Regarding inaccessible houses in map revamps

Feedback/Feature Requests
29

Been some time since I chimed in to this - my suggestion as to how to handle the discrepancies: Make the ‘newer’ story part of a DLC, and trigger the world changes after the player has finished the Alpine Unrest DLC. The new players start the original story, roam the empty landscape, fight their way through to the ‘boss fight’, get a few months of offscreen rest, then the landscape and missions change to fit the new direction.

I personally still miss the May 2020 feel from back when I bought the game - free-roaming gameplay, tough-as-nails robots teetering on the brink of god-mode cheating. Unfortunately, while some issues have been addressed and the story and world-building have expanded considerably, bugs out of the bottom of hell till haven’t been fixed - flickering due to seams in the models, landscape ‘holes’, misplaced props, car models, houses, teleporting bots. I’m holding out for some QOL improvements in these areas, but the fix for most of these problems seems to have been to get rid of the structures entirely


5 Likes
30

That is in my opinion a really good idea. They stay a time on HjimfĂ€ll. Maybe to rest for the Winter. Fight the Isle free and then move back to Östertörn where Fnix has destroyed more Landsapes and builts his network. That is a thing that makes sense.

31

Not a bad idea honestly, while I think it would take up more space on a harddrive, having the world change based on triggers ie based on completet content would make the “evolving” world feel more natural. The mystery aspect isn’t there for new players because in a way, finding the world a battlefield and signs of fighting spoils the story when starting out. Or at least takes away from momnent when you do understand it. These revamps only really work for players who have been with the game for a long time, for us the revamps make sense because time has moved for us as in the game.

2 Likes
32

This is bang on the money. My own theory is that the guys who evolved the first incarnation have all moved on and left it to people who didn’t really agree with it. The ones who are left are only hearing the screamers, so are giving them everything they ask for, without caring about the story.

The problem is that they are never going to stop screaming for more. New weapons, new enemies, new crafting, new bases, stick all the missions on the HUD, blah, blah, blah. All the rest of us (and it’s the majority on this forum) are going to be ignored.

Everything they “redo” is a wasteland. Great for running around tanks screaming, but hopeless for the ones who hate dying.

3 Likes
33

I think you are all missing an even more import aspect with regard to the houses in the game.

While exploring, I have encountered several homes without bathrooms!

Literally unplayable.

(Hopefully my sarcasm translates)

34

Not quite.

Vanilla missions - 10th of November '89
Alpine Unrest - 10th of December '89
FNIX Rising - between 26th and 29th of December '89
Resistance - mid-late March '90

source: Generation Zero story timeline

So, time has advanced only 4 months in-game. :slight_smile:

My best guess of this mixture of lore, is because devs are seeing GZ as a “live service”, where time in game advances with every lore update.
And since the dev team is small, they can’t push the time advancement to entirety of the map at once. At best, they can do it one region at a time.

With this, we have a time paradox in the game :thinking:, where:
Mountains, Marshlands and North Coast are at: 10th of November '89 (d-day)
HimfjÀll is at: 10th of December '89
Archipelago, Farmlands and South Coast are at: between 26th and 29th of December '89
Forest is at: mid-late March '90

I have no clue how to fix lore timeline since it’s a proper mess, even for old timers, and nearly incomprehensible for new players. :disappointed:

While neat idea, to correct the game timeline for anyone new playing GZ, sadly, that can’t be done legally. Since that will lock FNIX Rising DLC after Alpine Unrest DLC and from it, comes the issue.

Current lore goes as follows: vanilla game → Alpine Unrest DLC → FNIX Rising DLC → Resistance update.

I don’t know the legal side of it that well but idea is; that when you buy the DLC within game (e.g FNIX Rising), you need to access the bought content as soon as you bought it. Not 1, 10 or 100 gameplay hours later, where the content is locked behind prerequisite event in the game.

E.g:
Someone is buying GZ since they saw base building in it. Once in the game, they learn that for them to build their base, they have to follow the lore. Which means:

  1. finish vanilla main missions
  2. buy Alpine Unrest DLC
  3. finish HimfjÀll main missions
  4. buy FNIX Rising DLC
  5. finish FNIX Rising main missions
  6. finish Resistance side mission (unavoidable)
    and only then, they can start building their base.

I’d estimate that taking roughly 200 gameplay hours, just to get access to base building. :face_with_monocle:

That has been pointed out in the forums before and there is no need to have a dedicated bathroom in the house when you have outhouse + sauna. Both are common in Nordic countries.
(But i did get your sarcasm. :wink: )

3 Likes
35

First of all, don’t insult those who want other things than you by calling them names. That’s not being nice, and I’m going to have to advise you to stop doing that.

