A few found bugs, and a great many suggestions :D

[Battlepaw]

I've been with the server a few weeks now, and have been impressed with how good the community is, and how well the server is run by both Hippi and Sandman.   

A few things I've noticed though, and I'm not sure since I've only been back on DayZ Epoch a few weeks now since I quit playing a few years ago is some bugs with the scripting.  In that I've also a few suggestions.   

The Bugs: 


The vehicle upgrades.  This is likely just an issue with the game code for Epoch, as I looked into the problem but when upgrading the pickup PK you can't apply the last two upgrades to the insurgent skinned pickup PK.   I have a sinking feeling when they wrote in the improvements only one skin was setup for the upgrades and none of the other ones will work with the last two vehicle improvements.     I've been wanting to ask sandman if he's willing to test that theory but I keep forgetting about it when I catch him online    

I'm not sure I'm just not using the right vehicles but the scripting for packing and unpacking things like the Mozzie and ATV seem to be broken.     I've been to a few other server that have custom scripts installed, and I've not seen the same issue there.   Again I'm not sure if it's just an Epoch issue with that kind of scripting or just that there is something broken in this server's mods.    If sandman could toss me a line here?   

My suggestions:

I know that the expressed opinion is to try and keep much of the scripting down to "reduce the FPS burden" and I understand that.   In that respect, I do think there are a few things I would love to see on the server, I'll leave it up to Sandman to see if he likes any of the ideas.   

1.   That toolboxes can deploy mozzies, motorcycles or ATVs if you have the proper parts.  I've seen this scripted in before and it's a lovely feature.     It would also cut down on having to have vehicle parks, with controlled access at the different beach towns for players getting back, since they could just keep parts for building mozzies or whatnot in safes and deploy them, then pack them back up when they get where they need to go.    It would also be less strain on the server, than dozens more vehicles in the world.  As far as I know deployed vehicles are usually scripted in to vanish upon server restart.   


2.   Advanced traders.   I talked to Sandman, and he expressed interest a while back of enabling backpack trading with them, and I would love if this was implemented.   The coin system as a replacement for hard currency is also nice, but I also do enjoy the more realistic feel of using gold and silver as currency.    Not sure how dynamic the advanced trader scripts are, so I'll leave it up to sandman if he wants to comment on his own views.   I've never seen the advanced trader system until I came back and am quite impressed at how how much it adds to the game, and reduces the tedium of wasting time at the traders just to sell off junk.     

3.  Missions.   Hmmm, where to start with this.   I't is kinda hard to describe the issue I have with the current mission system, it's nice and I love how well they are balanced, though I do have one nagging problem with them.   Lack of variety.     As I've gotten better at fighting the AI, it feels very artificial.    Most of the servers I've played on have extensive AI missions, but to explain my statement you have to realize I'm not trying to be critical of how original the idea of having rockers as bandits, or the whole theme of the missions is geared towards, but just that you are always after the same objectives. 

There are many things I've seen that may help to explain why I feel that way, but the fact remains every mission objective is about looting guns, etc.    It feels like the red missions are just more valuable versions of the yellow missions.   

If there were specific missions for trying to get building supplies, or certain types of loot, or rare mission types that center around the wide variety of both vehicles and emplacements that ARMA II has, it would be interesting.   

4.   Allow HESCO barriers to be sold.  As far as I've gathered I don't think those square HESCO barriers have the same FPS problems as the sandbags, which is likely because of the much lower poly count.  I like building with them, as they look awesome, its just that sandbags are prohibitively expensive because the sandbag walls, etc are encouraged to be used very sparingly.   

[DarkAFK]

Only thing about packing the atv and mozzie into a toolbox, is that it is not realistic in any sense. I know that this server focuses on realism. It would be nice to be able to store motor bikes and such in a build able garage type shed. That's where they are stored in real life. That's just my input on what you are saying. I can see being able too build the atvs and mozzie from parts gathered but only at a workbench, much like a wall.

[Battlepaw]

You are not "Packing" the ATV or Mozzie in the toolbox your deconstructing it.    The scripts I'm talking about basically lets you deploy a Mozzie or ATV etc only if you have the required parts.   

For example, the Mozzie requires a rotor, gas tank, engine, etc to deploy.  You arn't trying to fit the thing into the toolbox you are building or deconstructing it.  For the Mozzie that is interesting since if you look at it closely it looks like you could pack it up and shove  it's components into something or build it.   It's basically a rotor attached to an engine heh.   

I like the realism aspect of the server, one of the reasons why I tend to enjoy the vanilla epoch over overpoch, the bewildering array of weapons and crap you get with overwatch tends to tax my sanity.    Though I do enjoy the mod immensely, and the servers that are careful about what weapons they make available and what ones you have to really earn are very fun.   

[Sandman]

I'm glad to hear you are enjoying our server and thanks for the suggestions. The vehicle upgrades are deep in the game code and beyond my power to do anything about. Its a moot point anyway because you can buy a vehicle that will smoke any upgraded version. 

As far as the mozzie thing, the bike script can support that and we even had it for a bit, but it has been intentionally disabled and will probably not be re-introduced. As Dark said, its just not realistic to be able to pull a mozzie out of your pocket and fly away if you wreck your truck or something. The bikes are bad enough.

