How to make the map more engaging.

[MR DELICIOUS 297]

TLDR for those who don't want to read my essay:

It's basically a list of real life features (sports fields, aircraft crashes, cinemas, quarries etc.) that should be added to the game in order to make the map engaging and realistic. There are also suggestions for each entry as to how you could make it interesting from a game design perspective.

 

This is a cross post from the general discussion.

 

I've played for the game and mod since release and have seen it comes leaps and bounds. I think the cities look fantastic now - much more fleshed out and better urban planning. The cars, kiosks, gas stations etc all feel and look great. However, I feel that while it's nice to navigate purely via pre-outbreak existing features (towns, forest, airfields), it would do a lot for my immersion and gaming experience if there were some interesting feature locations to reflect a pseudo backstory in the world. What I really mean by this, is using interesting topography and land features to tell a story, and allow players to tell a story.

 

My other objective here - my main objective - is to make this world feel lived in. At the moment, it feels about halfway towards anything resembling a real human world. 

 

This serves a couple more features on top.

 

1. There will be a myriad of objectives for all players now. While one player might run to get a gun from a military camp, another might try to advance the aesthetics, transport or communication of their character. 

2. The atmosphere and character that the following will create will go towards creating incredible memories/anecdotes and amazing content for both players, streamers and content creators. Instead of being killed by a guy in a motorcycle helmet at x town, you could be sniped from a ferris wheel, beaten to death on a soccer pitch etc.

3. The character of the game will become incredibly unique - both telling a story of what has happened, but also adding to the stories of the players.

 

Rocket has said throughout development that he wants players to decide everything. No NPCs, etc. I completely understand that, and agree. The following features are not NPC gimmicks, but reflections of events that transpired before the player arrived (in the same vein as the abandoned military camps).

 

As we've seen in zombie/apocalypse fiction, the static nature of human progression and development often mean things that would otherwise be temporary (a car crash) become a static landmark. Instead of meeting how players normally do in Day Z (which is like an apocalypse hasn't happened) at map name features, they would meet at interesting landmarks.

 

Here are a couple of ideas I was throwing around:

 

* Heaps of cars abandoned on a highway, similar to The Walking Dead - lots of food/clothing/vehicle spawns

This could easily be on the road between Chern and Balota Airstrip, or more interestingly up near NWAF (now the furthest place from spawn.

 

* Empty, huge refugee camp - this could reflect the final stage of the outbreak. An incredibly gory, bloody refugee camp north of the NWAF (a currently empty area). It could very well be built around a small town. This location should fill people with dread. It could also be a good medical/food/equipment drop.

 

* A 747 wreck site deep in the black forest or above NWAF (massive amount of fuel to loot, lots of mixed loot with some high yield mil spawns) - lots of zombies there. The best idea would be to have a 500m explosion zone that is littered with parts and the ground blown back by the drag as the aircraft hit the forest, so the player must follow the path of destruction before finding the downed boeing. Having the wreckage spread out would also add an element of terror. Imagine being a bambi and coming across a plane seat in the forest, then following the wreckage until you find the body of the plane (and 50 zombies to boot).

 

* A now empty creepily fortified house (similar to the one in the book of Eli) with a dug moat - something a player could take over and roleplay from. The house could be north of NE airfield.

 

* A failed nuclear reactor northwest of Zelenogorsk (perhaps it's super deadly, radiation sickness within 500 meters of it) similar to Chernobyl. You need specific gear to go near it - anti-radiation pills, geiger counter, hazard suit etc. that can only be found in a military research/medic center. If Rocket wanted to go crazy, he could make the Nuclear reactor able to be put into meltdown, or for a player to be able to mend meltdown.

 

* Radio station. It would be great to have a radio network you could broadcast throughout an area (through speakers in cities and from car radios). The radio station could be somewhere relatively central, with a power line up to a hill. You could have to repair the power line in order to start broadcasting. It would be a great place to troll other players from (create your own radio show, play music, talk through or whatever), or to organise a meetup, or to organise an attack, or to basically fight over.

