Gaming with Pitstop Head

Gaming Psychology, News and Discussion with a focuss on Survival and Horror Games 

[pitstophead]

SCUM discussion

Here is a discussion blog that I post about the new survival game called SCUM. Let me know what you think: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBVvXppXDNY

[pitstophead]

So do you remember the items they removed from DayZ Standalone. My latest video has a look back....

[pitstophead]

Tips for Building in Stranded Deep

Just recently I spent 15 to 20 hours building a large base in stranded deep. Along the way I learned a few things, some tips, that I thought I would share with you here in this blog post. 1) At first the temptation is to use the planks, corrugated steel, and anything else of quality. But I recommend that you hold off and just gather your materials together and in the first place build a starter base out of sticks. Then you can really decide what you want to do with the better resources which are actually quite scarce around the map especially considering the maps in the most recent updates are fairly small to medium size. 2) When placing the foundations to the structure look carefully at the level. In the first instance it's very tempting to maybe place your first foundation by a rock but this may well impede the second foundation and you might not be to build the base you want to build because the foundations won't go down. It can be quite annoying at times when objects don't appear to be in the way, look for a clear a space of sand and then hopefully you should be able to build the base you desire. 3) Recently the developers added a triangle size foundation this allows you to build all sorts of shapes for your foundations and therefore creating structures that are other than square boxes. Give these a go. 4) When placing walls, so not to waste resources, they need to be supported and the same goes for ceilings. It sounds like an obvious thing to say but you will need more walls than you would imagine and when placing ladders you want the space that accommodates entrance to that ladder. The ladder once attached to a floor spans one whole foundation and so you’ll need to take that into consideration when building. 5) I found it useful to be able to carry back the logs from palm trees especially if the axe you are carrying is near to breaking. So you don't actually have to break them up into sticks to carry them back to your main island.

6) Tarps seem to respawn. Whereas the planks and metals do you not making them very precious. Tarps are great for making walls and you only need one to make a wall which will rapidly increase the size of your settlement.

7) Collected items can be placed on foundations, so you can drop your treasures on foundations if you want but certain crafted items, like the smoking rack, cannot and have to be placed on sand to take that into consideration when designing. I hope you find these tips useful and if you've got any yourself you can add them below which would be awesome. If you want to see the build that I did you can watch it here at my YouTube channel, this is a direct link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxG7YMEeD4M Thanks again.

[pitstophead]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aD_LGQrItc) This is the second in my Monster Review series...what FEAR FACTOR SCORE did the #Miscreated Mutants get?

[pitstophead]

See my Unofficial H1Z1 Banshee Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW84oKYOYJk#h1z1 #banshee #zombies

[pitstophead]

This is the start of a new series of Fan Trailer for characters, or events, I create in game. They are kind of design for the wow factor and the fact I love making them. I hope you enjoy this!

[pitstophead]

This is my review of Survival Games from 2015 so i hope you like!

[pitstophead]

The Effect of 0.58 Update to Stable in DayZ Standalone

We have seen loot piling up in specific locations, hordes of glorious military loot stacked in joyous mounds of AK heaven, where fresh players are able to transform themselves into war machines so as to plunge the depths of Berezino with bullet pounding effect. But this has been taken from us and some have been left whimpering in the streets and others are but echoes of themselves now disappeared from the world.

For some it is a matter of time. They wonder into DayZ's deserted world and have an hour to spare and many of them want to engage with other players. This doesn't have to be a combat arena, it could be roleplay or just a conversation. Some argue that this is impossible when the loot is so dispersed that they have to track across the quiet fields, for that hour, inland with little hope of seeing a soul. This hour may also be the tolerance period for many who have more time. How long is it before a player decides they have had enough? An hour?

It seems for some players it is less. Maybe half an hour? This could be extended if an encounter happens but what if that person dies quickly after spending time looting? They spawn a distance off and can't get back to their body? They will have to do the trek again, and again and again.

This is a survival game though. It was never meant to be a battle environment more a place to tell the story of a journey. Ironically, when the time comes, it is a great combat arena, the intensity of the fire fights pulse racing, palm sweating, annoyingly frustrating, all the ingredients that make it amazing. On some level this has become a drug for people. They want more and it's questionable whether the developers realise how this has become so addictive for some.

