seizethedayz

Why does my character have to stop dead to draw his sidearm? I check behind me using alt. At least 20 zombies on my ass, main gun is a sniper. I need my pistol now, but apparently, I am incapable of drawing it from its holster without a full stop, which would ensure almost certain death. [*]Why does my character get up from prone to take an item? Oh fantastic! An M107 at this crash site. I am so flippin' lucky, gee-whiz! Let me get up from prone, revealing myself to 10 zombies, and take my time gently reaching down to pick it up. Oh what's that you say? I got mobbed, knocked out and eaten within seconds? No, you can't just reach and grab it, you have to kneel first, didn't anyone teach you that? [*]EDIT: Why does my character fully stand up when unable to crawl over an obstacle (they should be able to crawl over), ensuring at the very least, a desperate run for his life? I've almost got it, just over this one last broken piece of wall and I've scored two jerry cans for my vehicle. Wait a second, I seem to be stuck... Oh no, he's doing it again, oh no.... He stood up in the middle of a town in broad daylight! For no fucking reason! Is he mocking me? Did he crawl all this way just to screw me over? [*]Why does my character have to kneel when drinking or eating? Oh, I could really go for a coke, or a pepsi, or some water, or... some Mountain Dew.... but first, before I drink it, I have to kneel like Captain Morgan. And while you're desperately trying to cancel the action and run away, I will kneel there, getting torn apart by zombies whilst casually enjoying a cool pop. What's that, you're hungry too? Ah, yes. Let me open this can of sardines and munch away... Delicious...

I appreciate your sentiment, and thanks for the compliment. I'm well aware that DayZ runs on the Arma 2 engine, I was just highlighting a few possible awkward character movements that could (and probably will be, in all likelihood) be fixed in standalone. It's not really meant to be 'whining' or 'fussing,' I'm a little surprised people are taking it that way... EDIT: I should have rephrased the point about your character standing up when crawling over obstacles. I mean when you crawl over something you SHOULD be able to crawl over, yet your character stands up. I believe it's a problem with player-obstacle collision, and probably something that will be fixed up in SA.

I pity the man who interprets light-hearted sarcasm as 'crying.'

I am afraid I am not that adventurous, but I am almost certain it could be done. If we could organize an experiment to prove that drinking and eating while prone is possible, I think we would have ample reason to coerce the DayZ development team into making these changes.

