nihilisst

I would really love to see DayZ become (much) more "realistic". I want it to be so harsh and hostile that I feel completely lost and helpless. I want to be thankful for every soda or bean can I find. I want to have to think about every bullet I fire, because I never know when and if I will find some more ammo. I want to have to think twice about picking up an AS50 (if I ever find one), because Nato Ammo is extremely rare (and i mean EXTREMELY), and it weighs more than all my other gear together. I want it to be a real fight for Survival.

I think this idea of currency doesn't really fit into the setting. We're immediately after the Apocalypse, the only survivors. The main objective is to survive. We haven't yet arrived at the point where new societies and economies start to evolve (like it does in Fallout). We are at the point where every kind of trading is based on the needs of the individual. But for this to work, the availability and rarity of items and resources has to be tweaked. Players can offer their services as Guard, Courier, Hitman, ... For anything they need. For example you carry a load of bandages to a camp and get some ammo in exchange. Or some food. Or some tools. Or you keep the bandages and start your own first aid business... Right now, the only player-to-player trades are "L85 for SVD Camo" or "Pickup Truck for 3 Tents" or "20 Stanag SD Mags for AS50 with 5 Mags" I would love if we reach the point where it goes " 3 Bean Cans for 2 Cokes and Some Matches" or " Half full Nato Mag for 2 Raw Meat" And, like Rocket says, it should - and will - develop on its own. With some tweaking of the Rarity of Items and resources, the game and its players will develop economies and "politics" of some sort. There are already trading posts on some servers. With improvement to the construction system, they can become much more fortified and develop into those "central locations of interest". The Dev team just needs to give us some fundamentals. (Rarer Items, rarer resources, construction, Radio/Pen + Paper for Communication, ... ) There could be central location (that would determine itself on its own), where players can post Papers with information about what they have and what they want, a bit like the subreddits for trade, group finding, missed connections etc. But it would stay inside the game. "I need Stanag Ammo. Have food, drinks + tools to trade. I will be waiting at the Deer Stand east of Vyshnoye every day around 6pm." You read this, go there. You can simply complete the trade, or kill the other one. Or the other one can set a trap for you. Or you can team up. Or you can be surprised by a third player that kills you both. or or or. (Plus: Infections + Cure (Antibiotics) are already in the game...)

ZIBs ? Nah. At least not as "Currency" Items already have a "worth", that is based on their rarity. This already allows trading. I think everything has to become rarer: Weapons, Ammo, Medical supplies, Fuel, ... Just not Vehicles (but very limited fuel supply) I'm thinking of Highways, where (working) Cars stand bumper on bumper, but They'd be difficult to get out of the jam and would have almost empty fuel tanks. But! They could be scavenged for Supplies, Parts, Fuel, ... Thus creating new High traffic - high risk areas. (Of course, there'd be only few Cars that'd have the occasional Morphine Injector or some Painkillers, maybe a knife... Most would only have Soda Cans, Empty Cans, Trash, And maybe - if this'll make it into the game - Information/background story about the infection)

I'm playing DayZ on my Macbook Pro. Via Bootcamp. Rocket has said, that when the standalone is finished, it will maybe find its way onto Consoles, Mac and maybe even Linux.

I totally agree with you, Jim Bean. After all, what could Rocket say more to us than "I'm working on it" ? Should he post every line of code he writes? Nah, I don't think so. And would you like it better to get the mod updated more often but at the expense of the standalone? The mod is stable. Play it and if it gets updated, enjoy the new features. If it takes a bit longer than usual, play the latest version a bit longer than usual.

Riesenkartoffel, You seem to think to much within the boundaries of the Arma 2 Mod. Zed Behaviour, Animations, AI, Attack, Detection, Spawning ... will be improved + revised for the Standalone. Right now the Zeds are far from being "Gold Status". They damage you without touching you, they break your legs/knock you out just by walking into you, they cannot run inside buildings, their animations are utter crap ... And so on. Just have some patience and wait for the next updates and the standalone.

