Is rocket satisfied with us?

[rocket 16567]

The way you act seems you are begging the community to scream: "yeah plz make it a game".

No' date=' I am asking for people's feedback. I'm trying to be open, approachable, connected, rather than what I have seen in my last ten years in the video game industry. I'm trying to be like I wish studios I have worked at were.

If that rubs you the wrong way, well, EA games are making plenty of games and they don't follow this philosophy.

The destiny of this mod can change something in gaming industry, and prolly in your life, try to ride the wave as best as you can, don't let it die to fast for excessive greediness. Kisses

See, I just don't understand that. I've denied requests for money. Some of the requests have been very sizable. I have done this because money fucks things up. I actually think that when I said that was one of my first posts on the forum.

But I am a realist, and I'm asking people for ideas about how to sustain the mod. I can't sustain it forever. It's not like counter-strike, CS didn't have persistent servers and a network of interconnected servers with total bandwidth rivaling a small country, downloads totalling well over 2 or 3 TB per day, and so on.

The reason this mod is successful is NOT cause of the content. It is because it is doing something different. The reason it hasn't been done before is because that difference is hard, it's risky, it's costly, and it takes a lot of work. I want the project to continue, but it has to be sustainable. I need to be honest with people that it can't sustain this way forever, but I am not comfortable with donations.

I really don't think you have read an absorbed my posts, either that or I am not making things clear.

[Niexist 0]

Rocket people who make popular mods generally go on to make that popular mod a game, look at the starcraft/warcraft III modders that made DotA, and Tower defense, all of them now have a company, this game should be a commercial release, and I'm quite certain you won't have a problem finding backers.

[cod3r 1]

honestly i think a lot of people would buy the game as is.. but put it up for like 30 bucks or so when it gets to a more "beta" like state. Or maybe you can work a deal with BI and offer it a package thing.. ARMA+DAYZ for 50 bucks..

i get what you are saying tho.. you wouldn't want to sell it as a game until it was closer to done.

even a donate button would probably bring you some serious green.

[Senrain 148]

I really think you should accept donations Rocket. Just as long as you make it clear that it is a DONATION, and that they are not paying for a service or good but are giving you the money purely to help with the advancement of the mod and should expect nothing but a thank you.

[rocket 16567]

*sigh*

[UniversalLeo 0]

Okay, After reading eight pages of Rocket doing his best to explain what he's attempting here and watching some people get it while others just don't seem to understand, I have to say this.

This is a Mod. With the Pro of being "free" as he said. This mod alone has made ARMA II a large sum of money in a short amount of time and, unlike other mods that are found on many different games, the community is truly wishing for it to evolve and survive.

I believe that Rocket is doing everything he can right now and that we, as a community, should all just be glad that he decided to do this in the first place. There will always be "carebears" and the such but that is a given. All in all, i believe rocket must be proud of his work that he's accomplished so far and of the amount of feedback that he's been given.

If any of this has been said above, I apologize for saying it again but, as i said, Rocket is doing one hell of a Job and quite frankly, if this mod ever does make it to a full-release that requires money, I'm willing to pay whatever it is. Seeing how i'm sure he won't screw us.

[dallas 5195]

I completely agree with Rocket, but I'm wondering if there isn't a way to funnel all this monetary goodwill into my personal bank account, without compromizing Rocket's ideals and making the community pissed at me.

[WhipDiddyWhip 0]

the question is... is he satisfied with his creation?

every community has it's good and bad, you tend to find though that community is effected by how much communication, openness and willing to listen to feedback as well as bug fixing is coming from the devs.

Something that is non existent from DICE and look how bad that is going for them, on the other hand rocket is communicating well and is generally interested in the communities concerns, good job, keep it up rocket

[BigMorgan (DayZ) 3]

Pay what you think it is worth.

This would be glorious. Best of luck, and I hope you have the blessing to do as you wish from Marek et. al. at Bohemia.

[Deviant (DayZ) 43]

Everyone SAVE YOUR MONEY until the game is on sale!

Until then, support with kind words of appreciation and bug reports!

[Redrick (DayZ) 72]

Rocket, just make the damn game the way you want. You'll know if we as a community displease of your actions, then go from there.

[Chimeray 4]

Something that is non existent from DICE and look how bad that is going for them' date=' on the other hand rocket is communicating well and is generally interested in the communities concerns, good job, keep it up rocket

[/quote']

Care to elaborate? DICE is communicating with the community through their blog (+ inside DICE blogposts explaining different stuff, like balancing), on the forums. And they're patching the game while listening to feedback (mav's and whatnot).

