Grim7

Yeah, I'd like to know if this was an accidental bug that sprung up because something in the recent update. I know the ammo refilling was a temporary "fix" until they put in the unlimited ammo code. When are they going to just make it unlimited ammo like it's supposed to be?

I think the OP missed a very important clue right before Mark took the shot... Milk: Lemme just top off your fuel here and you'll be good to go ride this quad away into fuck-off land while my friends and I head back to Cherno to gang bang Suzy-- BANG!!

I think the game needs some direction and content, too. And no, it does not need to become more like a typical game with set objectives or achievements. But as it is, the novelty wears off very quickly, and the zombies become merely a nuisance, a backdrop. You don't need assault rifles, machine guns, or military-grade high-powered sniper rifles to fight these kind of zombies. That all feeds into senseless, pointless PVP, an itch that can be better scratched in other games. It ends up driving away those who come for the authentic survival horror zombie experience. Granted, it's alpha. We need to see what new updates and eventually standalone will bring. But this is definitely a problem that needs to be addressed going forward. Those who don't think it's a problem will either leave the game after a month or two, tops, or they'll find themselves alone in empty servers.

To play devil's advocate, if I logged out in what I assumed was a very low traffic, relatively "safe" place, then log in to get immediately shot when I have good gear, I might be tempted to Alt+F4. I've never done it, but it would be one of those moments that had me really cursing bad luck. And who knows, he might not have tried to kill you if you two could successfully defuse the situation. I think part of the problem is no one bothers to make an attempt and they just shoot on sight, even if it's a player just logging in or who's maybe in a corner staring at the wall clearly AFK (<----like I was for one of my deaths). If I was still playing in spite of the hackers, I'd say the G17 is a liability. Revolver/1911 ammo is more common, and I feel any of the military guns just makes you another target for those who would want your loot. I'd only go for silenced military weapons for the utility of zombie killing. Only bandits really need a reason to load up with assault rifles, LMGs, sniper rifles, and auto pistols.

I get that it's alpha and you don't get attached to your stuff, but this last death really just cheapens the whole experience for me. Bugs? Fine. Bandit with a ghillie suit shooting me in the back when I'm facing a wall obviously AFK and have NOTHING for him to loot? Whatever, no big deal. Finally doing pretty well and getting into my groove, only to be spawned with the whole server into the middle of the town and systematically killed? Utterly. friggin. stupid. Totally pulls me out of the experience, and I don't like the thought of that being able to happen at any time, or at all.

Yep. It's been fun, guys. For the 2-3 days I got in before constant senseless PVP/bugs/hacking got to me. See you in standalone!

I like the gist of choosing an occupation that determines initial goodies and outfit, but we should still definitely have skins. (edit: lootable, obtainable skins of camo, other clothes, etc) But NO military starter pack. Who would choose anything else? It would make the game more of a PVP deathmatch from the get-go. Instead, small advantages, with base civilian being the most "balanced." Civilian: base stuff + matches (why not? Could be a smoker, and helps get started). A watch. Maybe randomize another tool or something, perhaps randomly low chance to have a weapon to account for casual gun owner/concealed carry. Cop: Revolver or maybe instead a Makarov and 1 clip, maybe 2. Nothing else. Survivalist/Hunter: Hunting knife, perhaps hatchet or one other "decent" thing. Maybe sometimes a map. Medical Professional: More bandages, painkillers, blood bag or two. No weapons or tools. Mechanic: Toolbox. Stuff like that.

No kill feed/death messages, but couple this with the "play dead" suggestion and add more helpful "corpse" inspection. I mean, you could do it graphically to show one corpse's face chewed up vs. a corpse with bullet holes in it, but to do it simply would be to provide a message only on close inspection. The more specific without giving names the better. Starts with "Appears to have died from..." -"multiple large caliber bullet wounds." -"a broken spine/neck from a fall." -"bleeding out due to x, y, or z." -"uncertain causes. There are no wounds/trauma, so possibly illness, thirst, starvation, or exposure." (also used for those playing dead unless they have been wounded) -"exploded cranium syndrome."

See: long distance shooting, where the intended target can fall out of view behind some cover See: reduced ammo/no ammo respawn in inventory, making each shot count a bit more See: mid-range engagement with multiple sides, so when you get shot and feign the shooter has someone else to worry about and overlooks you See: misunderstanding between survivors shooting at each other, one feigns and the other is happy to be on his merry way rather than risk looting the body It's simply another option, not guaranteed to work. Running around with a bigger gun is not guaranteed to work, either. It basically poitns a crosshair on you and forces you to be a better shot and/or have eyes in the back of your head capable of spotting a sniper 100 yards away, or dodging bullets.

+1. OP and all of this. As a survivor, I like any smart tactic to give me a chance. It shouldn't be about shootouts all the time as a survival game. You should definitely be lootable, and thus make a choice to let them loot you or try to surprise them when they get close and drop their guard. Couple this with a fix so ammo does not respawn in inventory, and this means the would-be killer has to make a decision whether to potentially waste another bullet or not. That's gameplay, making a decision. That's good. Good tool against sniping bandits, too. Of course you need to add in/force no kill feed/death messages to make it work and to really make them nervous. Did I really drop that guy when I saw him fall behind that rock/bush or should I be expecting him to come around behind me since now he knows my position? Good, good, good! Needs to be added!

