The review score is better than I expected it to be this early on, and even though our peak concurrent players has dropped a bit since launch, the total number of people logging in each day (DAU) is actually going up over time. Essentially more people are playing in total, they just aren't playing 24/7 like they were in the first 3 days.
One of my main reasons for launching into Early Access was so that I would be able to get your feedback earlier, and using that go on to make a much better game. That is exactly what has happened, and I now have a much clearer picture of what exactly you guys would like to see.
In this post, I am going to write down what I feel are your main issues with the game, and then I post my thoughts on this, and how I am planning to solve or improve it.
I want to say that at this stage I am not planning to publish a proper roadmap, with exact timescales etc. For example, I could probably promise to implement Outpost Attacks by the end of the month. It would actually be possible to do that, but only by rushing and completely ignoring anything new that crops up as we go; which would probably be a mistake. This doesn't mean I'll be slacking off, it just means that I won't be making any promises unless I know for sure I can keep them.
Generally speaking my aim is to first focus on the small improvements which make the biggest impact. Only once we have the core game working nicely will I then turn my attention on big new features and content.
Melee Combat is too clunky/hard to use
I agree that there is a significant learning curve with the melee combat, and that it was incredibly hard to use against groups of zombies. In the last patch I made some changes which I believe makes melee *a lot* more usable, namely: ability to stun up to 3 enemies in one hit, directional stuns, and directional dodge. With those changes I think melee combat with zombies is now a lot more forgiving and far less annoying.
A lot of people have suggested that melee swings should not cause the character to step forward, and/or that you should be able to move during swinging. I actually tried a test version of this melee combat before making the above changes, and I must say I didn't like it. In my opinion it was far to easy to stay out of range of the enemies and just wack them before they got anywhere near you. From an animation perspective, I also felt it looked far less realistic since there was no weight behind the character's attacks. I have sneaking suspicion that if I actually implemented this, there would be a lot of players who would want me to just revert back to the old system.
So, if it becomes clear that the community *really* wants a big rework, then I will probably do it. But for the moment at least, melee will stay roughly as it is and I will move on to other things.
It's too hard to find things/NPCs
I think the best solution to this would be an automap that fills in as your explore, adds names of NPCs, and provides other info which can be hard to remember. I see this as a high priority item, but it will be a fair amount of work to complete so it may not appear for a little while yet.
Missions are too hard/confusing/weird
Missions do definitely have a lot of weird quirks, and other issues that make them difficult to complete. Some are bugs, others are just design oversights. I will definitely be working on these soon. Some people have suggested having a notice board instead of random NPCs as they can be hard to find. I personally think that the automap will solve this problem, and I do like the little extra bit of immersion you get with finding random NPCs in the game world; so I'd prefer not to add a noticeboard if we can avoid it.
Too many loading screens/it should be open world etc
I personally like the loading screens, and it gives the game that nostalgic Resident Evil vibe. They allow people with older PCs to enjoy the game, and they help to make even slow zombies feel challenging. They have also made development *a lot* easier for me, especially when it comes to multiplayer logic.
A criticism I hear a lot for open world games is that the zombies aren't a threat, and that you spend too much time wandering around empty landscapes. This is because it's technically very hard to have enough zombies running around (and other interesting stuff) at once to even remotely fill a large area like this. If DF2 were to go open world, then we'd have the same problems. I also feel we'd lose a lot of our uniqueness and become "yet another zombie survival game".
To turn DF2 into an open world game would mean completely rewriting half of the game. That could mean an entire year with no other updates, and the final result could end up being worse than what we have now. It would undoubtedly introduce a lot of new bugs and performance issues. Therefore I think making the game open world is simply not realistic any time soon. Maybe it's something I could look into a few years down the line, but to attempt it now I think would be a big mistake.
Having said all of that, I do understand that the loading screens can get annoying after a long play session. I think the most reasonable solution here is to simply skew future content towards more & larger outdoor areas with smaller building interiors. For example, a fairly large (but not huge) farm area with just a few buildings to visit, a forest with some shacks etc. Outpost attacks, world bosses and PvP zones will also happen outdoors, so I think that will help a lot to break up the door loading.
Too repetitive
I think this is just a side effect of me releasing such a small chunk of the game and will certainly improve over time. Once OAs, world bosses, barricading, competitions, PvP modes, crafting, clans etc are added I think the game will be bursting with variety. Content updates which not only expand the size of the world, but add completely new location types which again make the game feel a lot nicer too. Unfortunately all of this will take me some time to complete.
So in the short term, I plan to add some random events in the streets (such as bosses and mini-hordes). I will also be adding a dedicated outdoor PvP area. These updates should be quite quick and easy to add, and should make the game a little more interesting while you wait for the bigger updates.
Not enough content
The game does need more content, and it will definitely be added. Personally I'd like to see at least triple the number of weapons/armour/clothing, double the number of enemy types, lots more outdoor & indoor location types, a much higer level cap etc. All of these will be coming, but as with the bigger features, it will take me some time to complete. Instead of doing one big content drop, most likely I'll break them up into smaller sections and release them in between the bigger feature updates.
Inflation/market chaos
This is the zombie apocalypse, not shopping at Walmart! Total chaos is what we want! :)
However, inflation does need to reined in a little and so I will definitely be adding more cash sinks. One idea I quite like the idea of is an NPC that allows players to donate cash. When enough cash has been donated in a certain time period, everyone in the game will receive some kind of bonus (like more EXP). I will also add some more "normal" sinks like dying clothes, buying vehicles etc.
Market UI is annoying
Yes, it is a real pain to use currently, and so I will attempt to rework things to keep it all in one screen rather than flipping between constantly. I quite like this design posted on our subreddit:
https://i.redd.it/91k88ob2k6m11.png (by LilManticore)
This is a high priority since the market plays a huge part in the game. It also shouldn't take *too* long to complete.
UI Ugly/Needs Icons
Yes our UI is rather basic and not super fun to look at when compared to other modern games. I would definitely like to improve this at some point. However much like the door loading, this setup has made development much quicker and easier. Having such a simple text based system will allow me to add new features/content at a much faster pace. Therefore I think it would be unwise to move towards prettier, but harder to update system too early. This will be sorted, but right now it is at a low priority level.
Other UI Issues
Other than how it looks, the UI has a lot of other like quirks and can be quite fiddly at times. You guys have suggested a lot of little quality of life improvements (such as use/consume on loot, easier refuelling, sorting, stacking etc) and luckily most of these will not be especially hard to add in. Therefore I will be looking to apply as many of these as I can in the very near future.
Updates Coming Soon
To sum everything above up, here is what I'm planning to add in the very near future:
- Mini random outdoor events like bosses and hordes
- A dedicated outdoor pvp zone
- An automap
- Market redesign
- Small UI qol improvements
- Small mission improvements
- Cash sink(s)
- Bug fixes! (as always)
Updates Coming Not Quite So Soon
After the above are complete, I will mostly like move on to Outpost Attacks and the first content update :)
Conclusion
Sorry for this huge wall of text guys. I hope all of that communicates what's going on in my brain currently, and should at least give you a vague idea of how the game in going to progress in the coming weeks/months. No doubt this will disappoint some of you who were hoping for bigger things. Please do remember that I'm only one guy, with a wife and 4 young kids to look after, so there are limits to what I can realistically achieve.
Still, I really do think that the final version of DF2 will be pretty damn amazing, and I'm really excited about the future :)
Thanks for reading,
Neil
pogchamp thanks admin <3
ReplyDeletekeep it up ill be playing both new and old game
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the game so far and I can hardly find anything that I don't like about it. Maybe it is a bit repetitive, but I don't mind slaying zombies for hours, I luv it. The only thing I miss at the moment is backpack as a physical item. Even if it wouldn't add much inventory slots, I think that characters would look much cooler with them and it would add a bit more of climate to the game.
ReplyDeleteIf he's going to add it, it should be purely cosmetic, you get enough inventory as is
DeleteMaybe Neil could "borrow" the bug out bag concept from Zombi/u in that when you die you drop it where you died and have to venture into a now more dangerous area to retrieve it. This would not only add a new level of tension for the player and promote a greater need for players to band together to help retrieve your belongings as a team but would also make the player alot more mindful of what they bring along with them on their travels.
