Nexiv

Authentic experience? You mean how currently everyone is an expert in any and every skill you can think of? Everyone is a doctor/mechanic/soldier/hunter? This is a game, like it or not, and games have artificial mechanisms in them. They try to simulate reality, but regardless they are still "rules". Thats called game design. And you cant celebrate "reality" by supporting a completely unrealistic premise: that everyone is a walking encyclopedia of skills and knowledge. Good games are the ones that give you choices. And those choices should always be difficult, there should be advantages and disadvantages to every decision, because thats what makes it a choice instead of just an already foregone conclusion. Right now, when it comes to other survivors there are no choices (other than should I shoot him now at range, or wait till he gets closer). There is only advantages to gunning down anyone you meet, because the only thing to gain is removing risk. There needs to be disadvantages too, possibly the missed opportunities to share skills/knowledge. That way its an actually difficult decision to shoot someone, instead of the current "always pull the trigger no matter what". I realise the lonewolves will argue bitterly against these sorts of ideas, because right now the game supports their playstyle completely, and rewards them for it while punishing anyone who tried to cooperate. So I understand that they absolutely dont want anything to change. But there needs to be some balance so that everyone has an actual choice in how they play, instead of just the heavily slanted lonewolf style as it is now.

The problem with the lack of co-operative play (apart from the inherent benefits of playing with friends that ZedsDead listed in another thread) is that survivors are too well rounded. In a real-life disaster/apocalypse there would be certain skill sets that would be incredibly valuable: - Medical training such as doctors, nurses, paramedics, even vets. - Mechanic/engineers, who can repair and maintain vehicles, generators, machines, etc. - Survivalists who can hunt, track, find fresh water, orienteer, build shelter, etc. - Farmer who can grow and prepare food, and maintain livestock. - Military/police, who are trained marksmen and can use and maintain any type of firearm including military hardware. - Pilots All of these skillsets would be highly sought after, and you'd be lucky to know or find someone who can do even one of these things, since most "city folk" like stock brokers, programmers, accountants, etc probably wouldnt have any of these skills. And yet in DayZ survivors can do all of these things perfectly. They're like one-man-armies. As such there is no need to seek out other survivors for aid (and we're not even talking about the crushing fear of loneliness when people think the endtimes are on them and they seek others out for companionship). When a survivor can do anything and everything then there is only risk in meeting other survivors, and zero reward. Its a system that only benefits the anti-social lonewolves and bandits. Every survivor's value only amounts to what gear can be picked off his corpse. Whereas in reality it would be a person's skillset that really mattered. You wouldnt be so quick to shoot that guy down on the road if you thought he might be a doctor who could set that broken leg for you, or someone who could give you shelter from the freezing nights, or teach you how to clean and shoot that rifle you found. I dont know if a class system is the answer. But possibly spawning with a single random skillset, and then slowly "learning" additional skills from other survivors as you spend more time around them. Afterall, once you've survived the apocalyps for a few years with other people you'll certainly have picked up some new skills and tricks. Maybe thats whats needed to slow down the mindless shooting currently: value the person, not their beans.