Meeting the Hacker Within: A challenge to the Devs and the community.

[mangozapp 46]

This is a big post, I know. But I'm attempting to address what I feel is a big, complex, social problem so I hope you'll bare with me dudes... I'll try to make every word count. Thanks for reading... and for thinking.

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

"HACKER!!! F*** YOU!!! Grow up and learn to play by the rules like us!!!"

 

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Tired of that? Yeah, me too. But 'Dev Team Daddy' and the BattleEye Army are sure to be victorious over those nasty hacking parasites! Yes! Lets prey our security forces make those ungrateful little boys go and play somewhere else. Grr! Go on! Shoo!

Hmm.

This is how the 'hacking conflict' looks to me right now: We are staking our hopes on Chernarus staying peaceful as a Police State - A Chernarus ruled by the iron hand of The Mighty BattleEye! Kneel before him you hacking scum!

 

 

Problem:

 

BattlEye ain't in the business of solving the hacking problem: on setting new players off on the right track. BattlEye is in the business of defending us against existing hackers - there is a world of difference. Yes indeed.

It isn't in BattlEye's power to halt the creation of new game-hackers. No. It surely ain't. Hacking is a social issue. I'd stake my (in-game) life on the fact that 9/10 players input their first hack as a direct response to other players leaving them feeling insignificant and ill-equiped to play and/or exact revenge.

I know I'm not the only one that noticed this over-riding character trait in hackers: hackers are vein and insecure kids, they are desperate to prove themselves, to be noticed... 

"Well we all know that, your point is...?"

Many of them just wanted to be in our gang, they felt excluded. ...Aww, diddums. No. This means that any hackers who haven't migrated here from other games are, in part, a creation of our community.

"But we're just playing the game!"

True, but you're missing the point... If it's our fault then we can do something about it.

"But BattlEye is working O.K. right now... Isn't it?"

I don't know the statistics but I do know that if the root cause isn't addressed then the hacking counter-culture will remain to grief us. Yep. That kid the gaming community is going to fail to connect with, that kid who turns to hacks, that get's banned... That (actually highly inventive, creative) kid will be welcomed with open arms into the seriously f***ed up hacking community. Once he's there he's going to learn a whole lot of really nasty tricks to come back and blight us with. This isn't a dying counter-culture, it's alive and growing, learning and adapting. It's getting stronger.

 

The political term for this situation is an EPIC FAIL. 

 

So are we agreed: in some respects game-hackers are a product of our own short-comings, oversights made by the gaming community...? O.K. Then we can try to find some solutions to the root cause. Of course, its a big problem with many contributors... Lonely kids, angry people, games companies who actively encourage elitist hierarchies... (there's always people at the bottom of a heirarchy who become angry). Whatever. The fact is dudes, that elitist stuff is unimaginative, boring crap. DayZ is different... Right? Right. In DayZ everyone is just a survivor - until they die... 

'This is your story.'

 

That's what makes DayZ so special. But as things stand right now we're inviting trouble. We're leaving everything to chance, leaving 14yr old Davey378 to find his way through to the gold at the end of the DayZ rainbow completely unassisted... That's a big risk.

 

 

The Transition:

 

You're a half-starved, panicking man in his underpants. You want to play like Frankie, like Sacriel. You get shot in the head every time you see someone. 

 

Some players don't know where to start with a complex hardcore simulation like DayZ. Some don't have the patience and Google-skills to teach themselves to stand a chance. Some kids just can't take trying and dying alone - repeatedly.

"Well DayZ isn't for them."

Yeah, whatever. The truth is that quite a few servers are populated almost exclusively by hardcore, piss-taking bandits. Yes, that's DayZ. However, for a new player excited to have eventually got this awesome game that he's been watching on the streams - To arrive and have the piss taken out of him straight away - that's not a good introduction into the DayZ community. If we leave certain players alone in that situation they're going to get seriously pissed off. Certain players left in that situation will become so pissed off that they turn to hacks. There needs to be an alternative available to the new player... These guys want to learn, they want to learn from other players in-game.

