JD_274

So we've all encountered these "makeshift suppressor" threads with crazy ideas like, being able to muffle the sound of your weapons with a pillow, or a blanket, or a glass bottle. While it may seem practical in Hollywood, it barely serves true in real life. Now one might ask themselves, "well if weapons are so loud, and we can barely find any suppressed weapons, what's the point of using guns? They're practically dinnerbells for the zombies!" And i for one agree with them! Practically no point to use a gun unless you're facing up against a bandit. So what could we do to expand the use of our dinn-*AHEM* I mean, guns? Simple; brought to you by the real world, introducing: The Econo Can Now you might be asking yourself "What the hell is this?" Well it's quite simple really, the folks over at http://www.americanspecialtyammo.com have designed an adaptor (Pictured above next to the orange car filter) that will attach a car filter to the front of your firearm of choice, and make a very cheap and inexpensive supressor! Still doubtful? Well i'll make a believer out of you! Watch the Econo Can in action! The way these could be implemented is they could be weapon attachments that reduce the range at which they are heard, however greatly obstruct your view when aiming down your sights. Not to mention that car filters will degenerate quickly due to their makeshift nature and will noticeably reduce the weapon's effective range. What could be done as for ingame drops, is adding the actual weapon attachment drop in residential areas that resembles the Econo Can, and then make car filters a common drop in industrial areas. Once we hit standalone, this addition could greatly revolutionize the way we scavenge and explore!

Thanks for the support everyone, while I do agree it wouldn't fit the criteria of certain weapons that simply CANNOT be fitted with supressors, this would do wonders for some of the weapons that can, like the Makarov to provide a source of common and silent secondary shooting to pair alongside your actual primary that would serve the purpose for more intense combat.

As of late it seems like many people have been having problems concerning people RDMing them and bandits getting away seemingly scot-free with their underhanded deeds. Sure we could reintroduce a bandit skin, but Rocket has no interested in that, and we certainly can't make you start out with a weapon, because it would make it too easy for new players to endlessly RDM whoever they please. But what if we were able to alert our fellow scavengers of the cruel and wicked that roam Chernarus? What if the game had a commonly occuring raggedy old notebook that would have a "list of names and descriptions" of many other scavengers as well as any unsavory deeds they had committed? The Notebook The way this notebook would actually work in-game is say you happen to pick up this notebook. At first you can't really do much with it, it just takes up space in your inventory. Then suddenly, a bandit chooses to plug you in the skull and you fall face-first into the dirt. The moment you fall, you are given a simple prompt: "Write down your killer's name? Y/N" The moment this happens, you submit a death under that user's name, lowering his "Trustworthyness" Now that's all well and dandy, you lowered the guy's "Trustworthyness" score, but how the heck's anyone supposed to know that? That's where the notebook's second function is revealed. This time, say you're trekking along Chernarus, and then with a pair of binocs, you spot another scavenger. Normally when you spot him, you'd just see his username in a default green color. BUT, now that you're in possession of the notebook, you seem to "recognize him from one of the pages you've read", and suddenly you see his name is no longer a default green, but a bright red. The Hue System Now that we've established that upon death you are able to lower you killer's "Trustworthyness" Score and that the notebook allows you to see player names in a different hue, how does this all tie in together? Simple my Emma Watson, players in possession of this notebook now know how naughty (or nice) you've been while in Chernarus! Let me elaborate: BLUE - Players with a blue hue on their name are few and the proud who have abstained from taking the lives of their fellow men and have chosen the honorable path of scavenging (By graverobbing) Literally means they have killed 0 people since the notebook was last updated GREEN - Players with a green hue on their name have seen some action. Be it by self defense or a kill out of desperation, it seems they have crossed paths with another soul, and come out the victor, but at what cost? These players have killed 1-2 people since the notebook was last updated YELLOW - Players with a yellow hue to their name are seasoned fighters. With more kills than heads on their shoulders, it makes you wonder, "Can I really trust him?" These players have killed 3-5 people since the notebook was last updated ORANGE* - Players with an orange hue to their name have gained notoriety through the dead. Be wary with these mother hubbards, they're just as likely to help you as they are to plug you in the back of the skull. These players have killed 6-9 people since the notebook was last updated RED* - Players with a red hue to their name have earned the title "Murdering psychopath". Be it nerves of steel or a genuine disregard for human life, steer clear from these monsters. These players have killed 10+ people since the notebook was last updated (NOTE: Players a * next to their hue are unable to update the notebook, thus are unable to accuse others of killing them) Now that "friendly, fellow scavenger" doesn't seem like much of a nice guy as opposed to a crazed killer, does he? Users in possession of the notebook will now have a concise way of identifying potential threats, as well as dispensing some user-generated justice to those who have wronged many with impunity Notebook Updates Alas, like many notebooks, things get erased and pages get lost, so to make the system fair and replicate this idea of "aging" the notebook shall have an "update" system. The only way to make this fair is to say that weekly, 5 kills are absolved from user's records in the notebook, this way those who frequently kill don't start with a clean slate every week, and scavengers are better able to discern those who kill rarely, to those who have killed constantly throughout their lifetime. And with that last section is my idea in it's entirety. Like always, feel free to comment or critique my idea in any way you'd like, but remember, it's merely an idea, numbers can be subject to change if you think the kills are too low or too high.

