Addition of Journals/Audio Logs

[spetznaz226]

One of my favorite ways to pass the time during some of DaiZy's less interesting moments (i.e. walking from Elektro to Berezino because I busted my pickup's wheels on a pile of rubble that loaded in just as I drove over it: we've all been there) is to try and come up with small stories for the individuals whose bodies and vehicles I find strewn across the landscape. I imagine what they would have experienced in their final moments as the world around them gasped its dying breaths. Many games have features through which the backstory of the player's and/or game's environment is revealed through journals or recordings of some sort. Examples of this would include Bioshock's audio diaries, Murphy's journal in Silent Hill Downpour, and the various notes and voice recordings found in The Last of Us.

It would be rather interesting if some of the bodies or vehicle wrecks had notes or recordings within them. Notes could be picked up and placed in the player's journal (the one accessed through the radio menu). Audio recordings could be played once upon their discovery, and multiple times if the player possesses a radio (Think of how Cole McGrath uses his phone in the PS3 game Infamous to listen to recorded voice logs). They would also accessed through the radio menu, so it would seem like the player is using his or her radio.

Some examples of possible Notes/Logs:
(Please note: The scenes with which I have included images are custom-made scenarios that I designed around some of the stories I created)

1. A suicide note (applicable to many of the dead bodies found in Chernarus, would be placed in the player's journal)

2. The cockpit voice recorder from inside a helicopter wreck.

A possible recording could reveal that the helicopter was evacuating civilians, one of which was infected. The civilian died and reanimated, attacking his fellow passengers and the helicopter's crew, which causes the aircraft to crash.

3. An audio diary of a surgeon (found in a hospital) that details the first case of the virus.
This could include the attempted treatment of "patient zero", his death, and subsequent reanimation. Perhaps he bites the surgeon? (A friend of mine who works in a hospital told me that many surgeons and medical examiners keep audio logs of their procedures)

4. The journal of a priest who converted his church into a sanctuary for the recently infected. This safe-haven provided a comforting alternative to the cold, unemotional end provided by a soldier's bullet. The infected individuals could spend their last days in peace, perhaps giving a last confession to the priest. Then, once they died, their would receive a bullet in the brain from the priest to prevent reanimation; not before death, as was the CDF policy. Eventually, the Chernarussian government deemed this sanctuary to be unsafe and the potential source of an outbreak. CDF soldiers kicked down the door and executed the priest (who, ironically, was tending to one of the soldiers' comrades who had not been bitten, but had fallen ill with cholera, and had sought shelter at the church because he did not want to get the rest of his unit sick) and all of his patients, including their former comrade. The priest kept a journal during his management of the church. Though most of the journal's pages are unreadable, as they have been stained with blood from the priest's body lying next to it, the last page is still readable. This page, which the player will "tear out" and "place" in their journal contains the details of that tragic day.





5. A small radio recording of the crew of a BMP as they try to escape an undead horde. The driver tries to smash through a set of walls, but ends up getting stuck on the rubble of the last wall. The crew try to escape through the hatches, but are quickly surrounded by the horde, and killed.



I have almost no skill when it comes to coding, writing Arma 2 scripts, or using editor triggers, so I would need someone to help me with that part. However, I would be easily able to create the stories and words for the notes/letters/documents. I also would be able to create the sound files for the audio recordings/logs using some of the sound mixing software I own. The objects for the journals and audio logs would not need to be created, as they are already there (look in Empty: Small Objects).



I understand that this is my first post to this forum, and my first demonstration of my skill set. I do not expect anyone to jump at this, or to have offers of assistance flooding in. However, I have played Arma 2 since 2010, and have logged thousands of hours of gameplay (not sure if I should be proud of that or not). I love DayZ, and especially DaiZy. The ability to create a self-authored experience is a rare occurrence in today's world of linear arcade shooters (which I have nothing against, they have great stories which I enjoy). With the addition of the feature described within this post, the brutal, merciless world of DayZ can gain a little bit of humanity.

Thanks,
Spetznaz206

[Mickel Jacson]

Zombies are not realistic no matter how you code them. Not because the virus is unrealistic, but because it haven't had it's outbreak yet, so we got 0 clue how they would really be. :P

[Deathsquad]

i like the idea for sure