zonbie11155

@soldier of failure Setting aside all of the real-life murderers that look just like normal people (See: Fort Hood Shooting, Columbine Shooting, Seattle coffee shop shooting, etc etc etc), there are also many horror movies out there that debunk your claim about insane murderers looking like anything other than normal citizens. And then there are movies like The Road, which establish a pretty strong case of "every man for himself" and "bandits may be roaming" and "wolf in sheep's skin" social situations. Where do you get this idea that people who act different inherently have to look different??? I think you are simply trying to find or create the path of least resistance, instead of putting in the hard work required to survive in DayZ. There are plenty of ways to neutralize threats in DayZ. It probably helps to have several players working together. There are many elements missing from DayZ due to its nature as an alpha project. But things like building strongholds, establishing a barter economy, reclaiming towns and/or buildings, exterminating zombies from a specific region...those kinds of yet-unseen mechanics can be used a methods of promoting cooperative gameplay and reducing the incidences of blind murder and highway homicide. As a matter of fact, it may develop the game into an even more complex PvP situation that revolves around capturing towns and strongholds, or infiltrating a locality to sabotage its defenses. PvP is exactly what makes the game strong, not weak. Until those complex mechanics come about, there is not much to do in a post-apocalypse world except shoot anything that moves. You and your party of allies will have to rely on teamspeak, direct speak, and aggressive scouting IOT avoid confrontations and human-borne disasters.

Look guys, this isn't the Fable series, where horns begin to grow out of your head if you do bad things to innocent care bears. This is DayZ, and everybody is a faceless enemy until they prove themselves otherwise. Stalk or be stalked...or better yet, invite your friends and roam in a pack. Establish safe zones and neutralize threats. It's a survival mod, so survive. Don't expect too many gameplay-based handouts.

The bandit skin should be just another skin that can be found and worn. There should eventually be dozens of skins to choose from that can be looted from buildings, furniture, zombies, and other players. No particular skin (other than the basic starting skin) should be forced upon anyone.

Here's my proposition for more functional apparel. More functional apparel can help the player survive longer in unforgiving environments. It can help the player fight off low temperatures, allow him to blend into the terrain better, live through firefights, and can even allow ease of identification among allied players ("I'm the guy wearing the OCP field jacket, please don't shoot me!"). I know we already have "skins" out there but they do not serve a functional purpose (except the ghillie suit, which is where I got this idea). I'm proposing things like field jackets, wet weather poncho, helmets, body armor, combat gloves, and combat boots (among other things). All of these pieces of apparel can effect gameplay in some manner. 1. Field jacket: Prevents the player's temperature from dropping below a specific number. Also, reduces the chance of bleeding from zombie attacks by 50%. (This is probably the best item, so it should be tougher to find.) 2. Wet weather poncho: Prevents the player's temperature from dropping below a specific number, but ONLY when it is raining. (Wet weather poncho is kind of thin and does not warm the body very well.) 3. Helmet: Protects the player from a single headshot. Once the helmet has absorbed that one bullet, it is destroyed. (The player will hear a loud "bullet ricochet" sound to indicate that he just survived a headshot, and should take cover immediately.) Cannot be repaired. 4. Body armor: Reduces damage from gunfire by 50%. Protects the player from bleeding if shot in the chest or back. Can absorb 4 bullets on either side before it is destroyed. Cannot be repaired. 5. Combat gloves: Speeds up movements for most actions, including but not limited to...reloading, bandage application, etc. (This is honestly too much like COD but I wanted to include it as part of the brainstorming session.) 6. Combat boots: Speeds up player running movement by 15%. (This is honestly too much like COD but I wanted to include it as part of the brainstorming session.) I cant really think of any other items of apparel at the moment. As far as camouflage patterns, there should be several to choose from (BDU, ACU, OCP, British DPM). That is just a matter of art asset creation and can spawn at random. Recommended rarity... -Somewhat rare: Wet weather poncho, combat gloves, combat boots. -Extremely rare: Field jacket, helmet, body armor. Feel free to discuss and modify. Here's another thread on a similar topic, I think we both started the threads at around the same time. I like his way of thinking in terms of player identification at range. http://dayzmod.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=9276

I think this is already in effect. They are called helicopter crashes. Some of the rarest and most powerful weaponry and equipment in DayZ can be found at helicopter crash sites. BTW, helicopter crash sites are randomly generated and occur in different locations on each server.