...And let's face it, hunting a guy who's running down the middle of the road with a bright red bike helmet on -

- "Whoa! That's DayZ!"

It is right now, yes   :huh:. But I'm not alone in feeling that this side of DayZ is pretty tedious and only really amusing for griefers. Besides, after an hour's guidance new players will still be easy prey for experienced bandits. They'll have a lot to learn and a lot to fear, however, they might at least start off feeling they've been given a chance by the DayZ community. So this is just about setting new players off thinking in the right direction and, more importantly, giving us a way to welcome new players into our community... 

 

 

Introducing: 'The Commune'

 

(Any alternative twists, ideas or solutions to the issues I've tried to address with this idea are, obviously, very welcome... The main thing is we think about the root cause to these social issues and ways to address them.)

 

New Players are given the option of entering 'The Commune'.

'The Commune' might be a permanent compound on the map that server admins can choose to turn on or off. It may be located on servers tailored to receive new players. It could, eventually, be on an island... There's plenty of options.

The Commune would be manned by existing players/community members choosing to participate as guides. I am not suggesting some formulaic training program. The game is simply providing a location set aside for players to exchange their knowledge. The experienced player is available to answer questions and lead a loot run... Or whatever they like, basically any 'training' received will only be as useful as the guide makes it. A new player might meet a hard-nosed Sergeant or a cuddly medevac dude... It'll be open.

A system would likely need to be put in place whereby the guides can be voted   :thumbsup: up or down by the players they are helping. This way, a griefer will only waste one group's time. So (if we insist on ranking) this system promotes active community members who are working to welcome and inform new players on what DayZ is all about.

Brand new players might be spawned directly into The Commune. Existing players wishing to get a few tips might seek this safe place out - although the second option is more in keeping with DayZ's theme it leaves a lot to chance for a new player, the new player will likely get lost and may be killed by bandits on route - repeatedly. That would miss the point: meeting new players before they get irritated and are drawn into the KOS mentality or, worse, turn to hacks to survive.  

Through entering the commune and their first loot run with a guide new players can be taken through the basics by an experienced player:

 

While inside The Commune:

 

·         Forming a team (this is the most important thing of all)

·         Using Teamspeak or Skype to stay in touch with your team members

·         A few pointers on where to find more info and where to post ideas/bug reports.

·         A few pointers on an initial game plan

 

On the loot run:

 

·         Sustaining yourself - food, drink etc.

·         Medical

·         Basic navigation

·         The do's and don'ts of travelling - remaining hidden etc.

·         An overview of what to expect when meeting other players.

 

A system of this kind may also be of real interest to existing players, aside from the pleasure of being a guide it might double as a way for any player to find and form a group. This seems to be a dead zone right now. It was hard to find players to team up with in the Mod, now with the exclusion of Global chat in the Standalone it is near impossible. The fact is that there are many players out there who do not have an existing team of friends to play with, not everyone has a bunch of mates who also play DayZ.

 

 

That's more than enough to (hopefully) get this discussion started.... What's the feeling out there dudes...?     :)

 

P.S. I made a mistake and posted this originally under Mod Suggestions... I can'd see a way to delete that post so it'll have to be doubled up.  :blush:

 

[JuX 72]

Guides wont fix the issue of people hacking in video games.

 

My theory is hackers mainly consist of sadists. I reached this conclusion on basis that whole aspect of hacking in video games

overrides the entertainment and purpose of the video game, so hacker itself isnt playing the game at all, but doing

nothing other then inflicting pain on other players by any means necessary.

 

"As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistinguishable from the evil that they set out to destroy."

- Christopher Dawson

[elf cakes 559]

first of all, i'm not tired of people ridiculing and hating on hackers. 

