DayZ Devblog 15th February 2013

[Michaelvoodoo25 3120]

Players make this game, Not NPC's, they could take as long introducing this as they have since December.

good points SausageKingofChicago.

Edited February 18, 2013 by Michaelvoodoo25

[unclebully (DayZ) 26]

DayZ in it's most basic form is the pinnacle of questing.

Every session is a grind to hunt down and scavenge the things to survive or to make life more comfortable in this harsh but amazing environment.

There is no reason to add any other added questing options as this will only dilute the greatness that is DayZ.

p.s. I can no longer play any other game at all (In a good way), I mean DayZ has literally opened my eyes to the years of being treated like a controlled mind dead player in every game I played,

bar a few..

Hands down DayZ is the best gaming experience one will ever play in there life up till now. A game that runs on emotion and interaction is the key to success and DayZ has that in droves.

Edited February 18, 2013 by unclebully

[Mokretsy 15]

DayZ hipsters will remember that when DayZ came out, you consumed food and water while you were offline.

Oh, how I miss it. Recall that I used to moan like crazy under my desk at work, "I'm starving to death under a spruce up north and no one cares! You do not understand a damn thing, your callous fools!" I got no sympathy what so ever.

I still hate my former colleagues, sincerely.

[Zeppa 562]

NPC conversation...

Take a few friend gear up and go in to cherno etc in to some house, give people quests if you like... ask them to bring can of beans and give them back a hat.

Ofc there will be people that try to fuk up these kind of things but its dayz.. Post a forum when your PPC is up somewhere, people will ask you what you need. Also you could be "dealer", someone asks you to get something and you can get the stuff for the one guy through another guy thats willing to trade it to something else.

No for the NPC

No for the Quests controlled by the game

No no no no no no no no..

[Bat (DayZ) 230]

NPC conversation...

Take a few friend gear up and go in to cherno etc in to some house, give people quests if you like... ask them to bring can of beans and give them back a hat.

Yep me and my friend did that, I was named "NPC quest giver" and he was "NPC guard" and we just stood in the red house in Kamenka, giving quests and proposing to trade items like tools and ammo.

And believe it or not but most of the time it was going well and people played the game and tried to bring us what we asked for.

It's really fun if you're not afraid to die from bandits (my friend always had a akm aimed at the guy's head in case he tried something funny).

[Serious Stan 202]

Wonder if my post will be deleted or if you are all mad.

All i see i bla bla bla.... blablabla....

Do you ever wonder why sometimes your hunger settles while making dinner?

[codestargod 102]

I don't mind quests as long as they are built in organically. For example, going into a house and finding a letter saying 'I buried blah blah in such and such place'.

A scratched out note on a desk could read: "...dropped an heirloom 19th century side-by-side after being chased in the woods crawling with walkers. Willing to give food if you could find it. NPC is spawned only after the player chooses to take the mission, and walks off after a set time is elapsed.

There are so many things that we will miss out on if we could not have this feature.

These do not have to be the main feature of the game, and the player will have the option of not taking it up. That way everyone is happy.

Edited February 18, 2013 by codestargod

[Private Evans 1303]

A scratched out note on a desk could read: "...dropped an heirloom 19th century side-by-side after being chased in the woods crawling with walkers. Willing to give food if you could find it. NPC is spawned only after the player chooses to take the mission, and walks off after a set time is elapsed.

There are so many things that we will miss out on if we could not have this feature.

These do not have to be the main feature of the game, and the player will have the option of not taking it up. That way everyone is happy.

nonononononononononono..and NO !!!

casual gameplay and gamemechanics will stopp people being creative and writing their own stories...and this is what this game is about...

[codestargod 102]

nonononononononononono..and NO !!!

Jeeezuz... get a grip, smallfry. You sound like a spoilt brat. It is entirely possible to have this feature embeeded and not spoil your fun. It does not need to be the primary feature of the game, only auxillary.

...by the way, I think this is what you actually meant to say:

casual gameplay and gamemechanics will stopp me from being creative and writing my own story...and this is what this game is about...

But if you think about it, there are plenty of ways for creativity to be nurtured here... There are lots of opportunities for writers to write scenarios and quests that will only serve to enhance the game for those who would like this.

With the right built in mechanic, it would be entirely possible for these beautifully written scenarios/stories to be incorporated into the game dynamically. Overall, it could give the game a more organic feel to it.

Also, the idea that this will stifle creativity is absolute nonsense and totally unjustifiable. If you don't want to take up a side mission, then so be it. Move along and write in your log book that you came across this note etched somewhere, but decided not to investigate further. Now you've got several directions to which things could have gone down. Several ways your story could have ended... who knows what could have happened if you made the other choice. There's you story.

Further to this, from an economic stand-point, it makes sense perfect sense as you would cover be catering to an entire spectrum of gamers. It's a win-win choice if you ask me.

