DayZ Developer Blog 8th March

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

In my opinion the main Idea would be to form a group in wich every character will have a role (medic, engeneer, sniper, scout etc.) it shouldn't be big, but the cooperation would be built on unique abilities of each member of the group which will help to survive the whole group. Like in DnD.

People should be able to choose those roles if they want (my group already do) but not by having some in game mechanics tailoring the gameplay. If someone's a good sniper then they can fulfill that roll. The game already caters to that without any gimmicks.

[Embroil 27]

People should be able to choose those roles if they want (my group already do) but not by having some in game mechanics tailoring the gameplay. If someone's a good sniper then they can fulfill that roll. The game already caters to that without any gimmicks.

Yeah that's what I mean. Everyone survives in their own way, but it becomes much simplier when you're not doing it alone.

[mr_chabowski@live.co.uk 2416]

I don't think grouping can be "forced" onto players, only encouraged.

Putting folks in a situation where working together would be beneficial doesn't necessarily mean they're going to cooperate, but it gives them the opportunity.

Like everything in DayZ, individuals should decide on their actions without forceful game mechanics or restrictions.

I wouldn't like to see any changes made with the intention of balance or direction regarding player behaviour.

As Fraggle pointed out, we have freedom of choice.

The best way to improve upon what we have is with greater variety and less predictability.

The more difficult the challenges we face, the more likely we are to seek help.

Edited March 11, 2013 by Chabowski

[Private Evans 1303]

People should be able to choose those roles if they want (my group already do) but not by having some in game mechanics tailoring the gameplay. If someone's a good sniper then they can fulfill that roll. The game already caters to that without any gimmicks.

...let me fly the helicopter and I kill the whole squad but I don't need a map or compass to find my way...

[Embroil 27]

...let me fly the helicopter and I kill the whole squad but I don't need a map or compass to find my way...

Good for you.

[Charb 297]

Rocket said in the video that they spawn 3000 zeds atm and that they will most likely be able to spawn more in the future, so who knows maybe we will see something between 5 and 7 thousand. Beside this not every place has to be swarmed by zombies, this would be really boring ( one point I never liked in the mod).. Sometimes it is much more scary to find a completely abandonned place..no zeds,..no sound..being scared by your own shadow :). Last but not least we should keep in mind that the zed population on the map will be more dynamic...empty villages could be swarmed by zeds some time later etc.

what do you mean swarmed? I'm just talking about basic numbers. If the server spawns zombies at every location upon server start. this 4k number is really QUITE easy to achieve. I'm not even trying to suggest they are "boosting" zombie numbers. I'm just saying you can easily achieve this number with our current settings.

Go to a server with 0 people and go to... say zelenegorks and run thru it, and watch the zombie spawned counter... you'd pull... easily what... 150+ from that one town... lopatino...nothing to loot there... easily 70 or so... I'm not talking about swarms just the fact if zombies are always spawned regardless of player vicinity (which has been stated...) we can achieve this 4k number...

I understand what you are saying, nice to find a park bench by a pond or other neat places abandoned. but seeing as how all buildings in towns will be enterable...

I'm just trying to show that anyone that hears the number 4,000 zombies and has their brain say eleventy-bajillion zombies isn't thinking straight... with our current spawn model. That's it.

[jk_scowling 44]

What is it with people demanding professional videos? Isnt the whole point of a dev blog to give us a snippet of what the guys are doing? Why would you bother creating a cinematic masterpiece when all you are doing is showing people where you are in development and what you are doing?

You honestly can't please everyone can you?

Agreed, the video is fine. I'd rather have regular quickly produced videos that give a good amount of info like this.

[noblebrutus@live.co.uk 26]

Great update.

The new spawning and looting mechanics look fantastic and the new clothing system really looks good.

The hotkey bar worries me a little though.

Edited March 11, 2013 by NobleBrutus

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

So nobody wants to talk about how your character may suffer from long term effects such as bad diet ect.? For me this is a pretty massive step forward and I'm surprised no one's really brought it up yet.

[Cheese Grinder 91]

So nobody wants to talk about how your character may suffer from long term effects such as bad diet ect.? For me this is a pretty massive step forward and I'm surprised no one's really brought it up yet.

