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

[FortunateS0n 0]

I think the notepad would be awesome!

[Photolysis 25]

I've had a look at the medical system and while I support the general ideas behind it (I did suggest a similar system), I think it needs to be simplified a little. Oxygen cylinders and destroyed lungs? Too detailed. There's also no real need to add a huge variety of diseases, and quite a few of the medical items can also be removed.

On the subject of the inventory as well, I think breaking certain items into their own small container doesn't serve much useful purpose. Storing an item in a toolbox or first aid kit would just add another pointless layer to the whole thing, and bring back a problem that already exists with the Arma II interface.

I was also recently thinking of the camo system from MGS3. For those who don't know, the game has a variety of camo patterns and facepaints that allow the player to blend in better with the terrain and evade detection by guards.

Some patterns are multi-purpose and offer good concealment in most environments. Others offer excellent concealment within a specific type of environment, but make the player very obvious outside of that, requiring the player to alter it as appropriate.

Unlike MGS3, the game should not make the player's camo status visible on the HUD, but the mechanic should be there under the hood and impact zombie detection (and make it harder for the player to be spotted by other players, obviously). It would essentially be an extension of the system that already exists in DayZ.

You could also tie in other properties to clothing that have to be taken into account. A cold-weather jacket might not offer good camouflage and make you a big target for players and zombies, but it's better than freezing to death.

On the subject of maps, I think you'd really need to have custom maps built for DayZ for it to work at its best. I'd like to see maps taking place in a variety of different landscapes each with their own survival challenges to offer a unique experience. Ideally they would offer a balance of terrain types where appropriate as well. Just Cause 2's map offers rainforests, cities, mountains, deserts, and beaches, though admittedly this mixture is... rather unlikely (though New Zealand has very varying terrain as I understand it, that could lend itself well to a DayZ map)!

In snowy maps you'd have to worry about cold weather, keeping warm, along with dangers such as being immersed in cold water (what about players destroying ice underneath you?). Water could easily be obtained from snow and ice, but food and shelter would be the major concern.

In tropical maps like a rainforest, you wouldn't have to worry much about food and water but you could have poisonous and dangerous wildlife, a much higher chance of wounds becoming infected, and find it much harder to light fires.

In desert maps, dehydration and hyperthermia by running around during the day would be a major challenge, making the map more suitable for night-time play. Water would become extremely important as well.

Edited August 24, 2012 by Photolysis

[theodoredrenov@yahoo.com 1]

I have something to add to vehicles.

I would like to see some modifications for vehicles that will effect its performance. Not anything like replacing the engine because that requires specialized equipment. But something like an improved muffler to reduce the sound the vehicle makes or all terrain tires to improve speed while off-road.

Also after reading the suggestions for bases I would have to say that you would need a much larger world to allow for good size camps to be built. Simply because groups of players will likely spend long hours building an underground base but it only takes one player could come along and ruin the entire thing. Also editing the world to have a more balanced population would be great. Currently the world had high concentration zones such as Cherno, Electro, and the NW air field. This creates problems because of the number of players moving around in these areas. I think as the DayZ standalone comes out world editing will become much more common and that issue could solve itself. All in all this is a grade A thread with awesome suggestions and I hope many of them make it into the actual game.

[thatdearguy 5]

I have a cold right now and it made me think.

If the standalone is going to have some kind of dynamic weather system, nights could have slightly different temperatures also. Body temperature should be further affected by how fast you're moving in 'unshielded' vehicles, when you're not wearing thick enough clothing. Because it is DARNED easy to get sick that way sometimes.

Examples:

• driving around on a motorcycle
  
• driving around in a car without windshields
  
• sitting near the sides / being the gunner of one of those helicopters that have open sides
  

If you stand completely still, a stiff breeze should have the same effect. That + heavy rainfall should chill you down to the bone even if you're wearing a lot of clothing.

Bonus thought: running around a lot can make you all hot & sweaty. But if you're not wearing a space suit, it will likely also make you a slight cold the instant you stop running. Getting sick & feverish on top of that would end up making you hotter as well.. HM.. all this calls for a more complex body temperature mechanic. Maybe keep track of a white blood cell count within the blood?

I didn't get to post this in the little reddit suggestion event the other day. Felt like I needed to leave this somewhere. :)

Edited August 24, 2012 by thatdearguy

[Zurloko (DayZ) 1]

all this information is confirmed to be in the standalone? or in the arma 3 version?

i hope sooooooooooo

Edited August 24, 2012 by Zurloko

[tatne (DayZ) 3]

Reading this wall of text was worth it!