As far as the trader, I have considered the sell from backpack option but that's about as far as I want to go with it. I really would like to have left the traders as close to default as possible, but there were necessary modifications that had to be made.

On the subject of the missions, I am not quite sure what you are getting at. What do you mean by "extensive" AI missions? If you are referring to the mission gameplay aspect, with some tricky stunts pulled off by custom coded AI, you definitely have my attention. By all means, please describe how they work. All the other servers I've been on use the same basic AI systems that is generally available.  I do tend to believe we have some of the best missions in the mod, but if you've seen better, please by all means, tell me about it.  Unless, of course, you are talking about those standard canned missions with random spawns of wrecked C130's or medical camps or houses with AI etc and other stuff to easily snipe out in a field. Not really impressed by those. Ours are custom coded to be challenging, as I believe you have found to be true, and I am working on some more stuff to make them even more so.
 
 If you are referring to the available loot at the missions , I hate to disappoint you but it is what it is. Basically the reward is going to be gold, either in raw form or easily convertible guns, as well as a smattering of rare items thrown in.

 Be aware for the sake of the server framerate, there will probably never be any type of building materials available at the missions. If you don't feel like crafting the materials, use the abundant gold to buy cinder.

Understand that I actually consider this server to be "Enhanced Vanilla" Epoch. As such, I try to keep the mods to a minimum. You will notice things such as a near default trader menu without god mode, lack of auto refuel and self blood bag. These are intentional. Self blood bag, to me, is nothing but a Duke Nukem healthpack. The blood regen system works nicely in its place. And to be able to hover over a gas station and refuel a heli?  Talking about cheesy. I have done things like put original coding in place to make the pumps work without power as a better system. I'm not even going to get into the trader god mode thing.

Paws, I appreciate the suggestions, and am always open to new ideas. Most of these, however, will have the effect of making the game that much easier. And easy is boring. I think we've got a good balance here, but if there is anything that will fit with the overall feel and theme of the server and add to the experience, I wont hesitate to implement it.

Thanks,

Sandman
 

[Battlepaw]

Thank you sandman for replying and I have to say I agree with you 100% on many issues.    I've never been a big fan of the whole "self bloodbag" thing as I've allways felt that survival should be a buddy system effort, if you want to go solo fine, but it should be more challenging, since you will have to hunt or stockpile meat or decent food for getting blood back.   

As for reintroducing the mozzie script, I do have a few ideas that if you can swing it may help make them harder to build.   I'm not sure how flexible the scripting is, but from what I've observed at how scripts are put togather I'm wondering if you can modify the building materials for constructing the mozzies.  For instance can you add in the need for scrap metal, and a metal pole?   The addition of a metal pole would make it more difficult just to slap one togather with parts you find laying around and make it something you don't build on a whim,(as you would need to also find a hatchet and box of matches to make the fire to make the pole out of scrap metal, etc) This would be even more true if you don't get all the parts back upon deconstruction, just a random variable based upon the condition of the chopper, and with a 50% salvage rate.   

Hmmm how to better explain what I'm getting at with the missions, I guess I can make a few suggestions based upon the limits I've seen other servers work with.     "micro" missions, that can often result from say the downing of an AI chopper causing a mission to spawn at the site or at least in the general area of where the AI vehicle was destroyed.     

Smaller missions gauged around wandering players or groups of players that occur more often and have a quicker despawn time compared to say yellow missions.     I've seen say small missions with a squad of soldiers with low grade rifle type weapons in the woods guarding a box of medical supplies, or little invasions of towns like Cherno.   The red mission that spawns in Vybor is a lot of fun, even if it tends to double spawn on itself alot, and I like city fighting, especially when the AI are using a variety of weapons, and not just the same one shot kill wonders or sprayguns.     Fighting street to street is a lot of fun if your not always worried about getting killed in one shot just because the AI always has a lapua or some sort of really powerful weapon.     The loot isn't always my goal when fighting AI, just often working with other players is just as fun.

Roamers are also not too bad if you swing it right.    I hate the servers that just have them spawn randomly around players with sniper weapons. This is especially infuriating when you are trying to build and one spawns near you, kills with one shot then despawns.   On many pvp servers, most of the players wandering around on foot, are not well equipped, because they don't have access to things like choppers or armed vehicles they basically carry what they find laying around from low grade military or industrial spawns, etc.     It's very unrealistic to expect a dirty survivor or bambie bandit on foot to have a Lapua, or a rocket launcher, etc.    The best way I've seen them used is them spawning and just walking between towns where they will often encounter players.

As for mission rewards, I'm not sure if you can do it but is it possible to set costs of things in terms of stuff like gems, or other items, and not just gold bars at a trader?      This would allow players to collect unique things they find and turn them in, much like how you turn in things like bottles for tin.   There are a lot of mostly useless items (like the gems you get from busting up veins), that would be interesting to work with.  Hell I've seen tolite paper rolls used as an alternate currency before     

I understand how much you want to try and restrict building, but if players want to earn their supplies through doing smaller, micro missions or get something they can exchange for whole building parts or whatnot instead of grinding missions just to get a ton of briefcases that would be pretty cool.   

