DayZ Standalone – Promoting Codependency & Targets of Opportunity Note: All comments, suggestions, criticisms are welcome, but please, if you disagree, explain why and provide an alternative. Responding with; No, No and No…….. Or This is a stupid idea….. Does not provide the design team with any ideas, which is the purpose of this post. Be creative and give some details. Purpose: The purpose of this post, is to introduce some concept ideas that would promote Meaningful PvP Targets of Opportunity Codependency Moving away from the standard mainstream fast paced PvP, where the main objective is to get a high kill count. There are already a number of these types of games already out there that many of us are familiar with. And for a large number of gamers, this play style can get boring real fast. Different skins, different weapons, different backdrop.... it's still the same type of game. Survival: The main emphasis of DayZ, is to survive in a post apocalyptic world that has suffered from a devastating virus with the thousands of Infected people. Survival could be achieved either solo, or cooperated team play. Solo should definetly be much more challenging. Survival Needs: The basic survival needs boils down to 3 things. Water (fluids) Food (need the Baked Beans) Shelter this does not seem to be a real need as of yet, protecting yourself from the elements, may be more of a necessity in the Standalone version A weapon certainly helps in defending yourself against the Infected, and other players intent on taking your items that you gathered, in order to survive. I have what I need to Survive: So you gathered all requisite items to survive, what next. In a post apocalyptic setting, you will probably want to seek out, and join up with like minded people. A force in number working together have a better chance of survival. The game has already identified 3 Factions. Bandits (a threat to Survivors & other Bandits) Survivors (Humanitarians) Zombies - NPC Faction (a threat to all.... or should be) A Safe Haven: This is not to be confused with a “Safe-Zone” !! No place is safe… And a well placed Sniper outside the city, would be major problem for those in the city. But rather, the ability of a group of players (maybe a very large group), from either Faction to rebuild the infrastructure in a city of their choosing. A random city as opposed to a static city, so that neither Faction knows where the other is re-building. This would then require scouts to recon all cities, in order to identify where there enemy is located. Roaming Scouts would promote PvP. A Faction with a Helicopter would definitely have an advantage. Should there be a limit of 1 city per Faction that can be rebuilt? Need to discuss, but my initial thoughts are yes, 1 city per Faction. If the answer is yes, than this again would promote cooperation for both Bandits & Survivors, and also provide the remaining cities to be infested with Zombies and places to loot. With whatever method, the designers choose, for Faction identification, this would promote more cooperation amongst the Survivors, more so than the Bandits. As Bandits would require much more communication and trust, to trust another Bandit, or Bandit group. But as the Survivor Faction grows, so does the threat to the Bandits, as they run into larger groups of Survivors. Also, if a small group of Bandits decide to rebuild a cities Infrastructure, they would be more successful clearing that city, and defending that city with a much larger groups. This may promote co dependencies between Bandit groups, to form up, and cooperate against a growing threat…….. an every growing population of Survivors that have decided to form up. A city would first need to be cleared out of all Zombies. This may be a major undertaking. So what can be rebuilt, and what purpose would it serve ? Survivors Infrastructure: City Generators (requires a constant supply of fuel, to keep the Generators online, a shit ton of Jerry Cans to completly fill the Generator Tank.... how often to refill ?? ) (required components to rebuild…….?) (can be destroyed with Satchel Charge) City Lighting (requires operational City Generator) (required components to rebuild …….?) (can be destroyed with Satchel Charge) Baked Bean Factory (only Survivors can rebuild) (requires operational City Generator, Water Supply Pump) (requires empty tin can to resupply yourself with Baked Beans) (required components to rebuild…….?) (can be destroyed with Satchel Charge) City Water Pump Provides Water Source (requires operational City Generator) (required components to rebuild…….?) (can be destroyed with Satchel Charge) Bandits Infrastructure: City Generators (requires a constant supply of fuel, Bandits would use their Fuel Trucks to refill Generators) (can be destroyed with Satchel Charge) City Water Pump (can be destroyed with Satchel Charge) City Lighting (can be destroyed with Satchel Charge) Fuel Truck Repair Facility (only Bandits can rebuild ) (Fuel Trucks would be introduced) (Repair Facility can be destroyed with Satchel Charge) (required components to rebuild…….?) Generators or Cities Lights: Once a Cities Lights are operational, the Zombies would spawn less frequently, and perhaps in lesser numbers. If the City Lights or Generators were destroyed (Satchel Charge), or runs out of fuel, then hordes of Zombies would begin to move in on the city. Zombies would not spawn directly in the city, but from a distance and from all or a few different directions, but there would be many of them. This would require that Faction to again, clear the city, requiring a number of players, coordinating together, to be successful, and get the Generator operational again. Bake Bean Factory: If this concept was introduced, then the amount of canned Baked Beans currently available that is randomly looted, would need to be reduced. Bandits would need to either raid a Survivors’ city to resupply their Baked Bean inventory with empty tin cans, Satchel Charge the Baked Bean Factory (eliminating the Survivors food supply), or take over the Survivors City. A Survivor’s City, that has been taken over by the Bandit faction, would provide the Bandits with an operational Baked Bean Factory. Bandits could resupply with empty tin cans. Survivors could either Satchel Charge the Factory (Bandits cannot repair the Baked Bean Factory), or retake the City. One strategy would be to destroy the Generator, wait for the Zombies to move in on the city, as a diversion. Fuels Trucks: Both factions can repair a Fuel Truck to be mobile . But only Bandits can repair storage tanks in Fuel Trucks at the Repair Facility in their City. But in order to make use of the fuel trucks storage capacity, it would need to be fully repaired at the Bandits repair facility. With a Fuel Truck, Bandits can resupply a large amount of fuel at fueling stations….., So they have a much larger mobile capacity, to fuel their vehicles, and also their Generator. A Bandits Fuel Truck can be Satchel Charged primarily; weapons fire would have some effect, but would require a lot more rounds, to destroy the truck. A Bandits Fuel Truck can be stolen, and then used by the Survivors. Fuel stations local to Bandit Cities would be potential targets of opportunity, as this may be where Bandits fill the Fuel Trucks. Survivors can only repair a Fuel Truck’s storage capacity at the Bandit’s Fuel Truck Repair Facility. If this concept was introduced, then the amount of Fuel a Jerry Can, can hold, would need to be reduced, or, increase the amount a fuel, a vehicle requires. How many operational Fuel Trucks can be out in the world , unlimited or not ? Good question. The components required to rebuild/repair both the Baked Bean Factory & the Fuel Truck Repair Facility, should not be a common loot item, and further, once a Faction’s City Infrastructure is up and running, (Generator, Lighting, Water Pump), then the likelihood of that Faction City spawning an item required by the opposing Faction, would be higher, than a random city. This would encourage opposing factions to either raid, or approach with stealth to the opposing Faction’s City, and search for the required component(s). Trading Hub: In this scenario, I could see the strong potential for trading, particularly in a Survivors City, As there would inherently be more trust amongst the Survivors. Since the Bandit Faction has no means of producing Baked Beans, could they trade a fully functional Fuel truck, for a Truck load of Beans ? Absolutely, and I’m sure that trade would be risky for both sides. Just as the Survivors may initiate the trade, as they need an operational Fuel Truck. An opportunity for a temporary truce ...... or an ambush ? Factions ability to Build/Repair: I think that in order for a Faction to be capable of building or repairing a Cities infrastructure, An individual’s Humanity or Bandit level, needs to be high enough, where they cannot simple tip the point scale, but need to be established with a consistent high figure. This would reduce the possibility for a Survivor to flip their humanitarian points to become a Bandit, repair a Fuel Truck, drive off, and perform humanitarian type deeds quickly, and swap back to being a Survivor, with a fully operational Fuel Truck. The Lone Wolf: I don’t’ want to be part of a large group in order to survive…. Absolutely, but it will be harder, and more challenging. Baked Beans, and other canned goods will be scarce, but hunting is an option. The animals need to be hunted with stealth. Not be able to run up to a goat and kill it with a hatchet. Instead, you need to stalk the animal, and shoot it. If the animal senses your presence, they will run. Dogs are being introduced into the game. And as I understand it, a player will have the ability to to train the dog to hunt. I assume that the dog would be able to track and kill small game (which provides some meat), but for large game, your dog can only track. When tracking large game, will the dog be barking and making a lot of noise for you to follow ? If you get the kill, that would be a lot of meat, but the barking dog could be a risk. If desperate for supplies, you could travel to your Factions main Hub, if you know where it is. Conclusion: What I outlined here, are just examples of creating codependency’s between the 2 Factions, and within a Faction. Creating targets of opportunity, required by both factions, to survive. Suggestion Sub-Forum: Some of these ideas I outlined have been suggested by other players, particularly the ideas concerning the rebuilding of a cities infrastructure. (Generators, Lighting) Multiple Ideas provided by ruarz Great suggestions, my idea with Faction Cities could be the Factions main infrastructure hub, and a base (bases) might be built nearby. But not next door so to speak. Again the question would be how many Cities/Bases can 1 Faction build/re-build ? Multiple Ideas provided by TanX Great list of suggestions to make survival more of a challenge. **************************************************************************************************************** Moderators, if this post should be merged, no problem. My suggestion does touch upon both ruazr’s & TanX’s post to some degree, but not entirely.

