Is the Knockout mechanic intended to be a random chance to die?

[parasite057 1]

I've had an INCREDIBLY bad luck streak. The last 6 or 7 times Ive died, has been to a single Zombie Knocking me out (several times with full Blood) and eating me well before the KO timer was done. A few times I managed to wake up for a second before getting KO'ed again and dying a moment later.(Of course getting stuck repeating the weapon equip/stand up animations so I cant even respond to attacks for a few seconds anyways) And a once the Zombie called over his friends to munch on me, but for the most of the last few times I was over 9K blood and dealing with a single Zombie.

I know this is an alpha, and I know the Zs hitting thru walls, porting up steps, getting KO'ed with full blood and the animations repeating after being KO'ed are bug that will go away. I also know that my recent experiences are just very bad luck. But given all the bugs that so easily pop a green hourglass up on my screen and disable all user input, is it not a bit excessive to allow a knockout to last long enough for a single Zombie (+bleeding) to eat a person at Full health to death? Is the KO mechanic actually intended to be a random chance to die with no recourse? If thats the case, just make it a chance to die instantly so I don't have to waste 2 mins being eaten. At least against other players you can run or fight back until you are killed, but sitting there listening to yourself screaming, watching ONE Zombie eat you, and watching your blood drain out while the hourglass barely passes 1/2 way is too frustrating for something that is based purely on chance.

Also, isn't disabling all user input (side/direct chat to be specific) really just forcing people to go outside the game to do things that could/SHOULD be done in game? Sure your supposed to be unconscious, I know its supposed to be an immersion thing to prevent you from calling out to your allies, but it only affects those who play as the devs intended, those who dont gain an advantage. Things like that give players every incentive to use Vent/TS/Skye rather than communicate with each other in game. This also adds to the Shoot on sight mentality since people have no need to communicate with anyone outside of their own community. All it does is punish players who play the game as intended and gives an advantage to meta-gamers. As social aspects are added to the game and players become more reliant upon each other for survival, these types of "immersion" mechanics will emphasize the advantages of using outside resources to play, "forcing" players outside the game and essentially nullifying any sense of immersion they were intended to create.

Anyways, hope I dont come off as whining because I absolutely LOVE this game. I love that its brutal and unforgiving. This game has a sense of intensity and urgency that no other game captures. No other game gets my nerves going to the point I can feel my heart pumping and my hands shaking. Even being killed can be "rewarding" is a sense if an encounter was particularly intense. But imo, this KO mechanic detracts from that, in part by forcing me to look around my room while I wait to be able to type or fight back, breaking immersion. But mostly immersion is broken the moment I get KO'ed because of the randomness of it. Nothing else in the game "feels" so random. In any other case, if I die, I can trace back to my fatal mistake and learn from it, but theres none of that when the RNG just selects you for death suddenly.

[Erizid 56]

I've never been KO'ed unless I was hurt previously. Under 9k blood you have a chance to be KO'ed with every hit. Don't get hit next time.

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

zeds were listening to this...momma said knock you out

Edited October 1, 2012 by Steak and Potatoes

[KennyNZ 121]

I always keep my blood above 11k. It seems a bit rough, but not having 1/4 of the blood in your body is pretty damn serious lol.

Also, try not to get so close to them, it does happen, but if you are on max blood, you usually get out fine.

Other than that, I'm sure things will be altered/tweaked in the standalone.

[SmashT 10907]

Pretty sure you don't get knocked out unless you are under 10k blood.

[sostronk 334]

Pretty sure you don't get knocked out unless you are under 10k blood.

Nope, Ive been knocked out on 11.8k blood before.

[bad_mojo (DayZ) 1204]

6 or 7 times you've died like this? Why are you letting yourself get hit by zombies? Try this... play your next life with no weapons, none. You'll become much better at avoiding and losing zombies. Try to fully gear up with 0 zombie kills. Carry a weapon for protection against players if you need to. Just remember, loot is cheap, your life isn't. That can of beans will still be there after you run around the block and lose the zombies.

Basically, if your game includes getting hit by zombies, you're doing it wrong. Accidents will happen, but 6 or 7 deaths are not accidents.

[parasite057 1]

Yeah, 6 or 7 deaths is a joke, why do you think Im complaining? Zombies are part of the game, you will come into contact with them unless you just schlep off into the woods with nothing but a hatchet and kill rabbits to stay alive. Obviously Im not just dancing around in a field playing chicken with zombies, most of these incidents occur while im engaged in or trying to avoid PVP situations, but some of them were just random Zs reaching out and slapping me as I tried to lead them through a building or avoid them (or glitch hitting, or warping up steps & hitting me thru the wall). Id expect this mechanic to occur occasionally when you have several zombies hit you at once, or if you allow a single zombie to beat on you while you reload, but single hits, by solo Zombies when Im at nearly full health its ridiculous for the KO to even trigger, let alone last so long to result in death. I hear people say its only supposed to occur under 9K blood, but I assure you, this is not the case right now. If I there is a way for me to obtain logs or other info to prove this let me know.

