Vehicle Location Beacon

[theszerdi 50]

Had an idea for a vehicle location tracker. Rare military loot spawn "Tracking Device." Takes 1 or 2 main inventory slots. Install to vehicle like a repair item, then it disappears from inventory, and a locator appears on your toolbelt.

You must have a GPS + the locator on your toolbelt and the vehicle you installed the tracking device on shows up on your map. Only the player with the locator linked to that vehicle could track it. Could have multiple locators on your toolbelt for different vehicles.

To remove a tracking device you must repair the engine of the vehicle (need to tear apart engine compartment to find it). Then you get an option to Remove Tracking Device when you scroll through vehicle options.

This way you can track a vehicle stolen from your camp or left as bait, but the thief still has a way to remove tracking if he spends enough time on it. What do you think?

[alec167 62]

genius.....ROCKET! WHY DIDNT YOU THINK OF THIS

[CerebralZombie (DayZ) 151]

Yeah that seems fare. For both putting on and taking off the tracking device, seems very equal in spawn percentages on items that are needed to do either two. The tracking device would be as rare as a new engine, but only spawn in certain locations (military) as the fuel tank is only found in a certain are(s) too. The GPS is as rare as a tool box, but again with the locations makes the percentages of the items differ all in all. It's a nice concept and wouldn't mind seeing it in DayZ some day soon.

Edited September 26, 2012 by CerebralZombie

[birdman 108]

Lojack is the most popular but it sends out radio signals (chirps) not a satellite signal. To communicate with the satellite your tracker needs a gps antenna to broadcast a signal 22,000 miles into space which requires a good deal of power also (and is visible on the car). Realize that the satellite in orbit sends out signals but they are positioning and time, not usually messages. The satellite would have to be reprogrammed to send out the location of vehicles. Sorry if this sounds like trolling.

Maybe make it where you can acquire a radio and track the car via the chirp signals?

<---- Seven years of satellite communications.

EDIT: GPS satellites are 6 to 12,000 miles, my bad.

Edited September 26, 2012 by thebirdolux

[theszerdi 50]

Lojack is the most popular but it sends out radio signals (chirps) not a satellite signal. To communicate with the satellite your tracker needs a gps antenna to broadcast a signal 22,000 miles into space which requires a good deal of power also (and is visible on the car). Realize that the satellite in orbit sends out signals but they are positioning and time, not usually messages. The satellite would have to be reprogrammed to send out the location of vehicles. Sorry if this sounds like trolling.

Maybe make it where you can acquire a radio and track the car via the chirp signals?

<---- Seven years of satellite communications.

EDIT: GPS satellites are 6 to 12,000 miles, my bad.

For the sake of the videogame can we assume that each map's Green Mountain equivalent is relaying the signal? (Military base with large transmitter [and buried backup power]. Military tracking devices.)

Further thoughts:

Currently the GPS is a fluff item. It is purely for convenience. You can easily find your position with map+compass+landmarks or just map+waypoint dropping. This would give it purpose.

Also, I don't know much about game coding, but I don't think this item would be that difficult.

Install Locator,

If Locator=true,

Install=false,

If Locator=false,

Install=true.

Generate LocatorID (Algorithm generates random string and saves it to vehicle+toolbelt locator.)

On map open,

If LocatorID=true,

If GPS=true,

Display LocatorID location.

Just a rough idea of how it would work.

[3rdparty 229]

At first I was gonna write a "get shot here beacon" but after reading, that is actually quite a cool idea.

I think it should only apply to specific vehicles though (the military ones) and maybe other like a police car (if they are introduced)

Otherwise +1 OP :)

[birdman 108]

Military tracking devices. . .

Military vehicles aren't tracked. They have tons of radios and a xxxxx system that allows them to communicate via satellite over a "GPS" style map and offers real time positioning. However if the system is turned off you can't get real time positioning. Also the system currently requires a crypto key once a month to encrypt data or it can't be read by the vehicles role members.

<---- Seven years SATCOM in the military.

Now I feel like a dick. . .

Edited September 26, 2012 by thebirdolux

[3rdparty 229]

Military vehicles aren't tracked. They have tons of radios and a xxxxx system that allows them to communicate via satellite over a "GPS" style map and offers real time positioning. However if the system is turned off you can't get real time positioning. Also the system currently requires a crypto key once a month to encrypt data or it can't be read by the vehicles role members.

<---- Seven years SATCOM in the military.

Now I feel like a dick. . .

party pooper! XD

[theszerdi 50]

Military vehicles aren't tracked. They have tons of radios and a xxxxx system that allows them to communicate via satellite over a "GPS" style map and offers real time positioning. However if the system is turned off you can't get real time positioning. Also the system currently requires a crypto key once a month to encrypt data or it can't be read by the vehicles role members.

<---- Seven years SATCOM in the military.

Now I feel like a dick. . .

So they never plant milspec tracking devices on other people?

