Feedback on status of infectious diseases in DayZ

[Hoj0 (DayZ) 31]

After much research and discussion with my brother (a virologist with the ESR in NZ), I can give some details about the status of infectious disease in DayZ.

Infection disease is a big deal in DayZ. A very big deal. It is likely it will be more of a fear than zombies themselves. It could even become a form of weapon.

I made the following comment on reddit:

I'll try to give more detail soon, but the major routes of transmission are waterways, contamination of food, blood-to-blood (e.g. during melee), infected clothing off fresh kill, and so forth.

my question is, what waterways, there are no rivers in chernarus, the only thing close to a river is at the northeast of the map and thats just an inlet.....unless chernarus plus has some rivers on it now.

[carbine781 (DayZ) 131]

Hmm, I remember I made a list on this forums of stuff that I felt was too realistic. While I do like these, and I am excited, I do hope that you guys don't add certain things on the list, like incurable life-ending diseases (Cancer, etc.). Also, if you could, add ways of sanitation perhaps. Also, make those antibiotics a LOT less rare, otherwise people will be dying left and right.

[BSB Jimmy 360]

its gonna be so fun when a clan dominating a server are wiped out because the new recruit was infected.

[joe_mcentire 2074]

Acquired immunities - that's a great point, and would make the SA less exasperating than it seems.

but how to implement? should it be an automatic mechanism? there's much to discuss...

what also strikes me... will a dayz life in the SA be long enough to embrace all these diseases in their complexity? i think this is quite something to discuss as well.

As i was observing this thread about ingame hygiene, water and terrains: http://dayzmod.com/f...e/#entry1129061 the suggestions there would make a great contribution to the infection system

• - A hygiene system based on water access: Survival means keeping yourself clean and healthy. A dirty stinking survivor is one that lets every animal in the area know that you are present. It also invites diseases that only exist in most people’s imaginations. A mechanic like this could force even the most solitary survivor out of their hidey hole and risk a once a week city trip (or maybe not).
  How would it work? It would be based on a point system 0 being you just got out from your morning shower. As the days wear on you lose hygiene points, eventually down to -1000 where you are a stinking savage that hasn’t cleaned anything for a week and would make Tarzan cringe. Your options are to have a birdbath from bottled water, say increase your hygiene by 20 points up to a max by this method of -800 (birdbath would do nothing after reaching -800), soak in a pond/lake +200 hygiene (max by this method up to -500), a running stream/river +500 hygiene (max up to -200) and the only option that gets you to squeaky clean, a freshwater shower +1000 (the only way to get to 0 hygiene).
  So why clean yourself? As you get lower in the hygiene points a number of things happen. Your risk of disease and infection increases, animals can smell you further away making it very hard to hunt for animals (i.e. live an easy peasy outsider life) and clothing would degrade faster. On the plus side however, you gain a small zombie detection modifier, owing to the fact that you smell more like a rancid corpse than a meal.That’s the basics of it, I don’t want to go too much further into detail but you should get the main idea.
  
• - Water types: An important part of survival is access to fresh water. It is unrealistic to expect every pond/lake you come across to be fresh water. This aspect would form a crisis for an individual, in that they may choose to risk drinking the water in hope of preventing dehydration, but may make matters worse by ingesting harmful parasites that cause dysentery as a result of drinking dirty water. Having a feature like this would allow for the inclusion of water purification techniques that add an extra level of challenge to a wilderness survivor (do you keep the heavy water boiling equipment or do you keep a limited supply water purification tablets handy?)
  

Edited January 19, 2013 by joe_mcentire

[TIC 1050]

I believe that a way to stop from spreading is if a person has been deceased from an infection, burning the body would be the best way.

[Rekli 995]

would say touching bodies,crawling through muddy fields swimming increase the chance of infection?

[radivmoe 47]

will there be disinfectant in the game? like 78% ethanol or something. it could be used to disinfect you hands after handling gear that might be infected, or in a large amount even be used to disinfect gear!

Edit: the ethanol would contain something to stop people from drinking it.

Edit again: disinfectant is everywhere, why not in dayz?

Edited January 22, 2013 by radivmoe

[joe_mcentire 2074]

my humble doubts are, ok there might be hospitals, but wouldn't it somehow ruin the immersion of the game implementing all the kind of antibiotics and all kind of medical equipment especially due to the setting. Furthermore if diseases should become a major part of the game, also counteracting actions, for example in form of antidotes/biotics, will do.

That is also why i don't like the blood transfusion idea. Yeah it is ultra realistic, but given to the setting, were all humanity goes down the drain (and of course that blood is practicly useless if not stored properly), it may be logical to have things like these at hand the first couple weeks of outbreak, but later they should be super scarce...on the other hand now i should be arguing about the weapons and their availability too.... therefore it doesn't seem solvable....

The only possibility i see, is in focusing not so much on curing and dealing but rather in prophylactic acting and behaviour. avoiding possible hazards, avoiding contaminated water/food etc.. leading ppl to a more cautious approach to play the game eventually

Edited January 22, 2013 by joe_mcentire

[applejaxc 2500]

Give me some penicillin and I'm good (shows about how much I know about medicine)

What sucks is that penicillin is the only thing I'm allergic to. XD

[Zombiesaurus 10]

I want insanity, or some sort of hallucination, so people see things which aren't there...

[Zombiesaurus 10]

I want insanity, or some sort of hallucination, so people see things which aren't there...

To be more precise, terrifying abominations appearing in the distance, stalking you.this could be caused by not sleeping, low humanity (guilt) or eating human flesh, a feature I would like incorporated...after a while your maniacal eerie laughter will attract zeds, players etc, or screams...drugs could solve this..

[Zombiesaurus 10]

Oh and hay fever tablets, I can't go outside without them...

[OrLoK 16185]

Chap, try not to resurrect dead threads.

L

[TIC 1050]

Chap, try not to resurrect dead threads.

L

A lock would be great for those old threads ;)

[OrLoK 16185]

one doesn't dare lock a rocket thread. just let it drift to the sediment at the bottom.

[mr_chabowski@live.co.uk 2416]

just let it drift to the sediment at the bottom.

Necro-threads are starting to snowglobe recently.

[applejaxc 2500]

I want insanity, or some sort of hallucination, so people see things which aren't there...

I'd use that as an excuse to murder everyone.

[OrLoK 16185]

right. temp locking for the moment.