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

[twinturbonet (DayZ) 294]

main problem with this is that different monitors require different gamma settings to have the same levels displayed on screen... possibly have a settings/setup screen that you set the gamma on before you log in... (gray boxes etc) and once its set it locks to a set margin that would mean you can tweak it in game but not set it to max at night and normal in the day

just my 2 pence :P

There will always be a way to change the brightness levels, even after a "first time only" setup. I'm sure a simple .CFG change could change the settings after the fact.

[twinturbonet (DayZ) 294]

I hope in the stand alone your character will loose blood if your character doesn't use an out house or and entrenching tool or toilet paper in the woods. that really would add the last bit of icing on the cake for realism

Um, because if you take a sh*t in the woods and you do not bury it, you will bleed to death? Tell me again how this is realistic? :lol:

Edited November 12, 2012 by twinturbonet

[G0V3RNM3NT4L 132]

I believe bullets should be found in boxes of ammunition (or rarely loose) and can be moved to a clip. A box allows more portability, but a mag keeps them handy. The player would have to juggle between the two.

Also, when I say boxes, I mean boxes like a pouch.

We could have cans, but those should be relegated to vehicles/animals.

[GENDERS 3]

Anybody suggested diesel portal generator or towable generators?

Like the ones on construction sites. Use it to power houses or a towable one which has lights to light up a camp.

You need fuel and they can be repairable with all the current parts available.

light up your tent camp, or a field hospital or power a house.

Zombie and Bandit bate. But cool for building groups and safe spots with light at night.

Edited November 13, 2012 by GENDERS

[GENDERS 3]

sorry, double post.

Edited November 13, 2012 by GENDERS

[Tooka (DayZ) 7]

This is a very nice list. I love every idea that was on the OP, I hope most of it makes it in Standalone. I also hope the new map, Chernarus Plus is more realistic. Most Day Z gameplay ive seen takes place in the wild or in cities that are unusually small. I hope to see more big urban areas featuring buildings you would see in real life. For example:Hospitals, Grocery Stores, Apartment Buildings, Bars, Restaurants,Gun Stores, Police Stations,Office Buildings, Skyscrapers and more. Id also like to see a better variety of homes like Mansions and 2 story houses. It would also be very cool if you could go in the sewer system and use it as a safer way to get around the cities (assuming the cities will have a high amount of zombies). Another thing id like to see is environmental weapons like rocks, branches, chairs, fire pokers, frying pans, anything you could use in real life. I think there needs to be more items in houses and this would definitely help with that. I think Generators would be a nice addition once Construction is in to power electronics like lights, refrigerators to preserve certain foods, maybe even video cameras and sensors. Finally, zombies need to have better AI. They need to be a threat. Zombies should be able to break windows and climb through them including car windows. Furniture should be moveable so you can use it to reinforce windows and doors. This game has more potential than any other game ive seen,I hope it will be the best it can be.

[niotna 2]

I don't know if this was already suggested. Unable to read all those posts in here...

But I would like to see, a "friends" game mode. Meaning, that the game could have a friend system.

And using this, it would be great to on a server, enable "friends" play and spawn as a team. (Maybe to keep things balanced, max four?)

I know, I know... So many players like the hardcore play to play alone etc. Don't wanna take their fun away.

Only, I would like to play with a bunch of friends. Against other teams. (Or loners, I don't care...) WITHOUT HAVING TO SPEND TWO HOURS OR SO, TO FIND THEM...

OK, put a cooling time on respawn, like 5 minutes or so, after having died. Or let spawn a friendly player like 1 km away or so.

Or, instantly, if a whole enemy squad was killed.

I mean... Thinking out of the box, right?

Well, as much out of the box as I can think of, in enjoying a great game, TOGETHER WITH MY FRIENDS.

And if I play 3 hours after work, I don't want to spent 2 of those just to try to find them... If not being killed in that time...

One could also create with this game mode in mind, a world, or local, or server dependant chat lobby, in which players can team up.

Teams would be able to be locked up, so no other, unknown guys can join, if not wanted.

Players who do want to join the team, should have to ask permission first. (To avoid others join, while in fact being hostile, or belonging to another team in fact.)

Can you imagine, ten teams of four, or more, going against each other on a large map?

