Global humanity, could it work?

[hoik 415]

This is the my third attempt at floating this idea, the reson for the re-write is to make the post easyer to get through so it can hopefully generate some conversation to help flesh it out (or just point out how im wrong).

Anyway, I was calling it a "life/death calculator", but I've just realised what the idea actually aims to achive is a "Global Humanity" system that takes into account the overall actions of a servers community and effects the world accordingly.

It works by directly associating the quantity and quality of loot drops to how the players interact with eachother over a time period (say a day or a week). Resources will be plentiful when there is alot of PVP action and low Co-op and scarce when there is low PvP and high Co-op. A dynamic sytem like this would cause continuosly shifting play styles.

Eg.

Lowest End of Scale - (Very High Death Count(Low co-op)/Low Average Lifespan)

- Loot Density = 100%

- High Quality Loot Chance = 2%

Middle of Scale - (Medium Death Count(Medium co-op)/Medium Average Lifespan)

- Loot Density = 60%

- High Quality Loot Chance = 40%

Highest End of Scale - (Very Low Death Count (High co-op)/High Average Lifespan)

- Loot Density = 2%

- High Quality Loot Chance = 100%

For detail on its actual mechanics go here (Theres some *cough* math here that makes this quite feasable):

http://dayzmod.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=10295

The idea of humanity is to give a concequence to PvP play but is aimed at the individual, "Global Humanity" wouldn't replace this but be layered on top, so that when you murder a player, it has an effect on you AND everyone around you - this is how social pressures can be implemented into the game.

A System like this has a huge array of effects on how people play the game, which is where I can get bogged down.

For me the major benifits are:

- Intrinsic value to for each and every player in the game - this is essential to impact on PvP interactions.

- A way to implement social presures and cultural behaviour into the game - mostly the taboo of murder (just like in real life).

- makes a "surrender" mechanic more viable.

- The sytem could be implemented on a server by server basic, making it optional.

- It in no way discourages solo-play, infact it favours it equally and can gives added value to being a hermit/villan.

- Players actions have a subtle effect that will only be felt over time.

It could ultimatly result in a dynamic cycle where low PVP and High co-op will result in a higher chance of good quality loot , but less resources to go around - a criticle point could be met where there are not enough resources to go around. Then, all these very well armed players must turn on eachother to live - PvP will rise and Co-op wil drop, sliding back down to the other end of the scale.

Yes? No? Maybe? (I will bang on about this till Im told to shutup :D)

As a end note, I think that DayZ's longterm prospects rely on Dynamic system keeping the game fresh, here is a good discusion on a dynamic Z spawn system: Swi1ch: http://dayzmod.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=3420

[Tyrog 10]

Not realistic. Luck doesn't depend on your behavior.

[pogoman979 4]

i think the idea of global humanity is interesting though. Like if the global humanity is really low then more infected spawn? As more people are dieing. If the global humanity is high then less infected as humans are working together and fighting back.

[hoik 415]

Not realistic. Luck doesn't depend on your behavior.

Well, don't they say you make your own luck :P ?

I would argue that realism shouldn't be the single guide when it comes to deciding if a idea is valid. This system could provide a "realistic" cultural environmet be it at the cost of realism in other aspects.

Whats unrealistic about resources deminishing as players average lifespan increases? What is unrealistic about weapon quality improving with high levels of co-operation? These seem like sound arguments to me.

Personally I feel that all the potential benifits outway any negatives with concern to realism.

[Banicks 55]

Trying to change the game to suit your playstyle?

It won't work anyway mate. Bandits will still kill a player who has the best humanity going anyway - especially seeing as with your way of working it, they're bound to either score something decent from the corpse than they would from looting houses themselves.

So your idea actually promotes more people to bandit.

Remember it takes a bandit 1 second to shoot and a minute to loot. It takes a good humanity player an hour to scoot and loot a town so to speak.

[Sabata (DayZ) 1]

You aren't facing the true problem ;)

[Tyrog 10]

What I'm saying is that your newly spawned character shouldn't have any link with your previous one (the one who died).

[hoik 415]

It won't work anyway mate. Bandits will still kill a player who has the best humanity going anyway - especially seeing as with your way of working it' date=' they're bound to either score something decent from the corpse than they would from looting houses themselves.

[/quote']

I think this is the primary attraction to being a bandit - fast money. And I don't think that any mechanic could (should?) change this primary drive.

I can see how murder directly effecting the possibility of finding something good could be shrugged off by an individual - esspecially if by said murder they just scored something awsome. But surely as a community it would piss you off that this random bandit is effecting your chances as a whole? This is where I thought some sort of social pressure would develop against random murders (both within friendly/bandit co-op and solo-play communities) when there are other altenatives - bandits do not have to be murderers. Deaths will and should occur, but it should require more thought.

@Sabata

"You aren't facing the true problem ;)"

This is how i deal with life :P, serously though - inform me.

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EDIT: haha Sabata, I just realised you've told me this before...

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What I'm saying is that your newly spawned character shouldn't have any link with your previous one (the one who died).

I agree. Each new spawn is in essens a new individual. You travel through the world and effect it by the actions you choose to take - these effects will linger even after death and have an acumelative effect.