This thread is mainly a collection of 'What If' thoughts I had concerning Dayz. Some of them have likely appeared before on these forums in some form or another, some might have not. Regardless, without a rambling preamble, here are some of the ideas that came to mind. I apologize if there are any repetitions. Exposure = Wind + Rain + Temperature Water Purification The water from ponds, lakes, puddles, and streams would have to be purified before consumption to ensure safety. If one was to risk drinking it out of desperation, they would run the chance of catching an infection (curable by antibiotics). In extremely rare cases, the player would contract a parasite, that could only be cured by a rare wild herb. The herb would only grow in the high country, where risk of exposure is greater. Obviously, the sickness would be slow moving, as finding the herb might be a quite a challenge. [*]Elite Watch To tie in with the new dynamic weather systems Watch tells barometric pressure and temperature, and can warn of an oncoming storm so the player has time to minimize his risk for exposure. New weather systems can be more severe, can cause a rapid drop in players body temperature; IE, exposure meter. Would force players to take shelter for some time, until it passes. [*]Batteries Different sizes for different electronics? Or, one size with different amounts required? For NVGs, flashlights, GPS, radios, cars, watches, etc... Would spawn in supermarkets (for smaller varieties, sheds and shacks for car batteries) [*]Removable Bike Bags Handlebar pouches and side storage Could come with the bike, or be picked up much like backpacks Player can detach, possibly attach to backpack [*]Rain Coats / Ponchos Would significantly decrease the impact of rain on the players exposure level. Would come in several different colors, maybe yellow, green, blue, red, and camo. Obviously camo would be the most rare. [*]Winter Jackets / Sweaters Help to minimize the impact of wind and temperature on the players exposure. Possibly even sweaters, long-sleeve shirts, fleeces, made of wool, cotton, etc... Each clothing item would have a varying effect on exposure control due to wind and temperature. Same for socks? Maybe wool socks to further minimize exposure. [*]Waterproof boots Boots that would tie into the new exposure system, would minimize the players exposure due to moisture at the feet, as wet feet lose heat much more quickly than dry feet. Would allow the player to wade into deeper water (will make sense later) [*]Forest tarp shelter A shelter that could be made from a tarp (loot item) and rope (loot item). Could shield several players from the effects of wind and rain, and when combined with a fire, would cancel the effects of exposure. (Do fires in Dayz currently improve a players exposure level, if not they should?) Or, even an emergency mylar survival blanket. If a player's exposure level is blinking, they can pull out the blanket and hop in to warm up quickly. [*]High Country Parts of the map should be the 'high country,' with stronger winds, colder temperatures, and unpredictable weather systems. Players should have to be equipped to even think about venturing into the high country, with adequate clothing, an elite watch, winter boots, etc... Rarest of the wild plants and other valuable loot spawns could be found in the high country. Heatpacks would be imperative, their value would be substantially increased. Players could never go to the high country with the intention of staying, even the best equipped could not last indefinitely. It's more like a place to which you plan an expedition, but you realistically cannot stay because of the harshness of the environment and lack of sustainable supplies. Mountain Shacks - Zombie-free shacks in the high country that can give players temporary shelter from passing severe storms and squalls. To increase his chances of surviving in the high country, the player must memorize the location of these shacks. Snowmobiles - Rare, yet invaluable in the high country. By far the best way to get around. Snowshoes - It would be hard to implement the player actually sinking into the snow, so maybe just a speed bonus for wearing snowshoes? Could be found at mountain shacks, and trapper huts in the north. Skiis? - Obviously only usable in snow and on a slope, could be a quick way to get down from the high country. [*]Fishing Freshwater and saltwater. Rods would be loot around the shorelines and near lakes. Lures - two different packs for simplicity's sake? a saltwater and a freshwater lure kit, with essentially an umlimited supply of lures? [*]Fishing line a minimal chance to break the line with each cast. can be looted in the same areas as the rod and lures [*]Fish would restore varying amounts of blood, depending on the size of the catch and the species. Possibly something around what wild meat does now? [*]Bait - could only be found in towns, maybe at supermarkets. Gives the best chance to catch fish, but is limited in quantity and more challenging to acquire. [*]Tin can alarms Tin cans strung along in a line (fishing line maybe?) to function as an alarm. Alerts player of an approaching threat, whether human or zombie. Could even be set up by cold-hearted bandits in places with a high zombie count to function as a trap. Noise could be heard from at least 150m away? By zombies and players? [*]Sunglasses Equippable sunglasses that lessen the impact of daytime glare/bloom. Could come in a few styles, with the most rare pair having the best lenses, and therefore the best glare reduction. Would be especially useful in the high country in snowy areas during the day. [*]Candles Would obviously function in a similar manner to chemlights and flares, but would have a much longer duration. Intended to help players light abandon buildings or forest tarp shelters that might function as a base. Could light underground bases if they're added. Found in boxes of 10, each candle lasts a few hours (real time)? [*]Tracking Players leave footprints in the mud, snow, and slight footprints in dirt and forest soil. Blood would stay on ground much longer, could reveal a player had been injured. Could help lead players to assailants and snipers. [*]Game Traps To catch rabbits and other small game (if added?) Two traps would take up 1 inventory slot. Maybe enable bear traps to actually trap game? [*]Wild Herbs / Plants Wild herbs and plants of maybe a dozen species or more that have medicinal functions as well as culinary functions. IE: Wild alliums, or onions, could provide food. IE: Other herbs could cure infections, or get rid of parasites acquired by drinking unpurified water. [*]The plants would appear in large and small clusters, specific to their habitat (elevation, temperature, sunlight, etc...) [*]The most useful and sought after plants would be more rare, and grow in hard-to-reach locations. [*]Herb Pouch: only carries herbs, storable inside a backpack, or in its own slot. Different sized herb pouches? [*]Mortar and pestle used to combine herbs for use in medicine. IE: to cure a parasitic infection, player would need: 3 leaves hyssop, 1 clove garlic, and 1 goldenseal. [*]Domesticated Plants IE: Tomatoes, potatoes, squash, cucumbers, pumpkins, etc... would be harvestable as food growing in fields and small gardens. Player cultivation? Players could cultivate their own food in small clusters. Players could plant seeds around their camp, seeds can be planted anywhere in the ground, but player has to know where they might grow best in order to maximize output. Seeds could be a de-facto currency? Problem: time-scale of plant growth within DayZ, usually takes months for plants to get from seedling to bearing fruit (or vegetables), the urgency and the short-lives of players in the game might make this useless. End-Game aspect? Could be a goal for long term players. Much like tents, players could have their own gardens and herb collections. Players could go around planting seeds across the map. That's what I had written down, for the moment. Feel free to add anything you have been thinking about with regards to the game. I know there are probably more pressing and urgent issues to solve, such as hacking and game bugs, I think that in time this game has the potential to become something truly awesome.

