Endgame Thoughts and Suggestions

[Cannon76 13]

I am curious as to everyone's' thoughts on what the eventual planned Endgame is for DayZ SA.

 

The game is often referred to as a murder simulator, and bringing out the worst examples of humanity.  I myself have been murdered needlessly countless times when I had often little or no valuable supplies.  You start the game helpless, and you work hard to scrap together the basics.  Next thing you know you are shot dead for fun, or for the single can of soda you had in your pocket.  Obviously I am referring to spawn campers.  

 

This isn't a complaint thread, don't read this wrong.  I understand that if this were a real life situation, if society crumbled under the weight of any worldwide catastrophe, only the lucky and the strong would stand a chance for survival.  So running into a spawn camper who would shoot you dead for sport or for nothing more than that prized can of beans....is a "reasonable" expectation once in awhile.  Hell, DayZ SA is turning into quite the social experiment if you ask me.

 

Do I wish this sort of in-game behavior was less rampant?  Absolutely, but we are gamers.  There are no real world consequences for our actions in most cases, so why not let your dark side bloom?  That being said I prefer a different kind of play-style.  I like to role play, as myself, in the role of my character.  Would I snipe another person across an airfield who is looting a building in hopes he mind find some ammo or a medkit?  No probably not.  I find that I would in 90% of scenarios not shoot first and ask questions later.  I personally prefer a more cooperative style of play.  I'd like to have positive experiences with other players, rather than negative.  

 

I have to date in fact had a single positive experience in-game so far, out of countless negatives.  I was looting an airfield on a low-pop server, hoping to find some ammo for the pistol I had been lugging around for days or maybe even a rifle.  I came around the corner and I saw a silhouette of a person, the sun behind them making it difficult to make out any detail.  Thinking he was a zombie I swung my ax and gave him a good chop.  Amid the blood spray he cried out in shock.  He was sorting thru his inventory and didn't see me come around the corner.  He begged me not to kill him.  I assured him that it was not my intent and the attack was a case of mistaken identity, that I was not hostile.  I felt remorse over his gaping wounds and offered him up a spare medkit that I had just found.  He cleaned his wounds.  He laughed over the incident.  I felt better.  We did some trading.  We chatted for a bit.  I think he was from the UK because he had a heavy accent that I couldn't quite decipher.  It was cool to talk to a gamer from another country other than my own.  (an assumption on my part I guess)  Ultimately we exchanged pleasantries, wished each other luck, and went our separate ways.  I was able to avoid my first ever "cold blooded" murder of another player. I felt too vulnerable out in the open of the airfield and so I felt rushed to book it into the woods to safety.  Otherwise I would have offered to team up and exchange info to play together later.  I would like to build a network of friendly players.  

 

My point is, the game, even in its Alpha stage, and with lots of players coming from the Arma II Mod, has the potential for lots of different styles of play;

 

- Maybe you are just one of those spawn camper douche-balloons who gets his jollies from ruining someone else's game experience because it tickles you.  

- Maybe you are one of those types who joins a "clan" so you can have squad based PvP matches against other clans.  Spending your time in between your official matches hunting the "most dangerous game" for practice and supplies.  (I personally don't find this much different than spawn camping.)

- Maybe you want to make friends, team up, establish settlements and trade, craft, hunt, and rebuild.  

 

What kinds of things can you think of that would enhance the game in a way to make all these choices valid options??  Here are some basic ideas;

 

- Objective based quests or missions such as; hired mercenary missions involving supply deliveries, escort, or rescue, defense based missions protecting a settlement or objectives from a large zombie herd headed their way, or missions to attack/eliminate a large group of zombies or bandit threats.

- NPC roaming bandits

- Dedicated servers for different play styles, PVP, Co op, PVE, etc.  

- Actual survivor settlements with merchants, including a "barter" type economy or using ammo for currency.  

- Join a cult, gang, or group of bandits with similar mission based quests directly related to that group type.

 

I am just spit-balling here.  

 

I would dislike if this game continues to foster and enable player on player murder to the point where it just becomes a game about getting the best equipment and then hunting other players for sport.  I think this game can be more than that.  As the gaming community involved on this level of the Alpha we have a chance to shape the ultimate future of the game and what it becomes.   

            

 

 

[ghua 44]

it is a sandbox, you do what you want. today you are running along the coast helping freshspawns, tomorrow you have a bad day so you camp and kos everyone. I dont think there is need to add elements like quests or NPC bandits (there is enough bandits out there, believe me) - because everyone can do anything I find situation that everyone kos all the time quite impossible.

[Mdogg2005 447]

it is a sandbox, you do what you want. today you are running along the coast helping freshspawns, tomorrow you have a bad day so you camp and kos everyone. I dont think there is need to add elements like quests or NPC bandits (there is enough bandits out there, believe me) - because everyone can do anything I find situation that everyone kos all the time quite impossible.

Agreed.  If you can't find fun in a sandbox then maybe you are not looking for a sandbox game.  Adding quests and NPCs to a sandbox game will make it... well... not a sandbox.

[Hethwill_Khan 233]

Endgame = "You are dead."

 

Usually comes in small white letters in a funny black screen.

 

Then the fun start all over again...

 

Good luck.

[dusty_nuttles 130]

 

I am curious as to everyone's' thoughts on what the eventual planned Endgame is for DayZ SA.

 

According to an interview Hall did a while back, there will be no end-game. He also said the only thing that they've decided on was books/notes that will give a bit of story.

 

They need to keep it open ended so when mod tools come out we can make our own stories up. I did this in the mod and it was awesome. 

[Mdogg2005 447]

Endgame = "You are dead."

 

Usually comes in small white letters in a funny black screen.

 

Then the fun start all over again...

 

Good luck.

Take my beans sir.  Great analysis of end-game in DayZ.

[Cannon76 13]

I was not trying to imply that elements such as banditry and KoS don't have a place in this game.  I would argue that these negative factors have value in enhancing the experience of playing DayZ in fact.  The loss of your character has emotional ramifications.  My point is simply that these elements seem quite lopsided at the moment and adding elements to the game that would promote balance benefits everyone.  You need to have some good mixed in with your bad.  

 

Otherwise the game will just devolve.