I can see how that would work. As I said in the OP, the numbers can be subject to change as per the community. Degradation of kills can be quicker or slower according to how people play Day Z

Okay, i'm glad you can poke fun at my idea, but the fact of the matter it has legitimacy in the narrative, you have no other arguments than "it is magical because you can see other player's statistics", pose no viable alternatives so as to progress discussion, and instead choose to nitpick at my argument so others bandwagon along with you and discount me as some loon trying to implement a "magical book" onto Day Z. If you're so against players knowing the statistics of others, then I suppose you must think the "Leaderboards" button in the dayzmod.com must be heresy.

You just said how it would destroy gameplay tension, but then would have little to no effect. This is where it shines because ultimately it's up to you what you do with the information and to trust the guy just wasn't attacked by a group and survived it. And as I explained before there is no magic, but this seems to be the running theme with arguements against me because even the slightest hint of unrealism in a videogames KILLS ALL realism along with it.

This notebook isn't player-specific retelling of their deaths, this is a notebook is a collection of names written by arbitrary scavengers like yourself, who may or may have not written their last words on it. If your biggest qualm with my idea is that you can write your name down upon death, then assume you were describing someone before he chose to shoot you in the skull. The notebook isn't supposed to make sense in context of other players, it's supposed to make sense based on what you "read" of other scavengers. The "writing the name down" simply adds a feature to deduct from their score, it doesn't mean "Player A specifically read Player C's story on Player B before he shot him" Just because this prompt is slightly unrealistic, doesn't make it magical, otherwise alt-f4'ing must be wizardry in your eyes

Believe me you, I have considered the idea of having player passed on journals and enjoy entertaining ideas that would add further immersion in the game, but the main problem with that is this: It would be very difficult to code and even if it was implemented in the game, only certain people would have access to these old notebooks. The idea behind the notebooks is to make them semi-scarce but readily available for new players to co-op as soon as possible. While I do understand that it sacrifices certain realistic aspects, it could just as easily be assumed that the information was already there. Aside from that, player-specific journals would also be delving into the "ultra-realistic" aspect of the game, one which Rocket has already made explicitly clear he does not want to venture in, regardless of how immersive it is.

What you misunderstand about my idea is that it isn't a deterrent to PvP, it is merely a system of establishing trust among scavengers to encourage teamwork as well as providing a new sense of caution when it comes to meeting certain scavengers. The story behind the notebook isn't just dead travelers, it's live travelers you don't meet. You as an individual get your chance to pass on your message through the notebook only through death, but this doesn't mean everyone who had the notebook before you did.

Admittedly, the idea of writing a name on the book so others can avenge you is kind of going out on a limb, but really it's just narrative. A scavenger wrote his last words on a notebook, and it in fact could be false, this is why I never make it clear to you that people in red or orange hues are necessarily horrible people. ANYONE can make an accusation so long as their name hasn't already been slandered. You could nitpick all you want saying how a prompt that has you write down your killer's name is "unrealistic" and too "magical" but you could also argue that it's kind of "magical" how you ended up in a shore in a place infested with zombies with conveniently placed supplies in a backpack you somehow got. It's not "magical", it's narrative. The writing a name down prompt simply provides a player (in possession of the notebook mind you) with an indirect way to get back at his killer and make gameplay more interesting and fair in a way that stays true to the style of Day Z, which is ultimately based upon scavengers, trying to make their way through the wasteland, possibly telling their tales through a dirty piece of paper or telling it to another scavenger before he shot him in the face.