DeleteYou could also set it up that a small swarm of zombies gather around the area where the backpack dropped to give more need to be stealthy if you do attempt to retrieve it alone and a more interesting assault as a group smashing through zombies as team to get it back!!!
Maybe even add a small incentive for players helping to retrieve it for the player who lost their backpack to give them more reason to want to help someone new to get back their belongings.
I have a few more ideas like that and actually do want to look into coding and programming and such for making my own horror videogame in the near future.
Keep up the great work Neil and try to take things at your own pace as much as you possibly can to save yourself from burning out too fast and needing more time to recover :o)
Sorry for that being soo long to anyone reading this and I can't wait to see the future of this game as I know unlike most early access games these days, this is most definitely going to be one to keep your eye on for becoming something truly amazing!!!
maybe the bag can add more inventory but it's rare
Deletethe smallest for 5
the biggest for 15
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteJust no, i don't see dropping your inventory as a good thing. Question is, where do you spawn? Back at Dalbow? Where your car is? The question is, how do you get those items back when you lose it all? Do you have to keep a second inventory in your car now, a back up melee and a back up gun? No, by doing this you're wasting precious space and punishing people way too harshly. What happens if you die in a boss room and you don't have secondary weaponry? Do you do the whole building again with the nothing you have? Ya'll need to think about the issues this will cause. I honestly don't agree with it and i don't see how it will benefit the game in a positive way.
DeleteMaybe the backpack would only hold quest items? So if you're doing mulitple quest and have multiple quest itmes and you die you have to recover that backpack that holds the quest items in order to complete said missions. Only mission items are affected NOT normal inventory items.
DeleteQuest items don't take up inventory space anymore..
DeleteI am aware of that, but maybe they should count as the "backpack" inventory behind your real inventory, and when you die you "lose" that back back and have to retrieve it in order to finish your missions (that require quest items)
DeleteThere is an issue with kickboxing or kicking in game,it seams to not respond correctlly or it lags a bit so it comes to late at least for me think it should be checked out.
Deletecheers
No we need to go further. Make it so the second time you die the bag disappears.
DeleteI think the backpack is not a bad idea but certainly not holding all of your items..adding like 3 to 6 slots to your max inv slots (depending on rarity) and you choose wisely what to put in it because it will drop on death adding tension to the game.
DeleteAnyway keep up the good work bro the game certainly has the potentials to be great. Good luck.
I'm loving the game. Any and all updates are appreciated.
DeleteBut to the point about backpacks. Maybe make it high capacity slots. For example, it could hold basically two or three stacks of ammo in one slot, that way you're more inclined to put your ammo there but there's more risk if you die because then you'd have to go find that expensive ammo. For things that don't stack, you'd obviously only be able to put one thing there. Just my two cents, even though I like the game as is. :)
Just lower the slots from 22 (or whatever the nr is right now) to say 12 and add the backpack as an equatable item to exited the slots to 22. Make low grade backpacks common OR make backpacks FIXED (they always give +10) but make higher quality bags give bonuses.
DeleteI was thinking of having mods for the weapon. this will make looting more interesting. having attachment such secondary touch light for the gun, iron sight, scopes, types of magazines for the gun will make the game more interesting and realistic.
Deleteit will be more better of they have tactical armour vest where there will have magazine slots to keep about 5-10 magazines that have to reloaded prior to a boss attack. with this come pros and con. like real live this makes sharing ammo with other player (share the magazine) or meds (easy excess slots) become easy with a click of a button. the cons is the friend who you share the mag can just take your mag especially is it rare or elite ones and this will consume time for the players to reloaded the mag prior to combat. But this will make the game more interesting like real live condition when players have to think before combat
Thanks for being so supportive with your community, it's nice to have someone reach out to us to give ideas for improvements
ReplyDelete:D
You made a very good game :D
ReplyDeleteSome real good stuff here my guy, keep up the good work
ReplyDeleteLove it, responding to peoples suggestions and giving reasons for yes and no's to them all, so far i'm loving the game and everything you've done post EA release has just been great, you seem to know where you want to take it and our suggestions are lining up with that which means you're there before we are and I love that and can't wait for more content and more play time for years to come :D#
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the hard works!
ReplyDeleteWithout a doubt this has been a clean, and very impressive launch. I enjoy the drive to keep the game feeling like Resident Evil; I don't mind the tightness of the rooms and environments, and enjoy the loot-and-scoot adventure that I've had so far. I too have been waiting to see new cash sinks, and am glad to see that dying clothing is going to become an option soon!
ReplyDeleteI want to see clans though. I want to see clans being a cash sink, with different things you can unlock for your clan. Storage/increases to storage for example.
Either way, keep up the great work! DF2 has been a blast.
first! lol
ReplyDeleteI think, for inventory UI, something that look like DF1 is good. You can see the character, u can see how the weapon look like. etc and easier to manage (for me)
Nice plan tho!
Great! thanks dev
ReplyDeleteawesome! keepup the good work, can't wait what you have in store for us!
ReplyDeletePlease fix the no sound bug. I'm already annoyed that I can't even have sounds in game
ReplyDeleteAll you have to do is close out the game and reopen it after changing your sound device.
Deleteuff great! thx for all the hard works!
ReplyDeleteGood to see some of this stuff.
ReplyDeleteI still stand by my opinion that forward momentum needs to go.
If you're worried about cheesing with melee free movement, then limit it to walking speed.
Noticeboards can go into police stations and give out repeatable quests like the stingy ones we currently have (~50$/exp), while the lucrative ones have to be sought out.
UI really needs some love, right now it's a pain to look at and use with the constant scrolling and it resetting when at the bottom of the list. One feature request I have is cosmetic slots for items we find to override looks without impacting stats.
I'd like to see make a return, atleast for solo play, is the invulnerability when looting/using inventory. Countless times I took damage simply because server communication took longer than usual.
One more minor thing, character creator could use a touch up. It's zoomed out too far and the lightning makes it impossible to see the changes.
Good job so far, I'm looking forward to future updates.
As a compromise for the melee forward momentum, why not have the character step in for a strike, and step out to recover. It keeps the player somewhat restricted, but might be less cumbersome and clunky when compared to the default system. Or at the very minimum shorten the amount of steps. One step forward strike, and follow through with the other foot to recover. One strike step and two recovery steps just feels awkward and unnecessary.
DeleteAnd while I am at it, there are really odd delays between actions. For instance, if I shoot an enemy and want to follow up with a kick or dodge because they've gotten too close for comfort, there is a two second delay, rendering my attempt mildly pointless.
DeleteIt is not that it's too hard to find things. I've been finding newspaper clippings and blood samples all the time but I have no idea where to take them without using a search engine like google. So I just don't bother with them. Missions are basically pointless for this player, the rewards look terrible compared to travelling to a higher level area and capping off the enemies in the outside area.
ReplyDeleteThink about introducing proper objective markers and maybe preventing the player from finding all these random objects without starting the mission with the NPC first.
Also a minimap is a good idea, some sort of old school resident evil map to help navigate all these buildings with 30 sub areas. The outside areas are way to basic to have a need for a map, but expanding is a bad idea before these minor issues are addressed.
The Marketplace requires a lot of navigating and personally I use a notepad to write down the lowest prices from buying page so my items actually sell.
Not that I'm not enjoying it but a lot of the reviews feel written through rose tinted glasses, even for extremely early access.
This game is amazing,great work... only 1 request... raise the Max level and change the prestige sistem please.
ReplyDelete"it gives the game that nostalgic Resident Evil vibe" I am so happy you made this comment. This was one of the first things I noticed when I started playing and seeing you share this sentiment is so cool!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the fantastic work; I can't wait to see future developments.
Love the game, Love that you keep everyone up to date regularly. Keep up the good work! I will be playing this on and off as content releases. I think you made a good point with melee and open world environment, Although i believe that not only should the melee damage one zombie, but all the zombies you connected with on your swing. Even if the other 2 zombies hit take half damage. (follow through damage) ? Just my two cents. I have the utmost faith that this will surpass DF1 in all its glory!
ReplyDeleteGreat update! Also please decrease the number of doors in huge buildings. Takes hours to find someone.
ReplyDeleteYea archbrook media inc every door is a hallway with more doors
DeleteThank you admin, for being so kind and humble and accepting all our reviews and critics about the masterpiece that you're creating.
