"Must have's" when vehicles are implemented.

[Magikbeans 5]

Okay, I know vehicles are the least of our worries right now but, I, like many others think they are one of the most important aspects of the game and I want to make sure they are done right.

 

First, I hope that controllers have the same customization to controls as in dayzmod and take on helicopters. The keyboard is nothing compared to what you can do with a joy stick/trigger in terms of the pedals in a car. You have the option to either slightly give it gas and everything in between to flooring it with a controller. With a keyboard, its all or nothing (no gas or floor it) and someone who really enjoys being the pilot and driver in my group this is really frustrating.

 

Second, I think there should be some way to force constrained people and unconscious people into vehicles. (Kidnapping or saving unconscious people.)

 

Third, I think if a medic is in a car they should be able to treat unconscious people within the car and not have to get out. (Give blood, bandage etc.)

 

Fourth, You should be able to shoot out the side seats of a car. 

 

 

If I can think of more I will edit. Add what you think needs to be in the game.

 

[creature 1189]

The only thing I don't forsee the possibilty of, is shooting out of vehicles. If they do pull it off, I'll be a happy camper.

[SalamanderAnder (DayZ) 1747]

There are mods of Arma 2 that enable shooting out of helicopters, so it seems reasonable to think this is possible. Also, vehicles need a better repair/maintenance system, and also keys and hot-wiring. Starting a vehicle is not as easy as just getting in. Hot-wiring should require tools, and time. Whereas if you have a key to a vehicle, you can lock the doors, and of course start it very quickly.

[burneddi 13]

Functional mirrors. I have no clue if the engine really supports it, but it makes driving around in first-person that much more enjoyable.

 

A "cruise control" key that locks your vehicle's speed at a certain value. Helps driving using the keyboard, as it alleviates the "no gas or flooring it" problem you described in the OP.

[Diggydug (DayZ) 331]

Functional mirrors! PLEASE ROCKET!

 

Other than that, a little bit more in depth repair system and a maintenance system is all I'd like to see. I'd like to be able to drive a car that has a leaky radiator until I can fix it, or have to air up tires every now and then. It would create some interesting scenarios.

 

The speed was never an issue in the mod for me since you can cruise slowly with "Q" and other than that I'm gassing on it. The cars don't go very fast as it is. I wouldn't be against varying speeds though, I just don't see why you'd ever want to go slower than you need to.

[burneddi 13]

There are mods of Arma 2 that enable shooting out of helicopters, so it seems reasonable to think this is possible. Also, vehicles need a better repair/maintenance system, and also keys and hot-wiring. Starting a vehicle is not as easy as just getting in. Hot-wiring should require tools, and time. Whereas if you have a key to a vehicle, you can lock the doors, and of course start it very quickly.

The keys issue is rather complicated, though. Most of the time people don't park their cars and leave the keys inside (although it might be slightly more common in a zombie epidemic!). It also has issues with the concept of definite ownership, which I think doesn't fit DayZ as a game very well.

 

It could work, though. A few things are for sure: the keys should not be unique, instead, there should be a bunch of different keys (perhaps one key type per type of car). That way, if you lose the keys, you can randomly find a new pair that fits your car, and other players can also find another copy of the keys that can exist simultanously to your own keys, and use them to get into the car. Perhaps not the most realistic solution, but I think it's a necessary compromise.

 

Secondly, the keys should not "hard define" ownership of the vehicle. Even if you have the keys to a car, anyone should be able to break into it and hotwire it if they have the tools. There should be no unnecessary penalties to doing so, aside from broken locks/windows etc.

 

Also, hotwiring a car should mean that the car can be started without keys by anyone after that point. I don't think making it possible to reverse hotwiring is necessary, in fact it being a permanent process would probably be for the better.

[ZedsDeadBaby 2287]

Functional mirrors. I have no clue if the engine really supports it

 

Considering it is now the DayZ engine, if it does not support it it certainly could and should. There are no technical limitations, as such - if you can turn the camera and see what's behind you then the dev team can implement mirrors.

[SalamanderAnder (DayZ) 1747]

The keys issue is rather complicated, though. Most of the time people don't park their cars and leave the keys inside (although it might be slightly more common in a zombie epidemic!). It also has issues with the concept of definite ownership, which I think doesn't fit DayZ as a game very well.

 

It could work, though. A few things are for sure: the keys should not be unique, instead, there should be a bunch of different keys (perhaps one key type per type of car). That way, if you lose the keys, you can randomly find a new pair that fits your car, and other players can also find another copy of the keys that can exist simultanously to your own keys, and use them to get into the car. Perhaps not the most realistic solution, but I think it's a necessary compromise.

 

Secondly, the keys should not "hard define" ownership of the vehicle. Even if you have the keys to a car, anyone should be able to break into it and hotwire it if they have the tools. There should be no unnecessary penalties to doing so, aside from broken locks/windows etc.

 

Also, hotwiring a car should mean that the car can be started without keys by anyone after that point. I don't think making it possible to reverse hotwiring is necessary, in fact it being a permanent process would probably be for the better.

 

Well, I have to say, keys work pretty well in Epoch, and I think a fair hot-wiring system is totally necessary as it applies balance. Also the ability to salvage certain parts from the car should be possible, like Epoch. I agree exactly with what you say about hotwiring a car once and then it can be started without the key. But it requires that you break the window to unlock the car, and even then it should not give you access to the trunk, which would contain a player's gear. It would be a funny moment to stumble upon a car that you had the key for but got stolen, and be able to open the trunk and find a stash of your old stuff.

[thedogfoodyayho 295]

Vehicles should be alot harder to repair, but can't be exploded. so you could shoot every part off the car, from doors to engine parts, and leave it an empty shell. maybe having no doors would make it so the car was faster and you could get out faster?

but when you shoot the trunk, it damages anything inside, and if you shoot the lid off, stuff can fall out. that would be fun to find a trail of loot along a road....

 

and fuel should be about as rare as a wheel.

[burneddi 13]

Well, I have to say, keys work pretty well in Epoch, and I think a fair hot-wiring system is totally necessary as it applies balance. Also the ability to salvage certain parts from the car should be possible, like Epoch. I agree exactly with what you say about hotwiring a car once and then it can be started without the key. But it requires that you break the window to unlock the car, and even then it should not give you access to the trunk, which would contain a player's gear. It would be a funny moment to stumble upon a car that you had the key for but got stolen, and be able to open the trunk and find a stash of your old stuff.

That trunk matter is exactly the kind of "definite ownership" I don't think belongs in this game (on the topic of Epoch, that mod variant is full of examples of this kind of stuff). What is there stopping people from breaking open the trunk? Trunk locks aren't exactly difficult to break and doing so would cause no damage whatsoever to the contents. In fact for a lot of old cars you can just jam any long metal object into the door locks and there's a good chance you can just unlock them like you would with a key, and even if that doesn't work, car locks are hardly the most secure locks out there.