 

the fact that you think they deserve our sympathy i just find laughable. they know full well what they're doing. it's not our fault for creating this community. these people just want to have an edge over other players and lots of them get kicks from ruining other people's fun. you think that deserves sympathy? they deserve to be permabanned. 

 

your solution only adresses the problem if it were actually what you thought it was. hackers aren't all 5 year old kids who were 'misguided' when they started gaming. hackers are all kinds of people, all assholes. anyone who goes out of their own way to ruin someone elses fun is not some misguided kid. 

Edited January 24, 2014 by elf cakes

[mangozapp 46]

"As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil, then their good becomes indistinguishable from the evil that they set out to destroy."

- Christopher Dawson

I have wondered on this sadist element myself. I'm not trying to be clever with you but read this quote you posted again... "As soon as men decide that all means are permitted to fight an evil..." This is the bit that I'm talking about. I'm suggesting that, as things stand, an Evil is far too easy to find for a new player arriving in Chernarus. Without there being any active welcome on the part of the community into our ranks then we're basically giving a budding Sadist his Evil on a plate. "Nobody met me, nobody helped me, all they did was shoot me and then ban me when I eventually fought back in the only way I could - a damage hack." - After an experience like this the kid can move without interruption or debate to "the evil that they set out to destroy (by any means necessary)."

Edited January 24, 2014 by Harmonica

[dashx73 (DayZ) 168]

Did you know it's as simple as opening the add-on folder and deleting a few files, and suddenly you can walk thru walls and shoot thru anything because they no longer appear in game. however you can still connect to the server..

Edited January 24, 2014 by dashx73

[zhrike 264]

So are we agreed: in some respects game-hackers are a product of our own short-comings, oversights made by the gaming community...?

No. In no respects do I agree. Hackers are a product of their own insecurity, immaturity, incompetence and/or cowardice.

 

You want to play like Frankie, like Sacriel.

One of those guys is a hacker ... and the other live streams. Frankie is a very talented producer of fictional videos with the help of post-production editing and hacks (though maybe not hacking anymore). Live streaming ... it's all out there. Sacriel is the real deal.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Zhrike

[mangozapp 46]

first of all, i'm not tired of people ridiculing and hating on hackers. 

 

the fact that you think they deserve our sympathy i just find laughable. they know full well what they're doing. it's not our fault for creating this community. these people just want to have an edge over other players and lots of them get kicks from ruining other people's fun. you think that deserves sympathy? they deserve to be permabanned. 

 

your solution only adresses the problem if it were actually what you thought it was. hackers aren't all 5 year old kids who were 'misguided' when they started gaming. hackers are all kinds of people, all assholes. anyone who goes out of their own way to ruin someone elses fun is not some misguided kid. 

O.K.

Where at any point did I say hackers deserve our sympathy? Nowhere.

Would you then say that hackers are born hackers? Like certain psychologists postulate is the case with psychopaths.. (far from proved)..?

Do you think that all players who turn to hacking or griefing would turn to this even if they were surrounded by a group of players that welcomed them, that set off with them to play the game together...? What do you think dude?

Your permaban... If you don;t actually try to offer an alternative way of those kids gaining what they are somehow missing in our community then really, isn't your ban hammer just sending more and more fresh recruits off to HacksVille to learn new tricks? 

[zhrike 264]

Do you think that all players who turn to hacking or griefing would turn to this even if they were surrounded by a group of players that welcomed them, that set off with them to play the game together...?

Most. Yes.

[tsandrey 379]

Did you know it's as simple as opening the add-on folder and deleting a few files, and suddenly you can walk thru walls and shoot thru anything because they no longer appear in game. however you can still connect to the server..

Nope. Last patch added signature verification

[mangozapp 46]

No. In no respects do I agree. Hackers are a product of their own insecurity, immaturity, incompetence and/or cowardice.

