Status Report - Week of 08 Dec 14

[SMoss 2101]

 
So here we are, last few weeks of December for the Christmas break. The 0.51 update to stable branch has had enough time to mature and reveal any critical bugfixes that need to be addressed for 0.52. With 0.52, the focus is on issuing bugfixes, incremental systems updates, and several new bits of content. One of the ongoing issues we've been focused on bugfixing with 0.52 is client and server crashes. Having spent a significant amount of time these last few weekends playing on stable branch servers I for one can attest to how frustrating these can be as a player. Especially the server crashes.

In addition, as work on the central economy continues - there have been extensive cases on public hive servers with users abusing bugs to duplicate items. In order to combat this, we'll be taking a two point initiative at the beginning of 2015. Firstly, at the start of the year we will look at performing a wipe of the hive. Next, we will work with our game server provider partners to deploy a system for server operators that continues to allow them access to restarting their servers in the event of unforseen issues, but logs and tracks abusers of this option.
 
Primary bug-fix focus for 0.52 is on the following issues:

• Item duplication
• Gunshot sounds
• Super-loot spawns
• Client crashes upon exit
• Server crashes

Winners of the Private Shard contest should be receiving e-mails from Multiplay Game Servers shortly, please do not hesitate to reach out to support@dayzgame.com if you experience any issues.
 
On a more personal note: Now that the programming team has resolved the issues with servers properly pulling the local time from their servers for the in-game clock, I encourage all of you to spend some time surviving during the night time. Get off the coast, go hunting, set up a tent somewhere in the woods and really spend some time experimenting with the "hermit" playstyle. We have a long way to go, but I've personally found the experience very rewarding as of late. 

Only a bandit on bandit day.
- Brian Hicks / Lead Producer
 
Standup Notes for the week of 08 Dec 14

(Note: Standup notes are not a change log - they are a quick high level look at tasks the teams worked on throughout this week)
Art:
• Full length ghillie
• Planting field 3x3
• Animal remains
• High fidelity V3S instrument panel 
• Winchester Model 70
• Crafted leather jacket
• Hatchet

Animation:
• Support to new Zombies
• Optics
• Vehicle animations
• Skeletal adjustments for some animals
• Animal animations
Design:
• V3S Praga Bugfixing
• Horticulture extension work
• Silencer configs
• Chainsaw configs
• Cooking script cleanup, bugwork
Programming:
• Critical inventory fixes
• Vehicle physical simulation tweaking
• Silencer support
• Loot distribution redesign/improvements
• Server crash bugfixing
• Vehicle simulation diagnostics / bugfix
• Security vulnerability hotfixes
 
http://dayz.com/blog/status-report-week-of-08-dec-14

[TheFarm 158]

SILENCERS

[Helix2000 128]

MOAR HORTICULTURE!!! 

[boneboys 7988]

Real time Server settings (night play).

:thumbsup:

[pillock 850]

Thank you Mr Hicks!

 

Personally, I don't think the hermit playstyle is particularly viable yet, sorry. Not while your tent/stash still gets wiped every week, and not until you can craft more stuff from the environment. I have experimented with it, and it's gets boring fairly quick.

 

You cannot survive under current conditions as a hermit unless you go into towns to scavenge the necessary kit first - and by the time you've found all the survivor tools you'll need, you'll doubtlessly have found guns, ammo and canned food to last you forever, thereby negating the need (and most of the motivation) to go Into The Wild in the first place.

 

Once we can craft clothes, rope, primitive knives/axes and fire-lighters from environmental sources, build shelters and have working, longer-term persistent storage, then it'll be worth it. For now, it just isn't, I'm afraid.

 

I'm looking forward to when it is!

[blackberrygoo 1416]

Thank you Mr Hicks!

Personally, I don't think the hermit playstyle is particularly viable yet, sorry. Not while your tent/stash still gets wiped every week, and not until you can craft more stuff from the environment. I have experimented with it, and it's gets boring fairly quick.

You cannot survive under current conditions as a hermit unless you go into towns to scavenge the necessary kit first - and by the time you've found all the survivor tools you'll need, you'll doubtlessly have found guns, ammo and canned food to last you forever, thereby negating the need (and most of the motivation) to go Into The Wild in the first place.

Once we can craft clothes, rope, primitive knives/axes and fire-lighters from environmental sources, build shelters and have working, longer-term persistent storage, then it'll be worth it. For now, it just isn't, I'm afraid.

I'm looking forward to when it is!

Yea as far as "hermit" goes , it truly is not very viable right now , but honesty i Iike to pretend by finding a persistence on server and making a house in the woods as my base =P

[Maia (DayZ) 93]

Hope you guys actually fix duping this time if you're going to keep resetting for it lol Especially with the addition of extremely difficult items to obtain like ghillie suits that legitimate players struggle to get and then lose several weeks later due to a January reset.

