8bit_Survivor

Found myself a black high capacity vest in a outhouse NW of Castle Black. I found food rare but equip & clothes more common. Haven't found any weapons yet. Played public shard. Only problem I've found with zombies are they make no noise. Love the new AI!

Starting this topic to discuss the impact 3rd party comms such as TS3 have in Day Z. I would like if we could focus the discussion into the following key areas of concern: Atmosphere, Player Interactions (PvP/Social) and Game Mechanics. Atmosphere - How does this affect the overall feel of DayZ? - Hearing the muffled or distant voices of players interacting (using in-game comms) within the world would be the biggest atmospheric impact. Hearing these interactions adds to the ambience of cities. Player Interactions (PVP/Social) - How does this affect how players interact within the game itself? - Hearing the muffled or distant voices of other players interacting (using in-game comms) is also used as a vital tool to keep you safe within the world of Day Z. Or allow you to bandit more effectively. - Players can share information freely without being heard by nearby players and giving away their position. This clearly gives an advantage over players using the in-game comms. - Allows large groups to be spread throughout a city while still remaining in contact as if they were right next to one another again giving a clear advantage. - After death a player can still relay information to their group! ("He has a blue pack, carrying an SKS with black pants. He was moving south behind the police station!") That lone survivor may have been able to take out an the entire group were it not for the use of 3rd party comms. - Takes away the ability to eavesdrop on player conversations which could possibly reveal important information on other players locations, player intentions or locations of loot/equipment. As well as just having the fun of listening in on others conversations for the heck of it. Game Mechanics - What affects does this have on the established/future game mechanics put in place? - Renders the Walkie-Talkie pointless. This very cool item/mechanic would be invaluable were it not for the use of 3rd party comms used by many/most group oriented players. - Allows player interaction without alerting zombies/wildlife. Under minding, at least some aspects, the stealth system currently being implemented. Sorry if this seems like a purely negative post to those who use 3rd party comms. That was not my intention! I simply could not think of any pros to players in Day Z using 3rd party comms. Unfortunately I do not see any way to stop this either. I am of course open to what others might think and would like to hear both pro's and cons from my fellow survivors!

.55 is going to make a big difference. Persistence, central loot, zombie AI!

It's not about taking a break from Day Z. I am under 50 hours into my survival and I feel the same as Break does. There is absolutely no atmosphere or is at the least it's lacking. Could we also stop telling players to 'stop playing if you don't like the game'! In the end, if you like the game in its current state you are not going to like it when it's finished. The current state is nothing like they are promoting the game as being. Alpha = Feedback (both positive AND negative)

Full support, great idea!

If the community had its way every firearm would have a silencer. No more silencers please.

The ability to rotate items in your pack would be great. If I have 2 horizontal slots open and the item is 2 slots vertical it is a pain to reorganize the contents of your pack. This would also add to realism. Items on vests should also be quicker to access than items in your pack. Items at the bottom of your pack should take longer to access than items at the top. Any regular hiker/camper will tell you that HOW you stack your gear in your pack is important.

Couldn't you just keep a walkie on you in order to communicate with friends. Or organize a meet up prior to logging in? I also don't know if devs want this to be overly social experience. Once again though, I am more Interested in hearing how everyone feels about how this is impacting the game. Does it change your play style? Ways to identify players using 3rd party comms? How to handle those players in a PvP scenario? For example, saw a video on youtube where while robbing a player with a clan tag the bandit had him count 1 2 3 over and over in direct chat so they couldn't use 3rd party comms. Nice trick!

Besides a way to stop or work around possible fixes.... How does everyone think that 3rd party comms is currently impacting the game?? Lets stay on topic and not start yet another argument. There is already too much of that on the forums.

I think an item like the Arrowhead Radio would be great. However I don't see most taking the time since it would take away an advantage they have. Having the game pick up and transmit and audio would be good. Would suck if you had to sneeze while sneaking up behind a zombie or survivor. Awkward when he turns around and sees you 15ft away with axe in hand :) But could that be done?

Yes, please let me have a bicycle :)

I don't believe the above mentioned are features. When I am hearing player reloads/eating/drinking when no one is around that is a sound bug. It drives me nuts due to the fact that it can make you second guess that 100th time you hear a door open and it's actually a player. I think Steak and Potatoes was referring to the 'ambient sounds' as features, i.e. birds chirping, wind rustling leaves, etc.

