What can be done about ghosting on public servers?

[Finchtastic 50]

You could try not trapping and killing every player you see and actually interact with other players...  Other than that, I don't think a logout noise would be a bad idea.

[Finchtastic 50]

They could add a log out sound and not a log in sound.

I would make the sound play only when they successfully log out so you don't hear the sound and instantly try rush the logging out player, While it wont prevent ghost log outs it would reduce the chance of people using the sound to gain an in game advantage.

It would provide warning that someone has logged out nearby and you could prepare for someone to ghost you rather than only preparing for players who are legitimately entering an area.

It still allows players to still log in unnoticed so ghosting could occur but it would at least give you warning.

Could also make your character get linked to the server for 10-15mins when you first log in.

This means that if you play on that server for 10-15minutes you will have no trouble changing server but if you want to change server, change location then log back into the original server for tactical advantages you will be inconvenienced.

It would also make people play properly rather than just server hop as fast as possible. I don't mind people server hopping but when its for one specific helicrash or one building that seems a bit cheap. I mean if you just server hop one place as quickly as possible to check for good items then the game might as well flood every building with items so at least its intentional

The devs have said themselves that they want specific numbers of items across the public servers.  Meaning you're going to need to server hop in the future, so get used to it.

[Jesus Christ The Goblin 71]

The devs have said themselves that they want specific numbers of items across the public servers.  Meaning you're going to need to server hop in the future, so get used to it.

Like I said, I have no problem with server hoping.

I will loot an entire town or several towns and/or bases then server hop.

However logging into one helicrash and then server hoping to 30 different public servers while my character sits in the same place isn't really playing the game.

[ScorePoint 60]

Just deal with it! Jokes aside...

What kind of ghosting are you are guys talking about? LIke using Skype and such to comminicate while in game you don't have a radio to report to your friends? Or some kind of scripting?

[Jesus Christ The Goblin 71]

Just deal with it! Jokes aside...

What kind of ghosting are you are guys talking about? LIke using Skype and such to comminicate while in game you don't have a radio to report to your friends? Or some kind of scripting?

It's basically logging off and back on for an advantage.

Say that I am in a building and someone goes to enter that same building but I shoot at them.

Then they stand outside talking to me telling me to come outside but I just log off. They enter the building and I log back in standing behind them and shoot all of them.

[sachad 1016]

Just deal with it! Jokes aside...

What kind of ghosting are you are guys talking about? LIke using Skype and such to comminicate while in game you don't have a radio to report to your friends? Or some kind of scripting?

 

I believe in this case they are referring to guys engaging you in a fight, then switching servers to get position on you before logging back onto your server and killing you from another angle.

[sausagekingofchicago 4711]

I'm still a fan of the 10 minute login timer that so many people cried about.

[☣BioHaze☣ 7337]

Wheres the "Dean with it" gif?

 

Wall glitch is being looked at soon according to dev tracker.

 

I'm sure logging/ghosting will also be sorted.

 

You really need to remind yourself how early these builds are and how drastically things will change in the coming months.

 

I play on public servers but avoid PvP when I can.

 

I've only had 1 instance where I inadvertently cornered someone and they logged out rather than interact, so I executed them.

[DeatHTaX 1217]

Well one anti-ghosting mechanic they had (whether intentional or not) was the reload noise that was played when someone logged in nearby. I can't for the life of me think of a good reason why they removed that.  

[mercules 1290]

Just deal with it! Jokes aside...

What kind of ghosting are you are guys talking about? LIke using Skype and such to comminicate while in game you don't have a radio to report to your friends? Or some kind of scripting?

 

Ghosting refers to the process of logging out of one server and into a second server then moving to a different location and logging out of that and back into the original server. What this does is allow you to pass across a space without physically crossing it on the one server. 

 

An example would be running into a group of players that have an area locked down. Say they are in a Jail with the front door covered by multiple people. A "Ghosting" player would log out of the server they are on and log into an empty server. He would then enter the jail on the empty server and move to a position behind the players watching the door. From there he would log out of the second server and into the original server and would now be behind those people watching the door and could ambush them from what should be a secured back room if the hive system wasn't in place. There is no way to actually get behind them without changing servers. 

 

It gets it's name because mythically ghost are on a different plane than our reality and able to pass through objects. Someone hopping servers is in a different reality and able to bypass people and closed doors... like a ghost. 

[HarryPotter (DayZ) 172]

Like everyone else has said .... Play a private server or deal with the bullshit that's on public.

Really public is just for laughs and being a dick whereas private is actualy playing the game (imho)

[Evil Minion 943]

What about playing with friends? Private servers are absolutely horrible for this as you cannot access your character at all when they are full and you cannot simply pick a server that has enough space for your party (conversely the server could also be empty and boring or simply down). Then having muliple characters all over different servers really diminished the experience (in my opinion) as you have less noticable progress and setbacks and grow less attached to your character (and thus more likely to go yolo). Also in theory the public hive allows for much greater variety of items and rarity simply because of the greater economy.

 

Now server hopping is probably the single most impactful issue in terms of game dynamics right now - ghosting is more of a consequence of this combined with combat logging. But the problem is not being able to switch to other servers, even if it was for looting purposes. The true problem is that its over the top effective while also easy, fast and very low risk. It's basically a massive balance issue that completely overshadows most other elements (like travel distance, time and rarity).

 

You do not need to remove server switching completely - it's enough (and preferable) to nerf it in a way that it's significantly less effective in advancing your character than playing the game the normal way.