So many good ideas I would LOVE to see in the standalone :]

[ruarz 739]

Apparently there's a limit to the number of quotes you can put in a post so I had to convert the community suggestions bit into bullet points.

Also put an extra line in the "A Revised Health, Status and Wounding System" in acknowledgement of the feedback saying it is too detailed.

Edited August 24, 2012 by ruarz

[padla 19]

I like the idea of Spart248 about letting players drink sea water, but changing effect of it to be actually harmful (providing short relief, but making you more thirsty shortly after).

The idea of incorporating mechanics that give player possibilities that are actually negative goes very well with survival style of the game. Some of those mechanics already exist, such as getting sick if you swim too much (at least i believe its in) and driving a broken vehicle... I think this notion can be expanded to other game mechanics, for example:

- Let players drink any liquids, including gasoline, with obvious consequences...

- Eating Raw meat : Satisfies your hunger, cures 200hp, but has a high chance to give you desease... Cure = Antibiotics

- Scavenging mushrooms and plants (someone suggested it on REDDIT i believe) : Include poisonous mushrooms and plants. Eating some will result in temporary desease such as HP slowly draining, vision blurring, shakes. Some very poisonous mushrooms can just kill player withing a certain time, without chance of curing it.

- lighting fire indoors or right next to a vehicle : chance to set the building/vehicle on fire

- Including expired food in the game that would have similar effects as raw meat. I like this one :) , it could be made so that you have to mouse over the food to see if its expired or not. That way sometimes you'll still pick it up, eat it and then be "Ah damn"!

- Morphine is a highly addictive drug... Using 3 morphine during 24 hour period for example could get player addicted with a long withdrawal period of reduced health and vision/hearing issues.

On a different subject:

- How about, every time you eat canned food, the spot in your inventory is replaced by an empty can? you have to drop it and leave traces of your presence. Or as it works in a mod right now you could fling it, but thrown objects disappear i think... Relating to expired food, the empty can in inventory could still show that food was expired alerting player he ate bad food.

Maybe I am going a little over the top with this, but hey we are all brainstorming for now...

Original thread by Spart248:

http://dayzmod.com/f...drink-seawater/

Edited August 24, 2012 by Padla

[JJTopper 2]

To make zombies more of a threat, how about whenever a zombie hits you, there's a % chance you become infected. Once infected, it's only a matter of time before you "turn" and lose all control of your character (basically you die, but your corpse lives on). So if you get infected and you're in a group, you'll have to figure out how to deal with it. A danger being that 1 infected person could turn and hit/infect the rest of the group. You'll also be that much more careful about being seen by zombies and attracting attention....since you don't want to get infected.

Edited August 24, 2012 by JJTopper

[curtis19 10]

One of the things I was surprised you didn't have was something about creating groups/clans/teams. I think the game should regconize them offically, as this would benifit bases and such. Another things with bases and clans is the more you have the more human force you can use to do things that are really boring around the base while ppl in your team are offline, like build ditchs and farm and such or have tehem placed as guards to defeand it even when ppl are't around if they choose to have their player do that. Also to use humanity make it so if you have more humanity you can spawn after death in a group, if you have below say 1500 you can't.

[indominator 95]

cameras are used to log off, so you have a time delay, but explained because you do something to continue the game. if you get killed bam, you start again, and even if you forget to take a pic and the game cuts you off, it makes the skin animates just so i can finally kill an alt f4. Could be anything that "memorises" your last place, so you can continue... blablabla

[indominator 95]

well, another idea, that i really cant find, breaking ladders

[INickeragua 121]

Some pretty solid stuff here, I hope to see most of it added to the standalone game. I think there should be a type of gun shop and some way to break into it. I also think they should add more civilian weapons that we can obtain. some common guns to kill zombies, such as a .22 or some target rifles, and small caliber pistols.

[name change 0]

haha some of you are so retarded, you take an original simple concept like dayz and the first thing you want to do is turn it into a generic console corporation game. qtes? skill systems? jumping through windows? lock picking?

ugh.

[GEARSTICK 5]

Not sure if this idea has been said or not but me and and a friend thought it would be cool if you could mark points on your map. this could work two ways, you'll always know on your map where a point of interest for you is but if you get killed then someone could research or take your map and find what you have marked.

[nabehobby 13]

Stronger Zombies? Seems like the only real terror in this game are hackers and other players camping the spawn. Zombies are just there..