@dale: I think you are trying to say that the chances of somebody actually running into the trap are so low that it is probably not worth trying to develop. I honestly agree with this, but it is still a popular request here on the forums. Another discussion that was going on here was in reference to tripwire-based booby traps. Here's my opinion on tripwire traps. "Tripwire traps are homemade devices that can be built using other objects in the world. When triggered (either by players, zombies, or thrown objects) they expose the activator to some kind of danger, such as a live grenade or a live flare. Tripwire traps require a toolbox to construct and/or disable. Tripwire traps consist of the following parts: 1. Wire 2. Scrap metal (just 1 pile, for the metal stakes) 3. Empty tin can (to place the danger item into) 4. "Danger item" (grenade, flare, smoke grenade, etc) A tripwire trap can be set off from a distance by either throwing something into it (such as a tin can) or shooting the wire. Players can also use a tool kit to silently disable it, after which point the trap turns into a pile of loot containing its ingredients (including the danger item). The bottom line here is that if a tool kit is not used to disable the trap, the trap will be set off which will expose the activator to the danger item. Notes: 1. Just to be safe, tripwire traps are inactive for the first seven seconds after they are placed. This will allow the person who placed it to get away from it safely without setting off his own trap. (This is due to ARMA 2's movement system and/or any lag that may reduce the player's ability to naturally back away from the trap.) 2. Zombies can trigger tripwire traps just like normal humans. 3. Tripwire traps can be stepped over if approached carefully. (This might not be possible in due to ARMA 2 restrictions.) 4. Tripwire traps can be placed anywhere in the world - indoors or outdoors. Ideally, tripwire traps conform to the area they are placed in...ie indoors, they "just work" and automatically place themselves down across a hallway or door frame. Outdoors, wires can be up to 8m long. (This would need some careful code work to implement correctly.) 5. Tripwire traps take up just as much room in a backpack as scrap metal (3 slots). 6. Players who use grenades in their tripwire traps WILL get +1 to their Murders count if the grenade instantly kills the player who triggered the trap."

Remove the human body outline and you will be onto something, but it would not be much different than what we already have, which is a minimalist HUD with a line of unobtrusive player status indicators. The most applicable phrase here is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Here's what I recommended IRT bear traps... "Bear traps (officially known as foothold traps) are metal devices that can be found around Deer Stands. They always spawn in a deployed position, meaning that they are ready to inflict damage upon anybody who steps into it. Bear traps deal damage equal to 30-50% of the player's current blood (simply getting caught in a bear trap should never kill the player, even if he is close to death - bleeding will kill the player just fine if the player is low on blood and/or passes out from blood loss). Players who step into a bear trap will always do the following: 1. Stand up with their leg clearly stuck in the trap. 2. Scream out in pain for about 3 seconds, and then begin to panic. (Shouting can attract nearby zombies) 3. Suffer from bleeding, broken bones, and intense pain requiring painkillers. 4. The player should automatically pull the trap apart and remove his leg from the trap, after which he will immediately lie down on the ground due to broken bones. A trap can be disabled by either throwing something into it (such as a tin can), shooting the pressure plate, or using a tool kit to silently disable it. The bottom line here is that if a tool kit is not used to disable the trap, the trap will make a signature SNAP sound that can alert the person who set it of nearby trespassers. Notes: 1. Zombies can get caught in bear traps as well. Zombies should remain stuck in the bear trap but not get killed by it. They should just stand there in an aggro stance, stuck in the trap, waiting for some player to come along and claim or reset the trap. 2. Sometimes, a bear trap will require scrap metal to repair it. In these cases, a tool kit is required to make repairs (just like repairing vehicles). 3. Bear traps take up just as much room in a backpack as scrap metal (3 slots). 4. Players who trap other players in bear traps will not get +1 to their Murders count from trap-related injuries. Their best bet is to watch the bear trap, listen for screaming, and move in to finish off the trapped player."