We will see how the team solves the background story. Maybe it will allow to introduce more spawn points than just the coast. There are so many possibilities to explain WHY someone wakes up at any location. Maybe they've been in a shipwreck (coast) or a car crash (main road) or a coma (hospital) or simply ill (in bed at home) or been kidnapped (some basement/house/camp) or been away camping/hiking (forest/wilderness) or on vacation (hotel) or ... I think if the loot system's gonna be revised for the standalone (loot found in lockers, dressers, drawers, cupboards... instead of just laying on the floor) You could simultaneously solve the starting gear problem. You would spawn with nothing, but had access to basic supplies in your immediate surroundings. And the different starting locations would give you different (dis-) advantages concerning the loot. The easiest way to solve the question about the background story is definitely amnesia. You wake up - anywhere on the map (except military areas) - and have no idea when an how you've landed there. You can find bits of information to learn about the background of the infection, but your personal history will never be cleared, as nobody you knew would be alive.

I'd even go in the opposite direction than OP. Make the Players Speed/Endurance less than the Zeds. It'd force Players to proceed more carefully and to develop tactics to lose them, instead of simply run until they're gone. (Plus, I still keep the idea of Skill improvements through training and Carry weight, Stamina etc. So you only have a chance to outrun them if you're not packed with a full Alice Pack and if you're endurant enough ->see http://dayzmod.com/forum/index.php?/topic/66500-full-character-progression-compilation-thread/)

I bought Arma 2 Combined Operations just to play DayZ. And later I bought Private Military Company and British Armed Forces. And I don't regret it. I've spend 150+ hours in the Game and am still having fun, still playing almost every Day. And when it becomes available, I will buy the Standalone. And if there is an "Ultimate Hardcore Premium Extended XXL Collector's Edition" I will buy that one. Because no game ever has been closer to be the "perfect" Game for me, than DayZ. And I take this as an opportunity to thank Rocket for that. *thanks, mate*

This will never be implemented. It just doesn't fit with a authentic experience. The only thing that could be done, is to make the weapons ballistics and recoil as realistic as possible, maybe also taking their weight into account. Like that, you have to learn how to use them through playing. Already now, you have very realistic weapon handling. You need to take the distance (bullet drop) and movement of enemies into account. And Arma with the ACE mod even adds Wind and other factors you have to deal with. @wolfstriked: Have you read this threads OP, paragraph about "Endurance" ?

I don't really agree with you. Stamina - definitely, Stamina Bar - No. I don't want to see my stamina decrease as an emptying bar, I want to feel it. Skills - yes. Perks "after 20 days of surviving" - no. Everything you gain should be gained by learning it or finding it. Not *pop* a new ability appears. permanent Skills, bound to Profile - No. here I agree. Only thing is, your "starting skill set" should be saved with your profile, so if you die, you don't have to go through the complete progress of character creation again. these dots are a feature in arma, we'll see what rocket makes out of it for the standalone. They even make the game more realistic in a way. As you have a much smaller Field of view than in reality, these dots imitate your ability to make out movements in the corner of your eyes. And if you see the dots through buildings and hills, not only on the edge of the screen, it's because you play on recruit difficulty servers....

I think the fact that you start as a completely new Character is a huge and important feature of the game. I don't like the idea of taking progress (of whatever kind) from one character to another. Even now, Humanity is persistent through all your Characters, I don't think that fits DayZ very well. The Humanity feature is cool, but I think getting a new skin *pop* like this; just for killing other players takes away a lot of the authenticity that Rocket praises so much. The feature with dirty clothes, Beard, Scars, etc... Is planned I think, but always bound to the Character and not to the Player Profile. (which is the better variant for me) For me, The Core of the game, the only thing that should not change at all is that you start with almost nothing, and when you die, you lose everything.

+1 to all of this. and +1 to this.

I'v been thinking, what about making a difference between basic and advanced abilities/skills ? This could be implemented with or without the character progression concept. basic abilities are things that every normal person is (should be) able to do. like taking/giving painkillers, light a fire, sharpen blades ... advanced are those that need special training or education. Like giving Blood transfusions, applying splints, gutting animals, ... At Character Creation, you choose a few advanced skills, "tag skills", that you are able to do from the beginning. All other advanced Skills can be learned from other Players. (Rocket mentioned that he would like to see this in the game) If you want to learn how to gut an animal, you need 3 things: - a (dead) animal - another player that can gut animals - a hunting knife/the tools needed to gut an animal Then the other player can choose the option "teach skill" or you can "learn skill" (gotta see how the standalone interface works) If you haven't learned the skill yet, you can still try, but have a 95-99% chance of failure. Plus, if it's considered together with the character progression system, the skill will not improve until it's learned, no matter how often you try and maybe even succeed. Considering my suggestion of different starting skill values, These "tag skills" are those that you start with at high/very high. But they aren't bound to skill level; you can learn to give transfusions at a low skill level, but you won't be good at it, unless you exercise and get better.

