judge@manx.net

I’m sure they’ll add in farming at some point; that’s such an important mechanic for the survivalists. I love the idea of cultivating fruit and vegetables; just have to make sure I have plenty of copper ribbon and razor wire to keep the harvest safe. Rocket did tweet about cooking potatoes the other day which sounded promising.

It’s these interactions that keep me playing. The psychology of this mod still fascinates me. It’s the ultimate apocalypse sim because it replicates real life. Put yourself in that survivor’s shoes: you’re hit bad/bleeding/passed out. Suddenly you come round and see someone approaching. Is it the shooter coming to claim their prize? Is it an opportunist coming to pick your bones? Is it a good Samaritan coming to patch you up? Do you give up, or fight to your last breath in the hope that this person has life saving assets you can plunder? I don’t condone is actions, but as with nature, a wounded animal is a dangerous thing to be around. You can't blame him for his aggression.

If you're willing to compromise a little, drop the res down to 720p, disable some of the fancier settings (HDR, AA, V-Sync) and you'll double your FPS. I went from 20fps to 60fps (average). Visuals don't really suffer and the increased framerate more than makes up for it.

Can you tell a DayZ story in 50 words or less? Just an interesting little exercise in saliency. Here’s an attempt at documenting my first kill: A Moment of Malice. Silhouetted against an overcast sky, the iron sights bring him near. Three rounds shatter the tranquillity; he falls silently. I approach slowly, heart pounding. Lying in the wet grass, his eyes pose a question his lips will never ask: “Why?” The answer - like his name - is forever lost.

+1 for Berezino I've staked a claim on a small bungalow in Pavlovo. Detached; 2 bedroom; garden front and rear; off road parking; 1 loot shed. Very quite cul-de-sac - the only footfall is the new spawns from Kamenka heading for the the NW Airfield. Just a 10 minute walk to the market in Zelenogorsk.

+1 for New Z-Land; (it's diverse enough for Middle Earth!) If I had the time/knowledge/inclination, I would love to recreate an in-game version of my real-life place of refuge, The Isle of Man. Like Iceland, this would have a clear geographical advantage in an actual pandemic. It’s also a beautiful place to explore.

+1 for this idea. I would ideally like to see indigenous at varying levels of decay: Newly infected would be extremely fast and agile, but can be killed if hit with enough rounds. Once the infection has established itself, the host will then move at a slower pace that will require more accurate placement of shots to the centre mass Once the infection has killed the host, they become the traditional walking dead; slow moving but deadly up close. Precision headshots would be the only takedown. It would force survivors into taking a more tactical approach when surrounded by NPCs of varying degrees of infection.

Hi, I’ve just rented a Private Hive server for a month. I’m trialling a 24hr full-moon environment - night time is my favourite - and wondered if anyone could give me some pointers with regard to lighting. Specifically, I don’t want streetlights at this point, but I was playing around with the Arma II editor and found that searchlights can make some landmarks look pretty epic in the moonlight. Does anyone have any experience of these searchlights in DayZ? Is it even possible?

I recently had an encounter with another survivor. He seemed genuine and we got on well, but I just couldn’t bring myself to give him the spare Makarov I was carrying in my pack. It would be interesting if there was a way to deactivate the ammunition you are carrying. Handing someone what they believe to be a loaded weapon is the ultimate test to establish their true motives without putting you danger. It would also make people think twice before putting a round in a Good Samaritan’s back. It may add a few interesting dynamics.

I guess it would cause too much griefing. That was Rockstar's rationale for omitting the lasso from the online element of Red Dead Redemption.

There must be a way for those guys to get the recognition they deserve but also placate what seems to be some quite vehement detractors.

Sorry, yes, that makes more sense - I'm not sure how this stuff works. As long as we can get past all this and move on.

A good compromise could be keeping the names but removing the packaging. Having unbranded cans means you get a nice little surprise everytime you crack one open.

Day Six for your consideration. (If anyone has noticed inconsistencies, please let me know – I’m now in uncharted territory)

@Silentreaper127 @Gernia Thanks for your kind comments and for bringing me back from the dead; glad you're enjoying my little story so far. I've resurrected the blog and uploaded Day Five (part two) I'll endeavor to keep it updated more regularly from now on.