Im actually pretty good at avoiding zombies. leading them off through buildings or into the woods to clear areas I want to loot. Theyre basically no threat, but if they happen to hit me (legitimately or by a bug) I go down and stay there till Im dead. (Which seems like compensation for how utterly harmless they would be otherwise)This is what makes it all the more frustrating, Its literally the second or third time I get hit by them I get KOed. I usually have decent gear and a vehicle so Im not just careless because I dont want to have to respawn, regear and rebuild another vehicle (Especially if I have a UAZ). Like I said, in any other situation you can see where you made a mistake and avoid it later. But this mechanic is based completely on the RNG, so there's nothing you can do about it. I played for over a month before I even saw the KO hourglass, and recently I get KO'ed every other hit. Its way too inconsistent for something that has such an impact on your game. If it needs to be there, the conditions to trigger it need to be much stricter so they occur far less often and/or randomly (Which I hope is the intention). Something that feels like punishment for screwing up, not something that you know is purely random and ultimately unavoidable if you DO happen to get hit by a Zombie. Otherwise, the max KO times need to be reduced to something you can possibly survive.

[Kajin 25]

A little while ago a zombie launched itself up through the floor and uppercut me hard enough to knock me right out. Thankfully the glitch that propelled it through the floor also got it stuck in a wall, so I was able to wake up and jump out long before I died. But I had debug mode on at the time and I had 11.5k health when it DID knock me out. Either this is a bug or the game itself is actively trolling us.

[bad_mojo (DayZ) 1204]

Its literally the second or third time I get hit by them I get KOed.

Second or third time you got hit? Wouldn't that mean you have less than full blood?

I'm not calling you a liar, but I have NEVER been knocked out by a zombie anywhere near full blood. I'd suggest taking a video of this, because most people will simply not believe you, or think you're exaggerating the facts.

For example, if you run into a building with 12k blood and get hit twice, those hits might lower your blood level enough to where that third hit will knock you out. So technically you did have full blood before the attack, but actually you had much lower blood when the third hit happened. Just throwing that out there.

[parasite057 1]

No, I mean the second or third time I get hit by a zombie at all, not consecutive hits. Like I said, it would make more sense if a KO triggered if you let a Zombie beat on you for a while. It looks like there are alot of people experiencing the same problem with the Knockout mechanic triggering at over 9K blood, so Im not too worried about people believing me. Im sure the devs will confirm or fix this eventually. Anyways, keeping my fingers crossed as this hasnt happened to me again since I posted this.

[ShigZ 66]

Once, going for vehicle parts on the Factory by the shore, I got hit by one of those flashing zombies (I had arrived on a truck). He knocked me out instantly. I didn't even see him as he was blinking super fast before spawning somewhere else. I lost almost all my blood and got that blurry, pulsing view of who is about to die. Managed to drive the truck, which I had spent the last 2 hours fixing, into Berezino just to get shot by a guillie guy. I think he shot me on the legs, but since I was so low on blood I died.

Damn flashing zombies.

Edited October 2, 2012 by ShigZ

[sostronk 334]

Second or third time you got hit? Wouldn't that mean you have less than full blood?

I'm not calling you a liar, but I have NEVER been knocked out by a zombie anywhere near full blood.

It was changed a little while back. It used to be you couldn't get knocked out unless you were below 9k. Now there is a random chance on any hit to knock you out. The knockouts at 11k/12k aren't really a threat though. Go shoot a cow or two boars and 12k again.

[joeoblong@yahoo.com 614]

Little known fact some zombies channel the power of Grayskull, and are capable of knocking you the fuck out with a glancing blow. At least that's what the spider on my ceiling keeps whispering to me.

[bad_mojo (DayZ) 1204]

If I there is a way for me to obtain logs or other info to prove this let me know.

Im not too worried about people believing me.

Something doesn't look right there.

It was changed a little while back. It used to be you couldn't get knocked out unless you were below 9k. Now there is a random chance on any hit to knock you out. The knockouts at 11k/12k aren't really a threat though. Go shoot a cow or two boars and 12k again.

Do you have a source on this? I thought that was changed for broken bones, not unconsciousness. I don't see anything about this in the change log.

Edited October 2, 2012 by bad_mojo

[parasite057 1]

Something doesn't look right there.

Of course it doesnt make sense when you intentionally take it out of context. I really dont care if anyone but the devs believe it, and looking around here and elswhere on the internet it appears alot of people are experiencing the same problem. Im sure the developers would like some solid evidence if this is something they need to act on so I asked if theres some way I can provide them with that. If I could trigger it at will and recreate the bug I would gladly make a video, but Im not going to waste time trying to fraps something that is based purely on random chance in the hopes I have enough HD space to capture it eventually.

[RattDog 0]

. . .

Zombies are part of the game, you will come into contact with them unless you just schlep off into the woods with nothing but a hatchet and kill rabbits to stay alive.

. . .

Have you tried killing a rabbit with a hatchet??

The last time I tried, the little bastard kept running circles round me like I was Elmer Fudd. >:(

The Zombie knockout mechanic must be the same one that causes you to start bleeding the first time you get hit by one. I use the same strategy in both cases -- avoidance.