oktyabr

Exactly. How fast depends on having food and water.

You know, once each server has it's own database and characters are no longer persistent from one server to another then I could care less if there are non-PVP servers... just as long as (and I'm not the first one to point this out) it is impossible for a player to stock up on a non-PVP server and then pwn on a regular server. Server hopping for loot is already a serious problem (did anyone get anything good when NYC servers had ZERO zombies on them?), having a server where other players are no longer a threat would be like walking into Walmart with a $10,000 gift card. I once played a game/mod where when you died you were completely kicked off the server and as the popular servers were generally full and difficult to rejoin this had an effect of making your in-game life much more valuable. This could work here too.

Locking (after fixing it, of course) voip AND text to DC solves all the problems.

It's realistic that you have a progressive indicator of hunger and thirst. In the real world you don't just run around feeling fine for a few hours and then suddenly notice that you are starving and dehydrated. I do agree that a different indicator system might be beneficial though... perhaps more of a meter (full to empty sort of thing) rather than a color change... or even text prompts that can be summoned with a status check or flash on screen as they change... "You are feeling a bit thirsty", etc.

Without a skin/penalty system I have to fall back to the idea I've called "Wrath of God" as a possible alternative. Give each player a simple weighting based on how many players he's killed. Forget about the reasons or circumstances. Use this weighting to decide zombie preference... perhaps the brains of sociopathic killers taste better, maybe they radiate a pheromone or something similar that acts like a dinner bell that zombies like. In a nutshell the more players you kill the more likely you are to attract zombies... maybe 1% more likely per kill. 100 players killed (I think the record is 92), you are a free surf-and-turf buffet that zombies would just find delicious. As a side benefit imagine running down a street with a horde behind you when you run past someone tastier than you are... ;)

Even knock back, without a zombie kill, would be useful. But as there are more and more threads and ideas about "crafting" I think melee weapons are realistically at the top of that heap. In a "real world" zombie environment, strewn with odds and ends, improvised weapons like clubs, spears, molotovs (coming soon), seem far more likely and useful than wasting precious ammunition and then having no solution other than running, when you run out.

+1 The dropping stuff while swimming is actually not a bug. The game decides that realistically you would drop your extra gear rather than let it weight you down causing you to drown.

And DEFINITELY disable VOIP over anything other than DC. Nothing worse that some dweeb keying up his favorite A-Team sound bite over global or trying to carry on a conversation with his buddies miles away... like they are the only players on the server. Communication should be part of survival. Let them figure out how to use chat/voip the right way.

How would you handle bullets fired in/at/out of the shelter?

This idea has been gone over before too. Giving your body food and water is how it rebuilds blood in real life, over time. So it should be in game as well. I'm not a fan of a steak or whatever being an instant blood boost as it is now.

For the forums I'd love to see that smart engine used that compares what a poster is entering for a thread topic to those that *already exist* (trying to remember what forum I saw that on). So many people don't seem to understand what a "search" box is and the same ideas/threads get reposted over and over again.

In former communist Chernarus the poor cow hunts YOU!

I agree server hopping is one of the biggest problems with this mod right now, probably only fixable by removing cross-server persistence (It sounds like each server will have it's own database soon anyway). I still like the idea of a bullet-free zone (in or out) that is constructed in the same way that vehicles are repaired, by gathering and assembling certain items. Only persistent while it's maintained, not permanent and not affixed to any one certain area. Even bandits would be safe there, and others safe from them. Good place to barter for a blood transfusion, food, or that snazzy gucci weapon you've been after or just a place to meet up with others, without being worried about being shot doing it. Should help encourage grouping. Also a safe place to log off.

Realistically a planned drop would be unlikely in just some random spot. If they were trying to help survivors they would logically concentrate the drops where most of the survivors were likely to be... Cherno, Elektro, etc. Maybe random but have the drop focus on towns and villages...

I think rocket is already working on an "engineer's pack" and being able to construct things from sandbags. In regards to "crafting" I think the one that makes the most sense from a realism standpoint, and also probably the toughest to implement (with this engine anyway) is simple melee weapons. You basic spear and club for example. Take the time to combine club with scrap metal and you get a spiked club, etc. This mod would take on an entirely different flavor if you didn't have to rely on projectile weapons to kill PKers and Zed.

Love it! Hermit mode might be my favorite.

It's very hit and miss. It actually surprised me yesterday when I tried my PTT on direct and the other guy said "Yes, I hear you." Someone somewhere had mentioned the thought that if you switch channels in game to group, side, etc. that it "breaks" the DC. Not sure how that might happen but... Might be nice if there was a way to set DC as the default and then lock out any channel changes just to see...

Your solution IS my solution, in effect. The only difference is that I perceive the need to be able to rejoin the game and defend yourself if you are attacked while watching that timer count down. I also want to discourage alt-f4 DQ's by simply removing their character state (gear, location, etc.) by doing anything other than the optional save I've outlined. In effect, alt-F4 = dying. As it stands right now if you alt-f4 you can rejoin with everything saved. This has to be stopped. As there is no way to prevent a player from alt-f4 (or an accidental DQ for that matter) I'd rather see it applied the same as if the character had died rather then mess around with complicated server save states on a character that is no longer under player control. This still has the same desired features without all the hassles. Alt-f4, your character drops dead to be looted or hidden or whatever.

Good god, even this has been mentioned in more than one thread already. Somebody buy a search box already... There is no way to stop a player from alt-F4 just like there is no way to keep you from instantly disconnecting when a thunderstorm takes out your power or the internet. The best you can hope for is, as already suggested many times, an optional disconnect method (like a mouse wheel menu option) that is the only way to save your gear and location and yes, would come with a timer (15-30 seconds is quite a bit actually). If you get shot in that length of time you are returned to "in character" and must either defend yourself, escape, or start the timer again. Rinse and repeat. I personally like this idea especially if a third person view from above was given so you have a bit better idea of your surroundings while watching the timer count down. Once the timer is started taking physical damage is the ONLY way to stop it, to prevent the third person overhead from being exploited. Sooner or later it sounds like each server will have it's own dedicated database. This means no more cross-server persistency and also an end to server hopping to exploit gear. Along with dedicated server dbs I hope that automatic "save time" is greatly extended, perhaps every 20-60 min. instead of seconds like it is now. No longer automatically save character location and gear, only on using the optional disconnect suggestion from the above paragraph. Alt-F4 escapes would almost instantly become a thing of the past, in a fair manner.