DAYZ interactions.

[OFO_Isa 11]

Richard Bartle wrote a article 22 years ago on social interactions between 4 "types" of MUD (MMO) players. Social, Achiever, Killer, Explorer. This is the post:

http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm

Whenever I read about complaints about PVP I remember that Mr Bartle nailed it in 1992 (updated in 1996). For example:

"SOCIALISERS V. KILLERS

This is perhaps the most fractious relationship between player group types. The hatred that some socialisers bear for killers admits no bounds. Partly, this is the killers' own fault: they go out of their way to rid MUDs of namby-pamby socialisers who wouldn't know a weapon if one came up and hit them (an activity that killers are only too happy to demonstrate), and they will generally hassle socialisers at every opportunity simply because it's so easy to get them annoyed. However, the main reason that socialisers tend to despise killers is that they have completely antisocial motives, whereas socialisers have (or like to think they have) a much more friendly and helpful attitude to life. The fact that many socialisers take attacks on their personae personally only compounds their distaste for killers.

It could be argued that killers do have a positive role to play from the point of view of socialisers. There are generally two defences made for their existence: 1) without killers, socialisers would have little to talk about; 2) without evil as a contrast, there is no good. The former is patently untrue, as socialisers will happily talk about anything and everything; it may be that it helps provide a catalyst for long conversations, but only if it isn't an everyday occurrence. The second argument is more difficult to defend against (being roughly equivalent to the reason why God allows the devil to exist), however it presupposes that those who attack other players are the only example of nasty people in a MUD. In fact, there is plenty of opportunity for players of all persuasions to behave obnoxiously to one another; killers merely do it more openly, and (if allowed) in the context of the game world.

Increasing the number of killers will decrease the number of socialisers by a much greater degree. Decreasing the number of killers will likewise greatly encourage (or, rather, fail to discourage) socialisers to play the MUD."

TLDR: Increasing the number of killers, directly decreases the number of non-killers. It is a viscous circle in which people kill to stay alive, or stop playing resulting in the % of killers increasing.

If you get the time, the article is worth reading. It explains why there will never be an MMO that happily balances the needs of PVPers (people who define themselves first as PVPers) and other MMO "types". It also explains why most MMOs went casual, even when starting out with a "killer" mentality.

Result: the DAYZ killer spiral has already gone exponential. Only lone wolf explorers in the wilds provide an alternative route.