If it is the case that this moment of engagement has become a drug then there is a fear that many of the DayZ Standalone players are now going cold turkey. Their shaking bodies are being dragged across Chernarus and if they see anybody they only want to shoot and re-live the heady days of the Berezino battle zone.

The story is incomplete though because this is an alpha game and there is more to come. Hopefully into the story of the players, wondering the lands in the hope of finding gameplay, will be woven some of the following: more improvised weapons, further means of communicating, the chance to establish outposts, drifting smoke across the skyline, signs to tracks, painted signs to read, more hordes to battle and more vehicles to transport them across the massive map.

It is a question of waiting. The connections will come as the game evolves. The things that people so crave will come but in the proper way and the experiences will be richer for it. But nobody likes to wait, although some are patient because they can see the end goals. The question is in the mean time will the developers introduce some kind of battle mode or map to keep people interested?

You can see me streaming DayZ Standalone at my Twitch channel here http://www.twitch.tv/pitstophead

See more of my artwork at my Redbubble link here: http://www.redbubble.com/shop/pitstop+head+mugs?ref=shop_product_refinement

[pitstophead]

New updates in #Subnautica are amazing and I've posted a video about it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ec8dLXKbog subnautica

[pitstophead]

5 Good Reasons to Play Miscreated

1 - Miscreated is an open world, sandbox, survival game. The world is perhaps one of the most beautiful and detailed in the survival game genre. One of the post impressive aspects to the world design is the narrative. Each location has thought behind it where the ruins of society whisper the stories of the people who once lived there.

2 - The map is a good size and what I mean by this is that it's not too large, that ultimately you end up running around too much not getting anywhere, and not too small so that you end up running into bandits within seconds. It has two large cities and some towns as well as a Military base and air strip.

3 - The Frames Per Second are excellent. The Cry Engine the game uses is renowned for having good optimisation features. There is little lag, if any, and good graphical options.

4 - Base building is being introduced, if it hasn't been already by the time you read this. Lots of games have this but Miscreated is introducing something near to 70 customizable features, each looking amazing and suited to a post apocalyptic environment.

5 - The community and developers are active. Support is easy to come by and news is current. It is in an accessible state where people can get involved and make an impact or take their place and actually get to talk to people who know.

The Miscreated Website is here: http://miscreatedgame.com/

You can buy the game here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/299740/

[pitstophead]

Mean Green to the Rescue

Report from the infected zone: Somewhere in Berezino the sound of gunfire echoed down the dissolute streets. Moving through those quite corridors a group of survivors, stationed in what had become known as the Piano house on the outskirts of the town, came together and equipped themselves for the coming incursion. They rummaged through their worn backpacks and shared out the ammo, the dusty cardboard boxes left strewn in a corner. A buzz came over the radio and it was apparent that another member of the team was incoming. "Which house are you based in?" the voice was that of a man called Odd. They described the location and one man, Pits came down to watch the road. Yet, as he approached the rickety fence, that in some places had fallen free to leave gaping holes in the line, he saw a man dressed in military green creeping across the yard towards their location. "Do you have a green backpack on Odd?"  He quickly spoke into the walkie-talkie. "No, a blue mountain backpack!" His voice had raised, having sense the urgency in Pit's tone. The man creeping towards them was not their friend. The seconds began to slow as if heavy gears grinding to a halt, as Pits looked on at the approaching figure who cradled a silenced automatic in both hands, his face obscured by a dirty green balaclava.  Pits retreated, aware he had support in the house only to find his path blocked by an surprised Mean Green, who had appeared at the doorway. It was only a moment before the oncoming aggressor breached the line of the fence and could see them outside the Piano house. Pits faced two options. Should he move beyond the house and take cover in the tree line or circle around and intercept the intruder. He decide on the latter and came around the house, completing the circle, the blood pounding in his ears, the smell of metal in the air as he squeezed the trigger of his MP5 that was trained on the man in the Military uniform. The air was loud and hot with the sound of both automatic guns as they unloaded the contents of their magazines into each other. Bullets flew in wild arcs as they tried to control the kick of the powerful weapons.

