My idea on how to make in-game maps worth looking at.

[Rags! 1966]

There has been debate and discussion in the past, and to this day, concerning the usage of online maps such as the DayZ DB map and so forth. The more I read about it, the more I think that people are foolish to think that the problem lies with the ability to have a map on hand at all times.

 

Having a map on you at all times isn't a problem. It's a feature that Bohemia Interactive, if they haven't already, should fully accept as a gameplay feature that is brought about by the fact that there are people who want to know where they are going and who simultaneously have an online connection. 

 

Want to try and make the idea of personal maps relevant to the story? Just consider online maps that are accessible through a second monitor or through the Steam in-game browser as a travel map that the character owns of Chernarus. It is perfectly reasonable to assume that a map would be a basic tool that a person new to Chernarus would have. Even maps have translations of the Russian names of the towns in Chernarus. It basically is a travel-map like some Berlitz handbook with useful Russian phrases like "Hello" or "Nice to meet you" or "Tell your pet bear to pass me the vodka".

 

The key to "combating" this problem that isn't a problem isn't to try and encourage people not to use these obviously very useful tools...but to make the in-game alternative worth looking at. 

 

The maps that are scattered around Chernarus belong to the now deceased residents of it. They aren't yours or the players'.

 

So how do we make the in-game maps more than kindling for fire or emergency toilet paper? And don't bring up the "You should have to poop" topic. I will cut you.

 

1) Maps should be able to be written on, scribbled upon, and left for other players to find. Want to lure people to NWAF? Then circle it on a map and write "MLG Clan at the NWAF" or "NWAF is protected by MLG Clan" or something like that. Players can circle, draw routes, put arrows, inscribe warnings...all these things to other players that might look at the map. Similarly, if you have a stash of goodies, you can draw the location on the map, and then give it to a friend so he can find the way there. Or screenshot it and put it on Imgur. Whatever.

 

2) I think this would be the most interesting idea...have maps that are found in-game hint or point to the locations of the soon to be implemented dynamic events. Maybe a pile up of military trucks along a lonely stretch of highway, maybe a couple crashed police cars, a downed helicopter, or simply, maybe have the map point to a rare item spawn for a certain amount of time without telling you just what it is. 

 

Finding a map that has a big X right over a castle or a farmhouse or someplace a player might not go to often would give them incentive to travel there...or to set a trap for others who might make their way thinking they can take that item. With persistence, map marking could change over time as loot is spawned and despawned from the world. It would be important that maps are not always written upon, and that the same map won't tell you where a goody or a dynamic event is over and over so finding a map would be hoarded and taken advantage of. This way, for some amount of time, an area could have X number of maps in Chernarus pointing towards it, which would be like having a player magnet pop up in the game that would cause people to move towards with the promise of either loot or players.

 

The way that maps in the game could be combined should be taken into effect as well. For instance, you might have to combine a set number of map pieces before a map's inscription could be "seen" or before it would show itself. I simply think that having you or your friends work towards assembling a map together, then combining the pieces to reveal a possibly point of interest or good loot spawn would add to the idea that people should cooperate towards a goal. 

 

I'm actually tired of typing now, so I'll leave it at that. I just think this would be an idea at making the maps in the game actually useful. Give me beans, bring back Firefly, and stop making LRS spawns so damn common. 

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

I can no longer read as its St. Paddy's, enjoy some beans for lots of text.

[sausagekingofchicago 4711]

I saw some green, Rags is safe.

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

I saw some green, Rags is safe.

 

 

Forget about it,

 

[Damnyourdeadman 1045]

This would be fun actually.

I could see 2 ways of how this could work...

 

A dynamic event triggers a marked map spawn in the world's loot table.

Or...

Picking up the marked map,triggers the dynamic event in the world.

 

Whatever the case,the location parameters can never be completely random and dynamic.

[sausagekingofchicago 4711]

[fujitaka 2]

hi ^^

 

I've got some little problems with these suggestions:

 

1. you CAN wright and "scribble" onto the map XD You just have to dobble-klick where you wanna mark something and then you can choose from a wide variety of markers (and flags) in many colour-variations along with a note to this marker (whitch is optional of course) ^^ And you can give these maps to other people and they can look at it, while on other maps, there's nothing you have written onto yours ^^

 

2. How do you explain that someone knows about these events before or very shortly after they happen? that doesn't seem very realistic... I also see some improvement-possibilities, but other than having the townsnames in russian (instead or alongside the western letters) and the option to open it without having to drag it into your inventory I got to say, that the map is already a very useful and handy tool ^^

 

Nice post any way ^^

[Rags! 1966]

 

2. How do you explain that someone knows about these events before or very shortly after they happen? that doesn't seem very realistic... 

 

 I don't see your petition to remove respawning as a game mechanic under the basis of realism. If you have one, point me to it. 

[SFRGaming 718]

 I don't see your petition to remove respawning as a game mechanic under the basis of realism. If you have one, point me to it. 

Ok then. Let's just make it so you buy dayz, you play, you die, and your PC is fried so you can't respawn :D

[Rags! 1966]

Ok then. Let's just make it so you buy dayz, you play, you die, and your PC is fried so you can't respawn :D

 

That's my point. 