Trizzo, I absolutely share your sentiment. I apologize because I started a thread along similar lines without having seen yours, probably due to my own haste. You are spot on. I think what makes this game truly horrifying at least in the present concept form is that death is inevitable. It's a foregone conclusion, yet you are playing to determine the path to it. There are so many things in game that can take you. Hunger, food, thirst, exposure, zombies, players, etc... You really don't truly know how it will end, but you know it will (barring acts of god, such as hacker script kills). It really is a very mortal and real game. I think what you're getting at, and what most DayZ players are longing for, is an increase in the depth of that experience. The more variables, customization, and depth we can add to the experience, the more fulfilling and diverse it will be. No one life will be the same! Absolutely! I think the coolest aspect of this all would be that players might be forced closer to towns simply to take refuge during storms, with zombies howling outside, the players apprehensively trying to rest and recoup. What an atmosphere! I think that with water, or drink even, it should be harder to find, but only in its clean, pure form. There should be plenty available water, but maybe a fair portion of it should be dirty, or infected. I would say far less soda cans, and far more empty water bottles. This would force the players to fill up at streams, lakes ponds, wells, and puddles. Some of which may not be clean. I was thinking then, water purification tablets or water filters could be added. This would allow players to draw from pretty much any source as long as they had a way to purify it. Hey, maybe even boiling water over a campfire in a pot? Anything to add more dynamics to the game! Yes! The cans are way too plentiful. I notice the first thing I always get too much of is canned food. I think they definitely need to knock down the spawn rate. Or even, canned food could spawn damaged, dented, or leaking, and you would have to decide whether or not you wanted to take the chance and eat it. That would force another layer of decision making on the player, and would be even more rich of an experience! Would certainly make for interesting dilemmas. Picture people fighting not over guns, but hacking each other with hatchets for the remaining water or food in a village. It's crazy to think about. Should be the players other worst enemy. I hope the inventory system in the standalone has the chest, head, hands, legs, feet slots you typically see in RPGs. I think with the degradation of items, weapons, and clothes within the game you could see people out wearing cheap sneakers while their rare winter boots dry near the fire. In a sense, finding more durable gear, and gear that protects against the elements better should be the players ticket to a harsher environment (north country?) with more risk and more reward. Players would come back to the coast from the north country boasting of their triumphs, of the terror that lurked around every corner, and about the epic journey they took to get there. Mind boggling, just thinking about it. It might even lessen banditry, as there would be this always harsh pinnacle upon which to test your mettle. Yea, I am much looking forward to this. I hope that by splints he means you can make your own splints, by objects you can pick up off the ground, or maybe finding a box at the hospital. The general hygeine thing I can see sometimes being a little annoying, but the zombies smelling you... man that's terrifying. Think of a zombie that's incredibly fast, but blind, and follows players solely based on smell... call him 'The Tracker!' Scaring kids into practicing good hygeine all across Chernarus. The toilet breaks thing... Ah... I don't know, it depends on how its executed and integrated. Last thing I want is to be taking care of business and have a crawler come along... Oh god yes! I think every server should be forced to adhere to day/night. It adds such an awesome dynamic to the game, and with the possibility of nightvision having batteries, I think more people would stick around. Personally, it's my favorite time to play. The atmosphere is unreal, so spooky and lonely. The severe weather I think is probably the coolest dynamic operator on exposure. Just think of this: You're running along, you see the clouds darken ahead of you, you're in the middle of the woods, tens of miles from the nearest shelter... This might be it... I might die right here because of a storm... The driving rain pounds down on the ground, you hear muddy footsteps approaching out of the unforgiving maelstrom... Oh my... Oh my.... The seasons would most definitely be very cool, but might it be better to keep certain regions within certain temperature limits, give or take a few degrees here and there. I think winter across the land might be frustrating. I think that could be an adjustable server setting though, so people could sort out what kind of game they wanted to play. Imagine, an all winter all the time server? That would be the ultimate in survival. You'd probably die a hundred times before finding the gear you need to survive all in one life. Could you imagine a blizzard though? Driving snow, zombies stumbling through as the flakes whip around them, you're surrounded but you can't see it yet... This... this.... this..... How the hell does an M107 or an AS-50 fit in a backpack anyways.... ? This definitely needs to be fixed, and made to be more spatially realistic as you stated. Maybe you could carry two guns on MOLLE attachments on the outside, and attach additional storage pouches for different things to the outside of the bag? Like, ammo, herb pouches (wild herbs!), etc... This, for some reason, was one of the first things I noticed playing DayZ, and for whatever reason, it really annoyed me. This is pretty interesting. What if you go to strike a match, and it fizzles. Or, if you get the matches wet then they have a low percentage of actually working. Maybe the sharpening wheel could be foot operated, and exist in a workshop sort of area in the cities. It would force players to go into high zombie areas to fix their tools, certainly adding to the challenge. You know what would be awesome. If you could switch between 12-20 different channels on the radio, so people could converse at a distance without anyone hearing (unless they are tuned to the same frequency of course). I mean, people probably could just use teamspeak, but it would add another cool dynamic to the game. You mean like a rocket stove? A backpacking stove? That would be some pretty cool high-end loot. You could fill up the fuel at gas stations like you fill up Jerry Cans, take it with you on your treks into the unforgiving north country. It would be invaluable, although you could just light a fire as that is relatively easy to do. But... the question is.... should fires be harder to light in certain conditions? Such as when it's raining heavily or when it's very windy out. In those cases, could you have the stove as a sure-fire way to cook? I pity the poor bastard trudging through Cherno with a shopping cart full of supplies, when an AS-50 round hits him square in the back. You would be a walking target with that thing... Oh my god would it be funny though. It would make sense to decrease the amount of large game, as theoretically shortly after society is disrupted I bet they are the first animals to go, merely for food. I like the idea of a hunter setting up a camp and maybe having a smokehouse with meats hanging, would be very cool. Or maybe just a couple tents in the woods with a firepit. Either way, cool notion. One thing for sure, they have to increase the amount and variety of small game. I want to see turkeys strutting around the woods, quails, rabbits, maybe even foxes that will take your game from you, although that might be a stretch. Maybe even chickens you can own? Where you can retrieve the eggs from time to time? (I need to go to bed!) Great post man!

