The Infection is permanent until cured.

[Gravelsack 3]

Summary: The Infection, nicknamed "The Zeds", passes on to all future characters until cured with antibiotics.

EDIT: What if there were two sicknesses in the game? The first sickness is the regular coughing illness that you get from being out in the cold. This disease behaves as it currently does, and does not persist through death. The second is rarer, but also more serious. It is "The Zeds", or The Infection that created the zeds in game. It persists through death, and must be cured by antibiotics (possibly of a different type)

The disease would be transmitted by all of the usual ways including player to player contact. In addition, looting an infected players corpse can transmit the infection, as well as prolonged exposure to the clouds of flies left over from players corpses (it's not a bug, it's a feature!). It might be interesting if player corpses lying adjacent to infected corpses had a chance to become infected, thus making them risky to loot.

The reason it crosses to future characters is to keep players from simply respawning to avoid having to deal with it.

[Grizzly2O 0]

No. Antibiotics are way too uncommon. Even if they were common, still no. It doesn't make any sense that all these guys would have infections. Would it make sense for every new character to start with the same low blood level as your other guy? Or start off with a broken bone? Ir start off unconscious? No, it doesn't.

[Gravelsack 3]

No. still no. It doesn't make any sense. Would it make sense? No' date=' it doesn't.

[/quote']

Think about the implications of this. We would have a simulation of a virulent epidemic in game. Uninfected players would avoid or ostracize infected players. Antibiotics would be at a premium. It's just waiting for some sweet emergent gameplay.

Take a look at the most recent interview Rocket did, where he talks about how players fleeing from a dark and rainy server brought the disease to other servers. On a large scale, this could make for some very interesting dynamics.

What would you do about it? Stockpile antibiotics in your camp? Go server to server curing people? Hunt and exterminate infected players?

What if you got infected? Would you team up with another infected survivor to raid a hospital? Would you maliciously try to spread the disease? Would you rage quit and post on the forums about how unfair it is? (lulz)

It would create an interesting faction system as well, as it would split players into four groups:

-Uninfected Survivors

-Infected Survivors

-Uninfected Bandits

-Infected Bandits

I think the effects of the disease and the availability of antibiotics would have to be tweaked a bit in order for this to work, but I also believe that permanent infection would add another layer to the giant mindfuck that already is DayZ!

[Scerun 227]

This is really interesting. It would certainly add more to the game that goes beyond the "Okay. I need a gun. Okay, now some beans. Okay. now to shoot other players now that I have nothing that needs to be done."

Plus the potential emergent gameplay you talk of would be great.

furthermore, anyone bitching about "durrnoantibioticsspawns" is stupid. That can be tweaked incredibly easily.

If there were other obectives available that pertained to self-preservation -SURVIVAL - that went beyond shoot-on-sight, i'd certainly welcome it.

[t3sla 0]

No. still no. It doesn't make any sense. Would it make sense? No' date=' it doesn't.

[/quote']

-snippity-

It doesn't make sense, therefore it takes away from the immersion, and thus...

[Gravelsack 3]

So far the arguments against include:

-it doesn't make sense.

-because other status effects are not permanent.

-it takes away from immersion.

-antibiotics are uncommon

-it would be too hard/cruel/unfair

-the virus would rampage out of control and the game would be essentially over because everyone would be sick all the time.

-Gravelsack is dumb

-Gravelsack is a douche

-no.

(I will continue to add arguments against as they are presented)

[Champloo (DayZ) 5]

It doesn't add immersion. Do you respawn with 0 blood when you respawn? No. Do you respawn bleeding when you respawn? No. Do you respawn in shock when you respawn? No. Do you respawn with a broken leg when you respawn? No. Your idea is terrible and you should feel terrible

[Gravelsack 3]

Do you respawn with 0 blood when you respawn? No. Do you respawn bleeding when you respawn? No. Do you respawn in shock when you respawn? No. Do you respawn with a broken leg when you respawn? No.

All of those are much more severe status effects than illness. Especially 0 blood. That would make the game quite challenging.

