A Threat to Project Zomboid?

[Interknet]

Didn't know whether to post this here or in the indie scene bit, but I was surfing around YouTube, as you do, and came across a game called 'Pine Hollow'. Looks VERY similar to Project Zomboid...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uocVJBpaVbA

 

Really hope this game sucks worse than PZ.

 

If theres one thing I like about it from watching the video, it's the graphics - not that graphics makes me like the game more than PZ, far from it.

 

What do you think?

[tomga1]

When you google "pine hollow" you get the saddle club.

Other than that, it'll lack the atmosphere of PZ. That and it's too shooty. Bloody Unity.

[Pixel Bombs]

Its still in pre-alpha so I won't knock it for its obvious flaws, but I do like the graphics. Animations need to be smoothed out and they need to get rid of the isometric view because you have 3d models, the fuck do you need isometric for? I'm honestly curious as to where this will go.

 

EDIT: Also, to embed a Youtube video its ["MEDIA]youtube-link["/MEDIA] no quotation marks.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Pixel Bombs

[maxthebeast]

Didn't know whether to post this here or in the indie scene bit, but I was surfing around YouTube, as you do, and came across a game called 'Pine Hollow'. Looks VERY similar to Project Zomboid...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uocVJBpaVbA

 

Really hope this game sucks worse than PZ.

 

If theres one thing I like about it from watching the video, it's the graphics - not that graphics makes me like the game more than PZ, far from it.

 

What do you think?

I'm going to assume that this:

"Really hope this game sucks worse than PZ."

 

is a typo. Anyways, I know what you're implying and I would like to ask why you think that. Why would it be a bad thing if the game was better than PZ? are you completely against the progress of survival horror that you think a game similar to PZ shouldn't improve on it's various aspects?

[Rathlord]

Meh, Unity game is Unity. Lots of shooting, doesn't even look like survival horror in my honest opinion. I'd call that a shooter game with a silly perspective. In their case isometric is likely out of pure laziness rather than any kind of benefit to the gameplay.

 

I doubt it's going to be anything like PZ if it even makes it off the ground.

[Interknet]

 

Didn't know whether to post this here or in the indie scene bit, but I was surfing around YouTube, as you do, and came across a game called 'Pine Hollow'. Looks VERY similar to Project Zomboid...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uocVJBpaVbA

 

Really hope this game sucks worse than PZ.

 

If theres one thing I like about it from watching the video, it's the graphics - not that graphics makes me like the game more than PZ, far from it.

 

What do you think?

I'm going to assume that this:

"Really hope this game sucks worse than PZ."

 

is a typo. Anyways, I know what you're implying and I would like to ask why you think that. Why would it be a bad thing if the game was better than PZ? are you completely against the progress of survival horror that you think a game similar to PZ shouldn't improve on it's various aspects?

 

 

Cause I don't think PZ needs competition, really, considering how rough the developing stages have been.

[Guest]

The game is coded mostly in C#. It will be a mix of Project Zomboid, State of Decay, STALKER, Metro 2033, and Day Z, with some of our own original concepts thrown in. The game world will not be post-nuclear but it will be post-apocalyptic, and maybe limited to just this town. This is not going to be another zombie game, those are mostly just fodder for pre-alpha testing. The final game will have zombies but they will not be the focal point of the game.

Here's a short list of planned features.

Already implemented:

• Player-configurable time subsystem (you can even have a 1:1 or 'real' time scale if you want) that also tracks the amount of days, hours, and minutes the player has survived in the game.
• Day/night cycles with real-time lighting that can sync with the time subsystem.
• Timed lighting system that controls outdoor lights (streetlights, etc.) according to sunrise and sunset.
• Individual mutants/zombies and hordes roam map randomly (this is partially implemented, spawn code just needs some tweaking.)
• Roofs/walls that become transparent when the player is behind the structure for visibility (this is partially implemented and still a bit broken in the current build.)
• Basic art and sound/music assets I whipped up quickly for testing. I will probably re-model, re-rig, and re-animate most of the meshes currently in the game.
• A framework for guns. There is currently no system to equip a different weapon, but code for guns and ammo is in and working.
• A framework for melee weapons, same as guns.
• Basic enemy AI with raycast-based wandering and distance-based follow/attack, also distance-based despawn to keep performance up.
• Basic enemy spawn code with rotating distance-to-player checks and cooldown time.
• Basic GUI where you can change visual quality and time scale to a few presets, many more options to come later.

