Rōnin Rick

Hey guys, just wondering how the zombies will be later on in development. I'm not talking about the bugs there are now like zombies passing through fences and walls and not climbing stairs very well. And I know this is an Alpha and perhaps zombie AI isn't the highest priority, no complaints from me! I was actually just curious how they are planned to behave eventually. For example, right now they seem to be able to see you from nearly as far away as you can see them (granted, I play on low settings, maybe if I cranked it up to high they would render further out! :D). Is this currently as intended? I've tried to sneak slowly and stay low, try to move between bushes and trees and avoid detection, and I still aggro zombies 200-300+ meters out that are facing in my general direction. Do you think by release the zombies will have a reduced visual detection radius? Do you think a basic stealth mechanic could be introduced like some games have, where you essentially have a 'visibility meter' (which the player wouldn't be able to see of course!) that changes based on whether you're in the light vs. the shade, or tall grass vs. out in the open, or crouching vs. standing, or walking vs. running, day-time vs. night-time? Because remember, in the final game there will be many more zombies than there currently are. And they already do more damage after the last patch, right? Not to mention that they damage your gear when they hit you. I imagine you will be highly incentivized to avoid them until you have top-tier weaponry and are rolling with a group. And to dynamically interact with and avoid zombies, there needs to be some sort of stealth mechanic + competent zombie AI! Another question: Sound. Currently they seem actually to have a rather small hearing radius. You can sprint around 20 meters from one and not aggro it. Additionally, you can walk right up to one, breathing heavily and everything, and it won't notice you; even if you swing your weapon at it and miss it doesn't notice! Also, even firing guns doesn't seem to draw them from more than, say, 2 blocks. Hell, realistically you should be able to hear a gunshot from one side of Elektro to another. If firing your weapon caused you to aggro zombies from considerable distances, people would think twice about KoS! Also, regarding the damage zombies inflict on you: I think it would be cool if they had different attacks. For instance, the regular swipe they take at you could cause moderate damage as it does currently, maybe even with a probability of breaking bones, but wouldn't cause bleeding. They could also have a biting attack that does cause bleeding, but wouldn't break bones. Finally, they could have a sprinting attack (which they already seem to do, they run at you and do a leaping attack) that would have a probability of knocking you down if it hit. This would make combatting zombies much more interesting and dynamic, and actually scary, rather than the current 'side-strafe to win' strategy that works flawlessly. The biting and sprinting attacks could still be dodged but the regular swipe-attack could get you if all you do is keep strafing. Zombies aren't THAT stupid... Finally, I think the only other thing necessary to make zombies a proper threat and really help make this a survival game rather than simply the deathmatch (with occasional bean-eating) game it currently is, would be to limit player sprint. Currently you can sprint indefinitely, which is unrealistic. It doesn't matter how good of shape you are in, you can't sprint for hours straight, much less while lugging around 60+ pounds of gear and weaponry! If stamina were introduced into the game, I think encountering zombies would be a much more harrowing experience! Currently, you can simply sprint away from them until they give up the chase; what I propose is having the zombies RUN faster than players, and having the players be able to SPRINT faster still but only for a limited duration. The amount of time you could sprint would simply be determined by how much gear you have on you. Carrying a huge backpack, Mosin, Fireaxe, Revolver, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a dozen cans of beans? Don't expect to sprint as long as the fresh-spawn. This way there would be an incentive to travel light, as you would be better equipped to survive zombies, if somewhat more poorly equipped to survive the environment/other players. I think if all of the above were implemented (zombies seeing worse, hearing better, having varied attacks, and outrunning you if you are unable to lose them), this game would be fucking badass! Personally, I'm not HUGE on PvP, so being able to play it like a zombie survival game instead of just another FPS (which incidentally happens to have zombies) would be great, and I'm sure many others feel similarly. It's not that I have a problem with players combatting each other per se, but the kill on sight mentality is a bit depressing, and if most players are unwilling to role-play, at least we would have the option to role-play with friends against the Zeds! If you have any ideas, post them! Thanks. :D Edit: What do you guys think of having different zombie types? Maybe a "heavy" that is slower and attacks slower, but does more damage and has a higher chance of breaking bones or knocking you down. And a "sprinter" that is faster and attacks quicker, but does somewhat less damage. Maybe a "diseased" one that has a probability of making you 'sick' each time it hits/bites you? Or even a "shrieker" that, when aggroed, draws surrounding zombies to it? And all the different types easily identifiable so it wouldn't seem unfair/too difficult. Just an idea. Might be cool!

My friends and I play and if only one of us has a can-opener, it is his duty to force-feed the rest of us. That awkward moment when you're overheard asking someone to feed you tuna with their fingers.... 0_o

So does anyone know how accurate the slugs are, compared say to the M4? Say you had a shotgun (not sawn-off) and an M4 and you shot at the same spot 100 yards away, which weapon would be more accurate? If slugs are pretty accurate, the shotty would be a versatile weapon.

