I want to be scared - A discussion on horror and Dayz

[jayleann 143]

Maybe having been in  the army i am less afraid of people shooting at me

Yes and maybe it is a personality thing. I hate gunfights in DayZ because I'm literally losing my head. Most of the time I don't shoot and avoid fighting with humans at all cost and when it happens suddenly, I'm thrilled and hardly able to cope with that situation. For my atmospheric experience it is a good thing though.

[brumey 116]

What the team needs to do is come up with an overarching story, that overlaps and interlinks---a story that should never be officially revealed to anyone. Things such as where the infection started, how it spread, what the reaction was and so on.

 

Then this story needs to be hinted at in clues throughout the map. Never explicitly told.

 

like dark souls or demons souls does! IT TELLS THE STORY THROUGH ITEM DESCRIPTIONS!!! and its only vague a leaves a lot open for personal interpretation!!   LOVE IT!!!

Edited April 14, 2014 by brumey

[BiGoDeViN (DayZ) 423]

Yeah but see it worked in Fallout 3 because it was very relateable to allot of Americans. Also it was easier to do because of the massive city structures on your Eastern coastal areas. Shit even Point Look Out was a creepy place.

 

These Russian towns just seem WAY to generic and stale at the moment. Not enough sky scrappers or anything to unique. Its all copy and past crap. If they added more giant cities with different kinds of building damage and decay that would help ALLOT.

 

I don't see how being relative to Americans is, well, relative. Yeah, the 50's overtone of FO3 was definitely inspired by late 40's and early 50's America and the game takes place in America but that doesn't mean it didn't have atmosphere besides the 50's theme. The gray and dark setting of the game really set it off. It really made you believe the world was over.

 

DayZ could pull it off. Even with the Copy / Paste towns. They just aren't trying hard enough. But maybe when the bigger shit is finished, they'll add some atmosphere.

[DropBearChick 1216]

It needs GORE! The trickle of blood when i headshot someone is not enough, i want blood brains and skull splattered from here to kingdom kong!!! And a few nice scenery items would be cool like a huge abbandoned traffic jam between balota and cherno and stuff like that, also hanging, dismemberment, heads on sticks, blood painting, dynamic zombie spawns, darker atmosphere and weather, stuff like that.

CANNIBALISM

[thesodesa 99]

Rather than focus solely on increasing their numbers, they should 'fix the zombies' first. For example right now hey cant turn very quickly, so kiting thme around is simply a matter of moving sideways, while hammering them with a melee weapon or fists.

Edited April 14, 2014 by TheSodesa

[hrdrok 183]

Rather than focus solely on increasing their numbers, they should 'fix the zombies' first. For example right now hey cant turn very quickly, so kiting thme around is simply a matter of moving sideways, while hammering them with a melee weapon or fists.

 

Completely agree they should be fixed. The ghosting, terrible spawn mechanic, and their melee combat is in big need of help. I didn't add that to the OP because I am making an assumption they eventually will fix these problems as they are known. I am hoping some notice is taken at what we want done after that.

[gibonez 3633]

Zombies will never be a threat or ever be scary no matter what they do to them.

 

People will always give you butterflies especially when you both notice each other at the same time.

[aphex187 52]

Zombies will never be a threat or ever be scary no matter what they do to them.

 

People will always give you butterflies especially when you both notice each other at the same time.

 

Maybe not, but having more would be a hindrance to oneself. Trying to battle through a major city and it's heavily populated count of undead just for a can of beans is what this game really needs. Would also make a lot of people who are solely into pvp think before opening fire in a town.

Edited April 14, 2014 by sye73

[TheScruffyBandit 382]

Is it just me or did the ambient sound get fixed?

Out in the woods and I can only hear the wind in the trees, bird song and the faint sound of the sea.

Naw, I'm still getting audio glitches.

[Powell (DayZ) 734]

I approve, especially for the audio cues. Good audio and tiny effects (don't even need gameplay) make a good game for me

[napalmdog 71]

The scariest thing about DayZ will never be zombies, it's scary because of what people become when society breaks down, which is far more chilling.

 

The zombies are just the trigger that set events in motion, but the real terror comes from never knowing if there's some asshole around the corner who's willing to kill you for a tin of beans, or worse some maniac who'll slaughter you just because he gets a kick from it. Even worse knowing that, somewhere in the back of your mind when you meet someone who seems friendly that some part of you is sizing them up, trying to see if they have anything you might need and if you'd be able to take that item from them.. and the creeping suspension that they're doing the exact same thing.

 

If that isn't fear inducing, I don't know what is.

Of course the problem with this notion in DayZ is it is a totally forced notion. And I believe that's the big disconnect. If you play enough in the current state, it's really not hard to find food, a backpack and an axe. Bam, you are set to survive. If you stay at that level you can go for quite a long time. But then you find a gun and it's too damn fun to just shoot people.