Oh and Rocket admit that they are Zombies. That'll probably be the best update the game could have.

the dayz now is only in alpha, so hackers can just rescript a simple paragraph and have their way. once the standalone is released, hacking will most likely be 100% more harder. :)

[Nickds54 6]

I thought it would be pretty cool to add pets to the game. Maybe you could get breeds of dogs and only at certain places. Like if you went to a farm house there would be a possible hunting dog roaming around and if you gave it beene or something it would follow you and you could train it to hunt birds or squirrels and if you went to a police station there could be K9 units that could be trained to hunt down players but would be very scrawny but the more you fed it the bigger and harder it would be to kill it and maybe you could train a rare dog to fetch maybe a flare or law quality stuff in your vicinity. It should be very invisible to zombies but will bark occasionally to kind of give away players and you'd have to feed it and give it water.

[inde 1]

Hello, i have tried to reach the team responsible for DAYZ by other means like damn LinkedIN.

A few words about me. I am a Graphic Designer, specializing in Web & Mobile User Interfaces. With over 7 years of experience. I will be posting my first idea here.

I have spent a while playing the game and i have some suggestions regarding the HUD. So here is an image. I will leave this here for replies. If they have a positive disposition i will continue developing on the ideas posted and create more elements of the game - like a inventory system (Better than the WarZ hahaha :) just kidding here - it will look better though that i gurantee.)

So here is! - Note that the quality is a bit downgraded because the forum dissalowed me to upload the original. This is a preview of the HUD ingame. For further development i will use smaller images with just partial background for sake of the opacity.

What i have done here is refresh the already existing elements and add a few conceptual new parts like the combined Surrounding - Noise and Visibility + Vague Map. - The dots that we now have in the current game are not helpfull at all. So i thought that they could be set inside a collective system - The Surrounding. Further on i have placed a weather display above the body state. Always keeping in mind the realism.

The icons have been redesigned with a few thoughts in mind. For example - The Food icon should not contain a knife - as startup players would subcontiously think they are armed. - and no - a fork cant kill a zombie :D nor a spoon for that matter... hehe. so i changed the knife to a spoon.

As for the water icon i still have some thoughts wether it should be a simple can and change according to the inventory item responsible for water.

All that and more to be considered.

[Bat (DayZ) 230]

I thought it would be pretty cool to add pets to the game. Maybe you could get breeds of dogs and only at certain places. Like if you went to a farm house there would be a possible hunting dog roaming around and if you gave it beene or something it would follow you and you could train it to hunt birds or squirrels and if you went to a police station there could be K9 units that could be trained to hunt down players but would be very scrawny but the more you fed it the bigger and harder it would be to kill it and maybe you could train a rare dog to fetch maybe a flare or law quality stuff in your vicinity. It should be very invisible to zombies but will bark occasionally to kind of give away players and you'd have to feed it and give it water.

Dogs are already in the 1.7.3 version. You should really inform yourself more before posting here.

BUT the idea of them hunting squirrels is awesome :) I also thought it would be cool if they could attack hostile players, like they wouldn't do much damage but like a diversion of some sort, giving you time to run away or shoot back. Would be cool, but need balance so that it doesn't give you too much of an advantage.

[Bat (DayZ) 230]

Hello, i have tried to reach the team responsible for DAYZ by other means like damn LinkedIN.

A few words about me. I am a Graphic Designer, specializing in Web & Mobile User Interfaces. With over 7 years of experience. I will be posting my first idea here.

I have spent a while playing the game and i have some suggestions regarding the HUD. So here is an image. I will leave this here for replies. If they have a positive disposition i will continue developing on the ideas posted and create more elements of the game - like a inventory system (Better than the WarZ hahaha :) just kidding here - it will look better though that i gurantee.)

So here is! - Note that the quality is a bit downgraded because the forum dissalowed me to upload the original. This is a preview of the HUD ingame. For further development i will use smaller images with just partial background for sake of the opacity.

What i have done here is refresh the already existing elements and add a few conceptual new parts like the combined Surrounding - Noise and Visibility + Vague Map. - The dots that we now have in the current game are not helpfull at all. So i thought that they could be set inside a collective system - The Surrounding. Further on i have placed a weather display above the body state. Always keeping in mind the realism.

The icons have been redesigned with a few thoughts in mind. For example - The Food icon should not contain a knife - as startup players would subcontiously think they are armed. - and no - a fork cant kill a zombie :D nor a spoon for that matter... hehe. so i changed the knife to a spoon.

