Why are social interactions so scarce?

[Anox 10]

I feel like the game is just shooting, I have no problem with this. Just there is the potential for some weird and unique interactions with players, But you're usually dead before you get these moments. 

 

Anyone actually get any interesting moments?

[xalienax 621]

I feel like the game is just shooting, I have no problem with this. Just there is the potential for some weird and unique interactions with players, But you're usually dead before you get these moments. 

 

Anyone actually get any interesting moments?

They do happen. far and few between tho. most quickly become bitter with getting cap'd and just trust in thier gun. welcome to the apocalypse where your can of food or your ammo is 10x more valuable then you are.

[rybec 339]

When you interact with people you're opening up possibilities for some very funny things.

 

The reason why most people shoot though is there is literally no reason not to do so. So why not?

[Beck (DayZ) 1768]

I feel like the game is just shooting, I have no problem with this. Just there is the potential for some weird and unique interactions with players, But you're usually dead before you get these moments. 

 

Anyone actually get any interesting moments?

Because Sovetsky, that's why.

[Bororm 1156]

You need to make them happen.  I've had plenty of interactions with people.

 

You need to hold an advantage over them, but not be an asshole about it and usually people will open up because most people want to have fun interactions too.  The majority of the times I've tried to have fun encounters I have.

 

Tone of voice goes a long way imo, and how you act.  If you're acting all weird/too excited/over cautious whatever, forget it.  Just be casual and friendly.  Hold guys up, but don't disarm them, they'll feel a lot safer.  Seriously, this shit goes a looong way.  However, tell them to keep their gun put away, or lowered/don't aim at you though.  You should have a group, so they don't have much option.  The point is to control the situation but again, don't be an asshole about it.  People will go along with it, then just treat them nice and have fun.

 

If they're acting too shady, shoot them and try again.

 

 

The #1 thing I see people do wrong is they are too excitable themselves, and the whole situation seems too forced.  I'm not going to play along with some guy who's being all weird.  Let people do what they want, but lay out some basic rules.

 

 

Here's some things that make me not want to play along if some one tries to "interact" with me.

-Handcuffs.  I never handcuff anyone, and if people try to handcuff me fuck them.  You need to let people have their freedom, not dominate them.

-Force feeding weird shit.  Same deal, if you're going to poison me why should I play along?

-Basically anything along those lines, if I see some weird shit go in your hands, forget it

-People just being weird/weird voices/voice changers/whatever

-Shitty forced RP, if you're a legit RPer cool, if you're just trying to do it for the "lols" forget it

 

Basically that's the point I'm trying to make I guess, if you're doing this shit for your own amusement/basically to troll, then you're going to fail because people can tell.  If you want a legitimate fun encounter, then be legitimately fun.

 

Don't be afraid to die/fail, it's just a game.

Edited October 18, 2014 by Bororm

[svisketyggeren 662]

Talking to other players is the end game

[Finchtastic 50]

You need to make them happen.  I've had plenty of interactions with people.

 

You need to hold an advantage over them, but not be an asshole about it and usually people will open up because most people want to have fun interactions too.  The majority of the times I've tried to have fun encounters I have.

 

Tone of voice goes a long way imo, and how you act.  If you're acting all weird/too excited/over cautious whatever, forget it.  Just be casual and friendly.  Hold guys up, but don't disarm them, they'll feel a lot safer.  Seriously, this shit goes a looong way.  However, tell them to keep their gun put away, or lowered/don't aim at you though.  You should have a group, so they don't have much option.  The point is to control the situation but again, don't be an asshole about it.  People will go along with it, then just treat them nice and have fun.

 

If they're acting too shady, shoot them and try again.

 

 

The #1 thing I see people do wrong is they are too excitable themselves, and the whole situation seems too forced.  I'm not going to play along with some guy who's being all weird.  Let people do what they want, but lay out some basic rules.

 

 

Here's some things that make me not want to play along if some one tries to "interact" with me.

-Handcuffs.  I never handcuff anyone, and if people try to handcuff me fuck them.  You need to let people have their freedom, not dominate them.

-Force feeding weird shit.  Same deal, if you're going to poison me why should I play along?

