Why we need MANY more zombies... and in the wilderness too

[LondonHyena 7]

Why we have Bandits

An Essay by LondonHyena, age 28 and 3/4.

Note: This is an opinion, my opinion, please don't get a rage-boner

Before I go into too much depth I want all the stoic anti-bandit Survivors to picture this:

So you win the argument and Bandits dissapear, PVP as you know it ends and rainbows and zombie-kittens parade across the landscape.

You join a new server with a few friends and start from the beginning, you gather your supplies with ease in the large cities, popping off Zack when he shows his head with ease with good co-ordination. Aside from a hilarious mishap where another Survivor mistook you for Zack (which of course did no harm) there's no incident.

In fact now there's no one shooting you, you get your maps and compasses with ease and make your way up north with your Winchesters and optimism of the adventure to come, shoving whatever you come across in your ALICE.

Along the way you stop off at a Barn, and due to a mishap one of your friends gets his head eaten. 'Not to worry!' you think 'He can just come meet us up here, no worries about being shot now!'.

As you head north, quaffing your bottles of water, you end up at the airfield and grab yourself some nice hardware, a few rifles and even a SAW! Zack wont stand a chance now.

Eventually you cross the map, raining down lead death on your undead foe leaving nothing standing in your wake, you even have the time to fix up a car since you no longer have to worry about getting the bits for it without getting picked off.

As the days progress, you get your helicopter fixed up and amass enough gear to keep a civil war going forever, but your numbers are starting to thin. Some people are complaining that the games got dull. A few people have deliberatly respawned to try and catch that thrill once more of getting new things, but its just not as good.

Gradually each day there seems to be fewer and fewer servers, more empty slots appearing on them. Zack is still around but now picking on him seems more like a chore then a challenge, you spend all day sitting in the middle of a field feeling completely safe.

Finally, one day, its enough. The games become dire, there is no sense of reward anymore. You log off, and play something more rewarding.

---

This is why Bandits, those players that you hate, that hunt you down and keep you miserable are required. Without them, you would have no challenge aside from Zack (who lets be honest, with a bit of skill isn't that threatening). You would have no issues getting the best gear, and in theory could stay alive indefinetly.

Everything in this game is mostly player driven, including the risk to your life. While you may protest against it, want to slap penalties against people that have the audacity to shoot you, those scornful people that take away all your hard earned gear... you need that.

You need to die now and then, you need the risk of losing everything in a brief few seconds to keep you driven, to keep you watchful and actually interested in the game.

As awful as it is, those deathmatches in the coast, the snipers in the North are what drive you to keep playing. Reward only comes with Risk, without it you are basically just being given everything on a silver platter and left to shoot at mindless AI that is predictable and dull.

So please, remember while you sit on the forums demanding that Bandits be given things like longer spawn times, less gear, harsher penalties.. you are only punishing those that continue to make your game unpredictable and in a twisted way, enjoyable.

[css_god@yahoo.com 543]

You're not helping by making more threads like this regardless of what side of the fence you are on, you do realize that right? It just brings even more attention to this already overly discussed and annoying topic.

P.S. Carebears is one of the dumbest terms I have ever heard in my life in relation to people having an opposing opinion and it should die just as much as this topic.

[LondonHyena 7]

Every other thread is people whining about Banditry and PVP, im offering the flip side.

[css_god@yahoo.com 543]

Every other thread is people whining about Banditry and PVP' date=' im offering the flip side.

[/quote']It's just stupid and repetitive shit though, they know how we feel and why, we know how they feel and why. No one is changing anyones minds on the subject and things are what they are.

It's an extremely pointless circular discussion and people will continue to think what they will regardless of how much others hammer them. People have opposing views and opinions, big fucking surprise....

You guys need to deal with it and to be honest your counter complaining is actually far worse than their initial complaining.

[Zoop 343]

This, I absolutely agree with. The people complaining about bandits and clamoring to get them nerfed are the cancer that's trying to kill the mod. As it stands now, the game is perfectly balanced. Nobody needs to be punished for being a survivor or a bandit.

[pack.wolf 0]

+rep. It's an opinion post, and it's well written. You can disagree with it, but you can't prove it wrong.

Spawning is broken and can be exploited by both survivors and bandits. Only removing bandits/only rewarding survivors will not fix it.

[LondonHyena 7]

Ok Nya, well people are allowed to express opinions just like you did, you expressed your point well.

[mehillus 0]

P.S. Carebears is one of the dumbest terms I have ever heard in my life in relation to people having an opposing opinion and it should die just as much as this topic.

If i may so interject, a Carebear would be one opposed to Player versus Player activities.

[LondonHyena 7]

Just so all know, if you cant tell by the tone of my post, most of it is tongue in cheek so feel free to not get a stick up your arse about it.