Confrontations would ask for more tactical. Not just run and shoot. Because other, more, players around?

Think it would be great!

And, to make things more comfortable, one could add nametags for friendlies, visible in an area of 100 meters or so.

Or/AND...with all these different army skins around on armaholic... Why not let teams choose their skin, to enable to recognize each other?

All this,as setup, under server controlled options... (want six teams of 8? Why not? Why would one stay in the box?)

For me, the basic motivation of playing, is friends playing. Gaming is a social activity for me.

One of the reasons why buddies of mine get tired, of playing dayz (or even won't consider trying), is the lack of comfortable teamplay!

Beside this teamplay, people should be able to play on "single play" servers too, of course. I would play that style too, if nobody of my friends are online.

Sure!

I think, whatever critics of dayz diehards may throw up, this idea has a big potential.

Most of all, because it gives us something to enable us to convince friends to play this great game style. Through teamwork. Instant teamwork.

[niotna 2]

A better server browser than ARMA2, with all kinds of filters, AND AUTO UPDATE TO SERVER VERSIONS AND MODS... Functions DAYZ COMMANDER or WITHSIX do right now...

[niotna 2]

The grass issue...: Grass all around. Or no grass. (Only grass close by, lying in "grass" to be shot like a duck is unfair; but most of all not realistic at all.)

[niotna 2]

A third slot: One for main gun, one for pistol, and one for hatchet.

Or all "belt tools" could be quickslots.

Faster weapon switching...

[niotna 2]

Voice comm. for communicating close by: whisper mode, normal speaking, and yelling. (Accordingly loud voice)

(This instead of chatting in global or side channel)

[niotna 2]

Key bindings:

- More organised (grouped together), more logical, keybinding system. (All bound keys visible! In ARMA 2, sometimes not all keys can be seen... ---> larger window for cotrols?) Multiple keybindings for one function should stay though. It is a very good function indeed!

- Ability to export profiles - keybindings - settings; for when one has to re-install (new PC, etc...)

- Controls should reside under one keystroke, to change them. Without having to go through all menu's. (Exc.: Like CTRL+C brings up the control screen at once - Why? One needs it most for checking key bindings. Can be painfull process... with lots of mouse clicks)

- Certain visibility functions, like brightness etc...(those with a scroll bar), should be adjustable, while in game (CTRL+'+' / CTRL+ '-' adjusts brightness in real time) No more menu hopping, to check if brightness is fine or not...

[KetchupOnTheDog 41]

AWESOME suggestions. Hope alot of this stuff gets implemented.

[zonn44 25]

I think the addition would be the ability the bury things.

Allow the entrenchment tool to dig a hole and give you a certain amount of storage.

Perhaps limit the amount of holes each player could dig and erase the hole when the player dies.

[shanewalsh 3]

Ok I came up with another idea, I think this would allow for bandits to stay being bandits without being punished, and still have a motivation not to be a bandit, to be a good guy, and get a reward that does not affect the gameplay.

http://dayzmod.com/forum/index.php?/topic/106459-the-cure/

[Bakst 98]

I think the addition would be the ability the bury things.

Allow the entrenchment tool to dig a hole and give you a certain amount of storage.

Perhaps limit the amount of holes each player could dig and erase the hole when the player dies.

Not a bad idea at all. You can currently "hide" things which is like burying them, except you can't dig em back up again: they simply vanish into the ground and are lost forever. Being able to hide things in the ground would be cool, but I'm not sure it's feasible from a gameplay point of view. Also, technical limitations perhaps? I don't know but in principle it would certainly make hiding your camps a lot easier... maybe too easy? There would have to be signs of recent digging sites, like loose ground etc. Again, probably not technically doable :(

[twinturbonet (DayZ) 294]

I think all of these ideas from page 42 are great. Improving friend system, burying items, better server UI, voice chatting as opposed to typing... etc. Nice job all.

[ComboBreaker 9]

Taken from "Solution to DayZ's worst problems.(Server hopping,Loggers,Self-defence)."

Greetings!

As far as I know,Rocket is not going to make any significant changes to Dayz mod at the moment,focusing on standalone.Since standalone is not as Arma dependant as it's mod-ancestor, most annoying things in the game can be fixed like:

1. Server Hopping that results in weapon and ammunition abundance.Players do not travel around the map,since there are few places that are worth visiting.
   
