Morale?

[Roshi (DayZ) 397]

I don't know whether it's a good idea to suggest another possibly complex or opinion dividing game mechanic - but here we go...

What about a morale system?

Some examples - Morale could be influnced by:

(Negatively):

- getting caught in the rain (gradual effect)

- lack of food, water

- low ammo

- proximity to certain numbers of Zeds

- etc

(Positively):

- hanging out by a fire - a gradual thing

- cooked food (more than cold beans...)

- being well supplied with ammo, food, etc

- human proximity (a potential low level way of encouraging team work without being punitive or excessive)

- etc

Effects:

could potentially have both passive effects:

- fatigue

- weapon stability

- etc

And active effects:

- for example a short involuntary action - screaming and/or getting up and sprinting, or shooting if zeds around.

Anyway I'm not really sure if I like this idea or not but thought it might be worth debating. Apologies if it has been discussed earlier and to those that think it is rubbish.

I would certainly want subtle effects if anything like this was implemented.

Anyways what do ya think?

[kinexz 3]

Morale?

This is a milsim!

Infact, the type of approach people is having with this mod and with arma in general is bad.

There was a guy asking if he could use the PS3 controller...so fucked up.

[Astral (DayZ) 2]

Morale would have a fairly decent place in a sandbox simulation. Think about it: In a "real" zombies apocalypse, one would have to keep their hopes high to some extent, or risk mental degeneration. The Vietnam War had an abnormally high number of soldiers running on low morale due to the hopeless feeling of the war, and subsequently had a large number of soldiers using drugs to maintain their sanity (or get rid of the feeling of boredom, dread, etc). If it were possible to implement morale, then reaching the extreme end of a low morale could impart different debuffs in the form of mental diseases; interface screws that would affect how or how much information the player gets from their character.

Becoming bipolar would mean that your humanity swings between two different points; if possible, the highest and lowest points the player has achieved, meaning that players who haven't lost any humanity are still fairly sane. Depression would make you move slightly more slowly, as you just can't be arsed to really care. Numbness (unless I find something that would more accurately describe it) would obscure your food, water and health meters for a short time, but they would still go down normally. Schizophrenia would cause you to hear phantom sounds, and possibly zombies that aren't real. And so on.

On the other hand, players can sometimes accurately simulate their own morale system. If in high spirits, they may be a bit more quick to help you. Neutral, they tend towards cautiousness and scouting out areas before rushing in. Low morale means they usually died recently due to someone shooting them and either run around aimlessly after respawning or go bitch on the forums as to how bandits are overpowered.

[vedicardi 7]

Morale?

This is a milsim!

Infact' date=' the type of approach people is having with this mod and with arma in general is bad.

There was a guy asking if he could use the PS3 controller...so fucked up.

[/quote']

you realize ARMA 2 has built in 360 control support...

people like you are the worst

[Roshi (DayZ) 397]

Yeah was quite hesitant with posting this as I realise it could be a disaster if badly implemented. just thought it would be nice to have a reason to get out of the rain and sit by a fire for a while, or another reason to seek company. I know that this sort of approach could possibly screw up the emergent gameplay but being soaking wet on a pitch black night running from zombies is gonna mess with a guys head... Even with the best efforts of the team I'm still warm and dry when I play and so this doesn't quite translate.

Ps interested to see how the new panic thing works out - hasn't happened to me yet but keen to see what it does to gameplay...

[Capital 5]

I love this idea. +1 No further comments. :)

EDIT: Just kidding. In my opinion this should replace humanity.

[[email protected] 0]

I love it!

[Mutonizer 78]

I liked the idea at first, then thought about it...and realized that actually, my own morale comes into action a lot and that's enough for me usually.

I mean...when I'm on a vet server, starving, 3 rounds left, gnawed on, 3k blood, no painkillers, it's night and raining and I arn't got no maps...I don't feel to cheered up and I promise you, a squirrel breaking a branch makes my heart stop.

And by all that I mean that the game provides enough immersion as is to create your own morale depending on how fucked up you are and because of this immersion, I wouldn't really like my "character" being forced to react in a way I wouldn't and start screaming like a little girl because of stress while sneaking in the middle of 20 zombies....

[Napoleon Solo 10]

Why shouldn't morale be in a milsim? It's an important factor in warfare.

Yes, I like the idea with the well thought out examples, it gives incentives to the sit by fire behavior. Otherwise there's no good reason for it.

[Disgraced 1123]

I don't know whether it's a good idea to suggest another possibly complex or opinion dividing game mechanic - but here we go...

What about a morale system?

Some examples - Morale could be influnced by:

(Negatively):

- getting caught in the rain (gradual effect)

- lack of food' date=' water

- low ammo

- proximity to certain numbers of Zeds

- etc

(Positively):

- hanging out by a fire - a gradual thing

- cooked food (more than cold beans...)

- being well supplied with ammo, food, etc

- human proximity (a potential low level way of encouraging team work without being punitive or excessive)

- etc

Effects:

could potentially have both passive effects:

- fatigue

- weapon stability

- etc

And active effects:

- for example a short involuntary action - screaming and/or getting up and sprinting, or shooting if zeds around.

Anyway I'm not really sure if I like this idea or not but thought it might be worth debating. Apologies if it has been discussed earlier and to those that think it is rubbish.

I would certainly want subtle effects if anything like this was implemented.

Anyways what do ya think?

[/quote']

Also, how about horror or continued enemy contact?

I know that rocket is adding in this panic effect. I've experienced it (yes, it sounds... um, interesting when there are multiple characters doing it).

But if we're doing something mildly degrading for things like rain, how about you start to get a little shaky when you see your first Zeds, or someone killed by them. I'm thinking of horror games like Call of Cthulhu, here.

Of course, I have no idea what the engine allows and what's easy and what's impossible... I just think it would be cool and fit the 'realistic' vibe of the game if you started out green and frightened by things, and then got more hardened until they didn't bother you any more... or not...

L

[Roshi (DayZ) 397]

I love this idea. +1 No further comments. :)

EDIT: Just kidding. In my opinion this should replace humanity.

Hey Reymas - checked out your trailer - nice take on the genre. The kid should have gone for a Winchester, or silenced M9 rather than ringing the dinner bell... ;)

[homeslice1986 9]

Bump, because with some work, this could do a good job of stepping in where the humanity system left off.

If something like being in a group raises your morale (with a few beneficial side effects) it would encourage players to work together after the bandit skin goes, rather than everyone just killing on site.