Features we want to get in the game for public alpha:

• Save/Load capability, obviously.
• Seamless free roam over entire game world.
• A* pathfinding, which will make AI for mutants and the like much smarter.
• Comprehensive health system (more than just a bar, with bleeding and broken limbs.)
• Fully-featured inventory system. Any container in the world will be lootable, and the player will be able to equip backpacks and carry bags and such to expand his storage (within reasonable/realistic limits.)
• Player-changeable clothing. (Clothing will be randomized for monsters/zombies/some NPCs.)
• Experience and upgradeable skills.
• Random autonomous ecosystem (animals, for food.)
• Randomly-spawned monster hordes. Hordes will be difficult (if not impossible) to defeat even if the player is extremely well-equipped, and should largely be avoided.
• All structures will be enterable.
• Any structure will be somewhat upgradeable (barricades on windows, doors, etc.)
• Many structures will have locked doors by default. Player can open or smash a window or break down the door to enter the structure, but breaking things makes noise and attracts bad things
• Player must eat/sleep/drink regularly to survive.
• Driveable/rideable vehicles.

Features We'd like to add after it goes public alpha:

• Human NPCs that exist inside the zone and will trade with / give missions to the player.
• Human survivor NPCs that have the same capabilities as the player and can trade, group up, form their own groups, etc.
• Co-op multiplayer, if it's possible.
• Boss monsters!
• Alternative sandbox mode with no missions, infinite gameplay, and configurable difficulty/world settings (apocalypse survival simulator.)
• Alternative Zombie mode with no mutants or NPCs, and configurable difficulty/world settings (zombie apocalypse simulator.)

[Guest]

Many of the features like broken limbs, etc. are directly copied from PZ...

 

Also, it's being programmed in C#, something the indie stone had wanted to do but were not able to, IIRC.

[TheCenturion]

The amount of zombie themed survival games that people tend to make with Unity is kinda funny, since none of them are really that great or well planed out. Unity makes game development TOO easy in some ways.

[Realmkeeper]

Many of the features like broken limbs, etc. are directly copied from PZ...

 

Also, it's being programmed in C#, something the indie stone had wanted to do but were not able to, IIRC.

PZ has broken limbs now?!? 

[DerHouy]

Well C# and C++ is much better than Java anyway, Java is known for bad performance in Games. Well if really really good coded it can run slightly in good fps (look Minecraft) but most Java Games have really bad Performance. So Performance wise C++ and C# are much better.

 

Cause I don't think PZ needs competition, really, considering how rough the developing stages have been.

 

I dont see a real competition here, Indiestone (PZ) has many many features done and working hard on it.

This Hollow Pine Game is far far behind and has not the same concept for the game, okay it will maybe look better but wont have the same feeling or fun PZ has in my opinion or atleast in a other way.

And even then, if i would see this 2 Games i would buy both =)

[kinyoshi]

I like the flashlight aspect, how it's brighter up close.

I wouldn't be worried about it threatening PZ, unless they make their game exactly like PZ...

[Aricane]

Well, it looks nice, but looks like a zombie survival game that's all about making noise and shoot everything that moves regardless (which is the concept in almost any zombie game). That's the direct opposite of PZ.

 

PZ makes me experience something I haven't experienced in a long time, which is the constant fluctuating feeling of getting ideas, sensing opportunities and eventually failing at reaching my goal and the intense feeling of powerless. The feeling of not knowing what to do, is a very rare feeling in games. Then getting an idea, try doing your very best at fulfilling your goal and eventually fail and must give up, to return to the idea of not knowing what to do. It's really unique. All I'm saying I think is that it seems that Pine Hollow won't do anything like this.

