Is rocket satisfied with us?

[Kingllama 18]

When the time comes' date=' I'll be asking the community to support this, with their wallets. But that time isn't now, its not the right time for that. I just honestly don't believe a massive cash injection would suddenly make everything better.

Am I satisfied? Of course I am! You guys pushed an obscure, old, game into the top sellers for an entire month on team. You made the gaming media wake up and take notice... and of what? A mod? A mod in Alpha? One that's pretty broken, difficult, complex, cruel, frustrating?

I didn't buy all those copies, you guys did. What a cool message to send to the publishers and studios out there. You can have a million good reviews, and a million people playing your game... but unless it is affecting a studios bottom line it probably won't get taken very seriously. The success is still very small, relatively speaking - but its the speed and the strength of the message you guys have sent that has made people stand up and take notice.

My responsibility is to stay true to what this is, and to keep saying what we have all been saying for a long time... because now the gaming media is listening, and the gaming publishers are scratching their heads and beginning to wonder if [i']just maybe their customers aren't actually retarded and just maybe this social media thing is more than just a marketing gimmick. Just maybe new ideas that are not shit can travel extremely fast, even if their delivery is a bit shit. Just maybe people want something exciting, and they're not actually that concerned with the packaging and the sexy bits.

My carebears comments and such, my build notes. I'm just trying to have some fun, maybe force a bit of introspection and get people to ditch the traditional shackles of modern video gaming boundaries. I think it's important to have some fun and not take yourself too seriously. I'm just a guy, a normal guy who loves this style of game. I was in the right place, at the right time, with the right thing. That's just how it rolls. My only regret is that I have to choose my words very carefully now, making jokes is fraught with difficulties. But that's just all part of it I guess.

I thank you for makin' something alot of wanted. It has brought a new feeling on a old take for games for me.

[rocket 16567]

xHawk' pid='62394' dateline='1337892706']

You say that now' date=' but have someone hand you a few million dollars... watch how fast you change. I know I changed and all I got was a couple thousand. Add to that that this seems to be a group of people working on different parts of the mod, and money will just make things far more complicated then they need to be, so money should be left out of it till it's in it's RC (Release Candidate) build phase.

[/quote']

Well if you read some of the interviews, I do talk a bit about my background. i've certainly not taken the money-train before. Besides, I'm still young. What I want to make is something really successful, build a reputation for myself of making quality games that people want to play because they know I won't sell out.

In the film industry, this is the equivalent of being "bankable" and getting something like final cut. That's what I want. And the way I get that is by delivering something so crazy but people still want it that publishers will be prepared to let me push the boundaries and take real risks - that's what I want games to do more of.

What I don't want to do, is take your money without any structure. People love this idea of kickstarter, but I would feel much better if we said "pay what you think this is worth" or something like that for something that actually exists. That to me feels right. The project can't go on forever as a mod because I will implode, the servers will catch fire, and nobody will be left to manage them because we have all shot ourselves.

All I can ask is that people stay focused on the experiment, and that we build a dialog and I grow enough to be able to manage a large community but still make time to remain completely connected. Then, when we need to and the project is right, and the community approves, we can look at taking other steps. I mean I am just spitballing here, anything can happen. But that is what makes this exciting.

[UbiquitousBadGuy 846]

Good to have these "talks" to get perspective. I know I am 100% excited for what lies in store for the game.

[Suicide Mouse 50]

The only thing that saddens me is knowing that when the game goes from alpha to beta, to full demo and perhaps to alpha full game, beta full game and full game release, I'll be dead.

[unsobill 0]

I always believed that money corrupt art really fast. True artists stay hungry. Rocket is an artist therefore for now we only have to feed him with ideas, imagination and 3d models to make his still fresh art project a truly world changing history making jewel - new standard for none-casual art-house gaming.

speaking of 3d models for arma - how hard is it to create them/ implement them - i would love to see more interaction with items ( such as use empty whiskey bottle + gas canister+ piece of t-shirt = molotov)

---

The only think that saddens me is knowing that when the game goes from alpha to beta' date=' to full demo and perhaps to alpha full game, beta full game and full game release, I'll be dead.

[/quote']

bro we all be dead - it's not how we died that matters - it's ideas that we left and how we lived is important.

[silenced (DayZ) 5]

All I can ask is that people stay focused on the experiment' date=' and that we build a dialog and I grow enough to be able to manage a large community but still make time to remain completely connected. Then, when we need to and the project is right, and the community approves, we can look at taking other steps. I mean I am just spitballing here, anything can happen. But that is what makes this exciting.

[/quote']

So far, what you've created is coming close to what S.T.A.L.K.E.R. should once have been but never achieved to be.

I personally already had removed my gaming rig since there's been nothing else out there worth to be played, but this little project caught my attention and, well, my gaming rig has been dedusted and it's running for one or two hours per day again, if I find the time.

Sure, it's frustrating to lose your stuff after being shot, again, or bleeding out because of own stupidity or whatever happend again, be it a bug or anything else, but you can start again and do it better, more efficient and with more experience again.

