Very Ape

I have to admit that there are valid points on both sides of the fixed-character debate. My best experiences have been from my character being locked to a small private hive; two to three servers at most. Perhaps a combination of this, and countermeasures destined to prevent server-hopping (spawning at the coast every time) would be best? Although I can imagine that players would abuse this to get to the coast, if that's where they actually wanted to go. A timer seems like the most sensible solution, and perhaps zones that restrict logging out/spawning, such as within the borders of cities or inside of buildings. I made a suggestion once of "abort zones" being restricted to forests and fields, but it wasn't very well-received. That way, survivors who managed to lock down fortifications or even entire cities weren't subject to "ghosting" and people who made excursions into the very dangerous cities had to get out alive if they wanted to abort, as opposed to hiding in a building and waiting for the abort timer to count down. Same goes for any area with loot, really. You leave the area before aborting so that if you're farming, you have to at least make your way out, abort, log back in, and then make your way back into the loot area, which is riskier than just appearing next to it. I don't think it's that bad of a suggestion. Most people complained about casual gamers being "forced" to keep playing, but would you plan an excursion in a zombie-infested city if you didn't have the time to follow through? Let's face it, people who exploit the game would be more penalized than this anecdotal casual gamer who somehow only has twenty minutes to play every day that I keep hearing about. We shouldn't cater to people who can't play long enough to find a forest. They're everywhere. Even an hour is enough to get in and out of a city. Complaining that such measures "force" people to play is akin to claiming that having to complete a twenty-minute round in Battlefield 4 is "forcing" people to play the game. Battlefield 4 caters to casual gamers who are able to complete a twenty-minute round, and not people who can only play in intervals of five minutes. Just like DayZ caters to people who have at least an hour or two to spare, not people who can only play for twenty minutes.

That's a very good example of a combination of mini-games and skills. While you could easily get the hang of it, it's not something you would be able to perform quickly under pressure. In Oblivion, the game "paused" while you did this. But imagine being out in the open having to pick a door open in DayZ as you hear zombies, or even gunshots, getting increasingly closer. Hell, even the reloading mini-game from Gears of War could work, if executed properly. Imagine the stress of reloading as a zombie sprints towards you or you're faced with another player who also just ran out of ammunition. In life, no matter how proficient you are at reloading (or lock-picking), that doesn't necessarily translate into skill in reloading (or lock-picking) under threat of having your face eaten or your head blown off. The crippling stress you feel while playing the game is something I love. In Battlefield, I can easily line up a shot and kill a player without a second thought. In DayZ, my hands shake uncontrollably and I've often missed at point-blank range. I don't have nerves of steel, and I wish it would manifest itself not only in shooting but in reloading.

I think he's imagining a game of Tetris or something, as opposed to one or two well-timed/placed clicks. Actually, that's quite the idea, having to complete a round of Tetris in order to reload your gun.

I completely agree, and that's exactly what I envisioned as well. There's no way the skill tree could really apply to helicopter pilots and the like. People underestimate the value of aesthetic features. One of the main reasons people kill each-other in DayZ is because everyone is just another stormtrooper to them, and it's also something that people value in their own characters.

I used to not be a fan of skills as gamers know it being implemented in DayZ. I would have much rather seen a system based on crippling, soul-sucking complexity wherein medics would have to learn an insanely complex system in order to know which medical procedures to perform in any given situation, where a bomb-maker would have to learn a an equally complex system, etc. My main concern was "level-grinding." But then I realized, what about DayZ favors level-grinding? The bomb-maker still has to find his supplies, as does the medic, and if he chooses to waste them in mere training, that's his choice. And, in life, if I decided to become a bomb-maker, I would have to practice, not just study. If the bomb-maker manages to find his supplies, find a safe spot to practice, and manages to not blow himself up, then let him become the next Grim Reaper of booby traps. And, then, a thought occurred me, what if they incorporated both? It'd make for some very interesting situations. On one hand, you'd have a bumbling medic who doesn't know how to act under pressure, but is able to perform individual medical procedures with stunning accuracy. Smarts, but no street smarts. On the other hand, you could have your character who is quick to act, and knows exactly which series of procedures he must perform to keep his man alive. He has no experience, so his fingers don't move like the medic, but he knows what to do, he's just never done it. Think of Anthony Hopkins' character in The Edge. (And, let's not forget, the medic who embodies both of these dimensions. He is the professional, valued by any team). It's potential as a way of adding value to your character is immense. No more silly risks just because you know your teammates can salvage part of your gear. No more non-compliance with bandits holding you at gunpoint out of mere spite, because you figure you'll die anyways. No. I want to people to beg, to crawl, to kill to survive, even if they've just been despoiled of all their worldly possessions. And hell, with the new medical system, it's safe to assume injuries will be more devastating than before. You'll have to nurse yourself back to health. This way, people wouldn't kill themselves just to be healthy again.

