rjcollins

+1 There'd have to be some sort of server work done for matchmaking to be a thing. I don't know how attached we are to having to use the current server tech we got, but it seems some kind of matchmaking would relieve some of the woes people are experiencing. That aside... I'm all for the most hardcore experience possible myself. That does not mean that I have the right to shove that experience onto others. I should be placed with those that want that same, hardcore experience.

Edited original post with clarifications as it evidently wasn't clear the first time.

Your encounter chance would be slim at best. So of the few people you saw you could certainly kill them if you so desire. Again, no guarantees on not having an encounter as that's influenced by where you are as well.

Thought came to me as I was reading some of the KoS threads. Anyone who's familiar with Star Citizen will know what I mean, but I'll give a rundown. Star Citizen is looking to make available to it's players a pvp slider that will let you indicate your preference (note preference) to what degree of pvp you would like to engage in, and would match you up with others according to that preference. Now there is no guarantee that you would not meet other players in space as has been indicated over at Star Citizen as your geographical location also influences that pvp preference. If you're in a dangerous part of space, your slider preference means less as it's supposed to be dangerous where you are. Some zoning for the map, such as towns and villages being "safer" than the cities, where the chance of running into another player is higher due to the danger level being higher. Star Citizen will allow you to adjust the slider, but only while landed on a planet. I'm not sure how to allow for adjustments in DayZ since there is no similar "docking" mechanic. Perhaps a timelock where your slider must be where you set it for a minimum of X hours. EDIT: There seems to be some confusion how the slider works, so let's see if I can clear it up. If everyone set their slider to 0, the chance that anyone would run into anybody would be highly remote. Part of the slider's function is that it creates the encounter instances according to your preferences and anyone else you might encounter. For example, if I were to wander into Lopalito with a slider setting of 0, and someone else wandered in with a slider setting of 0, there's a very, very, very small chance we would get the same encounter instance. However, if I wandered into town with a preference of 0, and someone else wandered in with a preference of let's say 10, the max on this hypothetical slider, there's a higher chance the encounter instance would put us together, despite my slider being at 0. No guarantee that an encounter would happen, but it's a higher possibility than if both parties had it set to 0. Here are some abbreviated points: http://starcitizenstuff.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/on-the-player-interaction-slider/

I can dig sleep related mechanics that affect your character. More camping related gear could affect your rest status. Having a sleeping bag and a tent could have a beneficial effect such as staving off hunger and thirst a little longer, or perhaps a steadier aim with both melee weapons and firearms. If you don't have a sleeping bag, you could find a couch or a bed in one of the towns or cities. On the flipside, if you don't log with a sleeping bag or at a couch or bed, it negatively affects your status by making you hungry more quickly, or making your hands unsteady.

4 hours of day, 4 hours of night is my vote. Gives me potential to spread my session over day and night, or just day, or just night. Or multiple sunrises and sunsets.

I'm not having much heartburn with the color palettes or lack of building variety in the smaller towns. I'm kind of expecting them to look kinda the same as I move between the larger cities. What I would like is random timer loot respawns with some variety in there so I can be more persistent in an area as opposed to moving from town to town constantly.

Will likely become less of a problem once we have a larger zombie population and zombie respawns. Wouldn't do away with this behavior completely, but less instances of it.

+1 Some of the loot RNG suggested in the OP as additive for the map I'm down with. Stripping away what makes sense for us scavengers, as it is now, would be detrimental. It's not as if the shelves are stocked with boxes of ammo or can of tuna anyway.

I do agree that higher zombie population (also with respawns) would make KoS less likely due to the higher level of danger posed. Also a fan of tuning them to be dangerous to all manner of player, not just freshspawns.

Not a fan of the idea of removing stuff from the military bases in the manner you suggest. Since the game is designed to be a post-apocalyptic zombie survival experience, it wouldn't behoove the designer to take away items that would likely be where they fit in. If I'm in need of ammunition for my gun, it makes sense that I'd search out a military base. If I'm looking for some food, the bodega in town is a good bet to find some. Making thing a little more plentiful outside of these locations I don't have too much heartburn with as that would be a reward for exploration. Too much loot RNG that sacrifices the current paradigm of "What I need is likely at (insert location here)." would break some of that immersion that I feel is being aimed for in this game of survival.

I'm curious to know if the cone of fire is larger when you're not aiming down the sights. The little bit of experience I've gotten, aiming is very relevant it seems when you have a scope of some sort when distance is a factor. The short to medium range engagements (up to about 70 meters) don't seem to "feel" like the aiming is as important, which is why I'm eager to know if aiming vs non-aiming affects the cone of fire. Any Arma players that can elaborate how it works there?

Quoted for truth. Rolling around with some folks I found through the forums, and it was great learning how to navigate the map. Having to pay attention to landmarks and signs to figure out where you are, and then relaying that information to your buddies to group up.

I haven't done any experimentation as I have very little ammunition at any given moment. Anyone checked the difference between firing from the hip and using the weapon sights to see if there's a difference in accuracy?

To clarify, this is for stand alone. I do not have the arma mod.