Tradeskills/Perks – An effort to promote surviving/working together

[Flawed 26]

Going to get straight to the point here. For each 100 zombies you kill, you get to choose a perk. If you murder another player, it resets your count (or blocks survivor perks altogether.) (Don't freak out – murder perks at bottom) The reasoning behind the reset is to avoid confrontation if possible, in order to try and work out differences via chat/voice. If working towards a perk or endgame, your character's life should mean more, and you would try to talk your way out of a situation, or team up. This should help mitigate antisocial effects that are present in the current state of DayZ, which is pretty close to a deathmatch between players.

However, if people want to be bandits, they still can. (More on that later.)

Sample survivor perks (Some perks cost more, based on tier – tier 1 is 100 kills, tier 2 is 150/200 kills)

Undead Slayer (Tier 1) +20% damage to zombies

Rugged (Tier 1) +400 Blood (Can be upgraded to a cap)

Bowyer (Tier 1) Able to craft bows (With hatchet and survival knife)

Gunsmith (Tier 2) Able to craft guns (Need toolbox and scrap metal)

Footpad (Tier 2) -1 to Audibility/Visibility to Zombies while running/crouched

Can adds tons, these are just examples.

Bandits should get perks as well. However, as the bandit gets more powerful, they may reconsider risky behavior that may put them at unnecessary risk.

Per 20-50? player kills, bandits can choose perks such as:

Heathen (Tier 1) +400 Blood (Can be upgraded to a cap)

Assassin (Tier 1) +20% damage to humans

etc - tons can be added

Bandit kills should give the best perks as they are rare in this state of the game, but more importantly to encourage a form of justice and law enforcement amongst players. Maybe something like per 2-5 bandit kills = perk, which can be refined as feedback/stats are gathered.

Of course, all numbers can be adjusted. I'm just looking for a mechanic to encourage cooperation between players, and spice things up for those Bandits that truly want to stand out.

[MinxinG 50]

It's kinda COD stuff, but it's actually another way to not make people kill others on sight.

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

No, on every single level, just no. Every single day there is a suggestion that involves levelling or classes. Your idea is ripped straight from Fallout. This game hasn't become so poular by copying anyone else.

No offence, I'm just sick of these ideas that miss the point of the game entirely.

*edit* - Also I fail to see how murdering will become less beneficial by giving Bandits perks for achieving more player kills

Edited July 21, 2012 by Fraggle

[Flawed 26]

I don't want classes or levels, I just want a mechanic that will try to encourage cooperation. If your character lasts long enough, should he not learn something in return? No offense, but I don't think I miss the point of this game. On the contrary, I'm trying to improve upon it - unless you mean the point of the game is to be like Quake or Unreal Tournament?

[g4m3rz925 5]

No, we don't players getting unrealistic advantages such as "perks" like additional health or better damage towards different entities over others. It's a zombie apocalypse survival mod that we "the players" would like to keep as realistic as possible in a way that maintains balanced gameplay. No offence.

Although I like the idea you have about crafting weapons, perhaps it can be suggested in as a different mechanic like something a player must learn himself and work upon while using certain tools in each single life, but I don't know, could be complicated.

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

I don't want classes or levels, I just want a mechanic that will try to encourage cooperation. If your character lasts long enough, should he not learn something in return? No offense, but I don't think I miss the point of this game. On the contrary, I'm trying to improve upon it - unless you mean the point of the game is to be like Quake or Unreal Tournament?

Gaining "perks" is another word for levelling. We learn as we play the game, not our "character". Also, sending a player down a certain path like Bandit or Survivor is way to restrictive and it's not always black and white. I play as a survivor yet the other night I "mudered" 5 people who were ambushing me. Does that make me a survivor or a bandit?

You haven't responded to the point I made about rewarding Bandits for murdering people with perks and how this won't encourage killing. You'll end up with new players running round slaughtering people more so than now because they will want to quickly level up (get perks).

Again, no, on every level. Keep thinking though, I just don't think this idea has legs.

Edited July 21, 2012 by Fraggle

[andris.orinskis@gmail.com 26]

I believe people should be able to learn some skills while living through DayZ environment.

Not like extra blood or damage, you can't make your bullets fly faster, hit stronger, or to grow yourself a blood bag.

What u can do, is to learn to read a tracks. Human/vehicle tracks. e.g. every day you live you can see tracks that are extra 5 minutes old (1 day - 5 minutes. 2 days - 10 minutes etc.)

U can learn to hide your footsteps (different parts of soil/grass are affected in different way - soft grounds will show your footsteps for much longer than dry soil. Paved roads will only show your first ~20 steps after you leave grass/soil - first steps will leave dirt/wet traces)

U can learn to use a grenades/explosives to rig/disarm a trap (a way to make car-jacking and tent-looting more risky and difficult than now). Say after you have used 20 explosives u can rig a bomb. After u have rigged 50 bombs you know how to disarm them safely.

You can learn better to avoid Zeds. Say after you killed more than 500 zeds you learn how to distract them (lure away from your path. Now u can do that using flares/junk, but you must carry some all the time, and it's EXTREMELY hard to aim when throwing objects!)

You can learn to use residential/military/industrial scrap to craft a radio-scanner that will help to trace crashed helis (I guess most of military vehicles have some kind of distress beacons built into them anyway). I have no idea how to train that skill though. :)

And, the most important - you can only learn ONE skill. This will motivate players to gather into gangs to help them to survive better.