2. Loggers who obviously make game less fun and fair.Im talking both about PvE and PvP loggers.
   
3. Inability to kill in self-defence and not become a bandit.(yes,if you were hit first,then its self-defence,but what if you were shot at , shooter missed and got shot himself?)
   

Solution:

1. Loot piles are presented not by a weapon/food/equipment models,but rather by a stationary pile of garbage.When you come nearby it,you are given an option to search for loot.Once you've searched it,pile opens an inventory screen,with items that are generated randomly with the same chance as it is now for each item.Then you are able to put stuff inside your backpack or leave loot untouched.Each pile holds loot data for individual,so 2 players can get different loot from the same pile.Why it is needed?Well,each pile sends information to a hive server about it's looter.Searched pile won't give loot to the specified player for 4-7 days(real time!).So,once you've searched every loot pile on Balota's airfield,you will HAVE to move somewhere else! Players will travel to new places whether they like it or not.
   
2. and 3. Each player is surrounded by a big invisible "bubble" that indicates this player's safe zone.It's size should be roughly 4 meters.Basically it is a part of player's hitbox.If someone shoots you and the bullet flies through your " safe zone " , then you are in combat(cant log out,even though you were not damaged) and at the same time you can shoot this player without becomming a bandit,since he started a fight first.You cant log out when there is a zombie inside your "safe zone" even if it is not aggroed.
   

Thoughts?Feedback?Was suggested before?

Edited November 14, 2012 by ComboBreaker

[shanewalsh 3]

1. Loot piles are presented not by a weapon/food/equipment models,but rather by a stationary pile of garbage.When you come nearby it,you are given an option to search for loot.Once you've searched it,pile opens an inventory screen,with items that are generated randomly with the same chance as it is now for each item.Then you are able to put stuff inside your backpack or leave loot untouched.Each pile holds loot data for individual,so 2 players can get different loot from the same pile.Why it is needed?Well,each pile sends information to a hive server about it's looter.Searched pile won't give loot to the specified player for 4-7 days(real time!).So,once you've searched every loot pile on Balota's airfield,you will HAVE to move somewhere else! Players will travel to new places whether they like it or not.
   

The idea of forcing players to move is great, but two players finding different stuff in the same little spot is not very realistic. It could be realistic if it was a big pile of garbage, like the ones we currently see in some streets blocking the path. But if I open a fridge and there is nothing in it, I don't wanna see other player finding a meal there.

I think loot in an area shouldn't respawn until loot in a different area has been taken. Imagine this: once Cherno and Elektro are depleted, people would go to the closest smaller towns, or big towns that are far away. When loot begins to be taken there, loot begins to respawn in Cherno and Elektro.

1. 
   
2. and 3. Each player is surrounded by a big invisible "bubble" that indicates this player's safe zone.It's size should be roughly 4 meters.Basically it is a part of player's hitbox.If someone shoots you and the bullet flies through your " safe zone " , then you are in combat(cant log out,even though you were not damaged) and at the same time you can shoot this player without becomming a bandit,since he started a fight first.You cant log out when there is a zombie inside your "safe zone" even if it is not aggroed.
   

That would be awesome.

[abran33 0]

hey i had a suggestion. wouldnt it be good if we made players be able to find cellphones yes cellphones so they can communicate with others they need real or fake if u know what i mean like make up ur own number or have the system give u one and call ur friends have their numbers registered oh and u need to charge the battery of course.

[Bakst 98]

hey i had a suggestion. wouldnt it be good if we made players be able to find cellphones yes cellphones so they can communicate with others they need real or fake if u know what i mean like make up ur own number or have the system give u one and call ur friends have their numbers registered oh and u need to charge the battery of course.

Okay I want to respond to ComboBreaker's post but first I need to address this idea. Umm, why cellphones -- what's wrong with radios? And how exactly do you envision charging your battery in a world without power plants? There has certainly been talk about introducing generators, being able to reactivate power stations, etc. etc. but like I said: what's wrong with radios?

Taken from "Solution to DayZ's worst problems.(Server hopping,Loggers,Self-defence)."

Greetings!

