Horses, the almost perfect "vehicle"

[IkaikaKekai 1957]

There is room only for one Horse in Chenarus, and he is Amazing.  Where is he now?  He's over in the Graveyard, grazing.

[quantum2k6 348]

try to ride the cows! ;) :rolleyes:

[Max Planck 7174]

Please check the stickied thread with 'already suggested suggestions'. Horses have been suggested around a billion times already.

And Mike? That was lovely.

[rybec 339]

I'm going to shoot some guy's horse and run away before he knows what happened.

[Lithium1056 45]

Horses

1) are very uncommon in post-soviet countries, outside of places like Siberia where they are actually needed.

2) catching them is pretty hard. Tethered horses would have ended up as zombie feed.

3) due to their size are more vulnerable than humans to gunfire. Also, all the KOS griefer wannabees - they'd go after them like no tomorrow..

4) coding them and animating them would be a major hassle.

______________________________

All in all, unrealistic, impractical idea.

1. Nothing is hard to find in Chernerus if the Devs say it's not because it's a fictional country not confined by any real world problems the Devs don't want it to be

2. Yes, yes they are but again Dev=God here, also we have no evidence that Zeds go after livestock infact the presence of livestock in Chernerus implies they don't (have yet to see a Zed chasing a cow across the landscape)

3. No more than a car, the difference is you can't lock a horse, they should be implemented as improvised vehicles having craftable saddle bags is fine just don't become anymore attached to that gear than you do the gear in your back pack

4. Forgive me for simplifying but it's an oversized deer as far as animation and coding go. The only difference is adding a seat/attachable gear (which is fairly simple)

Now to the OP and everyone else let me clarify my point on improvised vehicle.

Horses should be wild, no domestic horses should be found, this negates the difficulties you have with domestic horses such as being spooked by a flock of birds. We don't need saddles and all that mumbo jumbo (although I wouldn't be butthurt if it got added) they could add a improvised saddle bag option. But as far as they are concerned it's a wild animal find one, catch it, mount it. Leave it alone for a couple minuets and it wanders about where it pleases. Another player comes by while you're looting a house and they can swipe it. No different than I imagine a bicycle will be.

We can (I) assume that cars will need keys which means if I exit the car I can lock it. You'll have to kill me to get the key to steal my car. Horses don't have doors and therefore can't be locked.

Adding a bunch of crap you need to do to "train" a horse almost in my opinion downgrades them to big running meals. Having them automatically eat and drink and roam if not mounted should be the norm. And the only real issue I see is that it's only yours as long as you're on it. This will spawn the "you meanie head you stole my horse" complaints.

I also fear that it will take up a livestock spawn (ie: each horse is one less cow/boar/deer that could spawn.) and limit hunting options.

I like the idea over all I just see it being less useful than a bicycle other than the fact you an eat it

[con_hathy (DayZ) 8]

This is probably the best idea I've seen. I mean horses could could replace cars, it's not like gas stations would be up and running in the apocalypse. It would be more realistic have a couple of horses, or maybe even cows, pull your car like a wagon or chariot. 

[Dark233Play 7]

I was thinking it would be neat to be able to get a horse and ride it around as transportation. I think it would work this way. You need to get a saddle and then a bridal. Find a horse out in a field. You need to get it to trust you by giving it carrots or sugar cubes. Wants it trust you it wont try to run away. You put your saddle on then your bridal. Then hop on board. I think there should be a bag slots on the saddle or get a saddle bag. Heck put a rifle holster on it for your m4 to that new repeater. Heck play cowboy with the gear you get. Think the house needs to keep being fed and needs to be taken to water so it wont die. Some one could be able to shoot you off your horses and take it or shoot it out from under you. It should be able to be attacked by zeds or any thing. I would be cool if you could get it to kick at targets. If you ride it to long or in bad weather it should get tired and slow down or get sick. You need to find medicine to keep it alive. A horses would be a great companion and useful. Got to tie it to a tree or it could run off. 

[Tegla (DayZ) 112]

If it were a zombie apocalypse, would you really ride a horse around?

[Dark233Play 7]

If it were a zombie apocalypse, would you really ride a horse around?

Yes if thats all you can get at the time. Just have to be smart with it. Its just a opsions for people. Ya and it is nice to have somthing that don't take gas lol.

[Tegla (DayZ) 112]

Ya and it is nice to have somthing that don't take gas lol.

 

It does take food though, which is more valuably than gas.

 

To answer the suggestion, i don't think this is something that would be easily implemented. There are serious engine limitations for doing this, as animals are not like in the other games.

