Northern Military Base

[S3V3N 1402]

Hello,

 

I want to share my suggestions for the final blank spot on the map, often called the NATO base. I tried to come up with something that will integrate with Dayz's regular gameplay, yet pose a special challenge for advanced groups and completely suicidal players. This was inspired by the thread about EVRs (known from Namalsk) and if they should have a comeback in Dayz. Even without EVR this is a doable scenario. What do you think? Add your own ideas to the map, if you like. I know it is a long read, but I hope it's an interesting one. Thanks in advance for coming through!

 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/10191409/dayz_NATO_bionuclear_facility.jpg

 

I always found that the last major area that needs dressing, the NATO base, should pose some unique challenges. I think it should contain an experimental nuclear device/reactor of some kind that oozes radiation and slowly drains your health and lifeforce, but somehow works like candy to the infected. This first idea is to prevent anyone from camping there, but also to impose a time lock on going to the area and escaping alive again. 

 

The second idea is that it should be the only place to find a live helicopter, e.g. parked inside one of the old cooling towers. BUT the area needs to be big enough to force the player into a decision: hunt for the helicopter (and some okay loot on the way), or go for the reactor and find some unique parts needed for basebuilding. Of course, bigger groups might decide to split up there and go both ways, so the heli crew could pick up the ones that go looting hardware. There could still be a few more unique places, e.g. for special vehicles over there, e.g. a tank truck, which allows you to refuel the chopper. Adding yet another objective. No matter how large the group, they would have to prioritize one over the other at some point. 

 

Another idea is that the area is actually highly dangerous without a map, keycard or dossier that tells you about lock codes and remote disarming of boobie traps and locations of claymores. These could vary from day to day/restart to restart. So, in order to obtain this information you have to kill and search a certain type of zombie first. Ideally, these "information" zombies don't all spawn there, but also at helicopter crash sites or military bases. They should be recognizable, e.g. by wearing a General's Stars (and hat) or similar insignia; they might have a black briefcase chained to their wrist ^^. Players, who find this information could try and contact others over radio or PA (or leave a message pinned to a wall), in order to work together on this problem.

 

You could, of course, just try to wing it with one piece of information and hope your luck holds up - but you would have limited access. Going into the origin zone without proper preparation will very likely get you killed. Likewise, the information sheets should degrade over time (per server restart) or decay when a player is shot at. So anything but a headshot, any damage to gear or equipment which has the information sheet inside it would make it unreadable/badly damaged; this is again to encourage cooperation, at least until the point where conflict becomes unavoidable. IT also means you need to protect your guy who carries the information on the way in. Sure, a protective case will help there, but he's still a VIP + acts as your guide through the zone.

 

Add to this the occasional ERV storms, which could be announced by pulsating waves of sound and light from the reactor and you have a really fucking scary situation. I guess you can only survive these ERV storms in special led compartments/isolation chambers that are scattered across the area. Once you enter, you would have limited actions available, i.e. can't pull a weapon or shoot inside. This is, so if you enter a room and there is already somebody in it (perhaps 4-6 seats/iso chamber) you would have to talk about what to do with them when the storm subsides. Perhaps some people would be reasonable enough to cooperate. 

 

I think this adds some kind of endgame feature to the game, without feeling like a level-up mechanic. Only highly organised and well prepared groups should be able to get a chopper at all. Or to build things at their camp nobody else can. It would also add a huge scare factor to the game, as there are several unique threats apart from massive amounts of zombies in that area. So yeah, I'm all in for those Namalsk like storms, as long as they are tied into a greater (non-intrusive/non-verbal) narrative. Wanna know how shit started falling apart? Go to Nukeland and see for yourself  ;)

 

 

 

 

Bigger image:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/10191409/dayz_NATO_bionuclear_facility.jpg

 

I would not say the cause of infection was the meltdown of an experimental reactor. It just happens that this reactor melted down and the infected seem to be attracted to it. Within the radius' marked (+)(+) they are all drawn towards it. But they are also attracted to light, sound, etc.

