Character Origins (Roleplay mechanics)

[applejaxc 2500]

My name is Vladimir Pechov. I worked for the First Socialist Party for three years before an operation ran afoul. I was blacklisted. Stuffed in the back of a van and driven to the execution point, my once-friend criminal accomplices accompanied me through Chernogorsk.

Before I could be shot, however, we hit someone in the road. The van screeched to a halt. The driver got out to check if what we hit was alive. I heard the back door open (but saw nothing through the wool hood drawn over my face) and some odd noises. Lots of scraping, then screaming. It was Lenin, the one with the pistol. There was gunfire. What the fuck was going on? Then Putin and Michael started screaming. I was knocked down. The hood was torn from my face. There were four gray people, climbing into the van, eating my executioners.

Desperately, I took the pistol from the deceased Lenin and leapt from the van. I was chased all the way to Green Mountain.

-----

I was recently thinking about going back to play Mount and Blade: Warband, a pseudo strategy FPS war game type thing. Their character creation system is a series of questions:

Your gender

Your father's job was...

You grew up as a...

You went on to be a...

You are in the region of the game because...

http://mountandblade.wikia.com/wiki/Character_creation

These decisions define where you are/the start of the story/what you're good at/your background. It's a lot of fun to dick around with, but if you mess up, you wind up with a pretty useless medic or diplomat character.

I am NOT suggesting a skill-point based DayZ system. However, I would like to see the character selection better fleshed out than "What is your gender?"

[Blondedash 403]

I wouldn't mind it I want to feel for my character and want to survive.

[TIC 1050]

DayZ is simply about it being player driven and doing things on your own knowledge.

This eliminates several things like specialties, perks(not skill based) and so on.

DayZ sticks to the motto of you making your own story.

The only thing that's for the past is how the virus even happened in the first place with notes/evidence lying around.

[applejaxc 2500]

DayZ is simply about it being player driven and doing things on your own knowledge.

This eliminates several things like specialties, perks(not skill based) and so on.

DayZ sticks to the motto of you making your own story.

The only thing that's for the past is how the virus even happened in the first place with notes/evidence lying around.

I am not in support of specialities, perks, advantage and disadvantage choices of any kind. That would mess the game up too much. It's a roleplaying game, not an RPG.

[mr_chabowski@live.co.uk 2416]

It's a roleplaying game, not an RPG.

Wut?

I understand the urge to create a character you can relate to and become fond of, but the absolute freedom is what makes DayZ great.

Specifying a backstory and profession would only be adding restrictions.

[colekern 1364]

It's a roleplaying game, not an RPG.

That came out wrong.

[Blondedash 403]

. It's a roleplaying game, not an RPG.

arnt they the same thing.

[applejaxc 2500]

Wut?

I understand the urge to create a character you can relate to and become fond of, but the absolute freedom is what makes DayZ great.

Specifying a backstory and profession would only be adding restrictions.

You know what though? Everyone I meet, I'm going to be giving them some epic dialogue about why I'm in Cherno and how my little girl Clem is starving to death back at camp, and we've been on the run from a sociopathic murderer rapist for the last 2 years.

[Hetstaine 10852]

I like reading different ideas for backstories :)

Mine here.. BackStory

Edited April 11, 2013 by Hetstaine

[Blondedash 403]

I like ta back story someone wrote but I cant find that thread.

[TIC 1050]

I am not in support of specialities, perks, advantage and disadvantage choices of any kind. That would mess the game up too much. It's a roleplaying game, not an RPG.

I didn't say you did. Just said that's what it'd eliminate. Proofreading helps :)

TIC321 said:DayZ is simply about it being player driven and doing things on your own knowledge.

This eliminates "several things like specialties, perks(not skill based) and so on

Roleplaying game and RPG is the same thing. That's what the abbreviation stands for man :)

How about something like an ID card in your wallet. Not only does this eliminate player ID's hovering over characters in DayZ, it also adds realism to the fact that when you study a body, you can find the person's name, title(could be a past occupation) age(if possible to use for Standalone) and other details that could be present in an ID card.

