Whistle bind: A simple idea that might reduce needles PK'ing

[eel 47]

Whistling.

A short whistle bound to a key, similar to the salute animation. It would become a generally accepted and understood sign of friendliness, but one that doesn’t also require you to fully surrender your character to a stranger.

Why would it work?

According to this survey (https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewanalytics?formkey=dFpVdWltTGRHZVBSSkpIV1lQSmdWS2c6MQ#gid=0 question #9), only 25% of the players kill others for the thrills or the loot. Most of us don’t want to kill other players (at least not on sight) and do so only to avoid being killed themselves. Which is pretty silly.

I’m all for PvP. Without the ever present threat of bandits and deceit DayZ would become extremely boring. It’s just the fact that a lot of people who don’t want to shoot each other are forced to kill one another only because they don’t have sufficient means of communicating their intentions that I find silly.

Currently if you spot a stranger in your vicinity you can try to avoid him, risking getting shot in the back, or take the safe route of killing him yourself. You can try talking to him, but in the time it takes you to write your message he might spot you and he’ll be faced with the same decision. Kill or try to avoid. Most of us would choose the safe route.

Whistling would allow you to inform the stranger of your presence so that he won’t be spooked when he finally sees you. It’ll also communicate your good intentions since you disclosed your general location to him. It’ll also give both of you time to exchange a few messages in chat, so that you can get acquainted. What it won’t do, is surrender your character. No special animation, you’re still in control of your character and he doesn’t even have to see you to get the message.

It’s very easy to implement, it doesn’t interfere with the realism and probably it won’t even work. Still, I’d really like to see it in the game. Just for this slight chance that it will make things more civil.

[zipper 69]

Why don't you just use direct chat and whistle to him?

[oktyabr 53]

Moved to suggestions, title renamed to prevent bonfire.

[Izo Azlion 3]

So... whistling?

Okay, so every bandit then whistles and makes you relax, then shoots you easier.

Next?

[eel 47]

So... whistling?

Okay' date=' so every bandit then whistles and makes you relax, then shoots you easier.

Next?

[/quote']

Who cares about the bandits? It's not aimed at reducing banditry. It's aimed at reducing pointless deaths of survivors, who wouldn't attack each other if they had a chance to communicate their good intentions.

How many times did you bump into another survivor, who was just as scared of you as you were of him, and shoot each other because you didn't have the time to type/say "friendly" in a millisecond? This is the point of this suggestion.

[scoffield77@gmail.com 192]

it could be a warning that there is a bandit around, rather then a sign of friendliness

if you warn other players then the bandit will have a unkown factor, being that there is other players around or not.

sorta like a rape whistle ;)

[HardTarget 27]

Interesting, perhaps also have it (since it's a sound file I presume) attract zombies within a certain radius. Multi-purpose it. Risk giving away your position to draw zombies to a spot to more easily sneak around/get into buildings.

There will be those who abuse the whistle, but the point is it does give you away due to the sound, so if a bandit uses it, while you can't ever be sure of someone's intentions, it DOES give their position away.

Although as Zipper said you can do this yourself, I have to note not everyone can whistle (although, if we want to bring realism into this, I guess you can point that out as well, since not everyone can, why should all survivors?)

Still, amusing little idea you got, and it might just serve the purpose you're looking for.

[Switchblade (DayZ) 0]

I like the idea. +1

[unknown..2..u 0]

Just make it so bandits/murderers can't whistle after their atrocities against humanity. They could still try over direct chat with a mic but im sure everyone could tell the difference.

[eel 47]

Just make it so bandits/murderers can't whistle after their atrocities against humanity. They could still try over direct chat with a mic but im sure everyone could tell the difference.

That would actually work wonders but I don't see rocket implementing it since it would decrease the realism.

And just to emphasize: whistling is not meant to deal with banditry. It's meant to decrease hostilities between friendly survivors.

[Vultcha 0]

good idea. would need a pretty good range of effect, beyond direct chat's range.

[Champloo (DayZ) 5]

Why don't we just add a key for yelling instead that has a bigger radius than direct chat

[alexander_q 6]

It won't decrease hostilities between friendly survivors. Bandits will whistle just as easily as they currently say "friendly" before they shoot you, so no one will trust a whistle any more than that. Survivors can already signal their intentions by stating them directly: "I am friendly and have no intention of killing you".

