For the Humanity

[Hellfire447 7]

Hey guys, my name is Jesse. Today at work i was thinking about DayZ, and how i died last night. I realize that the concept of humanity is hard to distinguish and account for, and yet the idea of such a game mechanic is so essential to this game, back when there were bandit skins and such, people didn't need to have much planning to draft up a team of friendly survivors. You could simply walk into a city, and more often then not, SOMEONE would be willing to join you in your cause.. to raid a barn or kill some zombies in a fire station.. as pathetic as your mission was people wanted to get together because they saw the advantage as gaining new friends or better gear, but as the game progressed, as people learn the in's and out's of this game, and as are humanity skins wore away, the hope of humanity slowly shriveled up into a small goo of decomposing survivors. People have no reason to group up, for they can do everything alone. Need kick ass gear? Well most people know where to go and can do it themselves. That kind of mind set has taken over to the point that killing other players is the only answer because everyone assumes that everyone is decked out on gear and is out for there neck. I'm not suggesting we make the game have more coop mechanics like only other players can give a blood transfusion, that's just silly because realistically there are few things in real life you need someone else to assist you with that could apply to this game, but back to my point.

The real incentive here is a REWARD. People wont go ahead and do things out of kindness or ethics because it's a video game. Sure in real life those things matter because of peoples civility and ethics, but in a video game none of that matters because there is no lasting effects for your actions. You may be thinking now at this point that i'm suggesting punishing "bandits" "and rewarding "survivors" at this point, but contrary to your question i'm not suggesting that at all my real suggesting is rewarding a play style so people have a reason to do it. Why give a guy who will kill you any moment a chance at all, you cant really gain much out of that, but if you shoot this guy, well that's hard results, the least you can get of that situation is some beans right?

Okay then Jesse, your idea of rewarding a survivor for there actions is obvious, what are your ideas to carry out such a feat?

The answer to this has actually already been implemented, but has thus been removed in the last few months. Think back a few months, who remembers waking up on those glorious beaches and immediately pressing "R" and reloading that little Makarov or even the Revolver? Yeah you felt great starting off. You had some food, a gun, ammo. You where set for the next half hour at least, but all for not this kind of game play was removed due to bandits and shear griefers.. I'm right so far, no?

Well this is simply because bandits and the bunch had it far too easy, survivors had to run around in every city and every building interacting with other players.. very time consuming, but bandits.. the first guy you saw was loot too you. 10mins tops for a bandit to bag a kill, yet a survivor would have to use all the time given to try and acquire the simplest of supplies.

So what are you suggesting Jesse? Giving starting gear again?

Why yes, yes i am good sir, but not just for anyone, survivors. This is where Humanity would start to play the correct role. If your humanity falls within a specific range, you would be entitled to a survivor perk item, say a can of beans in the beginning, and let's say you stick with it and slowly raise your humanity higher, you would then enter a new bracket within the humanity scale and unlock some soda or a watch, and eventually maybe are survivors of the world will start waking up with Makarov again, and the great thing about this is that people would have to work for these starting items. Real incentive to raise your humanity, real incentive to work with others. A reason to try and survive, not take this game as BF3/COD4 with annoying food and water problems.

Okay Jesse, so reward people who raise there humanity then? Well what about Bandits, are you just trying to take pvp out of the game?

Actually no, this game needs pvp. remember this game was first a shooter game, second a Zombie survival mod, and yes what i have said so far would reward people for playing friendly, but with reward there needs to be punishment.

If you take the route of a bandit, which is perfectly fine, some people just want to kill others, and this is mostly directed at the 4-7 player clans out there that don't need to meet new people, and with that said these kind of people will have acquired such a stock of items that if they die, a camp of items is only 2-6km out from the beach. So as for punishing bandits, and when i say punish, i'm really meaning evening the odds here. Playing as a bandit has huge advantages because if you are able to kill other players, it's like walking into any building, and having the possibility of barracks level drops, so make it difficult for them, the lower the humanity you have, the less starting gear you start out with, eventually, no painkillers, no bandage, no flashlight, no backpack even? Then on top of it all you are easily identified by your skin as a bandit. Players who choose to play a low-life, scum-of-the-earth style deserve to live like one. bandits wont just be able to run from the beach to their camps, the odds are just not with you, so bandits are going to be forced to enter cities and search for essentials just to make it back to there friends, and what this means for them, bunches of survivors with weapons right off the bat, killing zombies and ganking bandits when ever they are spotted. How it should be, no?

Again i am not trying to one of those abolish PVP kind of guys, because again that is just unrealistic, if people were actually in this kind of situations, people would be very protective of what they have left, a great example of this would be The Walking Dead. Lastly, there is a bit missing like the advantages of being a bandit, because bandits are still necessary, there can't be good without the bad. I would like to thank anyone reading this because, yes this is a lot to take in, and it's very game changing and people will have to adapt to this kind of game play. So all i ask is not to agree with me, but debunk me, because the only way such and idea can be implemented if there is not a better way of handling this. Combat everything i have said so that a better, more efficient, version of this idea can be erected through out the halls and many vast fields of Chernarus. And if you do agree with me, don't say it here, say it to your friends, make them read this post and see what they think, and have them tell there friends, so that maybe, just maybe such an idea can be noticed by someone that can actually do something.

