Poll: should DayZ have classes?

[vanden1989 15]

DayZ is not just a FPS,it's a survival game. There are no classes in a apocalyptic world.

[OW22 21]

DayZ is not just a FPS,it's a survival game. There are no classes in a apocalyptic world.

That's not the freaking point............ The point is this is not an FPS. You cannot jump in a tank, then jump in a heli, then jump in a jet like in BF3. Not everyone can do everything. Read my post if you haven't already. It doesn't make some people able to carry more than the other, or give special bonus. Specialty skills people, skills. Keep in mind that if you're an engineer, you'll be focused on getting a vehicle. If you're a hunter, you'll be focused on finding a long gun and surviving, not finding a car. So really nothing's lost. Especially because in my idea you can learn "practical class" skills through reading material.

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

I don't want to be led down a path like every other MMO out there. If I want to be a doctor, I'll go and join the group that has set themselves up as a medical team (search the forums, they're out there somewhere). If I want to be a mechanic, I'll get myself a toolbox, all of the parts I need and off I go. If I want to be a sniper.... and so on.... I don't want the game to hold my hand along the way or force me to make decisions based on my play style. It's exactly this freedom that makes DayZ unique and changing this will send it down a path so many lesser games have already trodden.

[OW22 21]

I don't want to be led down a path like every other MMO out there. If I want to be a doctor, I'll go and join the group that has set themselves up as a medical team (search the forums, they're out there somewhere). If I want to be a mechanic, I'll get myself a toolbox, all of the parts I need and off I go. If I want to be a sniper.... and so on.... I don't want the game to hold my hand along the way or force me to make decisions based on my play style. It's exactly this freedom that makes DayZ unique and changing this will send it down a path so many lesser games have already trodden.

Right, which is why you need to find a borderline between that and having everyone able to set themselves up so easily. Again, not everyone should be able to pilot a helicopter, repair a vehicle, or use medical supplies perfectly correctly, but you shouldn't not be able to have the freedom to change that, which is why you should be able to learn the other skills.

[CarloNord 29]

I'd only agree to a class system if they were VERY minor differences, such as one character can run faster and has more stamina so their aiming doesn't get as bad as fast. Or makes less noise, can hold their breath longer, can take more punishment before breaking a bone, has more blood even, but more blood is kinda over-powered if given too much, maybe 1K at most. But you get the idea, minor things that don't totally define your character, but are more like paths that are hardly there so it's easy to stray off of.

[Azrail (DayZ) 211]

no, no.

no.

if i read threads like this something inside me dies.

we already have a class system in dayz RIGHT NOW.

get med supply and play medic.

get a car and be a driver for your group.

get an idea of what you want to do in dayz and go do it.

you don't need a class system telling you what you need/can use/have to use to do it.

you/your team leader is the class system.

Edited July 14, 2012 by Azrail

[Lady Kyrah 1110]

Goes against rocket's statement about his goals for the game, so no.

[wulfenrider@msn.com 14]

I voted Yes.

I tried an experiment a few weeks ago " A week playing as a medic " thread to see how easy or hard it was for an individual player to role him/herself in a capacity other than what you started as.......which appears to be an indivdual who is competent in every weapon system developed, able to repair and operate all known vehicles and an accomplisshed survivalist and medical technician and combat engineer.

It did not go well.

I suggest that a player could commit to a choice on character creation and be unable to alter that choice. My area of interest in the game was as the volunteer medical support line,a choice that would actually hamper your ability to equip certain weapons.

1) You lose your main weapon slot, you can equip melee and tools but no rifles.

2) You can equip a distinctive backpack or uniform to show you are a medical character ( Red backpack or redcross armband )

3) The backpack is only equippable by a medical character and has a slightly larger inventory for medical items only, and a small section that is unlootable....to possibly place high value medical items like antibiotics or blood transfusions for other players.

This is class.

This hampers your combat ability, while allowing a highly visiable ( no cammo ) equipment to be used.

Edited July 14, 2012 by BaldBaBoon

[OW22 21]

I voted Yes.