At least, next time, I won't be cooking some meat not even 200m away from one of the airfields, I don't even know WHY I did it there, and of course: I caught a cold through that hole a bullet punched into my head and died because of this, again. Sometimes while playing I forget everything I've learned in the army, and every time it means: You're dead, stupid something you are!

But hey, new day, new life ... new patch and some new things, sometimes. Keep up the good work, and who knows, maybe your plan is working and you can move something within the gaming industry.

[cod3r 1]

I always believed that money corrupt art really fast. True artists stay hungry. Rocket is an artist therefore for now we only have to feed him with ideas' date=' imagination and 3d models to make his still fresh art project a truly world changing history making jewel - new standard for none-casual art-house gaming.

speaking of 3d models for arma - how hard is it to create them/ implement them - i would love to see more interaction with items ( such as use empty whiskey bottle + gas canister+ piece of t-shirt = molotov)

[hr']

The only think that saddens me is knowing that when the game goes from alpha to beta' date=' to full demo and perhaps to alpha full game, beta full game and full game release, I'll be dead.

[/quote']

bro we all be dead - it's not how we died that matters - it's ideas that we left and how we lived is important.

bro.. Video game may be art but it's also a multiBILLION dollar industry. Plenty of great games have come out and cost actual money. His ideas while fresh are not entirely new. Big studios don't necessarily pick them up but others have very similar qualities. PVP focused, anyone can do anything, full loot etc.. DayZ flavor of this type of sandbox game is very cool and could become very big.

But as has been seen with other games people eventually tire of them if development is slow and the community becomes useless because of just too many suggestions and too much bitching and complaining etc..

he doesn't have to sell out just cash in and put some full time effort to his vision to eventually sell out to EA and go hang out on the beaches with playboy models...

[Felix (DayZ) 21]

Its nice to see another dev speaking their mind and building what they want. It may ruffle some feathers, but then again its nice to see you building what you want and envision. I fear the day when you find that difficult to do.

[ECH0 6]

I think it is important to remember that this is a mod and not a game. So maybe it's important to say this mod rather than this game. This is just a shot in the dark but I think the point that rocket is trying to convey is that publishers and developers need to make the descisions to make games that have an actual community.

I am only an aspiring developer so I'm not a vessel of knowledge but I will say that the pc gaming industry needs to be as focused on the community around the games as much as they focus on push selling of games; And instead of assuming that all gaming communities are full of children give them free reign as pc gaming history has shown that the community in fact makes the industry.

sorry if that doesn't make much sense, I feel like I'm baking in this heat (it's hot in London right now)

[unsobill 0]

Rocket is young genius artist who releases mod updates almost daily !!!

There shouldn't be any issues with speed of updates in my view. Huge explosion of suggestions and bitching only creates diversity which will surely find place in the game.

As for Industry : community increased Bohemia's ROI and sales probably 500 percent this past months and will continue gaining profits as mod will get bigger and better. Community is strong with this one, that's for sure. We all mostly ex-OPF/Arma vets here anyway - it's been always mature community -sometimes too mature :D

as for art - many genius artists crafted their life masterpieces not for profits or fame - they created them in attempt to leverage their self-mastery skills, they wanted to see their own limits and erase borders of that limits. They were inspired to be first to climb Everest !

Thing like this is dream of every developer !

Pushing self boundaries and getting out comfortable zone is the only way to go for rocket right now ! $ will come naturally - money after all it's just an instrument to create something GREATER then more money !

P.S

Read on Red Orchestra developers and their motives if you got spare minute - they also have incredible success story in gamedev.

[ZedsDeadBaby 2287]

I just honestly don't believe a massive cash injection would suddenly make everything better.

I respect and commend your stance' date=' but I wonder if you're not missing maybe some small opportunities to capitalize on the initial rush/wave of interest you have generated with the amazing work you have done thus far.

Consider the value of running some official servers - both in giving you a stable test environment whose hardware and software configurations you have complete knowledge of and control over - but also in providing your play testers a more stable, reliable and trustworthy environment in which to test and enjoy the game, freeing us from the whims of private servers whose hardware and admins vary greatly in their ability to provide a consistent testing environment.

Consider also that you need not relinquish any personal control, creative oversight, independence or self-reliance to hire a handful of dedicated and talented people. Even some testers who can take a more professional approach to documenting, cataloging, tracking, and verifying issues both up front and in later versions via regression.

You need not mandate contributions. A Kickstarter soliciting donations right now would be incredibly effective. I can tell you right now without a doubt that I would contribute at least $50 and I know of several people in my admittedly-limited circle of friends who would do the same. A t-shirt would be nice, but I would contribute just for the satisfaction of doing my part to advance the cause.

[b']Even if you're not going to use it now - put the money in the bank. Spend it when you feel you're ready.

There's some grunt work to be done, no doubt. You should get yourself some grunts so you can focus on doing what you've already demonstrated you're capable of doing - creating new and interesting ways to build this interactive narrative into a game that so many of us have been dreaming about for so long.

Look at me. I'm gushing.

[Jaleno 4]

I just honestly don't believe a massive cash injection would suddenly make everything better.

