Goal Implementation

[ronca23 0]

OK, so I'm sure I can't be the only one who has thought of this before.

I have been playing for 3 weeks to a month now and I gotta say, I think this game(Mod) is just a trend. Yes it's in alpha but I just can't really see much reason to play this as much as I play some other games.

I think it is because of this reason. There is no goal.

Now I'm not talking like a big bad-ass super zombie horde end-game. I'm talking like and RPG style side quest system. For example, When you get your first primary weapon, the random objective system comes in. You recieve a random task to complete. Nothing like, "Kill 100 zombies" but, "visit the ________ in ________ and search for some ammunition." A system to let the player know what he/she should do next and it'll help let new players find there way around and learn the game faster.

I've comprised a small list of some objectives that would be viable.

Low on medical s

upplies -

Visit the ________ in _________ and get some __________

Low on ammunition -

Visit the _________ in _________ and search for [your weapon ammo]

Water getting low, no water in pack -

You need water, find a well in [nearby town with well] (same with food)

This would not only have to be used as a warning system for when you're low on supplies. It can be used as an actual goal system. placing priorities above others. What you need > upgrades.

So let's say I'm good on ammo, food, water, and meds. What do I do now?

You should find a better weapon at _________ it's [direction] from you.

Not something that tells you to go across the map, but points you to a nearby location that spawns an item in that category.

If you think this is stupid, explain yourself. I don't want any "I play hardc0re dude, that's just stupid. noobs should'nt play DayZ anyway."

If you think this is a good idea, please, present a few more objectives. Or really anything to contribute.

[Colonel Shade. 19]

No.... Just no...

[Bobcomss 189]

I dont think you understand the point of a "sandbox"

Make the game your own, if you need to be guided everywhere you go...then sadly this is not the game for you :)

Not being harsh...just reading through the lines of what you posted...plenty of games that give you what you need (:

[Fitzkrieg 129]

I say you should just wait for WarZ that'll probably be more your style.

[Bobcomss 189]

I say you should just wait for WarZ that'll probably be more your style.

Yeah from what I been reading, I will give it a go either way to get a fair comparison....but I am thinking it will be like "Dead Island" but open world?

[Fitzkrieg 129]

Yeah from what I been reading, I will give it a go either way to get a fair comparison....but I am thinking it will be like "Dead Island" but open world?

Naw Dead Island was a a let down tbh. I'm thinking it'll be more of a third person type game, kinda MMO. I'm not going to get it but that doesn't mean you shouldn't

[Mos1ey 6301]

In DayZ your goal is to survive. I'm sure it will be made more difficult and more end game content will be added as the mod progresses.

[zombiejun 13]

it's supposed to be a realistic survival game, you wouldn't get quests from the guy in the skies if it was real life^^

[Frozen (DayZ) 144]

well the ultimate goal for this kind of games, is to GTFO and call the military to nuke the fucking place. but this will ruin the game.

if Rocket will decide to add some goals, they shouldnt be mandatory, just to distract players from killing each other.

[ryokukitsune 5]

I think this game is fine without a set of rules to play by, goals included but for the sake of discussion I'll throw something out. To all the haters I'M JUST SPITBALLING HERE. Have a set of tournament ladder servers that are based around the humanity system. You can't progress between servers unless you A ) complete a set of tasks to improving your odds for survival and B ) keep a neutral or positive humanity rating. Though you could go bandit on any server you'd have to get your humanity back up to neutral to fulfill any servers main goal, “Escape Chernaruse”

in Day Z the difficulty rating doesn’t mean dickens unless you are some purist who would rather play without the crosshairs or third person but in the ladder system they would actually determine the difficulty of survival as a player progressed threw the PVE servers to the main PVP tier [expert mode] on each server the tasks would be to collect equipment that slightly increased your chances of survival in the future and if you managed to lose anything along the way about the only way you'd get it back would be to rob other players as you couldn't return to lower level servers once you left.

On easy/recruit the zombies would be sparse and the basic equipment be easier to find. Canned food and a hatchet/crowbar would be the “quest” items to find but you could also find a few other odds and ends like matches and a watch. On “normal” you'd need to get fire arms and zombies would be more prevalent and a little harder. Your goal on these servers would be to get a primary and a secondary weapon but while you are there the un listed objective would be to get a compass and a map, the hard servers would be where you start stalking up on mil-speck equipment but by now all the starter gear has become impossible to find unless you venture into the big cities to risk a rare drop. Canned food/drink are rare drops and the unlisted quest is to get a knife and a tent because on the Expert servers its PVP and open season. But on the hard servers you need to survive threw the night (play at night for 4 hours) and temperatures drop low enough to kill you unless you constantly keep moving or warm up/cook by the fire.

