Persistent Backpacks

[DayZoey 110]

Given the ambiguous nature of the servers, sometimes dropping a backpack is really rolling the dice on whether or not you'll lose all your items. The problem with this of course, for me at least, is when I'm trying to maintain a low profile (prone/crouching) I have a bit of a hard time keeping that low profile.

 

A bit of an anecdote, I was at the NWAF and I had a Mountaineer's Backpack (green), was atop the firehouse tower and two other people were in the air traffic tower across the runway from me. I was trying to hide by staying prone but they could very clearly see me because of the huge profile my backpack was giving me over the edge of the tower, even more so from the forested side behind the wall because there is no ledge lip there.

 

I decided, in case they wanted to pursue this, to drop my backpack beside me after moving some ammunition in to my pockets and moving non-essentials to the backpack.

 

Of course, it all turned out to be for little because they scarpered and I had the airfield to myself afterwards...

 

Anyways, we're just now implementing tents so the idea that I have is make dropping a backpack similar to dropping a tent barring a few exceptions. 1) can only "drop" one backpack per player, so people can't just hoard backpacks in the forest (as they are considerably harder to see). 2) You can only have one backpack, pick up another or "deploy" another and your backpack becomes standard loot that could be despawned by the server's loot table or lost on a restart.

 

It would make trying to reduce your profile more "authentic" (which is what Rocket was going for when he first announced DayZ standalone, as opposed to "realistic") and if done right, could be an integral part of decision making in the game. Take the backpack, risk it getting ruined by gunfire/zeds or leave it behind and risk someone else finding it and looting your precious valuables while you're off looking for another can of beans?

 

Any takers? Idea exist already?

 

Edit: I would like to say before the "WELL ACTUALLY" peanut gallery comes up reminding me to just not take huge backpacks, I have since this incident decided to roll with the lower profile/smaller backpacks like the Taloon and Hunting backpacks instead of the Mountaineer ones.

Edited December 20, 2014 by DayZoey

[Conrad_The_Comrade 577]

They've already attempted at making backpacks, and everything for that matter, persistent. What they're working on however is loot degradation, that way you can physically see your backpack (For example) getting worn down, because a backpack sitting out in the woods wouldn't fair too well in the long run. As of now, you can drop your items on the ground (If on a persistent server) and they'll stay there for a good long while, but be wary to mess with the items, because if not, they disappear in a couple days (I'm not sure on the exact duration they last). Once they add item degradation, you'll be able to physically see the items on the ground get worn down, so you'll know when they'll become junk (Also, once items are ruined, the ruined item would disappear after a bit, or so goes the plan).. 

[DayZoey 110]

What worries me about the way the system is though, is that the loot inside backpacks may not be as persistent as the items themselves. If the server resets and the backpack is full of items and I dropped it to lower my profile, what's to stop the server from going "WEEEELP THESE ITEMS CAN GO BUT THE BACKPACK IS GOOD HURRR" and completely erasing the point of my dropping the backpack (ie: to preserve the items inside outside of combat for later retrieval assuming I survive) in the first place.

 

If the backpacks were "deployable" like tents that would persist through a reset or two (except when the servers go down wednesdays but that would just require people being mindful as they are with their tents) then it might cut back on this worry.

[Karmaterror 982]

They do persist as far as im aware. Ihav heard about a bug where your items disappear but they are still there....there was something to do to make them show up again but I cant remember.....trying to add an item to the pack or something maybe.

 

On another thread about world containers someone said the devs have told us inventories are performance hungry. So maybe that's why they avoiding doing them as deployable with a proper tent like inv.

[DayZoey 110]

I've never actually had this happen to me but it does concern me if there's potential. Just my thoughts on the matter to make backpacks more diverse beyond just something you carry your beans in.