Central DB one huge disadvantage

[JorisK 3]

The DayZ mods shoud get rid of the Central database/Hyve since it creates -FAR MORE- disadvantages compared to advantages. Especially for serverowners and modders.

Will this ever change in the future? If not, i don't think the game will ever excel as it could be.

[TractorFiend 58]

If you want your character to be persistent throughout all servers, then this is the way to do it. Otherwise you'll get all sorts of hacks and exploits if everything was server/client side.

[JorisK 3]

If you want your character to be persistent throughout all servers' date=' then this is the way to do it. Otherwise you'll get all sorts of hacks and exploits if everything was server/client side.

[/quote']

Why would you want your character to be persistant troughout all servers if stuff like Tents and Vehicles are server specific?

Why would you want your character to be persistant troughout all servers anyways?

[coolboynaked 0]

Yeah I would very much like to see a server side option for "Server only characters" or something like that. This alone would fix 99% of exploits.

[ultimateburger 0]

I like it the way it is.

[coolboynaked 0]

I like it the way it is.

Having it as an optional server config would hurt no one.

[ActionManZlt 160]

There's been plenty of other RPG mods for Arma with server-bound characters, this has always been a problem with them, and AFAIK, DayZ is the first one to provide cross-server persistence.

It turns the game into an MMO instead of just a mod for an FPS.

As to why you'd want to play on another server -- maybe sometimes you want to play at different times of day, maybe your "home" server is full, maybe you want to team up with a buddy who's chosen a different "home" server to you?

All the local servers in my region are constantly at 50/50 players during the hours I'm able to play (apparently peak hours), so I've got to either take whichever one I can find a free slot in, or play on a USA server with 250 ping (my "home" server is actually a seattle one, but I'd rather play on a local one if there's slots open).

Having it as an optional server config would hurt no one.

There actually are a lot of servers out there that use their own DB instead of HIVE already -- I joined one the other day and freaked the fuck out coz I thought my character had been reset! They're easy to find, because they don't follow the same naming convention as the official servers. So you've got your wish.

[Vipeax 318]

This post is not to comment on the plans regarding this subject and this post is just my personal POV to this subject, but have you considered how much more power a hoster gets at this point?

Suddenly many hosts (and their friends) will have a lot of 'rare' weapons/items within the group (or maybe even a whole server), directly resulting into deflation. At first this sounds really cool and all, but all of sudden after 2 weeks you got bored as you've seen it all, you've killed them all and you've 'found' them all.

Sure the first response will be:

'Yeah, but people can just not join that server again!'

However that won't stop them from being burned out as they now miss all the goodies, but the game also got boring with them.

Some people dream about being able to buy product X and are so happy with it that they will even make themselves think it's their best action ever. Others have had 100s of those and don't really care. Making everyone fall into the latter category is going to get DayZ servers empty a lot quicker than you might think...

[ZedsDeadBaby 2287]

Why would you want your character to be persistant troughout all servers anyways?

Because I don't want the life my my 40-day-old survivor and everything I've accomplished in the game to rest on the whims of some 15-year-old who nicked his mother's credit card.

Unless and until hosting becomes "official" and centralized/standaridzed (which is a long way off, if ever even feasible), then asking people to tie their lives to a single server is simply unreasonable. There are too many variables, too much uncertainty and too many ways in which the owner of a particular server can disrupt your experience in the game.

[musicrab 5]

Character peristence is a main feature of Dayz. That means one logical character server. It wont change. However, it needs to be reliable (however many physical servers that takes!).

[EyeoftheYeti 44]

The problem with this is that while I'm not strictly speaking a server hopper, I do enjoy playing on more or less crowded servers with the same character, depending on what my end goal is (PvP, looting NWAF, etc.) and most servers are usually around the same player count depending on the time of day.

Also, I'm not a big fan of night play, since it gives those with luck better than mine (read: NVG) a massive advantage that I'm not prepared to deal with unless I'm rolling with a group of friends.

[suspense 210]

Yeah I would very much like to see a server side option for "Server only characters" or something like that. This alone would fix 99% of exploits.

Uh, not it wouldnt? If it were to be persistent within just one server, the hive system would remain more or less the same, except it would run locally on the server. I dont know exactly what kind of exploits you are talking about, but moving the hive from a central server to the server that the game server is being run from, will make no difference in terms of how the "hive" talks with the client.

If on the other hand, you would want to move the whole thing clientside, exploitation just become a million times easier.

The current system is the safest you will get, while still keeping persistence

[JorisK 3]

But Suspenselol, why do we want that server persistence?

If you always play on the same server, why would you need a central database? Most people always play on the same server due to vehicles and tents, so why do we need to ability to have our characters the same on all servers?

If they would let my server have it's own database, i would no longer be required to accept the strict rules on hosting a DayZ server and i would be able to set up servers with each different settings (e.g. PvP on/off) and all players have the ability to choose what they like to play!

Also, server hopping is completely gone!

