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My opinion on why epoch is dying, And how i think i could help.


shahin32t@hotmail.com

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Let me just start by saying that i love Arma 3 epoch, i just don't think its perfect. Over the course of Arma 2 and Arma 3 i have been a loyal epoch fan and i just hate to see the game die, Especially since the game has so much potential. Whilst i know the devs have cleared a path on the direction for Arma 3 epoch, i think it needs to reevaluate it self and go back to being powerhouse it was in Arma 2. The Arma 2 engine is a overly complex and unstable mess that people withstand because they enjoy playing dayz mod so much, over the course of 5 years epoch has been one of the leading mods in Arma 2 attracting big attention from massive communities, streamers and youtube celebrities. So much so that when Arma 3 Epoch came out there was a huge social media blast on how it would be the next big thing, and how most Arma 2 epoch fans would switch. During the first 3 months of Arma 3 epoch servers where absolutely packed, and a lot of Arma 2 veterans had switched to try and play the same Arma 2 epoch in the Arma 3 engine. To there surprise it was a different game with a different direction, which made most the loyal fans head back to Arma 2. Here are some key reasons on why i think the mod is dying
 

  • Arma 3 epoch is NOT Arma 2 epoch -  This is what the community loved, this is why it was so popular. Think of it as Dota 2. Same game new engine.
  • The loot spawns - Being able to find a m107 in a small house is not what people want. The community wants High loot areas. The same concept of finding hunting rifles and small arms in houses, military grade gear in fire stations/barracks etc. and special grade gear in airports. This gives the player a sence of direction and fear in the game. People enjoy contesting for high grade loot. The best way to encourage player interaction is to show incentive in finding gear in high grade areas.
  • The horde/zombies - Almost 90% of popular epoch servers have completely removed the Arma 3 epoch provided horde. Whilst i think the Arma 2 zombies where broken i think the community enjoyed them a lot more then the current state. I think maybe going back to zombies just in towns and less spawned could improve the interest of people to the game. Too many would cause performance issues and to some people zombies aren't a great deal.
  • Fatigue - This is probably one of the biggest factors that completely stops people from transitioning between Arma 2 and Arma 3. Every map is far too big to have fatigue, and its a waste of a players time. Running from town to town is already time consuming. why make players wait more. Its a terrible idea and it should be removed.
  • Gun sway / gun play- Another leading factor for those who transition between games is the gun sway. Breaking point is a terrible mod which a lot of arma 2 players play because of the gun play.
  • Base building fixes - Whilst i like the base building it still needs less bugs, which i'm sure you're working on.
  • Med Pack usage and reviving - I think the healing needs a rework, being able to heal to 100% with no penalty time is really imbalanced. I think reviving and healing need to have a 3 to 5 second penalty time. Having said that the E-tool healing element where you have to find the specific point is a great idea. I also think hospitals need to be made relevant again, with medical supply crates only found with in those areas. I think
  • E-tool car fixing - i also believe there needs to be a 2 second penalty time when fixing your car with the e-tool, otherwise its far too hard to disable armored cars.

 

There is a lot more that i have left out and i will add as soon as i get the time. But i really wish the devs don't take this the wrong way. I really don't want to see epoch die. I just want to play Arma 2 epoch on the Arma 3 engine. And so does 70% of the community's.

Edited by [email protected]
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Arma 3 Epoch cannot be the same game as DayZ Epoch, because Bohemia strictly prohibits DayZ code/assets being used in Arma 3. So the dev team has obviously sat down and thought out a new vision, with new antagonists and assets to provide a mod for the new engine. Creating something new obviously excited the team rather than treading tired old ground, they could have continued pushing updates in Arma 2 if they wanted that.

The guns everywhere argument I do not understand as most DayZ Epoch servers turned to Overpoch where you tripped over assault rifles at spawn. Guns everywhere seems to be the norm not unusual or anything to do with play progression. Look at how many A3 Epoch servers add in massi or rhs weapons packs!

Gun sway is Bohemia not mod specific need to talk to those devs.

If servers wish to switch off in game antagonists and fill server with scripted AI missions good they can, but personally I like a server with them turned on as they are a real threat and can catch me unaware. If i wanted the other i would go play Wasteland.

There is a lot of choice out there and people are going to exercise choice, I do not see that as a death knell for Epoch but a clarion call to the devs to stick with their vision and see it through, the good stuff always survives and thrives.