ReplyDeleteI really do want to keep giving you the maximum of support I can as a long time player from the DF Franchise.
I could not agree more with some of the things that you said, but I have an different opinion about the open world stuff: the MUST HAVE fuel for travelling is not okay.
In my humble opinion, using cars should've been an option to fast travel instead of the only way to change places. If we could, someday, get a travelling by foot, like the old and great DF1 days, I would be so much happy, I love the immersion from the game scenario. Opening doors and having to load new areas every minute doesn't bother me at all, it increases the tension in never know what's coming in the next door, the feeling of entering in a room that has 10 zombies that start to rush into you is amazing, why can't the same happen for the streets? Walk around and exploring the city, I really want to be able to travel from Dalbow to Coppertown on walk, as an example.
Also, daytime and a non raining landscape would be great aswell, with different weathers you could find different zombies like: Daytime (more burning zombies outside), Nightime(The red with claw ones), Rain(no flaming zombies but more green zombies) and so on, but I know these take time and are not that easy to sript.
Well, that's all, if anyone wants to comment something feel free to reply me with more suggestions or critics to mine
Keep on the outstanding work, Admin <3
How about my Vengeance Zombie(Boss) and Night Hunter zombie (Boss?) :D
ReplyDeleteVery nice Neil keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteOh pretty please with a cherry on top add a refresh button to the market interface :D
ReplyDeleteThis is probably the first time that i am playing an online game with such a good team behind the game, updates takes place, changing things that is being commented by the players, listening to their needs.
ReplyDeleteReally thankful to have you creating this game,
we enjoyed it, and looking forward to it!
love and respect to admin!
We love you admin Thank you for your hard work <3 :)
ReplyDeleteAmazing post, thank you!
ReplyDeleteReally glad to see that you consider Market UI and (Auto) Map/(find)NPC update as priority.
As a Melee user level 19, i can say that the only downside melee has is that's it's absolutely unusable on dangerous/serious bosses, you'l get yourself killed. As for special mutated, i was able to deal with them before the patch and it's easier after, thanks for this! Now i waste less ammo vs. Runners, since i can push them all at once.
Thank you for this wonderful game! And also, thank you for listening to your players. Most of the early access games didn't succeed because the creators neglected their duty to listen to their players.
ReplyDeletePlease take all the time you need. No need to rush. Take your time. Good Luck with that! ^ ^
I'm honestly so proud of you Neil. I'm happy with you game you've created and being able to see the differences coming from 2008, my Dude, you've achieved a lot. Thanks man.
ReplyDeleteI love this. I love it I love it I love it.
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly what I asked for two nights ago, and it got delivered (not saying I am the reason for this being posted, but the timing is just perfect). This is what I love to see from a game, and I can tell that Neil is very passionate about it.
Take your time with it. DF2 is young, fresh, and has A LOT of potential. Seems like your head is in the right place and you're taking the game in the right direction. I know being the only programmer is very challenging and tiring, but keep it up. And there's nothing wrong with taking breaks. :)
Thank you, Neil.
-Laudat
Hey Admin!! As i read this i just thought: yes! yes! yes!
ReplyDeleteure working on the right things Admin! THANK YOU
I suggest that all the global players who are expecting big updates, have patience and it is better that the adminpwn not be stressed a lot.
ReplyDeleteIf everything is done very quickly, errors could occur and end up as the Dead Frontier 1 was.
and I thought that there were several people apart from him, moderators, developers, programmers, etc. but in the messages that I have read I see that only 1 person is working. The CC company is not very big as I thought.
then that means that the updates could take weeks or months to complete and finish
hey man Where is the bag? it game Survive but No bag??? and Time Search item i full inventory i clear it for get item but why search again ??
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, it's really understandable. This game has been released in early access, and there isn't much reason why we should even expect a really well-fleshed out game. For an early access game, it will definitely improve over the course of time, and thus far after 12 days of release, we've been seeing frequent updates to the game-- with some of these updates coming from the suggestions made by the community, meaning that you really have been paying attention and that you're really devoting your time to develop this.
ReplyDeleteThing is, I don't get why some people seem to expect a lot of things out of an early access game that released nearly two weeks ago and is being developed by a single person. To me, it's really well done, and the fact that you're constantly keeping the game in check is also pretty good. There's pretty much a lack in content as of now, but it's understandable, there will be more as time goes on. UI seems pretty bad, well that's most likely because it was made in a hurry-- pretty understandable, it's not the main focus of the game, but its there to make it at least playable. I don't feel bothered by the loading screens, in fact I find it a good way to take a quick break if they do take long (not the case for everyone, I understand, we'll see how this goes). I find no issues with the Missions, they're well within reason as of now however some could use some minor tweaking. If anything, the game is just in a decent condition right now, and I'm pretty sure it's a given that the game could use some fixes/tweaks/additions. However with all this in mind, take your time man. I doubt this game could be what it seems as is if not for the effort you poured onto it. Guys, to those asking for a lot, give this man a break & acknowledge him for his efforts.
I like ideas and also that of the community. The game may continue improving, but as you said, the final version will be a real gem
ReplyDeleteI am very excited for the things that we will see soon and I will be waiting to enjoy it as a DF player
Keep it up, you've achieved a lot with your work and with the game: D
liking game so far... nice job!
ReplyDeletejust reached level 20 and went wild with the HK-5, then i thought i haven't seen a road map yet. low and behold one pops up. Keep up the good work, DF2 saved my faith in games. looking forward to new content
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed every second of DF2 that I have been blessed to play so far. (63 hours and counting) I am honestly addicted to this game and I did play DF1 back in the day so when I first heard about the release of this, I was excited to say the least. You're an amazing developer and I would personally not want you to make DF2 open world. - As like you said, the way it is now keeps DF2 unique to your 'style', there's a lot more work to do this, and it could fail. Honestly mate, keep doing what you're doing and I see this game becoming a lot more popular! ~ Derp
ReplyDeleteCool stuff, keep the good work mate.
ReplyDeleteLove the game so far and pretty much agree with your thoughts on the matter, thanks for the constant bug fixes and communications with the community and keep up the good work :D
ReplyDeleteYou've done an AMAZING feat in creating the game!
ReplyDeletePlease don't let the negatives bring you down. I believe the majority of the community believe in the game.
Keep moving forward, and make the game as big as you've dreamt it to be! :D
What do you mean raise the level cap? Raise it from lvl 20 or the 5 prestige?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great game!
ReplyDeleteI honestly really love how you interact with the community and make changes based on that. Thanks Admin!
One idea for the loading screens is not even so much that we need a massive open world but if we could split the areas into slightly bigger areas. The inn for example. Could have the stairs be one continuous room , the hall ways are fine. Once you enter the apartment, the kitchen/bathroom/living room are all one chunk. Perhaps with a door that can be opened/shut or destroyed by zombies if players make noise within it. It cuts down on the loading needed but also makes the apartment feel bigger.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really good idea I can find myself agreeing with.
DeleteGAME IS GREAT GREAT JOB KEEP THIS UP
ReplyDeleteone bug I've notice is when another player enter the same room and all the zombies die. I would like to see better map navigation like resident evil 2 map or something for example i was playing w/ 6 players and we got lost in a 6+ staircase building and couldn't re-track where the door for the key is with everything looking the same, eventually we did but it was time-consuming and frustrating.
ReplyDeleteYES YES YES, you need to keep that loading screens between rooms. I'd like to see also an animation of opening doors and gates while loading the next level! I fcking love this old Resident Evil style!
ReplyDeleteSorry but i from Brazil, and my opinion will be in portuguese..
ReplyDeletePrimeiramente, sou um grande fã desde o DF1 !! E os resultados deste novo jogo DF2, está extraordinário ! Eu irei apoiar o jogo desde o inicio, aliás baixei no dia do lançamento, e acompanho tudo ate hoje.
Nós do Brasil, gostaríamos muito de um servidor na America do Sul !
Mas ja adiantando, confesso que nao sinto muito lag, e nao reclamo de muitos defeitos no jogo, até porque, desde o inicio vocês veem corrigindo tudo !