-Basically anything along those lines, if I see some weird shit go in your hands, forget it

-People just being weird/weird voices/voice changers/whatever

-Shitty forced RP, if you're a legit RPer cool, if you're just trying to do it for the "lols" forget it

 

Basically that's the point I'm trying to make I guess, if you're doing this shit for your own amusement/basically to troll, then you're going to fail because people can tell.  If you want a legitimate fun encounter, then be legitimately fun.

 

Don't be afraid to die/fail, it's just a game.

THIS....So much THIS.   For example, I looted the entirety of cherno and dropped it all off in the firehouse one time...We grabbed up everything we needed and before me and my buddy were about to set out, a guy shows up out of nowhere...He saw we were armed and instantly came through DirectComm "OHHHHHH mannnnnn, come on guys...." lol.  But he didn't try anything and was pretty cool so I basically forced him on his stomach and traded him an extra axe for some .45 acp.  I told him to crawl into the corner, face the wall and count to 10 and once he hit 10 he could have anything he wanted inside the firehouse.  By the time he was at 5 we were gone, it was his lucky day.  Moral of the story is I won't kill anyone unless I have to (if they don't answer/comply, pull a gun out, run at me, etc. etc.) and I'm always amicable with other people and it usually works out for everybody.

 

[Lady Kyrah 1110]

When you interact with people you're opening up possibilities for some very funny things.

 

The reason why most people shoot though is there is literally no reason not to do so. So why not?

And people don't like exposing themselves to funny things :)

[Evil Minion 943]

There are few reasons to cooperate right now and most of them are early/mid game - now loot abundancy and server hopping can cut those short in no time (with the recent changes early game is more important though):

1. Socializing - Having someone to talk to and some company might help with the low-action parts of the game and even net you some useful information.
2. Safety - A greater group reduces your chances of getting killed. Groups are stronger, can use more diverse tactics (try to flank when alone) and in the end more people around you simply reduce the chances of that sniper shooting exactly you.
3. Help - Sometimes things happen to you. For example the game might decide you would look much better with broken legs. Having people around to protect you from further harm and help solving the issue can be of great importance. Passing out from blood loss means death for a lone wolf but with the right help you can survive it easily.
4. Tool Usage - Being able to share tools reduces the need for inventory space leaving more for other items and might also allow for backup tools if needed.
5. Supply Storage - More players more storage - combined with tool sharing you can carry a much greater amount of supplies to be ready if needed - especially true for medical items.
6. Manpower - You can fullfill tasks much faster than single players. A group of players can loot through places at a much higher rate, can gather different resources much faster and can cover a greater search area.

Now in the current state of the game the last three quickly lose their impact as you get geared. The current inventory makes it possible to carry most of the important tools by yourself and still get enough supplies (especially as you can easily raid towns and villages for additional tools and supplies). The weather system is pretty one-dimensional at the moment - you only need to prepare for getting cold - so there is not much need to carry additional clothes. And finally there is not much you could not achieve on your own - maybe this will change once vehicles are introduced but currently lone wolves do not miss out on anything - it just takes a little longer sometimes.

 

On the other side teaming up has some disadvantages as well:

• Rivalry - More people in your team means less loot for every single one. You might share tools and distribute work but you still need to feed and dress everyone. Also if you find a rare item there are good chances you won't be the one getting it.
• Paranoia - Even without rivalry you cannot be sure about other players intentions. Are they really friends or do they want to lure you into an ambush? Or are they just psychos waiting for the right moment to murder you without reason? Or maybe they are just bumbling fools whose actions might endanger you?
• First Contact - Thats probably the biggest one. In order to cooperate with someone you need to get into contact first. Not hard if you play with offgame friends but inside the game its risky. As you approach them others might blow your brains out for various reasons. When meeting someone many players will assume he is hostile and often shoot first, never asking questions. Other are hostile and enjoy blowing trusting brains away.

So there is a lot of risk involved to build a group out of strangers and the rewards while still noticable pale in comparison. The core issue is solo play being too easy and group play not providing enough reward to be worth the trouble (unless you got offgame friends you can trust). Though in the long run and especially with some of the planned features cooperation might be worth it.

