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What I feel Day Z is missing

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So I may be slightly biased because I've been nursing an idea of a zombie mmo very similar to this for months now, but I feel that there is something missing at the moment. An in depth crafting system. Now I dont know if this is even remotely possible in the arma engine, but it would greatly enhance the game.

A crafting system would allow you to craft everything from simple tools to (with the right machinery and skills) guns and ammunition. It would also be possible to build permament fortifications. by crafting various barricades etc.

Mostly, however, it would give a reason for people to stick together rather than just deathmatch it out. If bob can craft fortifications and john can craft various tools, they would both benefit from sticking together instead of just shooting eachother on sight.

What are your thoughts on a system like this in a zombie survival game like this?

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You never know what they might add in the future, I'm just hoping for a leveling up system. That way when we spend countless hours just to die we at least gain something out of it.

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A levelling up system would be ridiculous... what would you level up in a game like Arma?

And one of the main points of the game is permadeath. Half the fun is with the emotions created knowing that just round the corner could be the end to hours and hours of gameplay - If that changed then it would in my opinion, completely ruin the game. If people can't deal with losing all their "hard work" by someone killing them, you should probably all go back to playing Call of Duty.

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would work. but will be hard to implement

Should definately be possible. CityLife RPG has a crafting system, called the 'factory' where you put in items that turn into something new.

E.g. metal + magnet strips + c4 turned into a bomb or so.

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Personally I'm not a fan of any kind of levelling, what I love now is that experience and equipment is what give you the edge in most situations. Death can be very frustrating but I don't think of it as a waste of the last x number of hours.

Barricades would be a nice touch, whether to fortify from zeds or just safely light a fire while sat indoors out of the rain.

In regards to progress I would like to be able to stash equipment without the need of a tent etc.

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Crafting yes, levelling up no. This game dosent need level ups, its a zombie survival sandbox, do what you want. You dont want to be tied down with what you can shoot by your level.

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I dont think anyone is somehow suggesting a tradtional rpg level system. You would however need to level up your crafting skills, choosing to specialize in certain things. Thats one of the core parts of the idea. If everyone could make everything at every time, the community building aspect of it would be lost.

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A levelling up system would be ridiculous... what would you level up in a game like Arma?

I agree with you on the surface, but to play devil's advocate there are certainly ways I can see "leveling up" being incorporated without upsetting the immersion, realism or sandboxiness.

Best example I can think of off the top of my head is improving your ability to butcher animals. I have no idea how to butcher an animal. If I tried, I would probably ruin some of the meat. But if I practiced, and my very survival depended on it, I would probably get better with each passing attempt (i.e., increasing the amount of raw steak acquired from animal caracasses as my skills improve).

Medics could apply bandages and give blood transfusions faster.

You could increase your athleticism over time by eating regularly and running long distances - reducing reticule wander from exhaustion, increasing recovery time, or even eventually increasing run speed slightly.

etc., etc. I think there are ways to incorporate slight and subtle differences in player abilities - and doing so might add some interesting variety and secondary goals to the game.

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A levelling up system would be ridiculous... what would you level up in a game like Arma?

I agree with you on the surface' date=' but to play devil's advocate there are certainly ways I can see "leveling up" being incorporated without upsetting the immersion, realism or sandboxiness.

Best example I can think of off the top of my head is improving your ability to butcher animals. I have no idea how to butcher an animal. If I tried, I would probably ruin some of the meat. But if I practiced, and my very survival depended on it, I would probably get better with each passing attempt (i.e., increasing the amount of raw steak acquired from animal caracasses as my skills improve).

Medics could apply bandages and give blood transfusions faster.

You could increase your athleticism over time by eating regularly and running long distances - reducing reticule wander from exhaustion, increasing recovery time, or even eventually increasing run speed slightly.

etc., etc. I think there are ways to incorporate slight and subtle differences in player abilities - and doing so might add some interesting variety and secondary goals to the game.

[/quote']

I stand corrected. These may have a place in DayZ, it depends how long it takes for skills to improve and if it's a system worth implementing as when you die, you will have to lose these skills as well - because when respawning you're essentially a new character. If you were to keep these skills afterwards, it again goes against the permadeath element of the game.

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Crafting items is a good idea for a survival simulation like Dayz. I suggest also repair/broke system for items, so people need to fix weapons and items. Some kind of "health system" but for items

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A levelling up system would be ridiculous... what would you level up in a game like Arma?

I agree with you on the surface' date=' but to play devil's advocate there are certainly ways I can see "leveling up" being incorporated without upsetting the immersion, realism or sandboxiness.

Best example I can think of off the top of my head is improving your ability to butcher animals. I have no idea how to butcher an animal. If I tried, I would probably ruin some of the meat. But if I practiced, and my very survival depended on it, I would probably get better with each passing attempt (i.e., increasing the amount of raw steak acquired from animal caracasses as my skills improve).

Medics could apply bandages and give blood transfusions faster.

You could increase your athleticism over time by eating regularly and running long distances - reducing reticule wander from exhaustion, increasing recovery time, or even eventually increasing run speed slightly.

etc., etc. I think there are ways to incorporate slight and subtle differences in player abilities - and doing so might add some interesting variety and secondary goals to the game.

[/quote']

This sounds awesome, given that you still lose these perks when you die.

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A levelling up system would be ridiculous... what would you level up in a game like Arma?

You do realise that there are other ways of implementing a "levelling system" without having shit like xp and actual levels?

In fact, it might shock you to know, that Rocket himself actually wants to add some sort of a character progress system to DayZ, the main idea being that people could diversify with out of combat abilities that would promote teamwork, like someone getting better as a medic for example.