Actually, I have listened to around 3 of his interviews. ( sounds like there's a few more) I do not recall any discussion concerning PvP, but meaningful PvP could be interpreted many different ways. Currency has no place in this game, there is no value. Concerning Trading Hubs, this is a figurative term in my outline. Players can trade at any location today. Would a Faction controlled City or Base be a location that many players of the same Faction might gravitate to ? If yes, would they feel comfortable trading there, or would they feel more comfortable trading out in the wilderness ? I am NOT suggesting, adding any Trading Mechanic, just a concept of a location designed by the player. They choose where they decide to meet up. The sandbox environment definitely sets the stage, not sure how much codependency would actually be player created, on a larger scale. Do you recall what Rocket had mentioned concerning Survival – What Next ? Appreciate the input, I'll see if I can find these other interviews I missed. EDIT: I'll also add that I do understand part of the vision for DayZ, which is a survival experience. And in a Sandbox environment, the ideal scenario is to provide the players with the tools to create their own content. So the question would be, what additional tools would be provided. Rocket has also stated, that he would like to see cooperation amongst players, which there is currently, I’ve added suggestions to create more, and on a larger scale. The concepts that I outline should not be taken as literal, but were examples of creating some codependency. Would a codependency between opposing factions be a good thing for this environment, and what tools would need to be added for the players to create that codependency. From what I have read from Rocket here on the forums, ideas are welcome, but as you stated, they may not be in line with the overall vision.

