Adding value to the character - not the gear.

[calle 100]

I've been thinking about how to make the player value the characters life and the gear being what protects it, not the other way around (as it is right now).

One way is to create some kind of "talent" tree(s).
Either based on how many times you repeat an action or for how long the character has been alive, kilometers traveled etc. (active hours of character).
It's important that the skills don't kill the real skills though.

Skills like a small increase in stamina or carrying capacity in weight, resistance to sickness and bleed-chance, creating different kinds of protection or clothing.
How fast to apply bandages or how fast to put up a fire.

 

It's very important that we value the life of the character and not the gear.
It's a game changer!

[Dr.Duff 211]

I have one word for you; beards.

[Ugly (DayZ) 79]

I am against some kind of "clickable" skill tree, where after X I gain Y (i.e. I kill 100 zombies, gimme 1 skill point to put into "stamina")

 

It makes more sense that the more you use a certain skill, the more proficient you become at it.

 

i.e. the first time you make a splint, it may be of poor quality, and it takes a long time. After the 100th splint you've made, it would take less time and be more helpful.

 

i.e. the first time you "repair" a car, the maintenance may not last as long, but by the 100th time you do it you're doing it faster and the effect lasts longer

 

i.e. by the time you've lives a month your stamina is less effected by carrying capacity

 

i.e. more resistance to infection

 

also you could have posted your opinion in one of the existing threads.

[Railsplitter84 45]

I came here from playing Infestation: Survivor Stories, and I really miss their skill tree advanced on by gaining EXP from zombie kills.  It really helped develop the character.  If something like that was done for DayZ that reset every time you died I think it may reduce PVP and encourage PVE/cooperation with players. 

[Nicko2580 398]

Any skill system will be abused to get the 'best' combination of skills. It's that simple. 

Anytime you put skills into a game there is always a statistical best way to play. DayZ should not take that path.

[mithrawndo 166]

If time allows, Dayz should include a skill tree. This skill true will do nothing but include flavour text, allowing you to customize your character to no end and for no good reason. Think of it like adding cowbell to a drum solo. This idea should only be considered if, by 2026 when this game is finally due for full public release, the development team have run out of other things to do.

 

Beards on the other hand would be a wonderful metric by which one could add value to a character. Imagine this: You're keeping low inside the treeline, tracking another survivor as he makes his way along the road. You've still not seen his face, but you can see he's decently geared. Finally, you manage to flank around and are able to incapacitate him. When you finally see his face, you see a beard that must have taken three months to grow out, and with a moustache that has been waxed to a tip and extends practically a full six inches to each side of his upper lip. You and I both know, you can't kill this guy. He'd have to start growing that wonderful creation all over again!

[djporternz 644]

DayZ: Skill/Talent Grinder. No thank you. There is no possible way that this wouldn't simply become a grind mechanic. In a sandbox game, I'd hope that these sorts of things would be avoided.

 

And although I don't like the beard idea, per se, at least it has the advantage of not requiring any player input and is 'authentic'. But I'd reserve the right to be able to shave it all off for 'charity' as I'd never ever do it to hide my non-noobishness. Honest!

[Mullraugh 1151]

Any skill system will be abused to get the 'best' combination of skills. It's that simple. 

Anytime you put skills into a game there is always a statistical best way to play. DayZ should not take that path.

 

Not abused, used. The end goal of all skill tree things is to get the best combination of skills.

[Nicko2580 398]

Not abused, used. The end goal of all skill tree things is to get the best combination of skills.

And we don't need that in DayZ. 

I say abused because the moment it is implemented you will find the best statistical combination of skills (and one will exist, you can't stop that) posted somewhere and that will be what everyone uses. It's inevitable. For proof look at any game with skills or attribute points or feats or whatever. You'll find the best build relatively quickly with a quick Google search. Thus turning DayZ into yet another generic number cruncher. I don't want to worry about skills when I play this game. It's immersion breaking.

DayZ should be about player skill only, not arbitrary systems that decide what we're good at based on numbers. 

