Saturday 9 December 2017

Dead Frontier 2: News & Early Sceenshots

A Big Thank You
Before I begin I want to say that since we announced Dead Frontier 2 we've had a hugely positive response. Everyone seems so excited about the new game and it's given me a huge boost in morale. I'm now more determined than ever to make this game the best it can possibly be.

I want to say a big thank you to everyone who read our announcement, and especially to those who took the time to leave comments. It really means a lot to me that the community is still behind us, even after all these years.

Interior Areas
So ever since I announced DF2 I've gotten my head down and started grinding away at getting our interior areas ready. I'm pleased to say that after roughly 6 weeks these are now finished, save a few minor bugs. We have a total of 13 building types, and each of these can have literally trillions of possible layouts (actually a lot more than that, but my brain doesn't understand numbers any bigger than this!)

Dead Frontier 2 does not make used of *any* fixed scenes, absolutely everything you see is generated by the computer. We have a few reasons for doing this, but the main ones are:

  1. Fixed areas are costly in terms of time/money to create, especially if you want a large world. For a small team like us, it could add literally years of work.
  2. It's easier to expand the game world with random generation, making updates easier.
  3. Playing the exact same layouts over and over will get boring, regenerating them every so often helps make the game feel fresh and exciting.


This is very similar to how the old Dead Frontier 2D used to work. Essentially we give the computer a set of walls, doors, windows, furniture and decorations, and then let it randomly place them based on certain predefined parameters. So for example, a bathroom would likely have tiled walls, tiled floor, 1 toilet, 1 bath, 1 sink, and then a few optional bits and bobs like toothpaste, toothbrushes, hair products, carpets. We then chain these rooms together depending on the building type. For example a house will likely start with an entrance hallway, that can then link to a living room, a kitchen, a dining room. Going upstairs will usually have bedrooms and bathrooms. Using parameters like this you can get quite realistic results, without having to physically build anything yourself.

The downside of this system is that is does take quite a bit of time to setup all the different furniture, decoration and wall types. From there defining how each building will be laid out can also take quite a while. There is also the issue of testing and tweaking. Every so often the computer will generate something that just looks wrong, so you have to keep adding extra conditions to help prevent those situations. A lot of you may remember things like this happening in DF2D. Luckily I've put a lot more work into this version, and the result is miles better than we had back then.

I figured I'd give a list of tasks that I have completed, and those that are still being worked on in each post so you can get an idea of how development is going:

Complete:

  • Looting
  • Inventory & Items System
  • Trading
  • Menus
  • Account System
  • Character Creation
  • Skill System
  • Leveling System
  • Weapon System
  • Enemy System
  • Interior Generation System
  • Final Exterior Areas
  • Final Interior Areas
  • Puzzle System
  • NPCs
  • Player Avatars (programming complete but waiting on some art to finish)
  • Multiplayer
  • Basic Vehicles
  • Security



TODO:

  • General Gameplay Improvements (more blood/gore, more interesting/rewarding combat)
  • Advanced Enemy System (ambushes, special attacks etc)
  • Advanced NPCs
  • Advanced Vehicles
  • Bosses
  • Noticeboard/Missions
  • Outpost Attacks
  • Clan & Friend Systems
  • Leaderboards & Competitions
  • Music/Atmosphere System
  • Final Cosmetics System
  • DF1 > DF2 name reservation and transfer system
  • Steam Integration
  • In-game purchasing
  • Bug fixes :)
  • Final UI Skin
  • Final Item Definitions
  • Final Skill Definitions
  • Final Map Definitions
  • Final Weapon Definitions & Setup
  • Final Enemy Definitions & Setup (waiting on some art)
  • Final Outposts


The list as it stands makes it look like I've still got tons to do, and will never be finished in time. But in reality most of the tasks in the "complete" section were very big & complex, whereas most of the TODO list are much shorter tasks. A lot of ground work has already been done to make implementing these final features fairly quick. Still, I admit I may be cutting things close, and it is *possible* that some of the final features will be missing at launch.

Early Screenshots
This morning I went ahead and compiled a bunch of game-play screenshots, showing off some of the new areas. Note that most of these are missing enemies. This is because I am currently in the process of setting up the final enemy models (before we just had placeholders). I do have one type finished though, which is the one you can see below :)









If you'd like to stay up to date with DF2 developments, please sign up to the mailing list, Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to the Reddit forum (probably the best place to ask questions). All those lovely links can be found here: http://deadfrontier2.com :)

Have a Great Christmas and Happy New Year!

