Opinion about the game

[HOUWADO]

1. Realism Over Fun: Are We Going Too Far?
Project Zomboid's commitment to realism is commendable, but is it sacrificing the 'fun factor'? Do we need a more balanced approach, or should we embrace the hardcore survival experience even if it means a steeper learning curve?

2. NPCs: To Wait or Not to Wait?
The elusive NPC update has been promised for ages. Are we expecting too much, or is it fair to be impatient? Should the devs prioritize existing features, or is the potential of dynamic NPC interactions worth the wait?

3. Base Building or Nomad Life: The Great Divide
Some say the joy of survival is in building the perfect fortress, while others thrive in the nomadic lifestyle. Is Project Zomboid catering enough to both playstyles, or does it need a fundamental shift towards one or the other?

4. Pace of Development: Fast and Furious or Slow Burn?
The game has been in Early Access for a while, and some argue the pace of development is too slow. Should the devs speed things up, even if it means potential bugs, or is the slow and steady approach the key to a polished apocalypse?

5. Learning Curve: Steep or Too Steep?
The learning curve in Project Zomboid is notorious. Are we scaring off potential players, or is the challenge what makes the game so rewarding? Should there be more handholding for newcomers, or is the current difficulty a badge of honor?

[TJ_4874]

I can't answer most of these because I'm not particularly good at the game but I can give my opinion about a couple of these

Publicado originalmente por HOUWADO:

4. Pace of Development: Fast and Furious or Slow Burn?

in my opinion I feel that the slow pace is good for the development of the game, the devs aren't being rushed and it's more likely for them to produce their best work and avoid burnout from working on the game day in and day out.

Publicado originalmente por HOUWADO:

5. Learning Curve: Steep or Too Steep?

To me I never survive particularly long and the difficulty would definitely drive some people away from the game, but for me I'm always brought back due to the allure of long term survival and reaching my goals I've set for myself in-game.

[LIMP BISQUICK]

1. Some areas not worth the grind IMO. Some out of place. Screaming and walking gets old quick. I think a little more fun should be embraced when it comes to crowd control and base defense. I imagine some plans are already in place to improve areas like that.

2. Just wait. Think the most important thing is that devs already know that it's a highly desired feature. Personally think what I want more than NPC atm are changes happening on the map that impacts the way I loot, or where I go. Would definitely like improvements to the way zombies move around and all that too. They should be more unpredictable.

3. Think it would be best to prioritize base building. Lots of downsides and bugs with it in its current state IMO. Not trying to discourage the nomad life.

4. They should develop whatever they want whenever they want. Totally understand people getting impatient but it's sad to see how many brush off the kind of work they've been delivering.

5. Learning curve isn't all that bad really. I can see skills tripping people. Sure, players will struggle to survive but it's not like things are super complicated. I do think more insight to moodles and display how exactly they affect your person would go a long way and demystify many things. I still don't know their full effects and tend to forget after long breaks.

[fruit flavored ENERGY DRINK]

if by "steep learning curve" you mean figuring out basic movement, figuring out how to fight and avoid zombies, and not doing dumb things in general, people can learn these things within less than 60 hours of gameplay. that's barely anything

the difficulty is customizable and that's all the handholding the game needs. if anything, they need to make the final boss of the game easier, AKA late game boredom

[Puppers]

1. To be honest I found this game playing Neo Scavenger , which i was absolutely bad at(i suck at games like that). I don't have the patience for those types of games but I still had a blast regardless. When I Found pz it was really one of the first type of games of its genre i bothered trying. Fell in love with it BECAUSE of how realistic it is. My first death was going to sleep on a couch while having the oven on, fell in love with the game ever since then.

2. I would rather have animal npcs that contribute to the crafting system that will prolong my game with more sustainability, over human ones. I am rather indifferent about human npcs.

3. I have no opinion on

4. For me personally I find the development speed fine, it works in my favor as i am usually playing many other games. If i am being honest im not ready for 42 to release yet due to that factor.

5. I don't like hand holding in games and i think alot of games now a days do that, i find it annoying. I think its extremely rewarding figuring things out on your own or getting involved in the community and asking there, i find it pretty wholesome new players coming to the discord asking for help and info and watching the "veterans" help them. As far as the learning curve there are settings in the game that make it more tolerable but youre still going to have a difficult time until you learn to get combat down.

[pzhda'tan]

NPCs don't necessarily make the game fun. They could in fact make the game tedious.

[katsuragi]

2: Good news is you don't have to wait or be patient. You can do something else, forget all about PZ, and it will still be ready when it's ready and you never had to do a thing (if "waiting" counts as doing something)

[Chaosolous]

Publicado originalmente por pzhda'tan:

NPCs don't necessarily make the game fun. They could in fact make the game tedious.

