Will familiarity kill this mod?

[Disgraced 1123]

I've been thinking ever since I saw a post by a player who said they had played lots of Arma and that they knew the map "like the back of their hand"...

People are "dialing in" their game experience with this mod. I see threads all the time hive minding things like "spawn points" and so forth. Where do the good guns spawn? Cars? Mil spec gear?

Are people going to move to just rotating around the map, chekcing memorized spawn points and filling up a shopping list?

For me, part of the fun of the game is NOT knowing such things. Call me casual or whatever, but I'm playing to have fun, not max out my gear and prove that I'm the best or whatever. I don't WANT to know where I can reliably find any particular vehicle or kknd of weapon. It's not a science project for me, but some people clearly enjoy increasing their certainty of finding what they want instead of lucking into it one day.

Don't you think that puts a sheen of blandness over the whole thing? I guess it's the roleplayer I used to be, manifesting. I think it's fun exploring the map, not finding the good spawn points.

I think that that stuff ruins the game.

[drakenof 9]

I don't even play the mod anymore. When i die i just mechanically check the loot spawns and do the same thing, all over again.

Why sould i do something different ? There's no point in it, the good loot is always at the same place. And that's the problem.

But it's an alpha, and they're adding some good ideas, like the random crashed helicopters, sadly they're broken as tits.

[zanarias 3]

Honestly, this is a really natural progression for players and games both. You'll always have your "power user" group, which is generally more focused on acquiring high-end equipment and doing it efficiently (to use later, of course), and your more casual group which gets fun just out of the experience of playing, regardless of what they have.

What it comes down to is just different playstyles, but this isn't really surprising or anything. It's unlikely that it will ruin the game.

[dromagewok@hotmail.com 164]

I don't even play the mod anymore. When i die i just mechanically check the loot spawns and do the same thing' date=' all over again.

Why sould i do something different ? There's no point in it, the good loot is always at the same place. And that's the problem.

But it's an alpha, and they're adding some good ideas, like the random crashed helicopters, sadly they're broken as tits.

[/quote']

Yeah I think the biggest thing people don't understand is that this mod release was only meant to test stability. He hadn't even put much thought into "replayability" or "content".

Maybe if it is too repetitive for some people it would be best to take a break for a month and come back and see what has changed. Give it a fresh look.

[thomas.bowyer@hotmail.co.uk 25]

I agree with this, Im sure rocket has some tricks up his sleeve to keep people guessing though.

sadly its not THAT hard, and never can be.

barns etc will always have cz/winchester/xbows... that kinda stuff.

whereas military bases will have the higher end gear. thats simply how it is. its not like he can randomize it so you find a military .50 call sniper rifle in a barn off the coast of cherno..

I do see your point though

[Disgraced 1123]

I agree with this' date=' Im sure rocket has some tricks up his sleeve to keep people guessing though.

sadly its not THAT hard, and never can be.

barns etc will always have cz/winchester/xbows... that kinda stuff.

whereas military bases will have the higher end gear. thats simply how it is. its not like he can randomize it so you find a military .50 call sniper rifle in a barn off the coast of cherno..

I do see your point though

[/quote']

I'm guessing you're right! (as, I think, are other replies thus far...

So I wonder what everyone thinks? How would you handle it, from a design perspective?

[thomas.bowyer@hotmail.co.uk 25]

Well, Im no designer, but..

tier it. make it so its simply next to impossible to GET such gear. make it so its almost like tiered progression.

you HAVE to hit outlying farms to get winchester etc in order to hit towns to get other bits, in order to hit military bases.

make it so you cant just go from A > F you must progress from A>B>C>D>E>F through ramping difficulty, this can be achieved by adding new Zed types? maybe ones that require X more damage, or faster. or tankier, you get the idea. make it so you cannot just sneak in and get the phat loots.

[xammot 1]

I find it part of the fun.

Spending hours of travelling and exploring to find yourself some brilliant firearms, tools and other various equipment. It allows you to show it of to your non-asshole friends, that you know won't betray you, and gives you the needed upper-hand on your opponent(s). Also, the better your gear is, the longer you're going to survive(in most cases) and the better your items are, the less likely you are to go charging into a heavily populated city's and areas, not just because you already have the items, but because your items are so good compared to other players item(s), that you're afraid to be killed and have to earn them all back. It makes you a much more careful and watchful player to have brilliant items, because it invokes the true survivor inside of you.

[dromagewok@hotmail.com 164]

I have only explored probably 25% of the map since I started 2 weeks ago, I tend to stick to areas where I survive longer.

The more I learn an area the better prepared I am when SHTF.

When I get my friends on we will probably journey to new places, it keeps the game fresh and it will be quite some time until there's nothing new for me to look at.

[AnthraXx 95]

there is a reason all the good stuff is north if it was all south everyone will just stay south and have a dm fest... EnD

[cutzero 5]

Another problem I see is the map itself. If the mod is played for a while more and more people will know the map by heart, and it could get boring by then. I have the feeling that this mod somehow needs more maps, what you can't make because then it wouldn't fit with the "story". But seriously, what else can you do to get the mod played for quite a long time?

