The War Z Screenshot & Game Comparison
When The War Z was announced earlier this year the internet exploded with speculation over what the next big MMO genre could contain. Players and fans listed off hundreds of features that would make a great post-apocalyptic MMO title, coupled with the amazing screenshots that were released and we had an awesome looking MMO. However, as is common in the MMO world, many have felt let down after actually playing The War Z. Many players have accused the developers of staging the screenshots, some even going as far to say they’re completely fake. We’ve compiled some of the pre-release screenshots below, alongside some screenshots from the actual game.
The first screenshot that comes to mind and it’s not even possible to take a proper comparison screenshot. Swimming is not yet featured in The War Z, for either players or zombies, so the idea of standing at the waters edge while you annihilate chasing zombies is just that, an idea.
One of the more iconic screenshots released depicts zombies devouring the corpses of killed military personnel. Although this screenshot looks great, in actual fact this is just a basic animation used by zombies on a regular basis. I’ve seen hundreds of deaths in The War Z, including my own, and I have yet to see this animation play out in the same way as shown in this screenshot. The video says it all. It’s an animation certain zombies use, regardless of their position or surroundings. You may need to watch the video in fullscreen HD settings to capture the full animation.
There are a number of highly popular images that feature the yet to be released driving system. Slated for release before the end of the year, cars seem to be working pretty well in the few screenshots where they’ve been featured. Again no comparison shot here as yet again they used a feature not even in the game yet.
This is one of the screenshots that makes me chuckle the most. When I first looked at this, before purchasing my alpha access, I assumed that flares attracted zombies. It’s never good to assume but of all the assumptions to make, I don’t think that was a bad one. However, zombies are not attracted to flares at all. In fact, this entire screenshot is filled with issues when compared to the real thing as you cannot even hold flares once they’re alight. Sadly I couldn’t find a flare but the above is exactly what happens when zombies chase you to a car. They stack up on top of each other.
This one is downright BS. There’s not much else you can say about it. Practically every The War Z player will recognize this frequently copied and pasted building, but have any of you ever seen the zombies do that? Well I know you haven’t because it’s not possible. Upon barricading an area the zombies just enter stupidity mode. 90% of the time either totally forgetting they were chasing players or just standing there growling. Either way, I cannot see how they got this screenshot using genuine in-game footage.
Obviously when you’re trying to get your game to appeal to a large audience, you may stretch the truth a little with the screenshots. However, we’re not overly sure that it’s fair to post pictures like this and then charge for access to an alpha. Players didn’t exactly have tons of “real” game footage available to them when the alpha was first released, leaving many to purchase the game based on the opinion they had after checking out the screenshots. There are more screenshots similar to those above, one featured on another popular MMO site depicts zombies attacking a bus with several zombies standing on top. All players of The War Z will be familiar with what happens to zombies when players stand on top of anything, they do nothing.
The really interesting thing here is that a lot of the actual official screenshots released by The War Z developers are shoddy. Tiny pictures featuring 1-2 players and zombies. The large-scale ones have been fobbed off as game art for the most part, which does not seem like a legitimate way of attracting players. So in conclusion, the official images above are more than likely art pieces rather than actual elements within the game. Probably slightly confusing to honest players searching for things like “War Z screenshots” in Google.
Is this yet another nail in the quickly sinking coffin of The War Z or do you expect the game to look and play as good as the screenshots make out after launch?
Wow this retard is actually trying to compare Alpha game-play with the imaged full release screenshots of the game? Really? Something tells me he has absolutely no idea what alpha actually means. Half the damn animations/models in the game currently are PLACEHOLDER.
Actually, mods have confirmed that some of the images are art work and not actually done using in-game footage meaning they’re not actually screenshots. Confirming the beliefs of the article as they’re not game featured whatsoever. Misleading players to purchase a game based on false information
Firstly, no one paid for Alpha access… they PREORDERED the full game. Access to the Alpha and Beta, among other bonuses were included because you preordered…
Secondly, you should not be judging a game that is still in early Alpha state, for all you know the features seen in the screenshots could well be in the game before release.