[demongornot 23]

A horse don't need fuel or to be repair, compare to a car yes it is more fragile, less faster and offer poor protection and can require some particular care.
But at least you just need to lets him drink water from pond, Human organism can't support it without water purification anyway, and you will not dispute for which one will get food since a horse just need grass, it offer a heavier carry capacity than human, he can do things that car can't do, a horse can walk on a forest, a car...Not really, a forest is really a badly terrain for a car and you can easily end up broking your car doing this, a horse can even run in a forest, and can swim ! 

& 

Cars on water end up always the same way...Wasted !

And if you have absolutely no choice, even if its cruel, you can kill him to having foods, have you recently try to eat a car ?

 

And Horse can be found on the nature, i highly doubt that all car left will still work after all the time, or that car will start reproduce themselves...

Finding a working car will probably be difficult, and at least on a horse, no one can hide on the back seat or on the trunk...

[Halven (DayZ) 11]

Would actually rather see horses then vehicles.
Cowboy hat + horse + "the repeater" = awesomeness.

[hemmo 55]

Wild horses, to ride or to eat! Or maybe both? :P

[liquidcactus 719]

It would be pretty sadistic but cool where you get to the point where you have to force the idea upon yourself of having to eat your trusty steed as you are almost starved to death but you dont want to kill your best freind and then you kill the trusty steed and you cry in real life cause dayz is off the chain with poken at your feels bro

Edited April 25, 2015 by liquidcactus

[S3V3N 1402]

I have some questions about horses:

 

How do you catch a horse? Are we just assuming everybody knows how to "lasso" a horse from the getgo? Also how dangerous would riding one be? When they get startled and you fall off, will you die? Can you catch a horse with a beartrap and heal your horses' injuries? Can you call it by whistle? Do you need to make horseshoes to go fast? How quickly would a horse fatigue, if at all? Can a horse get sick from drinking pond water? Can you craft a saddle/have an inventory? Can you get kicked by a horse and die? Can you shoot while riding a horse?

 

As an alternative to horses, why not have donkeys, or donkeys too? They fit the countryside perhaps better than lots of horses, which are more often kept for sport rather than for labor. Some wild horses would be nice, but just a small herd or two would do. A donkey or mule could be a great carrier, if you are able to find or craft saddlebags. Also a reason to plant carrots ^^

The donkey could be great comic relief, I love the sounds they make. It could also have coded-in stubborness and sometimes refuse to move, making it somewhat of a hazard in risky situations.  

Edited April 25, 2015 by S3V3N

[hemmo 55]

I have some questions about horses:

 

How do you catch a horse? Are we just assuming everybody knows how to "lasso" a horse from the getgo? Also how dangerous would riding one be? When they get startled and you fall off, will you die? Can you catch a horse with a beartrap and heal your horses' injuries? Can you call it by whistle? Do you need to make horseshoes to go fast? How quickly would a horse fatigue, if at all? Can a horse get sick from drinking pond water? Can you craft a saddle/have an inventory? Can you get kicked by a horse and die? Can you shoot while riding a horse?

 

As an alternative to horses, why not have donkeys, or donkeys too? They fit the countryside perhaps better than lots of horses, which are more often kept for sport rather than for labor. Some wild horses would be nice, but just a small herd or two would do. A donkey or mule could be a great carrier, if you are able to find or craft saddlebags. Also a reason to plant carrots ^^

The donkey could be great comic relief, I love the sounds they make. It could also have coded-in stubborness and sometimes refuse to move, making it somewhat of a hazard in risky situations.  

 

Your questions kinda tells us its another layer of sandbox added when inplemented, awesome!

[FlimFlamm 509]

The problem with horses is they would be incredibly difficult to model and animate and implement in a useful and balanced way.

 

Modeling and animating the horses alone would be a major hassle, unless we all want shitty non realistic looking horses.

 

Catching and taming a horse is a very difficult task. To perform it in game you would basically require an existing horse or a fast off-road car with a lasso.

 

Figuring out and programming a fun and realistic way to break and train the horse would also be an immense chore.

 

Unlike cars, horses are living animals, and as such they require constant maintenance, making them less than ideal as a vehicle to actually keep given players do not play 24-7.

 

 

It would probably be cool, but a huge amount of work that people don't realize would sequester too many dev resources to complete. Animating a simple wild horse model that can be hunted is feasible, but making it capturable and rideable is something perhaps best lest to the modding community.

Edited April 26, 2015 by FlimFlamm

[hoog 6]

Horses>Cars due to the fuel consumption figures.