LilBambi

Introduction So, from some videos I've seen, Rocket is adding a lot of new features to the "hostage" dynamic such as new animations and possibly even a "handcuff" system. They are great, but I think we can take this a step further! :) Human Shield The first idea is the "Human Shield". It's exactly what the name states. It's a tactic that allows a player to grab another player in order to pose a threat during a hostage situation or to protect the player from enemy gunfire. How It Works This is how I could see it implemented in the DayZ Standalone. First, the player would have to be armed with a weapon (most realistically, a pistol or knife). Then, they'd have to be behind another player. The option to initiate the human shield tactic would be chosen by scrolling the mouse wheel when it is aimed at the hostage or by pressing a particular key on the keyboard. While holding the hostage at gunpoint or by the knife, the player would only be able to move at a very slow pace in a standing position. The hostage could possibly break free, but there would be a brief animation first, which could give the player with the weapon enough time to eliminate the hostage. How It Would Improve the Gameplay of DayZ Standalone I believe the purpose of DayZ Standalone is to simulate the brutal, cut throat world that would exist during a zombie apocalypse. Adding a Human Shield mechanic would give players a reason to talk things out first instead of shooting on sight. It would also allow a hostage to take a hostage, giving even the most well armed civilian a good reason to watch his back. Blindfolding The second idea is "Blindfolding". It's a device that allows a player to "blindfold" a hostage so they cannot see where they are being dragged to. How It Works This is how I could see it implemented in the DayZ Standalone. The player would require the "Blindfold" item in order to commence this tactic. It would have to be crafted from another item such as cloth (which could possibly be extracted from certain articles of clothing). Similar to the Human Shield, a player would have to scroll on the mouse wheel while aiming at a hostage or press a particular key on the keyboard to initiate the action on the hostage. For practicality reasons, it could be required that the hostage have his hands restrained first prior to the "blindfolding". If a hostage manages to break free of his hand restraints, he would easily be able to take off the blindfold himself. One more thing to note is that while the hostage has the blindfold on, he cannot pick up any items in the game world. Another alternative to the "blindfold" could be a "bag". It would work in the same way as the blindfold. The only difference would be aesthetics. How It Would Improve the Gameplay of DayZ Standalone To increase the immersion and practicality of having a hostage, I believe a blindfold (or bag) could greatly add to the experience of taking a hostage. Once a hostage is stripped of his belongings and left in the the middle of the woods, he would have a difficult time figuring out where he is again, especially if he is new to the game. Conclusion What do you think of these two ideas? What are their flaws? How can they be improved? Please let me know. :) Have a good day!

So you've probably seen the new Devblog update... tons of new features being added (it's like their reading my mind! :D). But what really caught my eye was that rat running around as a player-controlled character at the end. Not only was it funny to watch, but it looked really fun to play as too. So I was wondering... is there a way this could somehow be in the Standalone? I don't know how exactly, but I think it would make for some hilarious experiences. What do you think?

Well, actually I don't remember them saying anything about the rat at all in the video, which is why it caught my attention so much. I just assumed it was player controlled because I've never seen AI move like that. Regardless, the animations are looking fantastic. If we can't control the rats, at least they should be a threat of some sort. For example, they may infect food spawns or bite you and get you infected. It'd just be nice to have some other threat besides players and zombies. Yeah, a mod of the SA is probably the first time we'll get to try it out.

Just as a side note, realism can't be used as an argument to have 1st person only in DayZ. If you want to go that route, then it should be impossible to repair a helicopter.

Hello. I asked this in a discussion thread but got no response, so I'll just ask it here. Are there going to be FPS boosts in the Standalone and by how much? For example, I get 10-30 FPS on DayZ depending on whether it's day, night, or I'm in a city. What could I expect from the Standalone? As far as discussion questions... What is the minimum FPS you have ever played DayZ on?What is the maximum FPS you have ever played DayZ on?What FPS count do you consider "playable"?What FPS count do you realistically hope to expect from the Standalone?

Yeah I hope they give out the min./rec. system requirements prior to release so I can know what computer I need to buy in the future.

Does anyone have an idea on how much of an FPS boost we will get from the SA? For example, if I'm getting about 15-25 FPS during the day, 20-30 FPS at night, and 10-15 FPS in cities on the lowest settings (I know, it sucks), what could I expect from the Standalone?

Thanks for the reply. I'm glad side chat is going to be gone. I hope the radios aren't rare, though. Otherwise, I'll probably be forced to use Skype or Teamspeak.

I don't think a "pleasure bar" is necessary, but it would be nice if certain things like alcohol or cigarettes could numb your character temporarily if he is in pain.

