What are your thoughts on Sakhal?

[Judley 20]

Now that the dust has settled. How do you guys feel about Sakhal? Does it offer the quintessential dayz experience for you? Does it have that same magic and charm? 

[nemorus 280]

For me its a slightly steeper, unpolished* pvp map with no reasoning** behind it. Its not original, needs patching, lacks lore... I'm thinking that only console players can truly appreciate Frostline. PC owners can choose dozens of totally free maps of similar or greater quality on a whim.

* - winter-wise / ** - survival-wise

[Pyongo Bongo 247]

I played maybe 20 hours on Sahkahl, I have not played the most recent or upcoming overhaul update or read the patchnotes.

Quick summary of my opinion, which will be fleshed out in the spoiler window below:

-Beautiful map!

-I like having the option to play on an ice cold map with a lot of "survival chore" gameplay and emptyness, but I won't be playing there often because of that. I wouldn't want the map to be watered down with action and POIs everyhwere and warm temperatures and/or easy food

- The bunker is VERY cool, I'd like the *spoiler* "scientist quest" to open it to be more authentic and less obviously gamey

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It looks absolutely beautiful 🙂

The new enhanced view distance allows for some beautiful landscape views!

Especially with the new skybox clouds and the sun coming up.

I appreciate that they didn't force excessive gameplay into it, that there is a lot of "useless" nature.

But I guess that is a big complaint for a lot of people, and personally I went back to Chernarus after maybe three long Sakhal playsessions. Having to regularly fish, purify water and sit at fires slows down the game a lot and Chernarus is just a more comfortable way to experience DayZ. I don't want them to make Sakhal much easier or action packed because of this, I appreciate the ice cold misery and emptyness. But the increased survival chores and emptyness are probably the reason I won't be playing it often.

I don't approve the *spoiler* scientist quest.

I do like the bunker itself a lot, that you have to restore the power is cool, and that it's pitch black and creepy, extremely dangerous because of traps and campers and the loud scary BEEP BEEP BEEP, and that two people working together are needed to effectively coordinate a loot run.

It feels a bit gamey, un-believable and repetetive having to get that glow plug only from this specific sientist every time. Is the scientist always in the same spot? I hope not.

Why would he have that glow plug in a sealed case with a water bottle xD

And  why would there only be one super rare glow plug on the whole island? While on the other maps it's a normal thing you can find all around.

He just has mundane stuff in a locked indestructible briefacse? Even an ice axe? And the briefcase is made out of indestructible material and can only be opened with THE key? Feels pretty forced and inauthentic.

You instantly get the unimmersive feeling that this is only so, because someone at bohemia wants it to be so. Because it's a videogame for gameplay reasons. It's only cool maybe on the first time (the scientist, the bunker is still fun).

And that this is the only way of getting a platecarrier with reasonable camo, gives me the same inauthentic forced gameplay loop vibe.

 

 

Edited December 11, 2024 by Pyongo Bongo

[KA-74USER 52]

i went to the bunker and was greeted by the most boring guns in the game. throw me a fuckin M4 for once 

[Dd Nec 0]

A beautiful but very small map. A few minutes after spawning, I have warm military clothes and pockets filled with food. Hours later, I reach the opposite side of the island and have an AK74, Tundra, a Colt with a silencer, explosives, grenades and a ton of ammo. And then I realize that the entire map is one military base. There is no point in collecting weapons, making caches. Everything you need is literally lying under your feet. You can run from one military bunker to another in 5 minutes by pressing the "shift" key.

We all loved military bases and especially the airfield on Chernarus. It was the cherry on the cake. But when the entire map is filled with military bases, it looks excessive.

Sakhal has a great winter atmosphere. I had a great time during the Christmas/New Year holidays, enjoying the snowstorm and the crunch of snow under my feet. But in other seasons, I prefer to play on Chernarus and Livonia. They give me more of a post-apocalyptic vibe.

P.S. I'm still waiting for a summer map. Where survivors die not from the night cold, but from the daytime heat. Where military clothing and bulletproof vest give heat stroke, and shorts and skirts become valuable loot. Livonia could have been such a map, but it's still cold.