If it somehow manages to offend you and incite rage, apologies, not intended.

[css_god@yahoo.com 543]

Ok Nya' date=' well people are allowed to express opinions just like you did, you expressed your point well.

[/quote']Exactly that is my opinion on this subject in general and it's just as valid as anyone else's. These are all opinions and this entire subject is completely subjective but the people opposed to your views are somehow wrong?

Contradictions up the ass.....

The FACT of the matter is it's a pointless discussion. None of us have any sway on what direction things are going to go and rocket is well aware of how everyone feels on both sides of things. Further discussion of this subject on any level serves absolutely no point and is just a means of trying to force personal ideology on others like you are right and they are wrong when it's entirely subjective to the individual, no one is right or wrong.

[Zoop 343]

If i may so interject' date=' a Carebear would be one opposed to Player versus Player activities.

[/quote']

It includes those players, but goes further than that as well. It's basically everyone that whines because the game is 'teh hardz' and should be changed.

Ironically, sometimes I feel the game is too easy.

[Drake Sigar 9]

You join a server and try to start a group, but are casually shot down by snipers watching your messages or the people you were meeting. "Solo it is" you say, since your only friends can't join your full server and the direct chats aren't working.

You head north, quaffing your bottles of water, and end up at the airfield to grab yourself some nice hardware. Unfortunately you are greeted by the sight of tin cans and barbed fences sectioning off important areas.

Your spirits rise when someone claims they've found a car in Zele. When you announce your precense and say you bring gas cans, he immediately tries to shoot you in the face. Luckily you were faster, and find on his body a hunting knife & matches. You head to the forest to live the next few days in total isolation.

As the days progress, you are reminded of the movie Groundhog Day in which Bill Murray is forced to repeat the same tiresome experience over and over until he tries to kill himself, yet even that won't end his suffering. Server numbers are starting to thin, a good opportunity for your friends to finally join you if they didn't already think Day Z: Deathmatch had run it's course.

Finally, one day, its enough. The game becomes dire, there's no incentive to leave the empty forests. You log off, and play something more rewarding.

But not Diablo 3, because it blows.

Now, this might not necessarily be what I believe (except the Diablo 3 part), but what makes this story less plausible than yours? :P

[LondonHyena 7]

Nya:

http://www.tampax.co.uk :rolleyes:

Rest of you:

Thank you for not going beserk for no reason

Drake:

Nice :p

[css_god@yahoo.com 543]

Nya:

http://www.tampax.co.uk :rolleyes:

Rest of you:

Thank you for not going beserk for no reason

Drake:

Nice :p

It's called using logical diction, just because you don't like what someone has to say when they are pointing out the reality of things does not mean they are going "beserk", you just don't like hearing things as they are.

[Mutonizer 78]

Every other thread is people whining about Banditry and PVP, im offering the flip side.

Actually, from what I've seen so far, most people don't have issues with bandits per se, they have issues with people killing for nothing but their own fun (or ruin others).

- Being held up or shot (not killed), for a reason that is logical to the context in the mod, is great. That brings immersion, social tension and overall, I believe people love it.

- Being killed for absolutely no logical reason within the context of the mod, is aggravating because it totally breaks any sense of what the mod is trying to do, that experiment rocket talks about, the immersion. You can spot these very easily: they spawn, rush anywhere, kill whoever, and usually die after a couple kills in some stupid fashion, then respawn, and redo it all over again. They don't give a damn if their character lives or die, it's like BF3...with zombies and a bigger map.

And that's the main issue, not bandits, not pvp but who/what breaks immersion and who/what doesn't.

To me, people who wants PvP free servers are just like people killing everyone on sight for fun, they just don't get the concept behind the mod. People in between (bandits and survivors alike), are people who understand that and care about their characters (roleplay it if you want) because the mod plays around it. Hopefully, the more hardcore the mod gets (temperature, etc), the more people who are just here for the mod concept, will stay, while the others will get tired.

There's an easy test: Would you rather be held up and give up all your gear, leaving you with nothing whatsoever but still alive, or have your character die.

Personally, I choose to live...

As a note, I always considered carebears to be players who just don't out of their way to screw up other players, or find their only fun in games through griefing others. I never saw it as a negative term really, on the contrary. And since I consider myself a carebear and yet love PvP environment, I never saw the two as opposites.