1. The social aspect can be improved by adding additional ways of communication (like being able to use spraypaint on walls or draw on paper, a megaphone etc.) and a more items for roleplaying. This might go from "joke items" over a greater variety of clothes/weapons/etc. to some items that offer unique possibilities even if they are not directly linked to survival. But I think in order to keep authenticity and atmosphere items should be realistically implemented. There is nothing wrong with adding a pink miniskirt - but it should come with the expected downsides: almost no protection against anything (but overheating) and no/very low storage space.
2. The safety effect is related to weapon balance and rarity as well as meta-safety in terms of hack prevention. Specialized weaponry also plays a role as it allows for more diverse squadplay boosting the power of those weapons when used in a cooperative way rather than a single person. Another aspect is customization - both temporary (clothes, gear) and semi-permanent (hair, beard, tatoos) and permanent (face, body shape, name) - as it allows for player identification. In firefights it reduces the possibility for friendly fire while in social interactions it makes it easier to tell people apart.
3. To help someone he actually has to be oin a situation where he needs help. If he can take care of everything by himself why should he need you? Key is to provide a harder environment with more hazards, more challenging zombies etc. and provide necessary options and applications for help. If there is always the possibility to stumble into a situation where some helping hand would greatly increase your chances of success there is more reason to keep this helping hand around. This gives players some kind of "common enemy" to fight. Combined with the safety aspect this also works in PvP. Knocked out by blood loss? Good thing your friend is here to bandage and give you an infusion!
4. Here inventory, weight and stamina system play a vital role - if you can carry around all the tools without any ill effect why shouldn't you carry around all the tools? On the other side if there were any downsides multiple players could either split the tools to be lighter or use one for package and have the others enjoy low weight. Also having one tool (and maybe a backup tool) for the whole group also frees up space for other items as well. Another aspect is tool rarity and maintenance. Lone players would probably have lower chances to benefit from rare tools and they would also have a harder time maintaining them. On the other side tools should be resilient enough to provide enough utility for a whole group while still degrading fast enough to care about maintaining them. Here it might be best to have them quite rare but robust and tools/resources for repair being equally hard to find. A good example: Making the sewing kit less common but also allowing a lot more uses while requiring some other clothes (or rags) as material would boost its cooperative usefulness.
5. This one really relates to loot rarity and usability. Why carry a lot of supplies if you can find tons of them everywhere? Why carry different types of clothes if the weather always calls for the same best setup? Why carry medical supplies if its easy to avoid sickness? So to improve this point supplies should be harder to find in general and there should be more uses for them so carrying them with you actually has another effect than not needing to run to the nearest town or blocking inventory space.
6. Here is the place for all those "end game" suggestions. Providing cooperative goals to work towards with the help of other players would cause some to band together to accomplish something. Be it building a base or getting a vehicle, collecting all kinds of different weapons or working towards very rare equipment. There should not be quests in this sense but gamplay elements that would be exceedingly hard or even impossible to access for single players (maybe because of the time effort or competition from groups or simply because you need multiple "operators") and thus require some coordinated effort. Working persistence is the main foundation of all those things.

Now all those points are interconnected as they influence each other. In most cases improving one also helps the others. The essence is that a overall harder game with a wide array of interaction possibilities and good rewards for cooperation would improve the social part. BUT it should not be overdone on the very basic level - the game should be hard but not impossible if you are a lone freshspawn (which should be considered the default starting situation). Though it might be somewhat luck-based if you cannot find crucial items - thats okay. Advanced gameplay elements on the other side may require teamwork or at least greatly benefit from it.

 

TL;DR: Holy shit - this post is long. In short: To increase social interactions make the game harder and increase the reward for teaming up.

Edited October 18, 2014 by Evil Minion

[blackberrygoo 1416]

I have had hundreds of interactions with stranger friendlies , and only about 30 encounters that turned "sour" so to speak after approaching And talking to a so called "friendly"(of course I've had at least 100 encounters where someone just shoots without me seein them or them saying anything first but that's just dayz and as long as you run for cover you should be good) .

But honestly don't listen to the PVP addicts like Heav , they just sit on top of towers and wait for people to come by so they can get a quick easy kill . Be like the many of us strong survivors (hero or not) that have so much more fun finding other people and talking with them and doing things with them .. Sometimes you almost (or do get) betrayed but as Long as your smart, suspicious of anyone, and careful you will make it out alive !