I'll have more news for you in early January. Thanks for reading!


120 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. man I am looking forward for the future developements and more screenshots *wink*wink*

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    2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q8imMvWPAU&t=13s

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  3. It makes me remember to No More Room In Hell game, Looks really Badass!! Keep the work Up :D

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    1. I should give that a play at some time. Heard good things about it.

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  4. Looks interesting. I hope the looting system isnt to far off of what it was in DF1 as of course it needs to be shifted with the new game the basic concept was easy and pretty efficient. Keep up the good work on it!!

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    1. Looting is only slightly different really. The biggest change is that weapons/clothing/armour can have random attribute bonuses on them.

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    2. So kinda of like it coming MC? Thats not bad at all.

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  5. Wow. Good job Neil. I'm looking forward to this very much. Keep doing your best we gonna support you all the way

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  6. Extremely Extraordinarily Buddy Can't wait to play it
    As I'm a Df player from 5 years!

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  7. Sei que vai ficar muito bom esse jogo. Conheço deis de a época do 2d. Estão fazendo um excelente trabalho parabéns!

    Só tenho um pequeno pedido a fazer. coloquem opção de poder atirar de dentro/cima dos veículos.

    Fico imaginando como deve ser foda sair com um carro na cidade em quanto atira num titã que persegue você :D

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  8. This looks really good!!! Cant Wait.... im supporting this all the way

    *sidenote* i cant believe this is my blog name from when I was younger ahaha

    -Melee First Engineer-

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    1. this reminds me of a resident evil 6 layout. Just wondering how the new controls will be like. It looks like we actually have to have an aim button now and sprinting will work a little different im assuming?

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  9. Lack of first person and the use of flash for the outpost screen were my big reservations for this game in the past, really really good concept

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    1. Yeh this version should be much more steamlined

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  10. All these screenshots are inside of buildings. I hope the entire game will not be based just inside but outside as well? Like streets, forest etc.

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  11. Men, will run on a pc a little old? processor dual core 2.70ghz

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    1. With low settings you might be okay. Really depends on the graphics card

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    2. thank you fore the answer dear admin. I wish all the best for you friend!

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  12. How will this game work for end pc-s?

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    1. I guess you mean low end PCs? It should work on most PCs from the last 5 years if you turn the settings down.

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  13. This looks better than Resident Evil 7 lol

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    1. Wow thanks. Not sure about that but feels good to hear you say it anyway hehe

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  15. hmm looks good the only thing im concerned about is that it looks like high end graphics,can you reveal any minimum specs required

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  18. Looks delightfull. But one question. I didnt saw any notices about actual survival system. What with it? Hunger, Tiredness, Health, and other stuff?

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  19. have to say i like what i see, of course the proof will be in the puding... come april.
    hopes are high.

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  20. Loving everything written so far. There's a big concern that could potentially hinder the longevity of the game. The idea of having multiple outposts with multiple currencies, taxes, different map location, etc. Seems good on paper. The issue is that it doesn't apply well on actual gameplay. Deadfrontier 2d concept of a single Outpost with multiple end-game areas is the best way to go. The creation of several Outpost separated the community too thin. The best example I can show you is Dead Frontier 3rd itself. The creation of new outposts closer to the end-game areas ruined varies aspects that made the game unique. For example, barricading became obsolete once Secronom Bunker became a thing due to its proximity to the hardest and best rewarding areas of the game. Not only that, but also practically killed the unique economies of the earlier outpost. Not just that but the newcomers would find walking 40 minutes to an hour to just die on the way extremely tedious and a complete waste of time. This was the major downfall of Deadfrontier. Segregation of the community would kill the desire to progress. It would unintentionally ruin the development of a healthy player run economy.

    Thank you for your time,

    Deception
    Deadfrontier.com

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    1. Travelling will be much quicker with vehicles so this should be less of an issue. Still you have good points and I will try not to spread players too thin.

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    2. I haven't fully grasped how you're going to make the world generation happen. The interior generation is easily understandable, but how are you going to apply it to the exterior world? Would it be like Minecraft where the world is different for each player?
      If so, my worry is this would segregate the players.
      It would be fun to occasionally bump into other survivors, lend a hand, loot together, or just part ways. Maybe you could dynamically generate the world every 3 days so the environment doesn't get stale.