 

One of those guys is a hacker ... and the other live streams. Frankie is a very talented producer of fictional videos with the help of post-production editing and hacks (though maybe not hacking anymore). Live streaming ... it's all out there. Sacriel is the real deal.

Yup, I know Frankie hacked. I'm asking folks to pout themselves in the place of that insecure little kid. If we refuse to do that, if we refuse to compromise ourselves by actually thinking how they might feel... Then really there's no way of guessing how we might go about stopping those, yes, insecure kids from turning to hacking. 

I am not asking anyone to sympathise. What I am saying is that an irritating, insecure kid is... irritating. If that kid ends up doing a Dos Attack because we left him out in the cold... That's a serious problem that cost people money. Maybe it is therefore worth us actually trying to think of ways to bring this kid into our camp, set him straight before he hacks! So, you see, I'm not talking about hackers here at all really, I'm talking about kids that have the potential to become hackers... Kid's who, with a bit of attention, might stay just another player like the rest of us.

 

And one thing. Dudes. I've raged a screamed and spat at many a hacker in my time. But lets just try to stay a bit cool, yes, it's an emotive subject. But we're the good guys... We've half a million minds working for DayZ... Surely we can come up with something a bit more creative than simply increasing security...? Man, that's so old... and it so doesn't change anything.   

Edited January 24, 2014 by Harmonica

[elf cakes 559]

 simply increasing security...? Man, that's so old... and it so doesn't change anything.   

'so old'

why the hell does that make any difference?

 

'doesnt change anything'

all the thousands of hackers that have been permabanned beg to differ.

 

 

honestly i don't believe that hackers could be made into nice people if they were hand held and breast fed through the game by an older group. first of all, if it's kids that you want to help, remember that they shouldnt even legally be playing this game. that's a parent's fault, not the community. 

Edited January 24, 2014 by elf cakes

[mangozapp 46]

'so old'

why the hell does that make any difference?

 

'doesnt change anything'

all the thousands of hackers that have been permabanned beg to differ.

 

 

honestly i don't believe that hackers could be made into nice people if they were hand held and breast fed through the game by an older group. first of all, if it's kids that you want to help, remember that they shouldnt even legally be playing this game. that's a parent's fault, not the community. 

 

'So old' as in there are so many example in history to prove that this policy does nothing but destabilize a country/community. Name one instance where a policy that relies on censorship and imprisonment/banning has succeeded in stabilising a situation... In bringing some kind of peace. BattlEye and the Hackers are in an arms race. What I'm trying to address is the fact that the Hackers are still gaining new recruits. Cut off that supply and you might get somewhere... Then they're a dying breed.

 

....Right... 

• Hackers become hackers at some point in their gaming, nobody is born a hacker, it requires skills and a desire to f*** up the community... If we don't somehow welcome people then we are powerless, they are an invisible man in an anonymous world... For such a player there is no debt to the community, no moral obligation, he can fuck everything up and walk away with a clean conscience. Meet him, help him out and suddenly there's a debt. For some that will not be enough... btu maybe for other it might just make them decide to join a different clan and not bother with that bunch of griefers/hackers.
• Once someone's hacking and banned that's game over. They are then hidden away trying to come up with a way to take revenge.
• I have no interest or suggestions on how to reform existing hackers.
• This is OUR community. Whose fault anything is is really beside the point, the point is that if we stop simply pointing the finger then we might put a little thought into creating an environment that doesn't hand kids over to the hacking community so readily. 

A last point, I know all hackers are not kids - but I call them kids because they have an immature, insecure mentality. Now we can say 'well f*** 'em.' But the fact remains, they're here in Chernarus and some of them may become the thorn in our side if we don;t come up with a way to handle them that doesn't just wait until they actually start griefing or hacking.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Harmonica

[zhrike 264]

Yup, I know Frankie hacked. I'm asking folks to pout themselves in the place of that insecure little kid. If we refuse to do that, if we refuse to compromise ourselves by actually thinking how they might feel... Then really there's no way of guessing how we might go about stopping those, yes, insecure kids from turning to hacking. 