[Champloo (DayZ) 5]

Illness is VERY severe. I have raided hospitals about 10 times or so in the past few days, and I've NEVER seen the pills. You can't cooperate with a group because you're contagious and you constantly are losing blood. It is a VERY severe status effect especially if you're in a group. It's severe even more so because every other status effect you have at least some what of a guarantee you can fix it.

Coming from experience where we had to kill one of ours because he was infected so we wouldn't get it too

[Gravelsack 3]

Illness is VERY severe. I've NEVER seen the pills.

I think currently it only reduces your maximum health to 10' date='000. As I said before, the frequency of the antibiotic spawns and the effects of the disease would have to be tweaked.

Coming from experience where we had to kill one of ours because he was infected so we wouldn't get it too

Dude, that's awesome. Those are the kinds of experiences DayZ is about. Choosing to put down your infected buddy? That's emergent gameplay right there.

[Dreganius (DayZ) 55]

Although I feel that carrying it from one life to another is too much, and doesn't make sense in a realistic sense (LEGITIMATE REASONING HERE, FOLKS! Death means the end for your character's life, and thus it should mean the end of the infection in your body), I'm for the Infection being more easily contractable and more easily transmittable. I feel as though, properly tweaked, it make things a lot more interesting. Obviously, antibiotics will need to be more common, as well, though.

So, from a realistic point of view, it should end when you die, but be easier to get, especially in a Zombie Apocalypse scenario such as DayZ where you're out in what could be considered the cold for extended periods of time.

[Gravelsack 3]

I see what people are getting at from the 'realism' standpoint. Personally I think that realism can be sacrificed for the sake of interesting mechanics, but it's important to stay consistent as well, so I can see the sense in that argument.

However, here's a quote from Rocket concerning the issue of realism:

This mod is not about realism. Realistic combat? I was a soldier' date=' it's fucking boring 99% of the time. This mod is designed to have the authenticity required to model and produce some authentic emotional responses. Reality has many concessions made against it in order to achieve this authenticity in the brief time a player is present in the world.

[/quote']

To expand on this idea:

What if, instead of causing you to lose health, it causes you to shake when aiming your gun. At first this effect would only be slight, but would increase over time until you could no longer effectively aim a gun. Only melee would remain effective. In essence you would be 'becoming' a zed.

This would raise an interesting question in the game: "Is that guy carrying an axe a new spawn? Or is he infected?"

[Osiris1 0]

No. There's already a rude awakening for anyone starting a new character. No guns, little equipment, stranded in an unknown area. We don't need uncurable zombie AIDS to become another reason we rage.

We already have unreasonably weak bone structures. Don't make us sickness-prone.

Furthermore, I highly doubt the community would respond like they would in your head. As it is, it's difficult not to get KOS'd by strangers. Nobody within reason would be joining servers going "HEY GUYTH!!! IM GONNA CURE YOUUUU!" I imagine the reaction would be, "There's flies over his head. Screw it. Kill him."

There's simply too many survival factors when you throw unreasonable diseases into the mix for a new character.

[DeathComesSilently 8]

No. still no. It doesn't make any sense. Would it make sense? No' date=' it doesn't.

[/quote']

Think about the implications of this. We would have a simulation of a virulent epidemic in game. Uninfected players would avoid or ostracize infected players. Antibiotics would be at a premium. It's just waiting for some sweet emergent gameplay.

Take a look at the most recent interview Rocket did, where he talks about how players fleeing from a dark and rainy server brought the disease to other servers. On a large scale, this could make for some very interesting dynamics.

What would you do about it? Stockpile antibiotics in your camp? Go server to server curing people? Hunt and exterminate infected players?

What if you got infected? Would you team up with another infected survivor to raid a hospital? Would you maliciously try to spread the disease? Would you rage quit and post on the forums about how unfair it is? (lulz)

It would create an interesting faction system as well, as it would split players into four groups:

-Uninfected Survivors

-Infected Survivors

-Uninfected Bandits

-Infected Bandits

I think the effects of the disease and the availability of antibiotics would have to be tweaked a bit in order for this to work, but I also believe that permanent infection would add another layer to the giant mindfuck that already is DayZ!

Sounds awesome now...