 

Note: I don't really care, I die too often to care about any of my stuff but there are those who play the "hermit" style gameplay that will. 

Edited December 14, 2014 by Maia

[Karakoz 141]

I believe that duplication is less game breaking than all those "private" public servers used by groups of people to stuff themselves.

[msy 11]

Why you'd like to fix silencer first before resolving super hacker problem? They can kill anyone among 4 km2.

[BugZ (DayZ) 49]

On a more personal note: Now that the programming team has resolved the issues with servers properly pulling the local time from their servers for the in-game clock, I encourage all of you to spend some time surviving during the night time. Get off the coast, go hunting, set up a tent somewhere in the woods and really spend some time experimenting with the "hermit" playstyle. We have a long way to go, but I've personally found the experience very rewarding as of late.

 

Hicks talking shit... How many peoples have chance to find tent ?  Since tents are in game I looking for them I checking everywhere I checking guides on youtube I doing whatever they say for long hours but there is no tent. I know there is tent but its very difficult to find and also with last update its nearly impossible to find truck unless you playing game 7/24. This game getting very boring. They should balance things in game. This wont work like that bellieve me. Its just game for fun and waste time there is no point to make things extremelly rare even if its survival game.

 

Hermit style is for solo games. This game is multiplayer and we want to interact with other players. Thats why ppl buying dayz if they want play solo game they could buy another zombie game instead of playing game with most crappiest zombies & animals.

[yazar8 584]

Why you'd like to fix silencer first before resolving super hacker problem? They can kill anyone among 4 km2.

 

They will be able to kill you silently, that's the all point.

[[TAW] GunRunner 53]

Since tents are in game I looking for them I checking everywhere I checking guides on youtube I doing whatever they say for long hours but there is no tent. I know there is tent but its very difficult to find and also with last update its nearly impossible to find truck unless you playing game 7/24.

 

Tents: Get binoculars. Sit on the top of the apartment shown below. Use binoculars to check surrounding appartments. Hop servers. Repeat.

 

Trucks: Only 3 spawn per server reset so you have to be fast. Find a server that just reset within 15 minutes (9:00, 12:00, 15:00 are the most common reset times). Check Kobanino, Vybor, Lopatino spawn locations. Server hop. Repeat.

 

Doing that I have found 3 blue tents in an hour and a half. May have been luck. Other times it has taken me about an hour to find 1. For the trucks, it may also be luck but I seem to always find one in one of those 3 locations in the span of 3 recently reset servers.

 

Hope this helps. You may have just had bad luck buddy.

[CandidBandit 0]

I can see myself sitting in that picture...was a nice encounter, "Jim". :)

[epeenoire 82]

So... any chance this update will hit stable before the Christmas break?

[oscuro (DayZ) 4]

yeah yeah fix sound gun pls :D

[Tatanko 5591]

Real time Server settings (night play).

:thumbsup:

I wish more people would try nighttime! I don't like to play it all the time, but once in a while it is nice to see a whole other side of Chernarus in the wee hours of the morning.

 

Hope you guys actually fix duping this time if you're going to keep resetting for it lol Especially with the addition of extremely difficult items to obtain like ghillie suits that legitimate players struggle to get and then lose several weeks later due to a January reset.

Unfortunately it's a necessary evil at this point in development and you just kind of have to accept it for what it is. You know what you signed up for ;)

[Maia (DayZ) 93]

 

Unfortunately it's a necessary evil at this point in development and you just kind of have to accept it for what it is. You know what you signed up for ;)

Oh I know it'll happen and I know I signed up for it. I also know I'll die several times before the reset so I'm not that worried. I think what bothers me is that this is the third hack-related wipe (since basic login duping was mostly fixed) that is happening and after those wipes nothing changed in terms of the hackers (from what I've seen on the forums). I am just being pessimistic that nothing will change this time either and all this will do is hurt the legitimate players while dupers just dupe their stuff immediately. 

 

Also, I honestly have only encountered hackers when the game was first released. Since then it hasn't been a problem for me and I do play pretty frequently in high-pop servers in hot-spot locations. I feel like it might be a problem blown out of proportion, especially by players. I see all the time when players get shot or die or even when new features like hypothermia are released people instantly blame hackers for their ignorance.

[Tatanko 5591]

Also, I honestly have only encountered hackers when the game was first released. Since then it hasn't been a problem for me and I do play pretty frequently in high-pop servers in hot-spot locations. I feel like it might be a problem blown out of proportion, especially by players. I see all the time when players get shot or die or even when new features like hypothermia are released people instantly blame hackers for their ignorance.