 

* I personally would like it if Balota airfield was converted into a civilian airport, with the hangars/barracks replaced with a civilian terminal. It would add a great sense of history to why the military camp/checkpoint was beside it, and would also explain the proximity to Chern. Would be a great place for civilian cessna's to spawn. It would also be fun to fortify a Soviet airport terminal.

 

* Inland railway. People have already spoken at length about handcarts, but it'd be great to be able to start up an old diesel engine in Berenzino port and use it as a group transport. You could have to fuel it with an insane amount of petrol. 

 

* Have orchards actually spawn their relative fruit on the ground.

 

* An ashen wasteland and lots of burned cars (similar to the one in Iraq) to signify the militaries drastic response to the outbreak. Again, big craters, dirt, downed trees and carnage would go a long way to creating a unique landmark for players to meet at or visit. I feel like the current map doesn't reflect the carnage of military + zombie outbreak. Creating vast differences like scorched earth would go a long way towards this. We already have the ruined village south east of Novy Sobor, why not add to it/really scar it up.

 

* Motorbike/Bike shop. There could be two or three on the entire map, and it could resupply the necessities for keeping a bike (and obviously be a bike spawn). 

 

* Clothing shop. Sure, a lot of people in the apocalypse like to play as serious Sam, and wear only survival gear, but I'd like to kit my character out so he best resembles a freak. You know, ill fitting tee shirts, short shorts, sandals, mickey mouse ears, that sort of thing. You could put 3-4 of these clothing shops around, and the spawns could be very, very rare for the more crazy looking things. I'd also throw the masks into these shops (and maybe have wearable bandanas be the going look for bandits). It would mean that as opposed to every player running straight to get guns at mil spawns, a lot of people would search these shops for cool looking gear, or certain things to roleplay a character.

 

* Manor House. In a similar vein to 28 Days Later, a manor house with a wall/grounds would be a really nice break to the otherwise untamed wilderness. Manicured lawns inside the relative safety of the wall, and then the manor itself would provide a great base, and a great landmark. 

 

* A wall. I can imagine the armed forces attempting to erect a wall to try to contain the zombie outbreak. It wouldn't need to be complete at all (because it failed), but perhaps 300m-1km long. It could be a cool military spawn, as well as adding some flavour to the game, and a landmark. I want to make clear that it wouldn't be a functional wall, it would be merely a landmark, mil spawn area and point of interest.

 

https://encrypted-tb...gdagDUEFDg7i0ow

 

* A shopping center. It would look like a proper Soviet era shopping center (I've provided an example below), and would typically be in a city large enough - like Zelenogorsk or Chern, or perhaps a NW city. It could have a plethora of different item spawns, and could be easily fortified. The car park could feature as a good civilian vehicle spawn (with the possibility to spawn an army issue vehicle). It would be good if the exterior was slightly damaged already, or graffitied. 

 

http://us.123rf.com/...all--centra.jpg

 

* Rolled oil tanker. You could have some skidmarks, a broken barrier, roll marks and then a giant oil tanker down in a ditch. People could stop by it to siphon fuel for their vehicles.

 

* Theme park. This could be great for atmosphere. It could be somewhere east of Zelenogorsk in the flat open lands. A nice ferris wheel people could snipe from, a chance to find Hoxton masks and clown/mascot suits, soda, .22 rifles and there could be a PA system that when turned on, broadcasts a very creepy funfair sound through the nearby city. People nearby would be very freaked out to hear it start up. There are also a heap of reference images to use for this.

 

* Mine field. This could be a fantastic addition to the game, as one of the first things the military could have done was try to area deny the zombies. A stretch of land with pressure triggered mines (much like the North/South Korea DMZ) could be an amazing feature in the game, as you either pick your way through it, or go around it entirely. There could be barbed wire and signs up warning of the danger ahead. I imagine myself being chased by bandits and picking a path I've memorised before as I run through it. I also think it would be relatively easy to implement as it would be some already implemented signs of wreckage/craters, signs, and Arma trip mines (reskinned). You would only really need 2 for every 25m square, and then spread that out so that it's a 1km square area.

 

* Sports arena - perhaps a melted ice hockey stadium. You could even put a military camp inside. I think it would be a great location to fortify, and if it's open topped, it could potentially be a spawn point of a military huey (thinking 28 days later evac). 