[ispecter 55]

Thats been in game since dayz mod. You can do it, so can they its fair.

Edited March 11, 2015 by xRyan99

[xhiril 43]

You really need to remind yourself how early these builds are and how drastically things will change in the coming months.

 

At some point the "The game is not mature yet" argument becomes invalid. I tend to stop allowing that argument when the studio accepts my $, but YMMV.

[☣BioHaze☣ 7337]

^Well then, you need to read that block of text above the words, "I Understand" that you click, a little more carefully.

[mercules 1290]

What about playing with friends? Private servers are absolutely horrible for this as you cannot access your character at all when they are full and you cannot simply pick a server that has enough space for your party (conversely the server could also be empty and boring or simply down). 

 

 

Actually, it is BETTER. For one thing I will log into Server X to play with friends 1, 2, and 3. When it is only 3 and I playing we log into server Y. Once we find each other and one of us needs to go we ALL log off that server. The rest of us can hop onto another server and play and not leave our friend all alone in an area of the map we can't get back to easily. 

[gankaskon 1]

You could try not trapping and killing every player you see and actually interact with other players...  Other than that, I don't think a logout noise would be a bad idea.

 

 

Why is everyone in this thread assuming that's the case? These guys shot at us first and got themselves in a bad situation when we trapped them and were trying to negotiate something.

 

People in here are digging up every reason to not admit it's a problem like saying we are bandits. I regret creating this thread and I hope it gets deleted. People are content with mid combat logging as an acceptable practice. Just further proves KoS is the only way to do things because if you don't you'll just get ghosted on

Edited March 11, 2015 by gankaskon

[Rags! 1966]

This topic has more saltiness in it than the Ultimate Feast at Red Lobster. 

[emuthreat 2837]

Why is everyone in this thread assuming that's the case? These guys shot at us first and got themselves in a bad situation when we trapped them and were trying to negotiate something.

 

People in here are digging up every reason to not admit it's a problem like saying we are bandits. I regret creating this thread and I hope it gets deleted. People are content with mid combat logging as an acceptable practice. Just further proves KoS is the only way to do things because if you don't you'll just get ghosted on

As a matter of principle, would you be willing to sit and watch the door with a shotgun for fifteen minutes, knowing at least part of what was outside?  I do, and it is really stressful at times.  Probably the only reason to camp scared is thatI know anyone who could trap me in a building, is also capable of approaching and crawling around the building, covertly locating me in about ten minutes.  The only honorable option is to hole up and be ready for a fight.  Handgrenades, x-ray vision shots, or sheer numbers would be the only guaranteed legitimate death in this scenario.

 

This strategy does not cover ghosting, and I assume that many people who ghost do so because of the possibility that you have people on TS who can also just ghost into their building and kill them while they cover the entrance.  If someone sees you chase them into a building, he might think that your unseen buddy has just logged and is running into position in their building.  TBH, I really couldn't blame a single player for logging, as there is still the unfair and gamebreaking threat of interdimensional assassin squads.

[blacklabel79 949]

Again, that is saying "deal with it"

 

That means if you want to host events you can't send out server messages. It means you can't ban hackers or people who abuse glitches like hiding in the prison walls. Players shouldn't be given a worse version of the game just because they want a public Server

 

Its not only SAYING..it is dealing with it. And tbh..only knobs that Need to serverhop for loots and Retards/hackers are left on public space...v ( oh and a occasional cannibal wich is me.. )

Edited March 11, 2015 by {Core}BlackLabel

[ImageCtrl 719]

What can be done to stop ghosting?

Not allowing to join back on the same server for 1 hour.

 

What you can do to stop it?

Play on private servers.

[BeaverProductions 441]

Hicks had mentioned that they were thinking about a system that means you cannot log out if there has been a gun fired with a radius of you (unknown radius, prob 200 to 300m) for X period of time (20-30 mins?).

 

It would mean that you have to fire a gun (perhaps a suppressed pistol to stop unwanted attention) but your prey would not be able to ghost or combat log.

Edited March 11, 2015 by Beav

[Jex 1104]

Make the timers longer - stops ghosting - how the fuck don't you all know this by now?

[Evil Minion 943]

If they are not aware of you they aren't combat logging, right?

 

I hope this does not mean you cannot leave the game (without hard exit) but only that your body remains. 20-30 minutes seems too long but 5-10 minutes might work. Otherwise you could run into situations where your body remains because of random shots not related at all.

Actually, it is BETTER. For one thing I will log into Server X to play with friends 1, 2, and 3. When it is only 3 and I playing we log into server Y. Once we find each other and one of us needs to go we ALL log off that server. The rest of us can hop onto another server and play and not leave our friend all alone in an area of the map we can't get back to easily. 

I think while this is a definite advantage it's also highly situational. Sure you skip the search for your first set of friends which is nice but you also have to start a new character and a new search for the other set of friends. And depending on your playstyle you could also set "rally points" to meet up faster. Now it's probably your opinion whether its better to have many characters that are played less or only one character that is played more. I like the latter but in the end its down to personal preference.

[JPWiser 251]

But if someone ghosts out and comes back in behind you... Isn't that the same thing as if someone just came up behind your group to begin with? I know literally it isn't but if your group watches their 6 properly no one should be able to get the drop on you ghosting or not.

I know if I came up on a group of guys huddled around a house not watching their backs they would pay for it.

If anything people trying to ghost have paid off for me as we've caught a handful of guys trying to ghost or combat log that felt the wraith of the log out timer... Yet don't think our group has lost one person to a ghost.

Seems like a non issue to me.