[NOBEF 0]

i have some good reasones to think that these people didn't spawn instantly in the world but they already had some abilities based on WHO they were before the infestation.

so, a random system that give each fresh-spawned survivor a few skills based on their personal story will be more realistic.

[Nicko2580 398]

i have some good reasones to think that these people didn't spawn instantly in the world but they already had some abilities based on WHO they were before the infestation.

so, a random system that give each fresh-spawned survivor a few skills based on their personal story will be more realistic.

Again, there will always be a 'best' set of skills and people will just suicide over and over until they get the set that's best.

It's like rolling your stats for a new character in D&D. You keep rolling until you get a high score for your primary attribute and decent scores for your secondaries.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Nicko2580

[gungza 29]

No thanks, a skill tree will destroy the experience.

[- Karma - 75]

No to skill trees, as Nicko2580 says they have a way of really breaking immersion in games and turning what fun you were having into "I have to do x y times so that z will get better, and the best way to do that is blah blah, so I can be the same as everyone else because that is the best (thereby only viable) build".

 

I've suggested before in threads like these that perhaps a passives system, sort of what Ugly was postulating on above, could work.  Something where the more you do it in game, you get a small benefit that always exists (never activated).  But I'd do two things there:

 

1) paint them in broad strokes, such as any time your character takes an action with provides another with healing or similar aid you will eventually provide a small percentage of health gain on top of whatever the normal amount would be or sprint so often and eventually you can sprint just a wee bit longer than normal

 

2) I would make the number to gain this ability non-static, meaning I would not set it at x uses or x meters run, etc.  I would make it .05% chance to get it ever time an action is done, with a +.05% chance for each subsequent action.  The number could change, but the point is you'd never quite know when you'd get it unless you were keeping track and still hadn't gotten it at 99.5% - well then you'd know you're getting it for sure.

 

Honestly even that I'm not a huge fan of because it brings us back to the grind mentality.  I might not do it, but people out there would go on rampaging killing sprees because they know if I kill enough eventually I'll be a little bit better at it then everyone else and that could make the difference.  People would spend hours and hours real time sprinting the map and nothing else to get better at it.  So while I'll like my idea better then skill trees based on exp gain, I still think it doesn't fit this game.

Edited February 21, 2014 by - Karma -

[Window Licker 504]

Ah so, this morning on the general forum's an interview was posted where Dean said that you will get better at doing thing's if you do them repeatedly, also this "skill" can get wiped from your brain with a 7.62 round, so.... stay safe, stay alive.

 

Repair System - will be possible to recover damaged and ruined items.  It will be a SKILL that is acquired with practice.  More you do it; the better at it you get

 

forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/topic/175718-detailed-information-summary-from-rockets-eurogamer-live-stream/

Edited February 21, 2014 by Window Licker

[ImmunePower 26]

more you do=better results

[Nicko2580 398]

Ah so, this morning on the general forum's an interview was posted where Dean said that you will get better at doing thing's if you do them repeatedly, also this "skill" can get wiped from your brain with a 7.62 round, so.... stay safe, stay alive.

 

Repair System - will be possible to recover damaged and ruined items.  It will be a SKILL that is acquired with practice.  More you do it; the better at it you get

 

forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/topic/175718-detailed-information-summary-from-rockets-eurogamer-live-stream/

The first part I don't agree with Dean at all (but it's his game, my opinion doesn't matter to him, obviously). I will end up leaving this game if I see people grinding skills. The moment it happens I'll get bored and stop playing and go back to something like State of Decay which is a survival game with skills done better than DayZ ever will be. 

The repair stuff is different. It only adds value to the game and likely won't be grindable because of the scarcity (I hope) of things to repair.

[mithrawndo 166]

Having to repeatedly fix broken equipment to max your skills* would be a stupid design decision in anything other than a pay-monthly game. I hope DayZ doesn't plan to go this route, but I respect rocket's decision if this turns out to be the case.

 

*Don't doubt that, just like in the world of warcraft and all it's like, you'd sit and craft a billion things you don't need to get your skillpoints. We don't need that time sink, we already have cross country running!