions while on the company dime also takes away from time worked on DayZ.

There needs to be a balance between what aspects of development are focused on such as community involvement and how it will help benefit the game and the company.

Its nice and all that devs give us status reports, but at this point I'm wondering if it is even worth it when they are being either ignored or used as a point of attack against the team and BI.

[Sqeezorz 839]

it was still Sunday recently. A day off for many of us, including RaptorM60, and yet he took the time to answer. That is not self-evident, many of us are free from business in their spare time. At this point great respect to "RaptorM60"!

Now something else: it was once said by the team: "we want you to perceive your surroundings".

I hold fast to this point because I hope they will fill DayZ with mechanics we can say, let's make a mission to the Northwest.

not like now, oh I'm dead, wait I'm in 30min. show it to you again.

Show us hell if you do not have time, reward those who know what is caution. in conclusion: the meat-tendizer is he useless? yes it is really useless now, because a part is missing in the core of the program.

because: wild boar / deer how do you want to eat them without the meat to edit? You will have to do a fitness training with your mouth to eat it without meat-tenders. We'll need everything we have, and that's a good thing, because they make the mechanics.

[philbur 476]

10 hours ago, Dancing.Russian.Man said:

Hicks is the creative director, Eugen is the producer (project manager). This should also be apparent from Eugen having been the more prominent face for DayZ for a while now. They've explained this switch in roles as Hicks having been the producer in name only, but primarily doing the work of his current role. (I'm paraphrasing)

OK, Thanks for reminding me about that. I associated Brian with being the guy who drove the overall development of the game because I considered him to be well-spoken and a very good communicator (which originally gave me the confidence to buy in to the EA process) and I was not clear there had been an obvious shift.

Apologies to Brian for the last few instances where I tried calling him out.

Yes, I have recognized that Eugen has been the lead voice in the SRs but again...I was thinking there was another layer of oversight that remained free of actual "in the trenches" work.

[philbur 476]

2 hours ago, gorvi said:

The problem with doing this is that it would take away resources currently being used to develop the game.  Just as much as devs constantly answering questions while on the company dime also takes away from time worked on DayZ.

Well... My argument is that the addition (if staffing is short) of a dedicated spokesperson would be offset by the increase in positivity and ultimately the increase in sales.

[gorvi 189]

2 hours ago, philbur said:

Well... My argument is that the addition (if staffing is short) of a dedicated spokesperson would be offset by the increase in positivity and ultimately the increase in sales.

[Baker. 1484]

A good game, released relatively soon, will shut everybody up. So let's just hope for that.

Edited February 5, 2018 by Baker.

[RaptorM60 392]

20 hours ago, philbur said:

Yes, I have recognized that Eugen has been the lead voice in the SRs but again...I was thinking there was another layer of oversight that remained free of actual "in the trenches" work.

Once again, thre is our Project Lead David who’s not so much in the trenches, but more of an HQ officer so to speak. Although that doesn’t make the battle any easier for him to stay within the military theme here.

Otherwise, I can only agree with @Baker. - a good release is all we need now. Unfortunately, from my experience, unless the core members of the dev team have the time, skills and motivation to provide first hand insights into development, it will never really work with just some “random” guy in the middle.

[gorvi 189]

5 hours ago, Baker. said:

will shut everybody up

Sadly.  I dont think it will.  There are many people out there who make it their life mission to cause discord within the DayZ community.  Coupled with poor management of public venues of information, there is going to be a lot of disposition which will be very tough to overturn.

 

BI doesn't just need to release 0.63.  They need to make a huge splash and re-establish their presence within the gaming community to remind people of their innovation and vision in a big bad way.

[Kirov (DayZ) 585]

On 05/02/2018 at 11:56 PM, RaptorM60 said:

[snip]

I have more questions if you're still around (or anyone else who knows the answers);

1) What is the devs' endgame stance toward disclosing game mechanics? I mean stuff like car damage mechanics or the number of deer spawns - something which we can't discover on our own. I have this impression that entire new features have been added without explicitly mentioning it (it was only by chance that I discovered the 'bury ashes' option). Do the devs wait for the final release or do they want to leave such analyses to us?

2) Will the midget POV in 1PP ever get fixed? Yeah I read somewhere here how the character height is ok because something something, but it's clearly and obviously not. Driving a truck feels like driving a go-kart. Will we ever get to see more than 1.5m of the road ahead?