Grande trabalho, desejo um sucesso enorme à vocês !!!!
u need to make cross hair turn color when on a zombie
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBackpacks and assault rifles please :)
ReplyDeleteI have 2 recommendations, one for the loading screens, and one is something I think would be cool. 1) This may not be possible but you could make the loading screen an option for older machines. 2) It would be cool it you could knock over small objects like kitchen chairs. For example you stumble over it.
ReplyDeleteReading from another perspective on the Open World subject made me realize it too, it would just make it another survival mmo. But I do agree after long play sessions the loading screen give me head aches, not being dramatic. I'd love to see more diverse theme variety and open wide areas. Making a game solely for potato pcs and hindering your games potential is not right. If it's good content... who cares?
ReplyDeleteLove your game, has a lot of potential!! Keep it up!
Man, that game rules, nostalgic sensation
ReplyDeleteHey guys , about the outposts , what do you guys think about making them look a bit like df1 ?
ReplyDeleteWhat i mean is like at the entrance of each outpost there could be fortifications , like sandbags , crates , anything that could act like a barrier. Depending of the level that each outpost resides there could be a certain amount of firepower , going from armed guards with light weapons ( pistols , smg's , etc) , to heavy weapons ( high power rifles , 50.caliber machine guns, maybe even grenade launchers??) .
Anyway it's just an idea to set up outpost attacks and since Neil is planning to add other weapons it would be hella cool.
Note: Sorry for any trashy english , not my first language!
I played the first one and personally I loved it. The second is even better in my opinion. Yes it needs a lot of work. But all in all I believe you did great in this early release. Im so looking forward to seeing how it evolves into an even better game. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteI'd love a 3rd option when looting to directly consume or equip things ,and to see what the stats the items are just so we dont have to open the inventory so often to eat drink or discard clothes or weapons we dont find useful
ReplyDeleteThank you for listening to us, I am excited to see the future of this game.
ReplyDeleteI haven't played much personally, but I intend to follow along with development and play when things are a bit more polished.
ReplyDeleteAlso, good luck with your personal ravenous horde at home.
Ty for work hard, keep doing a nice job and the game certly will be a sucess.
ReplyDeleteI love this game please continue like this
ReplyDeleteloving the resident evil feel of the game sir! you created a great game.am exited to see the future of the game.all in all take care of yourself and the kiddies and wife first.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post is very well thought out, and I like your mindset and goals for the future! I'm very excited for the future of this game, as I'm already enjoying it as-is
ReplyDeleteMy main gripe is the loot that you find in the different map sections. My perfect example is: Cooperstown. The majority of ammo i found in the Cooperstown map, which is level 5, was 12 gauge and 9MM. You can't use 12 gauge or 9MM ammo till your level 10. I found 50 stacks of 12 gauge before I could even use it. I had to do the entire map of Dalbow each day to get 32 ACP and 20 gauge to have ammo for my guns. The loot needs top be in the right map section, that's all.
ReplyDeleteThis game is turning out great and I'm having a blast.
ReplyDeleteWhen most "AAA" developers turn away from the Survival Horror genre in favor of more action, I welcome DF2 with open arms.
I have one big gripe tho. Make sneak a toggle or toggle-able please. My pinkie finger is starting to cramp and hurt after long play sessions.
Hi, I have suggestions how about when you go to outpost like the police department the thirst and hunger mechanism stop/reduced just like in DF1..... just a suggestion tho
ReplyDeleteYou are amazing bro, thanks to give to us this game.
ReplyDeleteOutstanding please keep at it!
ReplyDeleteHey, this is amazing to hear, I've been with DF since the first has come out, and I'm enjoying the game so far. I would love to see one more thing that's not listed and that's the ability to either follow others once more for getting together with friends to grind out together or maybe make another party system of the same sorts. But other than that great, amazing work, Thank you
ReplyDeleteI love how the games going right now, a lot of potential. However there is a minor issue I'd like for you to address. When you fire a gun, and attempt to kick, theres like a 2 second timer before you can actually kick. Not sure if its intentional but if it isnt, might be something you should try fixing.
ReplyDeleteI tried to use a controller for this game but that didn't turn out so good. Hope this game become more controller friendly :)
ReplyDeleteHey, love the game so far, even made a funny moments in it on my YouTube channel and plan to make more videos on it as it progresses in development to help bring more players to the game! Just wanted to give a suggestion i and im sure a lot of other players might enjoy. A skill perk that you can buy by leveling up and putting a skill point into, that allows First Person Aiming. Just ADS, not allowing full first person play, as i know that's is asking a lot. Just an idea i would love to see in the game as it would allow for more tactical decisions and play. but to balance this with the time to become accurate as you reticle shrinks, add weapon sway that decreases as you stand still to compensate that. You can check out my video on the game here if you want!:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmj0GTanwaA
ReplyDeleteGIVE US THE LEGENDARY CLOAK!!! lol we want the cloak!!!!
ReplyDeleteAs long as updates and fixes keep coming, it will not be a problem.
ReplyDeletesuper nice game just like resident evil
ReplyDeleteWE LOVE YOU NEIL ! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND TAKE YOUR TIME ! No rush.
ReplyDeleteI think another great think would be a character model in your inventory where its easier to see whats rare ,equipped ect. After the UI is fixed up a bit it will help the game alot . I would also like to see body armor added later on .
ReplyDeleteIf this game develops in the direction of clans, houses for the player and protection of territories, it will be incredibly successful !!!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, I would like to see large areas of streets and much smaller interior spaces of rooms, their huge scale destroys the immersion. Similarly, control points can be static buildings in which they just come to visit, I do not think it makes sense to leave them random.
You are doing a wonderful job! thank you
Sorry for bad english
Hey AdminPwn! Not sure if you're going to read this, but I'm going to post it anyway.
ReplyDeleteI really, really think you should change up the loading screen to something in the middle which I personally think most players would agree would be satisfactory.
All you need to do is make every floor of a building an open zone where you can open and close doors without a loading screen. Only add loading screens when you first enter the building and onto stair cases and maybe boss rooms. Not only will this make it easier for zombies to hoard you, but they will easily be able to follow you through rooms and make the game feel more "open" while not having a huge impact on low end PCs.
I'm almost positive that if people with low end PCs can render a bunch of cars on a street with zombies and buildings in a big open area, they can render a floor with a bunch of rooms and some furniture and a bit more zombies. It might be a slightly bigger impact on performance in comparison but I feel the majority of players would really like this idea.
Also, on the UI changes. I really think that there should be a toggle-able HP bar in the top left or bottom left of the screen so we don't have to tab constantly when fighting bosses which can cost our lives.
I take my hat for you, gentleman. Everyone should learn from you! He is only one person and created a great game. Get updates constantly, hear your community, etc. No big company game would do something similar, it's honorable what you do for us, to see us enjoy your great game. And more honorable is the clarification, the part that says you are a father of 4 children, with a wife and that you are the only person in charge of the game. I continued like this, that of my part you are always going to have my support !!!
ReplyDeleteKeep it up. I am looking forward to it. :D
ReplyDeleteI loved DF2D and played it for a whole year and maybe longer. Later I have away my gear and weapons to some friends I made in the game and moved on to other games. Mr. Yates, I really appreciate the heart you pour into this game. I am sure whatever you do, you do to keep the game balanced and fair. Most of all, I love the DF community when they play. It brings about a sense of bonhomie and everyone is helpful to one another. I hope this continues all throughout the development.
ReplyDeleteCheers.
Maybe you can add hotkey bar below the screen to equip medical items
ReplyDeleteAwesome game..Keep up the good work :D
ReplyDeleteI love Dead Frontier community
ReplyDeleteObjectively speaking, this game went on the market and I bought the VIP a few days ago.this my ID:asteration .Then talk about the advantages and disadvantages of this game.I think the points you mentioned above are almost realized in every depth player. UI NPC MISSION and loading map. TOP1: I personally think that if I can. :You can optimize the map loading time so that you can get close to the idea of a seamless map.TOP2:The retro style is indeed very attractive to some players.TOP3:The advice given by the friend, the role device bar should have Appearance setting TOP4:Props should be able to set shortcuts TOP5：Backpack can be set to pageInstead of dragging and droppingLevel reset TOP6:This area hopes you can do an EXP save. You can click Reset when the player does not save. The rest of the EXP can be upgraded.TOP7：After resetting the level, there are two points provided here that may break some balance. Save the equipment level after resetting. But this will lead to the possibility that no one will play a low level later. The number of skill points increases after the second reset. Open up different occupations
ReplyDeleteDF2 is really awesome , shake the whole game world.