      On Daca's concern about outposts and player-driven economy, I don't think the outposts would matter much at this point once transportation has been implemented. For a stable economy, you could implement a global market, or create different outpost markets but make it visible to players from other outposts to encourage travelling, add value to trading, and a layer of demand and supply.

      Cheers,
      Your Father

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  21. Assh, DF2 looks like it is not going to run on my computer or with the graphics totally low :(

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    1. It might do you never know. It's free, so worth downloading and trying it out either way.

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    2. Of course, I'll download it and try to play it, but with those screenshots and those graphics I doubt that I can run the game :( my processor is Intel 1.8ghz celeron only internal video and 3gb ram

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  22. Much respect from me, although i was a bit disappointing about DF1 not being updated Im still excited for DF2. Keep it up and pushing forward.

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  23. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q8imMvWPAU&t=13s

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  24. i'm very excited to see how the game looks when it's finished. from the early screenshots, somehow it looks like Outlast or Resident Evil 7, but with upgrades, skills, more zombies, more ways to survive and more ways to enjoy

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    1. It will look even better than these shots by the time we reach release :)

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  25. Getting 2D Dead Frontier vibes from those screenshots. Dark areas, that claustrophobic feeling/ tight areas...

    Looking good so far.

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  26. I'm mainly concerned with if the sprinting system will be awkward or not in case huge bosses like the Flaming Black Titan show up.
    A huge horde of zeds coming at you while in 3rd person sounds exciting though.
    I'm interested in seeing some sort of Live Event, perhaps once every month or so with like Last Man Standing, Apocalypse, etc. modes. Even just your weekly Events were worthwhile.
    In terms of weapons, I've always wanted some sort of infusion system or an upgrade system where you could use currencies to improve stats like reload speed, damage, etc. Will that be added later on?
    Either way, I'm excited for this game.
    Dead Frontier 1 I stopped playing because I simply didn't care for the content I didn't have and I was content with the level I had.

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  27. Now this is really getting me pumped for the release. Been playing DF since 09 and will continue to till its dieing day but I look forward to the new game and giving it my attention as well, hopefully not as addictive as DF1 XD

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    1. Haha I dunno, I think DF2 may end up being even more addictive

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  28. Imagine getting chased down by a titan or a giant spider with that PoV... jesus..

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    1. please add intense boss music or a boss roar to cause the agree

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    2. I'm gonna soil my pants if I see a horde of spiders from that PoV.

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  29. THIS LOOKS REALLY AWESOME!!!!. One Question, You Will Add Human Enemies Like Thieves Or Hostile Survivors, With Guns(Pistols, Machine Guns, Rifles, Etc) And Other Kind Of Weapons Like Baseball Bats Or Knives?

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    1. You can fight other players in PvP but no at this stage we are not planning to have human NPCs you can fight. We want this game to be about zombies + horror, and not so much human conflict.

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  30. omg this is so amazing, i think i can run this one on minimum settings, it looks terrifying

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  31. Eu sei que ainda está no começo da produção mas, acho que seria interessante janelas com iluminação da luz do luar . E cabelos com modelagem mas bonitinha (alguma tecnologia parecida com o cabelo do Leon e da Helena). Os efeitos gráficos estão lindos.

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  32. I have a few questions:

    What are your plans for outpost attacks, or is it too early in development to say? More like 2D or 3D?

    Will there be dodging mechanics (rolling etc.)?

    Are there AI improvements for enemies so they can path their way around objects, or will they be able to get trapped behind things?

    Cheers!

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  33. Are we gonna have the same weapons? I would love to have an Alpha Bull or a Rex in third person.

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  34. Hey neil!
    I'm kind of curious, is the game going to be open world like DF3D or lobbies with open world like DF2D?
    It would seem a lot more interesting if you can mix both in a way where players have both privacy in their game (lobbies) but are also encouraged to play together (open world), flexibility is what would make a game really interesting alongside the randomization factor such of that of Diablo 3's RNG looting system,

    also, is the game going to be open for mods in the workshop? would be cool if it's possible to do that!

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    1. Also, would you be down for coffee and breakfast one day when I visit london again? would be nice to meet you on one of my travels!