Ditto.... Good luck to the presenters, have fun, and look forward to seeing some vids from Gamescom.

Doh..... Makes sense. Thanks for the info.

Yup, I have the same issues with SixUpdater I was able to "Verify/Repair" the Beta patch from 95417 to 95883 but no success with update DayZ to 1.7.2.5 SixUpdater says there are no new updates for DayZ.

I figured this question needed it's own thread, as I could not find any info regading this question. Maybe the answer is buried deep within some post, bad had no luck finding anything. Question: How do you check what Versions & Builds are currently installed for both the DayZ Mod & the Arma II:OA Beta ? I do not know how to check while offline (out of Game), what I currently have installed. Before each game session, I run SixUpdater, which I assume verifies, and downloads current DayZ version, and Arma II:OA beta version. Then I run SixLauncher / Verify / Launch. How to check either manually (offline), or using the SixUpdater/Launcher ? If someone can point me in the right direction, that would be great. Thanks

This got me pointed in the right direction. I performed these actions , it went through the update process, and the status for these 2 items was "Skip", in Green. Launched the game, did not update. So it's skipping the update process, even though I selected "Install or Update Mod" I'll figure it out, at least I'm in the right area. Thanks

I'll give that a shot. I just Verified / Launched Dayz using SixLauncher, and on the bottom right it says version 1.62.95417 DayZ 1.7.2.4 Not sure why SixUpdater does not auto update these, but I'll give DayZ Commander a shot. Thanks

So Launch Dayz , and before selecting MP, the following info is displayed ? (Dayz version & Arma II beta version) Is that correct ?

