Pro vs Con - My List of Balanced Mechanics

[combatcomm1 234]

This game, like real life survival is a game of pro vs con, negative vs positive, this vs the alternative, and balancing the two choices. If you like the suggestions +1 them and help spread the word on the post so the devs have a better chance at catching it. I will update as I come up with more. Just wanted a central place for my ideas like others have done.

1. Keys for Vehicles or ability to learn to hot wire

Solves: Hard work wasted by any joe shmoe finding your vehicle

Pro: Get to drive vehicle that key is used for, hotwire requires no item

Con: Key takes up inventory Slot, hot wiring takes learning from other person or finding rare book

Description: Keys should be medium to medium rarity. Keys would be items like URAL key, 4X4 Key, Bus Key, so on and so forth. You would find them in places you would expect to. so bus keys by bus stations or garages and residential vehicle keys in residential houses etc. The scipting could work something like if (player has item uralkey) then (ural unlocked) or something to that effect. Granted i'm no expert scripter.

As for the hotwireing it allows for an alternative means of taking a car. Its fair and balanced. So if you read my other post on learning mechanic posted here http://dayzmod.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=7434 you can get a feel for how youd find the rare books. A lot of people will say learning is stupid if I know how to navigate in RL than I know how to navigate in game. Well thats fine but if you know how to hotwire in real life and there is no minigame in Dayz for you to cut and connect the right wires than your knoledge dosent matter does it? So its a game and we take the most realistic alternative. Finding a book and or being able to teach someone too. Which leads me to my next suggestions.

2. Learning Mechanic

Solves: KoS, Many other issues of realism

Pros: More player interaction, adds to character development, more things to search the maps for.

Cons: May be killed when approaching others to teach or learn, have to find others, have to risk yourself to find books

Description: I wont go into detail too much here as you can check this post for the longer one. http://dayzmod.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=7434 However heres a brief overview. RARE RARE books scattered in realistic locations. Hotwireing book found in garages, mechanical books found in garages, gastations, navigation, marksman books found in barracks, medical books found in hospitals etc. These books could either be picked up outright or just read and left for the next person. Because they are so rare people would be forced to learn things from other players. You would learn by spending time with that player and a scroll wheel action on the person who knows the info. This allows for alternate means of doing things, increasing skill ability OR chance of something happening. So say we all know how to bandage in RL and most people would in reality. BUT I guarentee you dont know how to bandage as effectively as a trauma surgeon or combat medic. So if you read the book on trauma or first aid you can bandage faster, have a better chance of bandaging actually working etc.

3. Loud sound for chopping wood and smell for fire

Solves: Being way to easy to cook food, unrealistic

Pros: Get to eat, regain health, warm up, morale boost (if such mechanic is implemented)

Cons: Enemies or friendlies can hear you chop wood or smell your fire

Description: Dosent really require much of one. Its preatty self explanatory. Its just another pro vs con. I need to eat or warm up but I may be heard chopping wood or someone might smell my fire. Scripting maybe something like if (distance player < 10 fireplace) than (hint: You smell smoke). I dont know if current arma engine allows for the direction of the wind to come into account but that would be a plus.

More Camaflauge Options and facial customization

Solves: KoS, standing out like a sore thumb in your terrain of choice

Pros: Urban camo great for cities, more collectables, can recognize certain better

Cons: Urban Camo not so good for forest, bandits can change cloths to hide

Description: So the urban camo was just an example. This one is I THINK already in the works. I hope to see a greater availability of camo. Something that may be more expanded on in Arma 3 version as you can change cloths right off of someones body.

Tents

Description: Tents should only be packable if you retain the storage bag as one inventory slot. It would take up the default inventory slots when youv packed it. This would allow you to also take other peoples tents as well. It is realistic that you cant take someone elses tent, ONLY if you dont have something to pack and store it in properly. Stuffing a tent into your backpack is possible but eh, I dunno about that one. Either way tents need to be able to be taken if you retain the bag.

[Strategos (DayZ) 190]

big negatory on 1 and 2

ambivalent about 3

[combatcomm1 234]

Care to elaborate on why keys are a bad thing? Especially considering your huuuuuuuuge post about realistic suggestions?? Kind of ironic you think its ok to just jump in a car and drive it. Im sorry but NONE of the vehicles in Arma 2 are equipped with push to start. Are you one who loves server hopping high vehicle areas?

[leo235 2]

Shouldnt keys just be generated in the persons inventory that fixes the car? seems more sensible to me.

apart from that: boring suggestions and suggestions about learning that I dont think will happen and if they do it likely wont be rare books...

[combatcomm1 234]

Generated? I dont get it. You guys know this game revolves around authenticity and realism. As realistic as can be anyway? A key system is simple to script, fair, and realistic. Just search for keys as loot.

Think about the things it does. You work hard as hell to repair a car and than hide it somewhere but still someone comes across it. They just jump in and thats it. Never seen again? Thats stupid. Not to mention it breeeds major map border hoarding because people dont want to lose their vehicle. Keys would ease the paranoia of losing your ride hopefully enough that people wont hoarde as much. The slight chance whoever finds your vehicle dosent have the key to urals is a slight comfort.

Im not saying a single key for each car. Thats rediculous, but a universal URAL key, univeral BUS key etc is a goood compromise.

Diasagreement aside I love the walk like a zombie idea. Again realistic and adds a way to at least trick humans from a far.

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Adding an idea.

Lootable Pens

Pros: Can write notes to yourself on your map! Comon people thats a good one. As it is now if you write notes on your map it shows up for EVERYONE. Not to mention you should have to find a pen as loot first for realism and gameplay sake.

Cons: None

[leo235 2]

A single key opens every car in the world : RETARDED

and in every way:

spams the world with keys

if it doesnt you work 2 weeks to get a car running but you have no key

you have worked to weeks and have a key but a dude who only randomly found a key snatches your car like in the scenario you were trying to get rid of.

A dude who can repair cars also beeing able to make some sort of lock for that car: REALISTIC

espeacially in russia where its going to be easykeys and doublespecially when theres only 5 types of keys you have to remember how to make, because every car uses the same key....

You guys know this game revolves around authenticity and realism.

Im not saying a single key for each car. Thats rediculous, but a universal URAL key

That pair of sentences right there....

single key for each car : reality

universal URAL key : batshit compromise that is detrimental to gameplay

thank you for angering me

I dont know