Cysquatch

Very good. I have been voicing the same suggestion about making zombies a legitimate threat again and it definitively needs to happen although I am sure they are already working on that. Also, I like the sleep mechanic and I think it would tie in very well with a player stamina resource idea I had (we may need to wait until stand alone to see those things, however). Beans for you!

Sorry to hijack this thread but I'd like to respond to this: I am going to assume you meant "accept". I have no problem with the "deathmatch" element of DayZ per say. I am not one of these people who think player killing is everything that is wrong with this mod and should be severely inhibited or removed. I very often engage in PvP whether in self defense or for my own personal gain and I enjoy it very much for the most part. It is no doubt a critical element for the game and I hope that it is improved upon like everything else. The issue here is that many of us don't want to see this game become a senseless killing fest like CoD or BF. In those games killing has little effect or meaning past the current match because those games are extremely simple; the goal is simply to kill other players. This mod is brilliant not only because it gives players the freedom to kill others but because a number of different factors work in harmony to shape an experience that is far beyond just a deathmatch. It is one that facilitates an enormous amount of complexity that transcends merely finding the best way to maximize your damage numbers and kill others. My only concern is that the game currently seems to be favoring only one of the many possible experiences it allows for. I just hope it doesn't lose sight of the other elements and limp off to join countless others in a graveyard of one-dimensional and uninteresting shooters. Unless I missed something I believe Rocket and I are in agreement on much of this so maybe I need not worry too much.

What does number of posts have to do with sunderstanding the purpose of the suggestion forum? I see, heres hoping.

You edited your post to address mine after the fact LOL. I agree with what you say in that right now there is not much else to do but go player killing as surviving in the world is quite easy. That is not to say I think it should stay that way it is simply an acknowledgement of the current state of the game. Now it sounds like you want to add this weapon because it suits the way the game currently plays and I am saying that it is not necessary because the way the game plays needs to move in a different direction. We don't need to add more high end military weapons that have no precedent in the game world for sake of giving the COD kiddies more variety. We need to help the devs craft a game world that is consistent with itself and with the soul of the concept, that is, surviving in a zombie infested wasteland. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying we need to discourage PvP; I am saying we need to encourage PvP that has purpose. Banditry is a valid strategy for survival but killing other players simply because you are bored is something quite different. We need to discourage that. Now, regarding the P90, it has no place in the game world because it doesn't fit in the setting of the game like many of the other weapons we already have (*cough* anti-material rifles *cough*). That is why I suggested the Skorpion because it is consistent with the setting of the game and serves a similar purpose.

Sounds like one of those pesky bugs. They are pretty common in games, never mind that this one is in alpha. Do you know what this forum is for?

Yes, changes to weapon itemization definitely need to be made in order to increase the authenticity of the game world. We may have to wait until stand alone to get it though.

The thing is many of us don't want the game to move FURTHER in the wrong direction by making it more of a senseless death match (there are PLENTY of games that do that already). As it stands now, the survival aspects of the game are very subdued and so the game has become much more about deathmatching. There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is the over abundance of high end military gear. I'm not saying we need to make the game all about eating food and finding medical supplies but we definitely need to strike a balance that provides the most open ended experience to the players. I'll repost what I said since you seem to have skipped over it:

Agreed. As I've said before the key is the zombies. When zombies become a legitimate danger again, people will be more likely to work together and less likely to senselessly kill others and put themselves in danger.

I'm not even going to dignify this thread with a post. ...ah fuck.

Rocket has already stated he has no interest in having any kind of NPCs other then the zombies. What you are suggesting is pretty much a rescue quest complete with rewards. The War Z will likely have a questing system like the one you have described so you may want to check that out if that is what you are interested in.

No, thank you. I agree that more variety in weapons would be nice but we definitely don't need more weapons that have no business in this game world (like the one you have suggested). How about a Skorpion submachine gun instead? That would make much more sense then the P90 for this game. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%A0korpion_vz._61

But does that really need to be the case in DayZ? I don't really see evidence of a military occupation when I play this game. What I see are out of place weapons and vehicles inside the humble military installations of a country not yet in its prime. However, I do understand that this may be a an insurmountable limitation for the mod because of ARMA 2. We may need to wait for the standalone game for a more authentic setting which is fine. At this point, I think all suggestions should be directed at the stand alone game anyway as that is what really matters for the future.

The only affect hunger and thirst seem to have is that eventually they will cause you to lose health at a steady rate. What we are describing here is something far beyond health numbers. It seems to me that having hunger and thirst affect your characters stamina makes much more sense then becoming afflicted with an abrupt damage over time ailment. A gradual decline in stamina would then eventually lead to a deterioration of life force if ignored. Think about it. In the real world, when you are hungry and thirsty you are continually expending energy without replenishing it and thus you gradually lose the ability to exert yourself before you become so hungry or thirsty that your body starts to shut down. Consequently, it doesn't make much sense for players to be sprinting through the world pulling off head shots while literally dying from starvation.

