Dear Devs: please stop destroying everything

#1

I was intrigued with GZ since I saw the first trailer. The Scandinavian look and feel was very well set up. That made the game an unquestionable buy for me.

Since day 1 I enjoyed GZ a lot. The sound, the environment and the gameplay resonated and still resonates with me.

The first revamp of the Archipelago region was great and not that devastating to the environment. I welcomed it since it made the region more complete.

The update parallel to the FNIX Rising DLC made additional changes to the South Coast and Farmland region. Those updates reaped havoc on the environment there. The Scandinavian atmosphere is lost in those regions to me.

With the latest update there were even more destructive changes in the Farmland region. I really don’t like how it looks there now and I’m deeply concerned about the way the GZ environment goes. I urge you - the directores responsible for the changes regarding the environment - to reconsider making further changes especially like those applied in the Farmlands.

#2

Personally, I love the devastation, sir…
Makes it more realistic, IMHO…

But that’s me.

#3

I have mix feelings about this.
I like devastation in some areas, but i agree there is too much devastation in some of the settlements.
The Archipelago is fine
But half of South coast is DESTROYED.
Instead of destroying everything, what about populating the towns and villages with more MACHINES? An occupation instead of scorched Earth?
So i´m saying:

  • Populate almost all towns and villages with at least the double of machines (some have 0)
  • Keep adding trenches and locations , battle scenarios where you wish, there are many empty zones.
  • Leave some Settlements and towns Not Destroyed in the other Regions without a new FACELIFT.
#4

I kind of agree, and disagree, at the same time. The original look and feel, that made me love the game in the first place, is slowly going away. While I do like that things evolve, I’m not sure I like the game turning more and more into Fallout as the updates keeps rollin’ in.

#5

It´s all about balance, having the entire map FINE without destruction would be a bit dumb, we need something in the Middle, an Equilibrium.
My Opinion? The farmlands seem fine to me, not that bad, it´s mostly countryside.

#6

So many asked for destruction, and destructable things…

Well…
It’s here… and going nowhere…

#7

I like the devastated and war torn landscape but I’m gonna be honest all the empty houses and abandoned cars give/gave me an unsettling feeling like everyone had just vanished in an instant it gave the player the question “where has everyone gone?”
there was more mystery about it, now you see dead soldiers and police officers so you get the feeling that there was fighting while you were gone, which sort of answers that question to some extent.

ex. the first police car you stumble across near Yttervik was empty in the beginning, with only a destroyed machine in front of it, so you start to wonder where did the officer go, why did he/she leave their car, were they chased?
Well now the officer is dead, most likely killed by the machine they ran over.

When you leave the Archipelago region and enter the Farmlands you stumble upon a massive defence line with trenches, tanks and sandbags that the Swedish military dug in haste, clearly indicating a battle that went on for some time further removing the mystery

#8

And that is how it should be, seeing evidence of the Conflict, of the Fall of man…

#9

You should have been there in the early days, sir…
Before the human NPC’s (what a mistake that was to add these).
That was for long my question, I LOVED it…

Then… these NPC’s landed…
My first response was: “How can we kill them?”.

The game lost that uniqueness back then…

#10

I think they’re going for “warn-torn land” feel, but the amount of deforestation in the Farmlands seems to indicate that perhaps the Machines are also to blame for gathering resources for themselves. Like wood, fuel, materials and so on.

#11

I was there in the early days i bought the game on the 4th of april 2019

#12

Marvellous, sir…
How did you experience the game back then?

#13

I’m not a fan of the war-torn look. I mean, it looks great, but I honestly preferred the “where did everybody go” feel of the first release.

Approaching the first house, a few robot bodies and signs of a struggle. Then hunting for clues and survivors. Notes pinned here & there. References to machines. Voice mails. No NPCs.

That was the setting and game I fell in love with, it was unique. And now we’re venturing into Fallout territory with dated looking NPCs that don’t react to the player, fetch quests and crafting. ¯\(ツ)/¯

Also, the FNIX structures. I mean. Why? I don’t get it. They look like something from Resistance: Fall of Man or Half-Life 2 only, without years of war and oppression at the hands of alien tech.

