Higher Aim than just looting (Missions etc)

[terox 2]

The one area of the game that does need some development is a higher aim.

At the moment we just run around killing zombies, grabbing loot and the occasional PVP

For this mod to have some longjevity it needs something else

Possibly:

a) Zombies on side "Resistance"

b) Faction A on side "West", dressed in BLUE faction clothing

c) Faction B on side "East", dressed in RED Faction clothing

Faction A and B players can still develop into Bandits and cause mayhem

Each faction has a HQ, where missions can be taken from an NPC commander or a radio object on a desk etc

Missions could be taken from a gui, eg Select type of mission you want to do, Assasinate, gather item etc

Each mission objective adds a score to the player and also to the players faction

Completion of a mission could reward with a special item

Individual Missions

• a) Find Medical Items _x, bring it to HQ Medical centre
  b) Find Munitions Items _x, bring it to HQ Armoury
  c) Find vehicle part _x, bring it to Vehicle repair shop
  d) Assasinate Other faction Commander
  e) Assasinate other faction Player

Group Missions

Available when a leader of a group containing more than one player selects a mission

• a) Clear an area of all zombies (Siezed by trigger and killed event handler useage)
  b) Lots more ideas

Faction Missions

• 
  a) Escort Truck to a forward operating area, when there, set up a base and gain territory
  b) Control a vital asset, such as a port, airfield , hospital etc for a set time, keeping it free of zombies and under your control (Siezed by trigger) which increases the loot drop in that area but also the zombie head count, which requires an increased player presence to defend
  c) Find, repair and return a helicopter to the HQ Landing pad
  

Ultimate AIM

Faction to achieve score X (a very high score) wins the game, game terminates and the mission restarts

[terox 2]

Using 2 player sides, you could assign 2 different spawn areas

Spawn points could be changed to North West corner of map for Faction A and North east corner if map for Faction B.

This would shift the main area of play away from the two large towns in the south

Without some form of higher aim, once you have figured out and collected all the best equipment the gameplay could and seems to be a bit monotonous

The arma engine is so modifiable, much more can be done here

[Leechman 8]

rocket has already indicated he doesn't want to add missions.

[terox 2]

I wasn't aware of this, and this is a shame, I strongly believe, based on 10 + years of running an OFP/Arma/ArmA2 gaming community that this will be a mistake.

Some members of my community have already stopped playing this mod for that reason.

They've found the gear, hunted in parties, killed zombies and bandits and then got bored with it.

I had sent an email to offer our server as a host for this mod, I may now need to rethink this

The Bohemia engine is a milsim, much more than a 1st person shooter, its all about working in teams to accomplish goals.

The entire engine is designed around this.

Maybe this is mod is a trial for some greater functionality that BIS intends to develop and implement, after all, isn't rocket a BIS Dev

[duddbudda 33]

this mod is brilliant because it is a pure emergent player driven experience

I wouldn't object to there being things to do beyond loot, as in Urban Dead where there is so much materiel to gather for even the most mundane crafting and back story is locked away in vaults in offices that players can motivate themselves to investigate extensively, but any mission issued by anything but a playa defeats the purpose of the design

[Plepple 0]

Arguments from initial design and supposed back-story is completely useless in this early stage. You can always claim that a feature or the lack thereof is a product of the intended design -- and that stifles actual progress that could easily make the game much more enjoyable for everyone.

That being written, I somewhat agree with the original poster. Having things like dynamic missions from NPC survivors or self-emergent objectives other than "gather, kill and live" could greatly increase replayability, which is one of the big aims for DayZ.

[Leechman 8]

Instead of having goals and missions being forced down your throat by the devs via NPCs, why don't you try getting creative?

Impose restrictions on yourself, give yourself challenges to change up the experience.

For example: http://dayzmod.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=755

Create your own play experience.

[Alex (DayZ) 8]

Another one of these threads?

