My suggestions : If they're just armed with a melee weapon...just sprint away from them. They have a melee weapon. They have to be up close to you. Keep running. They'll lose interest eventually because they can't catch up. If they're armed wit a gun, then your have a few choices. 1. Log > It's a bullshit move and you'll receive no respect from the community for it. Even death in DayZ can be a thrill ride. Own it. Embrace it. 2. Find SOMETHING to break line of sight between you and the assailant. A fence...rocks...trees...houses. Anything. Use 3rd person to your advantage to monitor the assailant's movement and move around the rock/wall/building as they come around. It's all about breaking line of sight, and when you have an eye on their location and which direction they're looking, you can determine the best time to make a break for it and get the hell out of there. 3. Run in zig-zags. It'll improve your chances of survival when being shot at.

That's awesome man. I'm glad you're enjoying it. You'll learn quickly...whenever you need to access your inventry, check your options menu, or anything...find cover. Good luck out there...get yourself a mic and don't hesitate to speak to survivors. Friendlies DO exist.... EDIT: and successfully holding someone up gives me more of a high than just killing them. Try it. It takes practice.

That's such a premature comment to make. It takes a long time for Frankie and Jackfrags to make those videos. :)

Oh yea I know dude, I got your sarcastic humor! ....yet there be people that still request those kinds of things so I just wanted to add a non sarcastic explanation of why it's a bad idea for DayZ. I suppose I didn't make it apparent in my post that I was agreeing with you.

good poem! Name tags are featured in arcade games, like CoD and BF, WoW, etc. The roots of this game are based on tactical, teamwork based simulation. Brutality and cold reality is the name of the game in DayZ. DayDB is another example of an overpowered utility that gamers use. External communication programs like TS also fall in that category. It would break immersion. Spawning on friends and seeing their position is, again, a feature of many mainstream arcade games. The goal is to survive with what you have within the game, not having magical locator functionality. Night time lighting is in progress. Its Alpha. For all that disagree, their disagreement is based on the type of game this is and the spirit of the gameplay that has been. You spawn in with nothing...no magical floating name tags or map locations...no out of world digital hand holding. Just survive. Otherwise, Left4Dead might be for you.

I trust B over A. Player A seems to think a hat will protect against headshots, multi colored clothing will help him stay hidden from bandits, and an M4 can counter snipers in a sniper-rich game. Player B would make a better, more efficient, and influential hero. Don't hate on him just because you're biologically programmed to fear someone whose face is hidden and gear seems more threatening. Better question, who would you rather trust on your team?

In no particular order are my ideas for the SA. A few of them, admittedly, will probably be implemented, but I haven't specifically heard about them yet. I left out other ideas, as other members have already suggested them. Some good ones out there! Appropriate Post-Processing Effects in 1st Person From sunglasses, masks, etc. Anything that "covers" the eyes or diminishes FOV. Perhaps sunglasses, for example, lowers the brightness slightly, but greatly reduces sunglare. Getting hit in the head without protection will blur vision for a second or two....etc Appropriate Sound Effects Opening backpack, opening ammo box, putting clothes on, vomiting, doors opening, etc. Thermal Binoculars The thermal scope on the L85 in the mod was overpowered, definitely. If thermal binoculars were available as a rare item, you would have to put your weapon away to use them. It would need to be balanced, which is why I suggest thermal capabilities be limited to binoculars and not scopes for weapons. No overpowered Thermal or even NV goggles...make them surveyor scopes or binoculars. Something you have to stop, put gun down, pull out the thermals, survey area, and put back. Same with NV goggles? Dramatic Clouds and Skyboxes I'm picturing Real Clouds mod for Skyrim...or the clouds in Stalker:COP. The deep, dark, ominous couds off in the distance or overhead give a real sense of atmosphere. Is it possible to see them in the distance and have them roll in, bringing rain and lightning? I love the sky in DayZ SA, but I'm itchin for some more epic skyboxes. Skybox Examples Stalker 1 Stalker 2 Stalker 3 Zombie Sounds Can the sounds of zombies be improved? I'd love to hear some bloodthirsty rage in their voices...would also like to hear some ambient zombie sounds around cities. Default Flashlight Increase the ambient lighting around the light cone from the flashlight. The edges of the cone have been softened, which is nice compared to the razor sharp edges of the light cone from the mod. But there should be a bit more ambient lighting around the cone of light IMO. Add a Maglight Perhaps it could be a military item...or just a rare civilian item. A heavy flashlight with an LED ultra-white tone, extended range, enhanced brightness, and....doubles as a melee weapon?? :) Melee Weapons You know...the obvious one. Chainsaw, katana, machete, baton, sledgehammer. Fix the clunky melee controls first though. Do Something with Skalisty Island 'Nuff said Variable Zombie Attributes Not every single zombie has the exact same health, damage, and speed. I'm not suggesting a wide range of variability in the attributes of zombies, but a mild one. Instead of different zombie "types", as proposed in this forum, just randomize their health, damage, and speed attributes within a moderate range. Keep us on our toes! Abilities Allow us to crush glass...maybe it's a glass mug, or a light bulb...with rags and sprinkle them on the ground. When another player walks over it, we'll hear the cracking sound of glass, which will alert us to their presence. Board up doors with some wood of some kind. A player must axe at it to break it open. Craft Torches 2-4 wooden sticks, duct tape, rags, and kerosine. Light with matches......or add in lighters...?? Craft Fishing Poles Maybe some wodden sticks, maybe some strings, some lure...I don't know. Or just add them to the loot table for buildings around the coast. Put fish in the sea of course....or just make it so that you have a chance to catch something every minute or so. Cook them, eat them, slap your enemies in the face with them. You get the idea. Bows Compound Bows and Crossbows....that are actual weapons. Let us hunt both animals and humans with bows! Don't make them weak...just relatively short range compared to rifles. They're deadly!! Facepaint Small containers of facepaint can go a long way when you don't have a mask that blends in with the environment. -Dustin