People of the Earth, listen to this man. No, I'm not sucking up. Quite the contrary; my ego is inflating as my thoughts pour out of your mouth (but in a coherent way). The sense of community brought about by private hives really does enhance the game. Instead of trying to explain it, I'll just use anecdotes. Individual players can easily develop their own personas and be reputed by most other players. Where everyone is generally a stranger to each-other on public hives, on private hives you take into account that people you treat rightly will certainly remember you and return the favor if you run into them again... Or not. I remember a man on a private hive who people reffered to as the "Bear man". He was your beard-sporting, survivalist lone wolf who'd take no sides in any conflict and was generally friendly. I met him on several accounts; it's very thrilling than running into an acquaintance in-game. On the flip side, you had your notorious serial killers whom people feared. Factions, however, are where private hives really shine. I used to play with a group called the Justiciars on a few private hives. Our "mandate" was to hunt down and kill bandits, while pretty much disregarding anyone else. We established our own "laws", and people who violated them were summarily executed. Our modus operandi was to stalk players and hold them at gunpoint, killing them if they resisted or were known bandits (we kept a list), but in every instance we made sure they remembered us. Crippled legs, "repossessed" loot and other such things were commonplace. We were your stereotypical image of an abusive, occupying army. After harassing a dozen or so players at gunpoint, people started to take notice. Some other groups and individuals sided with us while others formed with the sole purpose of kicking our asses (which they did). Point is, that server had a dynamic beyond zombies, survivors, bandits. It became much more complex and added a whole new dimension to the game that only private servers ever manage to exploit. One day, I'd like to join a server, with a new character, and have to learn the ropes of that particular server. Just think of the Walking Dead comics.

You are my favorite person on these forums.

Private hives back up your point quite well. It's hard to imagine being tied to one server when all you've experienced is public hives. Why am I not sleeping.

Very well said, Katana and SalamanderAnder. Hopefully with larger server capacity, having characters restricted to a particular server won't seem like such a daunting idea for some.

I can tie you up. Couldn't do that in the mod, could I? In one of the most recent pictures, Rocket's character has two eyes and is holding up one finger. I think it's safe to assume that this is a hint at a release on the 21st, or the 12th, if you inverse the image. I hope he doesn't just dismiss that obvious hint when those two dates pass; I hate it when that son of a bitch leads us all on like that.

I snorted orange juice onto my keyboard as I laughed, remembering the insanity that was the Gamecube. All cleaned up now, didn't have time to clear up that purposefully ambiguous first reply before now. :P

That made me spill fluids on my keyboard.

They can't predict every problem he's going to run into. They can have a good feeling one day and tell us, and disappoint us the next by reiterating, and that's fine. Why? Because we ask him to be transparent with us. If he has a good feeling, why not share it? It's not up to him to manage our expectations. It's alright to be frustrated, but be frustrated that they ran into some problems; thinking that the lead developper is a tantalizing perfectionnist trying to find reasons to delay the game so he can iron out insignificant details is silly. It's their creation, why can't they show it to us when they're ready, on their own terms? His notion of "soon" is perhaps not the same as everyone elses'. The difference is relative, when you're comparing "soon" of a game developper and "soon" for a hyped up fan. I'm such a fan; I've misled myself into thinking SA was to be released over and over again. It's alright to be frustrated, just stop assigning blame; he owes us nothing.

You mysterious handsome devil you. >.>

What's this new picture captionned Bring It? Because it certainly caught my attention. Edit: Seriously, guys, what is it?

Or we can treat it as any generic clown mask, instead of pretending that the video-game Payday exists in whatever world contains Chernarus.

I think, in standalone, people will be conscientous of what they're wearing in regards to what "vibe" their clothes are giving off. And with the amount of loot and it's frequency, I doubt we'll be seeing the epidemic of Payday masks everyone's been going on about. If I see a guy walking around in a clown mask, regardless of what game it's been featured in, I'll put a bullet in him. Same goes for hockey masks or skull-and-spike-adorned clothing. We need more of these types of clothing, even if their purpose is just aestethic. Bandits should have the chance to be as theatrical as they want. No more killing on sight; I want to be kidnapped by a man wearing body parts. I want him to tie me up and go on a monologue before dramatically pulling out his pistol or machete and killing me in the most long-drawn way possible. And let's face it; the bandits won't be able to resist looking scary, even if it means being at a tactical disadvantage by drawing mistrust to them. Only the disciplined, restrained bandits will want to dress up "nice" to lure potential victims, especially when you dangle scary clown masks in front of them.

Big gloves.

I love helicopter crashes, but I don't think we should ever see them happening. Hearing a helicopter and then wondering, "Is it AI or a player?" detracts from the experience. There's a very eerie sensation to seeing the flames and smoke of a solitary wreckage, silent.

Same here.

Cool video! Loved the light-hearted tone. Every moment with the ghillie offering corn was gold. Looking forward to seeing more!

I am in awe. Thank you.

I'm glad to hear that progress is good, but I've come to manage my expectations. I check back here every day, because I can't help myself, but I'll make sure to be surprised by the release.

If weapons can be switched while running, I'm sure there's no reason to worry about hand gestures.

Trees serve justice. Bandit scum.