So when you see someone next yell to them either "you friendly ? Put your weapon down if so or lay on the ground otherwise I'll be forced to shoot " or "put your fucking hands up bro I'll blast you" lol the ladder seems to get more aggressive "fuck you bro" responses (however if you're super aggressive people sometimes just get scared and listen) so I usually use the first one : simple suggestion that if they don't stop what they are doing I will shoot , it's worked for me over 100 times now , after I strip the player of his ammo I trade with him and talk to him until I feel unsafe again and go on the move but I'm a lone wolf most of the time so three out of five times I don't ask to buddy up with the newly met freindly but regardless of that would you rather just shoot some dude you see and have one second of adrenaline or would you rather meet with a potentially great survivor who could help you out but will definitely provide an exciting moment for longer than just killing the guy would .

[blowurselfup 54]

The sad fact is...the way this game is set up now..you will probably get killed 9 times for every 1 successful interaction unless you travel with a group

[stinkenheim 249]

I had a great encounter the other day. Spawned by the factory below berezino and was running there to meet a friend. On route I met a guy running the other way who started shouting over direct. I said something to my friend along the lines of 'oh another idiot who's trying to be annoying.'

As he got closer I realised the guy was singing a song about a zombie and then started following me. I started singing 'I know a song that'll get on your nerves' and carried on running. My friend met up with us and we started punching out the zombie chasing this guy and he started shouting out MMO terms like 'tank him' etc.

We started joining in and it ended up with us recruiting another guy into our 'dungeon run' into berezino which soon became us trying to herd a cow through the streets of berezino.

Strangely, on a full pop server, we encountered no one else or got shot at before we all died of starvation after the most amusing experience I've had in the game.

[Macdeth 176]

The rarity of friendly player interactions may well be due to us killers and bandits who are slowly but surely eroding trust by killing every player we meet without so much as a hello. for every 'good' player there are a thousand indiscrimate killers and each time we murder a player they become a little less likely to risk friendly interactions in the future.

[Whyherro123 2283]

1) There is little benefit to grouping up, besides advantages in PvP (which most players involved in will already be grouped up, and on TS)

2) There is no "punishment" for arbitrarily killing other people. If the standalone was more realistic, there would be farming/trading communities either forming or already formed. Being a bandit would preclude trading with those groups, and you would soon starve to death, or run out of supplies. In Day Z, there is no community, and supplies are essentially limitless (server hopping).

[hells high 676]

Unfortunately a lot of people have been soured by the bare bones gameplay that comes along with an in development game. Because we got access to the game when the only real thing to do was find guns and kill eachother, people are used to that kind of gameplay, usually shooting first rather than risk dying. Its also pretty easy to survive on your own at the moment.

 

It is my hope that as the feature-set gets expanded and there is more to do people will start interacting a bit more, whether that interaction is negative or positive is part of what makes DayZ exciting. With private shards of the hive coming out we'll also start to see communities pop up centered around playing certain ways, where one might actively encourage interaction and another might encourage PvP.

[Whyherro123 2283]

I've always thought it was a good idea to "remove" many of the wells from the overworld map, as well as making "natural" water sources contaminated, and undrinkable without being treated. With fewer wells;

 

1) survival would be more difficult. Sure, you could always treat your own water, but that takes time, either through boiling, filtering, or chemical treatment, and you would have to have the necessary materials at hand.

2) There would actually be a reason for PvP. With fewer wells, this would give those locations VALUE.  Clans could take and control the area around the wells, and "charge" (through barter) for usage of the well. Other clans could try to take over the source of income, and certain enterprising players could become travelling water merchants. Just think of the possibilities!

 

I've always wanted a more "persistent" world, to the extent of even locking players to one server (able to choose when making a character, so you could play with friends). This would add some RP-value to the game. Ever hear of the Mad Marksman of Severograd, who fires at anyone trying to invade his home? The Slavers of Svetlojarsk, that capture survivors (or buy them from bandits, giving a reason to carry cuffs and sacks) to work on their food plantations? (When agriculture is added, I am TOTALLY going to become a slaver lord). The Turovo Freeholds, a loose federation of farmers that raise organized militia forces against the nearby slavers? Or, above and beyond them all, the Rangers, those brave souls that infiltrate the Dead Cities of Cherno and Elektro, in order to search for the remnants of the world gone by in return for goods?