Pits fell, his legs crumpled beneath him, shins shattered by a flurry of bullets, bone fragments erupting from the shredded trousers. The enemy standing tall still, despite the blood pouring from his torso, seemed to now have the upper hand but Pits looked across to the doorway of the Piano house and yelled "Mean!". But Mean Green had already appeared. He wore a pristine white and blue motor bike helmet but this did not disguise the look of disgust, his eyes wide and intense, as he lifted his SKS, looked down the site and blasted the life from the assassin, the loud cracks from the barrel ear shattering. The AK74 tumbling to the ground only feet away from the prone Pits and the pool of blood in which he rolled desperately to avoid anymore fire until he realised it had stopped and he looked up. "Bloody hell Mean! Good work!" Mean Green was award the Valiant Actions colour in the Flat Cap Society for his actions. The film of this action can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMzOeLwdMY8

You can becoem part of the Flat Cap Society. Just make sure you catch one of Pitstop Head’s streams here by following: http://www.twitch.tv/pitstophead

[pitstophead]

The Effect of Loot Hotspots in DayZ Standalone

0.57 Update has arrived on Stable servers and with it has come the much hyped loot hotspots or explosions or hordes or well... all kinds of craziness.

Two key locations have been shifted into sharp focus, although there is a lot more loot in this patch generally. One is the guard house/post at the entrance to industrial districts and the other being deer stands that are littered across the map. Both give up bounties that make DayZ players simply drool at the mouth.

But what is the effect of this on gameplay? Because this influx of wondrous loot in a looting game will surely change how we play this infamous sandbox game?

There is no doubt, and I have seen comments and chatted to players about this, that people are a lot happier with this new system. Getting hold of guns is now much easier and, with a similar distribution of ammo as in the last patch which was and is plenty, gun fights are now more common place, the excitement of conflict far more accessible. This I have personally found to be fantastic, yes in some people's eyes a needlessly extravagant word, but the truth as street fights in Berezino eat up hours of my down time.

Another obvious change will be an increase in map knowledge. These locations may well have been over looked by some players and now they will have to learn their locations. An increase of map awareness may lead to great appreciation and pull the fight to different districts where new stories and memories will be forged.

But as much as these Loot Hotspots are 'Fantastic' I fear the end of them will be a necessity if DayZ Standalone strives to live up to its billing as a survival game. In reality, well as far as a zombie apocalypse is real, there would not be stacks of military loot in these aforementioned locations. No, it would be harder to come across these items, more of a run, more of a hassle.  

Also with all this loot now prime for the picking, and this includes a good supply of food on most servers, the survival mechanics the Devs have been working so hard on have also become in some ways obsolete. Find an un-looted town and there will be food and no need to hunt, trap of skin your fellow player. This is another reason why this high level of loot will probably be only brief.

There are also two other effects these hotspots have and they could be damaging.

The first thing is; what if the developers take out all the loot now we are used to them? It would be taking a drug from an addict and virtually the whole player base would go into shock or Loot Cold Turkey! I can only imagine the response would be negative, apart from a handful of survivalists.

The second is that now the life of the player is more expendable, the awareness of easily available loot giving less value to it and decreased need to protect your preciously sought scope or AK74. Combat tactics will be more intense and potentially full on. There will be more conflict, more snipers and nutters, dressed in bright blue, screaming YOLO as they grip the quickly found and loaded pump action shotgun!

What this all highlights for me is that judging loot distribution is a very difficult thing. We may run around, like headless chickens sometimes, swiping up the loot but it's where, when and if the stuff is placed that really guides us on our journey through this amazing DayZ world. It effects our mood, our enjoyment, keeps us playing or pushes us away as the screen becomes white and we course the DayZ Gods.

The new loot can be seen in my Looting Guide to 0.57 video, the link for which is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEjr2yhTrgw

[pitstophead]

Will Twitch commission games?

Based upon recent stats on twitch TV  (Seen here https://www.quantcast.com/twitch.tv?country=GB)  it's apparent that the popular streaming channel has plateaued during recent months and has shown a slight decrease bringing up the question of whether twitch this year will ultimately decline having reached a peak around Christmas 2014. Last year saw Twitch rise demonstrating some impressive figures and the beginning of this year saw a similar trend. But would seem that interest in twitch is beginning to decline?

