State of Survival Podcast

Attention Survivors! We are ready to dive into more discussion about our deep dive into DayZ 1.22 and the testing we have done in the experimental servers, and who better to take a look at it with us than the one, the only, The Greedy Peasant. A DayZ streamer and YouTuber, who runs a podcast called "The Peasant Podcast." This podcast is unlike most that we have seen, and we have a lot of questions.

Representing console DayZ players, we look forward to learning more about the man behind The Greedy Peasant!

Attention Survivors! With the number of survival games releasing in 2023 and 2024, Jarl has been spending time doing research, and deep dives, on some of the titles that have been announced. While this summer has had no shortage of exciting reveals, one game slipped beneath the radar of many. Having released footage in late June, early July, the game has caught a lot of buzz. If you have not taken a look at Enshrouded, I definitely recommend you take the time to do so!

Our own Dumpgrah tried to sign up for the beta, which filled exceptionally fast. While some gameplay is limited, the concept, style, and though that went into the game is what makes this title shine. Join us as we check out an upcoming voxel survival ARPG that has us super excited for its release!

Attention Survivors! We have been discussing custom made maps in DayZ in our last couple of playthroughs, and throughout our podcasts, our modders have been asked why they have not ventured into the realm of world building. With level design in DayZ's engine not being the easiest to implement, we decided to explore the subject more in depth, and share our experiences with level design, and the difficulties with the task.

While DayZ is still a very popular game, custom made maps are not as commonplace as some other survival games, and there is a logical reason as to why? While the concept of low polygon counts, baking in assets, and handling lighting may seem trivial with newer technology, the tech used for level design now has made maps even larger, which can affect the performance of the game drastically.

We dive deep into our playthroughs of other custom maps, and things they have had to sacrifice so the level plays well. So what gives with DayZ level design anyhow! Join us as we discuss.

Attention Survivors! A couple weeks ago Jarl had discussed Sons of the Forest and the latest updates the game had seen since release. With early access being a trend with games, particularly with survival games, it is not uncommon for the game to be a mere shadow of what the game is intended to be. So was the case with The Forest, which suffered from a slow development cycle. Yet, from the day one of the alpha to the 1.0 release of The Forest, the game had improved considerably.

Naturally, when Sons of the Forest entered early release in February, the game definitely felt like it was missing critical elements to survival. There were a few of us that enjoyed the game, but accepted it might be some time before the game was a challenge, or had some depth. After visiting it only four and a half months after its initial release, we were pleasantly surprised at the stability improvements, as well as features they added to the game that makes it feel like a survival game that can stand on its own. What has changed? What was our experience like playing it? We explore that topic and how it has changed gameplay from the initial release and our thoughts. Join us and see why Sons of the Forest is worth another go.

Attention Survivors! So much joy can be had when you find the perfect server for DayZ. Whether its the combination of mods, the community, or the activity of the admins, once you find a favorite server, its hard to go back to the others you migrated from.

Yet what does being a server owner actually mean? We went over the triumphs, joys, and struggles of the modding community. So how does the position of a server owner fit into that? Do they encounter similar road blocks? Especially when one considers the maintenance, funding, and policing of a server, surely it can be a rewarding experience. So join us today, as we jump into another behind the scenes podcast about Server Ownership on DayZ.

Attention Survivors! For those of you from Canada and the United States, we hope your holiday weekend was amazing! On today's episode, Dumpgrah and Jarl are going to dive into what we know for the upcoming Playstation console exclusive, also releasing on Steam and Epic Games, Pacific Drive.

Pacific Drive is a run, rouguelike, style survival game set in the Pacific Northwest by a Dev team that lives near where the game takes place. Careful attention has been paid to the flora of the region, creating some of the most realistic visuals for the Pacific Northwest having been depicted in the game, as well as a popular PNW hobby, the Pacific Drive. Tune in and learn how they are combining mystery, sci-fi, and survival in a new IP that is surely bound to give you an experience like none other.

Attention Survivors! We have all been there when we first played DayZ, when you awoke on the beach with the water gently lapping on the shore, freezing to death, with a glue stick and some rags. How did you gaze upon the world when you took your first steps? Did you ever anticipate returning to the coast so much overtime you died?

For us, the risk of death reducing you to a fresh starting point gives death in a survival game meaning, and surely now, our hundreds of hours of experience have changed the way in which we survived. Yet what is the typical experience? Is the game too challenging or frustrating, or is the difficulty something to embrace and explore, that gives value once you start to thrive.

Remember the old phrase: 'DayZ giveth, DayZ taketh away." Stop on by as we discuss our thoughts about the difficulty curve of the game, and the setbacks that can befall us when we succumb to sepsis, get shot in the head, or torn apart by the infected.

With all the talk about the basements and sewers being added into Project Zomboid, we decided to explore some of the mods, and see if we can't get a taste of what's to come. Unfortunately, the mods were not friendly with other mods, or required a complete custom map. So although we were not able to play it on our livestream, Jarl downloaded and tried them on his home PC and has some feedback about their current state.

Whenever you have mods like this, where on their own there is a lot of red tape or they don't function at 100%, its awesome to see the developers look at their popularity and still want to do the leg work of redesigning their current system to accomidate for such a cool idea. So join us Survivors, as we talk about the experience with those mods, and why we are excited to see these ideas in a refined format in the game!

Some games keep on trucking after more than a decade of their initial release. With many of these games, there is a consistency that helps keep those games fresh, customized to our playstyles, and exciting to explore.

Whether its Skyrim, Fallout, Project Zomboid, or DayZ, this work is done by the wonderful talent of the unsung heroes of game experience, the Modders. Why should you look into modding your games, or playing on modded servers? How did Modders help save DayZ, and make it the title we know today? We have a treat for you fellow Survivors, as we discuss the importance of modding, the modders themselves, as well as reflect on our experiences with a modded server that the staff of S.O.S. enjoyed last Thursday.

Hello Survivors! Project Zomboid with the crew was an absolute blast. Yet it got us thinking about a post that Indie Stone made on Twitter.

They had asked the public about map generation, and if they had a preference between the static pre-designed map, or a procedural generated map.

What are the bonuses of having a static map design, a map design with more RNG, or even a procedurally generated map that survival games like Minecraft have been so successful with? What are the negatives of those designs?

While we love Project Zomboid because you feel like you are part of the story, is there potentially a better map generation method?