Balancing melee damage system and adressing some other problems via bone stat

[Officer Failure 34]

So in 1.22 they tweak around with shock and health damage of melee weapons. But i guess a lot of people won't be happy again because some weapons are getting weaker and being as weak as fists. Within shock and health you can't show stuff that hurts - but don't kill. To be beat but not dead, fist fighting is a good example. Why do you die so unrealistically fast? The game lacks a way to simulate pain.

But the game has already introduced a good possibility to simulate pain. The bone stat, which heals faster than health but slower than shock (right now bone stats regens at 0,334/s which are 5 mins when its empty*). Unfortunately so far its only used for legs. And not really properly imo. It does only show you leg damage (icon) and when it reaches 120 then you get the leg break.
What it should do is in the first 1/4 nothing then up to 2/4 show icon(warning) up to 3/4 slight consequences like no high climbing, more shock damage on fall (imagine jumping with a sprain ankle), no heavy lifting, slightly slower movement (like yellow health) and 3/4 to 4/4 walking like red health and when it reaches 120 leg break. With all this negative consequences for this body part it's reasonable if you don't loose much health -which is already the case.
That's for the legs. If you roll this out for all body parts you can lower health damage on most melee weapons (again - stuff that hurts but don't kill) and bring consequences for each body part by a high bone damage. The game already collects bone damage stats according to these videos

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XaS-FC8usA&t=0s , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhxMwgGNGpE

Some examples

Head

It should build up tunnel vision (screen) like when you have high shock damage. And when you have 100 - uncon and concussion (which lasts a little longer).
Imagine getting head shot with a helmet on. All you get in 1.21 is getting uncon and a quarter health loss- which is so far reasonable. But you wake up and run away like nothing happened. With the use of the bone stat you could trigger the concussion.

Hands

You can do the math but that's the trickiest one to balance since, well, hands are crucial. But at the end - arm break.

Body

Basically parallel consequences like what you get from health, when its full you should get uncon or fall in pain and be locked for some seconds.

So if you take the fists for example where with 1.21 it has 10 health and 15 shock damage. With all these bone changes you could change them to 2 health, 12 shock and 10 bone damage - a fight between players would be pretty much the same - one would fall uncon from either shock or bone but the health would still be 3/4 full with health. They would be beat like with yellow or red health but regen in a few minutes.

There are a lot of good examples what it could balance

- shots at plate carrier vest (you get little health damage, but that's still gotta hurt!)
- rubber shells
- taser and cattle prod (all bone damage from extremities should get to the body bone stat)

*after the legbreak, you regen slower 0,06/s

[lakevu 108]

i see your bottom attachment and i approve

More arma 2 and less cod

 

but behind this statement is a philosophy. arma 2 stands for something much different, philosophically, than dayz currently.

 

these things you mention will not happen. why? because they are incongruent with the current direction and "philosophy" behind what the game is being made to be. not to be "real" but to be "fun" at the cost of seriousness. to be "arcade".

dayz's philosophy has changed and if you want to change the game you must focus on the philosophy and not its derivates that come from one. like more realistic melee damage when the game is fundamentally not trying to be "realistic".

[Pyongo Bongo 250]

The head-hit KOs is what I miss.

You could "KO and not kill" players with most items by hitting them in the face.

Nowadays head hits do extra health damage but no extra shock damage.

This would be amazing to have back :)