Whatever the cause of the infection was, it could have developed after the nuclear accident, as an accelerated mutation of a simple virus or of a potential biological weapon that was set free during the accident. I just basically want a badass zone with crazy shit going on  ;) The explanations should not go deep, just be very visually visceral; leave it to everybody to make up their own story about what happened exactly. This is the stuff for sitting around campfires and telling ghoststories.

 

I would not like Hazmat suits in the game, nor would I like any protection against the radiation, except in the form of maybe Potassium Iodide (pills/solution) to be ingested after the raid to help return you to normal health. Whichever way you do it, this zone should get you almost killed, even if you succeed in everything and fly out with the chopper. It would be delicate to balance. It has to be hard as fuck to come out of there alive - and very rewarding. 

 

I think the only place where I can imagine a hazmat suit, would be near the reactors inner containment. There could be some kind of air lock that needs someone to walk through in Hazmat and another person to activate it and run the control room. Perhaps it is possible to gather depleted uranium to be used for more effective/deadly machinegun bullets, e.g. for the chopper or base defenses. Why I don't like the suits is, because you will need to hurry up in that area and inside those suits you would get too hot and have limited options to use your gear. Also you would need pressurized air tanks. At least when they are done realistically. 

Edited August 25, 2015 by S3V3N

[xCAPx 349]

I like the idea of an extremely dangerous endgame area, sounds great! :beans:

 

Another idea is that the area is actually highly dangerous without a map, keycard or dossier that tells you about lock codes and remote disarming of boobie traps and locations of claymores. These could vary from day to day/restart to restart. So, in order to obtain this information you have to kill and search a certain type of zombie first. Ideally, these "information" zombies don't all spawn there, but also at helicopter crash sites or military bases. They should be recognizable, e.g. by wearing a General's Stars (and hat) or similar insignia; they might have a black briefcase chained to their wrist ^^. Players, who find this information could try and contact others over radio or PA (or leave a message pinned to a wall), in order to work together on this problem.

 

Especially this part is very interessting. Maybe not just "special" infected could have these informations, there could be also spawn some (locked?) briefcases with informations inside.

I think the devs have plans with something like this. Mr. Nespesny wrote on twitter: "Yes, there will be tear gas grenade and most probably certain areas will be contaminated.", in context with the new gas mask.

And the part of the map, which you chose, would fit perfect, for such a scenario :thumbsup: 

[S3V3N 1402]

Thanks xCAPx, yeah the gas masks would be useful here too, as I imagine toxic fumes would float and with them the zombies follow, because they like the stuff.  

 

I made a blockout tonight, to illustrate better how everything looks and is related. I made the watchtowers last and I'm tired, so they are out of scale and much too large. It was quite fun to make, but I can't be arsed to model the fences and gates. You'll have to imagine them. The yellow lines would actually be walls. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you like. make suggestions for improvements or stuff you would do different or completely hate. I realize this is kind of a sidestep from what Dayz gameplay means right now. However, we'll get helis and poison gas and all that stuff anyway. Here it is just all concentrated in a very rewarding, but dangerous zone. It will be possible for solo players to also get to the blue and red zones, but yellow ones - you'll need some help for. And if you chose to ignore all this you can still get most of this stuff in another way. Most likely by trading with people who managed to escape alive. Trade them the anti-radiation medicine you collected ;). If you chose to ignore this area completely, it has no impact on the other game features. Maybe there can even be other ways to get a helicopter, too. But here you get cars, parts and the fuel truck, all in one place. 

 

In total there are only a few new buildings Dayz doesn't yet have.

 

Idea:

Radio Tower Control Building - activate the PA systems of the base (by zone/area), to lure the zombies away from gates or entrances. Bring your favorite tape! "Take me down to the Paradise City..." blazing from speaker as you lift off in heli or race away in a fuel truck. 

Edited August 25, 2015 by S3V3N

[Coheed_IV 381]

Well done. :thumbsup:  Having one refueling truck to fight over would be cool. Also, really like the idea of a time limit for being in the area. All the information stuff is awesome, but seems more of a single player type thing. Just very hard to get that to be effective for 99% of the multiplayer crowd.

[S3V3N 1402]

Well done. :thumbsup:  Having one refueling truck to fight over would be cool. Also, really like the idea of a time limit for being in the area. All the information stuff is awesome, but seems more of a single player type thing. Just very hard to get that to be effective for 99% of the multiplayer crowd.

