Suggestions for the DayZ standalone - thinking outside of the limitations of an Arma 2 mod.

[Dubkipz (DayZ) 8]

Radio/Helicopter Crash Site idea.

If you have a radio on you and turned to the emergency channel you may on a rare occasion hear a pilot call; "mayday", "heli going down" "infected on helicopter need assistance" panicking, yelling, screaming etc etc. Then after pilot says some shit he will call out a latitude/longitude position, landmarks or what city/town they are going down in, then after a few seconds there is an explosion and the radio cuts out. If you are where they crash at the time you should see a helicopter spinning out and crash into the ground. After this the zombies will come out or something and start roaming the area. The guns shouldn't be on the ground but on the dead military and inside the helicopter instead

Edited August 22, 2012 by Dubkipz

[ducky250 0]

why can't i see the pictures when i click "show"?

[Fector 29]

I'd like to see a more sophisticated health/blood/metabolism mechanic.

If blood is there to stay as some kind of hp-like representation of overall health (as opposed to e.g a more localized damage system), it would be more authentic, if blood could not be regenerated by eating (going from the brink of death to good-as-new by eating 2 cows...) or at least not as convenient as it is in the current state.

Having to take care of hunger and thirst - good.

Being able to 'selfheal' by eating whole animals - not good.

Let blood bags or other medical methods be the only way to regain health/cure wounds, while nutrition mainly helps with regaining stamina (if such a mechanic does get implemented) and just generally is another thing you have to take care of.

If food and drinks are able to replenish something, be it health or stamina (hell, even if not) - let there be a cap/trade off - set a cap on each resource - we can only hold so much food and drink in a certain timeframe after all -and, since it needs to get out again, we need an Excretion mechanic.

Make the characters have the urge to do their No1s and 2s, depending on when and how much food and drinks they consumed. It would take the game's authenticity to a whole new level (though, like the 'suicide button', it might be something the media coverage might focus on in a negative way - 'From teabagging to golden showers').

There's just so much potential in such a gameplay mechanic. Imagine being in a firefight and having to take a leak, infections might give you diarrhea, griefers will rejoice, etc.

Ofc it's kind of a tabooish thing in entertainment/media, but this is supposed to be an anti-game, right? What comes in, goes out, simple as that.

Edited August 22, 2012 by Fector

[ruarz 739]

What now? Rocket himself pointed everyone to this thread to post suggestions.

Omg where? :D WOOT this thread just hit 100 beans :)

[DieBrotmafia 79]

Find a solution to combat that grass disappears in the distance, making you vulnerable even though to you it looks allright. I think Arma 2 could theoretically put you a bit under the earth looking at it from someone elses perspective.

[Dancing.Russian.Man 1631]

Omg where? :D WOOT this thread just hit 100 beans :)

http://dayzmod.com/forum/index.php?/topic/78603-new-features-for-standalone/#entry743515

[Cobra-Kai 2]

How about...? Random supply drop from "Unicef / Blackwater" for survivors every two-three hours (or more seldom/often based on the amount of players on the server) with random stuff. Make the plane loud and the drop so visible that you can't miss it so it will lure folks to it. Free stuff. Action. Suspense. Profit!

[CJBlackbird 10]

Love the zombie idea, infact the whole thread is just brilliance.

[eegore 23]

A power grid that can be secured and restored for periods of time.

- Secured means a system that isnt easy to kill so campers cant just keep the grid down non-stop. Something like a battery charge system and once a battery is hooked into the grid it has 10-15min of use that is undisturbed. Could also use gas cans in generators under the same principle.

ACRE or something similar where environment and distance / frequency affects radio use. Require batteries or power sources like a small solar charger unit.

The ability to become infected or diseased by "Stage Two Contact" STC disease is from being around the dead too long etc. but is curable unlike the Stage One Contact that the zombies have.

CROWS! Rocket had a good idea that people shot down. Crows follow people that give them fresh food and or kills. Crows do not pick at zombies.

Environmental factors that require teamwork such as military structures or research labs that can only be entered when security lockdowns are circumvented. Those methods would require 3 or more people to work in unison.

NO GENERIC MMO TEMPLATES for grouping. Putting a bazilion zombies at a barracks is just a numbers game and is a weak method for promoting teamwork.

[gr1n 0]

To increase random event generation dead survivors could rise as zombies. With (almost) all equipment and controlled by server they should be a really nice and different experience for everyone: for bandits who were late to loot the body, for newbies who accidently encountered it and for new reincarnation of killed player that looking for his stuff on almost empty server.