[drakenof 9]

there is a reason all the good stuff is north if it was all south everyone will just stay south and have a dm fest... EnD

Instead people are moving north and have a DM fest.

Big fucking change right there.

I find it part of the fun.

Spending hours of travelling and exploring to find yourself some brilliant firearms, tools and other various equipment

Let me guess, you're new to DayZ ?

No because you will soon understand that there's no need for " exploration " since the good loot is ALWAYS at the same place.

You will simply lost your time in forests thinking you are " playing the mod the right way ".

[Jamesbiff 4]

i think the loot spawns need to be completely randomised for a start. Im in that same rut now where im not exploring the map because there really isnt any point, i know where the good weapons are and i know the best places to find food and water. Having 100% random loot spawns would most likely inspire people to actually go exploring.

[orbital 10]

I take it for what it is, a MOD for ARMA.

Like all the other MOD's it will become repetitive in one form or another. Played a lot of them and always find my self doing the same things over and over again. Yes, dayZ will easily become repetitive but what game isn't? really!

My drive mainly comes group play, doing something organized with your team and just being in a voice chat sharing a common interest.

My advice is to hook up with your friends or visit the Survivor HQ and find some. Whenever your fed up with playing, take a break and get some fresh air. Sooner or later you'll want another go at it.

[drakenof 9]

He just need to randomise the shit out of loots and add more things like the crashed helicopters.

Also more weapons, why not using the RobertHammer pistol pack for exemple. Instead of sticking to the fugly ArmA 2 standard weapons.

[oilman 72]

You will soon understand that there's no need for " exploration " since the good loot is ALWAYS at the same place.

'Exploration' is not done necessarily for good loot.

Have you managed to fix up a helicopter? A motorbike? A boat?

Have you cleared out a town with your friends?

[Shimmler 4]

Look at WoW and other MMORPG's.

That will answer your question.

[masacrualex 6]

No lol. I've played arma and still not familiar with cherenors. I've played the mod over 15 hours I know the main areas and I recognize many cities/ towns. There's no such thing as familiary win.

Let's say a guy who knows the map already comes in, so what? There'll be 70% who learned the map in the past week by playing the mod.

[AnthraXx 95]

you cant compare this to other mmo's cause on most games you dont lose all your items lol that you spent hours to get

[drakenof 9]

'Exploration' is not done necessarily for good loot.

Have you managed to fix up a helicopter? A motorbike? A boat?

Have you cleared out a town with your friends?

Multiple times.

Talking about helicopter, when you have one, you can basically snowball every other vehicle on the map and fuck other players.

Since the helicopter has a radar, you can detect vehicles from far away without breaking a sweat.

Meaning if you got some friends with you, you can stack all the vehicles of the server. Fucking gay. So much exploration.

Have you cleared out a town with your friends?

What's the point exactly ? If you know where is the good stuff, you are probably already well equiped, you and your friends. No need for going into a town, taking risk, and attract a shitton of bandits.

See where i'm going ?

[Disgraced 1123]

Look at WoW and other MMORPG's.

That will answer your question.

My impression is that this is the start of a freh take and an attempt to move away from such conventions....

People have interesting thoughts on what they'd do. I'm not much of a designer, myself.

I like the prospect of making a game enigmatic enough that the community "makes" the game environment, but there's room for splinter groups and factions without having guild structure built in.

[orbital 10]

No because you will soon understand that there's no need for " exploration " since the good loot is ALWAYS at the same place.

You will simply lost your time in forests thinking you are " playing the mod the right way ".

Our team has gone from survival to 'making a living' and creating a little community. Once you get familiar with tents and vehicles you CAN take it to another level. It is (the popular term) farming when we go to a town with a hospital to get medical supplies or to a military camp to rearm but the whole point is that your being saved every time you log out. That's where dayZ wins!

Now it's your own job to be creative.

[oilman 72]

What's the point exactly ? If you know where is the good stuff' date=' you are probably already well equiped, you and your friends. No need for going into a town, taking risk, and attract a shitton of bandits.[/quote']

...yeah, I can.

In both claims you effectively maintain that the fun of the game is from obtaining loot. I mean, fuck, you say 'taking risk' like it's a bad thing. I am absolutely certain that you could get the best loot, run to the corner, and do nothing for hours. But why bother playing the game at all if you're not taking risks, meeting up with others, enjoying yourself, etc.?

[Mutonizer 78]

I don't this familiarity will kill it, rather transform the experience.

Of course, we could do with tons more houses that we can enter and more randomized loot as well as a greater variation in zombie spawn, even in the same places, but that will most likely come with time. Remember that it's early alpha and content takes a long time to put in.

Afterall, a zombie apocalypse is just as creepy if you know your neighborhood and where to find stuff and there will always be the unknown factor: the human element.

[dromagewok@hotmail.com 164]

It's hard for people to play a game where your hand isn't held.

Where there isn't a clear objective.

Where you make your own story.

In a world where every game tells you what to do, how to play it, what the objectives, what the story is, a lot of people just cannot get their head around this game.

I love it.