One wolf does not a pack make.

[mr_chabowski@live.co.uk 2416]

It comes to my attention now and again, that many people on the suggestions section of the forums feel that the game needs to be more difficult. I support this idea 100%.

The problem is the number of people who view any attempt to encourage grouping up or player interaction by making things harder, as a punishment to any lonewolf players.

It's not a bad thing to try and make survival less of a walk in the park is it?

It makes sense that banding together would make the job of living off the land and surviving the apocalypse just a little bit easier.

Surely there's more to be gained from the struggle to survive than from survival itself. if you were able to keep your character alive indefinitely without any effort, why bother?

Having a community survive and thrive through cooperation, clearly gives them an advantage. That doesn't mean anyone else has been punished, it would be immature to think so.

Still, too often, suggestion threads full of good ideas are being shot down simply because the community seems to perceive some sort of vendetta against players who aren't part of a group or clan.

The wilderness should be harsh, it should be extremely difficult to survive alone. It's never going to be impossible for one man to trek Chernarus by himself, but I think it should be a LOT harder in general, for everyone!

The solo playstyle should be able to accomplish any task that a group can. That doesn't mean the two should have the same difficulty in reaching their goals.

There should be parts of DayZ where, before getting involved, a single player would think twice.

Some wolves will simply remain lone wolves; as such, these lone wolves may be stronger, more aggressive and far more dangerous than the average wolf that is a member of a pack. However, lone wolves have difficulty hunting, as wolves' favorite prey, large ungulates, are nearly impossible for a single wolf to bring down alone. Instead, lone wolves will generally hunt smaller animals and scavenge carrion

I personally love adventuring by myself. I find it easier to approach a stranger to offer assistance when I'm not part of a group, people are not so intimidated by just one guy.

I also understand that many play alone not by choice, but out of necessity.

If the whole world of DayZ was a harsher place, I think there would be more strangers willing to either accept or offer a helping hand from time to time.

Of course there's always mistrust, there always will be, with good reason too, but that's part of the charm.

If this topic has been brought up before, don't start chewing my ass out for it, I searched and found nothing along these lines.

This is the first time I've felt the need to create a topic,

I look forward to hearing other players views on the subject.

tl:dr - More difficulty ≠ punishment to lonewolves

[Derpy_Hooves (DayZ) 4521]

If things did start getting more difficult i could see alot more players banding together and fighting as small groups, though a clan leader myself i like going out on solo hunts just to keep me sharp.

Lonewolfs shouldn't be punished, i mean a small group of 2 say a sniper and spotter i would still regard as "Lone Wolves" compared to say an organized group of 8, and the challenges faceing the 2 are far greater than that of the larger group... again it's all down to survival in numbers but in other aspects the two if well trained enough could out manouver and out smart the larger group.

Play style and attitude judges the games difficulty i think, players can make situations worse or better for themselves in one split second desicion.

I would like to see more bonus's for team play etc but at the same time i love the rush of playing lone wolf knowing its all against you, wits about for sure as you hunt your way round the map!

[Tabris07 159]

I play solo almost all of the time. The only time I really am in a group is when I happen across a survivor that needs assistance. When I'm not doing that, I'm handling a threatening player or just running around with bags full of food and drink with no real danger of death, I could wander the map without much care and that gets pretty boring after a while.

I would welcome increased difficulty. If it encourages more teamwork, then that's a plus too, but I want to be able to travel the map knowing death could be right around the next corner. Whether it's due to sickness, the weather, wildlife, or another lone survivor out there who is desperate because of the difficulty of survival. It probably wouldn't change my playstyle. I'll still go solo as I find it much more interesting, but I would find an increased difficulty to live out in the wilderness to make DayZ much more fun and more of a unique experience than it is right now.

[Obsolescence 129]

Lonewolf reporting in:

The game is too easy.

Even the standalone, I suspect, will be too easy.

I prefer lonewolf play because grouping makes an already easy game even easier.

I will never be eager to group with people unless you make it too difficult for me to thrive by myself.

Please, Rocket, force me.

[tomallbones@gmail.com 2]

I'm not sure where I stand on things like this. The problem is some people don't like grouping with people, they'd rather do their own thing, and yes it should be harder than the mod, but I think while forcing people to group to survive sounds a great idea and is one I prefer, I know many who play this game for themselves and by themselves the majority of the time.

Also I don't want that PvP feel to be destroyed by the zombies being too hard and too numerous. The main way to spot a player is by looking for zombies, either spawned or chasing someone. If I'm getting chased by zombies I want a chance that I can kill them off with decent hp and then be able to defend myself from players coming in to try kill me after..I don't want to be bogged down to a "Do I try run the hell away from these zombies or kill them" situation every time I suspect a player is watching me or about to shoot me. For this its also probably better that zombies can only walk in buildings, although I heard they can run now? I'm not sure I agree with that.