3) Will the beta have any performance-related improvements? I have GTX 1060 and stuttering 30 FPS in Vishnoye, while MSI Afterburner says I'm using some 33% of both my GPU and CPU. I'm afraid much work is still to be done despite 0.61. Is this aspect getting any love at the moment?

[Irish. 4886]

1. We are all adults here right? (yes)

2. Do we really need to ask a ton of questions? (no)

3. Shouldn't we all just be patient, and let the team do their work? (yes)

[Lexman61 78]

1 hour ago, Irish. said:

1. We are all adults here right? (yes)

2. Do we really need to ask a ton of questions? (no)

3. Shouldn't we all just be patient, and let the team do their work? (yes)

 

Well, you know how forums work. Like a blank sheet of paper which just begs every hour of the day to be scribbled on. Let the people express themselves.

 

[Irish. 4886]

42 minutes ago, Lexman61 said:

Let the people express themselves.

 

Well.. I mean.. :|

 

[RaptorM60 392]

On 2/13/2018 at 5:51 PM, Kirov (DayZ) said:

I have more questions if you're still around (or anyone else who knows the answers);

1) What is the devs' endgame stance toward disclosing game mechanics? I mean stuff like car damage mechanics or the number of deer spawns - something which we can't discover on our own. I have this impression that entire new features have been added without explicitly mentioning it (it was only by chance that I discovered the 'bury ashes' option). Do the devs wait for the final release or do they want to leave such analyses to us?

2) Will the midget POV in 1PP ever get fixed? Yeah I read somewhere here how the character height is ok because something something, but it's clearly and obviously not. Driving a truck feels like driving a go-kart. Will we ever get to see more than 1.5m of the road ahead?

3) Will the beta have any performance-related improvements? I have GTX 1060 and stuttering 30 FPS in Vishnoye, while MSI Afterburner says I'm using some 33% of both my GPU and CPU. I'm afraid much work is still to be done despite 0.61. Is this aspect getting any love at the moment?

Oh man these are some very, very specific questions. 

As for 1), Peter’s general approach is that players should discover things in the game “organically” so I don’t expect too much documentation on mechanics so to speak. On the other hand, and this is meant to happen in BETA, the team wants to do an overall review of the game mechanics, features and their balance or influence towards the overall gameplay. To some extent, things will probably need to be disclosed and discussed, although you’re probably thinking on a very deep “DayZ specialist” level really so I can’t guarantee that. I may throw a word about this to Peter, but he’s really busy, no promises. Hopefully he should be more active externally when we release a playable 0.63 build.

2) Also a pretty detailed design question I don’t really know how to answer, one thing I can say is it’s definitely not a topic ATM, we have bigger problems to solve - like swimming or vaulting on 0.63 :)

3) I would not expect massive improvements or performance focused updates as with  0.60 or 0.62, but performance stabilisation is certainly going to be a massive topic for BETA. Can’t speak for your specific example but code optimization, final game settings and asset optimization will all play a role in making the game feel smooth.

Hope that helps at least a little bit! :) it’s not always easy to answer really specific stuff or comment on things like “will A or B be added into the game” but I’ll do my best :D

[gorvi 189]

On 2/13/2018 at 3:01 PM, Lexman61 said:

Like a blank sheet of paper which just begs every hour of the day to be scribbled on. Let the people express themselves.

Even if they use that page like a piece of toilet paper?

There's a difference between expression and attacking something because of blind hate or an unwillingness to learn.  DayZ already has a bad rap because of peoples misinformed "expression".

 

These forums are not the place for that type of attitude.  Although, I'm sure other places will cater to it.

[Kirov (DayZ) 585]

17 hours ago, RaptorM60 said:

Oh man these are some very, very specific questions. 

Hope that helps at least a little bit! :) it’s not always easy to answer really specific stuff or comment on things like “will A or B be added into the game” but I’ll do my best :D

Many thanks for your answers and don't sweat it if you can't reply! I know I'm asking very specific questions so if you don't know, you don't know.

Yeah, a "DayZ specialist" sounds like something I'd like to have on my resume. Very early I started to put things on things or count stuff in order to figure out how this world works. The only thing that is stopping me right now from going further is the interim status of almost all solutions. With 1.0, I imagine I'll help with the wiki, however there's gonna be a lot of stuff we won't figure out on our own (just recently I gave a chase to a pack of wolves, but they got stuck in a lake so I still don't know what exactly happens, how far they run, who becomes the next alpha, etc.). If you could mention to Peter that there will be a team of 'specialists' that wants to work with him, that will be great. Of course, I'll still cherish the pleasure of independent discovery.

Again, thanks for popping by!