Suggestions based on First Impressions

[Zylock 7]

I'm really, really new to DayZ. I think I've been playing since 1.7.1.3, maybe .4. My luck with new characters is terrible and most of the time I wind up dying before I'm able to piece together a bare-minimum survival kit, let alone do any exploring. This has left me with a lot of mixed feelings about the mod. I love DayZ as much as I loathe it. It really depends how the last survival attempt went.

Too long, don't want to read? Decrease zombie pursuit speed and increase zombie density; increase rate of thirst and hunger decay; add an object weight and encumbrance system; add a pathetic melee weapon to startup package.

So! Each of these suggestions is based on my impressions of the game, which I'll also discuss. I don't think it's possible to make any valuable suggestions without including some amount of discussion of their basis and intent.

The first thing I'll get to is the lack of starting weapon. I think I played at least six or so characters before I was able to find a weapon. In something like 6-10 hours of play over the course of a couple of days--the very beginnings of my experiences with DayZ--I found zero weapons. Not a melee weapon, not a pistol, nothing. This left me feeling... frustrated, to say the least. It seemed like being detected by a zombie was an immediate, unalterable death-sentence. While I appreciated this to some degree, the list of problems with the engine made it a laughable problem, not an interesting feature. And when I finally did find a weapon, my enjoyment shot through the roof, even though I didn't use it. (Additional note, with the zombie's current ability to detect you, there are a lot of places where slow crawling is your only option, but you can't do that without a primary weapon equipped.)

I think the inclusion of a melee weapon is absolutely necessary. A horrible hunting knife, baseball bat, just something. It should not be included to help n00bs get through their first few characters. It shouldn't be included to give you a fighting chance. I advocate for the introduction of a melee weapon on character creation so that you feel like you have the option to fight--a sense of minimal security. More than once, people I've introduced to DayZ have asked "Can't you just punch them in the face or something?" It's a common sentiment that it seems ridiculous that all you can do is run away or stand there while the zombies flail at you.

Which leads me to my next issue / suggestion. Zombies are too damn fast. It's not fun that you simply cannot outrun a zombie in an open field. It's disheartening, bordering on cruel--an obvious 'balance mechanic' whose only function is to increase 'realism and immersion.'

I do understand why they're so fast. With the ability to ditch zombies by running up or down a hill, with the inclusion of LOS giving you the ability to lose zombies just by running through a building or around a few sharp corners, it is possible to leave zombies in the dust, making their speed the only real threat.

However! I don't think that's the answer. I think it would be much more satisfying if zombies were slower, that there were more of them, and that running flat-out incurred much harsher thirst and hunger penalties. Food and water are incredibly clever motivators. That looming, inevitable, silent death of starvation or thirst pushes you into brash decision making and catastrophic circumstances.

Either way, being detected by zombies sucks. That fact remains a constant. The key difference is that in its current form, being detected is analogous to instant death--a story cut short far too early--compared to the onset of a slower, looming panic which drives most post-apocalypse stories.

From what I can tell, the world of DayZ consists of the following difficulty hierarchy: Bandits > Zombies > Thirst & Hunger. I'm horribly terrified of running in to other players. I will hesitate on the fringe of a location I expect to be inhabited by other players for tens of minutes, but will run headlong in to a zombie-infested town. I'm not sure if that's a product of intentional design, or an overall mistake.

In my opinion, the order should look more like this: Hunger & Thirst > Zombies > Bandits.

If the game was rebalanced to replicate that order, I think player cooperation would sky-rocket and encountering a player whose intent is to kill you and rob you of all your stuff would not only be infrequent, it would be incredible. The ticking clock of H&T would force intelligent route planning to minimize time spent on the road, which would increase the predictability of travel, thereby encouraging true bandits--vagrants who would rather risk starvation in the middle of nowhere, preying on passers-by,than to scrounge supplies in zombie territory.

I have no idea if this is possible, but I'd love to see the addition of a weight/encumbrance system to further encourage cooperation. I used to talk at great length with a good friend of mine about a Zombie MMO concept we were working on. One of the central features was the size and weight of objects in the world, designed to encourage material progress and social cooperation. What better way to incite a group of people to work together than to require more than one person to carry something like an engine or generator, a crate of food, or tank of water? What better motivation to spend the time repairing that truck, than to be able to haul loads of food to your safe-house?

The other definitive advantage to an encumbrance system is that it would go hand-in-hand with zombie speed. Being unable to outrun the zombies because you're carrying too much stuff is a really subtle and perfectly consequential Risk/Reward mechanic.

If this idea is too far fetched for the ARMA2 engine, I understand. I've worked on mods before. Engine limitations suck...

Closing thoughts:

This mod is fantastic. I've fallen in love with the experiences that are possible in DayZ. Just last night I spent upwards of 5-10 minutes staring across a massive field at an abandoned structure, wondering if it truly was abandoned, but too afraid to get closer to find out. To rephrase: I spent 10 minutes laying still, doing nothing, totally enraptured by the experience. That's incredible, if nothing else.

I really want to see this mod do as well as physically possible. The above tirade is the biggest compliment I can pay: I wouldn't have spent the time on this post if I didn't care.

DayZ does so much right. More than any other zombie game I've ever played.

(Note: if replies point out flaws in my descriptions or if I notice that I've left something unsaid or unclear, I'll edit this post instead of replying. Be sure to recheck this post for updates.)

[Robolord 11]

I agree with the part that zombies run to fast, once you are chased, the only real way to get rid of them is to run into a building, and run out a other door. For example, you are chased, then you ofcourse have 2 options, you can run, with the risk of getting more zombies behind you, or you can shoot, with 100% chance to get more zombies after you.

I do not agree with a starting weapon tough, starting weapons are very, very easy to find. In any barn/city/supermarket theres a weapon. You just need to keep moving instead of searching every little building you see. Check a few guides on the forums, especially this video helped me a lot with getting my basic gear:

The sence of insecurity is what drives this game, and its a relief when you find your first weapon, I would not want to miss this experience.

The current hierachy is a big problem in my eyes to, some people see this game as a pure FFA, which isn't about survival, but just shooting whatever they see. If they are able to chance this, it'd most certainly good for the game.

About a weight system, hmmm, doubtfull, it has its positives and negatives. When you have to carry atleast 2 cans of food, a water bottel, 3 clips of ammo, a weapon, a side weapon, 3 clips of ammo for the sideweapon, bandage, morphine injectors, pain killers. I think the weight would stack up pretty easily. And with tents being rather rare, its hard to not stuck up on stuff in your inventory and backpack.