[FuzzyLogic (DayZ) 1]

Generators, Electricity, Lighting and Fences

Maybe a large organised group could get the grid going.

But also emergency lighting deployed before the outbreak took over can be run off generators.

Electric military or farm fences anyone? you can hear that click if you go near them, but could be a problem if your being chased. You get knocked out for a short time but no blood loss.

[Rabble 58]

We need to remove infinite sprint. Zeds must be able to catch you then you weak. Not like now - speed tank solve all problems with zeds

[Leo (DayZ) 1]

I'd like to see most weapons in DayZ receiving a serious nerf. If people don't have to fear losing their life in the blink of an eye they might decide to do something else rather than shooting everyone instantly on sight.

[boatie 34]

Suggestion:

1. Don't add too many new features. Complexity does not a better game make. Unless the addition adds a new dimension to the game, don't add it. More clutter will take away from the game. Each new feature should improve a significant core aspect of the game.

2. Broken current features should be fixed. Duping exists only because of broken save feature via tents and cars. It's not because people were trying to dupe.

3. Dont add elements that add lag to the game. Communication between hive and local server should be optimized not be the source of greater lag because there are more things going on.

4. 1 million players, 200k playing each day - across 1 map on 2-3k servers is saturation. Need to introduce more maps. There should be 4-6 maps, same size as the current one. A 2-3 map dlc is a must. This will spread out the player base so that you can actually set down roots. Right now, with oversaturation, it is very hard to create a decent size camp and expect it to be around for more than a few weeks, less you own the server and do douchy things to keep it hidden.

5. Need to introduce new, iconic maps. There are alot of US and EUR players, you guys need to invest some money and introduce an iconic map, such as Seattle or Paris, etc. Something that would create some wow factor in people because it represent a place they know about.

6. Modding should somehow be encouraged like skyrim. It would be great to have modders add in new clothing, weapons, etc. Right now the only new innovation being added into the game are those introduced by hackers, such as the dancing. Having only the developer being able to add innovation will kill interest in the mod because things get boring with out new content.

7. Bring on the beards!

[FuzzyLogic (DayZ) 1]

I'd like to see most weapons in DayZ receiving a serious nerf. If people don't have to fear losing their life in the blink of an eye they might decide to do something else rather than shooting everyone instantly on sight.

When the mod came out the Enfield and CZ were the most precious items. Military Gear should actually be rare or hard to obtain.

Ok for the mod to retain its replayability I can definitely see why gear has become important for the time being.

However playing when the CZ, Enfield and Winchester were the main weapons the game had more of a survival feel, I think the standalone should get back to that. Have military gear, but make it much harder to obtain. I think if they add weapon degradation that will spice it up a bit too.

Also think relevant military gear should be the only ones available, something like AK's over M16's. I suggest Rocket decide which weapons were most likely to be found in Chenarus rather than ARMA 2's extensive load out.

Edited August 22, 2012 by FuzzyLogic

[Strategos (DayZ) 190]

http://dayzmod.com/f...ne-suggestions/

There's so much duplication in here it's hard to credit original authors on the ones I didn't come up with myself but I try.

Firstly communication. Dayz is all about interaction between players. It's important that communication is quick, clear and easy as death occurs so fast.

1: Whisper, Talk, Shout. Different ranges and audibility to both players and zombies. Also a whistle or some-such.

2: Improved hand signals for silent communication.

3: Walky talkies and radios for long range communication. http://dayzmod.com/f...walkie-talkies/

3.5: (controversial) Find a way of either stopping 3rd party voice or making it transmit an audible (non specific "talking") noise in game. To encourage use of direct chat over 3rd party chat. And at least give those people that still use it the penalty of giving away their position in game. I discuss this at the end of the OP here: http://dayzmod.com/f...f-text-warning/

4: Player Journals: http://dayzmod.com/f...ge__hl__journal . A great idea that will add a valuable humanising element.

5: Notes. Placeable notes. Being able to interact with players in this way is important I think. Limits will be needed of course.

6: Better hunting. Animals that are harder to hunt, they spook and run etc. Also I'd like to see Z's kill nearby animals, providing that feeling of a ravaged eco system and creating another unpredictable element to their behaviour. Combined with the zombie modifications below would create unpredictable zombie encounters. ie Wandering through the woods, a deer runs past followed by some zeds, then they spot you...