[worbat 13]

Finally' date=' one day, its enough. The game becomes dire, there's no incentive to leave the empty forests. So you change mindset, you head back north to the airfield and wait, soon enough the fellow that owns the maze of wire logs on and you trace his movements through the tangle of barbs. Grinning you shooting him in the back of the head and proceed to eat all his gear and weapons. You notice a UAZ is parked by the wall, originaly hidden from view. Climbing in you take great joy in crushing all the wire, shouting in side "THE NW AIRFIELD SHOULD BE FREE, WHY WOULD YOU CAGE THIS WONDERFULL BEAST." Slowly they come but soon most of the server is here at the airfield in one glorious battle. You sit there on the hillside grinning, watching and chomping on some beans. Pulling out your trusty CZ you take aim. Today is a good day.

[/quote']

Fix'd :)

[Zoop 343]

You join a server and try to start a group' date=' but are casually shot down by snipers watching your messages or the people you were meeting. "Solo it is" you say, since your only friends can't join your full server and the direct chats aren't working.

You head north, quaffing your bottles of water, and end up at the airfield to grab yourself some nice hardware. Unfortunately you are greeted by the sight of tin cans and barbed fences sectioning off important areas.

Your spirits rise when someone claims they've found a car in Zele. When you announce your precense and say you bring gas cans, he immediately tries to shoot you in the face. Luckily you were faster, and find on his body a hunting knife & matches. You head to the forest to live the next few days in total isolation.

As the days progress, you are reminded of the movie Groundhog Day in which Bill Murray is forced to repeat the same tiresome experience over and over until he tries to kill himself, yet even that won't end his suffering. Server numbers are starting to thin, a good opportunity for your friends to finally join you if they didn't already think Day Z: Deathmatch had run it's course.

Finally, one day, its enough. The game becomes dire, there's no incentive to leave the empty forests. You log off, and play something more rewarding.

But not Diablo 3, because it blows.

Now, this might not necessarily be what I believe (except the Diablo 3 part), but what makes this story less plausible than yours? :P

[/quote']

In both your examples you are clearly being careless (announcing your intentions in chat for the world to see, and heading for total strangers), so it's your own fault you get killed. Can't blame the game for being 'dull' if you're being careless.

[MythicProportions 1]

Too many threads about bandits. Only the minority whines about it anyway.

[Pallidum 33]

You join a server and try to start a group' date=' but are casually shot down by snipers watching your messages or the people you were meeting. "Solo it is" you say, since your only friends can't join your full server and the direct chats aren't working.

[/quote']

Don't announce your intentions in side chat. That's tantamount to going out in a field and scream "shoot me". Join up with a survivors group instead, one with out of game voicecomms for you to coordinate a meetup with.

Also, my friends have surprisingly little problem getting onto servers, even when there's over a dozen of us. It just takes a little bit of patience.

You head north' date=' quaffing your bottles of water, and end up at the airfield to grab yourself some nice hardware. Unfortunately you are greeted by the sight of tin cans and barbed fences sectioning off important areas.

[/quote']

The NW airfield is extremely dangerous. Don't go there unless you have a group that can provide good scouting, covering fire from multiple angles and know how to clear the area quickly.

Your spirits rise when someone claims they've found a car in Zele. When you announce your precense and say you bring gas cans' date=' he immediately tries to shoot you in the face. Luckily you were faster, and find on his body a hunting knife & matches. You head to the forest to live the next few days in total isolation.

[/quote']

I have some land to sell you in Florida.

Don't believe everything you hear, especially not someone who exclaim the discovery of a car in side chat. It's either a trap, upon which you'll get killed, or it's not. In the latter case, expect lots of bandits to converge on the area, making it a trap in the process.

As the days progress' date=' you are reminded of the movie Groundhog Day in which Bill Murray is forced to repeat the same tiresome experience over and over until he tries to kill himself, yet even that won't end his suffering. Server numbers are starting to thin, a good opportunity for your friends to finally join you if they didn't already think Day Z: Deathmatch had run it's course.

[/quote']

Nope, not for me. I'm still having fun, because of emergent gameplay. A lot of other people have the same kind of fun.

I hate to bring up the example again, but look at EVE Online. A game that was extremely buggy, laggy, prone to crashes and primitive as it launched. It had very little in terms of PvE content, that which was there was repetitive and unchallenging. Unlike many other MMOs, it didn't fail horribly in its first year, but has surprisingly enough gained popularity every year since its launch. The game will soon celebrate its tenth birthday. How many MMOs can lay claim to that fame?

The reason for why EVE Online succeeded was because of its sandbox nature, its harsh PVP, it's unforgiving nature, and the way the sandbox model encouraged players to create their own groups, alliances and empires.

And that is despite, or perhaps because of, a sandbox model that not only allowed but encouraged PVP, griefing, smacktalking, thefts, scams, betrayal, metagaming and drama.

Finally' date=' one day, its enough. The game becomes dire, there's no incentive to leave the empty forests. You log off, and play something more rewarding.

