Katana67

This is my only real gripe, if the developers would just flat out say "we plan on changing the dispersion mechanic as to make the weapons more accurate, as was in ARMA," or something to that affect then folks could shut up about it. Granted, I sort of think it's implied when they stated they're looking into wind being a factor in ballistics. But, they need to be a bit more unequivocal.

Yeah, I mean I've been playing DayZ since April 2012. And I take normal hiatuses, like I would from any game, but always come back to DayZ. I definitely think it's an undiscussed downside to early-access and the new found prevalence of "Alpha" releases, that one never really gets a "fresh" experience. You go from a buggy, broken, incomplete product... to a complete product. It's like seeing how sausage is made, yeah it might be fun on a bun when it hits your table... but it's pretty revolting what goes into it, and chopping up pig guts sort of takes the romance out of it... Back in the old days, you'd just get a vanilla release and it'd just floor you... blow you away... with how revolutionary this game was (or wasn't). Early access inevitably makes players cynical in the long term, and causes us to lose some of that nostalgia present with earlier titles that just released in traditional fashion. Whereas now, having played DayZ, a full release will be pretty meaningless to me (albeit a great achievement for the game itself).

Well, yes, for the purposes of simply stating my position... I want random deviation gone. But, if they're going to keep it, it just needs to be brought down to a "realistic" level. Now, this is one of those rare instances where "pure realism" and "pragmatic gameplay" concerns align. Because I want that minor element of consideration in whether or not my shot will land exactly where I thought it would, and just the straightforward side of a shooting mechanic. Random deviation, when it's done on the order of feet or tens of feet, rather than inches/centimeters really ruins shooting mechanics. BF is a great example of how awful this can make a shooting mechanic, and ironically causes me to use CoD as an example of a decent and responsive shooting mechanic (albeit simplistic and heavily geared toward CQC to a detriment). As to the subject of "condition," yes, keeping your weapon in pristine condition needs to be a thing. Or rather, in operable condition. Maintenance needs to be an activity, vice just picking up a generic "kit" and pressing "use" to have your character repair his/her weapon in a fixed animation. Weapon maintenance should be like vehicle maintenance, identifying a particular problem, and then fixing that particular problem with a particular action/part. Having to maintain and repair one's weapon should be a concern, but it shouldn't be wholly artificial (a la Far Cry 2). It needs to be protracted, and relative to the environment. Likewise, it shouldn't be entirely out of the ordinary to find pristine weapons. I agree that certain weapons (i.e. "high-end" or "military" [i dislike both terms] weapons) should be markedly rare. But I don't want this becoming snorefest Dead Island or Melee 101, firearms should be a central facet of DayZ. So rather than making them rarer across the board, they need to be selective (albeit very significant in the approach of making weapons rare). Which is why I think they need to fully embrace the maintenance aspect of firearms, as that should be what dictates the performance of the weapon (in addition, of course to player input). Vice arbitrary percentages. And finally, I don't want the current implementation of attachments poisoning the water supply so to speak. Certain attachments do have reasonable benefits, which should be represented in-game. However, they need not randomly dictate down-range accuracy. Most attachments should just affect how the weapon handles on the player's side. The player should always be in control (within reason) of where his or her rounds end up. But things like lessened sway, faster on-target times, or slightly mitigated recoil, should be features capable of being offered by certain attachments.

The tactical vest, as it were, was removed. However, in the next update(s) (whenever it comes) a newer version of it is being implemented as per the statements of Chris Torchia. I believe this was/is the ballistic vest. And this is the new tactical vest...

No, this is a game first and foremost. And games are only as good as the fluidity of their UI. The issue now, is that picking up items is wholly inconsistent, and the dot is the only point of reference. I don't want to have to be moving my view around aimlessly just to pick up a can opener or an apple which I can blatantly see with the naked eye. The "boxes" for selecting items need to be made larger, as to allow easy picking up of items. So until they do that, I'm willing to entertain the idea of a HUD reticle. I'm all for a "pickup" animation, but just making it take longer isn't the goal. Making it self-explanatory, rather than searching around in the proverbial dark for an item which can blatantly be seen with the naked eye, is the goal. As for the inventory (a different issue entirely), I think they need to just remove the "vicinity" mechanic ONCE they've made natural pickups consistent. It's a good stop-gap for alpha whilst items clip through floors and have ridiculously unintuitive/narrow select radii. I don't mind an animation, though there never was an animation for entering the inventory. And you could move whilst in the inventory in the mod, just not very far. Honestly, with all the emphasis on the inventory, the game isn't ready to minimize it. Reloading individual rounds needs to be gone before that can even be thought of. That and one's "inventory" is composed of multiple items (backpacks, shirts, vests, pants, etc.) Some of those items, are designed to be accessed on the move. Now, with backpacks, meh... sure. But other items (which I believe they've said they're interested in representing) need to be accessible whilst moving. Especially items like tactical vests, I want a reason to put my magazines in a vest, vice just anywhere. And in my opinion, the hotbar needs to go as well. Or just not be visible. It's annoying to have to toggle it off all of the time because it constantly refreshes, and lingers, every time I look at my inventory.