The mod is in Alpha development 0.3.2.0 not even half way through, I have seen so much change since closed Alpha, and am eager to see what else is to come, but I also exercise patience and restraint as i do not code, model or build terrains, and  have no idea how long these things take from concept to execution, I sit back and observe and get excited by what i see happening. I follow Axles, Axeman and SteamPunkGears on Twitch to help keep up to date as well as remain active in the forums, here and in gaming communities I play with.

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Arma 3 Epoch cannot be the same game as DayZ Epoch, because Bohemia strictly prohibits DayZ code/assets being used in Arma 3.

Completely untrue, look at breaking point. and i'm not saying to use dayz code.

The guns everywhere argument I do not understand as most DayZ Epoch servers turned to Overpoch where you tripped over assault rifles at spawn. Guns everywhere seems to be the norm not unusual or anything to do with play progression. Look at how many A3 Epoch servers add in massi or rhs weapons packs!

Overpoch and Epoch are different mods.

Gun sway is Bohemia not mod specific need to talk to those devs.

Once again look at breaking point.



and i'm not saying we should be like breaking point, i'm saying we should be what the old game was. rather than change a product the people like. Think of how good the battlefield franchise was before they butchered it.

 

Edited by [email protected]
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Thanks for the feedback, some of what you mention has actually been worked on recently, for example you now cannot find a primary weapon in anything but pelicans or green beds (in military buildings) making most high end loot found mostly in military areas. Now keep in mind that if the server admin has added extra loot then this would effect our attempts to balance the loot overall. 

Fatigue is a Arma 3 thing and by default very oppressive, our system of stamina is what makes the Arma 3 fatigue system work better so you are not constantly fatigued and have a stamina factor as well as a max stamina increase the more you are alive.

Weapon sway is still being tweaked by BI from what I understand, if this is not the case then we will look into making tweaks based on more feedback.

Everything else you mention is in the works for upcoming patches, so stay tuned. As I said in the beginning I am in this for the long haul and want to make the mod I want to play. So, Epoch isn't going to die but just getting started.

Edited by vbawol
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After recent patches, you can no longer find any good weapon in civilian areas, and that's a huge plus. It was a case before, but now, it is more or less fixed (of course there is always a room for tweaking).

Fatigue - funny how you complain about this when before said that you do not want high end rifles in civilian areas. So with infinite stamina one could just run to any military compound in few minutes and get what they needed, no reward like this, it would be babycore gameplay. Fatigue is what makes people not to die so frequently because you know you have to build stamina in order to run 5km non-stop. And even though it is pretty easy to build stamina, I think fatigue makes it more challenging and less childish game.

Gun sway - wow, complaining about the core feature of FPS realistic gameplay is also a quick way to yet another babycore game where you can just point and shoot with no problem.

Base building is being constantly tweaked and fixed, but I think the greatest inevention by the devs was ghostsnapping. It is now so much easier to build a base in rocky mountains.

Medpacks/healing - I agree, it needs to have some time delay, same with vehicle fixing. Currently it is too easy to do that when everything happens instantly.

Zombies - even if devs introduced them, idiot server admins would disable them like they disable regular Epoch antagonists. Blame here the kids with lots of money creating servers for their clans and playing wasteland on Epoch. I like the antagonists and they are ok for now.

 

 

 

 

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Onto my part.

ArmA3 Epoch is great.

BUT

Im missing the survival feel. and Epoch should be a Survival mod and not Wasteland V2.
the Key points are:

the Map ( USA should look apocalyptic like Esseker u know ) ( Will be done for sure :D )

Antagonists. ( UAV = -.-   Sapper = nah  Cultist = cool but rare to find  BossSapper = nah with big boom  Stone Giant = ok thats cool.          ( Zombies = WANT or at least some demons shit the thing is we need antagonist who are allways in towns. 24/7 like the zeds where in arma2.

and the BuildingPhysics ( Pls add an option to disable this serverside. )

 

But Overall good work guys.  

With much Love to u guys 

Greetings Fox

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Qoute

 ( Zombies = WANT or at least some demons shit the thing is we need antagonist who are allways in towns. 24/7 like the zeds where in arma2.

The Devs could make the Civilians undergo some sort off voodoo spell from the Cultist , where the Civs would spawn in when u reach the outskirts of a town/city or mil. sites

So they may look normal (no reference to zombies) wich would make them not so easy to spot among normal players but still wanna tear the flesh of your bones , and as sound make them shant some weird lines like "your go in heaven"  "redemption for u"  else make them howl like werewolves

 

 

 

 

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