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  36. What are the estimated system requirements? The graphics do look awesome, but I suspect the system requirements will be needed since Unity will be an issue (Google & Firefox getting rid Unity).

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    1. Hey man, just wanted to tell you that this was on the first post of the big announcement. He said it will not be on we bbrowser anymore, but it's own client.

      Cheers!

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  37. you could add vehicles for transportation forward, since you will have a new view of the game, it will certainly be more time consuming to complete the blocks.

    and I would like to know if there will be any alpha, beta or any kind of sample before the game launch

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  39. Neil! GOOD FUCK!N6 Job man! This looks awesome! Congratulations! I started playing this game since 2009 approximately and I have seen how it has grown, but this has been the best update I've seen in years.
    Really man, i'm very happy for you with this upgrade!

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  40. Saw this when this post was first posted, but wanted to say this looks absolutely amazing! To be very honest, i actually thought this idea in my head waaaay back then the first year 3d came out haha xD so it felt so amazing when you actualyl announced this, i was mind blown!

    I know you said this will be more survival like, but I'm wondering, will this be more horror as well?? I'm hoping for this game to scare the crap outta me! xD I'm hoping to get that old resident evil vibe, like the games before resident evil 4. Sorry, now I'm blabbing, but again, will this game hopefully be mmore horrific in a good way??

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  41. Game pics looking good. I see that tons of work has gone into this already. And the environment generation idea is very intriguing implemented in this way.

    Even with it's limitations, 2D was always surprisingly atmospheric. This seems to have taken the basic concept and advanced it to the modern era. I won't miss seeing dozens of zombies on screen as long as they look half as gruesome as they do here.

    I'll take survival horror in lieu of plain old action any day. It'll be nice to be scared again.

    Looking forward to seeing what shiny weapons we'll be using.

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  42. now this is the game i have been waiting for my whole life thx alot for making this

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  43. I wanna marry this game and have it's children. <3

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  44. Looks Great, Not only do i think all of DF1's community will be intrigued and interested but it's likely to bring way more attention than just our current player base in my opinion Best of Luck Neil :)
    Sincerely ~ Crashbash2000

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  46. just as I loved DEADFRONTIER1 I will love DEADFRONTIER2 I played DF1 for 5 years almost 6 years and I did not regret anything I went through in this game.
    But I'm annoyed now that I took BAN only because I logged in using IP of the city of my relatives and I took this BAN saying that I sold the account (PLEASE REMOVE BAN I WANT TO CONTINUE TO PLAY THIS WONDERFUL GAME) (NICK: corujinha)

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  49. Hey adm i ve been afk for a while on df1 and i would like to go back. I found my username but i forgot the password and maybe the eamil adresse too. Could you tell me my email adresse, my username is qiuyi990

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  50. will there be any bug testing team? Me and my friend would love to get on it we both have been playing since 2012 together

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  51. My god, the game I have played (with different accounts since they kept getting deleted due to inactivity) for several years, the oldest browser game I have (probably) ever played, is getting a sequel. Brings a tear to my eye.

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  52. Hello, I hope we can see some screenshot of the exterior in the near future, and also some gameplay :).

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  54. Hey Admin!

    I have 3 fairly important questions.

    1. Will we be able to use our credits purchased in DF1 to exchange for Cosmetics/Utility upgrades in DF2?

    2. Can you implement a pre-order system of sorts for some of us to donate to the development of DF2 in exchange for some unique cosmetics or starter utility upgrades unlocked?

    And

    3. Can you please make this compatible with gamepads? My wrists are arthritic and while I can play for roughly 30 minutes without pain, it gets bad as the session goes on. Xbox type controllers dont give me this issue.

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  55. I'm very curious what gave you the idea to decide on changing the micro transaction system? I gotta give props to you for noticing and changing something which has been majorly detested across gamers worldwide not just this game mind you. One prime examples of those companies that gave us that undesirable opinion on microtransactions in games as a whole are from EA.

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  56. This is so boss- I'm lookin' forward to a revitalized game- Here's hopin' for weapon details and differences! Best of luck!
    Merry X-Mas!
    -WolfyTheLovePup

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  57. Hey, help me out to create a discord server. https://discord.gg/BcTezm

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  58. Hello Neil! Love the screenshots already, will there be backpacks added as option menu just like the previous? Also. I kinda liked the reticles from previous game also, This new reticle are so-so and not bad but I just liked how it looked back then. Also looking forward for your new installment!