That's been my experience as well, and I too believe it may be being blown out of proportion. Don't get me wrong, it's an issue that can't be ignored, but it seems more than coincidental that it's the same vocal group of people that seem to encounter that problem all the time.

[The Riddler (DayZ) 410]

Happy to see progress is being made for us server owners to have more tools and logs at our disposal. I've been dealing with restart issues as of late and it would be nice to know if BEC restarted the server via the schedule or if it was our provider that restarted for us. 

 

Also I am happy to see gun sounds are being addressed. Sound to me is everything when it comes to a game and it sure would be nice to able to hear all those shots again, close range or not!! 

 

Happy Holiday's Day Z team; thanks for all the improvements and enhancements the game has seen this year. Here's to another exciting year! 

[The Riddler (DayZ) 410]

That's been my experience as well, and I too believe it may be being blown out of proportion. Don't get me wrong, it's an issue that can't be ignored, but it seems more than coincidental that it's the same vocal group of people that seem to encounter that problem all the time.

 

They seem to come and go in waves from my server. When .49 came out we saw a dramatic decrease in the number of people reporting cheaters on our TS, but as we got close to another update, they seemed to come back. I have witnessed hackers over a dozen times having recorded almost every single instance of them mainly so I can gather feedback not only for the developer's but for my own knowledge so I can identify a hacker or not. 

 

Sure people can blow things out of proportion when it comes to discussing hackers; I mainly think that is b/c those people are not educated yet on how to identify a hacker which is sometimes half the battle. That reminds me of when I educated a player on our server that a guy who killed him was not hacking and rather it was a server performance issue that caused his death. After showing that player my recorded video of exactly what happened, he then retracted his statement of "I got killed by a hacker" , but fully understood then what to look for when you suspect a cheater. 

[foolee 43]

I believe that duplication is less game breaking than all those "private" public servers used by groups of people to stuff themselves.

 

I could not agree more. Ive worked to find a tent. The first time my small group (2 people) found one the person holding it died due to the falling though floors glitch while swimming!. My feet hurt, followed by my legs are broken, followed by your dead. No gun shots, no zeds in range, no other players on the server. This time around we found a Big Military Tent and were going to loose it due to cheaters? Get rid of private servers, start forcing people to play on servers like Halo and so many other FPS games. Take away the server menu, when your character is created he can server jump until he/she puts down a tent. Then he/she is locked to a server. It will eliminate server jumping at the same time.

[Judopunch 523]

 

On a more personal note: Now that the programming team has resolved the issues with servers properly pulling the local time from their servers for the in-game clock, I encourage all of you to spend some time surviving during the night time. Get off the coast, go hunting, set up a tent somewhere in the woods and really spend some time experimenting with the "hermit" playstyle. We have a long way to go, but I've personally found the experience very rewarding as of late. 

To make this any fun at all, in my opinion, gamma needs to be clamped. Why can we still crank brightness and gamma to such excessive levels? The ability for this adjustment completely negates any desire to play at night. Anyone that knows about it or is doing it is at a massive advantage against people who want to play more authentically. This leaves the choice to be shot by someone you never had a chance to see coming or to use the exploit yourself.

 

When will this be fixed.

[Baker. 1484]

When will this be fixed.

I can't see this being a priority. It may be a pleasant side effect of the new renderer, as up until now BIS games treat darkness and the associated lighting effects very poorly. Perhaps the new renderer will have some new lighting fuggery up its sleeve that could minimize this rise of the merciless "Gamma Warriors"

 

I can never understand how people could play that way anyways. It's terrible, makes the game look worse than playing 1st person. 

[Judopunch 523]

I can't see this being a priority. It may be a pleasant side effect of the new renderer, as up until now BIS games treat darkness and the associated lighting effects very poorly. Perhaps the new renderer will have some new lighting fuggery up its sleeve that could minimize this rise of the merciless "Gamma Warriors"

 

I can never understand how people could play that way anyways. It's terrible, makes the game look worse than playing 1st person. 

But it provides an unequivocal advantage. Thats why they do it. And as long as anyone does it, anyone not doing it is running around blindfolded.

 

I just find it... in apropriate to recommend people play at night when there is no reason to because for the last year they have not limited the gamma slider, new engine or not..

Edited December 15, 2014 by Judopunch

[Baker. 1484]

But it provides an unequivocal advantage. Thats why they do it. And as long as anyone does it, anyone not doing it is running around blindfolded.

 

I just find it... in apropriate to recommend people play at night when there is no reason to because for the last year they have not limited the gamma slider, new engine or not..

I know why they do it, just can't fathom playing something that is so obnoxious to look at, advantage or not.

 

I can't see them ever caring enough to limit the gamma options. There are tons of Arma 2 players that made this complaint 6 years ago and onwards. Dayz mod players said the same thing. Now standalone is here and yep same same. It is a "non-issue" really.