Ah wow, I go to bed and so many people read + liked this in the morning. Thanks, I know it's a lot to read!

 

Zombies are gonna wear survivor clothes anyway, right? So it would be not much effort to spawn a military zombie with a black briefcase around his wrist, every now and then. Or we could find hints about where some piece of information can be found in the locker rooms, e.g. in police stations/milbases, like xCapx suggested. These solutions aren't completely alien to the game or new mechanics; maybe the pieces of intel you gather shouldn't degrade though, or only when shot at; they will be valuable trade items by themselves.   

 

I wouldn't say that there is only one fuel truck, or even only one chopper, but here you can find them all in one place. There should probably be more fuel trucks then one, but they can spawn in damaged states elsewhere, while they need only battery and sparkplugs in this base. And you find some materials here that are rare and useful for advanced base-building.  

 

------

 

I've been thinking about player progression trying to figure out the ways we would take to walk around this place. Most likely this area requires you to drink a lot. The only radiation free source inside the base is the freshwater reservoir, next to waste disposal. That's one place to gather your troops and "freshen" up, before going in. The other is in the south/southeast of "vehicles", where there is a relatively large radiation-free zone with only few zombies. I imagine, there could be target practice/shooting stands around there. People would gather there again, before getting a truck from the vehicle lot. They would also park their trucks there, before going into the main buildings. The long road, from southwest to central should have a roadblock; one of those that rise out of the street and look like a ramp. Without electricity it is stuck. So from the south you cannot drive up on that road, but you can drive down on it and jump over the roadblock.

 

Both entrances south and north have their advantages, but the northern entrance gives you more loot, while the southern lets you get to vehicles faster. You can't just enter south, walk up straight and turn left to go to the chopper. There would be flocks of zombies there, blocking the way + gates. So you need to either get to the Radio Tower to use the PA (lure them away from gates+fences) or use shitloads of silenced ammo or sheer force to chop through them, at this location. That small long road in the center can become a death-trap easily! It is much better to use the areas I mentioned before to recuperate and then take the objectives one by one. Megaphones might also proof useful in this base, provided you can activate, e.g. signal sounds and throw them somewhere as zombie bait.   

Edited August 25, 2015 by S3V3N

[xCAPx 349]

There could be also a "hidden entrance", a wastewater pipe from the facility to the contaminated lake. On the end of the pipe could be a grid which you have to remove to use the pipe to get in the base.
The pipe chould be connected to all parts of the base and so small that you could only crawl in it. This way, it would take much time and high risk to reach the other end inside of the base.
This "secret passage" should only be useable with protective suits, because the radiation is highly concentrated, through the contaminated water, and you would die in minutes, if you go there without a suit and mask.
Even with a protective suit, you would need many medicals stuff, but with a (very) low chance/or it should take a long time to get back to a healthy state, if you choose this entrance.

This way, solo players could get to the yellow areas without help from other players, but with a high risk of an infection?!

Edited August 23, 2015 by xCAPx

[blackberrygoo 1416]

Thanks xCAPx, yeah the gas masks would be useful here too, as I imagine toxic fumes would float and with them the zombies follow, because they like the stuff.

I made a blockout tonight, to illustrate better how everything looks and is related. I made the watchtowers last and I'm tired, so they are out of scale and much too large. It was quite fun to make, but I can't be arsed to model the fences and gates. You'll have to imagine them. The yellow lines would actually be walls.

Hope you like. make suggestions for improvements or stuff you would do different or completely hate. I realize this is kind of a sidestep from what Dayz gameplay means right now. However, we'll get helis and poison gas and all that stuff anyway. Here it is just all concentrated in a very rewarding, but dangerous zone. It will be possible for solo players to also get to the blue and red zones, but yellow ones - you'll need some help for. And if you chose to ignore all this you can still get most of this stuff in another way. Most likely by trading with people who managed to escape alive. Trade them the anti-radiation medicine you collected ;). If you chose to ignore this area completely, it has no impact on the other game features. Maybe there can even be other ways to get a helicopter, too. But here you get cars, parts and the fuel truck, all in one place.

