Suggestion for noninvasive clan/group system

[phyaran 0]

Ok, I've done a fairly extensive check with the search feature to see if this has been suggested before but can't find it so here goes.

Essentially, I suggest the ability to tie coloured pieces of cloth to your player character (arm, head, chest, legs etc) as a makeshift group identifier. Your player could rip off a piece of cloth (possibly from a dead body, possibly from your own clothes) and colour it with blood, makeshift dye, grass/dirt or other colouring agent and tie it to your body so your friends can see more quickly at a glance whether you're part of their group or not. I've considered that this system would not be feasible on a large scale if there were only a few selections of colour or positioning, as there would essentially only be a very finite number of combinations, however if the game were to permit multiple cloths in multiple positions (within reason) it would be relatively simple to create a marker for your group which allows you to identify each other at a glance without worrying about using the same marker as someone else, and without ever fully removing the possibility of blue on blue, mistaken identity or false positives. It's also a logical behaviour for groups of survivors in such a situation to do, and can be pulled off with just tools immediately available. The group would still need to put effort into establishing a convention for their markings, and collecting enough materials so that their whole team could be marked accurately, and partially marked groups will still have the imperative of avoiding friendly fire on their as yet unmarked comrades.

Some colours would logically be very easy to obtain, such as red, green, brown etc, others could be more difficult to obtain by mixing materials found in the field. Rarer colours would thus be more valuable as they would give less chance of another group having that colour, while more common colours are easier to obtain for everyone. I want everything to follow logically, and reflect how those colours could be generated with the basest resources available to a survivor.

Further, groups would have to balance the identifiability of their marker with its impact on their camo. Obviously if you have arms and legs covered in red cloth you'll be really easy to identify but also really easy for others to spot. And yes other players would potentially be able to see your group's marker and match it in order to pass into your group that little bit more easily (I don't know about you but we'd always tend to notice if there was one more person than normal in the group), but fact is that'd be a genuine possibility and a genuine risk in the real world.

I would prefer a simple aesthetic system such as this to a complex or imposed group system which cuts the immersion of dayz by overlaying an IFF filter or other system. I don't think it should degenerate into people covering themselves with different coloured cloths looking stupid and unrealistic, and I don't want this because I think avoiding friendly fire is "too hard", it's just a logical step which I personally would take if I were to find myself in such a circumstance.

So yeah, that's my suggestion for a nonintrusive and thematic group support system. Please give any comments, suggestions, ideas and feedback.

Edited October 21, 2012 by Phyaran

[Mos1ey 6301]

I'd be surprised if the standalone didn't feature some kind of character customisation that would make it easy to recognise friends based on their appearance. I think this idea will be kind of redundant.

I also don't want to see group spawning or 'marking' to avoid friendly fire though. Communication is key...

[Michaelvoodoo25 3120]

I have to agree I have never been a fan of groups in DayZ, But as most players are clan members from other games it is natural for them to group up in DayZ. There would not be as many servers if not for groups (a fact to which i am greatful)

There should be an option for team members to group up but only if they have done the job of meeting up in the first place. If the players die they should respawn at different locations like all players. No special treatment for teams or groups. Teams are going to have communication tools anyway like TS so It is relatively easy for them to meet up. Having a team join up together in one location is unrealalistic. You meet players in the world and then through being trustworthy they decide to stick together.

What i could see in game is a list of group members on log on screen for information purposes only.

[phyaran 0]

I'm merely suggesting this as a mechanism for two or more players to agree to mark themselves in a logical in-game manner so they can more easily identify each other. Based on Rocket's Eurogamer Expo presentation the extent to which you can customise your character will be more based upon function than aesthetics, you'll take a jacket because it keeps you warm, not because it looks good. To that end while people will look a lot more different from each other than they currently do, some easy way to identify each other would still be beneficial. As I outlined in the OP, this system raises different identification risks in return for the benefit it gives. Communication is still very much key (as it should be).

I do have to disagree with you though MichaelVoodoo, pretty much my entire forum started playing when the mod was released, meeting up with a decent number of people is very achievable and on countless occasions I've met up with 5 or so other players from my group.

As a semi-related communications note, personally I'd love to see radios implemented within the game, with a wide range of channels but no way to lock your channel so anyone could listen in. This would promote the production within your group of code words, pre-agreed backup channels and so forth if you think your comms are being intercepted. Alas the widespread use of TS would make such a system moot since no-one would bother taking the risk if they don't have to.

Edited October 21, 2012 by Phyaran