There are potentially a number of reasons for this. As a service which does not evidently advertise on other platforms, it has, up to this date, been a self-fulfilling prophecy where gamers spread the word and Youtubers self promote their twitch channels. Celebrities within the YouTube world have embraced twitch and their presence has grown dramatically. We can also see that the long time streamer, who set up in the beginning of the service and stuck with it have also gained a loyal following.

But it is apparent that the new streamer finds it incredibly difficult to establish themselves as a streamer with an audience, unless they are exceptional. This may be incredibly off putting for those who are new to Twitch. It is also apparent that treamers who have established themselves are excellent at what they do and very entertaining and there is a question of how many celebrities streamer this platform can support before it becomes saturated?

So does the recent levelling out of visitor figures to twitch demonstrate that we have hit the saturation point? Have the streamers, who are currently doing such a great job, filled the market? How much growth is there in twitch?

One thing is for sure something that does facilitate growth on the streaming platform of choice is the introduction of a popular game. Games such as League of Legends, Hearth Stone,  Counter Strike, DOTA 2 and Minecraft often fill the top slots and have a huge following. When a new triple A game comes onto the market Twitch will see a sudden increase in visitors, like the release of a blockbuster film.

But because of this plateauing that the Twitch figures are showing the question arises in my mind is will Twitch commission new games? Looking at the types of games that are popular many of them are PC games, a cheaper platform to develop on and another reason why they may chose to do so.

There are really two types of game that excel in this twitch PC market. The first is the eSports type environment that is highly competitive and in fact this is the most prized area for developers. In this genre we have tens of thousands of people watching competitive matches and following players with massive fan bases. The second is the open world survival/building environment where games such as Minecraft, H1Z1, DayZ, and World of War Craft exist. These encourage a different type of interaction where the viewer is taken into the environment and often compete at the same level and therefore the viewers understand the experiences they are watching  on a personal level.

But the turnover of these games does not seem to match demands. Streamers are finding it difficult at times to find new games to broadcast and certain games have fallen in popularity as they age.

It would make sense for Twitch to therefore invest some of its revenue in games development. Whether this would be purchasing a company or funding them to create the type of game that is popular on Twitch who can say? Maybe they would begin to launch games under their banner?

This would also raise another question, would Twitch be seemingly biased towards its own products?  The game would be sculpted for the environment and suit the needs of the streamer and then the viewer? Would the success of the game be in the hands of the streamers who already have much power to sell products for developers already.

One thing is for sure Twitch has to make a move if the figures have stabilised or continue to fall. Will this move be to make their own games, and with the steam platform now available for any developed games this option becomes even more feasible.

[pitstophead]

The psychology of survival games is of interest to me. Having over 1700 hours on DayZ Standalone and having extensively played many other survival games I have often faced the question: what is my play style? I stream and publish video content and have found there is a hard core group of people…

[dukeofdudeness]

no one is a hero, and no one is a bandit… the majority of players are both, given the situation. i am more incline to think the minority are those who solely play as hero and solely play as bandits. to me, by tailoring the game one way or another it diminishes the complexity of the situation (unless you run into that guy that is just KOS) i guess what im saying is, DayZ is a realistic apocalypse game, and guess what! people are savage, in game and in real life… if the goal was to create a realistic zombie apocalypse, people bitching about how hard it is to survive isn’t that crazy sounding. nor should it warrent change to the games framework… just give me a gun and food im good

[pitstophead]

Totally agree - Pits

[pitstophead]

Play Style in MMO's - What is my play style?

The psychology of survival games is of interest to me. Having over 1700 hours on DayZ Standalone and having extensively played  many other survival games I have often faced the question: what is my play style? I stream and publish video content and have found there is a hard core group of people who are looking to watch and enjoy people who play a friendly role in games, sometimes known as an in game hero. Are you a Hero? Interestingly  some say that this is an older aged group within the gaming community, one that hasn't come from first person shooter arenas such as Battlefield or Counter Strike. These arenas are based around player versus player action, the thrill of the kill, head shots and all. Maybe as an older section of the community they have more patience for a drawn out story?