[/quote']

Yes. All games will eventually become boring, and we'll leave. Perhaps this will come sooner, perhaps later. However, a game where the players create their own stories will always find new players. These games tend to have the most dedicated followers, the fanatics that will spend thousands of dollars on multiple subscriptions, the zealots who will not only play the game, but also get massively involved in the community and, quite often, become developers of the game that brought them so much fun.

Now' date=' this might not necessarily be what I believe (except the Diablo 3 part), but what makes this story less plausible than yours? :P

[/quote']

Because it doesn't take human nature into consideration. You are looking at a scenario that only looks at one variable in the equation.

There are many of us who have seen what a sandbox environment can do. There are many of us who know what happens when you give the players the means to create their own story. Just look at what people do in games such as Minecraft, Dwarf Fortress, EVE Online and, now, DayZ.

Just look at the people who create marvelous structures in Minecraft or Dwarf Fortress. Heck, both of those games have had players create fully functional computers within the game world. Not because the game directed them to do so, but because the game gave them the tools, and the creativity of those players let them use those tools.

Or look at the players of EVE Online, who have created empires encompassing tens of thousands of players. Heck, one of the most illustrious of those groups were created by a player who, by holding the map upside down, accidentally became the neighbor of the group he most wanted to avoid, and ended up allying with them to create one of the strongest coalitions in the game.

That's the kind of emergent behavior that will ensure that DayZ will not die anytime soon, and is the reason for why bandits aren't a problem, but the reason for why this mod has succeeded this well.

Zealously,

Priest-Marshal Palli 'Preacher' Treponema

[Legacy (DayZ) 1091]

I really don't care whether bandits are to stay in the game or not, it's just extra challenge for me.

[qbert 4]

Nya:

http://www.tampax.co.uk :rolleyes:

Rest of you:

Thank you for not going beserk for no reason

Drake:

Nice :p

It's called using logical diction' date=' just because you don't like what someone has to say when they are pointing out the reality of things does not mean they are going "beserk", you just don't like hearing things as they are.

[/quote']

I'd call you berserk, every thread I see you in you're arguing with someone. Last time I argued something against you, you called me an internet-pirate for stating my opinion of whether piracy is different then physical theft. Though it's unrelated, I never got to reply to you for that. So yeah, check out my e-peen now.

[css_god@yahoo.com 543]

Nya:

http://www.tampax.co.uk :rolleyes:

Rest of you:

Thank you for not going beserk for no reason

Drake:

Nice :p

It's called using logical diction' date=' just because you don't like what someone has to say when they are pointing out the reality of things does not mean they are going "beserk", you just don't like hearing things as they are.

[/quote']

I'd call you berserk, every thread I see you in you're arguing with someone. Last time I argued something against you, you called me an internet-pirate for stating my opinion of whether piracy is different then physical theft. Though it's unrelated, I never got to reply to you for that. So yeah, check out my e-peen now.

Sorry if my realistic nature is too much for you to handle, if you can't handle the heat....

[Zoop 343]

I'd call you berserk' date=' every thread I see you in you're arguing with someone. Last time I argued something against you, you called me an internet-pirate for stating my opinion of whether piracy is different then physical theft. Though it's unrelated, I never got to reply to you for that. So yeah, check out my e-peen now.

[/quote']

He/She does seem to drag out arguments for way longer than necessary. Doesn't seem to know when to let go.

[css_god@yahoo.com 543]

He/She does seem to drag out arguments for way longer than necessary. Doesn't seem to know when to let go.

I don't like to leave things unresolved or in a state of logical fallacy, if you have issue with that then maybe a public forum on the Internet with thousands of different people, opinions and view points is not the place for you.

[qbert 4]

Nya:

http://www.tampax.co.uk :rolleyes:

Rest of you:

Thank you for not going beserk for no reason

Drake:

Nice :p

It's called using logical diction' date=' just because you don't like what someone has to say when they are pointing out the reality of things does not mean they are going "beserk", you just don't like hearing things as they are.

[/quote']

I'd call you berserk, every thread I see you in you're arguing with someone. Last time I argued something against you, you called me an internet-pirate for stating my opinion of whether piracy is different then physical theft. Though it's unrelated, I never got to reply to you for that. So yeah, check out my e-peen now.

Sorry if my realistic nature is too much for you to handle, if you can't handle the heat....

You know what? You're right, I'm wrong and my nature is too unrealistic and obviously you're always right. Your realistic nature is clearly the one truth in life and I think we can all learn something from you. Please, by all means, let me +rep you for every one of your posts as they are the only thing that humanity - as a responsible race, should follow.

Let this be a notice for all forum posters: Nya is the smartest of all of us and his/her arguments are clearly superior.

Happy now Nya?