Edited February 18, 2013 by codestargod

[joe_mcentire 2074]

i don't know but i got this idea of content unlocked by the players themselves.

So therefore ppl will have the chance to unlock their own "quests" with no use of NPCs

[Private Evans 1303]

From an economic stand-point, it makes sense, as you would cover the entire spectrum of gamers. It's a win-win if you ask me.

This is exactly why we get all this EA, Treyarch and Ubisoft console games crap only...making everything casual so that everybody is happy...killing good games as Splinter cell or Dead Space etc etc...npc's....quests..skilltress..autohealth...bullet time...script events...kill cam...ingame shops...where do you draw the line ??? This game is different and it should stay different...people who don't like it this way are free to play something else....

I forgot..the minimap..and questmarker..sorry

Edited February 18, 2013 by Private Evans

[codestargod 102]

This is exactly why we get all this EA, Treyarch and Ubisoft...

Stop being so overly melodramatic, man. Christ! DayZ will not be another EA game. There are enough fans to ensure this does not happen.

However, with opinions such as yours, there is a clear and present danger of the developers "throwing the baby out with the bath water" as the saying goes. What we should be striving for is incorporating all the good features that even bad games might have.

...and who the hell said anything about ingame shops???

Edited February 18, 2013 by codestargod

[codestargod 102]

i don't know but i got this idea of content unlocked by the players themselves.

So therefore ppl will have the chance to unlock their own "quests" with no use of NPCs

Similar to what I have in mind, but the integral piece of the unlocking feature is the NPC. The player locates the key by discovering the message/clue/hint. This spawns the NPC character and the "easter-egg" hunt begins. Although other players will be able to interact with it, they will not have sufficient information to complete the quest as they are missing the initial key. After a timeout, the NPC spawns out.

Edited February 18, 2013 by codestargod

[amradude 289]

Yeah, I don't think there should be any forms of NPC in this game, that's what makes Day-Z so special IMO.

I think some people are to used to the MMO style of games, NPCs giving out quests/side missions is such a uncreative idea.It's been done forever in games and I'm really glad Team Rocket isn't going in that direction.

Edited February 18, 2013 by SuperJesusDude

[Private Evans 1303]

Similar to wait I have in mind, but the integral peace of the unlocking feature is the NPC. The player locates the key by discovering the message/clue/hint. This spawns the NPC character and the "easter-egg" hunt begins. Although other players will be able to interact with it, they will not have sufficient information to complete the quest as they are missing the initial key. After a timeout, the NPC spawns out.

do you even have a clue what this would mean technically ??

npc's need a proper AI ( as someone else stated before they have removed the entire npc AI from the game engine)..npc's need proper anims , face expressions and voice acting....the quests will also need a lot of scripts running...you further need a questlog for the player to make sure you can not do the same quest again and again...btw we are not talking about one quest..we would need hundreds of them...I think the resources could be used better ....beside all other reasons...

.

Edited February 18, 2013 by Private Evans

[codestargod 102]

do you even have a clue what this would mean technically ??

how arrogant... 'course I do.

I also know that NPC's are not 'entirely being ruled out' so there is the possibility to keep that mechanism in tack, rather than gutting it like a fish.

Edited February 18, 2013 by codestargod

[Zarniwoop 1193]

I think Private Evans cold not put it any better.

And anyway why have quests given to you by the game? You make your own quests up as you go along!

What can be better than that?

And now I know you will say something like there is no end-game stuff. No there isn't, but think of Mount and Blade where you make up your own quests and strive for your own goals. (I know there are basic quests in it but they do not play a major role in the game)

I have played hundreds and hundreds of hours of Mount and Blade and still find interesting stuff to do about the world!

The Mod atm is a bit bare of content after you gear up. But IMHO the SA's goal is to elaborate on the base Mod mechanics by making it more complex and hard!

Regards :P

Edited February 18, 2013 by Zarniwoop

[Bat (DayZ) 230]

I'm against quests, but not against events that would occur from time to time like a plane crashing in the middle of chernarus, some notes in houses that would lead to procedurally generated content, some radio signal that would lead players to a shipwreck or a convoy or a chopper randomly placed in the world and the list goes on...

also those events could concern the scientific lore of the virus, allowing players to explore underground labs, military convoys with scientific zeds that would loot notes and stuff related to the origins of the infection and such.

[willey.erd@oundleschool.org.uk 506]

I'm against quests, but not against events that would occur from time to time like a plane crashing in the middle of chernarus, some notes in houses that would lead to procedurally generated content, some radio signal that would lead players to a shipwreck or a convoy or a chopper randomly placed in the world and the list goes on...

also those events could concern the scientific lore of the virus, allowing players to explore underground labs, military convoys with scientific zeds that would loot notes and stuff related to the origins of the infection and such.

The numbers stations could make a comeback (check out the urban legend thread and find out if you don't know what this is).