OH really? I preordered the game? OH GREAT, then tell me, why this is the only game I ever preoprdered that I can’t get a refund on? fuck off, They lied, you don’t put some in-engine images together, put a HUD on it, and put them on your website as if they were screenshots of actual gameplay. That’s just wrong.
And we DID PAY for alpha access, because I couldn’t cancel the preorder/get a refund, even when Sergey was saying in the forums anyone wanting a refund could get it.
As I just said before. The article was debating whether it’s good business practice for developers to make ART WORK appear as screenshots.
THAT IS NOT ARTWORK, STOP CALLING IT THAT. Go to any other game’s website, and look at artwork. It is most of the time labeled as that, in the first place, which these screenshots weren’t, and don’t have a HUD over it, with in-engine images. Stop it already, If you’re okay with them doing this, fine, but don’t lie about it.
It’s officially labelled as ART WORK. Confirmed on the forums. That’s what it is, choice or not, that’s what it is. I don’t agree with it but it doesn’t change what it is
I guarantee you that there wouldn’t be half as much purchases if the game didn’t grant instant access. That’s why a large portion of players did it. So although it’s not a full reason to buy the game, it’s a large reason why many people did actually buy it early. Read the article, I don’t pass any judgement. I actually enjoy the game. I was just curious to find out if others felt this was a dodgy marketing technique.
NDA’s are specifically put in place to stop people like you ruining the possibility of buying the game in release. It is an UNFINISHED PRODUCT with a lot of things YET TO BE IMPLEMENTED, including better Zombie AI, more building variations, maps, etc.
NDA is there for a reason.
I like the game. It’s in Alpha. There’s a lot of work to be done, though. So review the actual product, not the bloody alpha.
I’m not attempting to ruin the game. I’m attempting to let people know that the images they all THINK are screenshots are in actual fact not screenshots. This was confirmed on the forums by a mod. I’m thoroughly enjoying The War Z but I paid for it based on game features and these images, I was merely letting others know not to expect too much.
There is a huge difference between an alpha product and releasing ART WORK as screenshots with super-vamped graphics. Don’t tell me you can’t see the huge difference between the graphics of both images?
Only a moron could presume that those early shots were created real-time in-game, they’re so obviously staged setups, of course they’re rendered (quite possibly using the game engine in actual fact but with settings that couldn’t be used in real-time) and just about every studio does that.
And you think it’s ethical to throw a HUD on it to make it appear to be a screenshot? I can’t say I’d agree with that
I think it’s neither here nor there, they’re referred to as *Target Renders*, what’s wrong with representing the existence of a HUD in that? If that addition leads anyone to believe the otherwise unbelievable (i.e. that these staged action shots were snapped in real-time) then they’re a fool and I don’t think anybody can be held responsible for how they’re parted with their money.
When these screenshots originally came out the were labeled as in game screenshots taken by the developers while they were playing with descriptions of what they were doing in the game when they took the screenshots.
If this doesn’t lead you to believe that they were in game screenshots then ….
Amazingly, when those images first came out quite a few us pointed out how they were obviously staged. Some of the developers of War Z, who were on another games forum oddly, called us liars, trolls, and then proceeded to attack us in their typical fashion. A bunch of 1 post warriors showed up and said stuff like “Only a moron could claim that these screenshots are fake.” Then a bunch of WarZ fanboys jumped on the bandwagon calling us haters. Funny how that all worked out.
I’ve had more fun watching this game implode than it’s fanboys have had playing it.
To all of you Alpha/Beta thumpers consider this. What was promised:
2012 full release (8 weeks left)
Graphics and AI based on “screenshots”
Vehicles
Strongholds
Clan/Friend gameplay
Hardcore mode
Tons of other items and weapons
Optimization for people with craptastic computers
A much bigger map
More characters (was promised last week)
A game free of “game breaking hacks” which supposedly wan’t an issue for Sergey.
Lies lies lies. I heard they made 4 million dollars. Any truth to that?