Secondly, please do not assume things on behalf of everybody else.
Play nice, and be constructive if you’re going to post feedback. That goes for everybody.

//Mod

36

Thanks for the explanation. I’m not sure regarding the ‘legality’ of things - I got various games where DLC is locked behind a playthrough or a mission you need to finish, but IANAL.

I think the bigger problem is the separation/splitting of the player base, as the structural changes to the map would require the same story progress for all participants. Can’t storm the robot castle if it’s not there for the base game players. :upside_down_face:

As I said back with the June 2020 update - maybe offer a Steam ‘beta’ branch of various game states to those that want to relive the older versions?

37

Not all consoles are limited or old, just my two pence worth !

1 Like
38

Yes, not all are, e.g: PS5 or Xbox Series X/S. But when a game is made according to the specs of PS4 and Xbox One, it doesn’t matter if there are better consoles out there. Game will be still limited to what that old, discontinued hardware, from 2013, is capable of.

That’s why i suggested the split in the game version. So that the old consoles get better optimization, without having to live up to the performance of current day hardware. And in turn, the current day hardware wouldn’t be limited on what the obsolete hardware is capable of.

39

I would be happy with specific optimisation for pc, old and new console, maybe it will happen I just don’t know ! :+1:

40

If that were a book that I had to edit, I would write a big comment to the writer at this point, because that’s a big no-go in a book. But I think the devs will have thought something. Perhaps it should have been solved differently at this point, e.g. that this change is only triggered after the Hjimfall and Fnix DLC’s have been completed.

After I found some messages in a bottle and walked around a bit, I have to say again that what was done has been done with great attention to detail. Compliments to the devs. I also find the idea with the base building quite successful if you’ve experimented with it a little.

What I still regret a little is that so many houses have been destroyed that where previously intact. I don’t know if the devs have a plot for their story, but I hope so.

So we will see what is to come in the next updates or DLC’s. Because if I have understood the teaser correctly, we will take the Östertörn back and free it from the machines. I’m curious

41

If that would happen, then it would be the end of the game. Since when there are no more machines to fight against, what GZ would be, is walking simulator. Due to that, i don’t think the game ends with FNIX’es fall and freedom from the machine overtake.

Boarded up houses, while apparent, aren’t actually the only “cuts” to the game, to improve the performance on consoles. I’ve discovered two more, one subtle and one obvious.

Subtle one:

Little bit North of Paskallaholm safehouse (Forest), there is a garage and in front of it, there was parked Volvo. Now, after Resistance update, that car is gone, for no apparent reason.

20210515010824_1
20210515010824_11920×1080 425 KB

There could be other assets on the map that have been magically disappeared. :thinking:

Obvious one:

Before, every tank that had rocket pod, did fire a good salvo to the player, consisting of 10 rockets.

Screens from one of my gameplays (Sept '20)

Advancing the video frame-by-frame, i counted 10 rockets.

2020-09-02 01
2020-09-02 011920×1090 472 KB

2020-09-02 02
2020-09-02 021920×1090 490 KB

2020-09-02 03
2020-09-02 031920×1090 434 KB

2020-09-02 04
2020-09-02 041920×1090 427 KB

Now, after Resistance update, all tanks with rocket pods fire only 2 rockets at a player. :unamused:

2021-05-08
2021-05-081920×1090 414 KB

2 Likes
42

Hi Aesyle,
that i did’nt believe, there are three undiscovered islands around Östertörn. Imagine we retake a good part of Östertörn and push FNIX back to one of this island.
What do you think?

I went an hour before past the garage from PĂ„skallaholm i couldn’t remeber that there was a Volvo in front. It’s to long ago that i was there before. But when you say this i believe that there was one. It is sad to see that some things dissapear or been blocked due to the requirements of the play stations.

On the other hand you have not so much houses to search through.

I can understand, that devs make only one version of the game what is portet to the different paltorms.
But that can be a pain for the user. I see this often with CAD Programms that been programmed for UNIX and then been portet for a PC. That results in many crashes.
But for the devs it is easyer to handle, when they make own versions for the different platforms then it is more work to handle the different version stats from this programms.

What you found out with the tanks is very interresting. I didn’t recognize it as i fought a tank a few days ago. I was to busy in that combat.

At the moment I be busy to find the message in a botlle south from Littorp but i couldn’t find it. As Thagen said it should be on a little hill south from Littorp. But there where three tanks. I think they’re guarding something in this place. maybe the message in a bottle.