I am not asking anyone to sympathise. What I am saying is that an irritating, insecure kid is... irritating. If that kid ends up doing a Dos Attack because we left him out in the cold... That's a serious problem that cost people money. Maybe it is therefore worth us actually trying to think of ways to bring this kid into our camp, set him straight before he hacks! So, you see, I'm not talking about hackers here at all really, I'm talking about kids that have the potential to become hackers... Kid's who, with a bit of attention, might stay just another player like the rest of us.

 

And one thing. Dudes. I've raged a screamed and spat at many a hacker in my time. But lets just try to stay a bit cool, yes, it's an emotive subject. But we're the good guys... We've half a million minds working for DayZ... Surely we can come up with something a bit more creative than simply increasing security...? Man, that's so old... and it so doesn't change anything.

Hey man, I hope I didn't give you the impression that I am emotional about this subject. I'm not. I was just stating my opinion. I like Frankie's videos - I think he does a really good job at what he does, but it's fiction. Again, my opinion. Now, to this:

 

I'm talking about kids that have the potential to become hackers... Kid's who, with a bit of attention, might stay just another player like the rest of us.

I don't think that kid hackers are the real problem. I also don't think that they (hackers) will continue to be a huge problem as the SA is further developed. There will always be exploits, but the old, mod style of teleporting everyone a KM into the air, or insta-killing the whole server will be a thing of the past. If people want to cheat to get gear ... meh, whatever. There is always more gear.

One of the first hacking videos that I saw surface during the SA involved an adult. Most of them seem to be. Kids shouldn't be playing this game anyway. I know they do, but they shouldn't, so it's kind of a moot point. Kids exhibit all kinds of behaviors that aren't right for this game and its context.

I think the commune is a neat idea for a private hive for people who like that kind of idea, but that's it.

It's a thoughtful post on your behalf ... I was just disagreeing with portions of it.

So, in terms of the things that might drive players to hack ...

KoS is not a problem. It's part of the game. Banditry is not a problem. It, too, is part of the game. When content is added, the prevalence/frequency of KoS will change. When guns and ammo are more rare, and zombies are all over the place, when camping and hunting are in-game, bases and barricades, spawn-camping will be much more difficult ... It likely won't ever stop, but it will be lessened.

DayZ is a fascinating social experiment, and the more rules applied the worse it will get, IMO. I'm interested to see where it goes.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Zhrike

[Fungool 1]

Interesting idea with a lot of thought behind it. Not sure if it would change weather or not someone is going to hack though. More importantly I think it may destroy some of the best parts of DayZ. Some of my favorite memories from this game are from the first time I played. Logging in for the first time and not knowing what to do or where to go. The fear, the frustration. If I had a safe place or someone holding my hand to teach me the ways of DayZ or even a tutorial built in...I wouldn't have earned what I know now and would be less satisfied. 

[ninjacalypse 551]

The Transition:

 

You're a half-starved, panicking man in his underpants. You want to play like Frankie, like Sacriel. You get shot in the head every time you see someone. 

 

Some players don't know where to start with a complex hardcore simulation like DayZ. Some don't have the patience and Google-skills to teach themselves to stand a chance. Some kids just can't take trying and dying alone - repeatedly.

 

Oh yeah, definitely you can't just install DayZ and automatically expect to be as good as someone like Frankie.  I mean, that guy has been hit repeatedly by zombies, shot repeatedly and even blown up...with dead bodies of other players scattered around him who were further away from the explosion than he was...and all without losing a single drop of blood.  That's definitely SKILL .  Hell, Frankie should teach Dean Hall how to play DayZ.