What methods of communication are going to be available in SA? Is there going to be Side Chat? Is Group Chat going to be removed? etc.

When people can no longer discuss about things in a civil way is when I no longer care for the discussion.

This was mentioned about a year ago as a suggestion for the mod. I'm now reviving it as a suggestion for the Standalone. Having the hunting knife as a melee weapon would look much better from an aesthetic standpoint rather than everyone running around with large hatchets swung over their shoulder. Knives are also extremely common IRL, so why not have them as a weapon in the game?

Sigh. Your premise - more than 50% of the hardcore community does not want third person Your conclusion - therefore, the hardcore fans do not want third person False. The proper conclusion would be "therefore, half of the hardcore fans want third person while the the other half wants first person" And you say there is no 50% of people who like TPV, when you just said that over 50% want FPV. That makes me assume by the poll results you told me that the FPV fans have a percentage over 50% but very close to it, while the TPV fans have a percentage under 50% but very close to it. That's how estimates work. For example, If I told you that over 60% of people who play games are casual gamers, you would assume my estimate is near the number 60; not 50, 70, or anything beyond those numbers. Even then, the poll results on a forum thread nowhere near represents the community as a whole, as is the case with any game.

Since DayZ's "scroll and click" system allows a player to do many different actions, why not add some more interactivity within the vehicles for the Standalone? Some ideas I had were: Turn the car/heli radio on and off while the engine is running; can be tuned into players' frequencies or can play generic tunes (wouldn't you want to blast out a rock solo while flying across an apocalyptic wasteland? ;))Turn the lights inside the car (not the headlights) on/off; this is to help see the other players riding with you in the vehicle when it is really dark outside, and to increase immersionTurn windshield wipers on/off; when it starts to rain, you'll be able to see through the windshield :) What do you think?

Hopefully only with pistols. :P Unless they let us sit in the back of a pickup. That would be AWESOME.

Invalid statement. Majority does not mean "hardcore". Also, you're ignoring the other 50% who like TPV. They matter just as much.

But the same could be said when you have the headlights on or when you're holding a chemlight. People can see you easier, but you can see the world around you easier as well. :PDean might make 3P context sensitive where you can't use 3P inside a vehicle.

It would also be really neat if people in the back of a car could interact with the vehicle as well. :)

As long as you don't have to look directly at something, I'm down with it. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to access the Gear slot of a car and it doesn't come up, lol. EDIT: Double post. My bad

Perhaps bind keys to the actions instead?

Please don't imply that those of us who like TPV compared to Arma 2's very mediocre FPV aren't "hardcore". It's preference. I didn't "exhaust" my arguments. I just don't see the point of continuing if what we say isn't going to change anything that Dean has already decided.

I'm still not really seeing the point trying to be made here. The Standalone IS going to have 3rd person. So then what are we debating about? The option for 1st person only servers being available for those who want it?

It's easy to notice the difference. You can see a lot more around you in 3rd person compared to 1st person (as it is now). 1) The gear menu doll can only be seen in the gear menu. And with the current field of view, you can only see a little bit of your character's body in freelook, and ONLY if you look directly down or if you look behind you. Neither of these "options" is enough merit to having a new clothing system. The SA is going to have a 3rd person view anyway, despite what our opinions are on the matter. 2) Yes, you do need a sense of balance in a video game. Think about driving a car, for example. It's much different in a game than real life because you don't "feel" a car's direction, acceleration, or deceleration in a computer program. A 3rd person view gives you more depth perception, thereby helping you drive the car better in the game. 3) Compared to real life, games have very limited movement options. And since you're only controlling an "avatar" via keys or buttons, it can be difficult or impossible (depending on how the game is built) to know where different parts of your avatar's body are. Arma 2's movement system and animations are quite clunky, to be honest. I love DayZ but it's far away from being a smooth and fluid game. I think this trailer of Mirror's Edge 2 is a good example of how smooth and fluid a game's 1st person view can be.

Humans in real life have about an 180-degree horizontal field of view.

There are problems with 1st person only in DayZ: Can't see what you're wearing (why have a wide variety of clothing items if you can't see them?)No vestibular senseNo kinesthetic sense 3rd person fixes or at least alleviates all of these problems. I'm not saying 3rd person doesn't have its own problems, but they aren't as apparent as the problems with the current 1st person mode. You also need to realize that Dean should be trying to please his whole fan base rather than ostracize a few in order to please the others. I think the player should be given the option as to whether they want to play in 3rd person or 1st person. Also, the current 1st person view needs to be revamped.