I have always been interested in doing some kind of geographical digitization of Chernarus to extrapolate some useful data. I've seen some great height maps before for the mod, which was used as a loose guide to determine sniping positions. If I can obtain the height data (x,y,z coords) from DayZ SA in a proper format, I should be able to come up with some useful data from the resulting heightmap using some rather simple procedures. I'd like to hear your reactions to my proposal. I've seen an influx of new players to the world of DayZ so I thought this might be useful to some. A lot of veteran players from the mod may find no need for such thing, however. Viewshed Analysis Setting Up Campsites Geographically speaking, and based on topographical data, I can determine the best areas for campsites on the macro level. Let me define a couple of terms in the context of setting up campsites. > Macro Level - Based on the topographical layout of the surrounding areas, where are the best geographical locations to build camps ? In a valley? Ridge? North? West? East side? > Micro Level - Specifically, where are the best spots within that geographical location to place the tents? By a grouping of trees? Next to that huge rock? > Best - what do I mean by saying the "best"? Within the context of setting up a camp/base, the "best" means the most hidden from view. The locations that can be viewed by the least amount of area. Performing a viewshed analysis for a specific point on the map will give the player an exact idea of where their campsite is viewable from. Knowing this information, players can place their campsites in the least viewable areas. This process can account for the tree canopy as well. << !!!!! On the micro level...it would be up to YOU to determine which specific tree or rock to put your tent next to, for example. ---- ---- Snipers Performing the VA can serve snipers as well, since it gives players an exact idea of how much area you can see from a specific point. Which conversely, can be used as counter-sniper information! From the Sniper Hill, for example...from where can I see the top of Sniper Hill to provide counter-sniper support? It works both ways. Traveling Whether by vehicle or foot, if you're concerned with safety on the road then a VA can provide players with information on the most hidden paths to take. Remember, it can account for tree canopy. If snipers are your concern, then a VA will tell you which roads/paths have the least viewable areas, which again, accounts for the tree canopy blocking the view. Travel Time By Vehicle Which road should you take to make it from Cherno to Shakhovka? Don't worry if you haven't even heard of that town. :) If travel efficiency and speed is your concern and you're using a vehicle, then information on the fastest routes would be useful. If you have a vehicle that can handle off-road efficiently, then other factors come into play. More on that next. By Foot Sprinting and running are greatly affected by the slope of the terrain. This can be accounted for! What are the fastest routes around Chernarus on foot? You don't need to follow the road...but you want to avoid the steep inclines that slow your pace down. Based on slope data, you could determine the fastest route by foot to a certain destination. Incline also affects vehicles as well to a certain degree! ========== Is this information trivial? Useful? Unnecessary? What other kinds of geographical or topographical data would you consider useful for DayZ players? Again, veterans from the mod may not need this info anymore. You know how to get around and you have an idea of great camp spots. But with the success of the mod and the Standalone's release, there has been an influx of brand new players! I don't know how to obtain the elevation data from Chernarus+, or if it's even in a proper format to import into my GIS program. (Geographical Information Systems) I know others have extracted the height data from the mod, but didn't know if anyone out there had some insight on this process...or just opinions on my idea. I have no idea how to make something interactive, or make a java program or anything cool like that. How would I even get this information out there to the public? I'm just throwing out this idea...thinking about things. Take care DKR

Jesus Christ. I'm gonna quote myself to make my point clearer. /end thread

"Also, this is a game breaker, in as much as their is no in-game rational for anyone to have access to this kind of technology within Chernarus at this time." So...like teamspeak...ventrilo....dayz wiki....daydb....need I go on? I got it. I won't do it.