Questions concerning SixUpdater: I have only played for a total of 3 days, and it has been more than 7 days since I last played. (busy with other things) I would like to play this weekend, but have a few questions concerning the DayZ version & Arma II:OA Beta Version. How do you check what versions are currently installed ? I do not know how to check what I currently have installed. Before each game session, I run SixUpdater, which I assume verifies, and downloads current DayZ version, and Arma II:OA beta version. Then I run SixLauncher / Verify / Launch. Thanks

That may very well be the case, no way of really knowing. Anti-Cheat programs cannot be 100% infallible, just as they cannot be 100% effective in removing all cheaters. I have only played for a total of 3 days, and it has been more than 7 days since I last played. (busy with other things) I would like to play this weekend, but have a few questions concerning the DayZ version & Arma II:OA Beta Version. How do you check what versions are currently installed ? I use the SixUpdater. Not to derail the topic of the original post, and I can start a seperate post under Technical. Thanks

Most 2 hour movies I have watched, I had to wait a few months (some movies longer) , after the initial preview came out. Just saying................

I'll also add an assumption that the main audience that played the Arma brand of games had more of an interest in playing the game legitimately, where as the DayZ mod, (a layer on top of the Arma II game), has attracted a whole new audience, many of whom like to cheat in games. So I'm guessing that cheating was never really an issue before, as the Arma audience has a completely different mindset for gameplay. So the Arma brand had less of an issue with cheaters. It just was not as prevalent.

I'm in Total agreement.... Quote from an earlier post: Bottom line. If you realy do not want to pay for the DayZ Standalone..........don't.

I'm in total agreement with you on this. When I started playing the DayZ mod (end of July), like many other players, I used the established online maps. Not using any of these maps, would have added another level of immersion, that I lost out on. Old habits from other games, and caving in to a bit of self-hand-holding. Thanks for the reminder.

Recent YouTube interview. I'd search for the vid, but I'm too lazy to look for it.

Concerning a seperate cost for a Standalone DayZ: I bought Arma II: CO, just as everyone else here, for the sole purpose of playing the Free Mod, DayZ. That was a decision that I chose to make. Just like everyone else here. Just to play a Free Mod, because I like what I saw, and read. Just as everyone else here. I have no problem at all, paying for a Standalone DayZ. Again, my choice. Besides, I have Arma II:CO, I have yet to check out. :)

EDIT: Thanks to SeanOfTheDead for pointing out that it is the Real Virtuality engine. That's what I got from this interview with Bohemia (dated June 14th), regarding the Arma III using an improved Real Virtuality engine that Arma II is currently using. They also discussed the success of the mod, Dayz. So much speculation as to what/when/how ?.... so I'll add my thoughts. My understanding from what I read, is that the current DayZ mod (running on Arma II), will continue to be enhanced, upgraded, on the existing engine. (as a mod) This will continue to enhance the player experience in the current mod, get feedback from the community, as well as hash out any additional Features, Game Mechanic changes for the end product. (Standalone) The Dayz Standalone will be developed in parallel. My guess is, (as many others here have stated), that the development efforts for the DayZ Standalone will be on the Arma III engine. new and improved Real Virtuality engine, the same engine that Arma III will be using. It just makes the most sense, businesses wise. Capitalize on proven technology they already have Reusable assets Rapid development opportunity (as the Real Virtuality engine exist today) Branch out to a different market within the simulation genre using an engine designed for military simulation that they have been using for years I watched a few vids on YouTube, for the Arma III , and they look impressive. I like the fact that a military simulator engine is being used for this.....uhhh Zombie Apocalyptic simulator. I would rather play a simulator, than a pure FPS shooter. Been there, done that, got bored…………… But, that’s just my preference.