In conclusion if they can make surviving harder without forcing everyone to group up, and not disrupt the freedom you have to kill / survive against players in the game, then they will know they've done it right. If the game starts becoming more of a survival game over player vs player interaction, I and many will be let down, because it's the tense, loot hungry aspect of DayZ that makes a lotter of people play DayZ. Nothing better in this game to me than working hard to kill a player and looting him to find he has godmode NVG's / 50 cal weapons on him. (Before hacking and duping anyway).

[Jamz 253]

I kind of agree with this. I definitley think the zombies should be more of a threat and also survival in the wilderness should be more involving and time consuming (like a full time job) rather than just running about like a loon. I think I heard that the stand alone will have a mechanic to make grouping easier and I'd like to see grouping between random players encouraged/ made easier. Apart from making survival more of a team effort it should also make PVP far more fun as groups of survivors engage each other rather than individuals (isn't this what the engine was designed around originally after all?).

[Sutinen 635]

There are tons of ways of making the game harder without punishing solo players. If you make bloodbags the only way to regain health, solo players will die surely, but slowly. While people in groups can just laugh and bloodbag each other. Not fair IMO.

I'm not saying that eating a cow will instantly heal wounds, but there needs to be another way.

[mr_chabowski@live.co.uk 2416]

I must say I'm impressed.

For the most part, the survivor is strong and wants to be tested!

I'm awaiting a MASSIVE ramp-up in difficulty for standalone, Rocket seems like a clever guy. He must know it's the thrill of having to avoid death at every turn that will bring this undead apocalypse to life.

Bring on the NINTENDO HARDNESS

I don't want that PvP feel to be destroyed by the zombies being too hard and too numerous. The main way to spot a player is by looking for zombies, either spawned or chasing someone. I don't want to be bogged down to a "Do I try run the hell away from these zombies or kill them" situation every time I suspect a player is watching me or about to shoot me. For this its also probably better that zombies can only walk in buildings, although I heard they can run now? I'm not sure I agree with that.

Zombie spawning will be fixed in standalone - Using Zed spawns to tell when a player is near? It's basically cheating, in my book.

Zombies should always run after you when aggroed - If the *walking indoors* thing was ever intentional, I would be very disappointed.

I'm not saying that eating a cow will instantly heal wounds, but there needs to be another way.

There are a few good topics about this over at the suggestions section, regeneration of blood over time would be my preference.

Make your life and health more difficult to maintain, less "false" feeling. If you know what I mean,

Survival should be an absolute nightmare. It's the end of the world.

Edited October 10, 2012 by Chabowski

[rybo 171]

"One wolf does not make a pack"

[Inception. 9443]

I love playing alone. It's makes some things a lot easier.

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

I like to stride lonewolf as it brings more interaction to game play when i come around with a hero skin and my friend shoots you before i can do my job it gets old. Drifting off from the crowd allows for you to make your own interactions with the characters you come across also makes you think twice about entering certain areas to avoid getting destroyed by others. I am a fan of lone wolf

[sostronk 334]

Playing as a lone wolf is easier for me than teaming up. Teaming up makes the game more difficult, because most people are bad at this game and make stupid mistakes that get you killed or heavily griefed in one way or another. Increase the difficulty level all you like, it won't make me want to team up at all. Not when there are so many bads in the game.

[puppetworx 474]

Tougher zombies - which can hit you while running - should raise the bar on difficulty. It should make opening fire and staying hidden from other players a tougher proposition in turn. Hopefully that will take the game from being a competitive death-match with zombie backdrop to being a zombie survival game with a competitive death-match backdrop.

Scarcity will have an effect too - once the object-oriented loot system is implemented. Suddenly death will mean something significant again when you can't just rely on picking up an AS50 from a body in town and you will have to work and fight for your arsenal. I think it will make people more paranoid about other players, but also make it more rewarding to team with other players of similar skill level.

So I'm not sure if the fixes will hurt or hinder teams or lonewolves, game theory is a bitch. I can't wait though.