Before I start: Please, read either everything or nothing and don't take early conclusions. This has been discussed already a lot, but I think I'll share my idea of a Stat/Skill System that fits quite well into the game. That doesn't take away authenticity. That doesn't make it a classic RPG. That adds more depth + tactical possibilites. That gives your Character more personality. Because it's what I feel is needed in this game. Every Character is the same, they have no personality at all. Of course, you're only an unknown survivor, like everyone else, but like in Real Life, everybody's different on some way. (god, how cheesy does that sound?!). I suggest a basic Skill/Stat System that runs in the background (like Humanity does already now). - Skill Levels will be determined at Character Creation, and are saved with the Players Profile, so Changes and decisions don't have to be made with every new start, but only when and if you decide it. You don't *have* to create a custom character, you can simply play with standard settings. If you like to add some Personal flavour to the game, this is the feature for you. - Also, there is no Skill Sheet, everything runs in the background and influences your actions directly. The HUD will stay as it is, no additional information required. - Skills or Stats will be only those that cannot be translated into the game directly through input. i.e. "Sneaking": If a player is good at sneaking, he will choose a different path, be more cautious, more silent, than a player that isn't good at sneaking. This "Skill" translates directly into the game, so it isn't usable for the Skill System. "Stamina" or "Strength" on the opposite, cannot be translated directly into the game. There is no way to determine ingame, if a player can carry 60kg or 80kg. Neither if he can run 5km or 10km. So These could be Skills/Stats, that are determined at Character Creation. - To Determine Skills/Stats, there are two ways: "Character Classes" - different types of Characters, that all have different, pre-defined levels in each Skill. (i.e. "Medic" good at First aid, fast, but not strong and fast tired). Also: "Random" Option, for Players that don't care about personal characters. "Skill Points" - Each skill/stat has different levels (Let's say 5: very low, low, medium, high, very high), And you have enough "points" to set everything on "medium", but if you want to be better at one thing, you have to do this at the expense of another. Plus: Standard-Characters, everything on Medium, suited for lazy/impatient players. ;) - Skill Development through "Learning by doing" It is understandable, that someone who spends a lot of time on something, gets better at it. i.e. Someone who decides to play as a Medic, will get better at Bandaging, so he can apply bandages faster. Someone who hunts and guts animals a lot, will get better at it, maybe get more meat or get faster at it. Someone who carries a lot of Stuff will get stronger. Someone who runs a lot will get more Stamina. .... These Improvements will not be displayed like in i.e. Skyrim: "First Aid increased to 54", but will only be minimal, and can only be felt after some time. Like in Real Life, you only see a difference when you compare with what was a few days/weeks before. There are no Levels, everything just improves continuously. But of course there is a upper limit, based on authentic human capacities. Nobody can become imba just by doing some things over and over. - Some other features are heavily linked to this stat system: Custom Character Creation, with more options than just "Male or Female" Crafting and Repair system Stamina Carry Weight - This is just a Concept, to explain my idea. Examples are only examples. - The most important thing, like with every new feature & suggestion: keep it as authentic as possible.