[fujitaka 2]

That's my point. 

 I think what he means is that there are certain elements that you cannot change for realisms sake ^^

otherwise there would be a need tor toilets in this game XD But the devs have stressed more than enough that they wanna make a game thats as realistic as possible and the players clearly like that, so thats why I'm asking ^^

[Evil Minion 943]

1. you CAN wright and "scribble" onto the map

You can select symbols from a fixed list. You cannot draw/write freely. And I believe it's not persistent at all so you can only use it by yourself and only in the very session you stamped something on it.

2. How do you explain that someone knows about these events before or very shortly after they happen?

You can either make it look like some witness dropped it shortly after (which means hints would only appear on maps close to the dynamic locations) or add some "semi-random" features that will be static but different for each server. The first would make map parts valuable even if you completed yours already and the second might give you more specific information about the server the map is from.

[fujitaka 2]

You can select symbols from a fixed list. You cannot draw/write freely. And I believe it's not persistent at all so you can only use it by yourself and only in the very session you stamped something on it.

It's true that you cannot scribble on it freely as you say it, but I personaly don't thin that that's nessecary (but maybe I'm alone with this opinion ^^)

yes it is persistent ^^ I Gave my map, that i marked green mountain with the note "trading post" on to a player I encountert on DayZRP one time, and he could read it just as I could, even though I wrote it about a week before that encounter, so believe me, it is persistent in that way ^^

 

You can either make it look like some witness dropped it shortly after (which means hints would only appear on maps close to the dynamic locations) or add some "semi-random" features that will be static but different for each server. The first would make map parts valuable even if you completed yours already and the second might give you more specific information about the server the map is from.

Yeah I see what you mean and it's not a bad idea, but I think after a while, I would have to choose between like 5 maps from 5 different servers or the loot that I just found and I'm sure you can understand that I would choose the loot. And after one or two characters having to do this, i would simply just stop gathering more than one map... At least in terms of public servers, for privat hive servers, that would be a way to go, but I don't think that it is worth it to configure it differently for privat and public hive servers, since time is money and stuff...

But it's a cool Idea none the less ^^ I'm sure someone could wright a mod to implement that, as soon as mods are a thing in satndalone ^^

Edited March 18, 2015 by Fujitaka

[DURRHUNTER 597]

I just wish we had one map that covered all of chernarus like in the mod, would make things so much simpler.

[ImageCtrl 719]

More zoom for the ingame map please.

Edited March 18, 2015 by NoCheats

[Rags! 1966]

 I think what he means is that there are certain elements that you cannot change for realisms sake ^^

otherwise there would be a need tor toilets in this game XD But the devs have stressed more than enough that they wanna make a game thats as realistic as possible and the players clearly like that, so thats why I'm asking ^^

 

Bohemia Interactive doesn't want to make a game that is as realistic as possible. If they say they do, then they don't really mean it. They mean that they will favor a great deal of realistic game mechanics in development, but they won't make the game as realistic as possible. They can't. The tech isn't there yet and some aspects of realism are just really shitty. 

 

They have already clearly done things that are not realistic, like zombie respawning, player respawning, where and how loot can spawn...but these decisions make sense from a gameplay perspective and are believable. Most of the design choices that are made instead of realism come from the came of suspension of disbelief. 

 

A good example is how a Kalashnikov rifle just spawns underneath a bunkbed in a barracks. It makes no real sense why somebody would just leave it there like that, but you can believe it and just roll with it because it's a military building so it will have military loot. 

[SFRGaming 718]

Bohemia Interactive doesn't want to make a game that is as realistic as possible. If they say they do, then they don't really mean it. They mean that they will favor a great deal of realistic game mechanics in development, but they won't make the game as realistic as possible. They can't. The tech isn't there yet and some aspects of realism are just really shitty. 

 

They have already clearly done things that are not realistic, like zombie respawning, player respawning, where and how loot can spawn...but these decisions make sense from a gameplay perspective and are believable. Most of the design choices that are made instead of realism come from the came of suspension of disbelief. 

 

A good example is how a Kalashnikov rifle just spawns underneath a bunkbed in a barracks. It makes no real sense why somebody would just leave it there like that, but you can believe it and just roll with it because it's a military building so it will have military loot. 

I think you are trying to break a simple survival game down way too much.

 

As well as you're judging the games mechanics as a full release game. You cannot do that at this moment. Considering what the devs have planned, almost every single mechanic will change, from now to full release.

[fujitaka 2]

Bohemia Interactive doesn't want to make a game that is as realistic as possible. If they say they do, then they don't really mean it. They mean that they will favor a great deal of realistic game mechanics in development, but they won't make the game as realistic as possible. They can't. The tech isn't there yet and some aspects of realism are just really shitty. 

 

They have already clearly done things that are not realistic, like zombie respawning, player respawning, where and how loot can spawn...but these decisions make sense from a gameplay perspective and are believable. Most of the design choices that are made instead of realism come from the came of suspension of disbelief. 

 

A good example is how a Kalashnikov rifle just spawns underneath a bunkbed in a barracks. It makes no real sense why somebody would just leave it there like that, but you can believe it and just roll with it because it's a military building so it will have military loot. 