'TL;DR' isn't a very constructive response.... Maybe just don't say anything? ^_^

This this a thousand times this! If I want my items rearranged I will do so myself. I think it maybe shifts everything in your backpack downward. I've lost an ammo crate full of Mosin and .45 ammo before. <_< So mad. Do you realize how long it takes to get that much ammo without server hopping??

You mean you don't spawn with minigun and flack vest when you log in? That sounds like a pretty serious bug, you should report it. Shit, if that kept happening to me I'd stop playing! *lovingly caresses his minigun*

Wait, you mean other places in the world aren't 'Murica?

Not big Pulp Fiction fans, hey Mods? *presses f1 to wave* Direct Chat: "Friendly, don't ban!" *gets banned on sight* *goes onto forums to whine about BoS* *realizes he is banned and cannot post* :D

As a punishment for ruining such a beautiful gun. You know what you did.

9 whole posts, huh? Trust this guy. LOL

The only hack I've run into so far is the teleporting hack. From what I've read, most people are themselves being teleported by hackers/badmins, but both times when I've seen it, the hacker teleported himself to me. I'm on a server with literally one or two people on it I'm in the middle of nowhere (not Elektro, Cherno, airfields, roads, railways, etc.) so it's not server-hopping for loot. I don't see or hear the guy and I get shot in the back by an M4 and killed. A very frustrating way to die. Hackers tend to stick to the lower pop servers. Be warned, and happy looting!

There is a very common bug where a dead/unconscious person, often just spouting blood everywhere, will continue to move, lay/crouch/stand, switch weapons repeatedly, even run around. This is probably what you experienced. You/your friend shot someone gratuitously and he seemed not to die. While there are hackers and I'm not dismissing the possibility, in all likelihood it was just the aforementioned bug.

Yeah CrazyandLazy, what do you think Alphas are for, finding and reporting bugs so that they can be fixed before launch?? Kill yourself. lolol OP is moron lololol Edit: In case you missed the sarcasm.... <_< Figured I'd draw your attention to it, wouldn't want another 1 day suspension....

I would be fine with a map as long as it didn't show your position or the position of cities. Basically, just the physical area, if you can recognize any landmarks than you would find it useful. What would make the game crap is putting a map with cities and loot spots marked, and a goddam GPS. Ugh. No thanks. Exploring is one of the great joys of the game! Rather have no map than too good of one. :D

Re:Re:Re: Pass this on to 10 other people within 48 hours or you will die too!

Nice! He could be a scary cryptid or boogeyman like Slendy. You're walking through the woods and see something out of the corner of your eye.... Burlap-Man! RUUUN!!

Pro-tip: Don't play at night-time until they fix it! They haven't focused on night-time yet, specifically the whole 'being able to see' part. To answer your question, though, he's a dead player. There's an extremely common bug where dead characters continue moving, twitching, bleeding profusely, even running around, even though they're dead/unconscious. The fact that he has a burlap sack over his head seems to support this. Bandits cuffed him, robbed him, beat him to death with a blunt instrument, likely a bat or wrench... Damn.... I should be a CSI!

Really... lol you gotta hit 'em in the head so they don't have a chance to combat log!

You kill on sight!? You special snowflake! Try being a legitimate bandit, it's more fun and doesn't ruin anyone else's fun. Some of the best times I've had have been being fed rotten fruit or chased by an axe-wielding maniac shouting gibberish over direct chat. And if you fear your prey will outfox you and shoot you dead, THEN your friend with the Mosin can play his part... It's all about the role-playing, my friend.

My first time was very unexpected. I was running along the highway with an axe and no pants and the remains of a can of beans crusted on my lips. I was thirsty and was building an insatiable appetite. All of a sudden, I see a woman running on the same highway and figure I'll catch up to her and try to talk. She started yelling "friendly, friendly" repeatedly, holding her hands up and posing no threat. 10 minutes later I'm holding an axe over a hand-cuffed body, breathing heavily, vision blurred and covered in blood... But enough about losing that virginity, no one wants to hear me go on and on about my sex life! Right? My first kill in DayZ SA, my friend and I got attacked by a guy wielding a baseball bat and refusing to heed our warnings, so we punched him into unconsciousness, and, eventually, to death.

More like way cool.... I love the role-playing in DayZ. Actually playing as a bandit, hero, or a hitman beats the pants off plain old KoSing! I would be your hitman iain, but I'm a fresh spawn with naught but my fists of fury to pummel people with.... Don't think I would get very far. lol somewhere between the 3rd or 4th punch he will likely have combat-logged!