I like the post and love the stories! Not too keen on some of the ideas but ultimately I'm right with you. Melee and ninjas need more love. Why do guns get all the slick "upgrades" and choices? I would personally nix blow gun, throwing knives, and ninja rolls. Doesn't really fit with the atmosphere. I have a few suggestions of my own and figured I would fold them in with your great ideas rather than make a new thread. Assuming we're talking standalone Day Z beyond Arma II's limitations. I feel melee combat in general should be visceral, engaging, not just point and click to swing, swing, swing until the target stops moving. It should require acting and reacting quickly and decisively. High risk, high reward. Variety in melee weapons should be more then just "more damage." Different damage types with different effects, all based on how good the weapon itself is. Blunt weapons stagger/daze, cause concussions. Bladed weapons cause bleeding, limb/head chopping and efficient killing. Different speed, range, and dmg based on weapon itself. Non-lethal options would be a big plus to go with a variety of blunt weapons, giving honest survivors an option to neutralize a threat without having to resort to the kill. "Small" weapons should not take up a primary/secondary slot, instead equipped straight from inventory/toolbelt to hand and back. Possible separate slot for bigger, dedicated melee weapons, or have the choice to put them in primary or secondary slot. Ability to quickly and smoothly sidestep, or hop evasively to one side. Not a ninja/combat roll, but practical and effective. More melee weapons of course! [baseball Bat] - Hardwood or aluminum varieties. Not the most efficient "killer" but great with the blunt weapon daze/stagger/concussion effects. [Driftwood / 2x4 Plank / Branch] - More common but not as balanced/effective as baseball bats. A little unwieldy, but good for the stagger and bludgeoning effects and to have some kind of weapon in a pinch. [Combat Knife] - More effective than hunting knife, but perhaps not gutting option. [Machete] - Quintessential zombie killer. No zombocalypse without one. Arguably out of place in setting, but not a huge stretch if it's a rare but potent weapon. [Katana] - Even more effective but rarer still. Could be plenty of collectors in the castles/mansions, or randomly in residences and spread around by looting. But very rare, Rolls Royce of melee. [sledgehammer] - Brutal, effective. Uncommon and a bit cumbersome. [Chainsaw] - Come on! Another staple! Rare, requires jerry can, high noise sacrifices any stealth, but mows through hordes of zombies like nothing else. Could also cause that panic/fear mechanic when used on players. Definitely requires primary slot, also cumbersome/weighs player down. Changes to current weapons. [Crowbar] - Up the damage, include daze/stagger effects. [Hatchet] - Cause bleeding but lower dmg to body. 1 hit kill to head/neck still. Not usable while prone. Also let us take a "hatchet" out of the tree stumps with axe, and lootable in fire stations. Could make separate types like fire axe and woodcutter's axe, but ultimately redundant. Reduce hatchet spawns in other areas. [Hunting Knife] - 1 hit kill to head/neck. Decent dmg, moderate bleeding. [Military Flashlight] - Model after Maglite and make equippable as weapon, too. Those things can do some decent blunt dmg in a pinch! It would just be nice to have some options like with guns. Ultimately for most it would come down to using guns only, or using the hatchet/machete as the go-to weapons. But for the rest of us who really enjoy melee combat and excel at it, it opens up a whole new world of hacking, bashing, chopping, stealthy fun!

"Things should never change, ever. This game is obviously finished the way it is, and living up to its true vision and purpose." ^---That's you.

+1. I don't care what that makes either of us, I love cosmetic customization, too. The camo variety would be nice and practical, but I'd like a little variety to civ clothes, too. Even better if you can get clothes for practical effects, like a jacket for cold/rain preserving body temperature better. You could carry around a couple of sets of clothes, camo for day/grass, black/dark civ clothes for night. Seems a no-brainer for survival as much as "bigger, better gun." I personally think bigger, better gun makes one a target, at least as a loner.

I like zombies being resilient to everything but head shots and immune to pain, it's just the latency/erratic zombie movements/animations make it a little too difficult to go for head shots save for indoors/walking zeds.

Yes, or take the tree stumps w/ axe out. I'd prefer an animation, but given this engine and alpha I'm fine with disappearing. But even that might be considerable work to have two stump assets and to have it change. I think either way the base stump w/ axe in it should be taken out, and replaced by a "loot pile" stump or just not there at all. It's a huge tease to see it and not be able to get the weapon. I hate stuff like that in games, particularly those going for immersion/simulation/realism. It's the details that count.

Melee weapons should definitely be on a separate slot. Better yet, all melee weapons that double as tools go into your toolbelt like usual, and are equipped straight from there. Any dedicated melee weapon you find should be stronger and only one can take up the melee weapon slot. Ex. machete, sledgehammer. I mean, I think some of this will have to wait for standalone. I just hope melee weapons are made more of a priority and not tacked on to a primarily shooter/ballistics engine. I'd like to see melee weapons behave differently. Machete would be one hit "kill" on one target, sledge could take 1-2 hits (since it's blunt) but also staggers/knocks zombies back, so it would be a better choice for a cluster of zombies closing in. On top of more effective melee weapons the Zeds should cluster up in hordes/herds more often. Other than that I'd like to see some kind of quick sidestep/evade (doesn't have to be a ridiculous game-y combat roll, just a hop to one side to avoid a blow). All in keeping with the realism/sim edge, except applying it to melee combat. Would also be neat if you have the toolbox and nothing else to use stuff like screwdrivers or wrenches, but only a solid hit to the head with a screwdriver will kill a Zed, or a hit to the head with a screwdriver will only "daze" them.