Da fuck? Straight cash injected into the bloodstream cures AIDS, ever heard of Magic Johnson? :D

[Chimeray 4]

Well all I can say is don't forget what one of those producers or whatever he was said to you: Players whine about a lot of stuff and say they want something, but it's not really what they want.

Which actually is sort of true, but you seem to know what you're doing. You've got a strong design so far cos you're (still) very down to earth. Don't let anyone push you around, not even the community. You're in charge! ;)

Go experiment, hoeray!

[sunnz 24]

There will always be crying carebears. Generally the majority of people should be ignored with extreme prejudice if you want to actually get anywhere & not ruin the product. Just look at the Battlefield series' date=' absolutely destroyed because DICE listened to the majority whiners on the forums.

This community is one of the less retarded from what I've seen. I've actually been quite impressed. Sure there are a lot of carebear QQers but that's kind of a given. The hardcore OFP/Arma guys who have come over are balancing them out to some degree.

[/quote']

Have you actually been to the BF forums?

DICE ruined BF because they wanted to compete it with COD, they chose to make the game more streamlined and appeal more to those who love 500 "rewards" showing up when you kill someone. It was DICE and EA who chose to make BF3 the way it is, they wanted ( and succeeded) in making the game appeal to the masses ,which sadly mean the game was not what the veterans and people who loved what BF was like before appreciated. Sadly, crap sells nowadays.

The forums ACTUALLY have people suggesting BF to go back to its former glory/roots, making it more like how it WAS. So stop typing shit BUT you are right about developers listening to their communities and ruining games, happened to a few games that i know of.

[rocket 16567]

The only think that saddens me is knowing that when the game goes from alpha to beta' date=' to full demo and perhaps to alpha full game, beta full game and full game release, I'll be dead.

[/quote']

Well dude, I mean. One thing I am proud of is how far the project developed in a month. Even if I went full-retard, I'd still be proceeding pretty fast.

This time about a month ago the architecture only supported a few servers and about 200 players. it now supports a max of over 10,000 concurrent across nearly 300 servers.

If that ain't progress fast enough for ya man, well fuck... :P

[Suicide Mouse 50]

Of course, you achieved a shitload in a short amount of time. I didn't meant you are a slow, sloppy worker. lol

It's just, I know how much you wish to implement, and you're still only human. Something as big as this, it can take a long while.

I, for one, haven't been blessed with divine patience, even more considering I've been waiting this game my entire life.

But I surely would still be there waiting, even if it took decades. It's not like I have anything better to do anyway.

[unsobill 0]

This time about a month ago the architecture only supported a few servers and about 200 players. it now supports a max of over 10' date='000 concurrent across nearly 300 servers.

[/quote']

Is it possible to have 1000 players playing on single map on single server ?

I think maximum I ever seen was arma server with 200 PVP players right after Arma 2 was released.

What do you think you can squeeze from the engine in terms of maximum server size ? And will Arma3 bring some improvements in this field of interest ?

[Felix (DayZ) 21]

Couple times early on with 100 slot servers things went south quickly. I don't think we'll see huge servers for a bit until things are optimized much more.

[rocket 16567]

If this project takes too long, 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.

[Suicide Mouse 50]

I actually got a negative reputation from that post. LOL

Guess I should start being more specific around this parts.

[rocket 16567]

I actually got a negative reputation from that post. LOL

Guess I should start being more specific around this parts.

Nothing wrong with it at all. I think good discussion in this thread, was a thread a while about roadmap but I can't find it. Been meaning to get some discussion going on this stuff.

[ShortsNL (DayZ) 0]

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

[/quote']

Go for it man. 100%. We as a crowd will be there for you along the way and at the finish, and we'll only get bigger as the road goes on. Don't stop, keep going at full speed.

We want this to be as successful as you want. Never in my video gaming life have I ever felt so much excitement and tension over a single kill in any FPS. The closest thing was Rainbow Six 2: Rogue spear, where your CT team members were actually killed, with no revives or second chances, when getting shot.

You have in your hands something that when executed properly, will change the industry and shake the publishers like an earthquake.

Don't let that get wasted. Make the DayZ the best thing it can be. We're here for you to back you up, and many more will be as this will grow bigger and bigger.

[oktyabr 53]

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 always suspected that even if you had the money (and the desire) to make some sort of stand-alone game out of this concept that it probably wouldn't end up much different than it is now.

I mean how many more engines are there out there that can solve the basic requirements of huge maps, thousands of AI and 50 or more players? I consider myself a hobby level game designer ;) but wonder if an Arma2/3 mod or paid DLC isn't the best choice with today's selections of engines at any price?

[Ungotter 2]

Eurgh, money. Reading this thread the concept of money comes up a lot and I really could just put on my political commie hat.

It is a shame to see money come into the mod's future because with free-content and mods it always goes down the wrong route for me in the sense of items that give you advantages and so forth. Donations I guess are fine but the wording here is that you require money from us :/

[Suicide Mouse 50]

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']

This post has made me extremely happy for the rest of the night, thank you, good sir.

I'm not a very optmistic person, so I'll just feed on yours, as you have plenty of tears to keep you full.