There is a group who tap into YouTube and twitch and expect a compassion from the player they are watching, especially when the character's position is far stronger than a potential victim i.e. a well kitted player versus a fresh spawn. The question is though; how big is this group who wants this form of compassion? Also how emotionally effected are they by an act that is bracketed under the banditry section?

This group who expect compassion potentially thrive on a community vibe or feel. They are keen to share different types of experience other than the adrenaline rush or the Kill on Sight. There is no doubt that playing friendly does result in a more complex encounter, one that is often more rewarding on some level but yet less action packed and more drawn out. Would there be more examples of discussion, friendship, companionship, lessons learned about the game and tactics you could implement against hostiles. Is this what people come to YouTube and to twitch to see?

I personally mix my playing styles, questionably opting for a neutral position, one that reacts to the situation and is potentially honest to some of the demands that survival games put on you, for example the stress of finding supplies to survive on and perhaps the need to KOS for food. There is no doubt a maturity implied by those who do employ a more friendly approach, as it is a more complex approach with numerous outcomes. Younger players, particularly under 16's, may not appreciate the benefits of this as they may be used to higher impact First Person Shooters.

It is interesting to note that many of the popular streamers are bandits or have set aside days for banditry, allowing them to be in that mode where they normally take a natural approach. It seems that banditry has a place within many characters playing styles and is excepted and enjoyed. Some players will say they are definitely not a bandit, but the line can be easily blurred. Some players will react to any sign of aggression, raised fists or a drawn weapon and use that as an excuse to attack and still claim they are not bandits. Where and how can we draw the line on this? It does seem like the question, of are you a bandit, can be interpreted in many ways.

I think the reason why this has become more important is because gaming is on now under the spotlight in so many more ways than it used to be. This is largely as a result of live streaming and Youtube and the reputation that players are building up through this process. Players potentially have to now take some level of responsibility for what they put out there, as their audience grows.

One thing is for sure that over the last year there are a group of viewers who are very turned off by an aggressive approach and will tell you as they're watching. Some will abandon you completely but we do not know what percentage of viewers this is. Even though viewers express a dislike at what they see do they really switch off? What this actually comes down to is how much it effects them and whether deep down they really don't mind but feel a moral urge to voice a complaint.

So do I as a content producer have to consider what crowd or group I'm trying to please and producing content for? Is it a group who are small that like the friendly approach, or a larger more blood thirsty group who are keen to see players taking on other players? One thing is for sure you have to be loyal to who you are and if you are just a friendly person who would like to avoid an aggressive encounter then potentially that's how you should play, and play as professionally as you can.

Personally I feel that the group that prefer the friendly approach will grow because the gaming community is growing but that primeval instant we have for hunting and killing will not disappear and always be place for this type of play style.

So a Youtuber may think to put a video on their channel that shows an aggressive approach to get more hits but receives many more thumbs down. Where is if they put a friendly style video on it will often receive less thumbs down but less hits. Do they satisfy the masses and upset the minority or give this minority what they're looking for but risk excluding the largest group?

No matter what you do your true playing style will shine through at times. Your connection with humanity, and potentially your viewers, will be measured by your experiences and the level at which you see the characters as just computer characters devoid of human content or carefully sculpted role-play characters (the result of hours of play) will become apparent.

I have been surprised by my own playing style. It has shown more extremes than I expected. I also seek particular types of content for particular videos and at times very much enjoy the straight out bandit style but also am delighted by the pure friendly experiences. So I have to say that I think most people are simply a mix and that life is like this. Sometimes we're happy and other times we are angry which reflects in play style. So what is my Play Style? Maybe I'm all playing styles!

[pitstophead]

New The Forest Base is coming on nicely, this is the Plane Platform and the 3rd Compound in the Settlement. #theforest Watch me build it at http://www.twitch.tv/pitstophead on Wednesday Mornings

[pitstophead]

http://teespring.com/the-flat-cap-society-official?utm_source=sendwithus&utm_medium=transactional&utm_campaign=seller-c2a&utm_content=campaign_tipped #flatcapsociety #dayz