Discussion/suggestion of dynamic event implementation

[erebus 0]

In DayZ what I enjoy the most is how the game feels organic because player input creates a palpable outcome. When running into another player the choice you make effects what experience you will have. It creates a story. This story and real life element is what makes DayZ unique to me. I love reading stories and watching posted videos of people's experiences. The more these experiences happen the more realistic the game feels. I want to be drawn into this apocalyptic world.

An idea discussed on here and the forums a lot is that of dynamic events. In the real world crazy shit would happen during the apocalypse. So far the suggestion I have read as to how to implement this have been to have the environment change (radio signal picked up, helicopters crashing, tides changing to reveal loot caches, etc...) and the player react (locating source of radio broadcast, following the smoke to the helicopter, roving the shorelines for crates, etc...). Dean has said however that scripted events do not have a home in DayZ, and I very much agree with him.

Vehicles are a great illustration of what I think "dynamic events" should be in DayZ. Dean has talked about how he wants acquiring a vehicle to be an adventure. Collecting parts and actively putting the vehicle together will almost certainly require multiple people and drive player interaction.

Now here is where my idea comes in. Instead of having the environment drive and dictate player dynamic events, lets follow the route that vehicle implementation is taking. I want the opposite of the ideas I outline above where environment impact players and players react and change. Players should impact the environment and as a result the environment or world should change. This is already planned to happen to some extent in the form of permanent base building and in my opinion this will serve as the foundation for all other "player impacting environment" dynamic events.

Small bases will be easily and safely constructed with things such as tents and improvised walls by piling wood or rocks. But to wall in your new farm, construct shooting towers, and make some sleeping quarters you need a larger amount of resources. In order to obtain these larger amount of resources you must endanger yourself, just like collecting vehicle parts is dangerous in high risk city areas or driving your completed car down the highway. Have dynamite be required to blow a huge rock face apart for quicker and large quantity harvesting. Loud ass chainsaws can be used for efficient wood gathering. These activities will draw hordes of zombies like flies to a carcass, not to mention droves of freshspawns with a full gun and an empty stomach. To successfully pull these high risk gathering operations off, large coordinated groups and careful planning would be required.

I think that this idea can also be applied in other creative ways as well. Use the draw of amazing rewards and pair it with a high risk scenario. It adds atmosphere and event and player interactions which create immersion if done organically with in game hearing and vision being triggered by explosion sounds and smoke for example. Have players be the one to bring down the helicopters instead of them crashing at random. The already mentioned end game idea of powering up a radio tower via generators already sticks to this format as well. Any time attention is drawn to the player or group of players they are extremely vulnerable, but players will risk it if it means long term security or a new shiny vehicle.