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The Silver Lining of NPC Delays Etc


lemmy101

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To be honest this video game's probably had more of an impact on me than is within realms of most people's understanding,especially considering I only play it. Having battled depression my entire life probably since I was like 8,I've had to find countless coping mechanisms, doubly so since almost none of my anti depressants helped. Zomboid became a very major one after I had seen robbaz do a let's play. It helps grant a serious sense of escapism, while escapism isn't exactly the best coping mechanism a reprieve from the existence of permanently having bipolar + depression is ecstasy after periods of bad mental health. Sorry for the person dump. Really glad yall are taking your time on npcs. Every member of the community worth their salt should definitely recognize why its takeing so long. Love all you developers, guys are rad as heck.

I understand everything you just said here.. That hit too close to home.. PZ is more than just an indie game to some of us. Each update I have no complaints and I keep coming back for more. I'm so excited to see this baby grow into the beautiful game that you guys all thought about long ago, possibly joking about getting to where it is today but actually seeing it happen. 

 

Forward until dawn, Indie Stone.

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Lemmy, let me tell you this...

 

I may have been away from these forums for longer than I can imagine but I NEVER EVER let this game go, I will admit that at some point I was done with this project and I decided to let it rest, put it on a fast-forward mode somewhere in the background so it wouldn't bug me every day.

There are few, hell even no games to this date that had me in such a tight grip as this one, I may seem like a ghost but I still check the weekly mondoid even if I forget it and check it several days later I'm Always excited to see what's new.

I have waited, waited for a long time, but I honestly don't care how long it takes anymore and at this point I really REALLY hope just because I've been following this team for so long that you don't fuck it up. The reason isn't because I'd be dissapointed in your project but because I don't want to see you and the team being rejected and forgotten, you guys don't deserve that, not after all the work that's already been put into this game.

 

Stay sharp, this isn't a race, this is a marathon.

 

We'll see each other again when this baby hits 1.0!

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No problems waiting for awesome, waiting to be disappointed would suck but you guys haven't let me down yet.

 

I've played many survival games, some longer than others, and I was blown away when I started playing this one, because on the surface it looks relatively unsophisticated for a modern title (though it strongly brought back happy memories of the early UFO games).  But below the purely visual level it's one of the best thought-out survival games I've encountered, which means that when you say, a little self-consciously, that it'll be one of the most ambitious NPC systems out there, ever, I believe you.

 

You've proven with multiple well-thought out systems that you all genuinely care about this title.

 

We can wait for the awesome.

 

But then I've never understood pressuring dev's to output faster, it simply has to lead to corner-cutting sooner or later if the dev's bow under the pressure.

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Finish the game into a stage where the community can happily build their own adventures via mods and stuff on top of a working platform. Tinkering with NPCs, adding more to build and explore. And voila, the game lives forever. You have already realized that the community is one of the strongest assests game developer can have, mad props for that.

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Honestly, I'm more impatient for BBQ moving than I am for NPCs or cars. I can justify in my head that everyone is dead and they stole all the cars. But why is that BBQ bolted to the grass?? WHY???

 

Seriously though, take your time and make it good. You're rolling out enough side-features and challenges and other things to keep it interesting, and I'm pretty sure I've already gotten my money's worth.

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Please don't burn yourself out over it. It takes as long as i takes, and i couldn't play the game with a good conscience if i wouldn't know you have the same joy making it as i have playing it.

Personally i don't understand the fixation about the npc's so much, because there are many more things to this game that make it enjoyable and if you get so focused on one feature it might seem like the rest is not that important, and that is not the case.

This game is very special, it has soul, and every little thing that gets added makes this already great game just better, even if it's not npc.

I think it's just normal that you long for something new and fresh after such a long time, it's nature, no reason to feel bad about it.

So please continue in your own time and don't forget to take care of yourself.
 

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I bet every language has a saying in which haste and quality rarely go hand in hand. Ive just joined this community after buying this game two weeks ago and it has blown me away. Ive played Warz, H1z1, Dayz and countless others of survival games, yet this one is already rifling those with hours played. 

 

Lately, the market has been littered with bad Early Access games and unfinished AAA titles. Big name compagnies are failing over and over on delivering a proper product. You guys already have delivered. It reminds me of the early Blizzard games, which were handled with care and werent released until they thought it was done. Their early titles are among the best games in the history of gaming. 

 

Keep it up, you all have a bright future ahead.

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Lemmy, what you and The Indie Stone are doing with Zomboid is unprecedented and amazing. As it stands, the game is already very rich in detail/ gameplay depth. I can't even imagine the sheer awesomeness yet to come. Keep up the good work! Also, haste makes waste! :)

 

EDIT: Pttuw is right, the attention to polish/ quality remind me too of early Blizzard games.