The only way to create trust is to make it a necessity.

[eel 47]

It won't decrease hostilities between friendly survivors. Bandits will whistle just as easily as they currently say "friendly" before they shoot you' date=' so no one will trust a whistle any more than that. Survivors can already signal their intentions by stating them directly: "I am friendly and have no intention of killing you".

The only way to create trust is to make it a necessity.

[/quote']

I might have had different experiences from you, but lately bandits don't bother with typing friendly. They just shoot.

Additionally, it doesn't necessarily have to lead to two people teaming up. It might be simply used as a way too avoid gunfire. You whistle, talk for a little bit and then go your separate ways.

[mydisp 0]

I like the idea. +1

+1

[naizarak 41]

good idea. better than opening direct chat and typing out a welcome message

[eel 47]

good idea. would need a pretty good range of effect' date=' beyond direct chat's range.

[/quote']

I was thinking of something like 30m.

[Robert512 12]

2 clicks, I heard 2 clicks.

[duddbudda 33]

totally superflous suggestion is totally superflous

hit caps and whistle, or better yet say 'I'm friendly' - whistling is ambiguous

or salute

or sit down

or lower weapon

or point pistol at floor, freelook up

or wiggle Q and E

for those saying 'direct chat is too small', you know that direct voice is 80m right? that's already a shout

if you're stuck with direct text's 40m (iirc) then spend $5 on a mic or use the one on your iphone (totally possible, google) - ARMA doesn't need more hotkeys, but you really need to be able to talk, because you can't miss a sound, but a little bit of text in the bottom left corner? yeah, everyone misses those

[malicioush 1]

People can talk, as other people have point out so whistling is kind of pointless but I wonder if it is possible to actually "shout". As in a voice option that increases direct voice range to say, 120m. Hell, how about whisper as well? It make it so that there are voice ranges ingame.

Having it set to just one range is kind of odd. I'm actually surprised core ARMA II doesn't have it. I think.

[Capercaillie 16]

I really see this as a nice idea. For those of you commenting against as "bandits would misuse it", well I don't think a bandit who rather whistles and reveals his location instead of squeezing the trigger is not a very good bandit.... And, bandits will "misuse" any system made to communicate, chats included. Thats just their thing, and I don't see a problem here.

I do think that SOME kind of (larger scale) communication system is almost a must.

Find a bettet counter-argument as this whistle system wouldn't (possibly) even be too hard to implement! It is definitely better than the salute animation, which is almost the same as holding a sign in front of your face "insert bullet here"

[duddbudda 33]

Capercillas, please see the previous two posts (#18 and #19) for a real counter argument

the people mentioning that bandits will misue it are simply making an observation, nothing more

[Capercaillie 16]

totally superflous suggestion is totally superflous

hit caps and whistle' date=' or better yet say 'I'm friendly' - whistling is ambiguous

or salute

or sit down

or lower weapon

or point pistol at floor, freelook up

or wiggle Q and E

for those saying 'direct chat is too small', you know that direct voice is [b']80m right? that's already a shout

if you're stuck with direct text's 40m (iirc) then spend $5 on a mic or use the one on your iphone (totally possible, google) - ARMA doesn't need more hotkeys, but you really need to be able to talk, because you can't miss a sound, but a little bit of text in the bottom left corner? yeah, everyone misses those

all of the above, when used to show that you are friendly, give the target the possibility to pull a clean shot against yourself except for direct of course, which doesn't (currently) properly work..

Think about it yourself, if you were alone in a situation where the question is about your life and you couldn't trust 90% of the people you see but you needed someone to cooperate with. What would you do, jump straight in front of a gun wielding stranger and salute him, sit down etc etc...

Or would you rather perhaps whistle from your concealed position and see how he reacts?

Of course, a working direct and no problemz, tho there will always be people without a mic. It is alot easier to just simply press one key to reveal your intentions, and after that type..

[leo235 2]

couldnt you just throw a tin can at them? Or a smoke grenade?

I sometimes fire three shots when I see someone. They often run away or DC and when they dont I run or fire another three shots in a more aimed fashion

[Boitameuh 14]

I once read something about US soldiers in vietnam who used small metallic devices to produce a "clic" sound so they could spot friendlies even in dense jungle. If anybody knows more about it...