[landstriker 9]

DayZ is so fulfilling already because you make your own "missions". So you geared up on all the best stuff. Why not take on a larger area or even bigger groups you know might holding down the NW airfield? I mean, the possibilities are endless. :)

[terox 2]

For those of you that are comparing this to other games, remember this is purely a mod of ArmA2.

ArmA2 is a milsim, the engine has limitations because it wasn't designed to be an mmo

So adding Player created missions etc is probably beyond the scope of the engine.

A GUI however that lists available taksk and then monitors when the player/group has achieved that task is doable fairly easily.

These side tasks, with a higher aim, eg for a faction to WIN, would not effect the gameplay that is currently being seen. iIt would however, with the ability to form groups, which the engine is more than capable of, would create a different angle for players who want to go down that route. It could also, using 2 different sides, which the engine already has inbuilt, may reduce some of the "Teamkilling" that the kids seem to just want to do, and have their intentions more focused on killing the opposing faction. That would improve game-play immensley without removing the bandit element

[Leechman 8]

There is no "teamkilling"

This is a SOLO survival mod with zombies. There are no teams for teamkilling to even occur.

Your suggestion turns the game from a solo survival mod with zombies where other players need to be, and are a genuine threat, into a team deathmatch survival game with zombies.

NO.

[terox 2]

There are 4 teams/sides in the arma engine, West, East, Resistance and Civilian. oh and logic, but thats a little different.

At the moment all the players are on the same side, so every time a player kills a player regardless of whether or not he is a bandit or not, is in actual fact Team Killing.

By utilising the other sides, this would bring in an additional element to the game which is very easy to implement.

What you are actually playing ingame is a mission for the arma2 dayz mod.

Go into the editor, you can recreate this mission, modify it and create something different if you so wished. This will ofcourse occur anyway in the future

[Leechman 8]

At the moment all the players are on the same side' date=' so every time a player kills a player regardless of whether or not he is a bandit or not, is in actual fact Team Killing.

[/quote']

Woo! Technicalities win arguments right?

It doesn't change your original meaning. Your suggestion gives players an incentive to only attack half the server population. There is no survival realism in this.

Go into the editor' date=' you can recreate this mission, modify it and create something different if you so wished. This will ofcourse occur anyway in the future

[/quote']

Then you create your own changes and run your own server.

Have fun.

Goodbye.

[terox 2]

There is no "teamkilling"

This is a SOLO survival mod with zombies. There are no teams for teamkilling to even occur.

Your suggestion turns the game from a solo survival mod with zombies where other players need to be' date=' and are a genuine threat, into a team deathmatch survival game with zombies.

NO.

[/quote']

Lets not start having a tantrum.

I know this engine very well, I've been playing the BI engine for over 10 years, I've created a lot of missions for it, addons etc and I run a community server. So I have probably more idea what and how the arma communuty does things than someone who most likely bought arma to just play this mod

How will having an additional side stop players killing anyone or change what is occuring at the moment. It simply wont, unless the individual player decides to change their own style of gameplay.

Adding additional elements simply adds more options. Players like options, even if you dont. Please dont throw a wobbler just because you disagree with someone elses opinion

[Leechman 8]

Lets not start having a tantrum.

Let's not get condescending.

I know this engine very well' date=' I've been playing the BI engine for over 10 years, I've created a lot of missions for it, addons etc and I run a community server. So I have probably more idea what and how the arma communuty does things than someone who most likely bought arma to just play this mod

[/quote']

Good for you. Don't presume to know who I am or what my motivations are.

How will having an additional side stop players killing anyone or change what is occuring at the moment. It simply wont' date=' unless the individual player decides to chamnge their own gameplay.

[/quote']

If it will not change anything, then what point is there in implementing it?

Adding additional elements simply adds more options. Players like options' date=' even if you dont

[/quote']

This game has plenty of options. All of which are player driven, emergent gameplay options. This mod does not need additional rules and structure - something rocket has specifically stated.

[Alex (DayZ) 8]

There are 4 teams/sides in the arma engine' date=' West, East, Resistance and Civilian. oh and logic, but thats a little different.