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Rumor has it, there is one NPC in the game, out to get you. When you think the coast is clear... he's watching. When you move to clear an upper floor, he's there, waiting, and gone too soon. Some players have reported seeing this mythical NPC wandering the streets, unaware of the player's presence - but any noise or attempt at interaction causes him to run off-screen. 

 

Someone tried to shoot him, once. 

He wouldn't die.

 

His name is 

If he's out to get me then why does he run away when he hears or sees me?

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I'm fine with waiting. It's part of the early access process after all. I get to play an early version of a game, maybe check back in every few months to see how it's going, and get the anticipation of the finished product years later, then get the amazement (hopefully) when the devs pull it all off. I like it because I see radical changes every few months here. I last played B29 or B30. I'm waiting for B33 I think to update my copy. I know it's going to basically be a new game, like Zomboid B29 2.0 (I haven't played with the new professions, traits, crafting, or zombie spawns yet, and 33 will have what, stances, stealth overhaul, a major map expansion, more content? Some of that at least, right. Damn, new game for sure.).

 

Really, few other series manage the sort of big changes between entire games that you guys do between a few builds here. So I'm happy it's taking you longer, because it means more times I get to say, "oh wow, this game really f-ing changed, awesome!" before that final release and polish and the gradual fade out of development and additions (I'm keeping up hope that at least after 1.0 we'll get 3D terrain/maps eventually. A man can dream, though that one's a doubtful one now indeed.).

 

I'd rather have groundbreaking NPCs than game-breaking ones, or just lame run-of-the-mill ones, so take your time. You're using that time very well otherwise, so nobody's going to complain. I just hope you guys finish before you burn out, but if that takes 4 more years, imagine the amazing game we'd be playing for build 65...

 

Great and dynamic open-world AI is one of the lost hopes of gaming. If you guys pull through and deliver it, it truly would cement your accomplishment with this game. I know we don't have Nobel prizes for video games, but that would surely win one if we did.

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  • 1 month later...

okay dev's don't get me wrong you are an amazing developers and all im actually impressed but...

 

i brought this game about a year or 2 ago and it had no npc's. so i waited and waited and waited but i can only take so much before blowing zombies brains outs gets really boring. 

 

so it would great to see npc's in the next update 

 

 

sincerely your community,  

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Wow, other than this guy:

okay dev's don't get me wrong you are an amazing developers and all im actually impressed but...

 

i brought this game about a year or 2 ago and it had no npc's. so i waited and waited and waited but i can only take so much before blowing zombies brains outs gets really boring. 

 

so it would great to see npc's in the never update 

 

 

sincerely your community,

there has not been a single post against the team at TIS in this thread!

The vast majority of the vocal community is thrilled, excited, or at least content with what TIS has already delivered in PZ. There has been an out-pouring of support from us, the community that you created. You should be proud that you have brought immense joy to thousands of people! Who at the end of their days gets to reflect and think proudly on that? Regardless of the success of NPCs you have brought together the people of how many nations, backgrounds, religions, etc? Be proud TIS! You have earned it! Just read these forums! There is so little hate, and so much love being shared in the point of commonality that is PZ, that you created in a world that is so fractured and hateful in so many ways...

If the entire idea of NPCs was dropped and their development was ceased, you will still have brought joy to so many people. You are successful whether or not NPCs are ever implemented to your grandiose visions or not.

Your ambitions, drive, and search for excellence should be an example for us all! We fall down so that we can learn to get back up again! Keep doing what you're doing, and remember as you rest your head at night that you have brought joy and happiness to a community that you created with your dedication and hard work.

I am not a religious man, but bless all of you, and I wish to express a deep heart felt thank you. I hope my words find purchase, because I am doing my best to express what I know so many others feel.

Thank You!

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i can see your frustration with the ominous feedback loop of expectations getting higher, making the project take longer, increasing expectations, making the project take longer, and so on. its sort of like rockets - to launch a certain amount of mass, you need a certain amount stored energy contained in fuel. fuel has mass, meaning the total mass has now increased, meaning more fuel is required, and that fuel has mass, etc.

 

but there comes a point when there is enough fuel in the rocket such that as it burns, the mass decreases enough for the remaining fuel to carry the payload. the result, needless to say, is spectacular. i think this analogy fits this situation rather nicely. how about you?

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Guest easy AI opponent

...

 

Sorry, can’t tell if you exaggerating a bit or if it’s already sarcasm…

 

 

...

 

Sometimes rockets do nothing but explode (do you know kerbal space program?)

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