Gear and loot etc:

7: A more involved crafting system. Makeshift weapons etc. Possibly more interesting cooking.

8:Far less high end military gear. I believe the CZ550 should be the top of the food chain for all but a very very lucky few. There should be less ammo and weapons in general , giving more of a scrabbling for survival feel. And tied in with the crafting system so you can always make SOMETHING to defend yourself with. Some discussion on this subject here: http://dayzmod.com/f...tality-of-dayz/ I also wonder if Thermal and NVG should go. The nightime / light mechanic is very rewarding.

9: Less predictable loot locations. Maybe a searching system so that you have to search more carefully to find goodies.

10: repairable generators etc. i don't agree with everything in this thread but there is some good discussion:http://dayzmod.com/f...enerators-v-33/ . I also know generators are in the game with an eye to being used so expect some of this stuff anyway.

11: Padlocks: Allows players to lock any door , blocking zombies. but players can break padlock with any weapon. Alolows players to hold up in a building against zombies for a while but not block players permanently.

12: Camo netting. To help hide vehicles. It's been suggested many times.

13: non lethal weapons. For instance tranq darts. To balance , bolt action, slow firing. !st hit slows player and blurs vision. 2nd shot slows more until they pass out. Epi pen neutralises effects. Again adds more gameplay options.

14: Shots damaging equipment. Discussion here: http://dayzmod.com/f...age-by-gunfire/ . Also weapon maintenance.

Environment:

15: This ground mist is amazing, would be greatif this cropped up occasionally, http://dayzmod.com/f...136-heavy-mist/ . More atmosphere and horror in general.

Zombies:

16: Zombies more curious about long range noises. For instance an explosion in the distance would make many of them shamble that way. Not agroed as such just curious.

17: Zombies not giving up so easily. It's currently to easy to lose zombies, and it is immersion breaking that they suddenly stop and give up straight away. A "searching" period after they lose a player would be nice.

18: Zombies spawning much further from the player, giving the feel that they are always there, and making them more dangerous , especially when combined with No: 16. Discussion here : http://dayzmod.com/f...ns-and-zombies/ (Ignore references to patch optimisations).

18: GORE. Lots more blood and gore all around. Be nice to see dismemberment etc.

General:

19: Standardise Things: I'm assuming the standalone will provide a standard "this is Dayz" experience.http://dayzmod.com/f...dardise-things/ . Up the FOV a bit, and remove peripheral dots.

20: Server hopping: It's really nice to be able to change servers at will. And the flow of new people coming through a server keeps it alive in many ways. But I wonder if ghosting can ever really be fixed ? Do the pros outweigh the cons ? I'm not sure on this one but wonder if there should be a delay before you can go back to a previous server. Or possibly even being locked to one server ?

21: Linked maps to create a bigger playing area. http://dayzmod.com/f...linked-servers/ Achievable with current technology and doesnt have choke points.

22: Characters linked to timezones. So people can never TOTALLY avoid night-time play.http://dayzmod.com/f...synced-to-time/ Either this or possibly speeding up the day night cycle a little bit. Something to encourage nightime play as it is much more immersive.

23: Player customisation. More costumes and more mix and match, this allows groups to make a "uniform" for visual identification. This should include camo gear options etc, but Ghillie suits need to go, they currently overwrite bandit / hero skins etc and are too ... standard.

Edited August 24, 2012 by Strategos

[tsmhicks 52]

Here is what I posted on reddit, but no1 wants to make a discussion on reddit so they downvote everything. Maybe in here we can get some real ideas and discussions.

• Weapon deterioration over time (this will encourage people to explore more and take shots less at people. This also might cause hoarding more, if tents are put in standalone. Might also allow people to cycle through more weapons)
  

• More animals (some that you can companion and train and some that are hostile towards the players)
  

• MORE INFECTED/ZOMBIES! (I want to see hoards and a massive group of walkers in towns and in the woods. I mean this is a post-apocolyptic time and zombies would be everywhere. I think it will help force the survival aspect. Right now zombies are so little and hardly even pay attention to them. I think looking out for 1) survivors 2) Bandits 3) zombies would make things interesting)
  

• Smarter Zombies (They have got to be smarter zombies, make it more challenging to the player. This will make players have to be strategic and really think, "is that can of beans worth getting yet")
  

• Vehicle Upgrading (Adding armor to a car, mounted gun, more seating room less loot space, etc) <--many mixed feelings
  