How is it "going bad for them"? They seem to be doing rather well. If the game is not to *your* liking, well... too bad. They listen to the masses and the masses are still playing it in strong numbers.

Most devs in AAA studio's don't have the freedom to post as freely as they want as well, it's mostly handled by community managers so it hardly is comparable to Rocket's situation.

In other news, Rocket could've decided not to listen and be as open which would be a real shame. I'm glad he's around here that often and listening. Thx Rocket!

[poisonman 28]

If this project takes too long' date=' then I am doing something wrong. I fully intend to have progressed to a full release (as what, mod/game I dont know) pretty quickly. There is no reason why that can't be achieved.

Lets do a bit of analysis:

MOD.

Pro: Free

Con: No cool content, some things can't be changed (no source)

GAME.

Pro: New content, customized engine, optimized, easy to install

Con: Costs money

I can't do anything without your guys support, so at the end of the day, you guys will decide where this goes.

[/quote']

I've said it once and I'll say it again, Rocket this concept / idea / game you have right now is a breath of fresh air in a "copypasta" polluted gaming universe.

I would love to see this a its own GAME built from the ground up for Day Z, like I've said in another post.... http://dayzmod.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1011&pid=36979#pid36979

This game would be awesome as like a sandboxy MMO. It feels pretty close the way it is right now, but I feel like it would be even more a hit on more of a MMO like setup with persistent servers that your character stays on and servers that hold more people and can handle more load from doing more crazy things in the game, like more zombies, roaming hordes, zombies in the wood, etc. etc.

I would buy the game and play the shit out of it like I am currently, don't let this concept / vision die, I want this game!

[rocket 16567]

Most devs in AAA studio's don't have the freedom to post as freely as they want as well' date=' it's mostly handled by community managers so it hardly is comparable to Rocket's situation.

[/quote']

This is a very good point. And that's why I enjoy modding. And that's also what I was trying to do in this thread. You summed it up very well.

[Aquazi 0]

The way you act seems you are begging the community to scream: "yeah plz make it a game".

No' date=' I am asking for people's feedback. I'm trying to be open, approachable, connected, rather than what I have seen in my last ten years in the video game industry. I'm trying to be like I wish studios I have worked at were.

If that rubs you the wrong way, well, EA games are making plenty of games and they don't follow this philosophy.

The destiny of this mod can change something in gaming industry, and prolly in your life, try to ride the wave as best as you can, don't let it die to fast for excessive greediness. Kisses <3

See, I just don't understand that. I've denied requests for money. Some of the requests have been very sizable. I have done this because money fucks things up. I actually think that when I said that was one of my first posts on the forum.

I mind the greediness about making the correct decision in the future. The day will come when you will have to decide between doing the game you wanted or the game somebody else (publishers/a larger community) wants to and it will be about money.

I really hope you are gonna make a game based on this survival concept, making this mod a dlc can sink future projects and close all the doors if it fails.

To be more direct, 100k unique players played this mod via Arma2, not all of them bought the game for Dayz, and more important not all of them bought it only for dayz (I bought Arma 2 just for dayz though).

How much ppl will buy a dlc of them?

How much ppl doesnt even own Arma 2 and plays with shitty textures cause he can't afford to spend 10 more $?

And you will ask them to spend again to play dayz?

What I hope is that you rocket bring this concept and make it bigger and standalone, with more features/options, ecc.

For the cost of this mod I don't get why bohemia actually cannot pay for the central servers and this website.

The "game servers" can be hosted by privates, like in every other game, don't get why you have to pay them. My community will gladly host a (private) server i.e. I think.

[menford 1]

Whatever way you (rocket) decide to go, I'm in. I would've payed triple A retail prices for the experiences I've had so far and it has only been getting better.

Hopefully someday soon you will (in the words of Fry) "shut up and take my money" but in the mean time it has been fantastic to play this free open mod without needing an invite etc.

However let it be said with all the news about Big Huge Games and 38studios, if you ever find things aren't going how you'd like them or you're incurring losses, I, and I'm sure MANY others, are absolutely ready to pony up some cash to help recoup funds. Especially because while you are calling it an "Apha Mod" I am calling it "still one of the best experiences I have had in gaming" I have literally been dreaming of a game like this since I was a little kid and with the articles all over the web and yours and others posts here it seems many feel the same.

Hopefully this mod continues to call attention to the fact that allowing mods is good for gaming and that gamers aren't stupid, more companies can at least balance making "push button to win" games with more difficult experiences like Day Z.

[Suicide Mouse 50]

I didn't get what the comotion was all about.

[underscore 12]

I only skimmed this thread, but if the question is would we be willing to pay for DayZ and how much, then maybe we should start a poll?