As for the water icon i still have some thoughts wether it should be a simple can and change according to the inventory item responsible for water.

All that and more to be considered.

Rocket stated he wants to get rid of most of the HUD, and replace it with audio clues. Not sure to what extent. For example I'd like to have to check ammo in firearms by taking out the clip, if it is possible (don't know how it works IRL, sorry for me being stupid never used a firearm^^). Also we don't need a jauge for temperature, our character should shiver when it's cold, gradually.

Edit : You could try to come up with gear menu ideas, though. How weapon slots, melee, clothing should be integrated to inventory, for instance. That would be useful !

Edited August 25, 2012 by Bat

[Lillo 22]

My ideas: http://dayzmod.com/forum/index.php?/topic/62027-introduce-slumberand-many-other-ideas/

[name change 0]

Some very basic communication tweaks would have a profound effect on PvP mechanics, I will bet all my beans on this.

Very quick and visible visual signals or international hand signals should be easy to use and implement. There is a salute and surrender bind already but these are very awkward and require you to holster, leaving you vulnerable for about 10 seconds - They are obviously never used and weren't designed with this in mind.

The ability to quickly or reactively communicate something without compromising your defensive posturing would be great.

A simple thing like waving - 'Over Here, help!' or a weapons safe 'friendly' - unable to fire, single hand off weapon out to the side. Maybe a palm out 'Stop. no further' signal.

The ability to look at someone face to face without pointing a rifle at them quickly would be useful, or maybe even pointing the gun at the sky to fire warning shots.

These signals could be toggled so players have free hands to type at the same time.

For typing or microphone- an old school 'whisper' 10m radius, 'talk' 50m radius, 'shout' 200m radius toggles would work well, as they do in many other games.

Very simple but I think would have a major impact on PvP encounters.

[name change 0]

Maybe take physical posturing further:

Weapons pointed down unable to fire by default at all times. If you are shot it is a murder, if you are shot with weapons up its a bandit kill.

Firefights are very rare anyway, so if you point your gun around you are fair game, players will learn fast, and if your gun is up firing desperately at Zeds your probably dead already.

The key is to be able to switch to weapons ready almost instantly and visibly if you are taken by surprise. Maybe make a mechanic where you can't lower your weapon for 10 -15 seconds after firing to prevent abuse by bandits posing as survivors.

Haven't seen this suggested anywhere, but it seems a good simple fix to me to regulate an imperfect system. It's also realistic, walking around pointing your rifle around just doesn't make sense unless you plan on using it.

[inde 1]

Rocket stated he wants to get rid of most of the HUD, and replace it with audio clues. Not sure to what extent. For example I'd like to have to check ammo in firearms by taking out the clip, if it is possible (don't know how it works IRL, sorry for me being stupid never used a firearm^^). Also we don't need a jauge for temperature, our character should shiver when it's cold, gradually.

Edit : You could try to come up with gear menu ideas, though. How weapon slots, melee, clothing should be integrated to inventory, for instance. That would be useful !

Checking the ammo - there could be a magazine display! - then you could customize the hud and even remove everything from it. But not all players are pros... People need to see things and the condition of those things. That is why design exists. :)

Audio clues - what about people with hearing dissability? - Removing things must be carefully considered.

Could i have some sort of aproximate idea on how the hud is thought out? Or a direct line of communication with the people working on this?

You realise that it is impossible for me to go on designing things without proper discussion with the project managers.

Edited August 25, 2012 by inde

[inde 1]

Maybe take physical posturing further:

Weapons pointed down unable to fire by default at all times. If you are shot it is a murder, if you are shot with weapons up its a bandit kill.

Firefights are very rare anyway, so if you point your gun around you are fair game, players will learn fast, and if your gun is up firing desperately at Zeds your probably dead already.

The key is to be able to switch to weapons ready almost instantly and visibly if you are taken by surprise. Maybe make a mechanic where you can't lower your weapon for 10 -15 seconds after firing to prevent abuse by bandits posing as survivors.

Haven't seen this suggested anywhere, but it seems a good simple fix to me to regulate an imperfect system. It's also realistic, walking around pointing your rifle around just doesn't make sense unless you plan on using it.

keep in mind that all graphics are rough jobs

I suggested the white flag idea. What you say makes perfect sense! -> http://dayzmod.com/f...620#entry763729

Edited August 25, 2012 by inde