At the moment all the players are on the same side, so every time a player kills a player regardless of whether or not he is a bandit or not, is in actual fact Team Killing.

[/quote']

I have been warned for being abusive to puppies and kittens and rainbows. -Griff

[terox 2]

what is it with the insults been thrown around. Isn't what you just did against the rules of this forum and why would you do this, are you a personal friend of Leechman.

I was trying to explain, my reason for using the term teamkilling, which obviously was misunderstood In the arma community it is used to indicate you have killed someone on the same side as you, which is why I then explained the sides.

I think this is me leaving this conversation before I start throwing insults about.

[griffinz 2816]

its what the reporting posts button is for

[bigvalco 0]

rocket has already indicated he doesn't want to add missions.

Do you have a post?

As far as I can remember he is planning on adding player made factions and random missions using the radio, not in the aspect that the OP is thinking but more along the lines of how wasteland did it's missions.

[Vipeax 318]

I had sent an email to offer our server as a host for this mod' date=' I may now need to rethink this

[/quote']

[terox 2]

Actually I have sent an email in and I should not have taken the first reply by Leechman to have been accurate. It seems that BigValco has a better understanding of Rockets intentions.

But if the mod was to continue just offering the type of gameplay that it currently holds, which I now assume it will not then there would be no point in setting my/our zeus server up to host this mod as a fair proportion of the zeus community, which the server runs for willl not be interested in playing it for very long.

There has aready been a drop in interest from it from some of our members because of the lack of a higher goal than just surviving.

This however is detracting from the initial post that I created and would like to get it back on track

[duddbudda 33]

Arguments from initial design are completely useless in this early stage

I take it you have never designed anything

trust' date=' a [b']coherent 'philosophy' (oh the pretentiousness) is vital vital vital

and to get that you build from the ground up

it's why Apple is one of the most valuable companies in the world and it's why Deus Ex retains PC Gamer's 'Best Game Evar' title year-after-year

heck, it's why, despite the crappiest UI and launching with paradox-standards of bugs, ARMA is so beloved - ARMA is all about the milsim and everything in the game works towards that

EVE is an example (nearly) of Day Z's proposition: players organise themselves and players decide their own fates just as we all do every day irl - only the game lets us explore ourselves and our predilections in a fantastical setting

[drewmaw 56]

No factions.

Just a list of open tasks. multiple players can take it. That's when things get interesting ;)

[gator (DayZ) 22]

I NEED MOAR COW BELL!!!

[eko (DayZ) 2]

I don't think scripted missions have any place in Day Z - most anything scripted would detract from the essence of the game and it's general appeal (outside of the base functionality of course).

I do however agree that as things are currently, there is definitely a lack of longevity. I'm not very familiar with the Arma 2 engine or it's capabilities, though I'm going to assume it's fairly flexible in what can be done with it.

What is currently lacking are means with which players can interact with the world, and for the world to interact with itself. The more this is expanded upon, the more possibilities for dynamically created, user driven "scenarios" exist. Allow me to demonstrate my meaning:

"A group of 5 people find themselves travelling together, surviving together. Over time they grow trustworthy of one another and begin to work efficiently as a team. Growing weary of the relentless travel, they want to create a 'safe zone' for themselves - somewhere they can find at least some comfort in being.

After clearing out an isolated farm house, they decide to fortify and collect resources. Collecting barbedwire and wood from a nearby town, they begin to build a fence around the property. Luckily they find a gas powered generator in the barn and had the state of mind to collect some gasoline in their travels. On their next trip out, they head to a military base, recovering a couple flood lights and more material for their fence. They setup the lights, powered by the generator so they can sweep the surrounding area for potential threats, etc..."

Hopefully that random little blurb better conveys my meaning... not to say that's EXACTLY how things should be, but the level of interaction with the world is what makes a sandbox game truly awesome.

You say "No Factions" - I agree completely that there should be no pre-determined factions. However with greater freedom to interact with the world and other players - player factions will be created naturally, and die out just the same.