Something I've noticed while playing Day Z, is that you really can't trust anyone. Hell, I wouldn't even trust me. The beautiful thing about Day Z is that we are free to do whatever we want, and unfortunately due to human nature and the current "mechanics" of the game this means kill everyone and be an asshole to weaker players. I'm not saying that this is a problem, I love the added survival aspect of the game, getting loot, avoiding zombies, and avoiding the bandits. The problem, as I see it, is the rampant banditry. There is absolutely no incentive to not kill the stranger you see off in the distance. Why even try to communicate when you risk death and betrayal, when you can just shoot them and loot their hard-earned gear? On top of that, there's no risk either, no downside, no consequence. As I understand it, the bandit skins were implemented to try and stop this, but was removed because Rocket said it left, "a bad taste in his mouth." He also added that, "I'm sort of just leaving it 'as is' at the moment in the hopes that things spontaneously solve themselves or a better approach comes along." Well I'd that he was on the right track, he just didn't hit the mark. (Yes, I've done my homework). It's been two months, and the game has changed. The general consensus is Shoot on Sight, and therein lies the problem. Now before I explain, let me say that I love the design of Day Z. I love how it has nothing to do with making money, I love how most of the gameplay is left to the players to decide, and I love how it's like an anti-game compared to most games today. I never want to see the game have a money system, achievement system, tutorial, F2P with micropayments, or ANYTHING REMOTELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE CRAP WE HAVE TODAY. I want the game to stay as it is, run by the players, decided by the players and that is why I'm making this suggestion. There is no cooperation of survivors anymore, it's team up and kill or die alone. Everyone is a bandit, whether they want to be or not, there is simply no distinction between the two factions. A game that is in a perfect position to become something amazing is turning into a free-for-all deathmatch with zombies. Not everyone wants to kill, but there is just no choice. The incredible psychological human element to the game that drew so many of us in has effectively eliminated any chance of cooperation. If someone says that they are friendly, the first thing that goes through your mind now is, "Is he just going to shoot me anyway when I come out?" Likewise, the other person is probably thinking the same thing. In the end, both will come to the conclusion that they would rather kill than be killed. The factions that I'm talking about are, the people who play the game to kill others, and the people who play the game to survive and make Day Z fantastic. What do I mean by fantastic? I mean I want to see true cooperation going on between survivors. I want the bandits to be seen as the "bad guys" that they've chosen to become. I want to see survivors organizing taxi services with vehicles and buses, rescue parties with helicopters, unofficial guards for major cities. I want them to chase the bandits to the northern hills and desolate plains where they belong, a true faction vs faction war. So here's my suggestion: Bring the bandit skins back, but do it differently. Only make a survivor don the bandit skin when they shoot first (discontinued idea, see below). Do this on the first kill, no exceptions. If you choose to shoot first, the consequence is that you get a bandit skin. Now for the bandit skin itself, make them noticeable! Add a red headband on them, give them some sort of marking that doesn't go away, even when they wear a ghille suit. Now add "Bandit Kills" to the debug screen. See what I'm getting at? Bandit kills are now a good thing. It's good to kill bandits, hunt them down. Band with other survivors and scavenge the hills for those scumbags. The ultimate consequence for killing someone: you're going to become a prime target for survivors. Not only does this add realism (Isn't that the main selling point of the game?), but it provides the perfect balance to the coop vs pvp aspect. You don't sacrifice either or, you just add to the existing mechanic. This also keeps the hands-off approach to Day Z that's made it so wonderful, there's no "Pick a faction" screen, it's just another realistic part of the simulation. This also allows players to decide which way they want the game to go, do you want cooperative survival, or do you want all out PVP deathmatch? If everyone really wants to kill each other, the world will be full of bandits. If coop is the way to go, then bandits will be running scared. This gives you the unique opportunity to literally fight for your game. The easiest way I can summarize this is: Want to kill? Kill someone and be a bandit, join your bandit friends. Want to survive? Stay a survivor, help others in need and if you die, another survivor will take care of you when you respawn. Want to survive and kill? Stay a survivor, hunt them dirty bandits down. So in conclusion, a simple way to keep banditry, and the coop survival of Day Z together and balanced while adding fun and maintaining the Day Z spirit. Thanks for reading. PS Rocket, as for keeping skins, I'm sure there's a way to allow skins for both sides and make it visibly obvious which side they belong to. If you'd like a suggestion, send me a PM! Obviously this is just a starting idea, and I just wanted to get the ball rolling. Please point out any holes and such, and I will address them as best I can. This idea can work, there is no hole that cannot be patched. That's excellent, I hadn't thought of that yet. The most basic rule of this that I'd like is that nobody will ever be labeled incorrectly. My first thought to solving this would be a complicated solution involving scripting and such, but I'm sure a much more simple alternative is there. I'm tired right now, but I'm more than happy to take a look at this later. Again, this could all be solved with a simple "Bandit or Survivor" screen at the beginning of the game, but that would be taking the easy way out and striding away from the Day Z spirit. If anyone has an idea, please speak your mind! Nothing about this discourages bandits, it merely discourages rampant, needless killing and a complete lack of cooperation. Besides, bandits right now aren't really bandits, they don't even trust each other. They're groups of friends running around laughing as they kill strangers. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that (I do it too, it's fun, so sue me) but it shouldn't be the main part of the game. Thank you for reminding me, this doesn't necessarily have to include the shoot first idea, the problem with a lot of ideas is that they start with one thing and then tunnel vision into oblivion. If someone would like to start thinking of a different approach to the identifying killers, please do and post! I stopped reading here. There is no "bandit problem". It's a post-apocalyptic survival game, with very few humans left and everyone struggling to survive. Of course people are shooting others, because everyone is a threat. There are no more laws, no more witnesses, all is left are dangerous zombies and scarce weapons to defend yourself. Find a clan, get their trust and play with them. That's what I do and when we meet another player he runs for his life. I stopped reading here. It shows that you did not join this thread with any intention to give an idea a chance, you just joined to argue against the idea you thought it was. In fact, you even admit that you stopped reading, before the real reading began. (lol) Read the entire post and realize that what I'm suggesting does not conflict with your current gameplay. There is no "bandit problem," I agree, the problem is that there is no reason not to be a bandit. Not running towns, but helping each other survive. I'm not talking about clearing cities of zombies and installing a mayor (ugh), I'm talking about makeshift 'services' to help your fellow survivor. A group of survivors patrols Cherno to keep it safe for their fellow man, greets newbies and gives them essentials. I read something about a guy going around as "The Doctor" and he had an entourage of people who protected him as they went server to server helping people, that sounds amazing! A group of people organize a bus that goes along the main road on the beach to give free rides to people. The possibilities are endless and it's all limited by the fact that nobody wants to work together and help eachother survive in the zombie apocalypse. Even without the bandit skin idea, raising the difficulty a ton would work as well. Making it so nightmarish that banding together is the only way to survive would be a good way to stop reckless killing. Again, I just want to get the ball rolling, I'm not saying my idea is the best one out there. I'm much more in favor of a karma system now that I think about it, although I think loot chances are way too game-y for Day Z and implementing that would be much harder than a conventional MMO due to the way items are spawned. I love the idea of people in between keeping the tense, "Do I trust this person?" while giving truly good survivors the chance to help people.