I think I'm one of the few people not looking forward to NPC's.

I play mostly multiplayer though, so I don't feel like it needs them tbh.

All the other changes in the coming builds look quality though.

[Léon Scarlet]

Game still in EA after more than 10 years....bruh

[the elder scrolls morrowind goty]

your questions prove you know nothing about roleplaying games or game design in general

[taxhelp_pro]

It is what it is and those who (like me) it appeals to will like it. Some other people will not . I wouldn't pay 5 cents for caviar but a good prime rib mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Prowler™]

I mean...the games been limping along since the MP update lol
Broken tile rendering
Broken PVP
Broken PVE
Most of this claimed to be "addressed" in the next build...
If it wasn't a mod friendly sandbox no one would keep playing haha The performance really is that bad. No mods can fix that.

[Fuhrer]

I love the vague ♥♥♥♥♥footing language like "some argue the pace of development is too slow." Like come on, it's *objectively* slow as molasses. The game's been in early access quite possibly longer than any other in existence with little to show for it, and is unlikely to ever leave it. Nothing anyone says or does will change the course of things or how the developer works, this is how things have been for over a literal decade. It's very much a take it or leave it situation.

[Pherdnut]

1. Its excellent balance of realism vs fun is part of what makes it such an intriguing game in the first place. Having to pee is not fun. Having to sleep putting a cap on looting time and having to eat putting a cap on not-looting time is great. I wouldn't hate a little more (not too much) realism on healing and infection, but it's a survival/sim game with requirements that make sense.

2. They don't want to do NPCs until they can do it right. Given how much they do right in the weeds of every update, I'm excited to wait. The massive crafting upgrade alone makes it a lot easier to wait. Also all the stories of unexpected horrible things happening to farm animals yet to come.

3. Which side of it are they failing on? Did expanding the map in a huge way enhance just one or both? Did cars enhance just one or both? Will the 42 upgrades to both stone age and more modern crafting enhance just one or both?

4. The original EA game was sprites and one kind of ugly, nonsensical town. Yeah, it's been a few years but I've seen no other game have this much dedicated development post EA release. No other game in my Steam library has gotten this many hours out of me, sometimes with months-long breaks until a new update or exciting mod hits and it's like a fresh new game.

5. Default difficulty (Apoc) is not so much intensely hard as it is severely unforgiving of mistakes, impatience, and hubris. In other words, it's a zombie game that zombies like a zombie movie. I encourage new players to try their hand at Six Months Later in sandbox mode, not because I'm a sadist, but because it very quickly helps you get to the brass tacks of what really matters and what doesn't in terms of strictly surviving. Then you can have more fun with trying to get to the surviving in the long term aspects of the default difficulty with less confusion about whether it was you that killed you when you inevitably do that.

[Lux]

After playing like 14 hours its becoming boring pretty fast, because its actually too easy to get enough food and water. The backpacks are waaaay too big like the car truncs. You just need one trip to fulfill one year of food necessities. It feels too easy to survive.

[Made in-Human]

Publicado originalmente por HOUWADO:

1. Realism Over Fun: Are We Going Too Far?
Project Zomboid's commitment to realism is commendable, but is it sacrificing the 'fun factor'? Do we need a more balanced approach, or should we embrace the hardcore survival experience even if it means a steeper learning curve?

2. NPCs: To Wait or Not to Wait?
The elusive NPC update has been promised for ages. Are we expecting too much, or is it fair to be impatient? Should the devs prioritize existing features, or is the potential of dynamic NPC interactions worth the wait?

3. Base Building or Nomad Life: The Great Divide
Some say the joy of survival is in building the perfect fortress, while others thrive in the nomadic lifestyle. Is Project Zomboid catering enough to both playstyles, or does it need a fundamental shift towards one or the other?

4. Pace of Development: Fast and Furious or Slow Burn?
The game has been in Early Access for a while, and some argue the pace of development is too slow. Should the devs speed things up, even if it means potential bugs, or is the slow and steady approach the key to a polished apocalypse?

5. Learning Curve: Steep or Too Steep?
The learning curve in Project Zomboid is notorious. Are we scaring off potential players, or is the challenge what makes the game so rewarding? Should there be more handholding for newcomers, or is the current difficulty a badge of honor?

1. Realism makes it more fun. Being too "gamey" often works in detriment, depending on the style of game. Zomboid would suffer if it focused too much more on "gamey" aspects.

2. Wait

3. This is... what? Why even consider focusing gameplay balance and mechanics to focus on one over the other?? That would take AWAY from the game, like cutting the arm of someone who didn't need to.

4. I seriously don't understand why is it an issue that the game is in Early Access.

5. Steep, could be more steep. Leave as is