The Hate List
Inaccurate Compass Scale
If you have this feature enabled, you will see a radar in the corner of your screen showing both you and your teammates’ positions represented by colorful arrows, as well as the area surrounding you. You may also see the green circle indicating the safe zone if you are close enough to its perimeter. The scale of this radar drives me absolutely crazy, as the relative size of your own player’s arrow and your teammates’ position arrows are oversized in comparison to the area around you, thus making everything look a lot closer than it actually is.
On the radar, you may appear to be right next to the safe zone or a vacant vehicle, but in reality it could take five minutes worth of running in one straight direction to even come close. This is also frustrating because many times, it will place you and your teammates’ arrows completely on top of one another even if you are a great distance apart, making it difficult to see your own position and identify which direction you are running in on the map. This can be the difference between safely running away from the toxic gas and into the safe zone or running straight towards the gas — many times you will have to open the full map mid-game just to confirm you are on the right path, as the tip of your arrow and movement will be eclipsed by your teammates’ on the compass.
Maps are Unimaginative and Lack Diversity
Most of the maps in H1Z1 look pretty identical to one another, with the common elements of hills, Midwestern countryside and expansive plains you are doomed to run across for days if you’re not fortunate enough to find a vehicle. Many times, the maps are so large and empty you can easily last for ten minutes in the game without ever seeing another soul. While I have no real complaints about these maps, despite my disdain for sprinting continuously across the great expanses for no reason, it would be nice to see more diversity offered. I understand that the toxic gas and shrinking safe zones call for a large area to begin with, but it would be nice if just one or two maps were much smaller and more chaotic for players who prefer shorter games, instant action and less time spent in transit.
It would also be nice to have some maps that offer more color or pleasing scenery rather than the dull and depressing landscapes of the current selection. There is nothing particularly inviting about the maps that are available, and it is hard to feel connected or immersed in the environment when the terrain is so unremarkable.
Imperfect Servers and Bugs
The game still has some work to do in terms of delivery, but the good news is that these fixes can always be patched in. In the past week, I have played both the open and closed beta and experienced occasional server issues with both. Certain loading screens last extremely long — the most recent loading screen I witnessed lasted fifteen whole minutes, only to produce an error message at the end of it saying it could not connect to the server. Sadly, this was not my first experience with this.
There are also other minor bugs in the game that need refining, such as the glitchy “X” icon that flashes erratically when you ride in the passenger seat of the car, players not receiving packs they purchased in their inventories, and various controls and buttons not functioning as they should (or in some cases, not at all).
Accessibility note: The game, in its current state, does not have text chat, closed captioning or visual cues for enemy players or vehicles in proximity. Captions regarding the current status of toxic gas is always displayed.
The H1Z1 full PS4 version is set to be released later this year.