Get Rid of Player Count

[Clumzy (DayZ) 377]

So, I had this idea, and I thought it may change the way people play on DayZ. What if there was no information that told you how many players are in a server? It would mean that no one could carelessly stroll into the airfields, knowing that there are 0 players in the lobby. It would mean that every time a player goes in to scavenge, there is an uncertainty that the player could encounter a large group of bandits, or nobody. There may be some problems out there, and I've thought of some, and ways to combat them.

Looking for someone in a server

So, what if you want to see who is in a server? You could just count the player names in the list and you would have an advantage. I think the solution to this would be a search function, so you can look up that player's name specifically.

Computer Specs

Having more people in a server causes decreases in performance. Hopefully this will be improved upon in the standalone, but if it is not improved enough, then there could be some sort of compatibility rating for a server and your pc. Not just regarding player count, but max limit of players, ping, whatever.

I think one of the best parts of this game is the suspense of not knowing. So, I think this suggestion would make the experience even more intense. Please feel free to share your thoughts!

[pr3llox 63]

DUDE!!!! I fucking love this idea!...

but i see some problems with this like "what if the server is constantly empty?"...

This brings some problems up tough but can definitely get sorted out..

I would love to see this in the SA

Edited January 21, 2013 by KC Pr3lLoX

[Testwd3r235 2810]

This + removing name tags when you look at people, gives snipers away far to easy.

[pr3llox 63]

This + removing name tags when you look at people, gives snipers away far to easy.

while your at it... add wind and height adjustments to the sniper rifles too..

Try to hit me now cod whore!

[sheepdawg 278]

I kinda like the idea. I assume DZ:SA will be on Steam,(may have read that somewhere but not sure) so if you have friends you can probably just join that way. Personally not knowing who or what is in the server is kinda cool. I'm pretty positive Rocket and co want to minimize or eliminate the HUD which is also a good idea IMO.

Personally I think he should just go all out. Get rid of 3rd person, eliminate most(if not all) HUD. Inventory is fine as a menu because well if you had a backpack or something on the ground you can see it so its obviously there. I don't know how many liters/pints of blood I have in my body(well the avg for humans is about 10.5pints/5 liters) so i don't really want a health icon blinking when I'm low. Passing out/blurred vision/speed decrease will do just fine. Sickness/disease can also be represented without using an icon.

Sight/sound too sholdnt be an issue. If the in game sound is up to par, it should be pretty obvious that you are move visible/audible running in a street, as opposed to crawling at night next to a fence in the grass.

I hope he goes more hardcore with the standalone TBH> From day one he said DayZ was a game for people with the stones to play it. As it progressed however I personally feel he may have veered(but not far) of course. He needs to take back the mentality of "My way or the highway" IMO. I just hope he wants to make it a super hardcore survival game.

[Clumzy (DayZ) 377]

but i see some problems with this like "what if the server is constantly empty?"...

Well, that's a good point. However, I think a lot of players may choose not to join a server because it is empty. So by not knowing, this may change the way a person chooses servers. Maybe a 'find best server' function that will help distribute players more evenly.

Sheepdawg, I agree with you on all of those points, Especially 3rd person. People may defend it zealously, but I think that the main reason everyone camps on roofs and snipes bambis is because they can use 3rd person as a periscope. I was once playing with a friend, and he was stuck on a floor below a cherno rooftop sniper, and the sniper was stuck on the top floor. I went to distract him, but got shot. Without 3rd person, the event wouldn't have just been some drawn-out campfest, but maybe an actual intense battle.

[King Tubbs 224]

i don't like the idea if someone want to play on an empty let them

i like to play servers with 15/25 players if feels more like a apocalypse less than 10 is too empty and more than 30 turns in to a death-match around the city's but with 15/25 you never know what will happen

[sheepdawg 278]

...

Sheepdawg, I agree with you on all of those points, Especially 3rd person.

Yea. I'm not going to sit here and say "ZOMG I have never used 3rd person", we all have done it at least once. Sure it's great to stop yourself from falling into a trap, or vice versa. However it really REALLY ruins the immersion, and that's what I thought this was originally intended to be. I get why 3rdP is in it, because of Arma2 but as its own Standalone I really hope there's more of a bias against using 3rdP. Nothing is more lame than some hilltop sniper using 3rd Person, double tapping -(numpad) and just spinning in circles looking for people to shoot.

Sure its easier to land a chopper etc in 3rd person, but come on...as I(and Rocket) have said. This game is meant to be real, scary, and above all, emotional. The best stories I read on these forums aren't "LOL 3rdP sniping bambis for 3 hours. lol ysosrs?" Hell the brief version of my fav Dayz Mem was playing at night, using flares, seeing someone in the distance using flares creeping up to ambush me, only to go past me while I threw flares at them to expose them in a field. Then a van drove by beeping. That shit is fun...and more realistic, and I still want to talk about and experience it to this day.

[joeyslucky22 638]

I had thought about this as well.

Not knowing the server population will keep all players in a perpetual state of paranoia. I play extremely differently knowing the amount of players in a server. My friends and I found a server that's almost always completely empty, and we find ourselves constantly checking the player list (just because we can). TBH, I'd rather not have that ability and never really know how many people to be cautious of.

