Long Term Game Objectives

[Kisvakond]

Hello all,

 

I'm new to this forum. I've been playing dayz epoch for a while. I'm impressed about the game mechanics, all based on old ARMA2 scripting. All the cool mods and features make this mod (and the forthcoming standalone) an excellent entertainment.

 

As I see most servers are PvP as the game generally does not a have a long-term goal apart from survival so PvE and cooperation is not a general attitude among players.

 

If the game would offer a common goal for survivors, it would improve the player attitude towards teamwork. Right now for some, Z's are just mobile decoration and the real targets are the other players.

 

The servers could have objectives or milestones that the players achieve by working as a team. When all objectives are fulfilled, the server could handle it as a 'victory' situation and e.g. everything is reset, player bonuses are given for the next game cycle etc.

 

I could image some objectives (in the order or progression) like:

* Milestone - Transmitting a radio emergency signal to the outer world (by assembling a radio like device from electronic loot and tools with a howto document, then connecting it to a broadcast antenna, power it etc.). The outer world could drop a mobile field lab or unload one from a landing C130 (securing a host airfield could be an objective)

* Scientifical work would be funded with currency and resources, players could defend the lab from Z's or bandits etc.

* Field-testing a prototype anti-virus by players injecting Z's with it (a serum might be inneffective by chance etc.)

* Milestone - finding an effective anti-virus ready for mass production

* Milestone - disinfecting a village by aerial deployment of the anti-virus (requires appropriate aircraft and a safe airstrip), afterwards disinfected friendly villagers (NPCs, minimal AI) support survivors in exchange for the city gone as a loot source (disinfected villages could be sorrounded with walls to protect them against re-infection, power might be restored as sub-objective etc.)

* Main objective - Disinfection of all villages and cities on the map (production of anti-virus in sufficient quantites could last long enough to lengthen this stage). The server could have a deadline to achieve some or all goals, so a f'd up server (passive players) would eventually restarted after some time.

 

A scoring system could reward players assisting in achiveing objectives.

 

All the above does not exclude the existings concepts of AI bandits or bases or players not wanting to be involved in this. Disinfected civilian kills could count as murders.

 

I know it's a whole lot of work but players seeking reasonable goals in the game would profit from it.

 

Hopefully no one has problems with those ideas or some gets other ideas on how the game could offer a way to support cooperative gameplay.

I tried to search if a simliar post exist, but haven't found one so sorry if this is duplicate of some sort!

 

Best Regards

 

Kisvakond

[ToejaM]

I like the idea of a reset for completion of a PVE event but I think it would kill off servers, the amount of work put in by players.. people would enjoy it but they would use the reset as a reason to quit.

 

A small idea from me to 'force' team work would maybe be if on a reset, one of the towns/cities is turned into a laboratory/strong hold and it would require XX amount of the people on the server, during a single server restart to all activate something within the area of the laboratory for it to signal an end game in XX days. This would obviously require a custom script for each town as they are all built differently.

 

I say one of the towns/cities to give it a bit of variety but a set of static points would work. Having it as one of the maps towns would prevent it spawning on a players base is my thinking.

 

Leading up to this, it could require a server effort during a restart to have XX amount of people all perform an action to progress the mission in a specific area, say from constructing a radio tower to send out a broadcast causing supplies arriving on the docks.. then it would need groups to collect these supplies (which respawn on every restart so people don't hoard it to prevent mission progression) to take to another area to construct the item that would be used near the laboratory.

 

It could also be set that players could do side missions which would permanently disinfect some major towns, Vybor/Novy ect ect so that there is some kind of visual progression in restoring normality.

 

Inbetween each step there would have to be a database guided forced wait of I would say at least a few weeks as you don't want the wipe to happen every two days lol.

 

You would need there to be loot spawned for completing each step as an incentive for people to work together, in true DayZ style though leave the loot as a contested spawn but also spawn items in peoples inventory. This would cause both PvP and PvE.. it would attract the degenerates that like to kill each other but also keep people working together to secure a larger haul of loot.

 

It could be set up for servers to run these progression events as well at the servers own pace. Would be a great way to run admin events!

 

The issue even with this is that the only major loot you can get is vehicles and weapons, there is no equipment you can wear that aids to the progression of the character so thats why it often goes stale for people but this would require a lot of work.

 

I'd agree with a wipe of safes, storage and players but bases... should be left until they normally deteriorate or as above you'll see people leaving the server for good.

 

Overall though, theres a lot left that can be done for DayZ, whether the arma engine can support it is the question.. it was never designed to be a persistent MMO engine.

[Kisvakond]

I like the idea of a reset for completion of a PVE event but I think it would kill off servers, the amount of work put in by players.. people would enjoy it but they would use the reset as a reason to quit.

 

The server reset can be optional as well, with just partial reset (disinfected zones, objectives).

 

I also mentioned that upon next reset, the server might give well performing players bonuses to compensate.

 

I'm imagining a game cycle duration not on the days but the weeks scale. I've seen some server crashing each week so losing your progress is not uncommon already... :S

[BetterDeadThanZed]

My server is PvE only, so in addition to completing a decent base, as well as participate in the missions or attacking the bandit bases, my players enjoy helping other players with their bases, picking up bambi's on the shore, etc so we don't worry too much about long term goals. I do like some of your suggestions however and have thought it would be cool to expand the mission system to include new mission types.

[Kisvakond]

My server is PvE only, so in addition to completing a decent base, as well as participate in the missions or attacking the bandit bases, my players enjoy helping other players with their bases, picking up bambi's on the shore, etc so we don't worry too much about long term goals. I do like some of your suggestions however and have thought it would be cool to expand the mission system to include new mission types.

...

 

Yes, we did that as well, it was fun for a month. But after some time it was nothing left to achieve. The AI bandit base was like a theme park, full of players waiting for other players finishing their 'round' in the AI bandit camp... It soon lead to argument between players.

 

If there were objectives, they could be split up to role-based missions, so players can be assigned for building while others could do the logistics or guarding the builders etc. Upon switching to a phase of the milestones, players entering the server could pick their current role/job, e.g. via the action menu. If you limit the number of players that can assign to a specific job, unpopular jobs might not end up unassigned. In a team, sometimes you have a task you may not like.