I searched; pardon me if I missed a similar topic. After a couple of nights playing DayZ, I feel like new features are less important than refining a lot of the stuff already in the game. The biggest learning curve for me was the inventory and backpack; I'm used to it now, but it's still tremendously clunky and counter-intuitive. I know it's a mod for Arma, and so on, but for a game with such a heavy focus on loot and inventory management, the inventory angle really does need to be better. The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games have a similar emphasis on scavenging, and I'd recommend that inventory system as a good example of this sort of thing done right. The whole tool belt thing is especially awkward. I know the emphasis here is supposed to be on realism, and not on game-y ness, but somewhere you have to strike a balance, and nobody seriously thinks that it's realistic to have to fumble around with menus for half an hour to swap an axe for a handgun. Very small details can have a big effect - like the inability to move while switching weapons. It's small things, more about feel than anything else, that make you feel like you're piloting a man-shaped tank instead of a person, and detract from realism and immersion. (The game's in alpha, it's a mod, etc - I know. I'm just suggesting that smoothness, polish, and an emphasis on more intuitive gameplay should be an area of focus.)