Something like this perhaps ;) http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VnoqqRe9u3c/TVy1t3o9ZTI/AAAAAAAACcA/xPLBS_O3Za8/s1600/McLovin%2Bid.jpg

Edited April 11, 2013 by TIC321

[attorney1977 311]

Awesome story there Het - I like the epilogue at the end (revisiting the hangar).

[Hetstaine 10852]

Cheers man :)

[GOD™ 2795]

It's a roleplaying game, not an RPG.

[Tumoa 359]

roleplaying stands for taking role of the character and rpg is a game genre thats it

[Blondedash 403]

you made a fool of yourself in this thread a bit lol.

[Tumoa 359]

rpg simulates role playing exactly role playing because there is no character interaction with other players

[applejaxc 2500]

Roleplaying game and RPG is the same thing. That's what the abbreviation stands for man :)

It's like the difference between saying "Now this is a burger, but this is a burger!" with unrequired, over enthusiastic emphasis to say that "They're both burgers, but the one from so-and-so is ten times better."

I was trying to say that DayZ is a game in which you roleplay, but video games with with the title "RPG" actually have zero roleplaying aspects, other than leveling up and/or skill points/perks/feats/whatever. IE, Fallout; you decide what you want to be good at as a character, but the ending is always the same 3 choices.

[mr_chabowski@live.co.uk 2416]

The main defining feature of "playing a role" is that your character's skills limit what you can and can not do.

It's basically the antithesis of DayZ's free-for-all sandbox survival.

[roykingtree 125]

It's like the difference between saying "Now this is a burger, but this is a burger!" with unrequired, over enthusiastic emphasis to say that "They're both burgers, but the one from so-and-so is ten times better."

I was trying to say that DayZ is a game in which you roleplay, but video games with with the title "RPG" actually have zero roleplaying aspects, other than leveling up and/or skill points/perks/feats/whatever. IE, Fallout; you decide what you want to be good at as a character, but the ending is always the same 3 choices.

This is true and [with clarification] I now understand the OP. It's sort of like the term "MMO", if someone says "MMO" you're never gonna think of CoD, rather you're gonna think of WoW, Rift, etc...

[roykingtree 125]

but yea I personally wouldn't enjoy roles in DayZ

[applejaxc 2500]

This is true and [with clarification] I now understand the OP. It's sort of like the term "MMO", if someone says "MMO" you're never gonna think of CoD, rather you're gonna think of WoW, Rift, etc...

Thank you. I was trying to emulate the styles of writers before me, and apparently I don't have the tactfulness for it.

To quote one of my favorite SciFi author's books (Old Man's War by John Scalzi), it was a "Distinction without difference."

[narwaljunior 18]

And this is where the good ole "Time to Penis" comes into play.

Name: Barack Booty Blaster Obama

Age: 38

Backstory:

( \ )======D~~~~

[Pandema 352]

You know what though? Everyone I meet, I'm going to be giving them some epic dialogue about why I'm in Cherno and how my little girl Clem is starving to death back at camp, and we've been on the run from a sociopathic murderer rapist for the last 2 years.

Am I the only one who wants to see this? If I were running through the forests of Chernarus and suddenly, a voice from the trees began telling a tale of their lives (and if it was good) I would drop all the food in my pack purely because the fact someone put more thought then "Has food, want, pew pew." into the game would make me cry tears of joy.

[applejaxc 2500]

Am I the only one who wants to see this? If I were running through the forests of Chernarus and suddenly, a voice from the trees began telling a tale of their lives (and if it was good) I would drop all the food in my pack purely because the fact someone put more thought then "Has food, want, pew pew." into the game would make me cry tears of joy.

Oh my God... I have so much fun making friends in DayZ as if I was a real survivor.

You know what gets in the way though?

I'll get to the climax of the story, then say "Fuck there's a rabbit hide!" and dive behind cover.

Those furry baby-making bastards percolate and dance like crazy little monsters when you're outside of 30 meters. It's scary.