ReplyDeletehardcore players always want more challenge,when getting too close,the zombies can grab u to hold u position. whole building with junk and empty shelf is also nice and more realistic too.
just like DF1, guns too easy,fighting with bare hands far more fun than guns.
if we do have a choice,hardcore players always willing to pay for survive ,never for weapons .
maybe different server is a good way to go in the future, separate the hardcore and newbie.
there's no way to satisfy both type in the same server .
If you want a challenge, go to everest!
DeleteAdd the Russian language to the game!
ReplyDeleteyeah well you could just not released it as an early access game and kept it closed beta, how would they have liked that huh lol
ReplyDeleteit will be nice if you make some icon that show our weapon use like in battle royale. And sometime when we have quest outside main town we forget location when we found the NPC to recive the rewads.
ReplyDeleteHello admin may I suggest that when hitting 3 enemies at melee that instead of having only 1 enemy gets a damage can you have it so that the first enemy hit in melee will have the full dmg while the other 2 enemies will receive half of the full dmg? From what I experience using melee just takes a bit while to finish the zombies in groups compared to just using a gun and doing headshots from afar.
ReplyDeleteThere is one thing with the market UI who could be great. It's to add a "All" search, that would be so nice and faster to search ammo for example.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise you are a great admin, thanks for everything you're doing ! And I really liked what you said & did about melee combat :)
------ 2 IDEAS ----------
ReplyDeleteLess repetetiviveness with the door looting.
More hordes outside and in big inside areas (warehouse) or guarding good loot, and more guns to kill the hordes. THIS alone will give so much satisfaction to any player and very rewarding to any player that kills the whole horde!
I'm glad you're defending the doors. It seems to be the biggest complaint that I see. I personally love the doors, and you're absolutely right that it gives the Resident Evil vibe.
ReplyDeleteDude, you are amazing do be doing this on your own with a family! The game is great and whatever updates you make to it will be great! You deserve a lot of credit.
ReplyDeleteReally good work. Loving this game. Another quality of life item I'd like to see is a compare function in inventory, loot containers and market so I can tell if an item is better than what I have equipped without having to go back and forth to my inventory. Also I don't mind the door loading other than getting a little turned around sometimes but, once the automap is out, it will fix that problem quite nicely.
ReplyDeleteI wish to see where I can add friends. And able to play with my real friends to.
ReplyDeleteyo creo q deberian traducirlo al español,por q hay muchos latinos que lo juegan
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCould you please separate the hat and the glasses lol(when I wear a hat I can't wear a glasses)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to work on this game.
ReplyDeleteMy man, you are amazing. I love this game so much, it has problems? yes it does but you are a one man army. I cannot wait for the future of this game. Major respect <3
ReplyDeleteI have suggestion in the map can you change the map like never before in dead frontier 1? like roads are all the same in the map and the buildings. I think you should put some other biomes like forests, jungle, temples, or that can go trough the canals and swamp that you know the players will explore the maps, then every zombies have different types depends on the biome. Just like the last of us map and the walking dead map. I hope my suggestions help for you for make better to play :)
ReplyDeletePlis agrred server sud american.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your thoughts and for the heads up on what is about to come and what are the priorities. I do love the feel of the door loading and thought it was unique, but maybe if the loading time was shortened a little that might help. Can't wait for the DF1 style outpost defenses! This game brings back so many memories. Thank you for creating a wonderful game.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI am a French player, I love your game and I hope that future updates will be fabulous as new content: D continue like that we love ! :)
Can you add the face as one of the section for a wearable clothing in the game?
ReplyDeleteYou're doing a great job. I have my entire discord server playing. We're really forgiving about the clunky controls for combat. It really isnt an issue, nor is the step forward with a swing. It DOES add weight. The only complaint I hear is lack of variety for enemies and having to search room by room each reload. Personally I'd rather see more variety before adding events such as outpost attacks. Even a few different skins on the zombies will make it more attractive to new players rather than "fat girl, stinky dude and fat guy". I didn't realize you were a one man dev team, so keep up the awesome work.
ReplyDeletewhy the game was crashed when i klik play character ??
ReplyDeletepls help !!
Hello.
ReplyDeleteXP won in a group is only shared if everyone hits the same zoombie. Will this be maintained?
Зависло оружие! не могу сменить уже второй день!
ReplyDeleteCan you consider adding a greater variety of melee weapons? I would personally love for my character to have a Brush Axe/Sling Blade. Or even some kind of polearm or spear.
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't at all listening to the community. all I saw in this blog post was "I like this so it stays" not "This is what the community likes so it should be in."
ReplyDeleteThe melee is TERRIBLE and frustrating. the step forward is the stupidest thing in gaming. Dev I do martial arts I train with spears, swords shields etc etc. in no way shape or form do I have to take a step! when I swing or stab to get any power behind my attack, I can hit just fine! do baseball players take a step when they swing!? right now your melee is making me NEVER touch this game again, i was clipping into and more frustrated with the melee than any game I have ever played.
Players are right there are to many loading screens, I thought that was a limitation not a design choice!!!!????
Look you do you just don't expect your game to survive when there are better options out there.
Is posible?
ReplyDeleteHand grenades.
HP increase each level up.
Hit with equiped weapon.
i am not so long in game but loving it so far, keep up the awesome work and ideas, as for the melee,, i swing and turn instant around in my swing so i go backwards instead foreward, learn to use what you got is my motto :) keeps things interesting
ReplyDeleteFor how early in development this game is I am blown away by its design. Compact, Complex, and Crushingly done. Gj
ReplyDeleteThe new market UI is pretty af
ReplyDeleteI never played the 1st game, but when I stumbled upon this looking for Free games on Steam, it caught my attention. I think you're doing a great job for a solo/busy dev. Keep it up and ignore the naysayers giving you shit over nothing.
ReplyDeleteRight now i can kick and them shoot right after. But if i try to shoot and them kick i have to wait at least 2seg to be able to kick. To me thats a big bug and really kills inmercion a mean what kind of zombie apocalipse survivor cant kick after shooting whit a hand gun? not to mencion a kickboxer.......
ReplyDeleteAlso the kick does too little dmg having kickboxer at lvl 2 and gear that gives me kick dmg (for a combined total of 40%) my kick only does 2.8dmg when a melee weapon does 3.5 dmg basic dmg and atacks faster.
Also i have a doubt does the skill Meele expert adds dmg to the kick? i mean a kick is a meelee atk right?
EDIT1:LOL now the buffed melee weapon even more and now you can push back multiple enemis while the kick still pushes only 1 enemy!
If you are going to make the skill so useless just remove it from the game
not entirely useless. what if you carry two guns? also I'm curious as to if we are sticking to the 2 weapon base system or if it will increase to three like in DF1
DeleteIts still useless since you cant shoot and them kick , you have to wait at least 2 seg to be able to kick so if you are shooting a fast zombie and it gets close to you , you cant kick it and it will hit you
Deletewhat? the melee was fine! I like the melee! you actually have to make it directional when you swing down to hit! all the noobs complaining just need to get good.
ReplyDeleteI don't like melee combat where you just slash and don't worry about accuracy
I love you. Your work is amazing and i think it's important to give news to your fan's about the progress of the game. I'm Belgian and i'm proud of you :)
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying the game so far, even in such early stages of development. You have a lot of potential here to make an outstanding game; I look forward to seeing how the updates enhance the experience!
ReplyDeleteLove the Game. And I love the idea pointed too about the Market UI. Maybe not specifically in that shape and design. But in roundabout summary the Stat Search is a huge improvement for general items. As some superior items can benefit your build far more than what the limited elite and rare items may have at the point in time. The cash sink(s) idea's are also something I really look forward to. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteI think you have done extremely well considering you have developed the game on your own. You obviously have a fairly clear insight into the direction you want to take it, i wish you all the luck in this busy genre. I take my hat off to you Neil Well done.
ReplyDeleteone thing i miss is body Armor but im glad to see you are dressing the main issues
ReplyDeleteHey, AdminPwn, we've come a really long way (remember me? There was that drama about the wiki and fiction. Good times.) I can only imagine DF2 was a huge undertaking and have to congratulate you on everything so far. I wanted to offer some criticism without being too harsh, as well.
