IF this was an actual game...

[thirdrd0@gmail.com 2]

Guild Wars stylez all the way - make it one time purchase and use microtransactions for cosmetic and vanity items. Nothing that would help you in game, only things that would make you look cooler. It works, ask ArenaNet.

Studio developed - after reading your posts I'm absolutely sure that you'll go the right way, that is hardcore, unforgiving, believing in player's intelligence. And that's why I'm playing this mod even though I hate zombie-based games.

Community based servers but with official and unofficial servers to prevent cheating and ensure high quality of service. You could also support official servers in various ways, whatever suits you, too early to go into details.

Kickstarter - why not (it would be the first project I'd donate to) but under one condition - don't become a hostage to people's money. Be exactly the same developer you are now - with strong vision and determination. I really respect you for these qualities, and I trust you won't change after seeing thousands of dollars coming towards you.

---SIDE NOTE, ROCKET DON'T BOTHER---

I started reading people's posts and I'm amazed. Have you ever heard about game engine? You can buy a game engine from the studio that owns it and make your own game based on it. It's also completely legal, you know? So if Rocket decides to make his own game, he could buy ArmA2 engine and make a game based on it. It happened before - there's a WWII game made on ArmA2 engine coming out soon. And BIS is not EA, so their engine is most probably not horribly expensive (That's my assumption, not a fact). With this engine he and his studio could make a game that is as realistic as ArmA, but better suited for DayZ style. Stop whining and be supportive - he's putting a lot of time and effort into this and he's offering you even better experience.

[rocket 16567]

So:

- One time purchase (SMALL) for RETAIL?

- Community run servers.

- Studio run central server.

I don't like the idea of a kickstarter or donations. But maybe to get something off the ground.

Obviously, as I said before, I have a hardon for the ArmA engine.

I really hate the idea of vanity items or any sort of paying for anything ingame but I can understand why people accept them as a means of funding. But I just can't stomach them. Destroys all balance. Also makes development a bit lazy ("lets just make some hats!").

Really good thoughts in here... please keep them coming. Still all just spitballing.

[thirdrd0@gmail.com 2]

-What's the point in retail? DayZ is a mod, it exists in the Internet and thanks to the Internet. Retail means only cost to you, but it doesn't matter from consumer point of view. Do as you please here.

-Community servers are great both for you and for players because a) they're cheaper for you and b) they give much more freedom to players. If I want to play DayZ The Game without zombies or without PvP (I wouldn't really) I can simply start my own server and that's it, win-win.

- I don't get how vanity items could break balance. If I get a ribbon, or sunglasses or forum signature or whatever how am I going to win a firefight easier? Vanity items are just a way of saying "thank you for supporting my game with your money", nothing else.

And you're not the only one with a hardon for ArmA engine;)

[Jrod (DayZ) 3]

I can not help but notice the similarity of Half Life (Arma II) and Counter Strike (Dayz mod) to this situation. Half Life was a popular game in its own right, and then someone made a mod for Half Life called Counter Strike. Holy shit if CS isnt the shining example of mod gone mainstream. CS became just as popular as Half Life because they brought out great multiplayer and the people that developed the mod went straight to Valve.

Dayz has this exact potential, Rocket can likely do whatever the fuck he wants at this point, and it is extremely pleasing to see that many of the suggestions people have given seem to be along similar development as HL:CS lifecycle.

[phisher34 12]

I think there is a lot here that we can only speculate on. Especially how it relates to your current employment with BIS and if they have any interest.

The ARMA community will of course rather see this as an ARMA 3 DLC or similar venture. We can only assume the new engine is an improvement from what we are used to, which is why I think that is the smartest route.

If there is a tremendous amount of success with this hypothetical DLC, it is then I would seriously consider licensing the engine and doing a complete standalone. Or branching off into a different engine. At that point you are venturing into the realm of being your own studio/publisher. Your roll will be more of a business owner unless you surround yourself with people who can manage it.

If BIS has no interest whatsoever in associating with this mod then I think Kickstarter might be the way to go.

EDIT: I think the concrete results in terms of sales for ARMA 2:CO is a tremendous boost to the idea of it being an official DLC package. Even if the whole 'Zombie Apocalypse' goes against the grain in terms of the culture at BIS - the sales and bottom line doesn't.

[partyzan 0]

If i cached the concept of game right, there is no point in f2p at all. Also, you are not linked to your character evolution like in wow or eve, so no point in mounthly payment too.

So it is Game purchase only for sure.

Studio or community - i guess there should be BIS style, when you have tools to fix game weak moments, and may be even do it better, but core thing is supported by studio.

Also this game is pointless without social play, which is made by community, but should be supported by studio by game features.