 

* Monument. A big war monument (to the second world war) placed on a significant hill in the countryside would present a formidable vantage point/point of interest. The Soviet's built a whole heap of them, and it would be good to see a large structure to this effect. Similarly, you can imagine bandits and the like transforming a monument of peace into a place of death.

 

http://upload.wikime...ký_památník.jpg

 

* Zombie horde. A horde of 50-100 zombies that roamed a path until disturbed. Would present a formidable challenge to any player who stumbles into them.

 

* Cinema. It would be nice if a couple of the big cities had a silver screen, old-style theatre. Looting them for soft drink/food etc would be fun, and it'd be a cool location to fortify.

 

* Logging camp. Would be great to have in the northern reaches of the map. The top could be a great spot to fortify, and there could numerous things - fuel, industrial parts, perhaps a giant tree felling vehicle with a buzz saw.

 

* Mine. Directly north of Olsha (to utilise the port nearby), this could provide a great place to fortify, explore, as well as loot for explosives. Plus, soviet mines are atmospherically fantastic.

 

* Quarry. This could be in the far north west part of the map, much beyond the NWAF. It could provide a great environment to find explosives, fortify, land helos, find big trucks, etc. Also a great topical point of interest. You could also broadcast over the quarry PA system. 

 

* Soccer field/archery range/gun range/golf course. It's pretty common for each village to have a soccer field in rural Europe. It would be a pretty simple thing to add and just give some texture to the game. You could have players find arrows and bows at the archery range, and rifles at the gun range. You wouldn't have to have many of these (you don't want it to be unrealistic), but it'd fit in with what many of the population did with their leisure time. Golf clubs could be a melee weapon, and there could be a chance for a golf cart to spawn. Of course, you don't want it to be too ridiculous, but I think a golf cart would actually make for a novel sight in the game and would be quite a handy vehicle in a zombie apocalypse.  

 

* Substantial inland river. I mean a river that would travel far inland and is wide enough to allow moderate sized vessels to traverse it. It would be fantastic to divide the land up (create chokepoints at bridges), as well as allow for players to use boats to move inland. It would also create some amazing firefights as bandits attack boats from the shore. In addition to this, it would be great if a town could be built across the river, with a couple of bridges across the water, similar to something like the following:

 

http://2.bp.blogspot...Nov2011+002.JPG

 

* Bridges across valleys/rivers. I don't mean footbridges or tiny little bridges, I mean big, two lane stone arches that could cross steep areas of valley around the three valleys or elsewhere. You could have barbwire and wrecks on it - a former military checkpoint, and it'd add some interesting height difference to the inner parts of the map (where there are no tall structures besides green mountain). You can imagine bandits establishing a toll/check point or fortifying it. Incidentally, can we please have the ability to blow up bridges in order to ambush convoys or effectively deny areas?

 

https://encrypted-tb...lIE19lDceej8Pmg

 

* Goat trails/cliffs. Topographically, it would be really nice to see some proper clifftop roads similar to the roads that cross through the alps. I'm well aware that the southern areas of the map may not support this, but I don't see why the northern reaches couldn't be comprised of alp roads and sheer cliff faces. It'd be great to create checkpoints and for zonal control. It would also create a natural end to the north of the map.

 

http://www.ski-epic....ad1280x1024.jpg

 

* University/school. Apart from obviously stealing faculty cars, it could be cool to have a large atrium library - the big old school types where you could find books etc. It could also be good to have a big empty indoor swimming pool to fortify.

 

* Last but not least from me, I'd love to see a city in comparable size to Chern/Zelen up in the NW corner of the map. It would balance the entire map out, and create a real sense of distance within the current map. The idea of running from spawn to this city would make the map seem huge, with so many interesting things to encounter along the way. You could add the arena/funpark/radio station to this city and all of a sudden it's a big hotspot for high intensity encounters.

 

 

There are hundreds of unique features that would go a long way towards creating an incredible experience. Please add yours below and I'll continue to compile the list.

