bibbish

Huh, that's really interesting because when I play alone it is really intense but when me and my buddy go raid an airfield, armed with only a 5 shot sniper rifle and some other mediocre weapon I get the shakes if we see another player. I want badly to live and protect my mate. The stakes feel pretty high. When not raiding we've hid in the bushes before at the sound of gunfire or when spotting another player. One of us has said 'What you wanna do?' and the other has said 'dunno'. It's always really interesting because you never know what is going to happen. It's true though that when we are running like 70km along the coast to meet each other we just chat and that is pretty chilled. Yes, we use Skype. Am I terrible or does everyone do this?

You make some really good points. I should watch 'The Road'. Like everyone and their grandmother I have seen 'The Walking Dead', that bit in the bar where Rick really doesn't want to shoot those two shifty guys, but has to. I think that's how it would go down. And since we cannot read peoples emotions in the game very well, well I think people shoot a bit earlier. Maybe as the mod and SA get more hardcore and difficult it will deter those people who simply get a Lee or a sniper rife and pick off people from max distance for no reason. Because that gets pretty boring. It'd be nice if the kills were just a bit more meaningful, we can only hope.

You're a brave man. I have 'Avast' free antivirus and sometimes it barks 'Virus database updated' or something through the speakers. Shits me right up. Nearly everything shits me up when I play DayZ, I'm often concentrating so hard on handling the zeds and watching out for other people. I suppose escapism is the right word because despite it being not the most realistic thing in the world (thank god), I get right into it.

A couple of things. Authentic in what respect? Authentic meaning traditional? Authentic to real life? I don't think the game is authentic at all. The penalty for dying is great but not great enough, the penalty for killing is near non-existent. That isn't a criticism of the game necessarily, it is limited in what it can achieve, especially if it wants to remain as a fun game and not a way of life. If I was in the woods, dirty, hungry, thirsty, just looking for an axe so I could make a fire and cook my meat (I've already killed a chicken by shooting it, I threw up when I gutted it, I think I have about 1 chicken breast intact), then I spot another survivor in a nearby village I wouldn't jog over to him and go 'wanna team up and shoot zeds, got any coke, I got meat?!' I'd be shitting myself and would either consider shooting him or fleeing. Maybe DayZ was a social experiment. It has run it's course though. The result is that everyone is a dick, well to an extent. 99% of the species to ever inhabit this planet are extinct and we're not special. I wonder what humanity would do under DayZ circumstances. The other way to look at it is that the parameters of the experiment and the questions being asked were no good. If the game had more penalties for bad behavior or all servers had 'rules' (not the type which get you kicked) well at least you could test certain interactions. One result that is clear though is that: I have little interest in teaming up with strangers, for a variety of reasons. If you ask I will go into them. I've always played the game as 'protect me and my buddy from everyone else', I only wish I had more friends with decent PCs who would play with me.

It's likely (sadly) that these people would have something in common, they might be all part of the same race or minority, they might recognize each other from their former communities or they may simply already be friends. Since the mod currently has quite limited options to customize the 'look' of your character (which could communicate some sort of 'alignment' or merely be enough to help people recognize each other), people have to resort to socializing with people they already know. People meet each other online or IRL and form clans and play together. Or one or two buddies play together too (which is how I play), everyone else is viewed with suspicion, with interactions with random survivors fleeting at best. I don't see a problem with it. I just think of instances of civil unrest throughout recent history... the London riots spring to mind. In an apocalypse I think humanity would take many steps back. I think when the mod was first created everyone played with a sense of childish, naive wonderment. Unfortunately there just isn't that much to gain by all being nice to each other, it would be pretty boring. Maybe the SA will renew everyone's attitude. Somehow I feel it needs more structure for people to team up with each other, I think we'd lose some 'realism' but I think it'd be worth it. Sorry not sure what my point there was!

Good pun.

Many of these suggestions are excellent. Great work especially from the OP. I think the some melee items should be considered high end: Axe - good durability, can obtain wood with it Crow bar - good durability, can pry open car boots etc for extra loot And others more low end: broom handle/pool cue, breaks after a few uses. Can be burnt as fuel once broken. The 'low end' items should be more common with the high end types being more end game or part of the 'equipment' you want to collect. :beans: :thumbsup:

I think it would be fun to flash some abuse toward Elecktro in morse code and then run off before being sniped. Which reminds me, use of a torch to find a buddy... haven't done that in ages.

I'm all for graveyards, traffic jams (lots of tiny bits of loot like a handful of 9mm rounds or some trail mix), overturned food trucks (where groups decided how to move crates), ambulances (another place for antibiotics) and crashed vehicles from foreign Media (lore items) and Military (decent guns w/ just a bit of ammo) who have come to investigate. DS9 for the win.