Both will be just fine, in addition to other ground vehicles (which I hope are less inconsequential than in the mod).

I swear to god Rocket said, not too long ago, that it'd be removed. Pretty unequivocally IIRC. Can live with it either way, but I don't like any type of HUD items. I'd prefer they make picking up items less of an unintelligible chore before removing it, but we'll see.

Even though I'm certainly not opposed to the Vector, I'd rather many more SMGs before I'd want them to put in the Vector. Uzi for sure, Sterling perhaps, MP5 (inbound), Bizon for sure, Vityaz-SN would be neat, maybe some CZ SMGs, probably forgetting some others.

Just as I suspected, a post with an alternate agenda than what is stated in the OP. EDIT - And why in the world do the Sporter and B95 get to use a LRS, whilst the Mosin doesn't? Neither come standard with, or are rendered with, rails (which is what the "LRS" as rendered in-game would mount to).

And you chose to focus on that (which was harmless, and about as tame as it gets, much more tame than your hyperbole). Rather than the issue which he raised. On-topic, @Dagwood, I'm not sure I want weapons spawning with attachments. Actually, yeah, I'm sure I don't. Piecing together your ideal setup actually encourages a number of things, mostly to do with mobility and looting.

Rail system time! DSA rail for FAL G3 (mixed) rail M24 Remington Chassis Samson AK rail

Unfortunately, I think the initial implementation has poisoned the water supply so-to-speak. Now when everyone hears "attachments" they think of foreguards adding/decreasing accuracy arbitrarily. But, I still maintain that attachments like foregrips should do something vice being purely cosmetic. Granted, they shouldn't dictate down-range accuracy, but they should influence how the weapon handles (i.e. sway, on-target, recoil management, something). Cosmetic stuff like MP foreguards should just be that, cosmetic. Or, it should offer some type of graded upside (like the RIS allowing for the attachment of a flashlight). I actually think attachments could play a more significant role in being included for weapons which are not as modular as the M4A1. So that one requires an attachment just to mount an optic (which is sort of halfway done already with the PU scope). And I do agree with Gews, just as a matter of principle (not "realism" though), that it should take some amount of time to swap out an optic. Vice being able to do so on the fly.

Like I said, there are two schools. One which doesn't view flight as an undue advantage. The other, manifested by you, does. There's a difference between overpowered in innate capability and overpowered in practice. I never thought, whatever capabilities are ascribed to a helicopter, helicopters were overpowered in the mod (based on my own subjective anecdotal experience, which is ultimately all we have). They didn't affect the situation on the ground to a frequent extent, I never had a real issue with them. And when I did, it was more or less my own fault. But that doesn't necessarily matter. Your main grievance is with the visibility offered by helicopters in the act of flight. I'm saying, that in the mod, there was no tangible ability for those on the ground to affect this. So, give them a means of affecting their own visibility (i.e. camouflage). Not to mention the systemic flaws in DayZ which need to be addressed (i.e. manipulating graphics settings and noticeable contrast via HDR). The act of flying around the map is rendered moot if one cannot readily SEE important player structures/positions/vehicles. Which wasn't the case in the mod, tents and vehicles stuck out like sore thumbs (not to mention players with client-side zombie spawns) and there was little one could do on the ground to counter that. Even an un-tailored camouflage netting worked wonders in DayZ+ for me in hiding small outposts. Now, mind you, this isn't the sole fix to the issue you're raising. But it's a way in which the "visibility" advantage offered by helicopters can be mitigated (not removed). The issue for me, with regard to rare/difficult is in justifying the advantages conferred in helicopters (as you're asserting). It's one thing to spawn next to a 100% ready-to-roll armed helicopter. It's another to invest days/weeks in repairing, fueling, arming a helicopter (only to have it be vulnerable to small arms fire when flying anyhow). Plus, I believe that if the mods teach us anything, it's that making things easier/common decreases their value and thus these items are considered disposable. Sure, at the end of the day, you're still flying a helicopter. But it's an investment, one which may not be worth risking in certain situations. And, in making them rare/difficult you're inevitably limiting the frequency of their overall use. So, in other words, you're less likely to even encounter a fully-repaired helicopter in the first place. I am trying to address some of these problems not because I feel they're overpowered, but because others, like yourself feel they're overpowered (for different reasons). Not to mention, having to do things like resupplying and repairing helicopters makes for a deeper investment into the overall system. Vice just letting them come standard with ammo and repaired parts.

