Premium loot -- A balanced proposal to "gearing up"

[Window Licker 504]

...make lockpicks (keys) work only on the server they have spawned. No more serverhopping.

That's a fairly good idea some people might find it a bit restrictive, but if you load the game and just press play it will automatically reconnect you to the last server you where on, so I don't see how that would be an issue or have the server IP in the description for the lockpick, or not and lolz

[DudeNude 0]

great idea, but you should be able to still find "normal guns" (e.g Revovler, Shotguns and Hunting rifles) in normal loot spawns.

[Valadain 270]

great idea, but you should be able to still find "normal guns" (e.g Revovler, Shotguns and Hunting rifles) in normal loot spawns.

 

"normal guns" would be revolvers, semi-automatic pistols, semi-automatic rifles, hunting rifles, sniper rifles, and shotguns. I think people would be surprised by just how many guns are non-military that look and function just like military weapons. The only real difference you will find is the selective fire, or rather specifically, automatic or burst firing will be absent on civilian models in most countries.

[mgc 92]

Full randomized lootspawn is not going to be ingame (thank god) as already disscussed in many other topics (use search function)

Source?

Reasoning?

 

Are you opposed because then you actually have to search for loot?

Edited March 7, 2014 by mgc

[Laityv1 13]

I totally support this idea! As another idea in relation, maybe also introduce combination locks to safes with codes on paper hidden in the room?

 

This could also allow players to 'plant' fake codes, written on paper in rooms to annoy others for that element of evil banditry  :D

 

Feel free to shoot me down on this guys ;)

Edited March 7, 2014 by Laityv1

[Zombology 29]

What if lockpicks cannot be removed from a players inventory? This might stem some PvP attacks and encourage more kidnapping to force a player to open a safe for another squad.

[Chaingunfighter 917]

What if lockpicks cannot be removed from a players inventory? This might stem some PvP attacks and encourage more kidnapping to force a player to open a safe for another squad.

How would you be able to justify this from any realistic position? 

You wouldn't be able to tell whether someone had a lockpick on them anyway, and if they were dead it wouldn't explain why the lockpick isn't lootable.

[Mullraugh 1151]

Good Idea, I agree with it. Sounds fun.

[Damnyourdeadman 1045]

It's perfect!

Someone quick,make a sticky out of this topic :D

[bobotype3334 160]

There's a serious problem with DayZ, and you know of what I speak: the pilgrimage to the airport. You go there, get "geared up," and -- TADA! --- you're at the end-game. Oh no, Airfield already looted? Time to server hop onto a mostly-empty server. Once you get your M4, then it's only a matter of pimping out your gun with shiny attachments.

At this point, the game begins to lose its charm. Out of boredom, and on the top of the food chain, it's only natural that many people will either stop playing -- or go around and KOS anybody they find. Once you have a bag of beans and an M4, the game ceases to be a challenge, and tends to devolve into straight-up PvP.

We need to slow down gearing up so that it's not solved by a single trip to the airport-mecca. Reducing the spawn-rates of weapons/ammo only, while it sounds good in theory, only rewards the most persistent server hoppers. So what gives?

• All "premium" loot is now gated.
• By gated, I mean that very high-end loot is only introduced through a predictable, random rate that cannot be exploited by server-hopping shenanigans. 
• Locked caches.
• The really high-end weapon, supply and ammo caches can only be found behind secured armory doors at military locations, lock-boxes in hospitals, stowed away in gun-safes across the countryside, etc.
• In order to break into locked caches, you need a lockpick. Basically, a key to gated content that is consumed after use.
• Lockpicks, bless them, are randomly scattered across the countryside, and can only be found in non-predictable locations. You cannot farm them!
• This mechanism allows for the unlocking of gated content in a fair, realistic and consistent manner by those who actually play the game over an extended period of time (!!) NOT by server-hopping around loot-rich areas!

Remember that you can still get very high-end gear through trade, altruism, banditry and -- yes -- even murder. This just affects the original source of high-end loot. It also goes to say that many lockpicks may be destroyed on the way to their final destination through neglect, PVE, or PVP.

 

Benefits of gated content through consumable keys:

• Deters server-hopping -- to get premium loot at premium locations, you actually have to, you know, explore places and play the game for a bit. You can't just go to one place that spawns the *best* stuff and hop around on nearly-empty servers after restart. You have to actually spend some time playing the game, and -- with a little bit of luck and looting -- find some random drops, then collect your reward.

   

• Gives the game developers the ability to easily manipulate the rate at which high-end content is introduced.

   

• Maintains the realism (and fun!) of obtaining specialized gear from specialized locations. You *could* just have completely randomized spawns, and gate the content that way, but that ends up being very unrealistic (military-grade weapons spawning on kitchen tables doesn't quite appeal to me).

   

• Slows down the "gearing up" process considerably.

   

• Still maintains a degree of luck.

   

• Rewards the killing of zombies.

   

• Rewards going into places that typically spawn "meh" loot. You never know which place may have a lockpick! Find one and it's payday! Gives you a reason to actually go into those cabins that never spawn loot (Rocket, if you're reading this, cabins don't spawn loot. It feels to me like you're not aware of this at all).

Edit: Lockpicks should, obviously, be destroyed with use. Thank you Zhrike for pointing this out.

