Suggested addition to the DayZ Experience: "Player Moods" & "Emotes"

[adcamo (DayZ) 18]

Moods & Emotes

These were features of the game MXO (Matrix Online) that was well received as it was another tool to add to player immersion. What was fantastic, is that there were a lot of them, which made for a great number of situational interactions between players. Here is the description of what it is, as explained by the MXO team:

Moods

Moods are a set of idle and movement animations that reflect the listed mood. They unlock as you gain levels. No special action is involved in unlocking these; they simply become available at the listed level. These are engaged by using: /mood {mood name}

normal - lvl 1, drunk - lvl 3, hurt - lvl 4, >shy - lvl 5, fidgety - lvl 6, bouncy - lvl 7, casual - lvl 8, shifty - lvl 9, cautious - lvl 9, stoic - lvl 10, aggressive - lvl 12, regal - lvl 13, sly - lvl 14, sultry - lvl 15, cocky - lvl 17, sexy - lvl 20

Not all of these moods are appropriate for the DayZ Universe, however some would be fun to make use of while playing the game. The way it works, is you would do "/mood cocky" for example, and your posture would immediately change to reflect the mood. Walking, running & actions would all reflect the mood. While idle, the player might cross their arms, tap their foot, check their watch, etc.. all based on what mood they are in. The actions you do, range from everything from standing still & running, to vaulting, and shooting could be affected to reflect that mood.

This would add a good level of diversity in what the player sees visually when playing the game.

One other thing that MXO did well was emotes. There were Solo Emotes & 2 player Emotes. Here is their explaination:

Two player Emotes

The following emotes require a target. The player will select a target, then use the emote command. The target will get a confirmation box, and, if he selects “yes” both players will perform the emote.

dogsniff, holdbothhands, shakehands, holdhands, manhug, propose, hug, kissthering, pound (fist bump), slap, weddingkiss, weddingring

I know that you are wanting to keep UI elements to a minimum, so accomplishing this sort of interaction system with little or no hud elements would be challenging, but the end effect would be very rewarding for the immersiveness of your game.

Thanks for listening!

[Chaingunfighter 917]

(Somehow I'm still not banned even for abusing the report feature)

Onto the thread;

The problem with adding specific traits like this garners a personality for the character, who is generally meant to be you (And there are people who are able to keep posture.)

Setting any emotion onto a character might immerse people who relate to that trait but people who aren't like that wouldn't necessarily feel the same.