Server Requests: 1. Clear concise server naming conventions. 2. More details on server settings inside of the 'Details' panel. Day/Night Cycle, Persistence, Weather ON/OFF, etc. 3. More filter options for server browser 4. Server admin/host accountability system. For tracking abuse. 5. Raised population limit. (this will obviously continue to be reaised) Gameplay Requests (Server Specific): 1. Game Events! Zombie Hoard (100+) is moving towards Elektro for example. No server message or anything for these events ofcourse. 2. More diverse weather conditions/seasonal changes. 3. More diverse ambient sound pool. Should this post be in 'Suggestions' instead of 'General Gameplay'?

Putting higher concentrations of zombies around these loot areas in combination with a lower spawn chance for these weapons / ammo would do the trick. I'll stick with my Repeater either way :) Remember though, server settings also dictate the frequency you see these firearms. Most servers treat Day Z like a common FPS at the moment. 24/7 Daylight & Sunny, etc. More hardcore servers will appear as more survival mechanics get put in place. If youll excuse me, going hunting in the northern forests now!

Yes please. Also like the food in fridges/cupboards and clothes in closets/drawers. But I'm sure that will be how it is for final product DayZ. Just not important at this phase of testing.

If I used any mode of transportation it would be a bicycle. I am and will be a lone wolf so if I travel it is through the woods and needs to be quiet. Cars equal noise which attracts attention. I'm guessing in final product Dayz they will be extremely rare and therefore make you a prime target for other groups. Also driving into a city will attract zombies within a large radius to your position. Would love to see bicycles, both single and multi geared. High end bike could be the lightweight Montague folding Para trooper bicycle.

I think the only way it could work is that different areas have different climates. But servers could also choose when/how long the season could last.

I am up for more character customization. Makes you feel a bit more unique. They are implementing things like the 'Engraved 1911' for that very reason right? So each gun is a little different. Immersion.

The repeater should indeed be able to be shortened. The "Rossi Ranch hand" is a weapon I would love to have in game!

Agree with many of you. These are some the features needed to take Day Z from zombie shooter to zombie survival! I expect many peoples standard kits will change dramatically. I know mine will!

Indeed...Sound design is a very important aspect of game design to me. Especially with a game like DayZ where immersion is everything. Hearing the foot steps of a nearby player or a gunshot can save your life.

Within my first 2 hours I met my first player. Well 'met' might not be the right term. While scrounging through a farmhouse looking for any kind of weapon to defend myself. Other than a shovel I began taking fire. Was hit once but took off weaving tround some sheds(survivor #1). Never actually saw them. Next, after getting some half decent gear, I was in the largest building in the center of a city (bell tower of some sorts). Good loot but I was still learning inventory setups/item interactions and ofcourse controls. As I was trying to move inventory around to pick up some ammo a fresh spawn darted in and started punching me(survivor #2). Befroe my character was able to put his gun up I was unconcious. He took everything except my Olive Baseball Cap and my Trumpet (crossbow was in inventory, Trumpet in hand. Put a shot into him but he sprinted away. I looked but couldn't find him. After that I sweeped the rest of the building and began hearing gun shots from up top of the building. Most likely the one who was firing at me when I entered the city center. Just before climbing the ladder to the very top another fresh spawn, this one naked, began punching me(survivor #3). I got to the top turned the corner and there was another survivor, sniping at a player with a Trumpet (survivor #4). I put one in his head and began running. I battle with the unarmed survivor (survivor #3). I was beaten badly but managed to take her down. Thankfully the one sniping had some decent gear so I didn't have to start out from scratch again. The rest of the city was pretty well looted. None of those survivors attempted in any way to make contact with me. Since then I have only observed other survivors, one I saw in a small village to the north (survivor #5). And saw a pair running in central Chernarus (survivor #6, #7). I ventured near the coast after acquiring some decent gear and saw a relatively new spawn heading NW (survivor #8), followed for a bit then brok west on my own. I will begin to make contact though in hopes of trade, mainly looking for ammo and medical supplies. I am now 23 hours into my survival.