Idea for crafting and base building (expanded) combined with serverhopping prevention

[TheBowski 2]

Both of these ideas tie in together with the end effect of enabling the creation of true free towns and player created strongholds.

Server hopping prevention

Though this topic has already been covered by the community at length, I would like to put forward my idea and explain how it ties in with a crafting and base building system.

Basically, as it is currently, logging off to escape a fight has no negative consequence. To prevent this cheap and unfair tactic, I present a solution that will penalize only people who mean to use the server hopping tactic to gain an unfair advantage over others.

To log off a server in the proper manner, you would be required to select a log off option from the mouse wheel menu. The game would only allow you to log off if you were a certain distance away from any buildings. This would mean that people couldn't keep barracks hopping to get more loot. They would have to leave the barracks, get a certain distance away, then choose the log off option. When the option is selected, a countdown is started. The player either kneels or sits while waiting for the log off wait period to end. When it ends, the player is kicked from the server. The animation would be interruptable at any time if action was required. If the animation was interrupted, the log off would be cancelled.

If the player chose to log off without selecting the option from the action menu, they would exit the game immediately as normal. However, due to their attempt to exploit the server persistence system, they would lose a random item from their backpack. If they continued to exploit the system, they would lose more and more items up to a maximum of four per disconnect. These items would not disappear completely from the world, they would drop where the player logged out. This could be explained in world as the player dropping them as they fled from enemies. This item dropping effect is very important.

With this implemented, players that lost connection could reenter the same server, pick up the stuff from where it was dropped, and log off correctly to find a more stable server. Anybody not exploiting the system, either through server hopping or fight disconnecting, would be able to easily regain their lost items. This would also provide a reward for those people whose victims disconnect. They would still have some loot to show for their efforts, even if they didn't get all of it.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this system and any potential downsides it may have or what the difficulty would be in implementing it.

Crafting and base building

With a full inventory of wood and a toolbox (and possibly nails, if those could be added), the player could create a workbench. The workbench would be placed similarly to a tent. The workbench would also have an inventory of its own, meaning the player would deposit the crafting supplies in the bench. When the supply requirements were met, they would target the bench and be given the option to take the crafted item, provided that they had the proper tools to craft it (usually just a toolbox and nails).

The player could create various barricades and objects at the workbench. I had two ideas specifically: wooden fences and wooden crates for storing items. Fences could be used to block windows and doors off to both zombies and players. With enough fence barricades, a group of players could construct a full encampment in the wilderness or barricade a house and set up a base there. Wooden crates could be created in various sizes depending on the amount of wood provided. They would function as static containers in much the say way tents do, except that they would hold a smaller amount of items, necessitating a larger number for efficient storage ability.

The reasons for wooden fences are twofold: first, they are logically sound, and second, they have a destruction system by default. Logical soundness is plainly visible. With wood an nails, fences could easily be constructed. They are high enough to keep players from easily shooting over them or seeing what is on the other side, but no so high that it is impossible to gain a vantage point to see the activity inside a base. The destruction system is an important part of the use of wooden fences. If they are rammed with a car or damaged by explosives, they fall down. This would ensure that survivor bases are not impenetrable. Combined with other defenses, they could make a very strong base, but it would never be invulnerable.

This ties in with the spawn, zombie, and loot systems. If a fence or workbench was placed, any houses within a 10 meter radius would not spawn zombies, affect player disconnect ability, or spawn loot. This means that, with enough barricades, a whole village could be freed from the zombie menace and a headquarters could be set up for groups. Members of these groups would be able to disconnect and reconnect safely and correctly in the base they have set up. The base would also be free of zombies, but the lack of loot would ensure that scavenging would still be necessary. They wouldn't be able to camp loot spots using barricades other base features. However, the ability to safely log out at these positions would allow them to severhop into areas with good loot, so the system is not perfect.

All in all, I think the introduction of these two features would solve the server hopping problem and enable the creation of true player strongholds. I am very interested to hear your thoughts on my proposals or suggestions to improve them. I do not think all of these ideas are outside the realm of possibility or abilities of the ARMA engine.

[motocross 49]

With the log out feature. I think that a ticker should be put in place for when you log out your character still stays in the game for 30 seconds or so, so if you alt f4 in a fire fight your dead. No invo losing shit.

[TheBowski 2]

With the log out feature. I think that a ticker should be put in place for when you log out your character still stays in the game for 30 seconds or so' date=' so if you alt f4 in a fire fight your dead. No invo losing shit.