Edited January 8, 2014 by MR DELICIOUS

[frosti 2165]

Can someone tl'dr this

[MR DELICIOUS 297]

Can someone tl'dr this

It's basically a list of real life features (sports fields, aircraft crashes, cinemas, quarries etc.) that should be added to the game in order to make the map engaging and realistic. There are also suggestions for each entry as to how you could make it interesting from a game design perspective.

[mphilippa 43]

You put a lot of effort into this and you make some good suggestions here. Beans given 

 

I like your views on having more 'storytelling' elements to make the map engaging. There have been good changes with the houses now holding some visual clues as to what happened there with blood stains etc but there is so much more that could be done. I look forward to a point in the game's future where every city/town is unique, not just duplicates of identical houses everywhere. 

[AshleyP 121]

I was going to post a quip in response but these are actually very good suggestions. It would be nice if the developers could have a "crunch month" where they devote an entire month to just building interesting map elements. Basically work the team for seventeen hours a day seven days a week until the map is a wonderland. Games developers enjoy long hours, they mess around if they don't have stuff to do.

 

One problem is that all of the above (particularly the 747) would necessitate enlarging the map. But you'd hope that by now they would be able to automate the terrain generation process.
 

* A failed nuclear reactor northwest of Zelenogorsk (perhaps it's super deadly, radiation sickness within 500 meters of it) similar to Chernobyl. You need specific gear to go near it - anti-radiation pills, geiger counter, hazard suit etc. that can only be found in a military research/medic center. If Rocket wanted to go crazy, he could make the Nuclear reactor able to be put into meltdown, or for a player to be able to mend meltdown.

 
Perhaps the map could have gravitational anomalies that the player has to avoid. And quasi-supernatural artefacts that enhance the player somehow. And the zombies could go around saying "get out of here, Stalker!".

[MR DELICIOUS 297]

You put a lot of effort into this and you make some good suggestions here. Beans given 

 

I like your views on having more 'storytelling' elements to make the map engaging. There have been good changes with the houses now holding some visual clues as to what happened there with blood stains etc but there is so much more that could be done. I look forward to a point in the game's future where every city/town is unique, not just duplicates of identical houses everywhere. 

Thanks for taking the time to read it.

Yeah, I really feel that the colour of the real world is somewhat missing at the moment. I don't mind identical houses, because when they're spread out and distributed well they can create a great effect. I definately think those models do need to be altered though, so that some are more indicative of the apocalypse - probably a job for their level designer (in terms of placing blood streaks in interesting ways, graffiti, etc.

 

I feel that they could take a cue from CoD 1 and 2. One reason the CoD franchise became so massive was because they relied on movie imagery to create their single player campaigns. I think the Day Z could transport a lot of movie imagery (particularly from the 28 series) in with great effect. 

[Traveler (DayZ) 27]

Some really nice suggestions. Especially the city up in the northwest +1000!! you have my beans. I also like the cinema, or the fortified house or the survivor camp out in the woods. They also stated that they wanted to include some kind of small docotr's office in the north and western towns, so you wouldn't necessarily always need to go to Cherno or Berezino to stock up on medical supplies.

[green_machine 179]

I asked for permanent markers on maps that player put in.... which could indicate camp site, stashes etc, for long lasting players. 
So when You killed a player, you'd get their map... a map with markers.

All the things you listed... you could mark on the map yourself. Which would indicate where you have been, so players could trace your steps and look for your stashed once they kill you.

People didn't like the idea.

Yes, TL:DR only because people don't seem to care about maps or its features when they have web browser maps.

People want objectives... well, a map with marked locations.... can't get a better bone than that! 

 

Edited January 5, 2014 by DaveZ

[djtronik 2]

Some great ideas that really would touch up on the bland environment at times.

 

BEANS!

[MR DELICIOUS 297]

Some really nice suggestions. Especially the city up in the northwest +1000!! you have my beans. I also like the cinema, or the fortified house or the survivor camp out in the woods. They also stated that they wanted to include some kind of small docotr's office in the north and western towns, so you wouldn't necessarily always need to go to Cherno or Berezino to stock up on medical supplies.

 

It would be great if there was some kind of unique hospital - either inside a university or research center, or refugee camp or NW city. A doctors office is also a great idea though. I should point out that there's currently a hospital in the military camp north west of Balota.