 

*Examples totally and shamelessly stolen from someone else

Edited October 18, 2014 by Whyherro123

[t1337dude 101]

You could always force social interaction. Grab an AK, start looking for freshies, start recruiting - they will either listen or die.

[Chamil 22]

What t1337Dude said

 

Mostly, when interacting with full-geared players, you end up getting raped in da buttocks so many times they'll call you a wormhole.

Sometimes, like really rarely, funny stuff does happen. You just have to look out for it.
Sometimes little kids run past me screaming with their young voice, cracking me up like hell. God I love it when people do that.

An other example would be when this guy got handcuffed on the floor, and instead of escaping, he started playing the 'Epic Sax Guy' and he just sat there for literally fifteen minutes as I was stalking him and enjoying the music.

[Killawife 599]

I would say its all about the players and their maturity and has basically nothing to do with the game itself.

Last time I played I went on a server with the title "please don't KOS" and spawned near NW airfield. After looking into some hangars someone started shooting at me from a distance. So I ran, which I mostly do. Just shortly after I came to the Vybor military base and as I went into the first barrack I noticed there was a player there in one of the barrack rooms. I spoke to him through the wall and he answered but I could see that he had his weapon up and aimed. I then opened another door and noticed a pile of bodies of people he had murdered. So I ran again, naturally.

 Shortly after the server crashed and I chose another one. Almost right away I met a fully geared guy, he says hi, we talk for a bit then part ways, no shooting or aggression. After that I meet another guy who needed directions and advice, I gave him some ammo he needed and we parted.

 

Some people are just gonna be assholes, but others will be nice people. Unfortunately theres only one planet.

[Shrub Rocketeer ™ 879]

for me is no problem find some frendly player sometime is not always frend but most time maybe 76% is always enjoy chat and explan wat is hapen and whare we going and if there is bandit around is not dificukt thing for doing say hello and dont point gun in the face most times if you saying something nice like 'hey i am frend i like vary much your gasmask' is normal the player is felt proud and he saying 'yes i was find in the barrack' and after we have goo chemistry feeling for make new frendship happening

Edited October 18, 2014 by Shrub Rocketeer ™

[Mad Scientist 73]

Unless they kill pigs, Shrub Rocketeer...then nothing can save them!!

[escobert 112]

I don't trust anyone that I don't know irl. Therefore, why would I go out of my way to be around someone I don't trust? I wont. I avoid direct contact with people unless I'm a bambi or close to. Then what do I have to lose? But as soon as I'm all green and starting to get gear, nope. I will avoid you like the plague.

[xCAPx 349]

I had a very nice encouter this evening. It was a really interessting.
 
I moved to Severograd and met a guy in the streets of the city. He didnt speak english - only a few words. I said "hello". His first word was "water" and I knew there is a well near the road. So we drank and I gave him some food. He was thankful but he cant put it in (english) word :)
He wanted to know where the new base is, said some words in russian and the word "bunker". Then I knew what he means and we went up north to the military base.
Finally we arrive at the base. He was very exited and explored every building, climed down a ladder and looked at every detail. He said some words in russian again and "nice, nice" :D 

We left the area, went back to Severo. Then I said "goodbye"... (its MotoGP time :thumbsup: )
 

[And I have to say that we found a Blaze for him (he had ammo) and he didnt shoot me!]

For me, this is more fun than shooting people. There are many friendly survivors out there. This is not my first friendly encounter, but one of the most interessting ones. Because, on the one hand we cant talk to each other (only a few words) and one the other hand we had the gestures, which is complicated but doable.

So, what I wanted to say was, try to be friendly and have the most beautiful encouters you will ever find in a video game :) You wont regret the deaths!

[Etherimp 1323]

I have interactions all of the time.. If you're not having them it's because you're not allowing it to happen.

[Judopunch 523]

Because food and weapons are far to common right now. Give it time.