Realistic torches (flash-lights) would be good. Perhaps also the option to put a chem light in a tin can so you can angle the 'glow' further eliminating chance of being seen. With the moon and stars on quite 'high' and some points of interest being lit up would make things playable. Examples of light sources include military camps with generators with flood lights, light houses, hospital generators and lights, more burning barrels dotted around. I appreciate how this is not very realistic that they'd still be working, but it would mean that players have two choices. 1. Stay in the woods/fields where the moon and stars guide you, once indoors at a small town or barn or warehouse a torch, chemlight or flare could be used briefly to help you loot. 2. Go towards the light sources I mentioned using the light to seek decent loot, even sticking to the shadows this round be risky, but it would even the odds a bit because some of the brighter lights would make NVGs useless. I'm not asking for a NVG nerf here at all. They are a cherished thing. Well maybe if they used batteries that'd be good, but that's been discussed. I still think they should give a massive advantage on 80% of the map. I haven't played at night-time in ages, this talk of it makes me want to.

I think it is going to be people with your attitude who end up on Stand Alone, and that's a great thing. Part of me worries that new players thrown into the mod, weapon-less, prone to infection and starvation are going to struggle. However then I remembered how an entire set of people played Dark Souls without even knowing Demon's Souls existed. It's these challenging but fair games which I enjoy. The difficulty on DayZ isn't stupid. When the mod works correctly the Zoms don't require too many rounds to kill - one headshot will always work. I agree about the zoms coming through walls and hitting through walls. One walked through a house the other day, I didn't know it could glitch through in that particular place, it was a shock and ruined the immersion a bit. However, I don't think it is something they can fix without throwing *tons* of resources and time at it. It would be a waste of time if they spent all their time fixing that only for SA to come out. Or if they spent all their time on it rather than implementing new gameplay features. People should remember that this is alpha and that our feedback about the mod will likely influence the direction of the SA. It would be extremely unlikely that they would get us to test crafting in the mod then not include it in the SA for example. Also, no one has paid for DayZ, they paid for Arma II (sorry, that always causes arguments). The never giving up gameplay style does make it rewarding, yes. Though I'm glad I don't have to get good enough to live with the infection indefinitely! The latest anti-septic measures should do just fine. I suppose my point is that a sensible, thoughtful approach is what is needed here. Glad some people are doing just that.

Mmmmm, yum. :)

I like zeroing. I think if you pick up a powerful weapon you shouldn't instantly be a pro with it. I can snipe in COD, whereas I can't really do it well in DayZ. I'm not a gun nut, well maybe halfway there, for me the guns handling in a slightly more realistic fashion in DayZ is part of the appeal. It means that a fire fight takes planning, patience and a little knowledge/experience. Sure, adjusting the zeroing is just tapping a button on a keyboard, but then that's what everything is because this is a game, I think it translates well enough.

Are you talking about one of the movies? Ignore them. Only (some) of the games are good.

I think you are onto something. It has often crossed my mind that if some zoms run, some crouch and some are prone that is due to their different levels of injury or their overall condition. You can look at a zed and see how it moves and whether or not it is bloody and can assess how dangerous it is. If there a just a few zeds around and none of them can run then making a break for it should be fine - you can outrun them even without using a barn or pine tree to shake them off. It'd also add variety (probably in the SA) if you could look at a zom and see that he is shambling, perhaps he is particularly weak because he hasn't fed in ages, perhaps he cannot move or attack well. He'd be the safest one to attack with melee in the hope that he drops beans or something. A zed could be missing an arm so he does less damage. There could be lots of different factors to consider. At the moment you fire a gun and most of the zed are on you. I don't think they should all be able to do that. I'm just spit-balling here, at the very least more skins would be great. The priest and military zeds look great, scientists would do.

Disagree. Though current infection needs work and I think it will end up being good one day, I think the old infection was just fine. Added another element of danger and another objective to playing. Many a time me and my buddy would traverse the map in search of antibiotics because I had got the infection. To me that was gameplay - gave us something to do. In some respects it was more realistic because a character could be unwell for a much longer time. In fact combining the two infections would work. A stage where you are weak and couldn't get to full blood, which could last a long time and then a final 'deathbed' stage where rest or antibiotics are vital because you will reach 0 blood. Looking forward to playing the latest patch, because sepsis and the remedies sound really 'playable'.