Again thanks for reading.

Cheers.

Jesse.

[Fitzkrieg 129]

Theres now Bandit skins for negative humanity and a hero skin (that I have) with 5000 or more humanity, I was in Cherno doing a medic mission for someone when two people on direct had me at gun point, one wanted to shoot me even though I was unarmed and the other told him that I wasn't any threat because of my hero skin. So hey, things are beginning to come back together. Not saying bandits won't shoot me but hey, thats surviving the PvP of DayZ.

[ItsMeAgain 0]

I like this idea. Certainly would reward them (in some way) and motivate them for being kind. But, what would a survivor use a pistol for? To kill infected? Hmmm not really let them look for a way to defend themselves in that situation. However, give them food and medical supplies. I think that would be a bit better.

What I don't like is the idea of being able to tell (with the help of the game) that someone is a bandit or a hero. It's just too silly. If the player can tell who is who then the suspense will be completely gone from the game. That's what I like about this game, and maybe other people do as well.

Rewarding kind players when they respawn is a really good incentive to keep them performing good actions. Killing should be taken as a bad action whether you are a survivor or a bandit. So survivors who see bandits (that is if they can tell who is bandit as of now by the headscarf) won't attempt to kill them just because they wold lose a tiny bit of humanity. If survivors are so kind then killing should be wayyy out of their plans.

[bazbake 456]

I like this idea. Certainly would reward them (in some way) and motivate them for being kind. But, what would a survivor use a pistol for? To kill infected? Hmmm not really let them look for a way to defend themselves in that situation. However, give them food and medical supplies. I think that would be a bit better.

What I don't like is the idea of being able to tell (with the help of the game) that someone is a bandit or a hero. It's just too silly. If the player can tell who is who then the suspense will be completely gone from the game. That's what I like about this game, and maybe other people do as well.

You can change your name and skin without respawning. Once you understand this basic mechanic, it should be obvious why anything short of a visible identifier for banditry is equivalent to telling survivors and heroes to just suck it up and forget about it.

[Hellfire447 7]

I like this idea. Certainly would reward them (in some way) and motivate them for being kind. But, what would a survivor use a pistol for? To kill infected? Hmmm not really let them look for a way to defend themselves in that situation. However, give them food and medical supplies. I think that would be a bit better.

What I don't like is the idea of being able to tell (with the help of the game) that someone is a bandit or a hero. It's just too silly. If the player can tell who is who then the suspense will be completely gone from the game. That's what I like about this game, and maybe other people do as well.

Rewarding kind players when they respawn is a really good incentive to keep them performing good actions. Killing should be taken as a bad action whether you are a survivor or a bandit. So survivors who see bandits (that is if they can tell who is bandit as of now by the headscarf) won't attempt to kill them just because they wold lose a tiny bit of humanity. If survivors are so kind then killing should be wayyy out of their plans.

Thanks for your reply Itsmeagain, i have thought about that you have said here and i have a few things for you. Basically, this game is amazing because of the FREEDOM you have in your choices. With that being said,if a survivor is in a situation that his life is endanger, i would presume he would make any choice necessary to ensure said survivors life. Whether the choice is a good one, or a bad one. YOU are able to carry that situation anyway seen fit, so killing isn't so out of the question, but more the reasoning behind it.

Also at your comment about appearance. When you think of a bandit, how do you picture them? There not going to be the type that is going to be strolling the block in a nice clean tux, right? No someone that is choosing a life of banditry is going to be rolling in the mud, crawling through fields and recycling the same pair of clothing for days at a time, and not to mention if they catch someone with cloths that they want, however they manage to take said cloths, isn't going to leave them smelling like roses. My point is a bandit is going to be obvious because that kind of personality is going to be careless and filthy, and as for a survivor, someone with civility and some kind of ethical background still intact isn't going to let themselves go and roll around in there filth are they? These people will strive to keep there cloths in top condition and there boots clean, for who knows the next time they will be able to scavenge a better piece of clothing, but as i said before it's the choices that a person chooses that makes them who they are, it may seem silly to be able to identify someone by how they look, but realistically that's exactly how it will happen.

Also regarding your comment about the reward, being able to work up to starting with a gun is going to be such a reward for those that choose to work for it, and yes they will see they gun not for really dealing with zombies, but as an extra precaution when dealing with players, and since we are talking about survivors here, and have since, been working there asses off for this perk, aren't going to be the type running through elektro shooting anything that moves. It's the reward that people will be after, it we don't make something worth working for why do it is really the point.

Again thank you for your comment, i hope i have made a valid argument here so that we can better develop this idea into something, more then an idea.

Cheers.

Jesse.

Edited August 14, 2012 by Hellfire447

[captainwaffles 41]

Ive got a better idea Take off humanity and stop bitching if you don't kill people you shouldn't get an advantage you should get jack shit. No one gets perks or specials play the game and don't die as much