Edit: Instead of having locked rooms, there should be safes in unlocked rooms. This would prevent people from exploiting the system by server-hopping into a locked room. Thank you Dekartz for pointing this out.

 

Edit: Yes, these are randomly scattered -- no particular place spawns them. They could potentially be spread out by making them random zombie drops, or if it's feasible, random across every potential spawning point.

No thank you.

This would be interesting as a side mechanic, but in no way should be a major gameplay changing feature. Were they there, oxyacetylene torches should be another opening method. 

For an idea purporting realism, This kicks realism squarely in the balls. Here's a list of reasons why.

• So that other edit about zombies dropping locked boxes upon death: all zombies are carrying around locked boxes with ammo in them now? Why?
• Survival in a zombie apocalypse should not be tied to your access to lockpicks.
• There has just been a zombie apocalypse. Guns are not going to be safely hidden away. There will be people who have died before getting to their gun safes [hence why this idea would be interesting as a limited side addition], but on the whole people would have their guns out so they could, you know, actually use them. Being killed or turned doesn't mean the guns get locked away, it means
• Lots of houses in this farming country are less likely to have a gun safe dedicated to their Mosin or generic shotgun when they happen to live in a neighbourhood with damn log cabins. Locked boxes are not going to be a common sight, considering most of the doors in the country don't lock.
• Taking even longer to gear up makes bambis' self defence a lot more prohibitive.

Why not just use military zombies and riot police zombies for all your needs in relation to this? Chernarus's military is going to be carrying the majority of their ammo on them so they can shoot zombies, not leaving it in locked boxes, and your average soldier zombie would no doubt still be carrying ammunition and a sidearm on his person even if he dropped his rifle after being turned. Tougher loot-carrying zombies is your answer; no matter what server a serverhopper goes to, he's going to have to fight and kill zombies for the majority of his goodies, which means finding a weapon. And that, my friend, is a much better and more sensible solution than Chernarus having many, many locked boxes which still have the majority of the weapons locked away in them. Meanwhile, spread the weapons over a larger area. You can find a military-grade weapon in far more places than just the airfield, but if you want ammunition your main source is going to be the corpses of military zombies, rather than locked safes.

[bobotype3334 160]

Like.

 

But I think there should be a certain variety in such tools and differnt door-strengths:

 

Crowbar for normal doors, some crates ... in some civilian / industrial houses

Lockpicks for heavier doors and crates ... in warehouses, some civilian houses ... hospitals

Cutting torch (tool) + gas cylinder / military loot

Explosives / military loot

 

Side effect: Could be used as currency!

Explosives for military loot=explosion=exploded guns friend.

[bobotype3334 160]

I completely agree with you Carcinovich.  The lowering of weapon spawns -- if you have played since day of launch -- you can see how the recent patches really never made a difference in stopping server-hopping nor bee-lining to the airfields/tents for "all teh gud lootz".  If anything it made it more daunting for people who want that gear to exploit server hopping and farm all the servers on their favorite's list, and as you said, leaves the legitimate players dried out of gear.

 

 

I agree very strongly with this comment, because the issue at hand is really the loot distribution and randomization throughout the entire map.  Every building, small or large should have a small slight chance that it will spawn rifles, pistols, ammo, etc.  Right now you can go into certain buildings, as JubeiDOK stated: "When you run into the piano building, if you don't see ammo or a gun on the shelf by the stairs, you instantly know there is no point in searching the rest of the building cause you wont find it anywhere else."   and find absolutely nothing.  Spawns need to be straightened out, big time.

 

That right there is a problem with loot.  There definitely should be more locations for possible loot spawns, and complete randomization (to proper authenticity) would bring the element of "scavenging" back somewhat.  Like having items spawning on top of the fire-hall roof top areas, I thought that was great when that patch was implemented in the mod.  It's definitely going to be the little things that are going to make or break DayZ.

>Signature says "you are not special"

>Entire post is a fucking whirlwind rainbow special snowflake look at me experience

[bobotype3334 160]

(accidentally sent post twice)

Edited March 8, 2014 by bobotype3334

[Lidskjalf 132]

>Signature says "you are not special"

>Entire post is a fucking whirlwind rainbow special snowflake look at me experience

 

Hey I don't ask for attention; perhaps I should edit it to make you feel special.

 

Fuck you. :lol: :lol:

[Daemonkid 493]

Make em' so that it's a big blast type of door, with a sophisticated electronic lock. There should be multiple ways of entering said door ranging from blasting the door open with explosives, using a blowtorch to try and make a hole, or finding the electronic code off a zombie that spawns around the location of the armoury.

 

I don't like the lockpick idea tbh. But making it difficult to open but with multiple ways of doing it would be a great way of implementing it. And to those who are saying a person could just log out inside of it, make it a dead zone. If you log out inside of the armoury, it spawns you outside the door when you log back in.

[bobotype3334 160]

Hey I don't ask for attention; perhaps I should edit it to make you feel special.

 

Fuck you. :lol: :lol:

Your entire post was in 6900 different visually loud colours and bold, whereas most people are content to use one occasionally. That's setting your text apart as more important. Hence, attention seeking. Also, fuck you too.

Edited March 8, 2014 by bobotype3334

[OrLoK 16185]

Clam it down. No insults.

 

L