In total there are only a few new buildings Dayz doesn't yet have.

Idea:

Radio Tower Control Building - activate the PA systems of the base (by zone/area), to lure the zombies away from gates or entrances. Bring your favorite tape! "Take me down to the Paradise City..." blazing from speaker as you lift off in heli or race away in a fuel truck.

I really like all these ideas for dayz , but we really need to stay away from the whole stalker identity , as long as nothing hints towards a stalker or fallout type lore I am good with it (so in other words Zombies would be mutated by the gas but not in a good way : they would be melted to things and not be able to move , instead of becoming super mutants ... After all the "super mutants" should only be the vanilla zombies themselves , no more enemies should be needed but a nice scary , gas filled area with high end loot would be great to keep players entertained , but I just don't want to see any mutations on zombies or anything as that takes away from vanilla dayz lore).

[S3V3N 1402]

I really like all these ideas for dayz , but we really need to stay away from the whole stalker identity , as long as nothing hints towards a stalker or fallout type lore I am good with it (so in other words Zombies would be mutated by the gas but not in a good way : they would be melted to things and not be able to move , instead of becoming super mutants ... After all the "super mutants" should only be the vanilla zombies themselves , no more enemies should be needed but a nice scary , gas filled area with high end loot would be great to keep players entertained , but I just don't want to see any mutations on zombies or anything as that takes away from vanilla dayz lore).

 

I totally agree. That was one reason, I am against protective clothing, too (even though xCAPx really seems to like it ^^). I don't want any mutated zombies there, at all. The only thing special about the area is the (local) radiation, which forces sick status quickly, but then takes a while to kill you (in other words, lots of puking in the radiation ++ area). Apart from that there is no difference, the zombies just feel drawn towards the reactor in the same way they are drawn towards grenades or flares. So it would need a bigger trigger (e.g. sound from the PA system) to pull them away from the reactor's entrance. That idea is mainly there, so nobody can run up there easily. The only things that you can do in the nuclear zone that aren't already in Dayz now, are tied to a few new buildings with their unique functionality.

 

I think this concept could be expanded nicely. I already mentioned the shooting range. xCAP's idea of the waste water tunnel, which you can use as an alternative acess is quite good. However, I would only let it go to the pumping station. The piping doesn't have to go all the way to the lake, just outside of base would be fine. The downside to it is you would get radiation exposure through the water, similar to the radiation in the (+) marked zone. The upside - you could get into a yellow area by yourself. It's a fair tradeoff. 

 

I've played Dayz for long enough now to feel like I understand what makes the game great. Dayz is best in its unscripted moments of total mayhem. This area is an idea to provide players with a testing ground for ultimate mayhem in Dayz. There is no zone as challenging as this one in the game, and no matter how nice a new city or a new base is - they don't offer anything really new. By combining known elements with a few new buildings with unique functionality, I'm trying to add more options for players. They may get tired of raiding bases and shooting each other at some point and this gives them an optional goal to strive for. I also think there would be awesome moments in that base when two or more groups clash over the same objective. The winner takes it all!

 

I'm sure some groups will figure it out pretty quickly and will trade guns and hardware, just to get supplies of Potassium Iodide, Epi-Pens, Gasmasks, Silencers and the very valuable Intel, in order to tackle the zone again. Thereby a small trading cycle would develop and other players would come to their bases, seeking trade. If they get screwed with, they may never come back again, so it is in both parties interest to maintain peaceful trade negotiations. Some major bases could become busy places like that, and since everything important degrades, there will always be a reason for even the highest equipped groups to go back there and get some unique piece of machinery/equipment to fix something at their own base.

 

It's much more than just a part of the map in that way. It encourages actions that are possible at this moment in dayz, like trading, but which are risky and mostly pointless, at this time. I can also imagine that some fierce basefights will start when people use the trading as a pretext to attacking bases, positioning snipers all around and planning on their guy(s) inside to survive and open the gates for them. Base builders need to stay sharp and awake! There is just a lot of potential I see here.  

Edited August 25, 2015 by S3V3N

[xCAPx 349]

So, I don't want to see super mutant infected too.
These aren't zombies. These are humans which are infected with a virus, so the infected would get sick of the radiation too.
And of course, they would die after a periode of time too, like we - the players. But IF they would die, we had no infected in the base and it would be too easy to get the loot there.