The aesthetics of the current game just seem like mish-mash of ideas and set-pieces from other games, and reactions to requests rather than part of the original vision for the game.

I’m intrigued with where they’re planning on taking GZ and I still love the core ‘gameplay loop’ but I’m less ‘invested’ with each passing update.

#14

Good points. Feels like, perhaps the Archipelago Region should be the most untouched (and it some ways it still is) since that’s where we get the first impressions and begin to put together clues as to what’s going on.

I’ve no issue with the rest of the map being changed though.

#15

I don’t mind having SOME buildings destroyed - for example when there was a resistance cell inside - but demolishing everythings seems pretty pointless. Even from a warmongering side this doesn’t make much sense. Scorched earth only makes sense when you’re not intending to reside in those areas. But this isn’t the case, the machines are now everywhere, for what reason? And with FNIX - somehow a form of an artificial intelligence - behind the uprising of the machines, what is exactly it’s target? Destroying everything human made? What comes after that?

I don’t see a goal where FNIX would go. In the South Coast region one can see the new structures like a parasitic infection. Although the pervasive humming is really getting on my nerves I think this makes more sense. In today’s time internet hardlines are still prefered over wireless connections and in the late eighties this should be no different, making FNIX able to communicate with far-away units. That some buildings are “in the way” to set up a cable grid for a more aggressive “species” looks convincing. Even the quick-made trenches look convincing to me.

But why all those destroyed buildings in the middle of nowhere? The machines could go around them without any hassle. And even if there was a resistance cell there, why burn everything to the ground? I don’t get it at all. If the machines are this good in registering players with IR sensors, X-ray sensors etc., they could see, if there is still resistance instead of just “destroy everything”. It doesn’t make sense to me.

Well not everything is destroyed of course, gas tanks and lootable containers are still present somehow. This in addition makes the destruction of the environment even more unbelievable for me.

#16

The term overkill has come to mind a few times this weekend.

Yes it’s destroyed…we get it.

#17

I think the reason the farmlands are destroyed and so barren is because something big happened there.

Also, I think the devs found there new style, and if they just stopped we would have two more problems:

First, if there reaction to this post would be to stop the overhauling and left the other regions alone, it would look pretty unfinished.

Second, they would have to throw away their ideas for environmental storytelling.

I personally prefer the new tone they’re going for, but I can understand if for some people it feels like it’s no longer the game they payed for.

#18

Agreed, sir.

In the end, it’s their choice either way.
We can ask, but we cannot demand… :slight_smile:

#19

I don’t want the devs to stop overhauling the environment. The overhaul in the Archipelage region was great, a real step forward in story telling (although some things were a bit to obvious). I really love the easter eggs they put into the world. The overhaul in the South Coast and partially Farmland region were ok for me but I found them a bit too intensive in parts.
The latest changes are too aggressive for my taste (this is why I worded the title a bit too aggressive myself). Since the overhaul is not even halfway through, regarding the region count, I fear for the worst in the remaining/untouched regions.

I think there is more to story stelling then destruction. You can do this with notes left behind, missions or hints in the environment like have a lot of cars in a parking lot hastily parked close to a bus stop for example. More missions would mean more XP which in turn would affect the general balance since the player levels up earlier then before.

Of course it’s their choice but I feel a bit concerned. Imagine you buy a new car but the manufacturer reserves the right to make changes to it. One year after you bought the car the manufacturer decides to give the car a torn look, make scratches everywhere, break glasses, rip out seats etc. I think some people would get a bit nervous about that.
I know that this example is far fetched but I don’t know how to make my point clearer since English is not my first language.

#20

Personally I’m in the situatioin where I’m afraid they take this too far from the original and unique feel at launch, but in the end the devs decide and we the consumers will decide to continue playing or not.
This new look perhaps will attrack new players too, so it’s all in the mix!
Gonna have a long session on GZ this evening, before invading England as a true norwegian viking tomorrow…Valhallaaa!