Sorry for my english

[Jrod (DayZ) 3]

kickstart > license arma 3 > make product > get money > fuck bitches > smoke trees

[oktyabr 53]

I think a lot of us were Arma players before this mod (yes, I know, a lot of people just bought it to play this) and likewise many of us are looking forward to Arma3 as well. As a DLC (around the price of PMC, etc.) for Arma3 you will have people buying the DLC because they planned on buying Arma3 anyway and you will have people buying Arma3 just to go with the DLC... without costing a fortune to do it. The mod makes money, BIS sees better sales of Arma3, it's relatively affordable for the players no matter how they approach it... everyone wins.

Following the traditional community server model of the Arma series seems logical. Would be nice to see the framework polished up enough to allow the mod on different maps, etc. too. With a separate database for each server you let the community play the way they want... no more server hopping for loot, clans can have private servers if they want, different maps, PVP and/or PVE only, for those that feel it necessary, etc. = more happy players (and more sales) without getting into the headaches associated with a studio funded MMO.

[aopfin87 7]

I think a lot of us were Arma players before this mod (yes' date=' I know, a lot of people just bought it to play this) and likewise many of us are looking forward to Arma3 as well. As a DLC (around the price of PMC, etc.) for Arma3 you will have people buying the DLC because they planned on buying Arma3 anyway and you will have people buying Arma3 just to go with the DLC... without costing a fortune to do it. The mod makes money, BIS sees better sales of Arma3, it's relatively affordable for the players no matter how they approach it... everyone wins.[/quote']

I suggest you check out some other forums for discussions about the game. Many people are not interested in ArmA2 at all but are buying ArmA2 CO just for this mod. This means BIS is pocketing the profits from rockets hard work (some of it belongs to them anyways since rocket is using their engine and assets but the current situation seems a bit wrong).

Why repeat this with ArmA3? ArmA3 will be 50€ so much less people will be willing to pay total of 60€ (ArmA3 + DayZ DLC) just to play DayZ.

Standalone retail / digital distribution is much better idea because much more people will be willing to pay 15-30€ for DayZ than 60€ for ArmA3 + DayZ. Of course this depends a lot on what kind of licensing agreement can rocket reach with BIS for their engine.

[jimgun 64]

I feel Im playing something fantastic for free at the minute. Played all BIS incarnations since OFP.

In the future, if this will work with Arma3, with more people per server, an ingame grouping system, and 1 character per server - you can charge me however and whatever tbh.

[joshuabeatdown 2]

Game purchase only, no subscription, and make it have dedicated servers. Preferably linux servers, as I know tons of people willing to host the game on linux servers. Do DLC, so you can do patches with it too. I wouldn't mind seeing extra maps later on either. Don't do a pay store, micro transaction kill games. Pay to win sucks. Wouldn't mind seeing it on the CryENGINE®3, for destruction. Would be sick to have the zombies bust down doors, and being able to fortify back up. Like break wood box's for wood to barricade windows, and doors. Indie licensing is only 20% of the developer’s revenues from the commercial launch of their game.

[phisher34 12]

I think a lot of us were Arma players before this mod (yes' date=' I know, a lot of people just bought it to play this) and likewise many of us are looking forward to Arma3 as well. As a DLC (around the price of PMC, etc.) for Arma3 you will have people buying the DLC because they planned on buying Arma3 anyway and you will have people buying Arma3 just to go with the DLC... without costing a fortune to do it. The mod makes money, BIS sees better sales of Arma3, it's relatively affordable for the players no matter how they approach it... everyone wins.[/quote']

I suggest you check out some other forums for discussions about the game. Many people are not interested in ArmA2 at all but are buying ArmA2 CO just for this mod. This means BIS is pocketing the profits from rockets hard work (some of it belongs to them anyways since rocket is using their engine and assets but the current situation seems a bit wrong).

Why repeat this with ArmA3? ArmA3 will be 50€ so much less people will be willing to pay total of 60€ (ArmA3 + DayZ DLC) just to play DayZ.

Standalone retail / digital distribution is much better idea because much more people will be willing to pay 15-30€ for DayZ than 60€ for ArmA3 + DayZ. Of course this depends a lot on what kind of licensing agreement can rocket reach with BIS for their engine.

I think you are undervaluing the work that went into ARMA 2 in relation to this mod. Rocket deserves an incredible amount of credit for creating this mod, but simply put, it would not exist if it wasn't for ARMA 2. There were thousands of man hours spent on coding, modeling, animating, bug fixes, network and infrastructure, troubleshooting, testing... that went into creating the "assets" from ARMA 2. If Rocket had to start from scratch or even just with a licensed engine, it would take him and a team of people years to get to this point.