Edit to add: It's a fictional world! Complain about the impossibility of zombies and leave me alone! lol >_O

Edited September 26, 2012 by TheSzerdi

[Riem 164]

Military spec tracking devices would be incredibly rare and likely worthless, as I'm not sure how long those satellites would continue to function and transmit given all the chaos that would have transpired during the outbreak.

RFID tags are an interesting concept, and would work if you could find a way to somehow realistically find one, and a reader. The problem with this is even with the ones that don't rely on the reader to broadcast a signal, their range is only around 300 feet maximum, and I'm unsure exactly how the reader would tell you where exactly this tagged object is

[theszerdi 50]

Military spec tracking devices would be incredibly rare and likely worthless, as I'm not sure how long those satellites would continue to function and transmit given all the chaos that would have transpired during the outbreak.

RFID tags are an interesting concept, and would work if you could find a way to somehow realistically find one, and a reader. The problem with this is even with the ones that don't rely on the reader to broadcast a signal, their range is only around 300 feet maximum, and I'm unsure exactly how the reader would tell you where exactly this tagged object is

Satellites are stable in orbit for 10 to 1000 years depending on exact distance, conditions, and if it has thrusters. I don't see why a zombie outbreak would cause us to shoot down satellites, so most satellites would be working for years if not decades after the outbreak. Some might last millennia.

Edit to add: Power to ground installations is much more likely to fail before all satellite coverage is lost. :)

Edited September 26, 2012 by TheSzerdi

[Riem 164]

Satellites are stable in orbit for 10 to 1000 years depending on exact distance, conditions, and if it has thrusters. I don't see why a zombie outbreak would cause us to shoot down satellites, so most satellites would be working for years if not decades after the outbreak. Some might last millennia.

Edit to add: Power to ground installations is much more likely to fail before all satellite coverage is lost. :)

Perhaps I should have rephrased myself. Without constant adjustments, satellites would not continue to transmit data accurately, due to time being relative, and the difference in the passage of time at the altitude where satellites orbit making them off by something around 10 kilometers, a day. I concede they would function, and likely still transmit, but if you tried to follow a gps signal from a satellite years after the facility that was responsible for the upkeep was abandoned, you'd be lucky not to be taking a swim looking for your car.

Edited September 26, 2012 by Riem

[birdman 108]

Satellites are stable in orbit for 10 to 1000 years depending on exact distance, conditions, and if it has thrusters. I don't see why a zombie outbreak would cause us to shoot down satellites, so most satellites would be working for years if not decades after the outbreak. Some might last millennia.

Edit to add: Power to ground installations is much more likely to fail before all satellite coverage is lost. :)

Dude. . .

Satellites (birds) require fuel to point themselves at their earth terminals and to aim the solar panels towards the sun via thrusters, and they require power to upconvert and rebroadcast signals. Signals don't just "bounce" off satellites. Sure the birds will be up there until their orbit degrades but they will just be floating hunks of iron. All Military birds are given commands by their earth stations for all of these adjustments and cannot function without people. Solar wind alone will cause most of these birds to tumble after people are gone.

To be fair, weather satellites like SOAR will continue to broadcast to earth for decades but you would have to reprogram them to broadcast any other information but weather data.. The power cells can last for a long time but some satellites go into hibernation, flip in orbit, close up and wait for signals from Earth to end hibernation.

You may find some satellites working for ten years after the apocalypse, but they are broadcasting "dumb" and once they go, that's it.

Edited September 26, 2012 by thebirdolux

[birdman 108]

The history channel gives it fifty years until the orbital degredation of satellites turns into chaos and shrouds Earth with debris.

http://youtu.be/oJ-ERf_zlMU

Edited September 26, 2012 by thebirdolux

[mr_chabowski@live.co.uk 2416]

I don't think the GPS fits with the DayZ gameplay (takes out survival aspect a bit) but I like this idea. might work better with a radio beacon (closer = stronger signal)

Considering the satellites are probably just kicking about waiting to burn up, an Aliens style beeping locator would probably be more reliable too.

[birdman 108]

might work better with a radio beacon (closer = stronger signal)

There it is.

[Riem 164]

How would this work in the game? You find radio components and something that could be crafted into a reader? The signal could travel for a few kilometers, i think in a cone, and would send back a beep if the transmitter was pinged, with a time delay depending on how far the car is. Thus if you're a few kilometers from the vehicle the ping will take a while to get back, while if the car is right around the corner it would return the ping almost immediately. Higher ground should allow for a longer range, perhaps?

[theszerdi 50]

Ok, make it a radio beacon or whatever you like. Still think it's a neat idea that would work well and is fair to both sides.

[theszerdi 50]

So, anyone else want to see this in-game?

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

Military vehicles aren't tracked. They have tons of radios and a xxxxx system that allows them to communicate via satellite over a "GPS" style map and offers real time positioning. However if the system is turned off you can't get real time positioning. Also the system currently requires a crypto key once a month to encrypt data or it can't be read by the vehicles role members.

<---- Seven years SATCOM in the military.

Now I feel like a dick. . .

Face Rape