I love you. No game has ever come closer to being the "perfect" game for me, than DayZ. The only things I missed are exactly these explained in your OP. But you don't mention Custom Starting Skill Sets. What is your opinion on that? I think it would add another Level of authenticity. Like I already explained in my original thread, not everyone is the same in Real Life either. If the Zombie Apocalypse would happen right now, let's compare two Cliché Characters: The douchy, rather dumb Fitness-obsessed Football-Player. and the nerdy, rather weak, technics-obsessed informatics student. The first could easily outrun Zeds or kill them with his bare hands. But he couldn't fix anything. He could already sprint for 150m from the beginning, but has an 80% chance to fail fixing a broken engine. The second one could construct an alarm system to be sure no Zed can near him undetected. Or he could construct a makeshift telescope-Taser to Fry Zed Brains from a (safe) distance. But he could never free himself if a Zed grabs him. He can only sprint for 50m, but has a 80% success chance when fixing/crafting things. All factors would be either compiled to different classes, or one can create custom skill sets; Every Skill has starting values from very low to very high (or -2 to +2) Players can then change their Skills according to their preferences or their real life abilities, but have to stay at 0 in total, so for every high, there has to be one low, for every very high one very low (or two low), etc. (Of course starting levels can still be improved, so noone can star with a maxed value, I suggest Skill levels from 0 to 100 %. very low = 20%, low =35 %, medium=50% high=65%, very high=80%) "medium" would be the average, standard value, like you suggested (100m sprint at 5m/s, 10kg carry weight, ... ) What I'm not sure about, but could motivate players to use this feature, is if the Maximum Value should change according to your starting value. So if you start at 65%, you can improve until 115%, at 20% only to 70% etc. (Max Improvement 50%) This would also sustain squad play. Like Classes/Professions, but more personal and adapted to each one.

My concept for a basic Skill/stat system: http://dayzmod.com/forum/index.php?/topic/65224-skillstat-system-reduced-and-adapted-to-fit-dayz/

That's the factor I'm sceptical about, too. But I think if it is managed like Humanity (calculated in the background), Players aren't directly confronted with their Skill Development, So "What the eye does not see, the heart does not grieve over." Least Players will care about improving particular skills if they don't have a direct feedback. (Like a progress bar, level-up messages... That I don't want to see either) And Nobody knows when and how you reach the maximum skill, except the developers. (And maybe someone that spends hours on analyzing the improvements) Plus, Skills that can be improved are mostly things you cannot spam. Like animal gutting; you won't have 20 Cows to kill and gut so quickly that you can call it spamming. Same with bandaging. You can't bandage, if there's no wound. Or repairing (supposed there will be a repair system), you can't repair things that aren't broken. I have in mind a starting screen that's like the current "Male or Female" selection, but with "Standard or Custom Character" selection. So Players that just want to jump in and play, they click on "Standard" and play with a normal, average Character, with average skills. If You are like me and want to have a bit more personality, You click on "Custom" and play around with Classes and/or Stats to create a Character that suits your Play-style and personal taste. (Or, your real-life skills) If the Skill system is balanced, every new player will have the same chances as everyone else. Because for every skill you improve at the beginning, you have to do so at the expense of another. So You cannot create a "Uber" Character, you simply have different (dis-)advantages on other players. Also, I explained that Skills that could be implented in the Skill System have to be only things that cannot be translated directly into the game trough input. Someone who has only Basic First Aid Skills has no disadvantage on a Player that knows how to operate a brain tumor. So People can decide to start as someone with higher medical education, and ingame are able to give transfusions, take care of infections, apply bandages quicker and more effectively than someone who starts with the skills of a Boxer: Strong, fast, but Zero fine motor skills. (Sorry for the Cliché) On the opposite, Skills like Weapon Handling, Sneaking, Orientation, ... are translated directly into the game. Someone who knows how to read the stars has this real-life advantage also ingame. Someone who is experienced in Sniping, Using Mildots, Calculating Wind, Gravitation etc, has this advantage also ingame. on the opposite, Some people really like the idea of a stat/Skill system and Custom Character Creation (Optical, but also skills) In my Suggestion, I tried to make it as fitting as possible and, with the options to choose if you want to play a custom character or not, everyone should be able to play as he wants. Slow progression is what I'm talking about. About flying helicopters: That is also one of the skills that's directly translated into the game. You have to learn how to fly the thing, ingame. It's as authentic as it gets. A Skill "Helicopter Flying" would be completely useless, as it would make it less authentic. Or how would you make Flying easier for Players that improve this Skill / Find a "How to Fly a Huey Monthly" ? Right, not at all, without taking away authenticity. And after all, it's still just a game.

94997 Works fine for me. Anyone tried 95054 yet?

ArmA II : CO Steam Version 1.7.2.3 / Beta 94876 Everything is fine so far, no gear lost, no problems with loading screen or whatsoever. I still have to reload the Hatchet, though. Zombie Aggro is alright, too. Just many full servers and once connection lost (Maybe because it was an US Server and I'm in Europe)