As far as I know,Rocket is not going to make any significant changes to Dayz mod at the moment,focusing on standalone.Since standalone is not as Arma dependant as it's mod-ancestor, most annoying things in the game can be fixed like:

1. Server Hopping that results in weapon and ammunition abundance.Players do not travel around the map,since there are few places that are worth visiting.
   
2. Loggers who obviously make game less fun and fair.Im talking both about PvE and PvP loggers.
   
3. Inability to kill in self-defence and not become a bandit.(yes,if you were hit first,then its self-defence,but what if you were shot at , shooter missed and got shot himself?)
   

Solution:

1. Loot piles are presented not by a weapon/food/equipment models,but rather by a stationary pile of garbage.When you come nearby it,you are given an option to search for loot.Once you've searched it,pile opens an inventory screen,with items that are generated randomly with the same chance as it is now for each item.Then you are able to put stuff inside your backpack or leave loot untouched.Each pile holds loot data for individual,so 2 players can get different loot from the same pile.Why it is needed?Well,each pile sends information to a hive server about it's looter.Searched pile won't give loot to the specified player for 4-7 days(real time!).So,once you've searched every loot pile on Balota's airfield,you will HAVE to move somewhere else! Players will travel to new places whether they like it or not.
   
2. and 3. Each player is surrounded by a big invisible "bubble" that indicates this player's safe zone.It's size should be roughly 4 meters.Basically it is a part of player's hitbox.If someone shoots you and the bullet flies through your " safe zone " , then you are in combat(cant log out,even though you were not damaged) and at the same time you can shoot this player without becomming a bandit,since he started a fight first.You cant log out when there is a zombie inside your "safe zone" even if it is not aggroed.
   

Thoughts?Feedback?Was suggested before?

Right so I think both these ideas are deffo on the right track. The safe-zone "bubble" is a great idea, I don't see any issues with that and I'd expect it could even be introduced to the mod without too much trouble (?).

As for getting people to loot across the map, I do think that the new SA map will encourage this to some extent simply by having more enterable buildings (with loot) all over the place. For that matter, as someone who never deliberately server hops to gain loot in the same spot (I mean c'mon that's so BORING!), I actually move around the map quite a bit. In fact, most of my time in DayZ is probably spent running thru the god-forsaken woods of Chernarus... anyway back to your idea, I do think that two people looting the same pile should also see the same loot. Anything else would be silly. Also, if they did it the way you suggested then a squad of four players could loot the exact same pile four times, once per player, for quadruple the loot! That doesn't seem right to me.

Maybe instead there could be some kind of mechanism that prevents loot from spawning near a player who just spawned in or near a building... it would make server hopping just a tad more taxing, as you would have to gain some distance from the loot before you relog on another server and go back to it. Of course if other players are already present near the same bldg then they would cause loot to spawn, but that's fine I guess. (A long time ago, before I understood how loot spawns work, I actually thought that such a mechanism existed). What do you think?

[ComboBreaker 9]

Maybe instead there could be some kind of mechanism that prevents loot from spawning near a player who just spawned in or near a building... What do you think?

I loot barracks on the Airfield and then hide in trees somewhere near in ghillie suit.No loot for everyone.Creates a whole new level of griefing.

Edited November 15, 2012 by ComboBreaker

[Bakst 98]

I loot barracks on the Airfield and then hide in trees somewhere near in ghillie suit.No loot for everyone.Creates a whole new level of griefing.

Good point, although I was suggesting that the mechanism only kick in when a player logs onto a server so as to reduce the rewards for server hopping. Once you've logged on and moved a certain distance from any loot spawns (or if you log into a safe spot), the spawn blocker doesn't kick in until your next relog. That has the side-effect of providing safe exit from buildings you've spawned into, provided no other players are around... although that would be another exploit I suppose, since Alt-F4 types could then relog to avoid zeds. Shit man I don't know, but I don't think either of our ideas will really work :/

[Shadow Man 142]

I cant see many ways to stop server hopping other than having a player locked to a server.

[ProjectMile 1]

Could we get a new city that are larger than Elektrovodsk? and maybe place it closer to the middle of the map. To make this city more interesting, it would be awesome that players can move around in underground (under the city). Each 50meters will be an option to get out of the sewer/underground. Most sewers should be tight so it would look a little terryfing for those who are claustrofobic :P I thought we could place the new city in Cherno or another map, where it already has 2-4 big cities.