In the depths of the northern woods among the tall trees, in the dead of night: A branch cracks, you spin around. A deer freezes in your flashlight. You already ate, so you decide to let it go. Some time later, you hear the "hooo" "hoooo" of an owl. You look up to see his two yellow eyes peering down at you. A short time later, a frantic fluttering of wings as bats blindly bounce through the trees. You stumble across a cave, with a menacingly wide entrance and cavernous depth. Your flashlight reveals a tumbling cavern, an open vein diving down deep into the earth. You decide to explore, maybe you could rest inside? Not a few minutes after entering, you hear heavy breathing. You slowly shine your light down the cavern in front of you. Filling what seems to be your whole field of vision is a massive brown bear. You slowly back away, the bear matches your steps. When you reach near enough to the entrance, you slowly turn around and then break into a full sprint for what seems like 10 minutes. You turn around; he didn't follow you. You stop to catch your breath, the adrenaline still coursing through your system. Branches crack behind you. You spin around. Your flashlight is starting to fail. Your heart starts to pound, your throat runs dry. You hear more branches cracking in front of you, then to your side. They're all around you? Is it the dead? A group of bandits? You hear the low growl of a northern wolf. It's the last thing you hear. In seconds the pack is on you. You came into the woods to escape the dead, only to fall victim to the living.

I think that something even more terrifying would be a pack of 'whistler' zombies. They would be quickly moving, incredibly nimble, able to climb and pounce from trees. They would have red eyes. They would whistle with each other to communicate, you'd be able to hear them whistling if they were about to attack you. They would surround you in a circle like wolves, then rush you and seal your fate. After killing a player, you could hear the haunting whistle in the distance on the wind.

Wild Plants Wouldn't it be cool if there were 10, 20, maybe even 100 different varieties of wild plants growing throughout the map? Plants that you could use for medicine, for food, and even some poisonous look-alikes you'd have to look out for? Maybe there could even be a plant identification guide? It would function sort of like a map, you have to find it in the world. It could provide a HUD indicator (green/red outline?) of what plants are useful vs. harmful. There could even be a medicine pouch that would allow you to store up to 20 herbs, sort of how the ALICE pack lets you store weapons and ammo. I think this would add more depth on the medical side, and would open up a new market for trading between players. If one player needed a certain herb he could trade food, drink, or ammo for it.

Duplicate, lagged when posting. please delete.

So, I was ecstatic when I found blood bags, bandages, epi-pens, painkillers, and morphine on the hospital roof in Berezino. I dumped all the useless crap I had been carrying and decided I would try to become a medic. So, I moseyed on over to the ladder to get back to ground level. I watched in horror as my character slid off the roof as if it was ice, and crashed to the ground. I laid there in disbelief for a second or two before hitting alt+f4. This is the only time thus far I've done it, as I felt the game itself screwed me over. Basically I need someone to come to the hospital and hit me with an epi-pen. Upon revival I can trade you some medical supplies. Thanks!

So, this happened to me earlier today: http://dayzmod.com/f...eed-an-epi-pen/ Basically, I fell off the hospital roof in Berezino and was screwed. I asked for assistance from a medic who had offered help here on the forums; Valkyrie. He ran for an hour from south to north to reach me, revived me with an epi-pen, fixed my broken leg, then helped me get supplies in the supermarket and hospital. Above and beyond IMO, was pretty awesome.

I mean, you're probably right, but... I was hoping someone could lend a hand this time.

Absolutely, that works fine! Just let me know on a timeframe. Which supplies would you be looking for?