Coming from experience where we had to kill one of ours because he was infected so we wouldn't get it too

Dude' date=' that's awesome. Those are the kinds of experiences DayZ is about. Choosing to put down your infected buddy? That's emergent gameplay right there.

[/quote']

YES, YES, YES. Put this in the damn game! (After other things are fixed, of course.)

[Gravelsack 3]

No. Nobody within reason would be joining servers going "HEY GUYTH!!! IM GONNA CURE YOUUUU!" I imagine the reaction would be' date=' "There's flies over his head. Screw it. Kill him

[/quote']

there is already a guy in the game who is a traveling doctor. I bet he'd be all over curing the new spawns.

The fact that people shoot other people in this game keeps getting trotted out as a reason not to do things. Frankly, I'm not impressed with that line of reasoning.

[montauk 2]

Having the infection spread to your future characters makes no sense.

They're not the same person and likely never had contact with your previous character.

bottom line this idea is dumb.

[Dreganius (DayZ) 55]

^ This, essentially, is my opinion.

Also I (and my fiancee) like purple so I have to agree.

[Gravelsack 3]

Having the infection spread to your future characters makes no sense.

bottom line this idea is dumb.

Yes it does, and no it isn't.

[Dreganius (DayZ) 55]

No, it doesn't. Your logic doesn't make sense, because when you respawn you are respawning as a DIFFERENT PERSON.

[Gravelsack 3]

No' date=' it doesn't. Your logic doesn't make sense, because when you respawn you are respawning as a DIFFERENT PERSON.

[/quote']

Then why does your humanity carry over?

[Dreganius (DayZ) 55]

Because it's an element that reflects the player's CHOICES to shoot other people and become Bandits (or not to shoot unless fired at and be Survivors), not their lack of medicine or heat.

Making someone ill on respawn isn't the same thing in the slightest, because no player would willingly make themselves sick and weaken themselves, nor would any player want to risk being around them, whereas players willingly become Bandits or Survivors.

Apples and oranges, man, apples and oranges.

[LackofCertainty 2]

As Dreg said, Humanity is more of an anti-grief mechanic than a solid in-character stat imo. It's there so that people who cronically murder have a little chip on their shoulder that might make them a bit more vulnerable. Of course, with the implied way it works, it only really matters for scam-bandits. (most bandits just shoot on sight so it doesn't matter if seeing them makes your heart beat faster or whatever)

I don't like this idea, because each life is a new character. The infection is mean. If you want it more prevalent, then just make it easier to catch. There's no need to make it persist between lives (which would ruin a lone-wolf's day) just to make the illness more common.

[Gravelsack 3]

Everything that happens to your character in game is a result of the choices you make. I mean, that's kind of the whole point of the game.

I think that "it doesn't make any sense" is just code for "I think it would be too hard"

As Dreg said' date=' Humanity is more of an anti-grief mechanic

If you want it more prevalent, then just make it easier to catch. There's no need to make it persist between lives (which would ruin a lone-wolf's day) just to make the illness more common.

[/quote']

I don't think that humanity is intended as an anti grief mechanic. As far as I know, there are no anti grief mechanics.

As far as just making it easier to catch, I don't think that would work, because then players would just respawn when they catch it, although I did think about that option.

The reason I like it as a permanent factor is that it would make it impossible to avoid, and so it would mimic a real epidemic spreading...and I mean, wouldn't that be cool? (yes, yes it would.)

[huptut 1]

i like the idea...what if it was implemented like this....infections come from drinking untreated water (make soda cans Maybe 1/3rd as effective a thirst quencher as water) add iodine/bleach in game to sterilize your water so you can kill the infection? just a thought :D

[Gravelsack 3]

i like the idea...what if it was implemented like this....infections come from drinking untreated water (make soda cans Maybe 1/3rd as effective a thirst quencher as water) add iodine/bleach in game to sterilize your water so you can kill the infection? just a thought :D

What if there were more than one disease you could get? One from drinking tainted water, one from being out in the cold, and one from getting hit by zed. Each of these would have different effects on the character, but the one you get from the zed would be rarest and worst of all. It could only be transmitted player to player by direct melee contact or corpse looting.