Players that join these servers are almost required to loot each other for supplies as the drops for ammo are now rare and everything else can only be found in the city but the zombies are so difficult its suicide to go in alone. Other than hunting game (livestock, there is no wild game in day z... yet) players need to find useable wells because some of them have become contaminated and if a player didn't pick up a canteen prior to the PVP server then they will probably only last a day or so unless they kill a player for it they'll die of thirst.

Playing this server should have the same “rule” of keeping a positive humanity rating but since its the highest level the chances of that compared with the scarcity of resources makes it unlikely. Anyone that gets here however is armed to the teeth so they are just as much of a threat to other players as the environment is to them.

In the last two difficulty servers the environment would play a big part in survival you'd pretty much have to have wood to keep warm and cook with and maybe make some activated charcoal to filter bad water. To get off the hard server you'd also have to fix a car and drive it “off” the map to get bumped to the next server tier. If you died on any server you'd have to start over from the lowest server

[ronca23 0]

I dont think you understand the point of a "sandbox"

Make the game your own, if you need to be guided everywhere you go...then sadly this is not the game for you :)

Not being harsh...just reading through the lines of what you posted...plenty of games that give you what you need (:

I completely understand what a sandbox is. I have been playing minecraft for 2 years and it's still fun. But DayZ hasn't got the same sandbox feel to it. and I think you are reading it like these are mission objectives. No, just something to help newer players get used to where things are. You don't have to do them and they don't change any loot spawns. But something on the task screen so it's not taking space on the HUD that can give players an idea of what to do next and how to navigate the land.

[Jacy 13]

I completely understand what a sandbox is. I have been playing minecraft for 2 years and it's still fun. But DayZ hasn't got the same sandbox feel to it. and I think you are reading it like these are mission objectives. No, just something to help newer players get used to where things are. You don't have to do them and they don't change any loot spawns. But something on the task screen so it's not taking space on the HUD that can give players an idea of what to do next and how to navigate the land.

Probably takes about <10 hours of gaming until you know quite everything about zombies, loot spawn and locations. Why ruining a game just to make the first 10 hours easier? The first 10 hours were the best just because of the lack of information.

[Dayz Steve 26]

Maybe some long term goals.

[±Traditore± 17]

I completely understand what a sandbox is. I have been playing minecraft for 2 years and it's still fun. But DayZ hasn't got the same sandbox feel to it. and I think you are reading it like these are mission objectives. No, just something to help newer players get used to where things are. You don't have to do them and they don't change any loot spawns. But something on the task screen so it's not taking space on the HUD that can give players an idea of what to do next and how to navigate the land.

If it helps the newplayers it's more like a single player tutorial.

Edit:

Sorry for posting after this was bumped by above, didn't see the OP post date.

Edited January 12, 2013 by ±Traditore±

[Abexuro 17]

I think you're right about the game needing a goal, or goals. But those shouldn't be forced on the player, or even notified that they exist. The player needs to set their own goals within the free and open environment, and the game needs to offer more of them.

For instance, I'd love to see more hard to access areas on the map. Like vaults you need specific gear for to open, or a broken aircraft carrier in the ocean you can only get to by boat or heli.

The player doesn't need to know it exists, but when they find out it does, they'll most likely be very curious and make new goals or set new achievements.

[Aremnant 3]

Abexuro: I'd say something else, though it may not pertain solely to ingame ideas. First of all, the wiki's power must be limited (I know nobody can really do this, but guys, as a community can we avoid it?). I'm fine with using the wiki to learn weapon stats, or item spawn locations, but other than that, the rest should be left for the player to discover. If you visit the wiki at all, chances you'll come out playing DayZ like it was a book, making it linear and rather boring. I say, add secret areas to the map. Play off of popular legends. And the original idea on this thread was a good one, a sort-of conscious that is unconsciously guiding you places. Maybe some character effect if you feel a threatening presence (I know I'm not the only one who will realize at one point "I'm not alone..." or "Somebody is watching me...". Those of you saying this it it will ruin the experience are wrong- "Thief" did it and it created an incredibly immersive atmosphere). Add official legends. Make Green Mountain actually have some curse (just don't make it blunt, it would be ruined if every player knew), include secret labs/military bases hidden underground, and maybe tunnels leading underground from the mountainous edges of the map. The whole idea of being told advice will fit in by adding custom survivor added touches to the map (ex: small bloodstain over Green Mountain, towns with the name scratched out). Maybe adding an actual checklist is too up-front, but the core idea works to some extent.