Good lord I don't want the game to become a chore. I understand that we need more realism, but no that much

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

Good lord I don't want the game to become a chore. I understand that we need more realism, but no that much

Agreed. I think it's all about balance. For me the more depth the better. It's worth remembering what made DayZ so popular to start with, and that's the fact it offered something different from any other game out there. To me it looks like they're sticking to their guns which can only be a good thing. DayZ was never meant to be a game of quick thrills, it's always been about rewarding tactful and patient players IMO.

Edited March 11, 2013 by Fraggle

[Embroil 27]

So nobody wants to talk about how your character may suffer from long term effects such as bad diet ect.? For me this is a pretty massive step forward and I'm surprised no one's really brought it up yet.

I've given it a lot of thought. The idea of putting this much realism in game is a good, the only question is how deep you want to go. For example if a person suffers from diarrhea he looses body fluids wich means he need more oral intake not only for compensating the loss, but also to fight the source of diarrhea (usually infection or poisoning) how to calculate that loss and intake, well good question.

Also a question of overall health and endurance comes to mind. If a person suffer from something he must be limited in his actions (less runing, bad aiming, blured vision, etc...), and there must be gradeing of theese action limits.

From a medical point of view apart from cholera there are more common diseases like pneumonia, meningitis, tetanus, simple viral and bacterial infections. I very much also hate it that a person is healed just by taking 1 tablet, applying 1 bandage. Nothing is healed at one time you need a therapy wich consists of taking up a dose for a period of time to make medicine work, and to change bandages, because the become bloodstained and dirty over time, until the wound heals.

[Private Evans 1303]

People still do not understand that this is a survival scenario which is far more than getting some cans of beans, some medical supplies and a big gun. Every minute should be a challenge ...no more sunny afternoon shoot outs on the NW airfield because there is nothing else to do....

[DemonGroover 8836]

I think diet should be a factor, i mean if all you eat are baked beans and drink Pepski you arent going to be feeling too well after a while.

[Bat (DayZ) 230]

Yeah 4000 zombies might be not THAT much, but do we really need more? I mean look at the first minutes of the video, cherno already looks crowded with zeds, and it is "only" 3000 zombies on the server... I mean those numbers are fine by me, and if the spawning is more dynamic with random hordes and zombies wandering all around the map then it will already be a massive change from the mod.

common sense tells me if they are more dangerous, less predictable, you don't necesseraily need a billion of them, and more is not always better IMO.

EDIT : Guys I just noticed something in the video, have a look at 5:12, you can see 2 dark shapes walking in the background, I wonder if they are players or zombies?

EDIT 2 : concerning the location, it's just north of vysota hill, the radio tower can be seen at the beginning just behind the first car rocket is looting.

Edited March 11, 2013 by Bat

[mzltv 2281]

In regards to the new dietry requirements, I'll hold back on judging it until I see exactly how it's going to be implemented.

It all comes down to how extensive and laborious a task it is to maintain it. I do agree with Grooverider though; considering some characters live 100 days+ on carbonated drinks and cold canned meals, it does make you wonder just how they have survived.

People still do not understand that this is a survival scenario which is far more than getting some cans of beans, some medical supplies and a big gun.

Whilst I do agree with you, Evans, I think bringing the level of realism up too much is going to deter a lot of players. This mod was first created with zombies being an additional threat to a survival simulator, but I think the whirlwind that is the DayZ hype has drawn away from that quite a lot, and left it being deemed a zompocalypse simulator as opposed to a strict survival simulator. It all comes down the aspirations of the Dev Team though, and how far they want to dive into survival realism, and what they feel is an optimal level of realism.

Otherwise, the whole arguement of 'realism' will only spiral until it's so realistic, it's like real life (except with a frame rate of 8 FPS)

Edited March 11, 2013 by mzltv

[Private Evans 1303]

The more complex and realistic the needs and threats are the more diversity we will get regarding long-term gameplay. Even if you are well geared there should always be something that you will need next very soon...specific antibiotics..batteries...new boots...vitamin pills etc. This again will force players to check specific and maybe dangerous locations more often or even to team up with other players.