Nice write up. You got more guts than me for your first few hours, you headed right into a main city. Me, I ran inland, cutting through the forest hoping to come across a farm house to find supplies.

Couple of Questions: 1) Is it possable to enter buildings to loot, without the Zeds being alerted ? Or is the act of entering a building, enough, where the Zeds will come to investigate ? I ask this, because it seems that I rarely, if ever, am able to enter any building without Zeds shuffling over to the entrance. Or I just need to work on my stealth ? 2) I am having some issues with running in crouch mode (X). Initally, I press W (and default is crouch running), and hold shift to crouch walk. After a few prone position commands, I lose the ability to crouch run again, regardless if I hold the shift-key or not. Double tap on the shift does not help. Not sure how to reset my crouch run, as it was when I 1st spawn into the game. It does come back eventually, maybe after Standing run, but I have not figured out how to consistently reset my crouch-run.

Heard about this game from my son (yeah, I'm an older player, former military), with the survival aspect, in an apocalyptic, "The Walking Dead" type setting, sounded really interesting. Great mod by Rocket btw… I'm not much into the typical mindless PvP type games, have more of an interest in games where you PvP for a purpose. ie; territory control or in this case, survival. So after reading a lot of the comments here on the forum, and watching quite a few videos, I downloaded (from Steam), and installed the game last night, and used the Six Updater, to complete the final install steps. The learning curve is a bit steep for me, the controls, how/when the Infected are aggro'ed..... I think one issue I was having in my 1st few hours of game play, is finding a decent server to play on. First server I joined, was set in the night time. A bit too much for my 1st experience, so I tried another server, which was daylight thankfully. This particular Server had a tag called “Sanctuary” (not sure what the significance of that is) After spawning in, I decided right off to stay away from the two more populated cities on the south coast, and instead, headed for what I hoped would be deer stands or small farm houses. Game is definitely intense, and the urgency and need to scavenge basic supplies, became real apparent after wandering around after about 30 min. And getting around the Infected while completely unarmed, just to pick up some basic supplies, was a challenge in of itself. I was able to figure out the txt chat system, and had asked a few questions. Question - “Can you enter all houses, structures ?” Answer - “Not all of them” Online Players were helpful, and as I was heading towards my next destination, my leg broke, and I fell in the prone position. I thought I might have tripped on a log or something. Long story short, I was not the only one this happened to, as the chat system got pretty busy (Server Admin included), trying to find the root cause. Evidently, a hacker was amongst us, and the finger pointing commenced. I was then turned into a chicken, as I observed my human form just standing there. I was able to move around in my chicken form, but couldn't really do anything. Accusations were flying at this point, one player insisted that I was the culprit, for whatever reason, and one player was banned. Shortly afterwards, I too was banned from the server. I'm assuming this was a Server Ban, and not a Global Ban. I understand the frustration of the Server Admins, as they have very few resources available, in determining who/what/how, and the only option they have , is to Ban people who they either do not recognize, or who have a log in time close to the time of the incident. In this case, if the Admin did have those tools or resources available, I would have been fine. Whadda ya gonna do ? Chalk it up to bad luck and Admin frustration, I joined another server, played for about 30min, And received a “Kick from Server”, with no message. I have read that the “Kick from Server”, may be due to some components not being in sync, I just need to look into this a bit. All in all, not a totally bad experience for my first few hours, but I realize that it might take some effort in finding a Server that I won’t experience these types of problems, and can spend some time in game to get over the learning curve.

Ahhh, well that makes a bit of sense, hadn't thought that the Admin might have been responsable. Kind of funny in a sick and twisted sort of way. :) I got to say, them damm Infected are relentless. Had a couple chase me for over a 1/4 mile, was able to use a technique I saw on YouTube, to cut sharply through the bushes a few times, then drop quickly to the prone position. It's great when that works, but sadly a couple of times that it did not. I was basicly a meal waiting to happen.

Haha, yeah, I have problem creating a post that are not TL'DR. Cheers