I tried an experiment a few weeks ago " A week playing as a medic " thread to see how easy or hard it was for an individual player to role him/herself in a capacity other than what you started as.......which appears to be an indivdual who is competent in every weapon system developed, able to repair and operate all known vehicles and an accomplisshed survivalist and medical technician and combat engineer.

It did not go well.

I suggest that a player could commit to a choice on character creation and be unable to alter that choice. My area of interest in the game was as the volunteer medical support line,a choice that would actually hamper your ability to equip certain weapons.

1) You lose your main weapon slot, you can equip melee and tools but no rifles.

2) You can equip a distinctive backpack or uniform to show you are a medical character ( Red backpack or redcross armband )

3) The backpack is only equippable by a medical character and has a slightly larger inventory for medical items only, and a small section that is unlootable....to possibly place high value medical items like antibiotics or blood transfusions for other players.

This is class.

This hampers your combat ability, while allowing a highly visiable ( no cammo ) equipment to be used.

When you say it hampers your combat ability, that's where you went wrong. The thing is, you still should be able to wield long guns and camo. Your skill as a medic is not the same as your skill as a "soldier". Just because you can handle meds doesn't mean you CAN'T handle a big gun.

You see, giving players a slight advantage or a special skill they can preform without giving them weaknesses. That makes everyone potent. Not everyone can do the same thing, but where they can, everyone is potent.

Relevant to my original reply on this thread: Say you were an engineer. He can repair vehicles. Say as opposed to a hunter, who can use specifically long weapons a little better than you. An engineer is not worse at weapons than he was before, though the hunter is a little better and only in one area BECAUSE that's his advantage, and he cannot repair vehicles as the engineer does. Same with say a doctor. He can use bloodpacks better, opposed to a policeman who is better with one-handed guns. Sure, a policeman is good in a fight, but with one-handed guns, and then he can't heal himself as well as the doctor. While the doctor, is just a little worse at combat, but can fully heal himself. The policeman has more of a combat skill, while the doctor has a more practical skill to help out of or in post-combat.

If I'm in a zombie apocalypse situation, if I find a rifle, I'm picking it up as long as it has some ammo. Who cares if I don't know how to use it? I'll have to learn. Either way, the risk of using it is less than that of not using it and dying. I'm not going to try it first time on an intense life or death situation, but....

The point is your class should not deny you of apparel, give you any special bonuses that everyone has but you have a little better just because (unless it's for combat, and not storage space, like clip size). In my opinon the certain classes shouldn't have their own equipment or meshes and here's why: it's like the bandit skins with the combat classes. They get scared and shoot. People looking for meds will shoot doctors. A bit off topic, when Day Zed goes standalone it'd be cool if there was a character customization for clothes and face. You see it a lot throughout the game, and it could have an effect on this area of the game.

Edited July 14, 2012 by OW22

[Lady Kyrah 1110]

Doesn't really matter, Rocket already stated he won't do that kind of stuff.

[3rdparty 229]

I am more keen on a class system, but i think it has to be considered and experimented with VERY carefully. Dont want to completely cut off the possibility of special actions for lone wolves (as they are an important part of the game), but at the same time not everyone should be fluent in repairing vehciles/transfusing-blood/cooking/killing.

I think having classes would solve some of the PvP issues peeps have (i.e create more reason to coopearte amongst strangers). And wouldnt completely annihilate the lone wolf population but i admit would reduce it down.

However to all the lone wolves out there who have a problem with this, they simply have no conception of how difficult it is to live (not including acquring the skills) a solitary life in the wilderness, go watch Into the Wild for a example of a nieve lone 'flower' fucking it all up on a broken bus in the middle of nowhere (quite a nice anology really). To have extra skills in medical treatement, and vehicle rapairs let alone any other extra features and mechanics this game might introduce, is fucking stupid.

Too many ghillie gimps out there thinking theyve tamed this ALPHA, without realising the benefits/drawbacks of all styles of gameplay are no where near completion.