43

Possibility? Yes.

However, imagine this: FNIX is pushed onto the islands, main island is free of machines. What is player supposed to do on main island? :thinking: Other than walking aimlessly around and looting loot containers.

All the gameplay would then take place only on those islands, while the 1st player base (in Forest) would be abandoned.

For the spots that i frequently visit, i remember the setting and if there is a change, i’ll notice it.

That garage with Volvo parked in front of it, was only for eyecandy since in the entire garage nor inside the car, there was no loot containers. That made this location unique, in it’s own right.
Now, after the update, garage has gotten some new furniture in it but it still doesn’t have any loot containers in it. And the car is gone.

Of course, loot containers have different seeds between player profiles and the fact that i don’t have any loot containers there doesn’t mean that everybody doesn’t have any there as well.

For me, the houses were never a good spot to search for a loot. Out of all assets, houses were the worst since they often had only handful of loot containers, while taking considerable amount of time to go through it. Barns, garages and cars are far better assets for looting. :slight_smile:

Though, what open house does provide, is the best cover in game :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:, since you can lock yourself into it, where machines can’t get to you, and you can shoot the machines through the windows. Only the gas attack could reach you in the house. Or when machine got lucky and hit you through the window.
And depending on a house type (best being e.g Rusksele safehouse farmhouse, in Marshlands), you can easily get to it’s roof, for great elevated spot to scope/snipe the surrounding area. :heart_eyes:

That could be both ways. On one hand, devs do have two versions of a game to handle at once. But on other hand, both versions would be fine-tuned for the specific platform, making it easier to update/fix issues in it.

I first spotted it in my Medium mode base defense, where i was expecting to get barrage of rockets out of a tank but i was surprised seeing only 2 rockets fired at me. At first, i thought it was due to the unique spawn tank (proto tank with Linear Accelerator and Rocket Pod) but later, battling random FNIX tank, i saw the very same thing. Again, only 2 rockets were fired against me at once. :astonished:

Here’s something to help you along: :slight_smile:

20210507020005_1
20210507020005_11920×1080 440 KB

For exact map loc + all other bottle locs, screens are in here: Message in a bottle? - #7 by Aesyle

1 Like
44

Many thanks Aesyle :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: i was walked ten times along this place without finding it. I was to busy with the robots. But i had the right nose. They guidet that place.

And right the tanks (that where two Tanks and a harvester) fired only two rounds. If you where fast enoug you can dodge them.

Yeah, the open houses where the best cover. In Lerberget you could only hint in two garages and one barn. I had a heavy Firefight with a pack of hunters. I hid myself in the garage in the mid of the City and won that fight.

Many thanks to you for your explanations. :+1:

1 Like
45

The old salvo, of 10 rockets, were dodge-able as well but since it was bigger salvo with more spread, it was harder to dodge.

If devs have kept the damage per salvo the same (haven’t tested it), then getting hit by one of the old rockets, results in a less damage to a player than getting hit by one of the new rockets.
(E.g 10 rockets could’ve done 150 damage, where 1 would do 15 damage; where’s 2 new rockets would do the same 150 damage, where 1 would do 75 damage.)

Just checked my gameplay footage and one new rocket, deals 59 damage to a Vanguard enabled build (+25% protection against explosives), on Guerilla difficulty. So, getting hit by two, will kill the player on Guerilla difficulty.

Also, it could be me, but the new rockets also look beefier. :thinking:

There is actually one house to hide in as well. The one just next to the garage that holds one of the bottled messages. The back door of that house is blocked off but front door is open and you can also fight from 2nd floor balcony (which i utilized when i was doing the “Good News” mission).

46

I do not like the direction that the latest update has taken to turn off access to the interior of houses. Would rather want to see that all buildings can be accessed. I’ve never had a problem with performance. hope you rethink and open it up again. Alpine rest update did exactly what i wanted and opened up access to almost every house on the island.

peace out!

4 Likes
47

Moved to the feedback thread regarding inaccessible houses.

//Mod

48

Honestly, hiding in houses isnt needed. You can use trees and rocks
 Heck, even hiding behind a dead machine seems to work sometimes. lol Remember, you can go prone so it helps against hiding from the small stuff.

As for Rival sized beast, trees help a ton. If no trees you can just play daisy chain with the machines by running around the building or container.

The locked up building do add a sense that time is passing, people are moving on, going to more remote areas and leaving their old lives behind. Makes the world building and lore a little more interesting.