Awesome .63 Features

[Solopopo 330]

I've been messing around with the offline mode and I've noticed a few really awesome features in the .63 beta. 

Weight affects maximum stamina. You can actually see the stamina bar adjust as you load items on and off your character.

Shoes also affect maximum stamina

There is a circle in the lower left corner of the UI that indicates the condition of your held item.

Items wear from use and don't work when ruined

There are light, strong, and charge melee attacks. It seems like there may be a block as well.

If you completely deplete your stamina bar you enter an exhaustion period of about 10 seconds in which you cant run or do anything else that requires stamina, even if you have regained enough. Melee attacks take stamina, which means you can't attack. 

The player model actually pulls the trigger when firing, which is visible in first person mode depending on the gun

Weapon sway functions as expected. Crouching makes it a little better. Going prone minimizes it more

The player model indicates your condition. Bad condition causes limping, which becomes more prominent over time as the condition gets worse. Your characters gait always seems to be slightly adjusting itself, indicating the most current condition of your character. Coupled with the fact you need to manage stamina now, this really helps to make long trips feel less mundane. Things actually happen over time now you can look out for. 

Zombies are much better to fight. You can kill them faster, but they can kill you faster too. They are a legitimate threat now, and have a few new animations and reactions too. They are actually pretty scary. It only takes about 6 hits to die. It takes about 3 to kill one, but it can be easy if you are faced with only one because of how responsive the game is now. Still, a misstep means punishment you really don't want. Only being able to sprint for a short while changes how you need to approach zombies. If you get caught out in an open field with a train on you and no weapons, you are probably finished, unless you can get far enough fast enough. 

Movement is much better. The inertia system is great. The players feet actually move around in a realistic way when shifting around, instead of 360 hover sliding. 

The vault ability seems to have been completely removed. Most things that could be vaulted over before are simply walked over now. Your character just kind of bounces up. There is no animation for it, but it's nice to not get stuck. However, there are still some low fences in the world your character won't go over. Guard rails along the side of roads are an example, as well as pedestrian guard rails in cities. 

There is much more ambient sound in the world, including weather, footsteps for tons of different surfaces, and even fire place noises. Also, the outside ambient sound becomes quite when you go indoors. The sound of wind will die down as you enter a door. This feature in particular I think is a really nice touch. The change from ambient noise to no ambient noise is pretty abrupt at the moment though. I think they should add a short transition period where the volume of ambient noise quickly lowers. At the moment it's like throwing a switch. But in general the wind feels real. I haven't tested bullet ballistics with the wind yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if wind does affect bullets like it is supposed to now.

They seem to have implemented arma 3 ballistics, or something similar. I noticed when shooting through a small tree that my bullet came out the other side at a slightly different angle than it went in, similar to how bullets ricochet in arma 3. 

The character model does not collide with small bushes, but bullets do if they hit the stalk of the bush. The character model doesn't seem to collide with anything at the moment. You can't hit walls with melee weapons for example, you just swing through them

Bullets make satisfying sounds when they hit surfaces. Shooting at trees makes a distinct thunk sound, which was very distinguishable as a bullet hitting the tree hard. This will be really cool in fire fights. If something hits the surface you are hiding near or behind, you are going to know. 

The game feels and looks incredible in first person now. I can't really describe why. It just does. 

Overall I am really excited about these changes. Many long standing problems seem to have finally been addressed. The devs have done a fantastic job. I hope they continue to deliver this kind of quality. 

 

Edited May 8, 2018 by Solopopo

[G18C 20]

Nice job compiling some of the new features, there are plenty of other features you didn't include though. I'll make a list that adds onto yours soon after I have enough time to test more.

[Raptor97 59]

0.63 is just bae <3

[Solopopo 330]

I've noticed that sprinting makes hunger and thirst decrease faster. We will need to sprint strategically now. If we have tons of food, we will be able to sprint much more. If we have none, players might second guess sprinting the entire way. I can't wait for soft skills. Sprint improvement over time, coupled with the system .63 has currently, will be so awesome imo.

[emuthreat 2837]

2 hours ago, Solopopo said:

If we have tons of food, we will be able to sprint much more

If you have tons of food, you won't be sprinting much at all, in my experience.  I'd like to see a bit more balancing on this system.  Currently it starts to become painstakingly tedious to travel as soon as you have a backpack or vest.  Plate carrier basically means no more sprinting anymore at all.
With some of the recent changes removing authenticity in the spirit of playability and fun, I wouldn't mind if they made the stamina system significantly less punishing.

[Guy Smiley 534]

1 hour ago, emuthreat said:

If you have tons of food, you won't be sprinting much at all, in my experience.  I'd like to see a bit more balancing on this system.  Currently it starts to become painstakingly tedious to travel as soon as you have a backpack or vest.  Plate carrier basically means no more sprinting anymore at all.
With some of the recent changes removing authenticity in the spirit of playability and fun, I wouldn't mind if they made the stamina system significantly less punishing.

