Standalone - Guns as melee weapons once you run out of ammo

[guyver1 70]

It seems 'authentic' enough to me that once you run out of ammo for a weapon that you can swing it around, grab it by the barrel and use it as a melee weapon just like the hatchet.

Conditions/caveats:

1. You cannot kill an opponent (either zombie or other survivor) with a melee rifle, only knock them out (maybe 20 seconds, open to suggestions there) to give you enough time to run away and get some distance.

EDIT:

Ideally you do not want the knockout timer to be too long, this would then require some thought on the players part. Eg. You dont knock a player out on the middle of a large field with no immediate cover or escape paths as they could simply recover, pull out a gun and shoot you.

Additionally with zombies, a zombie you knock out with a melee rifle would increase dramatically its aggression towards you and not be so stupid as to lose you behind a bush. It would temporarily increase in sight and hearing abilities and be able to track you better and faster.

Again this is to introduce at least 'some' fore-thought before you just go melee happy on everything in sight

2. the longer the gun, the longer the reach in your swing and the greater your AoE (but it can only strike 1 opponent during any one swing)

3. You would not be allowed to do this if you have any ammo for that weapon at all in either your inventory or backpack.

Optional:

4. you can not use a primary rifle as a melee weapon if you still have ammo for your pistol.

Its one of the things I find most 'out of place' for an 'anti-game' trying to be a simulation is that i cant batter zombies with my rifle if i run out of ammo. (Yes I realise I can drop the rifle and use the hatchet, but thats not very realistic, in real life I would just sling my rifle, and use the hatchet, but the game doesnt allow that, plus i do not want to drop the rifle, as i still want to keep it and find more ammo for it)

Edited January 24, 2013 by Guyver1

[Very Ape 748]

At the very least, give us the option to shove zombies and players onto the ground or away from us.

Edited January 24, 2013 by Very Ape

[haywardgb 129]

Or kick em' in the balls and run!

[-Gews- 7443]

Maybe something like a 25% chance of shoving them onto the ground, where you can then knock them out with repeated strikes. And then take their gun and give a coup de grace.

[guyver1 70]

edited first post and added some additional comments

[Dabaroony 86]

It would be a bad idea to swing a gun around like a club IRL. Maybe a rifle-butt/pistol-whip button.

Also, getting hit with a rifle would totally fucking kill you.

[wolfstriked 143]

There will be a ton of melee weapons.I say if you need to melee due to lack of ammo or stealth that a semi slow animation of switching to your melee weapon would be great....and to offset this all rifles in game can have bayonets rigged onto them for faster melee attacks without the changing weapons animation.Should be weaker and require headshots!!!

[guyver1 70]

This suggestion would all be moot and pointless if you could simply sling your primary weapon over your shoulder and use the hatchet as a 'tertiary' weapon.

Its VERY annoying that the hatchet is classed as a primary weapon and as toolbelt utility.

If it actually was a 'weapon' then you could simply treat it as a backpack item and swap them between your backpack as you can do now with 2 primary weapons.

[sausagekingofchicago 4711]

Beans but I think we should be able to butt zombies or players even if we have ammo. I know you're talking about swinging the weapon like a bat/hatchet but butting would make more sense. A slight suggestion, knock outs only happen if you nail your target in the head, otherwise they just get knocked down. I think only stock/weapon breakage would make your idea any better. :)

[Clumzy (DayZ) 377]

Beans but I think we should be able to butt zombies or players even if we have ammo. I know you're talking about swinging the weapon like a bat/hatchet but butting would make more sense. A slight suggestion, knock outs only happen if you nail your target in the head, otherwise they just get knocked down. I think only stock/weapon breakage would make your idea any better. :)

Also, a wood or steel rifle butt totally has the potential to kill.

[fletchernut 29]

I've thought about this before, and it'd fuck up some CQC situations. If another player is down a hall with a Lee Enfield, and gets a shot on your stomach, yet you still kill him with your makarov because you manage to hit him with it... Would be a pretty annoying death. The feeling in which you died and you feel there was nothing you can do about it pisses the player of immensely.

[guyver1 70]

Some interesting thoughts and replies in my reddit on this - http://www.reddit.com/r/dayz/comments/177fsa/standalone_suggestion_guns_as_melee_weapons_when/

[guyver1 70]

Beans but I think we should be able to butt zombies or players even if we have ammo. I know you're talking about swinging the weapon like a bat/hatchet but butting would make more sense. A slight suggestion, knock outs only happen if you nail your target in the head, otherwise they just get knocked down. I think only stock/weapon breakage would make your idea any better. :)

Beginning to agree with this side of the argument actually about using the butt of the weapon rather than a full out golf swing.

Like the idea of only getting a knockout cold count if you score a direct headshot (possibly from directly behind only?)

Edited January 25, 2013 by Guyver1

[slivniku@gmail.com 93]

Beans but I think we should be able to butt zombies or players even if we have ammo. I know you're talking about swinging the weapon like a bat/hatchet but butting would make more sense. A slight suggestion, knock outs only happen if you nail your target in the head, otherwise they just get knocked down. I think only stock/weapon breakage would make your idea any better. :)

all of this + you can kill a person or zombie, but only by hitting it in the head 3-5 times...

good idea btw