[twinturbonet (DayZ) 294]

I say we all go play WarZ. <--- Epic trolling. lol

[codestargod 102]

I think Private Evans cold not put it any better.

And anyway why have quests given to you by the game? You make your own quests up as you go along!

What can be better than that?

And now I know you will say something like there is no end-game stuff. No there isn't, but think of Mount and Blade where you make up your own quests and strive for your own goals. (I know there are basic quests in it but they do not play a major role in the game)

I have played hundreds and hundreds of hours of Mount and Blade and still find interesting stuff to do about the world!

The Mod atm is a bit bare of content after you gear up. But IMHO the SA's goal is to elaborate on the base Mod mechanics by making it more complex and hard!

Regards :P

Sigh... I am wasting my time. It's like going around in circles. Just read my previous posts. The idea of 100% player dependent game play is a bad idea in the history or bad ideas. It will only work in the most ideal of situations where all players share the same ethos and agree to maintain this ethos indefinitely. Sure, this may work initially when the game still enjoys a certain degree of novelty, but what will you do when an integral segment or user cooperation breaks down as players find new interest.

We all know how fickle gamers can be. Why on earth would you risk the success of a game on something as unpredictable as user involvement?

Player involvement oscillates between peaks and troughs like the stock market. And even within those cycles, you have certain periods where different player ethos' assert themselves. Having a non-player dependent mechanic will at least help to maintain a viable number of users logged on sharing the same ethos in completing quests, until the next major peak comes around again.

Edited February 18, 2013 by codestargod

[willey.erd@oundleschool.org.uk 506]

I say we all go play WarZ. <--- Epic trolling. lol

[willey.erd@oundleschool.org.uk 506]

Sigh... I am wasting my time. It's like going around in circles. Just read my previous posts. The idea of 100% player dependent gameplay is a bad idea in the history or bad ideas. It will only work in the most ideal of situations where all players share the same ethos and are willing to cooperate to maintain that ethos. Sure, this may work initially when the game still enjoys its novelty, but what will you do when an integral segment or user cooperation breaks down as players find new interest.

All you will have then is a shell of a game. But have it your way.

The 'shell' idea you speak of is exactly what Rocket has been aiming for this whole time: he wants a platform for PLAYERS to create their own stories, and to see the effects of the situation on human beings. Now, this experiment is never going to be perfect, because this is a game, you have the veil of anonymity, yada yada yada, but many of the reasons people just KOS and such ATM are inherent problems with the mod. Until SA is released, we will never know, but if survival and the zombies are given a huge buff then it will force players together.. or apart as the case may be. I'm sorry but having NPC's is a slippery slope towards bad things IMO.

[Zarniwoop 1193]

Sigh... I am wasting my time. It's like going around in circles. Just read my previous posts. The idea of 100% player dependent game play is a bad idea in the history or bad ideas. It will only work in the most ideal of situations where all players share the same ethos and agree to maintain this ethos indefinitely. Sure, this may work initially when the game still enjoys a certain degree of novelty, but what will you do when an integral segment or user cooperation breaks down as players find new interest.

We all know how fickle gamers can be. Why on earth would you risk the success of a game on something as unpredictable as user involvement?

Player involvement oscillates between peaks and troughs like the stock market. And even within those cycles, you have certain periods where different player ethos' assert themselves. Having a non-player dependent mechanic will at least help to maintain a viable number of users logged on, sharing the same ethos in completing quests until the next peak comes around again.

Dissagree completely. Look at the mod even with its problems there are so many players online every day even nearly a year later! So many community maps and new players all the time.

I have been playing this game since May last year an still play it on the off chance with a good group of friends as do many others.

I dont think a whole community can just die like you say becase of the lack of things to do.

And anyway quests are too mainstream! *insert meme here* :P

Edited February 18, 2013 by Zarniwoop

[twinturbonet (DayZ) 294]

Sigh... I am wasting my time. It's like going around in circles. Just read my previous posts. The idea of 100% player dependent game play is a bad idea in the history or bad ideas. It will only work in the most ideal of situations where all players share the same ethos and agree to maintain this ethos indefinitely. Sure, this may work initially when the game still enjoys a certain degree of novelty, but what will you do when an integral segment or user cooperation breaks down as players find new interest.

We all know how fickle gamers can be. Why on earth would you risk the success of a game on something as unpredictable as user involvement?

Player involvement oscillates between peaks and troughs like the stock market. And even within those cycles, you have certain periods where different player ethos' assert themselves. Having a non-player dependent mechanic will at least help to maintain a viable number of users logged on, sharing the same ethos in completing quests until the next peak comes around again.

I'm sure at the beginning of the game they will sorely focus on a 100% player dependent game (like the mod), and they might even keep it this way forever. However, you never know... they might add in-game content later if people are getting bored.

I personally think that they will add updates to the game that will keep everyone on their toes for a while without needing quests or NPC driven tasks.