I've seen such a wide variety of things added in through scripting its sometimes hard for me to tell, especially since I came back what is part of the default Epoch stuff, and what people add.  I's pretty amazing some of the stuff I've seen servers script in. 
   

[jessyjames]

I like the idea that was mentioned about scrap items such as toilet paper. I am a big fan of not leaving empty cans around as after 20 people run through eating looks like a garbage pile, yet one can smelt them down into tin, aluminum but only tin has value. If it's too hard to code for it then it's all good. Was just an idea I wanted to add a little extra input on. Lord knows you have a big enough job keeping server going without adding extra crap just because it sounded like myself or someone else was whining.


  P.s. server is awesome place to play on - thank you for all your and everyone else who has put hard work and effort into building it and keeping it going!

[Sandman]

Thank you for your suggestions guys, it will be taken into consideration. I guess we must be doing something right, though. We are the number one PVE server right now.

[beik]

if this server is about realism, please turn off crosshairs  I'd love to see them go bye-bye, makes the different weapon sights more important, just my $.02

[Sandman]

Damn Beik,

Dont be so hard on me man. I'm doin my best to run a little ol' server. Just can't seem to make everybody happy.

[Battlepaw]

To be fair the server is a good environment for more than just the content we have now, but the way it's managed.    For example the Overpoch server nexus has a lot more going for it, and not a bad community but the way players run missions does not encourage teamwork.   That alone I see has a noticeable impact on the server, especially since you "claim" missions as soon as they pop up rather than join in and participate with groups.     

I'ts not always a bad thing, but the most important thing to me is the survival aspect of DayZ, and the abilty to work as part of a larger community.    It's one of the reasons I don't normally support everything if it makes my life easier, but there are a few exceptions I'll make to keep things interesting to reduce tedium.  It is a game after all, and it's important to have fun.     

The missions as they are, are balanced.   However there is more than just a loot balance with missions, there has to be aspects of the server that keep it interesting.    It's one of the reasons that variety in missions and how you choose your missions, if you want to fight off small bandit squads, fight in the towns, or kill the AI choppers, or roamers is important to me.  You should have a lot of choices.     

[beik]

Damn Beik,

Dont be so hard on me man. I'm doin my best to run a little ol' server. Just can't seem to make everybody happy.

Not being hard on you,  just throwing it out there. I say it all the time,  this is a great server!   These are just suggestions not demands, do what you need with them. It's not the features here that keeps me coming back but the way you folks run it.

[Battles]

Damn Beik,

Dont be so hard on me man. I'm doin my best to run a little ol' server. Just can't seem to make everybody happy.

You make me happy, Sand!

[Battlepaw]

Heh yea sand is doing a great job, and that is because he works hard and make this server more than just a modded DayZ server, but a great community.   

Scripting and mods are not everything, but you also have to realize just how much impact they do have on gameplay.   A few changes here or there could really be very interesting.   I'm not suggesting every neat script out there be added, if I was trying to recall all the ones I have seen, my list of suggestions would be miles long, and not just isolated to a few that I think may actually work well here.   

Hell and trying to keep FPS down is important, speaking for myself, when I'm on very heavily modded Overpoch servers, my laptop gets so hot, even with my fan on boosted mode, and on a cooling plate it feels like it will melt through the plastic.    I also notice about 10 FPS less.   The features are fantastic and often the servers have every awsome script set I could ask for, but there are many hiccups.   

I'm not a script fiend, so can't tell you if it's melting down trying to load everything simply because it has a lot of script, or if it's taxing to have overwatch, and Epoch loaded as well as a ton more object in render distance, but I can tell you I have a very good gaming laptop, and even with that I shudder to think of how much I tax it trying to keep my FPS up with that much workload on it.     

So the alternative is to try to find the scripts I think make the best impact, or suggest features like adding the ability to build with hesco barriers or give us more deployable vehicle options, all that help with reducing the burden.   

As for the missions, I'm not sure how much they actually tax servers, or how diffrent that kind of work is from modded scripts.   The biggest thing though is the enviroment the missions spawn in and the equipment that the bandits spawn armed with.     ATM the majority of the yellow missions will spawn in the open and many of the locations I know the red missions spawn in are either ontop of mountains at the various castles or otherwise in concelemt.     Concelement is great, and makes a mission more difficult, but there are a lot of different things you could change to make a mission interesting, such as city spawns, etc.     Some of that is not so much adding to complexity, but just changing the location of a mission or changing the reason you are fighing the mission.   

The reasons are just as important as balancing the loot.  For example I'll help clear vybor almost every time the red mission pops up, because it's a town I go through a lot.    It's why I like the bandits that rove between towns rather than just random rovers, because it gives reason for shooting them.  Random rover spawns are just annoying and it's more pratical just to ignore them unless they spawn around you as you are trying to work.   

Even if a mission does not give a great deal of loot, making smaller missions give unique rewards would also be interesting.    That way you use whatever unique rewards you get for doing lower loot missions, to buy something awesome after you have done a few.