I totally disagree with you.  You almost seem upset you won't be able to get to the military loot areas in 5 mins anymore.  The stamina system is a step in the right direction especially with adding all the extra weight to your character and draining the stamina faster.  Players have become so accustomed to the easy-mode we've had prior to the stress test that I have a feeling these forums are going to explode with a lot of angry posts with how the gameplay is going to be come beta.

[emuthreat 2837]

2 hours ago, Guy Smiley said:

I totally disagree with you.  You almost seem upset you won't be able to get to the military loot areas in 5 mins anymore.  The stamina system is a step in the right direction especially with adding all the extra weight to your character and draining the stamina faster.  Players have become so accustomed to the easy-mode we've had prior to the stress test that I have a feeling these forums are going to explode with a lot of angry posts with how the gameplay is going to be come beta.

It's a step in the right direction for sure, but I'd just like to see the weight penalties taken back a notch or two, and have a slow conditioning over time to increase max stamina.  Considering that the sprint feels more like a loping run than a sprint, an unladen player should be able to sprint a fair distance longer than currently possible in one cycle. It's all just issues of balancing, at this point. It just doesn't sit well that the difference between having a fair amount of stuff, and being stuffed to the gills with ammo and magazines is next to nil.  I noticed almost no difference between having a Taloon backpack with a fair amount of food and water, an extra knife, and some chicken breasts, and having a mountain backpack chock full of AK mags.

Admittedly, I tend to lean more towards higher mobility because I tend to play as a walking loot pinata.  But the seeming lack of scaling of this new system makes it seem a bit arbitrary and overbearing.  U.S. Marines are known to carry between 70 to 100 lbs of gear on combat patrols, which is ridiculous and causes chronic injuries, but they do it, albeit without much sprinting involved.  You might be thinking "but that is after lots of physical training" right about now, and I totally agree.  I'd like to see the stamina system reward the longevity of the player by increasing the total stamina available over time, as well as adding to the amount of stamina a fully laden player has available.  This way, a fresh spawn will not be able to sprint to Tisy while picking up everything they see along the way, but a player who has survived a few trips around Chernarus will have about as much stamina while laden, as a fresh character would have.

Not only would this serve as an incentive to keep yourself alive for the long term, but also give more seasoned characters a higher chance of general survivability.  No longer could a fresh spawn chase down and punch out a geared player with relative ease, but that geared player would only have double the stamina of the freshie if he drops his pack and empties his pockets to flee.  Furthermore, endgame characters would have an ad-hoc class specialization decision.  Would you still take it slow and jog through the woods carrying loot to drop points, or do you run lean as a scout and cover more ground to ensure the safety ahead for your friends carrying the load?  Is it better to carry that car battery, spark plug and gas can across the map with you, or drop your bag in a central location and only carry your food to look for  vehicles?

When it is all said and done, the success of the stamina system will rest in a delicate balance between the availability of food in the loot economy and the will of the player to endure an extremely slow-paced play session.  Those wanting to cover ground quickly will be constantly frustrated that two cans of beans, a knife and a water bottle reduces their stamina by half, and those who like to collect things will simply get tired of walking everywhere.

The stamina system is likely a make-or-break issue for a large percentage of the playerbase.  And I assume my preferred compromise of setting the base stamina depletion and about half of the current level, 33% nerfing of weight penalties, and add a lifespan potential to double total stamina cap and reduce consumption by 15-25% will still not be enough for the quick action players, while hardcore players will think it's too generous.

As it sits, the difference is huge. It went from 30 minutes to NWAF from almost any spawn, and turned into 2 or 3 hours from most spawns, depending heavily on luck.  There is plenty of room to make stamina have an impact, without turning off all but the most dedicated players.

[Whyherro123 2283]

8 hours ago, Guy Smiley said:

I totally disagree with you.  You almost seem upset you won't be able to get to the military loot areas in 5 mins anymore.  The stamina system is a step in the right direction especially with adding all the extra weight to your character and draining the stamina faster.  Players have become so accustomed to the easy-mode we've had prior to the stress test that I have a feeling these forums are going to explode with a lot of angry posts with how the gameplay is going to be come beta.

I can't agree more.

People don't understand that carrying stuff is -heavy-, and all that stuff makes it -hard to move-. 

Either lighten your load and get rid of the unnecessary stuff, or don't complain when your character gets exhausted. Modern hiking and backpacking is -all- about reducing weight to that end, to the point where there is a popular saying "ounces on the back equal pounds on the feet, and that equals pain"

Canned food is heavy (to the point where modern hikers and backpackers avoid it like the plague). Water is heavy (to the point where in-situ treatment is as viable as carrying a supply with you, where water is available of course). Carrying many changes of clothing is often unnecessary. Ammunition and weapons are heavy.

Yes, modern soldiers carry massive amounts of weight.... But they aren't sprinting, or even jogging (most infantry is mechanized/motorized), and they cooperate in groups to carry necessary equipment.

People on this forum seem to forget that humans are an inherently social species, and the "division of labor" is a thing.

If you are carrying -everything- you need.... You are doing it wrong. Lone-wolfing is hilariously inefficient. Get friends.