I'm all for this.

[Quartermaine 34]

DUDE!!!! I fucking love this idea!...

but i see some problems with this like "what if the server is constantly empty?"...

How about changing "32/50 players" to simply "Players" or "No Players", lets you know that there are people there, but not how many, i.e. there could be 2 or 48.

[joeyslucky22 638]

How about changing "32/50 players" to simply "Players" or "No Players", lets you know that there are people there, but not how many, i.e. there could be 2 or 48.

I can dig it.

[Feral (DayZ) 622]

why not show an average user count for the last 7 days, so at least you can avoid dead servers.

Edited January 21, 2013 by wabbit

[Clumzy (DayZ) 377]

How about changing "32/50 players" to simply "Players" or "No Players", lets you know that there are people there, but not how many, i.e. there could be 2 or 48.

That's not a bad idea, although that would only work for people who aren't looking for empty servers. Anyone wanting to walk around without fear would choose the "No Players" servers. I guess that would put that server into the "Players" category, thought, which might cause some people to join without the original person knowing if there was no player list in-game either(hopefully).

I like it, you'll never truly know if you're completely safe while playing.

[beastoverlord 574]

This would stop hackers from killing all of the populated servers too.

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

Genius I would still stroll around with my axe as usual, player count cant hold me down.

[harley001 315]

Ehhh. I hate to say it but there are more empty or near empty servers then populated ones.

[Clumzy (DayZ) 377]

Ehhh. I hate to say it but there are more empty or near empty servers then populated ones.

Like I said, we could try to distribute the players with a "Find Optimal Server" function, or something. The real solution, of course, would just be to have less servers.

[DemonGroover 8836]

How about a compromise - the list doesn't tell you how many people but lets you know the density.

So anything above 35/50 is high, between 15-35 medium and less that 15 is low.

That way you might decide to go on a Low server thinking you could get some easy loot but in reality there could be between 0-15 players - enough doubt to keep you on your toes.

[sheepdawg 278]

How about a compromise - the list doesn't tell you how many people but lets you know the density.

So anything above 35/50 is high, between 15-35 medium and less that 15 is low.

That way you might decide to go on a Low server thinking you could get some easy loot but in reality there could be between 0-15 players - enough doubt to keep you on your toes.

Now we can make use of icon colors in the server browser. Currently high pop(or high avg. pop) is Green, Medium is Yellow and, Graveyard'd servers(I see what I did there) are Red.

Something like that. Something, anything that doesn't say "Hey I am full and you will most likely lose your 39 day char" or "Hey I'm so dead you could run butt naked through Cherno to Elektro"

Maybe this would discourage randoms from renting servers. Sure I don't want a lack of servers, but there are sooooooooooooo many useless servers being rented ATM. TBH DayZ is a game I wouldn't mind the Devs/Publisher hosting and patrolling(so long as they admins/etc are super active).

Darwinism at it's finest. Let the strong survive and the shiittys die out. I have no gripes with that.

Edited January 22, 2013 by Sheepdawg

[Clumzy (DayZ) 377]

The icons and low/medium/high descriptions sound pretty good to me, that would give you a little bit of choice, and benefit people with low-end pcs, but still keep the mystery.

[Quartermaine 34]

How about a compromise - the list doesn't tell you how many people but lets you know the density.

So anything above 35/50 is high, between 15-35 medium and less that 15 is low.

That way you might decide to go on a Low server thinking you could get some easy loot but in reality there could be between 0-15 players - enough doubt to keep you on your toes.

This is a good extension, especially if players want to join as a group (which may be hard with my method).

[dragonkatol 135]

This is one of those suggestions that you'll say in your head "Why the hell i didn't thought of that?". It's simple but it adds alot. I love it! Anyway, It'll be better if Demongroover's idea of Low/medium/high will slightly still affect your gamestyle based on it. Why not remove the medium and let it be just Low 0-25 and High 26-50+. It still enough for those low end pc's but doesn't compromise the mystery factor.

[ImageCtrl 719]

low/medium/high ... don't like this idea. We want compare stats in a fair way.

What if there was no information that told you how many players are in a server?

No info needed.

I thought many times the same.

Bonus for all players is the scary factor is always ON.

[hoik 415]

This is one of those suggestions that you'll say in your head "Why the hell i didn't thought of that?". It's simple but it adds alot. I love it!

I concur! Good idea. My 2 cents - what if you could simpy choose server attributes, like pop-density (high/med/low), maximum ping, etc. rather than looking through a server list, and then you are automatically connected to whichever server suits your needs? It'ed be mighty user friendly...

Edited January 22, 2013 by Hoik

[Clumzy (DayZ) 377]

I concur! Good idea. My 2 cents - what if you could simpy choose server attributes, like pop-density (high/med/low), maximum ping, etc. rather than looking through a server list, and then you are automatically connected to whichever server suits your needs? It'ed be mighty user friendly...

I think that finding a DayZ server could be streamlined, so I support anything that makes the process a bit better.