Class Warfare (A Case For Classes)

[savini 587]

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, or Good Evening.

As an avid player of the ArmA series there was always one thing that bothered me. No matter what "class" you choose, everyone and their grandmother can hop into a chopper and take off. DayZ is no exception. DayZ would be (in my opinion) a game in which a class system would be most relevant.

First and Foremost:

I am not talking an 'RPG' style class system. No matter what class you choose, your skills or level would never change. Everything would be constant.

I'm talking "Job Title" sort of thing. Where you would choose a "profession" that you had before the outbreak selectable at spawn.

Exhibit A: The Pilot

You decide to choose "pilot". Before the outbreak you were a pilot for the local news station. Covering all the high speed chases from Chernagorsk to Elektrozavodsk. Now that the outbreak is a full on epidemic your skills have made you an asset to any group.

So. You're background as a pilot makes it so that only you (and fellow pilots) are able to fly. Say you come across a group of other survivors you could yell to them that you are a pilot. Provided they don't already have a pilot they may be more hesitant to kill you outright.

Exhibit B: The Doctor

Perhaps you like to help people. A former surgeon before the outbreak, your skills in the new world are highly advantageous to any group.

When treating patients you are able to restore full health faster than the average person. This means less medical supplies are used. (The medic class in ArmA is already like this.)

Exhibit C: The List

Let's try to compile a list of useful professions shall we?

The Mechanic (For Repairs)

The Cook (For Food)

The Architecht (For Crafting?...is that going to be part of standalone?)

The Police Officer (Spawn with M9)

The Army Private (Spawn with Rifle)

Some more...

Exhibit D: The Lore

When I was a kid my dad would usually be watching some shitty horror movie. So I grew up with a lot of zombie films playing while I sat with my GI Joes.

One of the aspects of those films I personally enjoy is watching how the characters interact. Usually you have a couple of survivors that meet up or happen across others. There is always a bit of tension while the characters try to figure out eachothers intentions. Sometimes you have to be able to offer something in exchange for your own life.

Example: Day of the Dead

One of my favorites (and the premise for my name). In it there was a character named John. He was the only one able to pilot the helicopter outside. In one scene Cpt. Rhodes kills a scientist to get the pilot to fly them out of there.

In DayZ that conversation would never happen on account of everyone being able to fly.

End

We can make all sorts of classes that make it more advantageous to anyone or any group. This would help with the "kill on sight" attitude most people have. Though it's fine if you want to play like that. This would be good for players looking to band together with others more easily.

I now leave it up to you, the jury, to help or critique the case I have laid before you.

Cheers.

[dulix11 731]

I liked what they did with The Last Stand Union City where you got a form to fill out at the beginning of the game asking what you did before the apocalypse...

But I don't like the idea of started with something because you chose that profession, everyone will just choose to spawn as an army private.

[simfreek@hotmail.com 48]

As to skills, rocket has said that you will be able to progress in skills, ie mechanic, doctor. The more you use the skill the faster you will be able to fix/bandage things up.

As for classes... I don't know, realy right now, the game is limited to what you can do in real life. Can you navigate across the land with only a map at hand with out the waypoint system? I can, but I know how to do it. This game favors those who bring real life experience into the game. If I can't do something, it is iether I don't know how to do it yet, or the game dosn't allow it. I am not limited to not doing something becuase my class dosn't allow it.

An example would be when I first started flying helicopters. My first take off was excelent, I got off the ground. I pressed forward and did a nose dive right into the ground. Okay... I leanred something. Second time I did do that, I instead pressed forward but pressed back to level off, and hit the ground with the tail. Okay I leanred something again. Now, I fly well enough that landing a huey on a hospital roof is childs play.

I don't think a class system is needed. As most people would choose iether a police offier for the gun, but of this group most would go to the soilder as many players are into PvP and need all the advantage they can get.

You have placed thought into this but I would have to disagree with its implimentation.

[enforcer1975 1111]

You should have played ArmA League...at least only pilots were allowed to fly air vehicles. As in classes like Theonis wrote everyone would just take the best class available ( ex über 1337 soldier ) to get all advantages which would be contraproductive for gameplay since it's not your standard pvp shoot everything on sight kind of game like every other non coop ArmA mission.

[DemonGroover 8836]

I think you would just get a whole lot of Army Privates spawning on the beach.

[rossums 2190]

I think you would just get a whole lot of Army Privates spawning on the beach.

Preeeeetty much this.

__

Also your example is incorrect.

Just because they are allowed to fly, doesn't mean they can fly - it's all down to how good you are as a player.

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

Preeeeetty much this.

__

Also your example is incorrect.

Just because they are allowed to fly, doesn't mean they can fly - it's all down to how good you are as a player.