 

At this point in development it's more a Lord of the FlyZ, not DayZ. When it doesn't make sense to snipe a guy with pockets full of food while he's in the grocery store and wait til he gets out because you don't want to be near the zombie horde and shoot him specifically for his food, then the game will have arrived....

Zombies will never be a threat or ever be scary no matter what they do to them.

 

People will always give you butterflies especially when you both notice each other at the same time.

I still think server admins should be able to run as zombies...

[hrdrok 183]

Perhaps make zombies be able to "grab" someone. Perhaps sometimes instead of them hitting you, they grab and make you un able to run for a split second. This would give other zombies a chance to hit/grab. That would be freaky getting pulled into a group as they slowly devour you.

[TheScruffyBandit 382]

Perhaps make zombies be able to "grab" someone. Perhaps sometimes instead of them hitting you, they grab and make you un able to run for a split second. This would give other zombies a chance to hit/grab. That would be freaky getting pulled into a group as they slowly devour you.

I like the idea of giving zombies the ability to tackle a player and pin him or her down, or to perhaps grab your legs, tripping you and bringing you to the ground, forcing the player to struggle free, get to their feet and regain their footing.

 

Perhaps it would give us a reason to use 1 handed melee weapons instead of just grabbing the first axe we see, too... since it would be much harder to attack a zombie which is pinning you down with a large and cumbersome weapon such as an axe but a knife of screwdriver could be forced into their head. However I'm not sure this would work with the current weapon switching delay and clunkiness.

Edited April 14, 2014 by TheScruffyBandit

[DarkwaveDomina 1099]

I have mentioned to friends that the one big 'fear factor' missing from the mod for me is all the weapons being so inaccurate in standalone. In the mod I was always worried that someone would open fire on me if I were crossing an open field, you ran slower and weapons were so much more accurate that a good player with an AKM zeroed to 800m could take you down with ironsights (never mind a DMR or something). In standalone I am not really afraid of being shot at, after a few encounters since release the adrenaline just doesn't pump so much any more because I know I can run for cover and most players won't be able to hit me.

[Jamz 253]

Players are not frightening, usually just annoying coupled with fear of losing gear/self preservation. That's not the same thing as atmospheric foreboding. For instance, I think zombies should be always making low moaning sounds even when they are dormant and wandering. If we get large groups then the combined volume of the moans should increase accordingly. For hordes/large groups I'd love to be able to hear them from a distance, maybe getting closer if I'm looting a town. Something like near the end of this clip (try to ignore the music!)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAp_-0vbOwY

[Bubbled Luff 27]

Same for Fallout 3. It wasn't a scary game but the atmosphere was so strong. It could really spook you out.

The skeletons everywhere, great stuff.

Really ought to at least be some scattered body parts, corpses and piles of burnt undead as set dressing. More than just a couple of ruined buildings would be nice too.

[DMentMan 707]

beans for you, good post.

[Deathlove 2280]

Hopefully the developers are taking this all into consideration.

 

To be honest the Music in the mod over the Standalone ACTUALLY makes the game more scary to me at least. That and coupled with the fact that zombies just dont stay in one place on the mod like they do in Standalone. Hordes shamble inside of houses and in random directions on the streets.

[hrdrok 183]

Hopefully the developers are taking this all into consideration.

 

To be honest the Music in the mod over the Standalone ACTUALLY makes the game more scary to me at least. That and coupled with the fact that zombies just dont stay in one place on the mod like they do in Standalone. Hordes shamble inside of houses and in random directions on the streets.

 

Yes I forgot about roaming zombies. And zombies that crawled...

[Deathlove 2280]

Yes I forgot about roaming zombies. And zombies that crawled...

Iv also seen ones with dismembered arms and axes in there skulls and backs. Try Origins, they added tones of variety to the zombie skins and they currently have some really creepy female models too.

[artisan661 13]

i just want audio playing in the game, like it was on the mod. A little scary music adds a lot. Thats one big thing i miss

[bonesnap 75]

Logged in just to bean you for the zombie horde video.

 

Want. Now.

[hrdrok 183]

 

i just want audio playing in the game, like it was on the mod. A little scary music adds a lot. Thats one big thing i miss

 

Miss the old music as well. Actually the sounds in general were more spooky at that time. I can see them not adding background music because of realism, but ambient sounds needs improved to make up for it.

Edited April 15, 2014 by hrdrok

[Katana67 2907]

Why can't zombies be both "harder" and more numerous?

[hrdrok 183]

Why can't zombies be both "harder" and more numerous?

Not opposed to making them harder at all. Just their numbers are a priority in my mind. You can buff them pretty easy with more health and faster movement.