This. Besides you do realize it is possible to "feign your death" even if there is no fly sounds because you body doesn't instantly rot and swarm with flies upon death, right?

But how is it "horrible"? Perhaps his initial idea is rough around the edges but the central concept has potential, all you seem to be doing is insulting him for no reason.

Maybe i'm skimming through your post too quickly, but I don't really see a suggestion in here...?

Because Rocket has stated this game should be more about teamwork than about killing one another to take from each other. This would add an indirect alternative to control mass RDMers, adds to the games roleplaying/narrative, and establishes a slight sense of trust among players, one which as of right now is virtually nonexistent unless you have Teamspeak which takes from the game's realism.

I agree with darkanima that perhaps a "messageboard" in a city full of zombies would be a rather unorthodox way of undertaking the concept of "leaving messages" but perhaps a different way of approaching this would be the concept of adding chalk to the game that would be in your toolbelt, and when you wanted to, you would be able to select a spot anywhere in the world and "write" a message. The texture for chalk writing at first would be small and look like a bunch of white scribbles, but when your character approaches it and reads it, a small text box appears with the author's message. This way the chalk texture is readily recognizable to players and easier to code for Rocket but serves the same purpose. Due to the survivalistic nature of the game, this would eventually evolve into the modern day hobo symbols language that alerts fellow hobos of certain handouts and cautions like so:

I would go as far as hoping that when Day Z becomes a standalone release, Rocket can improve crossbows overall, in bolt droprate and giving it a better sight (at least, although a scope would be nice)

I agree, sort of when you can't really make out someone from long distances, but as they come closer are recognizable, be it by earlier encounter or a description someone has told you of them

Thank you for adding the idea of a fading nametag. As for the "constantly selecting yes" i'm glad you brought that up. I did cover that in my OP of an "aging system" where kills would eventually degrade. People who do not kill very often and are accused for self defense will simply have their kills wiped normally since they don't go out of their way to kill people in the first place. The ones this really screws with is those who go out of their way and binge kill, because even with normal kill degradation, they're always going to be at a much higher threat level even after some kills have been wiped because of their in-game behavior. And remember, those who are orange or red are not allowed to write in the notebook to accuse, so even if they did want to accuse someone who killed the attacker defending themselves, they wouldn't be able to.

But it doesn't just "write down the names of people who kill you" it actively tracks how many kills ANYONE has regardless if they've committed murders or not. If you find this notebook, you can actively know who you should trust if you encounter other scavengers. And that is only one of it's functions, you can't just say it isn't going to solve anything.

But how is it terrible? The notebook is not magical, it is recollections of other travelers who have gathered information on players. What you do with the information (if you even find it) is up to you to decide what you do with it. If anything this supports the narrative of Day Z. Theres also plenty of servers with guns at spawn, I don't follow your logic

Currency? Maybe not, but trading would seem like a cool way to add tenseness to the game. I'm not entirely sure how it would be carried out since most of the itmes as of right now are dispensable since we lose all of our stuff upon death anyways, but that's a different story I guess.

I think fishing's been mentioned here before, but i'll support it so Rocket gets the idea and fucking adds it already

Truth be told, i'm not sure how realistic a makeshift throwing weapon has the ability to slow down an enemy (except maybe thrown at the leg) much less instantly kill them upon impact. I really hate to be "that guy" but I think you're drawing upon CoD mechanics in a game that isn't really designed for arcade style killing as opposed to survival.

You misunderstand me, allow me to clear things up This notebook, allows players to access a database that has the "kill accusations" of every player on Day Z. This information persists throughout whichever server you go into. According to the number of "accusations" you have, your tag color will change hue to those players who have a notebook because they "know" of your misdeeds. To understand how these "kill accusations" work, read my OP under "The Notebook" subsection

User-specific notebooks would be too complicated and take much longer to code. Using a leaderboard-style journal drop eliminates the need of having 5 different journals for people who aren't even a threat to you anymore