• BIGGER MAP (Rocket already talked about doing this and it needs to be done. Chernarus is just too small haha)
  

• Make more common weapons MORE COMMON (shotguns, bats/melee, knives, crossbows, bows, 9mm - 40mm pistols, .22 rifles)
  

• Make higher grade gear (military) VERY VERY UNCOMMON (im talking like 1-3%) (high power sniper rifles, NVGs, RangeFinders, Binoculars, Camo, Assault Rifles, backpacks, etc)
  

• WIP Safe Zone (This could be were people are able to trade items, sell items, team up without being killed) <--NvM too carebear
  

Now I know this isnt an RPG like the game myself and my friends were creating for 8 months before DayZ came out (then we were like FUCK SOMEONE BEAT US TO IT ><) but what about a class system with small perks of a class? Class Examples:

• Scouter
  
  • Speed = % faster then average running
    
  • Health = % less then average
    
  • Sight = Average
    
  • Extra = NA
    

  [*]Sniper

  • Health = Average
    
  • Sight = sees % farther then average players
    
  • Speed = Average
    
  • Extra = Accuracy % Higher then average
    

  [*]Scavenger

  • Health = % more then average
    
  • Speed = Average
    
  • Sight = Average
    
  • Extra = Has < > more slots then average
    

Just some thoughts :D

my ONLY thinking about the class system, is when you select a survior gender in the begining of a new character (not sure if will be the same in the standalone) you can select a role type, which would be more useful for a group then individually.

Edited August 22, 2012 by Hicks16

[franzuu 211]

I just made a thread with some suggestions. Didn't see this one. Here are my suggestions.

I have ideas and all of them together make sense in my head, I don't know how it is going to turn out here though :P

AID STATION.

I want player built aid stations that will heal you of all ailments (after a certain amount of time). They would work by you entering one at the end of your play session and logging out. After 12 hours (or however many) you would be 100% ok. If you come back after 6 hours and leave, then you'd be much better off than before, but If you don't take care of yoursel you will deteriorate.

The aid station will also be able to quickly patch you up and send you on your way. Of course the station would be stocked with loot found by the players who 'own' it and more advanced medical gear and machinery will improve healing speed and success.

Getting a quick fix at the aid station will be better than doing it yourself or someone else doing it in the field.

Damage & Treatment.

If you get more serious wounds like gunshots then you would be able to stop the bleeding and bandage the wounds but that wouldn't mean that you are ok. You would have to clean and redress the wound after every X hours (depending on time of year, temperature, climate etc.). This would not be indicated on the hud that you have to do it. After every redressing of the wound the needed time interval should start increasing a little. After Y number of treatments you should be completely healed.

The wound treatment interval would be dependent on time played not real world hours, as opposed to the aid station.

If you fail to redress and clean the wound it can become infected (fevers-visual distortions indicating it) and you would need to take antibiotics (with x hour intervals) and clean the wound more often and more times (2*Y times). If you fail to take care of yourself then you die. You can go to an aid station to get yourself healed and avoid all this.

Diseases.

More diseases with different debilitating effects. Basically different diseases that need different medicine and treatment that takes time (anti biotics every x hours y times, whatever). Go to an aid station to get healed.

Medical Evacuation.

If someone gets seriously fucked up and there is no way that they can be treated in the field and would die, but are not dead yet (state determined by the game), then the patient can be stabilized and carried/driven/dragged/air lifted into an aid station to get fixed.

They might die en route and the longer it takes, the better the equipment and skills of the person who initially patched them up, the higher/lower is the chance for the person to die en route. Also the longer it takes to get to the aid station and the worse equipped the aid station is the higher is the chance for the person to die during the 12 hours it takes to get people fixed.

! While this might seem pretty pointless, it will play in with my idea of aquired perks and stat boosts that you lose upon death. I will be making that thread shortly and link it here.

NPC Doctors and Surgeons at aid stations.

I don't know how yet, but you can get doctors, nurses and surgeons into your aid station. The longer the NPC's have been there and dealt with specific types of wounds/diseases whatever, the better they would become. All this would increase the chances of sucessful treatment and reduce the time for fully fixing someone.

The medical staff would need to be fed and they have to have living quarters. When your base gets bigger and it is safe for them to go outside and frolic in the sunshine, then they'll be happier and even more better at their jobs. Eventually your aid station will have so much room, equipment, doctors that it will allow them to work in shifts, increasing their effectiveness yet again.

NPCs can be killed by zombies, yourself and enemy infiltrators or whoever wishes to do it.