ReplyDeleteDo you plan on introducing classes and services again? Honestly, I find myself missing it a lot. It seemed part of what made DF what it was.
I think the biggest problem right now, inherent to the game design is squad gameplay vs solo gameplay and sheer repetion. There's an excess of ammunition and health items in a squad versus a dire shortage solo, the melee system is completely unsuited to anything but suicidal charges at single targets, and the buildings can be so insanely huge a lone player is probably going to die from boredom before anything else. The melee system only really works when several players dogpile the same target and use their stuns to protect each other; it's virtually suicide if playing without a coordinated squad.
Once you are in a squad, every mission is just a practice in combing every possible room of a structure, which may be so big it takes a normal player 3-4 trips just to transport all the loot back. (For the record, not a fan of paying 500 credits just to get a bigger stash either.) It's exhausting, and not necessarily in a good way. The quests lack direction other than the looting that's already the basic gameplay, a quest is more like "loot this specific area extra carefully." Which is something that's related to lack of content at this point in time, but it also feels like the buildings are intentionally confusing and time consuming. I almost wish we had city-specific stashes to help reduce the running in circles.
On the topic of loading screens, don't you think it's a little excessive for bathrooms, broom closets and such to also have them?
I understand the general idea with having throwback loading screens, but it's not reasonable when you're exploring unmarked rooms in the police department just to find which of the random NPCs happen to offer a fetch quest at that point in time. There should be some effort to reduce loading zones in small areas... like, hopefully one floor of a building would be a continuous area in which loading screens would only happen at stairwells or building exist. Resident Evil Outbreak actually did exactly the same thing given its multiplayer focus; there's only loading screens at intersections of major areas, not every single door.
Dalbow PD is one of those cases where it makes a lot of sense to use a DF-style interface with a lot of text. You can see your quest list at a glance and take what interests you, transfer items to stash or buy and sell without doing laps around the room, and it's also a good platform for browsing servers at the same time.
I mean, if you manually choose to explore DPD, you're rewarded with the lootable areas in the building so you can have both options open. And loot is going to one of those long-term issues. Any game in which crafting plays a major role in suffers from limited storage for crafting items. I think you'll probably have to revise this inventory / stash system quite a bit when that happens. Escape from Tarkov is a recent title which very much suffers from that issue, as players end up having to collect virtually everything they find in order to prepare for crafting.
Anyway, it's great fun so far! It runs really well, and for the first time I can play multiplayer DF without crazy desync issues.
hi. i am an old player and had played old games how resident evil 1
ReplyDeleteit is a very good new play for me.
but i am fifthy and simply should want more light.
excuse me but it is all so much dark.
my eyes tired quiqly. :D
bye
will you always be a one man team or do you ever plan to add more team members hire/volunteer programmers and designers if dead frontier ever get's popular enough and makes enough consistent income? it could help you produce content quicker and take some of the workload off yourself.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a great plan for the game... I've personally clocked in around 40 hours so far and the auto-map sounds like the most helpful element by far. As for the melee combat... I like the challenge, and the x3 knockback did help a lot. HARDCORE MELEE FOREVER!
ReplyDeletethe indoor very large, mission items appear when i didnt get mission. zombies can go inside endless, and room was clear can have zombie. Not logic :|
ReplyDeleteOk I can agree with some of the stuff in this blog post. Other things I think are a bit understated or just have obvious solutions that you seem to be ignoring completely. Like the whole melee problem. The fact of the matter is that it is not realistic for someone to step forward during a melee attack. Do you see a baseball player step forward when they swing a bat? NO. They swing their body with the bat but other than that they do not step into it. Not to mention that if there were a zombie crawling toward you on the ground it is retarded to think you would just step over them when trying to hit them. In fact it would just be an overhand swing that would cause critical damage if anything because you'd be bashing their head between the weapon and the ground. And as far as it being too easy to keep the zombie away from you or to stay out of it's range, WELL DUH! That's the point! As a breathing, thinking, human being you SHOULD be able to outsmart and outmaneuver a single zombie or small group of zombies! That's the way it was in DF1 for crying out loud! The real danger comes in when you start to get surrounded and are then unable to outmaneuver them! As for the animation looking unrealistic if you can move while doing a melee attack, well isn't that the fault of the animator?! I'm not saying you should be able to move the same speed as you would when NOT doing a melee attack, but you should still be able to move a little bit. Maybe not backwards, as that is a bit unrealistic, but definitely to the sides at maybe half your normal speed when doing a melee attack.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that wasn't even mentioned in the blog post was the criticisms about the perk system. Like how utterly ridiculous it is that you have to first buy a perk to be able to SPRINT! WHAT?! That is utterly ridiculous. Anyone can sprint as long as they aren't crippled. Even I can and I have a bad knee! It's similar with sneaking too. Everyone instictually understands the basic premise of sneaking. You crouch slightly and stay as quiet as possible. They might be horrible at it at first but everyone can at least attempt to sneak! It's unrealistic to hide those mechanics behind perks. Perks should instead bolster those two "abilities" and make them better, not grant them to you in the first place!
Another thing I would recommend, if it hasn't already been implemented, is a slight period of respite after you clear a room. As it stands after you clear a room, it is really difficult to try and loot it because you get zombies coming in while you're trying to loot. Just give us 15-20 seconds where no zombies enter the room.
Okay, i'm done. Whew, sorry for the borderline rant there but I just had to get that stuff off my chest. Despite my current thoughts on the game and its state, I DO think it has a lot of potential. What I would recommend Neil is that you find some more dev team members than just yourself. If you can't handle the load yourself, then you gotta find some help, plain and simple.
I like this game just started playing but i notice that killing zombies on the ground via melee attack is rather buggy i have some fix ideas one would be to add an alternate melee attack/animation for killing ground based units or a stomp/ animation this kind of addition to the game would improve a lot of combat scenarios bring more enjoyment to the game especially for new players and vets and this why i say it would be a good addition as a new player i found the most common problem i ran into when starting out was when killing ground units without a gun a lot of the times when melee attacking your target it will miss it seems as a result taking more hits than desired and in most cases you walk out worse than you begun before the fight (i actually just let the ground units live now unless their worms i shoot), the animation for melee attack to a ground target is the same as hitting a standing target which gives a much less realistic feel when playing the games especially when all the other animations are really well done and fluent, it just takes from all that excellence a bit, if that is fixed it would really bring up the game-play experience and feel over all less clunky and add to the fluency of the other very well done animations .Thank you for making a great game, a very very enjoyable game to play regardless.
ReplyDeleteHey admin! You should fix the mission into a permanent re cycle missions! just like in deadfrontier 1 . Mission changes everyday but it starts all over again
ReplyDeleteI like the insides of the buildings a lot with all the doors/rooms. The loading screens personally does not bother me. What i would like to see is a message which rooms i have visited/looted just like "Way Out" is on the door to the exit.
ReplyDeleteEres un genio, te apoyo desde México, es un excelente juego y eso que es de acceso anticipado, sigue así, si necesitas ayuda, aquí estoy, y por cierto gracias por hacer este juego.
ReplyDeleteyap too happy that game with load screens,after tes and fallout series thats more normal and better performance)+ ui for market nice if you add similiar what on reddit will be happy
ReplyDeleteHey dude, i hope, u will not drop this project and not make it one more another casual shit for schoolboys! We enjoy it in Russia!
ReplyDeleteGood luck in development!
Holy shit man, this is good stuff. I know it takes time to write up this stuff, but do know it's worth it! Keeping us informed is great, and helps us understand whats going through your head and if/when we can expect to see the things that frustrate us addressed. Mad props to you admin!
ReplyDeleteHello Neil, just passing by to say you rock! You've made a great game and I love reading about you and how you decide your next steps on improving this proyect/piece of art. You got the DF athmosphere from the first game perfectly. I am enjoying it a lot. Best wishes : )
ReplyDeleteADMIN, I just wanna see the others survivor´s flashlight :D
ReplyDeleteGreat game so far. Anything I would have liked to be added or changed has already been addressed. This says to me that you are headed in the right direction. Keep up the good work and thanks for a fun game.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered to find more developers that could help?