#2 is very true: The fall damage in this game is insane! drop 5 feet and insta-die, lol. I only had to glitch out of a wall while sprinting down a flight of stairs once to learn to walk not run down stairs. Most frustrating death EVER. And that counts the time my character decided to just walk over a knee/waist height barrier on a roof and plummet to his death! Haha, some lucky SOB exploring Elektro got a Mosin and ammo out of that one I'm sure. :D

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone else is having the majority of their deaths from falls? I'm loving this game and the realism it offers. The single largest issue I have with it (mechanics/physics-wise) is the exaggerated fall damage. In real life, you can drop your own height without any injury whatever. In-game, however, I have fallen/dropped 5 feet if not less, and died. Now, certainly you should not be able to shrug off a 2 meter drop while carrying 50+ pounds of gear, but even when your character is completely unencumbered they still die an embarrassing death from a slight drop. And whether gear-laden or not, I don't think insta-death is an appropriate outcome from even a moderate fall. Realistically, you should (and do, occasionally) just break a leg and lose health, needing to splint the leg or take morphine (magically mending bones, lol). I could even support falling and losing consciousness, as it would still be consistent with the current game mechanics (you incur shock from the drop and go unconscious). My main point, however, is simply that the damage you take from drops is too severe, and begins from too low a height. Additionally, you wouldn't die instantly! Exacerbating this issue is the questionable collision detection/no-clipping. On numerous occasions, my character has simply passed through solid objects. Sometimes, it is relatively innocuous, like running through a fence; other times your character walks right through or over a railing/ledge on a roof and falls to his death. Sometimes while climbing ladders, your character will, like, teleport/glitch to the top of the ladder, and God help you if you were going 'down', as you will back right off the roof! One time I was even running down a stairwell and my character glitched through a wall and outside the building, falling to his death. I've heard similar anecdotes from others. So considering the unrealistic and highly frustrating nature of fall damage currently in the game, as well as the aforementioned no-clipping bugs, would you guys like to see updates to the fall damage? Say NO to being bitch-slapped by gravity! Leave your opinions in the comments, thanks!

So I tend to play in "always daytime" servers, because I find night time to be unplayable in this game. The screen is pitch-black and you can see practically nothing. Raising the Gamma or the Brightness does little to help, and honestly shouldn't be necessary in a game with good visibility. Dayz Standalone is supposed to be realistic, and IRL it is not NEARLY so dark at night. Night time should be interesting to play and add a new dynamic to the game, however currently it is just worthless. Add to that the fact that the flashlight doesn't seem to work (yes it has a full battery). And has anyone else noticed that 90% of the servers are the same? Like they are always all in the same time of day? Presumably this is because those servers are in a time-zone where it is night, but really, I'm in California, and if I want to play during the day in-game and it's day-time in America, apparently I can't unless I choose a custom server. Seems kinda dumb. Tell me what you think in the comments! Should graphics/visuals/visibility be improved for the night? And should servers display what time-zone they are so you aren't going in blind? Thanks! Edit: I would also like to point out the other problem I see with night-time. The game looks beautiful during the day, and it is great fun just to explore the map. Nice scenery and graphics. All that goes away when you remove the color and 90% of the brightness. It's the same problem with the way the game informs you that you are low on blood: your screen desaturates and you lose all color, and the game just looks washed-out and like shit. Game designers should realize there are better ways to indicate blood-loss/low health than sabotaging your own graphics. I don't know about everyone else, but I just don't enjoy playing if the game looks like crap and I have to strain just to make out that can of beans on the counter, or is it a soda, or.... holy shit it's a zombie! If I want lousy visual fidelity I'll go play Dreamcast or N64. lol. The solution would be to raise light levels moderately, and LOCK brightness and gamma so everyone is on a level playing field. Also, improve the lighting system so there is reflection and the flashlight will actually be useful. Currently it is a narrow beam of light, with no wider, dimmer cone around that. And if you used a flashlight in-doors it would light up the room because the light would reflect off surfaces. I want to play at night, but currently it is impossible.

Hey guys, so I was wondering what your opinions were on this one? I understand that having two long guns, a Mosin and either an M4 or a shotgun, might be considered OP by some, and potentially dilute the great rock-paper-scissors form of combat that comes from a limited selection and carrying capacity of weapons. Having to choose which weapon to carry and therefore what range you wish to excel at encourages both tactical play, flanking, and teamwork. On the other hand, the whole 'pitch' for the game is it's your story. Shouldn't you be able to sling two firearms on your back if you want to? I mean, it would be realistic; it makes little sense that your character could carry a rifle and a fire axe, but be unable to place a rifle in the same spot on his back in lieu of the axe. This would also promote teamwork, as you could now (conveniently, as carrying a weapon in your hands across great distances is annoying) carry a weapon for yourself, as well as for a recently deceased teammate. The way it works currently is someone in your group dies, and proceeds to server hop (which is bullcrap, btw) until they get the weapon they want. If you could carry a backup weapon, your fresh-spawn mate could just rendezvous with you and receive said rifle from you. Also, bear in mind that it would still be quite balanced, more than it would first appear; you give up a great deal when you forgo a melee weapon. Having an axe enables you to (relatively) stealthily kill zombies, without ringing the dinner-bell for all other zombies in a 3 block radius. And, given the (currently excessive) PvP nature of the game, you are inviting a chest full of lead when you fire a gun in a city. It is a tremendous trade-off to make, and you really gimp yourself when it comes to general looting and survival, for the advantage afforded you in direct combat. Personally, I would still roll with a Mosin and a fire axe, I just believe it would be nice to have the option. Perhaps they could at least attempt to introduce it in this Alpha and see the community's reception to it? Please leave any feedback and opinions, thanks!