[joe_mcentire 2073]

I think diet should be a factor, i mean if all you eat are baked beans and drink Pepski you arent going to be feeling too well after a while.

my first thought was, is an average dayz life long-lasting enough, so that would make sense? in my opinion no.

now we can also discuss the implementation of "drugs" like cigs and alcohol and their long-term effects?!

edit:

take a look here: http://dayzmod.com/f...val-in-general/

Edited March 11, 2013 by joe_mcentire

[mzltv 2281]

This again will force players to check specific and maybe dangerous locations more often or even to team up with other players.

I don't think it should be done in a way that will force everyone to play in groups though.. For the most of my DayZ experience, I've been a lone wolf. I, and I expect a load other people, would be furious if the gameplay was changed in such a way that survival was only possible through teamwork.

I'm quite keen to know how the progress (if any has been started) fairs in regards to the melee system. Will it be done by rewritting the code for combat to include a specific combat system for melee weapons, or will it just include various animations and a customised weapon, like we've seen in the mod?

[dgeesio 1034]

forcing is never a good idea .choices is what people want more of and this is what makes a game refreshing and keeps it interesting.

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

my first thought was, is an average dayz life long-lasting enough, so that would make sense? in my opinion no.

now we can also discuss the implementation of "drugs" like cigs and alcohol and their long-term effects?!

edit:

take a look here: http://dayzmod.com/f...val-in-general/

Is an average life long enough? Well, in the mod, possibly not although there are many people that survive for weeks by staying out of trouble but due to the lack of content in the mod that can be pretty boring. My hope (and I think the aim for the devs) is that in the SA there'll be so much more to do that if you are just a player that wants to avoid others and/or conflict there will be a lot more depth and things to keep it interesting for you.

In the mod, once you get the hang of the basics there really isn't much left for you to do apart from engaging other players, in the SA this will be a very different story (I hope).

[timedance 120]

Dear devs.:

can we expect rifle animation in standalone-release? (like etc. bolt-action, or reloading... or feeding ammo in...)

?

[Private Evans 1303]

If you are a lonsome wolf living in the woods infected with cholera and typhus you are forced to search hospitals or other medical facilities for antibiotics....or you have to get it somehow from other players....this is what I mean ...complex needs keep you busy, which will lead automatically to more social interactions because there is always a high chance to meet other players at specific locations. Since the zeds will be a much greater threat in the SA you will find yourself (even as a lone wolf) probably more often teaming up with some strangers to loot the next hospital or general store...no need for joining a clan or squad that means :)

In the mod you gear up and that's it. You could spend days and weeks in the woods without having to go into dangerous places.Fighting other players is the only thing left. This will change radically in the SA because of the complex needs. People will be subtle forced to spend their time with surviving instead of seraching only for vehicles and the next gun fight.

[Cheese Grinder 91]

If you are a lonsome wolf living in the woods infected with cholera and typhus you are forced to search hospitals or other medical facilities for antibiotics....or you have to get it somehow from other players....this is what I mean ...complex needs keep you busy, which will lead automatically to more social interactions because there is always a high chance to meet other players at specific locations. Since the zeds will be a much greater threat in the SA you will find yourself (even as a lone wolf) probably more often teaming up with some strangers to loot the next hospital or general store...no need for joining a clan or squad that means :)

In the mod you gear up and that's it. You could spend days and weeks in the woods without having to go into dangerous places.Fighting other players is the only thing left. This will change radically in the SA because of the complex needs. People will be subtle forced to spend their time with surviving instead of seraching only for vehicles and the next gun fight.

Not really, this will just give me more reasons to kill other survivors cause I can have their loot

[shadowjack 254]

So nobody wants to talk about how your character may suffer from long term effects such as bad diet ect.? For me this is a pretty massive step forward and I'm surprised no one's really brought it up yet.

a while back I had brought up the idea of the lazy sniper getting fat cuz all he does is drive to and from his favorite spot, lay on the ground and eat beans all day. It was quickly pointed out that no one lives long enough to get fat. But yeah my ears did perk up when i heard that.

I would not be against some benefit to the player who legs it everywhere instead of driving around all the time.