[kirai 18]

The charm with this game is that everyone start out fresh and this add realism. I mean, I play me in the game, Im not a nurse nor a mechanic so in that case I would play something I'm not and we take away the realism. Oh btw If people play the game they learn to sneak, they learn to shoot better, they learn strategy better etc + if someone want to be a medic, let em carry medical supplies in a group and one can take care of car parts etc. If a player is alone, what should he choose then? He have no choice then to be a....gunner?

We have loads of games like this, let this one be a bit different please.

Edited July 14, 2012 by Secutor

[L0G!N (DayZ) 149]

You asked me if i like this idea or not, well i do not like it ... (and no my suggestion doesn't let doktors heal more) ... As i explained to somebody else yesterday, also with a class system idea. A lot of the things you envision for a 'class' to do might makes sense in an RPG, or even a classbased FPS, but for a more 'authentic'/'believable' game like DayZ they do not.

A gun is a gun is a gun, everybody can pick one up and pull a trigger. Why would one class be 'better' at aiming, breathing, or even do more damage with a gun. That just doesn't make sense... If say 'breathing & aim' are linked to eachother and you could improve on this, then every character should just improve on it the longer they use a rifle, everybody starts out being newb at it and the more you use it the more you improve... But that is not a class system, that is some 'hidden' intrinsic learning system.

The same could apply to useing bloodpacks, everybody starts out with giving say 800blood from a bag, survive longer and use more bloodpacks during your lifetime, and you get a lil bit more blood out of it everytime, untill the max of say 2000 blood.

Same with 'hunting', everybody starts out with getting 1 or 2 slices of meat from an animal (bit depending on size), but as you slaughter more of these specific animals you get an extra slice from them. Say a chicken or rabbit, you start out with 1. slaughter 50 and you get a 50% chance to get 2 slices, slaughter 100 and you get 2 slices 90% of the time.

But those things are not a class system, it's more like a learning by doing and improving yourself system, everbody has certain 'skills' at something and all of this stuff is hidden from the user. You don't get to choose where to put a +1, the system automatically gives you a +1 after a certain time or act, and reach a certain threshhold and get better results. This can't be used for everything though, as it doesn't make sense for all the things in the game. F/e flying a helicopter is a learning experience in itself, once you get in one it's not like you just take off, you have to train YOURSELF to use the controlls and the more YOU as a player use the chopper, the better you get at it. There is no +1 needed, not even in some hidden script. The same applies with shooting guns and aiming, as a player you will need to fight the controlls, and as you 'learn how to aim' you get better, use less bullits for a kill, etc. or driving a car, or any vehicle. Perhaps if 'shifting' could be coded in, and if you don't use the clutch to shift you bork up the transmission, now that would be cool, but it has nothing to do with +1 to driving skills, it has to do with learning how to drive...

Where i could see a hidden +1 system is for engineers and builders, similar to the hunting i mentioned a bit higher in this post, but in the opposite direction. You start out needing 6 'spare parts' and as you improve by fixing cars, you first have a chance of using less (and the % increase per car fixed), up untill just needing 3 spare parts f/e. Or having a chance to 'break' things while you fix them, that be something.. but not introduce some arbitrairy class that has some benefit just because you clicked 'i wanna be'... integrated it into the game so it becomes a learning by doing system, which improves your skills...

[3rdparty 229]

BLeh i think too many peeps expect its closer to "reality" to be spawned from a mass orgy speaheaded and spitroasted by Ray Mears, Bear Grylls, Gregory House and Nikola Tesla.

Rather than being average joe bloggs with his one sole trade to offer. (If there were classes, peeps should be able to learn other skills whilst being in the proximity of someone using those skills)

Sorry lone wolves, you can have a survival class, but i wouldnt give you an encylopedic brain too.

[OW22 21]

-snip-

So it's like Oblivion? You do the skill and you learn it? I like that idea, but what about the starting point? If you die, you come back with a lot less of an advantage than one who has been doing this for a long time. Taking inspiration from another Bethesda game, what about Fallout? Start out with 1 "tag skill" that makes you a bit better off in the area from the start?

But either way, I like the progression. Use the bloodbag enough and it heals more. Break so many parts and you start actually using them. Shoot enough and the bullet hits where you were aiming.