ReplyDeletemaybe we need ammo pack to save slot in inven
ReplyDeleteYou guys are awesome!!!!!
ReplyDeleteloading screens are annoying
ReplyDelete@adminpwn
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if you will listen to me or not, but there is things I need to suggest. If I remember right, I sent some ideas before (about random areas, timed events and missions every day, etc.) and I'm really happy you used them. Now here is some more if you interested;
Indoor areas are very cool indeed, but I almost feel like claustrophobic person, which I'm not. There is tons of building floors and rooms, it really gets boring long term gameplay. I suggest you to link floor rooms togather, that will fix the loading issues and it will give some space to player.
Most importantly, there is a issue when you enter a room. Zombies spawn near player. Player don't know whats coming when entering somewhere. Some rooms are too small to notice them or do something before zombie hits you. (also some rooms really tiny, not worth to loading) I know; there is some unfortunate events could happen, happens in real life too, but there should be safezones near doors. Maybe I'm a sneaky person or thief and I like being caution, I think you got what I mean. It should be fixed.
Other thing is, if I remember right; there was tons of streets back in dead frontier 1. I want them back man.. Outdoor performance issues need to be solved first ofcourse. I don't know why, but fire or reflection (or something else) really pushing my graphic card (gt 1030) its not unplayable, but I don't think it will handle many streets. You should figure out how street loading works I think. Maybe make them pieces like in DF1. I missed zombie crowds running after me between random street to street. I think you missed them too.
I didn't try new directional dodge yet but I feel like its very unusable. I kinda use hit and quickly look back, because character move forward when hitting a zombie, that makes kinda safe move but its also annoying to do, because we have to it and somehow unrealistic. Dodge should be automaticly happen when player move to direction. (skill can be stay and extended with more moves) For now, melee combat system really reminds me state of decay 1 or witcher 1, they have same problematic system. No offence but you should see that.
About UI, there should be slots for every piece player equip definitely. Like in DF1. Changing weapons is really annoying and there is no weapon compare screen yet. (equipment bonus stats, weapon level, which one is better, etc.)
For the market, yeah there is some issues but I need to say; when people want to sell something, they look other people sell prices list in market, ofcourse they sell items cheaper because they want sell it quick, but it goes way too much sometimes. I think items shouldn't be sold under scrap value. Greedy people buy it and scrap away. That makes people hard time go waste, because he/she don't know whats that items scrap value is. Maybe someone else needed that item, why it should go waste? It's sad, so atleast there should be scrap value listed on item.
I know its hard to do stuff working as intended, I'm a developer - game critic expert too.(yes thats what I call myself, lol) Just take it easy and solve issues one by one. Thanks for reading and good luck!
Here is what I want and a MUST for you to consider Nell:
ReplyDelete• Stairs should NOT be treated like doors(where you click E to go up/down).
• Melee must have a combo(Combo patterns must be learned like skill system)
•Each town must become much bigger and building positioning is not too obvious. Different town, different looks.
•Looting animations and quick consume animation
•More skills to learn, more and more.The basics must be learned or to be acquired just like the Sprinter kill.
•Interaction between players like item give and sell. Voice chat and party system.
•Provide Toggle Map, NOT Small map at the bottom of screen.
•Screen UI must be as simple as it is now. We want clear view of everything.
•Senseful missions.
•Lastly, BE MINIMALIST, NOT EXAGGERATION.
THE REST ARE TO BE MENTAINED.
All of these are not demanding so this can be easily be updated. Thank you for your consideration. HOPE YOUR READ THIS.
Here is what I want and a MUST for you to consider Nell:
ReplyDelete• Stairs should NOT be treated like doors(where you click E to go up/down).
• Melee must have a combo(Combo patterns must be learned like skill system)
•Each town must become much bigger and building positioning is not too obvious. Different town, different looks.
•Looting animations and quick consume animation
•More skills to learn, more and more.The basics must be learned or to be acquired just like the Sprinter kill.
•Interaction between players like item give and sell. Voice chat and party system.
•Provide Toggle Map, NOT Small map at the bottom of screen.
•Screen UI must be as simple as it is now. We want clear view of everything.
•Senseful missions.
•Lastly, BE MINIMALIST, NOT EXAGGERATION.
THE REST ARE TO BE MENTAINED.
All of these are not demanding so this can be easily be updated. Thank you for your consideration. HOPE YOU READ THIS NELL.
Hey brother!! Fantastic work!!
ReplyDeletei am an AH/Market guru. going to put some work in to really hammering out some functions to make/keep it amazing. I wanted to toss a couple quick notes on basics though as you will likely implement things before i do so.
1. Use Hub Specific Markets_ (if it's not like that already its hard to tell but i think you have a central market and that's rough. Central market was good for a jump start but needs to be separated to add difficulty to AH farmers (like me).
2. Keep attrition- I had thought to suggest halving attrition while in a hub (which might be a good idea for low/new players) maybe implement reduced attrition but after 5 mins or so in the AH window (after fluidity functions added to AH) increase it drastically. This will keep AH farmers spending on player items and allow Looters to make decent profits off health n food items. Perhaps raise attrition even further in "low lvl" hubs for higher lvl players. Only in hubs keeps them able to play with their low lvl friends, but keeps them from "camping" the low lvl hub and AH. Attrition is going to be such a beautiful function for keeping players doing what theyre supposed to be doing. I have LOTS of attrition ideas so i'll shut up lol
3. Raise taxes- I hate taxes... they are killing me... so good job!!! Now double them. This will help ebb "resells" of small items like ammo. While "Looters" will largely go unaffected as the market will balance out in the low end; AH Farmers will have less of a range purchases are worthwhile.
4. Money xfers- Keep it difficult to x-fer money between characters. Having a max toon in end hub still leaves you broke with a low lvl toon in starter hub.
tried to keep it brief, sorry i failed. I'm around if you ever want to talk market.
read through the blog post, had notes, basically... Great direction!!!!
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI don't think you'll read this comment...
Anyway,In my opinion, I think it will be great if you increase the brigthness of search/loot points, or change skin color in to gold-yellow like DF1.
Change level system removing ,so you can add more difficult area,and new spawns for players,loot,entities,weapons that request high levels, and so on.
Increase slots for private lobby.
Change flashlight,I think flashlight should light where I'm aiming,not where the player body aim,and I'd like to see other flashlight's players.
Change entities spawns, in little indoors rooms, when you enter in these rooms, sometimes entites spawns near the door and close to you,sometimes hitting only because you've just entered there.
I'm sorry for my bad english skills..
I hope you'll read this comment
dont rush it. A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad. the amount of feedback and players are playing right now is high enough for an early access game. keep it up your doing good
ReplyDeletemy personal opinion on third person games I hate them I would like to see an option for first person mode so you may switch in between 1st person and 3rd and you need to fix the health spawning with with only 10 health is bs it like you just just setting us up to die again I'm not wasting my money on med stuff after i spawn in after i die you are going to kill the game that way js
ReplyDeleteDear Creator of this Amazing World. I love many things about this game. here are some of my thoughts about possible changes. you have a kick boxer ability, but its not usable while holding a melee weapon. As you said yourself group melee is very difficult, sometimes impossible, especially in small rooms. Letting people kick and swing the weapon in a combo like style would not only add a very actiony style but would absolutely allow for group combat. Also, while I love the stat bonuses to basically all items, please put attribute points in. Not that I want requirements, but As you add in new enemies, people can create more sound strategies, and maybe allow "special Moves" at higher levels. Brute plus higher strength equals " Adrenaline Smash", Stealth plus high Agility Equals "Counter attack".
ReplyDeleteabsolutely love the game and whats you're making up this point, the melee combat now its perfect and the thing that some wanted would completly ruin it. The other stuff you want and said its amazing and i really hope formard to see how this amazing game develops further on
ReplyDeleteSome people have problems accepting this is just an early acess game is very far from being complete. Im a veteran since the very first 2D game and I was there all the time to follow the game´s evolution.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, I also think it felt this game was released way too early, like it was rushed. And of course, that doesn´t help much. What I do not enjoy the most if the lack of graphics for the items on the market and no way to communicate to the community. The forums were pretty neat back then.
Im also looking foward to see players being able to sell their services and stuff. That was one of the strong points on the previous DF games.