[jesquik 75]

No, on every single level, just no. Every single day there is a suggestion that involves levelling or classes. Your idea is ripped straight from Fallout. This game hasn't become so poular by copying anyone else.

No offence, I'm just sick of these ideas that miss the point of the game entirely.

*edit* - Also I fail to see how murdering will become less beneficial by giving Bandits perks for achieving more player kills

While I mostly agree with you on this, I think that it would be beneficial for players to have to learn certain crafting/repair/medic skills that allow them to be better equipped to help other players. With those skills comes identifying marks - masks over face for a medic, wrench on your belt for a mechanic... Skills can be learned from books.

I think it fits in line with the atmosphere of the game, and makes people worth more than just their equipment - which is what the OP is hoping to achieve ( I believe ).

[fundan@gmx.de 82]

Last 2 posts make sense. Plus rarer loot generally. Adding map in parts. Same with guns. Even ammunition. It should take like a week (ingame time) to get some proper equipment. Not 15 minutes running careless thru the map like Crazy.

[highpanda 3]

To hard for new players, but it makes sence

[Flawed 26]

Gaining "perks" is another word for levelling. We learn as we play the game, not our "character". Also, sending a player down a certain path like Bandit or Survivor is way to restrictive and it's not always black and white. I play as a survivor yet the other night I "mudered" 5 people who were ambushing me. Does that make me a survivor or a bandit?

You haven't responded to the point I made about rewarding Bandits for murdering people with perks and how this won't encourage killing. You'll end up with new players running round slaughtering people more so than now because they will want to quickly level up (get perks).

Again, no, on every level. Keep thinking though, I just don't think this idea has legs.

As I said in the original post - by getting a perk, the bandit may value his life more than he did before (longevity vs simple deathmatch respawn) He may reconsider shooting the pair of survivors he sees, because in case he misses one, hey may get shot on the return and lose that character that he values more than before.

The ideas I had for perks were just quick examples, of course they can be changed. Some of the ones that have been suggested in this thread are far better than mine.

[vision1776 42]

I like a similar idea but where players start with a skill. Not necessarily giving advantages to damage, health, or speed but that allows players to do things like fire starting without matches or building arrows out of the forest, things of that nature. These skills can be passed from player to encourage team work and interaction.

None of the skillz should give an advatage to health, damage or speed but just be realistic survival skills.

Im not talking about a skill tree either. I dont like having to level up either because my leveling up and experience happens by playing the game and not getting more kills or things like that.

In real life, the transfer of knowledge and information will be a big reason to interact with other people.

Edited July 21, 2012 by VISION305

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

As I said in the original post - by getting a perk, the bandit may value his life more than he did before (longevity vs simple deathmatch respawn) He may reconsider shooting the pair of survivors he sees, because in case he misses one, hey may get shot on the return and lose that character that he values more than before.

The ideas I had for perks were just quick examples, of course they can be changed. Some of the ones that have been suggested in this thread are far better than mine.

Maybe once he has many perks he may think about risking himself. Unfortunatley to get those perks he has to "Grind". This can only result in new players slaughtering everyone they see to level up (get perks) as quickly as possible. Also I just don't think any type of levelling fits the game. It is you, your weapons and your friends if you are lucky, versus the envoironment.

[jetao2008@hotmail.com 175]

These suggestions, god...

My opinion regarding the suggestion: NO. Hell no.

[jesquik 75]

These suggestions, god...

My opinion regarding the suggestion: NO. Hell no.

So nice of you to make a reasonable argument on your behalf. Now we know how clever and competent you are! Good work.

[vision1776 42]

This will promote killing unarmed players at the coasts by bandits looking to level up. thats why I say no. But I do like the idea of obtaining and trading skills not perks.

[Thom_Dee 9]

I think perks take away from the "players skill" required to survive, if you can read maps and know how to conceal yourself its on you not some quasi-mystical perk given by the game engine. I'm all for things that make the community work together (damn bandits) but I think they need to come naturally from the community rather than being artificially introduced. I'm sure this is something that they'll be looking at for now, while it's in alpha I'll just be glad when they've worked out the kinks with the z's.

Edited July 21, 2012 by Thom_Dee

[Denkkraft 4]

i dont like the idea of adding any sort of skills/perks

-1

[finalstraw 193]

Too "gamey" for DayZ methinks.

[Flawed 26]

Maybe once he has many perks he may think about risking himself. Unfortunatley to get those perks he has to "Grind". This can only result in new players slaughtering everyone they see to level up (get perks) as quickly as possible. Also I just don't think any type of levelling fits the game. It is you, your weapons and your friends if you are lucky, versus the envoironment.

Bandits already slaughter everyone they see. I get killed more often from Bandits than I do by zombies, and these are on characters that last several days, with many zombies killed. I don't know what else to suggest, because if you don't give bandits something while giving something to survivors, the bandit side of the community will cry foul. As it stands now, I try to communicate with others in the game, but nine times out of ten, I end up shooting them dead, or I respawn due to them killing me. To me, that just screams deathmatch.

Edited July 21, 2012 by Flawed

[4L4N 276]

Thread locked.

Some good and bad points raised. But there is many other similar threads on this topic already.