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  59. I’m seriously excited, im telling all my friends that play LOL to start playing this instead when it comes out. Im so hiped! Can’t wait!

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  60. Hey, I was wondering.. Is there a way for beta testing?

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  61. Registered at Deadfrontier2.com

    Thank you, an activation email has been sent to *******@live.se. Please check your email to complete the sign-up process.

    -No email verfication has been sent, will try again tomorrow.

    Teach me how to fastforward time, cause im really looking forward to DF2 !

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  63. I'm really exited about this new version. i really want to play it !

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  64. According to what you have completed, and according to EA games on steam, you have a fully finished product! lemme play what you have!! :P - Stone94

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  65. Looks good! I mentioned this briefly on the forum threads as "Kaguzan", but to reiterate, I certainly hope there is some form of continuity planned between DF1 & DF2. Would be nice to see the community together. :)

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    1. (In a joint event of some sort, a form of event taking place across both games, etc.)

      I understand DF1 won't be so much of a focus, but it would be cool to throw the community a bone now and then to incentivize playing both games.

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  66. I particularly prefer the "Top Down" view because the approach strategy is much better than the third person view. But if that is evolution, let it come! I hope that in Dead Frontier 2 I can defeat the most difficult bosses without having to spend money for it, just time. Congratulations and I look forward to the launch of this game here in Brazil!

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  67. Wait is this still an mmorpg or a single-player game with 4 player co-op?

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  68. I Personally think adding a temperature aspect would add a totally new challenge. That being said coats and that would do more than just make your character look cool.

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  69. I also think adding an aspect where guns could be taken apart and used to make better weapons or modify others would be interesting. Forging even would be interesting. Anyway good luck and God Bless.

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  70. Wow xd soy el unico de habla Hispana por aqui ?=

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  71. Loved DF2D and DF3D! Can't wait for DF2!

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  72. Personally, I think option B is the best, maybe get some content creators and streamers in the mix too, to build hype for it, that provided of course you think the games quality as closed beta is good enough for YouTube/Twitch

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  73. Damn, this game is going to be lit in no time when it's released!
    Player here since 09 and I can't believe how far Dead Frontier has progressed!

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  74. How can I personally email you, Neil? DF support is unreliable.

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  75. Hey Admin,I know ur team is in progress in making Deadfrontier 2,And i know its going to be delayed for better in game experience but that is okay and most people one its to be like this.

    But,You should really put the game in steam already by april(the original date or early or later or whatever)
    why?build the hype!and makes more people know about this game!You do need to put the game yet just make the pages done.with a a few ingame video.
    -The loading
    -ingame fighting zombie
    -etc

    and later u can put it in early access when u think its ready to publish to public.

    I just hope you can make a page in steam early so a lots of people know about this game and can add to their wishlist while waiting(yea,put there so they get noticed when its realise)

    just an opinion.
    all the best

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    1. Holy shit admin,U actually did that!I just checked out the deadfrontier 2 in google and see its on STEAM!You rocked!I will spread about this news among ma friend!Cant wait for it!

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  77. Please unban my account "sachinraikar97" its been more than 4 years... Neil please my love for the game never ended...
    Please admin lift the ban on my account...

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  78. The more i read the more im starting to get physched truly sounds
    like the way frontier should always have been especially lovig the thought of a random generator on the areas that will make it that bit more interesting, hopefully though when your in a group go out and come back in its the same though, i remember 2ds little hiccup of going to the building on the first for example and being in normans go in and out again and your in different convince store i think it was pjb if i remember rightly.

    Anyways thanks for the updates admin you seem to be the most motivated ive seen in years.

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  81. I really appreciate the amount of time and attention you contributed to authoring this piece of content.From there defining how each building will be laid out can also take quite a while. There is also the issue of testing and tweaking. Every so often the computer will generate something that just looks wrong, so you have to keep adding extra conditions to help prevent those situations. I believe the subject matter interesting and am eager to learn more about it. I particularly enjoyed the manner in which you stipulated many opinions on the topic and showcased numerous points of view. The sheer amount of research you put into this post has me impressed. Overall, this is a wonderful post. It educated me a lot, and I'm sure it will also teach others. Many thanks for providing this information!
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