That is why people are advocating an ARMA DLC, he isn't piggybacking off the work (which isn't accurate either since he works for them) but rather complimenting each other.

In my experience people will still pay for ARMA 3 if all they want is the DLC.

[therussiandong@hotmail.com 5]

Game purchase with Monthly fee (optional with reward) to help in upkeep of servers.

Studio developed with ideas taken into consideration from community.

Studio servers with approved stable community servers.

Kickstarter: Sure, more money doesn't hurt.

[spakman 0]

How would you rather pay for it?

Game purchase with no monthly fee, possibly with a micro transaction store (cosmetic items only, nothing that will unbalance things, nothing kills a game like pay-to-win)

Also:

Studio Developed, communities have too many differing opinions

Both Community and studio servers, as long as a game has a good server browser so I can filter out the community servers that have modded the game into something else.

Kickstarter, sure, Id support it. It looks like a lot of cool stuff is being funded through kickstarter recently.

[oktyabr 53]

I suggest you check out some other forums for discussions about the game. Many people are not interested in ArmA2 at all but are buying ArmA2 CO just for this mod. This means BIS is pocketing the profits from rockets hard work (some of it belongs to them anyways since rocket is using their engine and assets but the current situation seems a bit wrong).

Why repeat this with ArmA3? ArmA3 will be 50€ so much less people will be willing to pay total of 60€ (ArmA3 + DayZ DLC) just to play DayZ.

Standalone retail / digital distribution is much better idea because much more people will be willing to pay 15-30€ for DayZ than 60€ for ArmA3 + DayZ. Of course this depends a lot on what kind of licensing agreement can rocket reach with BIS for their engine.

You DO realize that rocket works for BIS, right? Seeing a DLC for Arma3, and maybe official support from the company (how cool would it be to get paid for doing exactly what you wanted to do in the first place?) would benefit both parties.

Mind you, the engine is one thing. To generate all the game assets for an engine is huge investment of time and resources. That's why mods tend to work out better than most stand-alone indie endeavors.

Lastly, not everyone was in love with Arma before they bought it for this mod... but some of them might be once they explore everything else that comes with it.

[goldengears 1]

I registered just to make sure I get my .02 cents in on this thread.

- Standalone retail (You've single-handedly sold thousands of copies of Arma 2, many people on the forums did not even KNOW what Arma 2 was until the release of this mod, and still have NOT played it in its original state. I know most people would prefer not to have to pay for ArmA3 + DayZ DLC just to play.

- Studio developed (Take some input from community, but at the end of the day Rocket you know what is best for DayZ)

- One time purchase (Monthly fees not a bad idea)

- Studio run servers (With Approved Community run servers)

I consider a small monthly fee acceptable if the devs are able to keep on top of new content/maps and other things like you previously stated.

The vanity sales system is always garbage, as ridiculous items and such are pushed out in hopes of increasing items sales. I would gladly pay a monthly fee then have you resort to a vanity type payment method.

There MUST be studio run servers, I've always tended in any games I play to always lean more towards the official servers when playing a game. It is no different for DayZ.

Thanks for reading Rocket.

[Freeborne (DayZ) 7]

-1 vote for you taking this retail, Rocket.

You love ArmA, and I can only assume you also love it's community. Don't be a sell-out please. There's so many new players now thanks to your mod, and that is a brillant accomplishment. I imagine you're quite the golden boy around BIS at the moment. Maybe a pay rise is coming your way?

Either way, DayZ needs ARMA2, and ARMA2 needs DayZ (although it can survive without it). Many players are diving to kiss your feet, and it seems most of them are new players, who really didn't know almost everything that's in your mod has been in ArmA for quite a long time, in various mods and missions.

All the "Life" mods had unique items, character development, resource mining and building, persistant characters, etc. Saving to a database (i.e Jay2Lib) isn't new either. The zombie thing has been done a half dozen times too even way back in OFP. Many of these other mods have more features and development time than DayZ. New guys, do your research. Rocket, please don't get blinded by this wave of adoring fans.

I'm not sure why this mod has gone viral so quickly, or appealed to such a wide audience. I often saw the "Life" mods go through similar phases with high demand, but never anything close to this.

The ArmAverse has been around for over a decade now. Hundreds of servers have been provided and 99% of them have been FREE. Even clan-run servers very rarely demand payment to be in their clan. Even now, 40+ servers are being provided and paid for by players, not Rocket. This isn't like EA, that spends millions of dollars on game development, and then sells the game to make back their money (and a profit), while still providing free servers for players to use. The ArmA community has stepped up to provide these servers, support the mod, and new players. Please remember all this in 6 months, as DayZ development is still going strong, and ArmA3 is hitting the shelves.

