Bandits, Heroes, and Everything in Between

[savini 587]

It seems every couple days...sometimes hours there is a new thread about "Why KoS" or "I'm turning to the dark side" or "why play friendly?" and so on, and on, and on again.

This thread will explain why both sides and the grey area between are all valid and necessary.

Firstly I will state that I choose the friendly route. I play friendly because I like the challenge. Especially the mental chess one plays as two survivors first encounter each other. Sometimes it's just a quick shootout, others it's a feeling out process where two survivors are communicating and paying attention to each others movements and words in order to determine whether or not the other is a threat. As I said, this is my playstyle and it's how I enjoy the game.

Now then, let's talk about the KoS playstyle. It's not my style, but I think it's a pretty basic concept we can all grasp. You are out surviving, doing your thing when all of a sudden you catch sight of another player. Whether or not he is armed is irrelevant as he is a threat to your own survival be it that he finds a weapon, or he starts taking food that you yourself could use. So you hunt him down and take out the threat. It's a completely valid way of playing. I may not agree with it, but I will never say you can't do that. I'll just call you an asshole and be done with it :P.

There is also a grey area in between, where some players do a little of both, or switch it up. Whatever playstyle you choose is perfectly valid. If you want to run through town naked with an axe then do it.

 

The thing that makes Day Z a great game is not the zombies, or the gear. It's the concept. The idea of being dropped in an apocalypse scenario with all the tools you need for survival and the freedom to live out your apocalyptic fantasy in however a way you see fit. The excitement comes from the interaction with other players, be it KoS or friendly. Take 'Project Zomboid' for example. A great game with the same concept. The only thing is that in the current stable build (as of the day of this post) there are no other survivors...not even the AI survivors from before.* So you are dropped in a world with zombies and the tools to survive. You build your fortress and then what. You just live. Arguably that is the point of the game, but let me tell ya...it gets boring after awhile. Logging in to feed your character. This happens in Day Z to an extent when people have all the gear they want and decide not to log in for fear of losing it. Now you either completely stop playing, or you decide you want a fresh start. You want a fresh start because you enjoy the thrill of looking for gear and surviving what or whomever you should encounter. The thrill of the game is that hunt, and it's what keeps us coming back for more. It's essential.

 

What makes the game thrilling and exciting? When does your heart start racing and adrenaline start pumping? That's right. It all starts when we see or run into another player. Not knowing what is going to happen in the next few moments. The only way to achieve that is to have both ends of the spectrum and everything in between. We make the game fun for eachother. KoS players have someone to shoot at, and friendlies have someone to shoot back at...or run away from...or toward...whatever suits you.

 

The simple truth is this. Neither side is going away. Let me reiterate. KoS will never go away, and neither will the 'heroes'. Which is why when threads pop up solely to bash one side or the other is stupid and redundant. As well as arguing for or against one side or the other. It's all futile and childish. I'm not saying 'come together...right now'. I'm saying that both sides are here and neither is going to stop. You must accept that all playstyles are valid. You may not like a certain style of play, but that is irrelevant. We make the game more entertaining for eachother.

 

I believe our community, whatever disagreements we may have, is smart enough to realize that both sides are valid. This is an appeal to the more rational minded of you to stop with the nonsense. The whining from both sides is sickening and makes the community look like a bunch of six year olds throwing tantrums.

 

I know there are many like minded people who accept all playstyles. The rest of you would be wise to understand that any way you or someone else chooses to play is perfectly legitimate. Unless it's cheating of course...I think we can all agree that cheating is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by either side.

 

Thank you for reading, sorry it's a bit long.

-Rhodes

 

tl;dr

Try again. This is a forum where the primary means of communication is text. Learn to read or gtfo.

 

*Project Zomboid has plans to reimplement AI survivors and is currently beta testing multiplayer.
 

[Geckofrog7 1168]

:beans:  :beans:  :beans:

:beans:  :beans:  :beans:

 

Just take them.

[Rudette 435]

I am not a fan of the bandit/hero labels. They are both steeped in macho bravado, as well as the egotistical vindication of one's actions. 

I prefur to play a little bit differently with each play through, set some light parameters for what I'm doing that particular run. Though, sometimes, these parameters change when opportunity presents itself during interaction with others.

Really.. You never know what I'm going do.

I might kill you on sight.
I might team up with you for two hours and we could live happily ever after.
Or maybe after that two hours I'll betray you.
Maybe I'll make you eat beans and gunpoint and let you go, just because I needed the inventory space. Or maybe I'll make you squeal like a pig and put you down >.>

But my absolute favorite is stalking someone, remaining unseen, for 20 minutes or so. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to axe them in the back of the head.

I think I have way more fun than people who justify their actions with labels!

Edited February 28, 2014 by Rudette

[odin_lowe 3686]

Awesome. I have a  pretty similar view of the DayZ concept.

 

Also, been testing/playing Project Zomboid since it came out on Desura. I still remember when the only thing in the game was trying to save your wife in bed on the second story of your house. Awesome game.

[Leo Balzac 190]

I disagree, everyone must play in my style. Everyone.

[savini 587]

:beans:  :beans:  :beans:

:beans:  :beans:  :beans:

 

Just take them.

 

Yum!

 

I am not a fan of the bandit/hero labels. They are both steeped in macho bravado, as well as the egotistical vindication of one's actions. 

I prefur to play a little bit differently with each play through, set some light parameters for what I'm doing that particular run. Though, sometimes, these parameters change when opportunity presents itself during interaction with others.

Really.. You never know what I'm going do.

I might kill you on sight.

I might team up with you for two hours and we could live happily ever after.

Or maybe after that two hours I'll betray you.