[daze23 549]

as a solo player, the thing that's hardest to do (for me) is fix and maintain vehicles

[eMeticz 4]

i have to agree. Not sure the difficulty of creating such things but would be, but it would be nice to see bears and other wild animals that would attack you in the forest. Also food should be like a bar meter and eating some foods fills u up more than others? Another thing is if Zombies/Infected would not spawn when ur in range but instead already be an allocated amount in each town only respawning after say 10min the higher the loot the more zombies etc. With zombies spawning in range its easy to spot other survivors in the area which basically promotes camping when ur geared up. Be good to actually post some ideas as to how to make it more difficult and promote group play. Maybh the ability to build say a house out of wood or other items which could make it difficult for a solo player yet easier for a group to collect and carry all the loot required. Any other ideas?

[Hetstaine 10852]

I keep my pub guy pretty much as lonewolf although i do team him with my partner and sometimes a work mate. Not interested in him banding up with anyone else really although the odd encounter can be interesting. He is definitely one paranoid motherfucker though.

Grouping together is fine as long as it is not forced on the player, its all about how the players go about their game. If you want to group..you will. There is nothing in the game that forces you either way atm except for the fear of being kos..and despite that survivors manage to group up all the time with people they do not know. For mine playing solo is easier and harder at the same time. You only have to watch your own back..but you have no one watching yours.

Harder in every way for the standalone, here's hoping this line is at the forefront of Rockets skull..Survival should be an absolute nightmare. It's the end of the world.

[joeoblong@yahoo.com 614]

If you just use common sense then the difficulty for both solo and group play can be increased. Both should have advantages and disadvantages, just use those as a base.

For the record I like the idea of added dangers. For both types of play. I am excited to see the SA!

[Siberian (DayZ) 527]

the problem with ur idea is that this game is full of KoS asshats..

so long as there are "no rules" anti-game design going onhere, that will never change.

good luk getting a group when its virtualy impossible to see another player and not have bullets exchanged.

good luk indeed.

[mr_chabowski@live.co.uk 2416]

If you want to group..you will. There is nothing in the game that forces you either way atm except for the fear of being kos..and despite that survivors manage to group up all the time with people they do not know. For mine playing solo is easier and harder at the same time. You only have to watch your own back..but you have no one watching yours.

^This^ - DayZ doesn't force anybody one way or the other, it's up to every individual to weigh the pros and cons for themselves.

That's why I can't help but like the whole concept, it's all down to preference.

You can have a whole squad watching your back, it just means it's many times more likely that at least one of you will catch aggro, or get the whole team spotted.

It's a lot simpler to take responsibility for yourself, and only have one mouth to feed.

@Siberian - It takes an exercise in judgement to decide whether to approach another survivor. It takes no effort to hide from, and kill, everyone you see.

Successful player interaction is a rewarding experience.

"One wolf does not make a pack"

One swallow does not a summer make, nor one fine day; similarly one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy.

Obviously too abstract an analogy.

Edited October 11, 2012 by Chabowski

[enforcer1975 1111]

as a solo player, the thing that's hardest to do (for me) is fix and maintain vehicles

That shows how bad the system works...as IRL you would not bother that much about not having replacement parts and would be looking for food because you haven't had anything for days.

[Never 237]

Thing is, DayZ at first had a player base that found fun in each adventure, and each life/death was a learning experience. In a way the mod was about dying and seeing if you can can make it a little further the next time.

Then everyone learnt the system, and it changed the dynamic, everyone got geared up and precious about their gear, and then the focus seemed to shift from 'Just survive!' to 'horde gear and act like a cunt'.

[Bludy 324]

it's sure that the mechanic : aggro----run until you find a two exits building,or a tree, or a hill----- has to be changed. then it's a really good idea to improve the difficulties of surviving, so you can have something to keep you involved when fully geared and deep in the forest

[Never 237]

it's sure that the mechanic : aggro----run until you find a two exits building,or a tree, or a hill----- has to be changed.

It did get changed once, the mod was a LOT better when the infected ran through buildings.

But this forum cried its fucking heart out so rocket made the infected retarded again.

No wonder the zeds aren't a problem, you lot begged for them to be nerfed when they were made actually vaguely dangerous.

Edited October 11, 2012 by Never

[mr_chabowski@live.co.uk 2416]

But this forum cried its fucking heart out so rocket made the infected retarded again.

An empty can rattles loudest.

Any complaint that the game is "too difficult" in any way, is obviously made by someone who is either playing the wrong game, or simply doesn't understand.

I always thought making things hard to accomplish was what DayZ set out to achieve.

From what I can tell, the section of the community who appreciated the "brutal and unforgiving survival" of the DayZ "proof of" concept, have too much humility.

And the crowd calling to simplify everything and make it easier, have too much volume and self importance.

I hope the Dev team haven't caved on this matter when it comes to standalone time.

[sostronk 334]

I don't think Rocket actually gets how easy it is in the game to survive pretty much for eternity, PvP and hackers aside.