That's a good point. Considering the SA may use the Heli flight models from TOH (a heli sim game by BIS) this may be the case even more so in the future. In TOH there's a short start-up routine for the heli's, it only takes 20 seconds or so once you've done it a few times but if it were introduced to the SA there's no way a noob could just jump into a heli first time and fly off into the sunset. Add to that wind/turbulance etc and you have something that requires skill to master, not a pretend in-game skill, but real genuine skill from the player.

[Element47 2481]

reading the topic i somehow expected tear gas and rocks being thrown. disappoint.

[rossums 2190]

That's a good point. Considering the SA may use the Heli flight models from TOH (a heli sim game by BIS) this may be the case even more so in the future. In TOH there's a short start-up routine for the heli's, it only takes 20 seconds or so once you've done it a few times but if it were introduced to the SA there's no way a noob could just jump into a heli first time and fly off into the sunset. Add to that wind/turbulance etc and you have something that requires skill to master, not a pretend in-game skill, but real genuine skill from the player.

Exactly, this is what I find more often than not.

If I'm with a bunch of players and we find a helicopter, maybe 1 of us can properly fly.

I can get it from point A to B but in between the two points it's all a bit... yeah - it's all a bit..risky... outwith some of the more minor maneuvers.

It should be all down to player skill, not artificial barriers.

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

Exactly, this is what I find more often than not.

If I'm with a bunch of players and we find a helicopter, maybe 1 of us can properly fly.

I can get it from point A to B but in between the two points it's all a bit... yeah - it's all a bit..risky... outwith some of the more minor maneuvers.

It should be all down to player skill, not artificial barriers.

Following on from that, in the SA an experienced medic will know all of the symptoms and how to treat the many (hopefully) different viruses/infections. It's looking like the disease mechanic could be fairly complex when introduced so a good medic will really have to know his/her stuff as well as be able to secure a steady supply of the many different meds which in itself could be a challenge. Again, all of that would rely on the skill/knowledge of the player.

[enforcer1975 1111]

Exactly, this is what I find more often than not.

If I'm with a bunch of players and we find a helicopter, maybe 1 of us can properly fly.

I can get it from point A to B but in between the two points it's all a bit... yeah - it's all a bit..risky... outwith some of the more minor maneuvers.

It should be all down to player skill, not artificial barriers.

Following on from that, in the SA an experienced medic will know all of the symptoms and how to treat the many (hopefully) different viruses/infections. It's looking like the disease mechanic could be fairly complex when introduced so a good medic will really have to know his/her stuff as well as be able to secure a steady supply of the many different meds which in itself could be a challenge. Again, all of that would rely on the skill/knowledge of the player.

I sure hope they add a wind system ( haven't read yet if one is going to be added ) so players also need skill for a shot beyond 300m because that's where the wind effects start to play a bigger role for 7.62 snipers in ACE. That will hopefully keep senseless long distance murder at bay if players are not already occupied enough with surviving the day due to hunger and illness.

[Chaingunfighter 917]

That's a good point. Considering the SA may use the Heli flight models from TOH (a heli sim game by BIS) this may be the case even more so in the future. In TOH there's a short start-up routine for the heli's, it only takes 20 seconds or so once you've done it a few times but if it were introduced to the SA there's no way a noob could just jump into a heli first time and fly off into the sunset. Add to that wind/turbulance etc and you have something that requires skill to master, not a pretend in-game skill, but real genuine skill from the player.

Yeah, it's quite disappointing how easy it is for new players to do anything.

I quite frankly want the SA to be a new experience for everyone, even the veterans should have a very hard time.

The new players should really learn the hard way not to do things that they don't really know how to in real life, I.E. the skills you know in real life should be your chance of survival in DayZ, not a magic-found ability to hit a target from 500 meters away or easily maneuver a chopper like how people walk in real life.

New players get it way too easy.

[slim_dusty 2]

If there are classes I would much rather classes were a random thing sort of a special spawn

Some classes might be

The Mechanic

Starting item - toolbox

Skill – full vehicle repair (all others can only reach yellow)

Medic

Starting item - watch

Skill – faster medical application (both self and others)

Hunter

Starting item – knife

Skill – one additional meat from animals

Army Private

Starting item – compass, map

Skill – longer sprint

Through actions players learn the skill of other classes

Repair – fix X amount of vehicles (10 wheels, 2 engine blocks, 5 scrap, 1 main rotor assembly)

Medical application – perform X amount of medical acts ( 20 bandage, 15 blood bags, 5 epi pen 5 morphine).

Additional meat – gut x number of animals (2 rabbits, 1 chicken, 3 goats, 3 pigs, 2 cows)

Longer sprint – run x distance (run 30km)