Edited January 6, 2014 by MR DELICIOUS

[MR DELICIOUS 297]

Updated the OP list.

[Adelheid 9]

Awesome ideas. Yes, map size will limit those down quite a bit, but I'd still love to see at least two of your ideas in it. Beans given!

Great thing is, that such a city is possibly to come, looking at the network of streets and trails up north.

 

Also: you're really into fortifying, right? The term comes up so often, you'd fortify your own grandma or something.

 

;-)

[Merrick362 (DayZ) 263]

You had me at 'de-militarize Balota'.

[MR DELICIOUS 297]

Awesome ideas. Yes, map size will limit those down quite a bit, but I'd still love to see at least two of your ideas in it. Beans given!

Great thing is, that such a city is possibly to come, looking at the network of streets and trails up north.

 

Also: you're really into fortifying, right? The term comes up so often, you'd fortify your own grandma or something.

 

;-)

 

 

Fortifying is the thing that I'd do in a situation like a zombie apocalypse. Get a good spot and make it mine - lay tank traps, wire etc and turn what was a previously banal civilian structure into a fortress. Also adds some colour to the game world. 

Edited January 6, 2014 by MR DELICIOUS

[zhrike 264]

I'd love to see some real world abandoned areas incorporated into the map, like some of these:

http://distractify.com/culture/arts/the-most-spectacular-abandoned-places-in-the-world/

Pripyat exists in the original Stalker game, and the Częstochowa Train Depot looks a lot like another area from that game (but then, most abandoned train yards/depots/stations look somewhat familiar). Obviously many of the locations are similar, but it would be pretty cool to see some actual abandoned place show up in Chernarus.

In any event, those images are very cool. Great ideas, OP.

[drkingschultz93 23]

Really really nice ideas 

 

All this stuff would add so much atmosphere to the game

I really hope the devs will read this and will implement as many of your points as they could

 

You have my Mosin and my Beans sir  :beans:

[floj 393]

I read this last night and wanted to say GJ - personally I'd like a big football stadium (proper football played with feet, not gridiron) on the outskirts of one of the cities, perhaps where the smaller pitch is already in Berezino.

 

Also I have a question for any Arma vets and/or the devs - I saw this article (http://blog.moricky.com/post/59384853947/game-maps) a while back and re-referenced it since starting the SA version. It mentions that Altis has 1000km² of environments (land and sea).

 

Since DayZ will just be land based (I guess) - will they be able to expand the total land area to around 1000km² for Chernarus or is there some trick in the Altis map that I should be aware of.

 

A map 4x as big would be pimp indeed :D

[Twixxer 159]

The saliva stream coming from my mouth got longer and longer as I read trough your post. Amazing. Had lots of similar ideas. You should definitely post a suggestion under the new DayZ SA suggestion board! Beans given!

[MR DELICIOUS 297]

Hey guys, I've created a new post in the Suggestions forums.

It can be found here: http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/topic/162663-how-to-make-the-map-more-engaging/

 

Cheers.

[terminal_boy 860]

Can someone tl'dr this

OP wants the map to be like Yelp with a healthy dose of Trip Advisor.

[Greaves 131]

Great post, and i think the devs might already have thought of some of these ideas. But it wouldn't hurt for this thread to be stickied, or mailed to Rocket. 

[MR DELICIOUS 297]

OP wants the map to be like Yelp with a healthy dose of Trip Advisor.

 

I want to check in with Foursquare. Probably have about as many users after the apocalypse as it did before.

[ep_metheus 75]

Great post. Have some beans (and a can opener, too)!

[Lordsarito 42]

Should be pitch black inside the cinemas.

 

Ooo that would be nerve-racking.

[ratiasu@hotmail.co.jp 122]

I don't mind some of this, but if you'd put even half of the stuff in, it'd feel unrealistic and overcrowded. Chernarus is a small, lowly populated ex-soviet state, not California. 

 

 

 

Edit: Turn the water surfaces into objects. Have them spawn underneath the map (except for the real lakes), and make them rise as it rains. 

Edited January 7, 2014 by Ratiasu