Bonus idea.

Have you been running? Have you been wearing shitty or worn footwear? Well congratulations! Blisters! Bandage your feet/get to an aid station and find something better to wear.

It would be fucking crazy (and great) if people were killing eachother for a pair of shoes.

Perks and stat boosts.

You can find rare perk giving trinkets that you can adorn yourself with. They should look cool and the bonuses shouldn't be too big. If you decide to unequip a trinket then it will be destroyed. Trinkets should have certain slots so that you can't stack their effects. The trinkets will not be recoverable upon death.

You should get perks after you have done something a certain number of times (zombie, survivor, bandit kills for example). The perks can also be negative.

[DayZPvP.com 143]

Please add 3 things to this list: creaking/slamming doors, a .22 caliber low-end weapon tier, and the SKS rifle.

[kurozael 22]

Don't script anything in which governs player control and decisions. e.g: a class system, NPC traders/doctors/whatever, or any safe zones. Never.

For this reason please REMOVE humanity-based skins. This is ridiculous.

Do script in new weapons, lootable clothing, and ailments.

Edited August 22, 2012 by kurozael

[THEOTHERJESTER 12]

You should get brought onto the DayZ team lol. I have a lot of hopes for this game and I really do hope they implement some if not all of your suggestions.

[tsmhicks 52]

Don't script anything in which governs player control and decisions. e.g: a class system, NPC traders/doctors/whatever, or any safe zones. Never.

For this reason please REMOVE humanity-based skins. This is ridiculous.

Do script in new weapons, lootable clothing, and ailments.

Just for discussion sakes, since i do agree with you, even though its in my list...it was just idea. Can you elaborate on why no Class System, NPCs etc. (I know the answer already, I just want to hear from others :P)

[DeadManWalking2 27]

I'd like to see there be more than one kind of map you can pick up. for example.

bus route map; road map; normal map and military map.

each map having an increasing level of detail and a decreasing level of availability.

-bus map [found at bus stops] This map would be extremely stylized and of very limited usefulness. showing only the main roads, city location and railway lines.

-road map. [found in shops and petrol stations] would show all the roads and the outline of the coast but nothing else. farm roads and paths would not show on this map. nore could you use it for grid referencing (It's a cheap map).

- normal map. [rare but found anywhere]

- military map. [found only on military officer zombies.] this map shows the location of key strategic assets such as fresh water, military bases and perhaps even a few hidden weapons cash's. This map could point you to all sorts of fun stuff.

[JarZman 0]

When you die at the hands of a zombie, i.e being hit to death/infected etc you have the choice to spawn back in as a zombie. Or prehaps just anytime you die.

Just a normal zombie that has all the same traits as the AI zombies (die easy, run faster, no hunger or thirst)

Mostly just a gimmick to give you a break to relax after losing all the epic loots.

Maybe when a zombie you can "smell" surviors. Be it a range indicator or an on screen alert when your within a certain distance.

Would make things just a little more interesting not knowing when a player controlled zed is going to storm into the building your in.

[tsmhicks 52]

I'd like to see there be more than one kind of map you can pick up. for example.

bus route map; road map; normal map and military map.

each map having an increasing level of detail and a decreasing level of availability.

-bus map [found at bus stops] This map would be extremely stylized and of very limited usefulness. showing only the main roads, city location and railway lines.

-road map. [found in shops and petrol stations] would show all the roads and the outline of the coast but nothing else. farm roads and paths would not show on this map. nore could you use it for grid referencing (It's a cheap map).

- normal map. [rare but found anywhere]

- military map. [found only on military officer zombies.] this map shows the location of key strategic assets such as fresh water, military bases and perhaps even a few hidden weapons cash's. This map could point you to all sorts of fun stuff.

ooh i like this one. Can a user be able to hold all these maps at once or would they have to drop a previous map to get new map? If all can be held, make user have to swap back and forth through maps to figure out were exactly they need to go. Ex. User has just a normal map that shows more roads, forest etc, but only so much. you then find a military map that shows the map without roads ,etc and just shows landmarks (like a airport) that you have to then switch to your other map (normal) to figure out where it is at. If you didnt have the normal map you wouldn't know cities are near the camp so if you came into a city without a normal map you couldn't verify you were close nor what direction you were heading and would cause you to explore ALOT

OR as you collect more maps it will populate your original map to see more of the map / landmarks?

Edited August 22, 2012 by Hicks16