Just for the record, I'm more than happy to pay full retail for a standalone game. Honestly, I'd go with whatever scheme would grant rocket the greatest creative freedom.

[rocket 16567]

The day will come when you will have to decide between doing the game you wanted or the game somebody else (publishers/a larger community) wants to and it will be about money.

Huh? "the day will come". I don't want this to come across the wrong way, but have you seen the press coverage? The sales figures? Publishers see these figures too. That day came and went and I've made my decisions.

What I am doing here is trying to open a dialogue and gauge the community to make sure I haven't gone full-retard with said decisions.

[hitomaro 0]

Rocket you haven't gone full retard, only some of the posters in this thread have, and are obviously not reading everything you say and thinking before posting.

I am very happy with it being a mod for now, and when you (and the community) feels ready, to release it as a game or a DLC or whatever and to pay then, with the model you suggested (pay as much as you want).

Having said that I'd still pay a good amount because hell, i bought Arma 2 CO just for this, so same deal really.

Being a mod in alpha / beta phase gives you a lot of room to do what you want. Also keeping money / donations out of the equation at this time also gives you more freedom, because if you do make drastic changes in the future, those people who did donated might feel slighted even though they shouldn't, and that might hold you back from doing what you envisioned.

So keep on keeping on, and the bitching will always continue.

Great job rocket man, great mod, great community feedback, just great job :3

[Recaldy (DayZ) 17]

I say stay a mod. I believe you'd get more attention and send a more stronger message to companies and players that way.

[Flyynt 0]

I think a lot of you are creating a false dichotomy here.

It is quite possible to put out a stand alone game that is not some evil monstrosity of corporate blandness. As unique as DayZ is in what it does, there are plenty of other examples of interesting games that are not some all consuming blandfest of focus group bullshit that are put out all of the time, particularly on the PC. Hell, ARMA2 would be a great example in and of itself along with many, many others (Oddly enough, I came to DayZ from Mount & Blade: Napoleonic Wars (another great example) thanks to videos from CHKilroy).

Personally, I would be quite happy if DayZ became a stand alone game. I would love to see where it would go with the ability to shape it's engine for itself rather than trying to fit itself into something else.

Whatever transpires, I am glad that I found DayZ, and I am looking forward to going along for the ride.

[WhipDiddyWhip 0]

I say stay a mod. I believe you'd get more attention and send a more stronger message to companies and players that way.

i'd agree with this personally

i'd hate to see this as the spark that starts companies making terms of services on mod tools that meant the mods would cost and profit the original publisher

i think the reason it is so popular now is because it's a mod and not a purchasable game, i don't think you'd even get near 1/4 of the players

[rocket 16567]

I say stay a mod. I believe you'd get more attention and send a more stronger message to companies and players that way.

Please do explain this.

[oktyabr 53]

i think the reason it is so popular now is because it's a mod and not a purchasable game' date=' i don't think you'd even get near 1/4 of the players

[/quote']

Of course that's part of the reason it's popular but there are LOTS of free mods out there, NONE of which have reached this sort of "over night" popularity so simply being a free mod isn't telling the whole story.

Further how can you even speculate at how many would or would not purchase a full version of the game? Obviously it is NOT a full game and even as a mod it still has a lot of work left to be done so not many would expect the current state of the *mod* to be equal to the current price tags associated with today's "stand alone games". It is an "alpha" after all. None the less that hasn't stopped literally tens of thousands of people from buying "it" (A2:CO) in the last month alone.

Again, I wonder what a "full game" would even look like. There's basically two paths to this thought experiment... licensing the source code to A2:CO and/or A3 OR going with an entirely different engine.

On the ARMA path we have the possibility of "help" in every sense of the word from BIS. It is in their best interest to keep any future growth in their house: as a free mod which is certainly helping sales, as a mod or paid DLC for A3 which again would almost certainly provide a BIG boost to A3 sales, or even by making the source available at a lucrative price. I have trouble believing that BIS hasn't already locked this up with a fat check and a contract already.

On the different engine path the first question that comes to my mind is "what engine"? I'm sure rocket likes the A2:CO engine but it's also quite possibly the only one under the sun that is/was available for anything of this scale, with such a rapid deployment. Sure you could try different engines but are any just as capable? And even if they were would development be at a point that 100,000+ people would be able to play test the alpha already? I have my doubts in both cases. "Today" and a year (or two) from today are NOT the same thing in the game market world.

How much money to make it happen as a stand alone and how long before we could taste some of it? Pre-orders for playable alpha/beta keys are my favored option but that's neither here nor there.

Certainly there is a lot of money, potentially at least, riding on this. The question is... what does rocket want, in a perfect world, and how much would it cost?