[/quote']

No, I really don't think it should work this way. For one, there's the issue of differentiating between game crashes, disconnects, Alt-F4s, and quitting through the standard method. It isn't fair that people should die and lose hours of progress just because their game crashed or they lost connection with the server. Your idea puts too harsh a penalty on the act.

Perhaps a counter would be better. Each time you disconnect incorrectly, a ticker goes up that is linked to your profile. The game also tracks correct disconnects. If the higher the ratio of incorrect disconnects is to normal disconnects, the more stuff you lose. When it is very high, you can lose your entire backpack or main weapon/sidearm. But straight up killing other players for something that is possibly not their fault is far to harsh a consequence.

[Krisko 2]

The suggested method of server hopping prevention is way too aggressive in regards to item loss.

Instead, bring back the saved counter like in previous versions. It could count down from, say 10, when you stand still in a valid area (away from buildings). If you logoff without the counter having counted down, your character stays in the game until it does.

[TheBowski 2]

The suggested method of server hopping prevention is way too aggressive in regards to item loss.

Instead' date=' bring back the saved counter like in previous versions. It could count down from, say 10, when you stand still in a valid area (away from buildings). If you logoff without the counter having counted down, your character stays in the game until it does.

[/quote']

I'm not sure how feasible this is. I understand the idea, but logging out and player controlled character existence is all controlled by the Arma game, I seriously doubt your proposed system could be implemented. That's the advantage of my proposition: it only deals with inventory, which is controlled completely by the DayZ master server. This would allow my proposed system to be implemented much more easily than yours. I suppose your version would be functional if it still required the player to manually initiate logging off countdown. Otherwise, they could disconnect when fired upon in the countryside without any penalty.

Furthermore, I do not think the system is too aggressive. As long as you do not make a habit of disconnecting incorrectly, you do not stand to lose items. Even if you lose items, you can get them back if you lost connection. Hell, the game could see if you log back into the same server within, say, 15 minutes, and if you do, not count it against you for serverhopping. Of course, you would still lose the one item, but the number of items you lose wouldn't increase.

[therussiandong@hotmail.com 5]

Bumping this thread because I was going to make a thread of my own about crafting.

This is something that I would love to see in-game. Especially with the hatchet now, you can build a base somewhere by combining many many wood piles into fences, barricades, etc.

Put the hatchet and toolbox to work!!

[Fordo77 0]

I really like the base building idea. It would add a sort of "goal" to the game apart from basic survival and wandering. Player made structures could also "attract" zombies, so as not to make them complete safe zones. For instance, if you were able to completely seal off a town and rid it of zombies, zombies would spawn out of player sight and be attracted to the town (perhaps the scent of so much human stuff attracts them or something). This would create a need for constant defense, as the zombies would try to tear down the player built structures and kill the inhabitants inside.

[dharion@drahl.com 5]

Glad I see this post again, couldn't find it before.

Love this idea, added to wishlist.

[SilverWolf4 12]

Dozens of times have I entered a server hoping it was daylight, but to logout immediately upon discovery of it being a night server. Making it more difficult and adding a timer to logout will only make this sequence even more frustrating.

I like the idea of building your own fortress, but I think the construction system from arma2 should be used instead of your crafting bench idea. Also, I don't think building barracades will keep people out of your fort. Let's say I see your fortified house, and notice it's blocked off. I could switch servers, and walk in the front door of the same house without a barracade, disconnect and rejoin the other server and I would be inside your fort.

[TeaLeaf 5]

I see a flaw in the disconnect prevention system. Server crashes would take an item off of all 50 players, and the item would be lost, because the server crashed.

I like the way the construction system works though, was thinking of something similar but didn't really want it be a simple radius deal. That'd mean players are plonking fences down in totally odd places just for the no-spawn aura that they generate.

[UnAVA 1]

I like the base idea, but the flaw to it is that the servers will probably eventually get overflooded with everybody creating "objects" inside the server. Obviously I'm expecting that the bases don't disappear on a server restart because if it did there is no point of building one in the first place. But it would be a nice addition as long as it doesn't have any problems system wise.

For the DC prevention. I do not agree with the fact that you can lose a random item, mainly because I don't know how much times I've been disconnected from a server due to connection issues, whether it was my fault or the server. I do like the idea that you stay stationary for 10 seconds or so even after you try to disconnect so that it prevents running away (don't get me wrong I never kill anybody other than people who start firing at me first). I think if the 10 second count down is not possible with Alt+F4 exits, just leave it be, and just implement the normal 10 second count down exit.