Protective clothes would be necessary for the players to get in the base or in some parts of the base and stay healthy.
When players wouldn't wear protective clothes, they still could go there but with a extremly high risk to become sick because of the radiation. And it's not easy or nearly impossible to get well again after a huge contamination.

In short: super zeds = NO; protection agains radiation = of course :)

[S3V3N 1402]

In short: super zeds = NO; protection agains radiation = of course :)

As we have seen in many movies, normal biology rules don't apply to infected humans. They don't have a circulatory system that depends upon renewal of their cells and constant blood regeneration. In fact they are always depicted as quite the opposite - corpses that are animated solely by the virus. So, I think it would be reasonable to say they decay fastest near the peak level radiation, but that would just mean scarier looking zombies. There could be stages of decay, such as:

 

1. Freshly spawned infected -> normal zombie

2. Decaying infected -> damaged zombie

3. Rotting infected -> crawling zombie

 

That would totally work with what is in the game and planned already. See, I'm not all out against such things as hazard suits and the likes. But I'm trying to use Dayz's existing features and planned systems, in order to make this work with minimal effort. Nothing I described is actually hard to make. The radiation zone is just a damage volume within which the player receives different stats from what the normal surrounding does to him; just like water changes your status to wet/soaked. You get sick faster that's basically all it does. The reactor will look awesome, no doubt, but it will just be a trigger like all other sounds and light sources, except it will override most smaller sources and have a bigger radius of influence. Everything I concept is from a standpoint of integration with Dayz.

Edited August 25, 2015 by S3V3N

[billyangstadt 272]

It looks cool, but for the sake of persistence and camps, we need to relax on cluttering the map. As is, the densely wooded areas and large open fields are shrinking with every addition.

We need open land to give the rural feel. If I can look in either direction and see a town or village, it's becoming cluttered.

[S3V3N 1402]

It looks cool, but for the sake of persistence and camps, we need to relax on cluttering the map. As is, the densely wooded areas and large open fields are shrinking with every addition.

We need open land to give the rural feel. If I can look in either direction and see a town or village, it's becoming cluttered.

It's good to have performance in mind. I try to think as narrowly as possible around the Dayz game mechanics. So that nothing too demanding or novel prevents this area from working the way it should. As far as I am informed the devs want to expand the city of Topolniki and there is already a base planned in the exact area I chose for this suggestion. I don't think this concept would hamper with the performance and most of the buildings are used everywhere else on the map. Of the few new ones I planned new, most could be used elsewhere on the map and replace some existing industrial structures. The pump station and waste disposal, as well as the radio station would make perfect sense in other places. The only unique part is really the reactor and the chimneys.

 

I made some new screenshots and changed a few of the models sizes. I also made the first chimney "under construction" and tore some holes into the dome of the reactor. That would be where the light shines through, giving the area around it a spooky kind of illumination. I wrote some explanations, because maybe it's not always clear which buildings I placed around the base:

 

 

 

 

 

I might make some paintings or "concept art" to give it a bit more soul. I think you have to picture this area in your mind. I'd really rather have something like this than just another town and one more base. Even if I die there more often than I make it, at least I'll have something that will always be a unique challenge. It's just a notch different from the rest of the map. Without being completely alien to it.  

Edited August 25, 2015 by S3V3N

[Mad Scientist 73]

I like the idea...for a mod of vanilla DayZ.

It just seems to much like an endgame, whereas DayZ seems to be a game with no end, other then death.

[S3V3N 1402]

I like the idea...for a mod of vanilla DayZ.

It just seems to much like an endgame, whereas DayZ seems to be a game with no end, other then death.

Endgame to me signifies something like: Get the BFG and defeat the Spiderdemon-Boss of this world! There is nothing inherently endgame about the area. The only difference to other Dayz areas is that there is the unique radiation threat and you need to use a little more strategy and thinking-on-your-feet than in other areas of the map. It's certainly a place where groups will clash, because there is a helicopter and a high concentration of high yield loot. The positive side effect of this is that some of the best equipped groups of a server will clash in that area, instead of hunting bambis at the beach or in cities. The whole concept of this area is to appeal to groups that have everything they want, except for a helicopter or certain rare materials. 