Would be especially awesome if it went hand in hand with some kind of a crafting system.

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Yeah, I don't mind the 'levelling up at Pockets described it but only if those bonuses disappear on death. Sure, dying is bad enough, you lose your position, your gear and your zombiekills/murders/playtime...but you throw in losing bonuses like those? It makes the experience so much more tense. And it gives those players who've managed to survive longer (and obviously build up said bonuses) something to be proud of.

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A levelling up system would be ridiculous... what would you level up in a game like Arma?

You do realise that there are other ways of implementing a "levelling system" without having shit like xp and actual levels?

In fact' date=' it might shock you to know, that Rocket himself actually wants to add some sort of a character progress system to DayZ, the main idea being that people could diversify with out of combat abilities that would promote teamwork, like someone getting better as a medic for example.

Would be especially awesome if it went hand in hand with some kind of a crafting system.

[/quote']

I said in my previous post that I stood corrected, and can possibly see the potential for it. But still, if it were implemented you would have to lose all your skills on death. Which leads me on to how long would it take to get good at something? As people don't last too long at dayz, and it might just be a waste of time... You could implement a "class" system to get around this or selecting some refined skills when you spawn, but we start heading the wrong direction then, turning the game away from its brutal, gritty survival game into a deathmatch shooter like Call of Duty.

I think a better way on expanding on teamwork and building a community would be having more things like the bloodpack. Where you require more than one person to do something... like repairing a vehicle or whatever.

I do completely agree with a crafting system though.

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Leveling up is gay and doesn't belong in ArmA.

You already have the tools to be a medic or a marksman, or a hunter, or a pro scavenger or a zombie hunter or a builder or whatever.

The tools are already there for you to pick a role and change whenever you want to. The problem is that the game is overrun with individuals.

I rarely see groups of more than 2 or 3 and we will never create a society or be able to isolate character types until people actually start playing like they can be something more than an individual.

The only reason my group hasn't really tried to make a big FOB or take over an area and make it a safe zone is because it's still really early in development and hell most of us died on the AF over the weekend and half our tents have vanished by now.

I don't know why you need special abilities or leveling up bonuses when just doing the act should be enough.

You want an XP counter? You have one, it tells you what day your character is on when you log in. Days spent alive is the only measure of success in Day Z.

That is until a clear break between the civilized, the undead and the social outcasts is made.

Only more burdens and fewer resources will drive us to this end.

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Needs more attention to the social aspect of the game. And this probably wont get any leveing and shit like that. Its not your ordinary game this. GO play KF, L4d, Dead island for that stuff.

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Crafting is possible in DayZ. I mean, it can be done. Not in full depth like a MMO, but still.

Take a look at the " new " fireplaces in 1.5.8. It requires an item ( wood ) and another item ( matches ) to create a fireplace.

And that is crafting. A very small craft but, again, as you can see it's doable.

Like finding part of broken weapons, etc, there's a ton of possibilities. A fuckton.

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Gabriel's right on the money: It is clear that the 'fireplace' type of crafting will be built upon. Crafting will always be simple in DayZ. You won't be making weapons. You'll be making the basic tools to survive and last, and doing so with natural flow. There won't be some kind of 'recipe' system: All crafting will be very, very self evident.

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This isn't fallout.

Next please.

Because adding depth to a' date=' currently, rather shallow game is such a horrible idea right?

Gabriel's right on the money: It is clear that the 'fireplace' type of crafting will be built upon. Crafting will always be simple in DayZ. You won't be making weapons. You'll be making the basic tools to survive and last, and doing so with natural flow. There won't be some kind of 'recipe' system: All crafting will be very, very self evident.

Yea I doubt my ideas could be implemented in the arma engine tbh. However I still think the concept is sound for a zombie survival mmo. The main thing that Day Z is lacking is some sort of goal to work towards. Once you've got a decent set of gear the only goal you have is finding some more food and water. With a robust crafting system in place you could start working towards settling down in a more permanent base Certain areas such as possibly hospitals, power stations, factories etc, would be sought after locations, and you would have a more goal oriented type of pvp instead of just shooting random people for their beans. Groups of roaming bandits would also have targets to raid.

But yea, this is way outside of the scope of a mod at this point though. Maybe I'll one day get to realize my idea for the perfect zombie mmo :D

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I would like to see some type of customizable weapon system. Would hurt a little more when someone dies and would increase the different type of weapons in the game.

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I think there is already some sort of "working together" crafting element with the cars and helicopters. I saw a youtube video of some crew hauling gasoline to a Huey and flying it around (for whatever purpose).

I personally think that any sort of leveling or skill development would have significant impact on the immersion. It would only shift focus from trying to survive to farming skills. To me, it is rewarding enough to see the brief text on the right bottom corner when logging on to a server change from Day 0 to Day 1 and so on.. It is more about being creative in the environment and evaluating the risks against the rewards (e.g. should I take the risk of going to NW airfield to try and find an assault rifle when I have plenty of ammo for my Winchester). For me, it is about trying to play it smart, focusing not to take any unnecessary risks, thinking and planning movements and how to deal with zeds and bandits. IMO, the game is entertaining enough without skill levels and character development.

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I'm okay with crafting but progression systems generally cause people to "farm" their skills instead of playing naturally. I wouldn't like to see "skin X animals to level up your hunting abilities" because we'd end up with people murdering every animal they come across just for points.

Maybe if you learnt skills purely by surviving X number of days it wouldn't cause people to act much different than they do now. For example you could gain one skill point per day to invest in purely non-combat skills. The skills would be stuff like skinning, medicine, weapon maintenance, vehicle repair etc.

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