[disorder 344]

The main hive gives persistence over all servers, if you plan on only ever using one server (a private one or whatever) then what does it matter if your character can't ever switch servers? Yes it can be used by some to cheat, but many don't. They just want to play hassle free.The ones that have lots of gear and have done loads of stuff seem to be bored now anyway!

Solution:

Remove character persistence over all servers and make it host specific, the ones that are running the game and paying the cash should get to host their own hive systems. The hive systems can connect to a Master-Hive which checks up on BE and ID validity and then sends messages to the individual hosts of any infractions, then its up to the host to resolve any issues.

This gives people totally new, unconnected characters on each server and force them to begin anew instead of being able to switch/ cheat the current system.

[JorisK 3]

The main hive gives persistence over all servers' date=' if you plan on only ever using one server (a private one or whatever) then what does it matter if your character can't ever switch servers? Yes it can be used by some to cheat, but many don't. They just want to play hassle free.The ones that have lots of gear and have done loads of stuff seem to be bored now anyway!

Solution:

Remove character persistence over all servers and make it host specific, the ones that are running the game and paying the cash should get to host their own hive systems. The hive systems can connect to a Master-Hive which checks up on BE and ID validity and then sends messages to the individual hosts of any infractions, then its up to the host to resolve any issues.

This gives people totally new, unconnected characters on each server and force them to begin anew instead of being able to switch/ cheat the current system.

[/quote']

+ Serveradmins don't have to force strict server rules, which will result in way more different types of DayZ games (PvP on/off, zombies on/off etc).

[Electrolyte 4]

If DayZ is going the way of role playing or "Make DayZ your own game", I agree that it won't reach its full potential until server admins can have control over who joins and who doesn't and some form of server rules. The resources needed for policing the current 100K+ active players via the DB do not seem practical for a mod especially of this scope without a source of income.

However, I see DayZ as a survival sim with an element of role playing born out of the environment shaping you with unexpected encounters under harsh conditions, the core of the mod for me personally. It will likely never be a true sim because of mod limitations, at least in Arma 2, but I would prefer the survival sim direction over role playing since that's what sold me on DayZ originally.

[tarin4med@gmail.com 10]

Most people always play on the same server due to vehicles and tents' date=' so why do we need to ability to have our characters the same on all servers?

[/quote']

I would have to disagree with this.

I was watching a stream the other day of some people playing. They would get on the server which contained their vehicles and stuff and drive to the area they were going to snipe people. They would then park their vehicle in a safe out of the way spot and then log into a different server and start killing people.

While I don't agree with server hopping, I can understand why people do things like this. Once you get to the point that you have all the top tier equipment there isn't much to do besides go and hunt other players. With the size of the map and the limited number of players on the maps, once a fully geared out team stakes out an area it will just become an area that is avoided by everybody.

This just leads to a lot of bored people who quit the game.

Even the death of 1 or 2 people in a team really doesn't matter much. They can either gear up at their camp or with the rest of the team geared up they can go get the dead people new equipment with little to no issues at all.

[whocares 1]

...' date=' why do we want that server persistence?

If you always play on the same server, why would you need a central database? Most people always play on the same server due to vehicles and tents, so why do we need to ability to have our characters the same on all servers?

...

[/quote']

Just some not playing style related reasons:

- server runs wrong patch version

- server full

- server offline

- server discontinued by the host

Other reasons:

- "distributing risks" from above by having tents on different servers

- server at wrong time (night?)

- playing with friends that happen to be on a different server

And yes, I play only one character at a time.

[Lukio (DayZ) 24]

If you want your character to be persistent throughout all servers' date=' then this is the way to do it. [/quote']

This - the only alternative would be local, offline characters similar to D2.

[JorisK 3]

...' date=' why do we want that server persistence?

If you always play on the same server, why would you need a central database? Most people always play on the same server due to vehicles and tents, so why do we need to ability to have our characters the same on all servers?

...

[/quote']

Just some not playing style related reasons:

- server runs wrong patch version

- server full

- server offline

- server discontinued by the host

Other reasons:

- "distributing risks" from above by having tents on different servers

- server at wrong time (night?)

- playing with friends that happen to be on a different server

And yes, I play only one character at a time.

Good you mention it.

Hosting a server requires some attention. If people think they can host a server by just slamming the START button and connecting the server to a 100mbit uplink they are wrong.

It's just a matter of time when people will find out which servers are really top of the bill (superb settings) and which ones are not (dumb mods/admins/no fun gameplay).

If people like to play on night-time only server it should be their choice. If people like to play on an NON-PVP server they would be able to pick them out. If you like to switch to a server where all the zombies are clowns with large hammers and red noses: go ahead and see yourself if people like it. If your server will run 2/50 all day than perhaps you are wasting time and money since no one wants to play on your server.

Serveradmins should be able to modify the gamesettings because it's just a matter of time for them to find out the perfect balance between zombies , PVP, fun addons, anticheat software and other stuff that would spice up the game.

If your settings fuck up the gameplay, then no one will simply play on your sever.

With this central hyve/db system in place, no server admin is able to adjust settings to spice up the game since that would be cheating. You give away a good chance to admins to fine-tune the game and mods to code extra fun addons.