 

I guess you didn't get to the part where I wrote about the small trading cycle that will develop, because of this zone. I'll probably go over my text and highlight the most important parts, so there is less of a misunderstanding what this zone is about. You can ignore this area completely and still play Dayz like you do now. Without missing a thing. You can also go there and explore the blue and red zone, just for the yellow zones you will really need to work with a group. 

Edited August 25, 2015 by S3V3N

[liquidcactus 719]

Wow you put some serious effort into this and it really is an awesome idea.. i only read about half way I will have to finish it later.. There has been alot of end game ideas like this but none have really been logic and detailed like this one.. most people get sooky and be like " aww naa maan thats creating a stoOory for dayz " But we need epic ideas like this 

 

When most of the development is said and done (hopefully before 2026) hopefully an idea like this will flourish.. i remember dayz origins dabbled in some of this in a very crude kinda way but it was cool none the less even tho it was gamey and seemed more fictional there is and always will be room for something like this in vanilla dayz (and yes i understand it would be done 10 times better than origins) 

[xCAPx 349]

 The radiation zone is just a damage volume within which the player receives different stats from what the normal surrounding does to him; just like water changes your status to wet/soaked. You get sick faster that's basically all it does.

 

But it could be much more!

 

Yeah, I see your point. And yes, it's nice that you try to take the things we have already in-game or which are coming in the near future (which we definitly know). But why not go a little bit further.

It's still alpha, the devs still have time and Mr. Hicks said, that they will support DayZ at least two years after the release (not just bug fixes). So why not?

But, I think this is the only real thing which is..."bad" in DayZ, for me - the background story.

The devs don't want to tell us their vision of the infected, the virus and the past.

Because they want, that we make our story.

And for me the infected are more like in the movie "The Crazies". Everybody has another understanding of DayZ's Story...which can be confusing sometimes.

 

But yes, I support your idea in every direction. Even just the buildings from your suggestion would be awsome to see in Dayz :thumbsup: :)

Edited August 25, 2015 by xCAPx

[S3V3N 1402]

Wow you put some serious effort into this and it really is an awesome idea.. i only read about half way I will have to finish it later.. There has been alot of end game ideas like this but none have really been logic and detailed like this one.. most people get sooky and be like " aww naa maan thats creating a stoOory for dayz " But we need epic ideas like this 

 

The devs are developing story for Dayz's singleplayer anyway. I rebelled against this myself and got banned for a week - thus my warning point ;) Rocket would probably not want this either, because the idea of Dayz was always to create story from within. But stories consist and require certain prerequesites, first of which is the setting. And in Dayz we have city, rural, military settings, but they repeat throughout the map. There are no unique challenges tied to a location. The shipwreck for example, is in no way different from a small city or village you loot. There could have been vertical gameplay involved at the ship, it could have been a smart piece of level design, but it ended up being more or less a nice-looking game prop. Prison Island is a lot better. It can become an interesting place in the future, when we can barricade and lock stuff properly. I can see some story happening there. What I am providing with this example is more opportunity for story in Dayz. It will be a place where you come back from and tell your friends about, as if you're recounting some old war story. It's nothing different from Prison island in that way, except the zone is bigger, more diverse and more challenging than prison island. But it stays true to the same concept, which is why I think it will fit seamlessly with Dayz. 

 

 

But it could be much more!

 

Yeah, I see your point. And yes, it's nice that you try to take the things we have already in-game or which are coming in the near future (which we definitly know). But why not go a little bit further.

It's still alpha, the devs still have time and Mr. Hicks said, that they will support DayZ at least two years after the release (not just bug fixes). So why not?

 

My objective with this idea is to create something fun that isn't hitting high on resources and needs only minimal extra development effort. Dayz is already behind schedule, and I don't want to put additional stress on resources the developers need elsewhere. However, I see the modelers are making updated versions of walkie-talkies and gasmasks, so clearly the art department has some time to spare and could work on such things as the reactor or radio building as well. I bet they prefer it over making small props all day. 

Edited August 25, 2015 by S3V3N