 

It seems like you don't get what "as realistic AS POSSIBLE" means,,, That means that they wanna make a game, that's as realistic as it can get, without making it a shitty game... So of course zombies and players respawn... Wouldn't really be fun when they woudn't ^^ And that's the point that SFRGaming and I are trying to make!

And it is a no-brainer that the technoligy doesn't allow them to make a 100% realistic game (that probably nobody would buy) because I'm not even sure if humankind will ever be able wo create a "game" thats 100% realistic, since that requires far better hardware than a keyboard, a mouse and a screen to play on!

 

P.S.: By the Way: I don't see why this discussion about how you or I think bohemia want to design their game is relevant in a suggestion thread...

Edited March 19, 2015 by Fujitaka

[Mullraugh 1151]

First part of your suggestion exists already.

 

Video by yours truly

Edited March 19, 2015 by mullraugh

[Rags! 1966]

It seems like you don't get what "as realistic AS POSSIBLE" means,,, That means that they wanna make a game, that's as realistic as it can get, without making it a shitty game...

 

No, "as realistic as possible" doesn't mean "as realistic as possible without the game being bad". You're adding words where there was none so your meaning fits the sentence. That's adding an extra six words to a sentence that weren't there. 

 

Just because something is more realistic, that doesn't mean that its realism trumps having it be good game design. That's why you do respawn. Because even though it's not realistic it would be a crap game without it. The realism of a mechanic cannot be the greatest sole factor as to whether or not it must be in the game. 

 

So adding some random accuracy to a "pristine" weapon that a player cannot compensate for because it's random is not a good game mechanic. There has to be a set pattern or an intuitive level of dispersal that can be countered by planning or by resourcefulness. Unless a player fires a whole bunch of bullets from the gun, then he will never be able to know what the real random spread of the weapon is, and as a result, cannot compensate for using the weapon for the precision isn't meant for. 

 

It would be better to have Pristine weapons be the only condition that never has inaccuracy or deviation to them, but make them transfer do Worn status faster as a result so that players constantly look to replenish weapons or to upkeep theirs as good as possible. If a Pristine weapons still is inaccurate, then there's no point in looking for another since any weapon you find like the one you already have will never perform better. 

[fujitaka 2]

No, "as realistic as possible" doesn't mean "as realistic as possible without the game being bad". You're adding words where there was none so your meaning fits the sentence. That's adding an extra six words to a sentence that weren't there. 

 

Just because something is more realistic, that doesn't mean that its realism trumps having it be good game design. That's why you do respawn. Because even though it's not realistic it would be a crap game without it. The realism of a mechanic cannot be the greatest sole factor as to whether or not it must be in the game. 

 

So adding some random accuracy to a "pristine" weapon that a player cannot compensate for because it's random is not a good game mechanic. There has to be a set pattern or an intuitive level of dispersal that can be countered by planning or by resourcefulness. Unless a player fires a whole bunch of bullets from the gun, then he will never be able to know what the real random spread of the weapon is, and as a result, cannot compensate for using the weapon for the precision isn't meant for. 

 

It would be better to have Pristine weapons be the only condition that never has inaccuracy or deviation to them, but make them transfer do Worn status faster as a result so that players constantly look to replenish weapons or to upkeep theirs as good as possible. If a Pristine weapons still is inaccurate, then there's no point in looking for another since any weapon you find like the one you already have will never perform better. 

 

If you would have read my post to the end, you would have noticed, that thats exactly what I mean, and that I don't see any progress in discussing something like this. Thats why I will give you another reason why I don't agree with your secound suggestion:

 

It makes the game to easy! Why do you think dynamic events are dynamic? Why do you think there are that much more possible heli-crashsites than actual ones? Because you're not supposed to know where they are before you find 'em. And because it would make the game much more easy than it should be! This game is about problems! And about finding solutions to these problems, with your brain and skills! And I wouldn't call looking at a map a skill...

 

I don't wright this because I don't wan't your Idea in the game (even if that's the case). I wright it because I wanna give my opinion to your suggestion, because thats why we have to wright our suggestions in a forum. To discuss them! And it's ok that you dissagree with my opinion ^^ It would be very hyrocriticle of me to trying to shut you up because you dissagree with my disagreement. But it seems to me, that you're just trying to argue with me, so I eventually agree with you, whtich is absolutely not the purpose of a suggestion thread, because it doen't matter if I agree with you or not! The dev-team has to agree or disagree with you, and just like I'm trying to do here, they will have to discuss it with criticle thinking! Just because someone has something to say against it, doesn't always mean it will be dismissed as a whole, but that it needs to get more thought, and thats why we discuss it beforehand!

 

So do me a favor and reply to my criticle thinking about you'r suggestion in this post and not how the game is supposed to be in your or my opinion, because thats for behomia to decide not for us!

As long as I don't get a constructive answer (positive or negative) I will not answer to this post since it will just lengthen the threat and ultimatively give the devs a pain in the ass to read thrugh all this unnecessary stuff...

 

Thank you and stay save in Chernarus ^^