[Guest]

It's in a pre-Alpha state, so nothing much can be actually said about it.

 

I'm sure even PZ had it's share of skeptics and non-believers at first, but that obviously did not last very long.

 

The only thing that concerns me is the amazing amount of similarities between Pz and Pine hollow, only time will tell if it is a blatant rip off or not.

[Roach]

Cause I don't think PZ needs competition, really, considering how rough the developing stages have been.

 

Competition is never bad for the customer. Just because the indie stone worked hard on pz it doesn't mean this other studio didn't work their asses off as well. 

[LeoIvanov]

You guys need to consider that for the game to be "blatant ripoff" the developer must claim that it is "in no way supposed to be like X" (Although it is exactly like X, only shittier).

 

Judging from couple of posts above, it looks like the developer clearly stated that the game shares similarity with Project Zomboid, and they want to go that route further.

 

Unlike all of you think, competition in businesses (especially game development) are nothing but good. The two companies that have competition between each other are striving to make their things "better", or add something unique that the other side doesn't have. Not just that, but the quality of the work increases, as people fear that their customers might interchange the sides and go for their opponent. Instead of going on and creating the game, you suddenly now have the "oh shit, they are making the same thing, and it looks bloody brilliant. We must do better, and faster, before they do that feature!" feeling that you wouldn't have before.

 

I also dislike people who see the game similar to something else and instantly go "I really hope they suck compared to that other game I like". I, personally, hope they succeed at whatever they are trying to do and have the game with a bit different goals and graphics to PZ that is holding on it's own goals and regulations. Call me a bad man. Go on.

[Xydonus]

Is this where we are going, is it?

 

So any future isometric games that feature zombies and elements of survival is going to be a direct rip-off from Project Zomboid? And only one will be allowed in the entire universe?

 

Sigh ...

 

Also, broken limbs? Since when was that a unique idea reserved for TIS? The dev of this game could have easily just decided he wanted broken limbs in his game, its not uncommon for such wishful thinking of the most basic things.

 

Look at DayZ/WarZ. WarZ couldn't be anymore different than DayZ, yet that didn't stop the vocal fans of DayZ despite the fact that WarZ is utter retarded pants. Yet both games turned out to be very different in the end.

 

Or Star Citizen and X Rebirth; two space sims that for some reason draws out a few minorities to cast comparisons on two very different games.

 

I don't think TIS is going to feel threatened in any way because of this; pretty sure Zomboid is going to retain its uniqueness for years to come.

[Guest]

As I said before, its only pre alpha. Only time will tell of it's quality.

[EnigmaGrey]

Ah, this is the one that failed their KickStarter, neh?

Oh well.

[PK'EZ-54]

One problem I see. Guy using a gun alot. This means only one thing... Super Ultimate Zombie Turbo Hack Bag n Grab Slaughter fest Simulator 2000.

[DirectorPr]

I wouldn't mind playing it, seems like it'd be a good wave zombie shooter to play, but terrible survival aspect in its current build.

[Rathlord]

Here's the thing, though- they're using Unity. Which means they could have about 45 minutes of work put into this game so far. The stuff they have in already... it's just nothing. Anyone can have that running in Unity, which is why I doubt they'll have the customer base, the code skill, or the dev skill to actually make a successful game out of it.

[Pixel Bombs]

Why is everyone pointing out that he used the gun to much? Its pre-alpha, they have very little in the game so far.

[Nachtfischer]

1. If you make a game, and do so not just for practice but as an expression of your creativity (i.e. art), you should make sure to fill a need. I don't think this game will ever do that. (Do the developers themselves think so?)

 

2. Unity is not automatically bad. I'm sure people know that, but it sounded a bit like it in previous posts (like "Oh, it's Unity, so it's a bad game!"). The game apparently being coded in C# is an indicator that Unity is not the problem here. Missing some reasonable design concept beyond "copy some stuff and throw more stuff on top" might be one, though.

[nasKo]

I'd rather wait for ROAM

Could turn out interesting, though. All luck to them