[mangozapp 46]

Hey man, I hope I didn't give you the impression that I am emotional about this subject. I'm not. I was just stating my opinion. I like Frankie's videos - I think he does a really good job at what he does, but it's fiction. Again, my opinion. Now, to this:

 

I don't think that kid hackers are the real problem. I also don't think that they (hackers) will continue to be a huge problem as the SA is further developed. There will always be exploits, but the old, mod style of teleporting everyone a KM into the air, or insta-killing the whole server will be a thing of the past. If people want to cheat to get gear ... meh, whatever. There is always more gear.

One of the first hacking videos that I saw surface during the SA involved an adult. Most of them seem to be. Kids shouldn't be playing this game anyway. I know they do, but they shouldn't, so it's kind of a moot point. Kids exhibit all kinds of behaviors that aren't right for this game and its context.

I think the commune is a neat idea for a private hive for people who like that kind of idea, but that's it.

It's a thoughtful post on your behalf ... I was just disagreeing with portions of it.

So, in terms of the things that might drive players to hack ...

KoS is not a problem. It's part of the game. Banditry is not a problem. It, too, is part of the game. When content is added, the prevalence/frequency of KoS will change. When guns and ammo are more rare, and zombies are all over the place, when camping and hunting are in-game, bases and barricades, spawn-camping will be much more difficult ... It likely won't ever stop, but it will be lessened.

DayZ is a fascinating social experiment, and the more rules applied the worse it will get, IMO. I'm interested to see where it goes.

That's cool dude, I'm with you on the fascinating social experiment, and completely with the less is more as far as 'rules' go.

One thing that may stop a misunderstanding escalating... I'm 35. So, in all honesty, anyone under about 20 is a kid to me. No insult, it just happens that way as your hair starts falling out. ;)

[zhrike 264]

That's cool dude, I'm with you on the fascinating social experiment, and completely with the less is more as far as 'rules' go.

One thing that may stop a misunderstanding escalating... I'm 35. So, in all honesty, anyone under about 20 is a kid to me. No insult, it just happens that way as your hair starts falling out. ;)

I'm significantly older than you. :-) I do, however, still have all my hair (as you can see).

[mangozapp 46]

I'm significantly older than you. :-) I do, however, still have all my hair (as you can see).

...Ah. Then Sir, you are aging very well. In this case I might request you start a thread in the off-topic section to share a list of your hair products with DayZ players less fortunate than yourself... In the interests of the community ;)... No self respecting young hacker-to-be wants to be friends with a bald guy. Sob..

[sells his PC and goes to buy grey slacks and a lawn mower instead.] 

[Space Milk 195]

OP makes the ignorant mistake by stating most hackers are insecure people and that hacking is a social issue. That hackers want attention.

I used to use scripts on CSS and CSGO. hacked a few multiplayer games on the Internet, and hack some old games like MechWarrior 2 and MechWarrior 4 Mercenaries.

Of course I do not do it anymore, as you can see on my profile I was banned from CSGO, which marked the beginning of the end for my scripting and hacking.

Why did I do this?  Because I could, and it was fun.  To be able to have a skill of going outside the box, outside what the rules are and what is possible, is great!  Many hackers (not script kiddie only people)  go into computer science for this reason.  In programming, you can do WHATEVER you want.  In multiplayer games like CSS and CSGO, it is amazing to practically have the power of a god and win most of the time.  

Hacking communities, REAL hacking communities, are actually full of people that are really nice and intelligent.  Of course those script kiddie sites are not the same.  

 

Now I will get to the main post.  Hackers, especially script kiddies, deserve zero sympathy for anything.  All policies on hacking should be zero tolerance.  Spotted hacking?  Ban and remove from the community.  Because being a god means hurting people, and it is only fair, not equal, that everyone is on a similar foot.  

 

 

OP has no idea about what hacking means and what opportunities it can hold for in the future.

 

 

P.S:  Creative smart kids, should go into hacking, as it promotes creative thinking and different ways of doing things.  

