Why I've Stopped Playing DayZ

[MrGreek 18]

Long story short, I've kind of given up on DayZ. It's not because everyone kills everyone, the forum is inhospitable to anyone even remotely new (yes, I have played DayZ for quite a while, thank you), and anyone who even tries to express a differing opinion on the game's current direction is grounded into the dirt, lit on fire, and then has a 747 crash into them. Sure, those may have had a BIT of influence on my decision, but they were by no means the only thing that set me off.

1. I'm not a graphics whore. I'll reduce everything to zero to see a game run at 60 fps constantly, but when I'm running DayZ, and even just ARMA 2, I find that most of the time, I'm at 25-35 fps. This is not ENTIRELY the DayZ crew's fault, (I have nothing but respect for you guys and what you're trying to do) but I find that even they must take a small amount of blame for what happens when 5 zombies are in the middle of a flat field.

2. Clunky movement irks me. I find that it's immersion breaking and is plain unrealistic. This is not limited to the players, although they do possess this trait most of the time you run into (and subsequently shoot) survivors. The movement of the zombies is jerky and unrefined, it's almost as if they're missing multiple frames in their respective animations. You can't tell when they're about to take a swing at you, and most of the time, I can't tell if they're running. Running zombies can work very well in terms of horror and gameplay, as they provide a fast moving threat that the player has to take down with a well-placed shot. However, when the zombies move and act the way they do in DayZ, they seem more funny and quirky than terrifying and rush inducing. They'll run right pass me when I'm approaching a town, and then double back, then double back again, until they're running away from me. Besides, wouldn't a dead person's body be terribly stiff due to the effects of rigor mortis? Clunky animation irks me because it's something that is fairly easy to avoid, we don't move in canned ways with clunky execution in real life, so why should we move that way in games.

3. You guys. You know who you are. Whenever a new player attempts to join in on the deathmatch that is DayZ, you chew them up, spit them out, then feed that to your household pet, and then make them spit it out. They don't emerge from this stupidity and cruelty as "Battle Hardened Men of the Internet", they leave scared, confused, and angry. They're going to tell other people how hospitable you are, and less people are going to be interested in whatever it is you call this clusterfuck. The DayZ development team is already working with bohemia interactive on a DayZ esque mode for the eventual ARMA 3, and with the way that you guys scare those people off, how do you expect the good old folks making your oh so precious hardcore game to make more for you when they have no money. Hardcore games like ARMA aren't something that should scare off newcomers, veteran players should be helping the new ones, teaching them how to survive, mentoring them. Not frothing at the mouth and screaming about how they should go back to farmville.

I came into DayZ wanting to become yet another bastion of hope for humanity. Idealistic, yes, but I wouldn't call it a stupid idea. The way things are now, It's hard to see them as doing much other than becoming stagnant or becoming yet another failed experiment. I have nothing but faith in you guys, and I know that you want to do something great, but you have to make your idea grow, rather than attract a trickle of people who just barely keep things afloat.

[pvt_ammo@hotmail.com 164]

Clearly shows you're not cut out to be an alpha tester. This alpha mod has only been released less 4 months and you're already being overly critical. I think the time for you to play will be when it goes into Beta or is released as a standalone.

[Stubbies 67]

@MrGreek interesting post, you express some feelings/thoughts i have about the game. But im in for the long haul, and will continue to support the mod and its developers. Best of luck to you, see you when the game is finished.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Stubbies

[unclegus 21]

Clearly shows you're not cut out to be an alpha tester. This alpha mod has only been released less 4 months and you're already being overly critical. I think the time for you to play will be when it goes into Beta or is released as a standalone.

This.

[MikeTupper 68]

this isnt the diablo 3 forum... geez

[Deviant (DayZ) 43]

Welcome to alpha, this isn't the final product, QQ more about making yourself available for others to kill you, and get a better PC.

[Dancing.Russian.Man 1631]

Clearly shows you're not cut out to be an alpha tester. This alpha mod has only been released less 4 months and you're already being overly critical. I think the time for you to play will be when it goes into Beta or is released as a standalone.

Just what of his post has to do with the mod being in alpha? (Besides #2.)

Reason number one is ARMA 2's fault. My (old) computer can run Crysis on High, but ARMA 2 lags to hell. All the DayZ devs have done is add animations and some textures. It doesn't make a difference.

And reason number three has nothing to do with the game being in alpha. People can just as easily do it in full release, assuming that the cruel nature of the game is here to stay. (Which I HOPE.)

Welcome to alpha, this isn't the final product, QQ more about making yourself available for others to kill you, and get a better PC.

You. Stop being a dick.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Dr621

[pvt_ammo@hotmail.com 164]

Just what of his post has to do with the mod being in alpha? (Besides #2.)

Reason number one is ARMA 2's fault. My (old) computer can run Crysis on High, but ARMA 2 lags to hell. All the DayZ devs have done is add animations and some textures. It doesn't make a difference.

And reason number three has nothing to do with the game being in alpha. People can just as easily do it in full release, assuming that the cruel nature of the game is here to stay. (Which I HOPE.)

You. Stop being a dick.

His thread is to do with the fact that the mod is still being developed. There has been an increase in FPS in that last few patches ( including amra 2 beta patches being released for dayz ) due to optimization. #2 speaks for itself, clearly something that can be improved and tested with further development. The third is something that will grow with development. The community will change as the game changes and new features are added like the new proposed Grouping system Rocket have been hinting over.

He even states in his thread "The way things are now, It's hard to see them as doing much other than becoming stagnant or becoming yet another failed experiment."