I believe the rest will be fixed with time. Good to know you´re listening to the players, but bear in mind that most of them are not veterans and just don´t have the experience of playing this kind of online game. Stay true to your concept.
Cheers
Well i do have something you can add on to make players easy
ReplyDelete-Navigation NPC/map
this will help player easy to find NPC which is the quest are completed also help players show the road to go to the destination
-Medical NPC
This will help for newbie and the badly injured players which is no medic to get healed by cost
There something you need to balance it, about the quest. Most of the quest are outside the map are you telling newbie/unskilled players go outside to clear the quest which is higher level map? I good to set the quest out from the main map but its 70% are out from the map quest so if you can balance some quest which is newbie can clear some quest atleast
Well the very soul of DeadFrontier is unforgiving gameplay that promotes competence over hand-holding. The newbie will be new no more once he realizes he needs to up his game, weapons etc. Sorry man, making a game easier is a slippery slope and risks alienating the players that stuck with the game the long way. New players are welcome and we of the community always try to help those newbies out. I personally give weapons and items away all the time. Not easier but smarter my friend.
DeleteHello, the only input i have is to go towards a direction that DF1 took. DF1's success was due to its play-style in my own personal opinion. It was cool that if you shot a zombie you gained aggro, and to not mess with the big guys. I think if DF2 incorporated zombie aggro and a larger variety of zombies it would be set for success. Also for there to be a common outpost where you get youre quests and trade from like on the first game. Basically make the first game 3D.
ReplyDeleteThat alone is groundbreaking. Once the games been replicated with another dimension branch out and start new ideas in your super game.
i like how you work! congrats.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason im not playing now is that i want to see future updates without being bored. Im really looking forward to more outdoor areas. I miss traveling on foot. Would be nice for more weathers though; that rain is bloody loud. Also hoping that assault rifles are added into the game, as theres an empty gap between smgs and rifles.
ReplyDeleteI feel that ammo stacks are far too small for guns to be useful at this point, in DF1 pistol round stacks were in 800s, which were good for low aggro looting with pistols, and lots of smg use. Smgs in DF2 at the moment require several stacks of ammo that last about 5 minutes. It makes firearm combat tedious, it makes looting tedious, and it makes buying/selling ammo tedious.
I reckon melee combat is pretty good at the moment. I think that replacing the right click attack with a standing attack will add flexibility to combat and make everyone happy. Trying to hit multiple worms is kinda annoying when you are always moving foward, yet useful otherwise.
Cheers
Muito bom Nail abraço espero que tudo de certo o jogo pra mim está muito bom, com essas atts ai vai ficar muito melhor!
ReplyDeletelove the game man congratulations on the relatively smooth launch and heres to a successful EA period and an even more successful release
ReplyDeleteContinua con el trabajo duro campéon, q venis re bien, y gracias por prestar atención a lo q te dicen los jugadores ;)
ReplyDeleteTo Neil Yates : Add backpacks , also add more types of Backpacks that suits the levels and some tweaks about backpacks
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that there is an issue with a kick boxer skill,its kind of lagging in comat probably to some animations so it does not responce quickly enough in some situations...think it should be more agile to be useful especialy against worms maybe a stomping animation...
ReplyDeleteAll in all game looks very promising cheers
I really appreciate the effort you guys are putting. Looking forward for some good zombie ass-kickin' gameplay
ReplyDeletethere should be an option to change appearance using credits so we don't have to make new character just to change hair color i wish i can change my hair color.
ReplyDeleteHello Game developer I like your death border2 very much I can spend all day to complete all the tasks to kill all the BOSS. But recently, I am a little troubled by me almost every time I lick something or enter the door. I will be stuck in the reading interface and one card is three or four minutes. I can guarantee that my network is completely free. Because I see my teammates behave normally but only I will be stuck in the reading interface every time my teammates I have to wait for a long time, can I solve this problem?
ReplyDeleteI do have a question. I want to work as a team with my roommates but when we login on our preferred devices, we can't find/see one another. Is there anyway to fix that so we can grind together?
ReplyDeleteHi, doing very good job. But I think don't loose yourself too much in making game easier remember that df was hardcore game and the game itself didn't forget mistakes most of the time.
ReplyDeleteHello author, I will come back to the question again, teamwork to get EXP 。Sometimes it can cause players to lose EXP？？？ cannot get.And the team, kill the boss EXP some time。Is it balanced for each player?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHow to report a cheater? I found one a level 6 character with a name (Kaneko) Tanking 3 zombies and one boss not dying.
ReplyDeleteAbout the cheater in this game. it will be nice if the game trolled with them where send them a irradiated Titan to chase after them with very high hp and after they tried their very best to kill it the loot is a damage 2*4. that will be so frustrating for them and they will complain in this page not knowing their cheating ;)
DeleteHow about creating a mission board? with photos of notes and missing people, we could get the missions there, and look for the NPC's to complete the missions. its half the effort, still gotta get into the NPC's areas so we still test the game in that sense.
ReplyDeleteYou are doing a great job since DF and your games are great, keep up the good work!
Admin, I've been around since the early days of Dead Frontier Classic. I remember fond memories of sitting in computer lab in school as a middle schooler, just looting away and trying to find bosses.
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that the lobbies are limited to 8 people, it gives it the old school AIM vibes.
I love the Resident Evil vibe that goes on, the immersion is so very well put together.
The guns work nice and follow the old damage per second or damage per shot mechanism that gives the feeling of branching classes.
Missions are perfect in my eyes, a side thing that goes with your looting rather than an out of the way and tedious experience.
The new equipment MCs are an awesome addition that gives real choice to what build you want, rather than just the old 5 basic stat boosts.
The combat is refreshing but maybe the guns could use a special quirk or something. A new stat for special abilities or what not.
Some qualms I have about the game have been addressed however some things could still be worked on.
I hope some sort of message board or forum is added again as this truly made the game seem like a community, like we were all in this together and would look out for one another. Also made it fun to sell items and even do fun little events for new and old players alike.
Maybe the introduction of a completely new class such as flamethrower! (just kidding I know the lore =P) But maybe hybridization of weapon classes is a possibility for end game.
Also seeing as Secronom liked to play around with human testing, there could easily be lore made to associate with a probable plasma or energy type weapon.
If we have multi-faced screaming fatties and tendrilized babes along with projectile vomiting radiation bastards, It shouldn't be a stretch that the super soldier wanting company would also make super weapons! Just a suggestion.
I also wish for armor to be added back.
I do hope that character classes will make a comeback somehow. I feel like scientists, farmers and maybe a new class like scrapper who could gain more parts from items for crafting or gunsmith could make bullets. Even Mechanic has a possibility now!
I feel the lockpick skill is rather useless in the grand scheme of things, especially if you loot everything anyways like me.
A rework is necessary for that particular skill, unless there's the possibility of locked containers that only levels 1 2 and 3 of lockpick can access...hmmm.
Breaking the resistance skills into two separate ones seems unnecessary.
I hope gambling also makes a come back, though more than just three card monty if possible. Maybe high-low dicing or even a zombie pit fight could be fun and silly =P.
And if NOTHING else is taken into consideration, I propose the item ramen noodles should be added to the game.
I mean come on Neil, what would survive better than some good old processed salty noodle product? For many in such a bleak, destitute world, this guilty pleasure or sometimes life-sustaining foodstuff would conjure up memories of a time when one would laze about. Too lethargic to go to the grocery or stop at a fast-food. A delicious and homely chicken broth noodle soup can do wonders for a weary travelers constitution, especially with salt being more scarce a commodity! BRING US THE NOODS!!! Probably be a 200 or 300 kcal item but still its totally something that would survive the apocalypse!
All in all this launch has been a complete success in my eyes, completely renewing the fervor I once felt of the loot and shoot genre. Dead Frontier, although once a simple website based game, was and still is one of the best games I have ever played. The uniquity akin to games like runescape give that originality that can not be touched by other mainstream games or clones. However the MMO aspect is not faceless and bogus as other MMO titles. This game feels like a real community driven experience. I hope you continue to wow and endear your player base Neil.
Good luck and godspeed you legendary man
I really like what you're doing with this game and the direction it is going. It is very reminiscent of the early Resident Evil games, which I loved. Awesome start.
ReplyDelete