Maybe I'll make you eat beans and gunpoint and let you go, just because I needed the inventory space. Or maybe I'll make you squeal like a pig and put you down >.>

But my absolute favorite is stalking someone, remaining unseen, for 20 minutes or so. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to axe them in the back of the head.

I think I have way more fun than people who justify their actions with labels!

 

I hear you, but using the labels helps get the point across. If I say KoS and Hero then it allows the reader to identify a couple of playstyles easily. Just as you would fall into the grey area in between. Well...we all have a few shades of grey really, but like I said...we all know what I mean when I say hero or bandit or friendly or whatever.

 

Awesome. I have a  pretty similar view of the DayZ concept.

 

Also, been testing/playing Project Zomboid since it came out on Desura. I still remember when the only thing in the game was trying to save your wife in bed on the second story of your house. Awesome game.

 

Same here! I used to go to houses I looted, pulling a zed train with me, then turning on the oven and letting the house burn. I kinda miss the simplicity of that map and the overall graphics of those days.

 

I disagree, everyone must play in my style. Everyone.

 

oh you :rolleyes:

[xRann 126]

I still have a hard time grasping the concept of "KoS" as a label. By that, I mean packaging up all instances where upon noticing another player they simply kill them leaves you pretty much encompassing nearly all instances of being killed...as if there's no reason behind it, or cause, or purpose. From the killie's perspective, they were killed on sight but that's not taking into account anything that's going on from the killers perspective. At least in most cases that people complain about.

 

Granted there are people who kill everything that moves, but can you bottle all their intent and murders into a nice little package and say that's "KoS"? It's just such a broad spectrum to try and state this is or that isn't "KoS" since every encounter with another player is another thought process and a different perspective. Just seems like the catch-all scapegoat, and a seriously shitty label and notion to me.

[savini 587]

I still have a hard time grasping the concept of "KoS" as a label. By that, I mean packaging up all instances where upon noticing another player they simply kill them leaves you pretty much encompassing nearly all instances of being killed...as if there's no reason behind it, or cause, or purpose. From the killie's perspective, they were killed on sight but that's not taking into account anything that's going on from the killers perspective. At least in most cases that people complain about.

 

Granted there are people who kill everything that moves, but can you bottle all their intent and murders into a nice little package and say that's "KoS"? It's just such a broad spectrum to try and state this is or that isn't "KoS" since every encounter with another player is another thought process and a different perspective. Just seems like the catch-all scapegoat, and a seriously shitty label and notion to me.

 

Well...semantics aside, my point is that no matter how anyone plays it's all legitimate and arguing or whining about someone elses playstyle is absurd and redundant.

 

[EDIT: Forgot that last bit.]

Edited February 28, 2014 by Rhodes

[hiniberus 122]

Well, I understand Bandits and especially KoS is never quite going away. It's natural where if you can kill someone with no consequences there'll always be a few vindictive people who'll just kill you for the sake of making you grief or at least, imagining so. Personally, I have a few 'marks' for weather it's 'okay' to KoS or not;

 

Most important to least important:
Airfield/Millitary base + Weapon out? -> Instant KoS 

Weapon out and aimed -> Extreme suspicion/Possible KoS

Weapon on back  -> Suspicious but not scared to see if they need something

No visible gun -> Confident to approach 

 

I'm part of a clan that tries to KoS little as possible and help out some guys (most of which were pretty thankful and fed up of being KoS'd actually) and even got about 3 or so members in the clan I'm in thanks to it. I've only been killed once by some long range dude as he had a 5 man team taking over a stripped-dry elektro while helping some people out. I personally just can't quite understand the KoS mentality aside from people just being bored and getting DayZ to be a cheap BF4/CoD replacement, unless it's a rather under equipped fellow taking a lucky shot at a fully loaded guy, I can't understand any other reason than that though.

[ChiefMasterKush 321]

Well...semantics aside, my point is that no matter how anyone plays it's all legitimate and arguing or whining about someone elses playstyle is absurd and redundant.

 

[EDIT: Forgot that last bit.]

So abusing bugs/exploits is an acceptable play style  B)

 

I'll be sure to let my friend know that someone out there thinks he's alright because I give him an ear full every time I talk to him about DayZ.  Probably why he doesn't play with me but eh I HATE server hopping so our play styles don't match up.

[savini 587]

So abusing bugs/exploits is an acceptable play style  B)

 

I'll be sure to let my friend know that someone out there thinks he's alright because I give him an ear full every time I talk to him about DayZ.  Probably why he doesn't play with me but eh I HATE server hopping so our play styles don't match up.

 

I know there are many like minded people who accept all playstyles. The rest of you would be wise to understand that any way you or someone else chooses to play is perfectly legitimate. Unless it's cheating of course...I think we can all agree that cheating is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by either side.

[Grimey Rick 3417]

After perusing Rhodes' latest topic, Dracula pauses, skeptical. Leaning forward slightly in his chair to assail an itch within the cleft of his poop factory, he ponders. Surely this isn't yet another thread attempting to validate something which needs no validation. He leans back again, arms folded, resting gently on his recently-filled-with-blood-of-a-whining-forum-sheriff tummy. He closes his eyes, and begins to drift into a meditative state. Finally, after a fortnight of deep introspection, he awakens. Befuddled, his candid reaction was quickly sketched by Igor:

 

[ChiefMasterKush 321]

Thanks.  I got half way through your post then read your TL;DR and felt I got the gist of the rest  B)

[tarascon 50]

Reading is good for you. ;) The OP made some great observations...

 

I know how that goes though. I tend to write in paragraphs (as you all have surely noticed). And I know that folks on the other forum I frequent (an expat Demonoid forum... I'm reformed,btw) don't have the patience to read other people's posts. It's all about getting your post in. It's sort of like people who, when you're talking, are running a script in their heads about what their gonna say as soon as you shut the hell up. lol