For a long time, ArmA community has been flooded with more servers than we needed. The server to online player ratio was around 1:3 I think. Whatever it was, there was always more servers than we ever needed. DayZ popularity has just hit us all by surprise, but the community has still responded pretty quickly in providing servers, despite the very demanding requirements of DevTeam (full trust and access to our servers). We (The ArmA community) can cope with future demand I believe for DayZ. Just don't sell out please!

[super pretendo 2]

I'd prefer Buy2Play instead of pay to win cash shop bull. Everyone pays the same thing and everyone gets equal footing.

[magicpanda 0]

Personally I'd like to see it highly developed Arma 3 DLC. BI would be mad not to get this ready for the Arma 3 release.

Above all else however please avoid the Free to Play - in game shop type model

[Bower 4]

- Buy to play: any kind of F2P store would kill the mood of the game for a lot of people. I think making it Arma DLC will make DayZ too expensive. Stand alone which uses the Arma engine sounds best.

- It needs the polish of studio development but ultimately needs to be directed by a gamer who understands why people enjoy this mod. Dota 2 is a good example of how this can work really well.

[landstriker 9]

-1 vote for you taking this retail' date=' Rocket.

You love ArmA, and I can only assume you also love it's community. Don't be a sell-out please. There's so many new players now thanks to your mod, and that is a brillant accomplishment. I imagine you're quite the golden boy around BIS at the moment. Maybe a pay rise is coming your way?

Either way, DayZ needs ARMA2, and ARMA2 needs DayZ (although it can survive without it). Many players are diving to kiss your feet, and it seems most of them are new players, who really didn't know almost everything that's in your mod has been in ArmA for quite a long time, in various mods and missions.

All the "Life" mods had unique items, character development, resource mining and building, persistant characters, etc. Saving to a database (i.e Jay2Lib) isn't new either. The zombie thing has been done a half dozen times too even way back in OFP. Many of these other mods have more features and development time than DayZ. New guys, do your research. Rocket, please don't get blinded by this wave of adoring fans.

I'm not sure why this mod has gone viral so quickly, or appealed to such a wide audience. I often saw the "Life" mods go through similar phases with high demand, but never anything close to this.

The ArmAverse has been around for over a decade now. Hundreds of servers have been provided and 99% of them have been FREE. Even clan-run servers very rarely demand payment to be in their clan. Even now, 40+ servers are being provided and paid for by players, not Rocket. This isn't like EA, that spends millions of dollars on game development, and then sells the game to make back their money (and a profit), while still providing free servers for players to use. The ArmA community has stepped up to provide these servers, support the mod, and new players. Please remember all this in 6 months, as DayZ development is still going strong, and ArmA3 is hitting the shelves.

For a long time, ArmA community has been flooded with more servers than we needed. The server to online player ratio was around 1:3 I think. Whatever it was, there was always more servers than we ever needed. DayZ popularity has just hit us all by surprise, but the community has still responded pretty quickly in providing servers, despite the very demanding requirements of DevTeam (full trust and access to our servers). We (The ArmA community) can cope with future demand I believe for DayZ. Just don't sell out please!

[/quote']

Well put together words, could not have said it any better myself.

[psychosiszz 0]

stand alone game

How would you rather pay for it?

Monthly fee Means good servers and money to spend on updates (I Hate F2P Pay to Win games)

I would prefer Studio Developed

Studio servers Its hard to trust admins on community servers

[Jamriko 0]

I dont know why so many people are asking for a monthly fee style scheme. DayZ is not a "true MMO" and as such does not fit the normal requisites to justify a monthly fee. It would throw alot of people off of buying it and you'll get way more players with a F2P model.

However, problem with F2P is how it interacts with the game. You can't sell guns, objects, tools, components because A) that breaks balance and B) it breaks the core mechanic of the game (and immersion). Cosmetic items would be a viable option however, such as Hats, Clothing, and maybe the ability to pimp out your favourite weapons.

[godwine 2]

Game Purchase, maybe with an aesthetic-minded shop like GW2. (Skins? Colors?)

Studio Developed

Start with some Official servers, but allow community supported servers. I might even say try big regional servers, but I'm not sure.

Kickstarter is always a solid idea, you should think about Steam as well.

Overall, while I'd like the idea of a stand-alone game, you should harden the concepts in DayZ first. Build a solid foundation before you devote major resources to the project.

[dunkhan 8]

I hate pay to win too, but as someone who can rarely afford to buy new games, I would prefer an ethical microtransactions model. This means you can buy things like character clothing, camo paint for your DMR, a nice hat, colour options for flares... things that don't effect gameplay at all. Basically I like the idea that people with a lot of money support the development costs and people with very little also get to join in.