"The way things are now." Being too critical too soon and assuming this will never change. Sign of a bad alpha tester. His thread has everything to do with the mod being an alpha. The fact that he's saying newcomers are being scared off from playing. Well, they shouldn't really be seriously playing, the mod is being developed. If you're coming here with expectations of an amazing flawless gaming experience then you're clearly not cut out for alpha testing.

Plus I'm not sure where the idea that newcomers are being scared off. 100,000 concurrent users and counting. I think that's a good sign that newcomers are arriving and staying.

As I said before, the OP seems like the kind of player that isn't cut out for the job of an alpha tester, he would have more fun coming back when the game is more polished and out of alpha. There will be less bugged zeds, a more optimized engine and more features in the game to promote a better community environment.

Public alpha testing is an organic process, there are going to be a lot of things you will utterly hate, but a good tester will stick around, make suggestions on these hates and see how development tackles such things. A bad tester complains without any positive feedback and rage quits.

[euryale 72]

Meh, why help new players? So they can shoot me in my back and take mah beans? No, thanks, rookies have to learn the hard way

[aversionfx 63]

Long story short, I've kind of given up on DayZ. It's because the game is not for me.

Posting this (and not in the suggestions forum) would've saved all of us a lot of time. ARMA is not like other games, and DayZ is most certainly not like any game you have ever played. Stop trying to force yourself to like it.

[Jenga22 22]

Well, good bye then, come back when its released, its only on Alpha

[Deadnaut 0]

Whenever a new player attempts to join in on the deathmatch that is DayZ, you chew them up, spit them out.

I came into DayZ wanting to become yet another bastion of hope for humanity. Idealistic, yes, but I wouldn't call it a stupid idea.

It's hard to feel sympathetic regarding the first point. _every_single_player has to learn how to play the game. I did. Many others reading this did. You die, you learn not to make the same mistakes again. I don't like death match either so I keep away from trouble, try doing the same. Apart from the mean spirited bugs that happen (it's an alpha!) most of my deaths we due to bad decisions or bad luck. It's a survival game, being killed by a choice I made not some arbitrary game rule rocks.

Regarding the second point perhaps you should read this http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/07/the-healing-touch-dr-wasteland-brings-hope-to-day-zs-grim-world/ for inspiration.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Deadnaut

[Deadnaut 0]

/double post

Edited July 19, 2012 by Deadnaut

[disorder 344]

double post

Edited July 19, 2012 by disorder

[disorder 344]

Not only is he being overly critical, but is being critical with problems that are present in the original ARMA2 and have nothing to do with the mod.

As for number 3, well two words .. private server.

[species5021 28]

The game itself runs nice now, i've got a pretty old pc now because of my recent study years and it works fine on 99% of the servers. Yes the zombies run weird, they even phase shift sometimes and wallhack but hey its how it is right now so might aswell just adjust to it.

Reading further i don't think you grasp a 100% of what you were getting yourself into, this is a hardcore permadeath survival simulator...

It's a game not everyone will like that have been holding hands to long with developers catering to much to the wills and whims of player communitys. This game is pretty damn hard with elements in it that will make you want to ragequit half a dozen times a day.

But it works wonders, finally a pc game that is once again hard to play and i seriously hope it opens the eyes of all developers out there and makes them create games that are hard to play aswell because the world might have finally realised that a serious life threatening challenge is what most games are lacking these days.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Tops

[Badhaggis 40]

Cant have Private servers or they get blacklisted, (which is a good thing).

[Jenga22 22]

Can we just stop commenting on this post, No one cares why you stopped playing DayZ As far as rocket cares is your just 1 player that complains non stop why didnt you just stop and not put a post about it :D

[schockie 16]

i'm a gfx whore :) i have a gaming laptop and i lagg on this game lol :)

[Jenga22 22]

wait, why is this post even here "why i stopped playing DayZ" this is the Suggestion Forum not the Complaints :D

[Varanon 1]

Interesting to see how the "inhospitable forum" and "anyone who even tries to express a differing opinion on the game's current direction is grounded into the dirt" parts are immediately confirmed by the answeres by being inhospitable and pounding the OP into the dirt. You just made part of the OP's points.

[Badhaggis 40]

Yeah

[puppetmaster11 229]

Meh, why help new players? So they can shoot me in my back and take mah beans? No, thanks, rookies have to learn the hard way

In game ...agree ... on the forums ...your just being a dick

[subvision 14]

Well, its an Alpha. Players, especially new Players, Beginners, should not expect too much.

If you don't like the Mod as it is - come back when it is in Beta Status or Final. :)

Edited July 19, 2012 by subvision

[GeeksterDayZ 55]

My responses to your points;

1. Graphics. Yes, the FPS can be a little low, it depends on what you are running too though. I have a GTX560Ti, run everything on hight settings and I see no problems with how the game runs for me. Maybe you need to take a,look at your hardware? (friendly suggestion, not a mocking of your system)

2. The reason the zombies move like that is because they haven't got the proper animations for them yet. Rocket stated in his Rezzed Q&A that he just "moved the 'speedd' slider up" for the characters. This means that the subtle animation frames needed to make the zombies move quickly but smoothly just are not there at the moment. It'll get better, they are doing motion-capture stuff to build the zombie movements.

3. Well, I think that's a bit too generlised. The reason so many responses to posts from newbies are negative is because the n00b comes on, raging about how they "spent £X or $X on a game that sucks" with not clear idea of what they are actually talking about, and not research to inform themselves about the mod or it's stage of development. People are sick of seeing hatelful posts from n00bs who only sign up purely to post one comment raging about the mod, and as such those people deserve to get the bile spewed at them from the community who too kthe time to understand and appreciate what a gem we have our hands on here, and are grateful to be a part of the Alpha Testing Squad for this thing :)