A great idea. Hopefully whatever weather system they end up implementing won't just be "for show" and will actually allow them to have wind be a distinct entity.

Your argument rests on three assumptions (all of which I have addressed with counter-arguments). That the "mobility, access, speed, and visibility" offered by helicopters cannot be mitigated to any acceptable degree. That "rarity" is irrelevant to something just existing, rather than rarity/difficulty justifying the advantages conferred in a helicopter. And, that the fact that the mere act of flight constitutes an undue imbalance (which isn't something measurable, it's a subjective supposition). I have addressed all (in highlighting different ways in which objects on the ground can be made less visible, how we can limit the visibility from helicopters innately [i.e. mitigating third person], how we can make their operation less common as to justify the advantages given, etc.) of the issues raised. You don't have to agree with them, but they are certainly as valid as the assertions you're making. Like I said, ultimately, it boils down to two camps. One, which views the mere act of flight in DayZ as an imbalance. The other, doesn't. That's all I will say on the matter, I won't further engage vitriol. More than willing to discuss ways in which we can incorporate helicopters in DayZ as to make them more acceptable to all.

Nor does yours. Agree to disagree on this one, being insulting isn't going to help.

No thanks. Attachments make for great variety in my opinion and add depth to looting. The more the merrier. And, as usual, your OP is insanely leading and vitriolic.

Attachment time! Some kinda' foregrip for sure... Some kinda' fancy-shmancy Travis Haley foregrip... Some kinda' laser show... Compensators... compensators everywhere! Cuter suppressors... Some kinda' PRS stock... and moar stocks...

And I wholly disagree, it just doesn't translate that often into what you're asserting. And when it does, it's due to the ease of use and inadequate execution (i.e. the issues highlighted in the OP) vice any innate advantage given to helicopters (hence why I asserted that you're muddling two different aspects).

Well, for one, not sure it's appropriate to group those three like that. Tanks and jets haven't been a facet of vanilla DayZ, ever. Helicopters, however, have. Second, helicopters feeling "out of place" isn't some sort of objective assertion... again, it's your own opinion, based upon a feeling surrounding an aesthetic. Helicopters have long been featured in the zombie apocalypse genre, and I see no reason why they are incompatible with DayZ. The trend I'm noticing here, is that there's a camp which views the mere inclusion of helicopters (and their subsequent advantages) to be undue. Whereas the opposing camp, simply doesn't view those advantages as out of order. I'm in the latter, nobody's wrong here, though. The developers are including helicopters, as a stated goal. I don't see much utility in actually debating whether or not they're beneficial to the game, when they're coming anyhow. You're certainly entitled to your opinion, and I disagree with intended inclusions from the developers frequently. However, the objective of this thread is to identify ways in which we can change the dynamic from the mod in highlighting the real issues that I've seen cited (there are many) which can be remedied to bring the helicopter into a more acceptable state.

Torchia said mid-length, with a fixed stock, and that it was on his mind... by no means confirmed. I don't really agree with it, and would rather (if they're going to go with a fixed stock) an M16, SPR, or for them to just man up and throw in an AR-10 to actually make for a different weapon altogether.

Weapon time! Some kinda' SAW/Mk 46/Mk 48... Some kinda bullpup AK... Some kinda' Mk 12 SPR (would much rather an AR-10 derivative, but suggested it earlier on in the thread)... Some kinda' Tavor... Definitely a PKM... Some kinda' HK pistol...

Yet DayZ has never been, and never has claimed to be, wholly realistic. No game has ever represented helicopters realistically (i.e. making one go through months of training, certification, and flight hours). Because that's not why we play games... Zombies.

Not sure why they insist on having these massive bottlenecks in interiors. Are two staircases out of the question? Perhaps an alternate ladder? I don't spend much time in the cities, but I could imagine how frustrating it'd be climbing up that building with only one way in or out. And Gorka/Partizan pants in the fourth from the top, /thumbsup.

Gear time! Some kinda' Ops Core lookin' lightweight helmet Some kinda' this thing... Some kinda' low profile plate carrier... Night Desert Camo Hunting leggings/gaiters...