Hey all, Okay so here is my idea for the items in DayZ, probably SA doing a little more than just helping us survive. I think the environment and things you pick up should tie us into the 'back-story' of the game. It would be a difficult balance because the most important part of the story is the adventures we have, alone or with friends, but being able to find out just a little about how the virus started would be enjoyable, I think it would add to the meta game. So you know how we already have those military camps which randomly spawn in the woods, and we also have deer stands and crashes? Well I think sometimes we could get cues from the game to indicate a point of interest. I do NOT mean you log in and a pop-up appears saying HELI CRASH AT THESE COORDINATES! We'd have to work on looting a bit harder than that. Items which could immerse us could include: Radio. That fake ( :( ) post where someone claimed the radio went off in game and gave the coordinates of deer stands got me thinking. What if this really could happen, radios would be rare and would have a rare chance of going off with some such information when picked up. The code could be morse code, words, numbers, a foreign language or just a location clue. You'd need to write down the message in your in game log or outside the game to remember it. If you work out what the message is you could proceed to the base/crashsite/camp/overturned vehicle, whatever to find a rare piece of loot and a note or document giving a bit of the lore for those who are interested.Matches. Currently if you get matches, a knife and a hatchet some have argued that you can live in the woods for ages. If matches ran out though they would be much more valuable. Ways of making fire could include 'book of matches', like those you find in hotels, reasonably common, up to 6 matches in a book but often not many left when you find them. 'Small box of matches', like those you find in a bar, less common, up to 15 in a box. 'Regular box of matches', up to 30 in a box, but often spawn with far less in them, quite rare. 'Disposable lighter', not many 'uses' left, very rare. 'Metal lighter' and 'Lighter fluid', extremely rare items acquired as a matter of pride but also because they last the longest. Now, going back to the 'book of matches' - they could SOMETIMES have something written on the back, a clue to where to find stashes and points of interest that I mentioned above, giving this seemingly normal item an exciting twist.Maps. Maps would simply have a small chance to have something written on them when you found them. Leading to... who knows.GPS. Would have a very small chance to beep or to have some saved co-ords on it again leading to a point of interest.Compass, maybe someone has scratched something interesting onto the back of it. I think changes like this would encourage survivors to 'examine' the items they pick up, this option would need to be in the UI though.I did a couple searches on the forum, I couldn't see any similar topics but apologies if this has been said before. If it has point me in the right direction, I would be interested to read it. Also I think players could stumble across stashes and secrets without these prompts, however they would be difficult to find. Maybe the info above wouldn't appear on items if the stash had already been looted and the notes/documents already taken by another player, however if not everything had been looted and more than one player was prompted to go to the same place, well that would lead to some interesting encounters. So what do you guys think? Currently I think players roam the landscape looking to make friends, kill, survive and repair vehicles but what if the game gave you subtle motivations too? Thanks for reading, bib

I really couldn't have put it better myself.

Excellent find h3l1x, thanks for that. I couldn't think of what the firesteel was called. I've seen on TV a guy in the Arctic or something use something which works in a similar fashion all be it the device looked different. I think it was a camping tool. Giving flares more 'use' would be excellent. Because flares have more value they could be rarer, with chemlights used more often as a light source and to distract zoms (they'd have to up the amount zoms are attracted to chemlights), I think the way zoms go wild over smoke grenades is pretty perfect at the moment, but I digress.

Fair enough, they could do a lot with the environment. Not sure what, that's a big thing to think about but I'm sure lots of suggestions will come up.

I forgot about cassettes, yes I suppose any recordings would be on pretty old school media formats. Perhaps some of the documents I mentioned could be newspaper clippings of bizarre events (people wouldn't have understood that the zombies were infected at first and would probably have just considered them murderers). I like the Communism analogy. Whereas we can rely on the community to build bases, have clan wars and have great stories to tell about encounters and any weird occurrences (which I think should somehow be part of the game too, but that is an entire other thread) I feel that isn't quite enough. The richer the former world the better, I'd love to see it in an its (awful) glory.

No, body fluids are part of the disease system which is part of the overall survival mechanics. It is not my favourite thing but it is entirely valid. I would want some surprise lore elements in the game but I can see how getting the whole 'health' thing is more important to the basic gameplay.

I like what you are saying. The zombies are fun to run away from and shoot but you lead me to an interesting point. Zombie films are often not really about the zoms, they just create a scenario and explore a story where we can see just what the characters will resort to to survive. These films kinda explore human nature. There is a board game called Zombies!!! It is turn based. You loot buildings fight zeds and get to create the map as you go. You get to move zombies towards other players as part of the game. This can cause their death. You also have a hand of cards which give you weapons or cause horrible things to happen to the other players. The objective to get to the helicopter and escape. The helicopter looks small, like the size of a 'little bird' or something. I think it could hold several people. However the game allows no option for that. Once one player gets to it the game is over. Seems quite realistic to me. I can only thing of about four people in my life I would really risk my life for, I doubt I would try to get a total stranger to my helicopter to escape too... My friend did one of those '2.8 hours later' zombie runs recently. There are normal people who pretend to be zoms and chase you from point to point through a city at night while actors give you objectives. It was kinda every man for himself and my friend in particular found that when his fight/flight mechanism kicked in he ran, HARD. Screw the rest of the people he knew. So yeah, the zoms can be really fun, and scary, but I think Dean wanted to craft a survival game where we can see how people will react when resources, including food, are scarce. Will we trade, will we shoot each other? Well I think we know the answer to that, luckily lots and lots of new features are being added too and there are cool loots and vehicles on top of that. DayZ has always been great because it has always been much more than shoot zeds, people and drive vehicles. The survival has always made it compelling, perhaps in my case I enjoy the challenge.

Well I've thought about this. They could make you 'immune' to infection for 20 minutes or more after using antibiotics but would this not make you overpowered? I think of the survival as an ongoing struggle. The player needs to constantly be vigilant to keep their health up. And what goal posts are being moved here? If we make the game 'realistic' you'll soon complain that you cannot outrun the zombies, or when your character is in too much pain to run, or when your character has to stop and be sick or crap because they ate raw meat. I think some things we just need to *deal with* and I am confident that this whole thing will be a lot more 'fair' when the zombies are fixed in the SA.

I like those large orange buildings. 2 entrances so that you can lose zeds, not very good loot at the moment though.