Computer programming and hacking ARE THE BEST WAYS to promote critical and creative thinking.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Space Milk

[mangozapp 46]

OP makes the ignorant mistake by stating most hackers are insecure people and that hacking is a social issue.

 

That is properly interesting dude. And, yes, you're bang-on, I'm going from complete guess work, from a few brushes with hackers where I had very little chance to actually communicate with them. It's a whole lot better to actually hear about it from the horses mouth... Before writing the post I was thinking how little I really know about hackers, but I guess its information I'm not that keen to start browsing for, I don;t exactly trust hacker sites. I guess that's what frustrates me so much about the ban-hammer, its the fact that it's just 'end of discussion'... I don't mean it isn't needed, I don't mean I don't applaud it but part of me wants a minute to see if I can't find out why that dude just killed the server.

 

So, I'd be interested to know, do you think there is sometimes an in-game issue that sends virgin hackers off to find scripts? I mean, in your experience, is the idea of a chip on someones shoulder causing them to 'turn' just bollocks... Is that not something you've seen at all...?  

I guess what I'm fishing for is whether you'd have any suggestions to keep players on-side somehow before the ban hammer comes. I'm curious.

 

Well I never. Most unexpected.

[tsandrey 379]

OP makes the ignorant mistake by stating most hackers are insecure people and that hacking is a social issue. 

Saying that all cheaters are insecure kids is a bit ignorant and silly, yes. But you can't possibly say that a person who spends money on cheats just to annoy other people is a mentally stable person

Edited January 25, 2014 by TSAndrey

[AP_Norris 1017]

I think a lot of people probably get wound up by bandits yes.

But, if they were to continue going around hacking, then they're probably just dicks.

I guess when you hack you would either loose interest in the game as it is no longer a challenge/ enjoy being a complete douche and continue to ruin peoples game.

I've met a so called friendly hacker, he spawned me a Heli.

I wasn't too worried because it was my friends server, but basically I flew around with him and then got a free SUV.

The server was later hackbombed and my friend never tried to run a server again.

But I suppose that hacker #1 thought himself a man of justice.

In my opinion hackers just need to be banned and have their steam copy revoked.

That is the most you can really do about hackers, they also need to find any advertised hacks possibly have the forum team here be able to receive links and get them right to the dayZ team.

[mangozapp 46]

I do think that some players, who are already completely at home with multi-player gaming, forums etc. etc. underestimate how much there is for a noob to get his head around in order to A. find info he needs B. Give suggestions C. Play the game with some success D. form teams E... Blah. From my own experience I know that DayZ is interesting enough to attract people who have previously not been into multi-player gaming at all. A lonewolf coming in cold like that is flailing around in the dark... I wasn't used to using forums at all before playing DayZ. The whole Alpha release thing... there's a lot for someone coming in cold to catch up on.

 

After writing my original post I wasn't sure, when reading through it, whether to actually remove the focus I had put on hackers... Because that, for me, is just one end of the commune idea... Its effect on hacking, if any, would be incidental.

 

The idea I was really focused on with that was giving new players direct in-game access to the community from day 1 and, hopefully, communicating that mature, 'all in it together' attitude which doesn't come across to a player who is unfamiliar with the game and finds themselves preyed on by bandits when they're sorely unprepared to compete. I'm not in any way saying that banditry etc. needs regulating, just that I think it might be good to put something in place to balance that early beating everyone gets. At that early point, I think, quite a few (maybe older) new players will not be utilising the forums etc. wherein they might find that everyone is in the same boat with bandits etc... Because of that it's not hard to take things a bit personally and think everyone else is having a great time hanging with their mates up North.

Edited January 26, 2014 by Harmonica

[ImageCtrl 719]

The idea I was really focused on with that was giving new players ...

Make a new topic and don´t push a pointless thread?

[mangozapp 46]

Make a new topic and don´t push a pointless thread?

Err... It's all pointless... It's a computer game. But yes, maybe ;).