Reconsidering Inventory Item Damage

[docrob3rts 1]

I want to ask this community to reconsider how inventory items are affected by being hit with bullets in DayZ standalone.

 

Does this mechanic (as it is currently being implemented), have a legitimate basis in reality?  

 

Or is it, like some have stated, designed to discourage player versus player (KOS) aggression?

 

It has become apparent to me that it fails to accomplish either one.

 

In many cases, a single bullet is capable of destroying enormous amounts of inventory items.  In reality, a single bullet generally doesn't have the ability to bounce around like a pinball and destroy the contents of your pants pockets, e.g. keys, wallet, phone.  But this is what we have in this game.  

 

I've seen one to two 5.56 NATO rounds bring a large backpack and its entire contents to ruined status... and now we can see on experimental that this will include entire stacks of rifle ammunition as well.  

 

I challenge someone to replicate this phenomenon in real life.  If I gathered the real world equivalents to the items contained in that backpack and lined them up perfectly and placed a 5.56 round in the dead center, it simply would not have the kinetic energy to penetrate to the end.  

 

Bear in mind that these high velocity military rifle cartridges are designed to be able to reach out and strike a target, leaving two holes... the entrance and exit.  Consider the diameter of the 5.56 NATO round relative to what it is able to accomplish in this game.  How is this not in betrayal of the strong basis on reality that DayZ has pledged allegiance to?

 

Like some have pointed out on Reddit, a bullet tears a hole in a t-shirt, leaving you unable to tear it into rags.  Just doesn't make much sense.

 

This also isn't discouraging KOS mentality.  You're more likely to be killed on sight by another player who is starving due to the fact that all of his food has been ruined.

 

It would be wrong to remove this mechanic from the game entirely.  It does, however, deserve to be seriously reworked to preserve realism and gameplay.

 

So, any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

[Aamunkajo 110]

Even its not realistic, they are not going 100% realistic. Zombies arent real, right?

[hombrecz 832]

I was just thinking the same. How come 1-2 bullets destroy almost everything you carry?

I would like to down this down, let's say bullet hitting chest would dmg/destroy 1 item in tactical vest and 1 item in shirt and maybe 1 item in backpack (it could penetrate whole body).

 

I kinda would like it that way, but that's just my opinion ofc.

 

And yes, destroying lots of stuff did not stop killing one bit, so why not make item dmg model somewhat realistic.

[Mancomb 131]

Well, it's also rather unrealistic for zombies to run through walls and floors to attack you, and be able to lunge at you and hit you from 30 feet away. Personally, I chalk it up to the fact that it's still in Alpha status, and that they're still working on fine-tuning everything (or they will). All they're really concerned with at the moment is finishing and activating various modules within the game; once they establish them and get them working, they will then, at some point, go through and tweak and fine-tune everything. This isn't to say that none of the OP's points are valid, as they pretty much all are; just that this shouldn't be expected to be the end product, as many things, including this, will be reworked and modified so as to make the game a fun experience for as many people as possible. Just try to keep in ind that the game we're playing now is NOT the game that will be available for purchase on store shelves and other retail markets.

 

That being said, the OP makes a very solid point, and I like the suggestions.

[docrob3rts 1]

Well, it's also rather unrealistic for zombies to run through walls and floors to attack you, and be able to lunge at you and hit you from 30 feet away. Personally, I chalk it up to the fact that it's still in Alpha status, and that they're still working on fine-tuning everything (or they will).

 

That is correct.  It's neither realistic or the vision of the DayZ development team to design zombies which warp through walls or attack at impossible distance.  In this context, I can appreciate the early development status of the game.  

 

However, my concerns with item damage are rooted in deliberate design decision, rather than being attributable an unresolved networking obstacle, as is presently the case with zombies.

 

I felt compelled to share my concerns after observing further development on the experimental branch (entire stacks of ammunition ruined), which appears to take the issue a step further into the wrong direction.

 

This has made myself and others curious as to how the development team intends for this mechanic to be implemented when it's all said and done.

[Chaingunfighter 917]

That is correct.  It's neither realistic or the vision of the DayZ development team to design zombies which warp through walls or attack at impossible distance.  In this context, I can appreciate the early development status of the game.  

 

However, my concerns with item damage are rooted in deliberate design decision, rather than being attributable an unresolved networking obstacle, as is presently the case with zombies.

 

I felt compelled to share my concerns after observing further development on the experimental branch (entire stacks of ammunition ruined), which appears to take the issue a step further into the wrong direction.

 

This has made myself and others curious as to how the development team intends for this mechanic to be implemented when it's all said and done.

It will probably come with the "re-balance" of gameplay that Rocket has talked about, as he has made it clear that the team is hardly focused on changing most gameplay features unless they are bugged/glitched/broken or are unbalanced to the point that they feel broken.

 

I think that the necessary solution would be to have damage modifiers be applied unequally to some (randomly selected) items in the inventory. What would be awesome is if they were able to configure it so that the items became damaged relative to the area of impact on the hitbox, the condition & type of clothing/backpack it is stored in, as well as the individual items', the size, shape, type, and velocity of the round/weapon, and the range at which the attack occurred from, but obviously the system is not designed for that level of depth. Unfortunately, that means that it would generally have to be random, but at least it would be better than everything being ruined by one shot (and likewise everything remaining pristine when significant damage has been dealt).

Edited June 7, 2014 by Chaingunfighter

[ld-airgrafix 403]

Well a zombies swipe destroys most of your items as well.