Agreed but I think we need to go a step further and remove several of the more ridiculous military weapons from the game. Not just because I find a few of them to be overpowered but because it kills the immersion for me. Since when did the Czech Republic squeeze anti-material rifles into there military budget? Having thermal scopes and 50 caliber sniper rifles in this world really puts a damper on the authenticity of the setting I feel. Here you will find a list of the small arms the Czech Republic currently uses: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_the_Czech_Republic

I definitely think the game needs deeper health system in order to increase the authenticity and ramp up the survival aspects of the game. I think a stamina mechanic like you have a suggested is the right direction to go. Perhaps a stamina resource working in the background that is affected by everything you do as a player. Running, being hungry, being dehydrated, suffering from wounds, engaging in panicked combat, suffering from infection, etc. could all consume stamina respectively. The lower a players stamina becomes the more fatigued he or she becomes which would be indicated by a reduced ability to run, hyperventilation, inability to steady their aim and susceptibility to collapsing from exhaustion. Prolonged fatigue could then lead to a reduction in maximum blood, increased chances of falling ill or even a steady decay of blood all the way to the point of death. Players would then need to rest and tend to themselves in order to regain their strength. It doesn't need to be anything excruciating like needing to "sleep" for hours or sit by a campfire for 30 minutes but something that requires players to stop and rest, eat, drink and otherwise regain their strength and lift their spirits. Players could also receive benefits by "over-charging" their stamina with quality rest like increased speed, ability to sustain a sprint, reduced susceptibility to detrimental status effects, etc. Resting around other people could increase the rate at which each player regains their stamina due to their company and flavor items like musical instruments and reading material could be implemented to give it more depth as well (you could have newspapers that players could find and read giving the game a creative outlet for establishing lore and explaining what has happened in the world). Their could even be things like energy drinks or adrenaline shots that players could use to give themselves or others a kick in the ass when they are deep in the shit. Overall I think a deep health system like the one I have described would make the game much more immersive and create a deeper connection between the player and their personal character as well other players. (no more spawning on the beach and sprinting through the world willy nilly). It would really bring the survival aspects to the forefront which I feel are a bit lacking at this point.

Sorry but this is a terrible idea. If this were to be implemented we would see a staggering amount of game breaking nonsense and abuse. For instance, what is to stop a zombie player from trolling the beach all day long slaughtering helpless new characters? What about zombie players cooperating with human players and working together to hunt down people? Simply put this just isn't the game for this kind of mechanic. If you want Zombie vs. Human PvP I suggest you go play L4D. I hear that game does it quite well.

The best way to deter a senseless KoS mentality is to make the act of firing a weapon very dangerous. I keep saying this in all of these bandit whine threads but I really believe the key here is to fix the broken zombies and make them a real threat to anyone attracting their attention. This will drive players to work together and avoid unnecessary confrontations with zombies. Putting some kind of contrived lockout system in place is not the answer.

+1 To OP, As Rocket has said himself, this mod is a testing ground for his concept. You are getting a sneak peak of the greatness that is to come from the success of this test. Quit bitching on the forums like a kid whose mommy took their candy away.

Of course but that's what mods and admins are for. :)

Says who? Why couldn't the infection be like the walking dead where it requires a dead host in order to become active but can remain dormant until death in a living host?

Absolutely. While were at it, add the ability to stuff a backpack into another backpack so you can give it to someone else. I never understood why one could store an enormous 50 caliber sniper rifle in their backpack but they couldn't roll up a second backpack and stuff it in there. I don't think you should be able to put primary weapons in backpacks at all but that is a topic for a different thread.

Agreed. I don't know if we need giant zombie bears but general zombie behavior needs to change to facilitate this kind of experience.

+1 I certainly hope a dynamic weather system makes it into the standalone game. Environmental hazards would make the game that much more immersive and interesting.

Some good suggestions in there. However, I am a strong believer that in a sand box game like this the devs should provide the TOOLS for players to create these kinds of game play experiences instead of hard coding them into the game themselves. For instance, regarding your suggestion to have billboards in cities warning of murderers, this is something that could be done by the players all on their own if they had the tools to do it. Perhaps something as simple as a paint can item could be implemented that would allow for players to create these kinds of messages themselves. Players could then climb up to one of these billboards and create any kind of sign that could be helpful to other players (like you have mentioned) or detrimental (like advertising a "safe" location to meet with others and setting up a trap there). You see, the magic of these kinds of games is that the players craft the story themselves rather then just experiencing something the game creates for them. That is something that Rocket and his cohorts should not lose sight of and I am confident that they will not after watching/reading many of his interviews. But I digress, some good suggestions here OP. I just think that rather then implementing these mechanics themselves the devs should implement the POSSIBILITY of them by giving the players the tools to create them on their own.