Though when you say that increasing your engineer skill lets you need less spare parts, I disagree. That seems a bit like once you've done the initial work you can relax, and those that far ahead have a HUGE advantage over those who do not.

Although for the record, I never wanted those guys to do more damage. You can already kill in 1-3 shots with anything, as long as they're well placed. All that can get increased is accuracy, the shaking of the gun when aiming, and reload time, maybe something else I've missed.

All in all, nice idea.

Edited July 14, 2012 by OW22

[Skevich 1]

Fact, bad idea, end of fact.

Opinion not fact though I agree it's a bad idea

[andy_uk15@hotmail.com 70]

I prefer the idea of skill points... But classes? god no.

Every player could start out with points to spend on certain skills. Everything from firing a gun, repairing a vehicle or gutting an animal could have skill points. These points effect the aim and recoil of a weapon; How many parts and time required to repair a vehicle; how many meat steaks you can gather off a corpse. The more you do of any one activity - the more points you gain. This would add value to the perma-death feature as a week old character will have attained a few rather valuable skills in his life.

That is a feature I can get behind... But I HAAAAATE the idea of classes so i say f***k that, and the backward ways of thinking, we are not console players looking for a dumbed down, simplified gaming experience. :P

Edited July 14, 2012 by ScramUK

[CrimsonBlade 2]

Classes.... no..... Skill Trees YES

For those of you saying *NO SKILL TREES OR CLASSES* Welp... I guess your able to fly a helicopter,repair a helicopter,give blood transfusions to others,use a 50.cal without hurting yourself, and your able to be Bear Grylls..... Yea..... sure.

[Ultenth 12]

Classes.... no..... Skill Trees YES

For those of you saying *NO SKILL TREES OR CLASSES* Welp... I guess your able to fly a helicopter,repair a helicopter,give blood transfusions to others,use a 50.cal without hurting yourself, and your able to be Bear Grylls..... Yea..... sure.

I agree as well, a class system is a HORRID idea, but a skill system to reflect the challenge of being able to do all you stated and the many other tasks is a different matter. Hell many people IRL don't even know how to start a fire or harvest meat from an animal. Having different base skills to start based on optional presets, or making your own unique one, would be very interesting and would add to team work. But just like a real person can learn more skills the longer they stay alive, as a player you should be able to continue to learn and expand and eventually learn most everything if you manage to stay alive long enough.

[OW22 21]

It's nice to see everyone working this all out. So maybe on of you should start a new thread if there isn't already? Most people here have said they don't want a class system, and more have said they wanted a skill system. So where's the poll for adding the skill system?

[L0G!N (DayZ) 149]

I guess i could make a thread, seems i put this thread into that direction with some clear examples of how learning could work ...

[Ultenth 12]

I guess i could make a thread, seems i put this thread into that direction with some clear examples of how learning could work ...

Except most people (including myself) probably only read the first page then responded, LOL.

[sparta436 46]

I'd like to see the people who do support a class system outline exactly how it would work. Try to convince those who disagree

[L0G!N (DayZ) 149]

@sparta, i have seen that happen and it's not a pretty sight ... there are only a few area's where 'learning' makes sense, and if you base yourself on classes and the general perks that come with them, you will be pointed at how it makes entirely no sense in relation to DayZ.

But anyways, read the 'learning by doing - the alternative to professions & classes' thread: http://dayzmod.com/forum/index.php?/topic/32582-learning-by-doing-the-alternative-to-classes-professions/ , perhaps some starting values may spur some sort of class system for a few 'professions', not that you'll be able to do better than anyone else, just that you would start out with a bit of a headstart in some area. Though i'dd still vote against that :)

Edited July 14, 2012 by L0GIN

[GrandMasterAssassin 5]

I would say no I read this whole thread and see that many people said no because it limits the extents the player can or cannot do...

I also see the point in which some have to as which having classes would satisfy most to know that the can be better at one thing.

But as the many people say it still limits the things you can do lets say you are a doctor class and you can(for example)Only wield pistol if you tried to use a M4 let's say say it reduces your current stats because you aren't capable of using Assault Rifles!!!

I doesn't have to be like that I was just giving an example.