 

[amadieus 316]

All this talk about stamina but lets not forget that we run way too fast in Dayz. The insane speed already ruins pvp and should be brought back to realistic levels. When nobody can play a Tasmanian devil dodging bullets any more, THEN we can talk about relaxing the stamina mechanism.

[Parazight 1599]

6 hours ago, emuthreat said:

When it is all said and done, the success of the stamina system will rest in a delicate balance between the availability of food in the loot economy and the will of the player to endure an extremely slow-paced play session.  Those wanting to cover ground quickly will be constantly frustrated that two cans of beans, a knife and a water bottle reduces their stamina by half, and those who like to collect things will simply get tired of walking everywhere.

The stamina system is likely a make-or-break issue for a large percentage of the playerbase.  And I assume my preferred compromise of setting the base stamina depletion and about half of the current level, 33% nerfing of weight penalties, and add a lifespan potential to double total stamina cap and reduce consumption by 15-25% will still not be enough for the quick action players, while hardcore players will think it's too generous.
 

As it sits, the difference is huge. It went from 30 minutes to NWAF from almost any spawn, and turned into 2 or 3 hours from most spawns, depending heavily on luck.  There is plenty of room to make stamina have an impact, without turning off all but the most dedicated players.

All true.

Also consider vehicles. Bikes will be a thing. .63 is pretty barebones right now.  Remember early alpha access when all the noise was about vehicles?  It's possible that getting around will become much easier as beta progresses.

I am really hoping that we'll see the first beta on stable with bikes.  Otherwise, a lot of returning players may be turned off if going from place to place is punishing.  We'll see, I guess. 

[Guy Smiley 534]

9 hours ago, Parazight said:

Otherwise, a lot of returning players may be turned off if going from place to place is punishing.  We'll see, I guess. 

Going from place to place is suppose to be punishing.  Jesus, what kind of game do you want?

[emuthreat 2837]

3 hours ago, Guy Smiley said:

Going from place to place is suppose to be punishing.  Jesus, what kind of game do you want?

A well-balanced one would be nice.  Might be nice to have some reasoned discussion instead of suggestive hyperbole, too.

[Parazight 1599]

3 hours ago, Guy Smiley said:

Going from place to place is suppose to be punishing.  Jesus, what kind of game do you want?

I'd like a game that's marketable.  I'd like a game that gains popularity and doesn't come with a horrible initial reaction.  

.63 is going to be more punishing than 1.0.  Because of lack of transportation.  You want the initial reaction to be negative?  How will that help draw players to the game?  

 

[Guy Smiley 534]

27 minutes ago, emuthreat said:

A well-balanced one would be nice.  Might be nice to have some reasoned discussion instead of suggestive hyperbole, too.

The game will be as balanced as you make it.  If you choose to load your character up prepare for the consequences.  No more hand holding is going to happen from this point on

[emuthreat 2837]

29 minutes ago, Guy Smiley said:

The game will be as balanced as you make it.  If you choose to load your character up prepare for the consequences.  No more hand holding is going to happen from this point on

Awww, c'mon dude.
I'm all for in-depth mechanics that add reasonable and predictable results.  But I gotta question your motivations in declaring the first iteration of the stamina system to be the final form, and that any feedback is just whining about not getting everything easily.
Maybe we need to take some measurements and see how real-world analog tests work out.  All I'm saying, is that it feels off in the current form, and might need some tweaking.  It just feels a bit extreme right now.  Maybe we should be quantifying the problem?

[Guy Smiley 534]

11 minutes ago, emuthreat said:

Awww, c'mon dude.
I'm all for in-depth mechanics that add reasonable and predictable results.  But I gotta question your motivations in declaring the first iteration of the stamina system to be the final form, and that any feedback is just whining about not getting everything easily.
Maybe we need to take some measurements and see how real-world analog tests work out.  All I'm saying, is that it feels off in the current form, and might need some tweaking.  It just feels a bit extreme right now.  Maybe we should be quantifying the problem?

I agree that the weights are definitely off but this is a step in the right direction and will prevent players from sprinting from one end of the map to the other in 10 mins which should never have happened in the first place. Now everyone is so accustomed to it that the new weight system is something they don't want and are going to make a big stink about as has been already proven.

[emuthreat 2837]

@Guy Smiley Yeah. It's a nice addition, but you get to fully laden stamina penalty at maybe 60% of the weight you can pack into a set of completely full max inventory gear.  It seems like a lot of the weight spectrum is left unused at the moment, giving less overall variety to the stamina system.

[Guy Smiley 534]

13 minutes ago, emuthreat said:

@Guy Smiley Yeah. It's a nice addition, but you get to fully laden stamina penalty at maybe 60% of the weight you can pack into a set of completely full max inventory gear.  It seems like a lot of the weight spectrum is left unused at the moment, giving less overall variety to the stamina system.

Well I haven't found a lot of items yet but I did notice stuff like the can opener being a little out to lunch in it's weight.  I'm sure the items will be more fine tuned and balanced but we also have to realize that this is only a stress test and not even remotely close to the version that will be released as beta.