You have been a sarcastic brat on several forum posts. *noted

After a quick synopsis of my recent encounters in the SA, I'd like to give my opinion on the future of DayZ. > Held up 2 players, dropped an axe on the ground several meters away. Told them on the count of 3 to run after the axe and kill the other. Only one would survive. Ironically, the guy with only his fists knocked the axe guy out and won. I let him go with some gear. > Met numerous bambis trying to punch me for no reason. I assume they're having fun or attempting to coerce strangers to take their life so they get a better spawn. > Witnessed another bandit forcing two players to fist fight. He murdered both of them and I hid under the bridge by Solch as he walked overhead to the south. > Met numerous survivors, most of them panicked or pleaded with me to not shoot them, which I did not. A few even tried to attack me with only their fists even though I was geared up with a helmet and M4. ====== I have formed an early, albeit premature, opinion on DayZ standalone from my personal experience. I must admit that while my opinon is generally positive, I still understand the concerns of many about the game's future. DayZ vs DayZ mod > First off, let's stop calling it DayZ Standalone. The game is called DayZ and we should reserve the additional descriptor for the mod. The word Standalone was a nifty addon word designed to differentiate it from the mod, which, in my opinion, has been rendered redundant since the Standalone's release. Ahhhh...even I can't stop calling it the Standalone. Okay, from here on out, the SA is just DayZ to me. With the mod's support for private servers, survivors struggled through a wide range of experiences. The Shoot on Sight mentality was born early but not out of random chance. I concluded early that the SoS mentality was simply the predictable consequence of a game lacking real PvE, which was promoted even further by the militarization of private servers. The problem wasn't that SoS was required, necessary, or even advantageous in the beginning. It BECAME advantageous to shoot on sight because PvE did not exist and you could do everything in the game by yourself. You didn't need anyone's help to loot Cherno. You could walk in, loot 4-5 buildings, aggro only 3 zombies, evade them easily, and literally walk out with an Alice Pack, 6 cans of beans, 4 sodas, an Ak-74, and various medical supplies. PvE was too easy, which ended up being boring, which led to a natural inclination to promote combat by attacking other survivors. With the lack of PvE, it wasn't just unnecessary to team up with someone, it actually became advantageous to kill others. It was SO easy to loot places that you'd be dumb to just LET someone take half of it. Kill them. Take it all. Eventually...the other guy adopted that same paradigm...and so now...no one needs anyone, so everyone kills someone. That's the mod. Fast forward to the Stan--...wait. I mean fast forward to DayZ. Yes, its only in Alpha. Yes, the zombies aren't finished and they're not too terribly threatening. Yes, a lot of folks are just shooting on sight. Yes it's rather easy to loot places. But... Disease, starvation, dehydration, sickness, and environmental effects are all ramped up and brought to the forefront in an epic attempt to make DayZ about survival and not just combat. Just WAIT for crafting, camping, and the various updates throughout the game. You will NEED someone's help to "walk into Cherno" and loot buildings because now...every building is enterable. There are more zombies (planned to be) and other players can be ANYWHERE....in any building...on any floor. You'll need backup! All of the little worthless towns and villages that served merely as ambient set pieces are now a destination. Vanilla DayZ will be, in my opinon, the pinnacle of surivor games when it's finished. The problem comes in when all of us "get used" to the private servers and all of their mods, and 25 barracks on each airstrip, and military loot in every other building, and we all spawn with M16s and camo gear and a map.....I have nothing against private servers, I actually LOVE the customization they provide. ====== I'm only saying this....in my first 20 hours of the Stan--ahh damnit! In my first 20 hours of DayZ I have met, conversed with, helped, and been helped by more players than the entire 1 1/2 years of playing the mod. I'm not saying the SoS mentality has disappeared...I'm just saying that I think Dean Rocket Hall has done some great things to blur the lines between a Hero and a Bandit. I also believe that future updates will bridge the two polarized play styles. PvE is going to make a big appearance in this game. Expect a wide range of players, play styles, experiences, and motives. While the mod has proven to be a success, I can understand the hesitation to "go all in" emotionally on this game. I, however, have complete faith in the Standa---- god damnit. .....In DayZ

Good ideas!

Uh....I'm not trying to be a dick but.....why are you on DayZ forums and playing the game if you don't care and annoyed? You're right, re-gearing up can be done rather quickly, but you can't get militarized quickly....which is sort of the "higher character level" in DayZ.

That's an interesting idea!

Didn't help me, but might help others. Thanks for sharing regardless! :)

lol valid point. Then let's shut down the dayzdb map with the geographic locations of loot that people use. Also, let's shut down team speak and vent because that's external computer-assisted communication that spoils the immersion of the game. No sarcasm. You have a valid point, for sure. I'm just wondering if someone ever told the daydb map makers and heightmap makers to not proceed....those are forms of GIS analysis, as basic as they are. There's the website and an app now for DayZ. --- Okay, sounds like no one wants it as a planning tool. Thanks for your opinions before I got started! :)

What product is that exactly that gives you travel route efficiency info and viewable area from a point using topography and vegetation zones?

Jesus, are these the one sentence responses I should expect from this forum community? excluding a couple of you of course. Perhaps I was communicating ineffectively and not made the product clear. You can't get this information from the any game map, Space Milk.

What?

I can also go to Wal-mart and buy camo pants....why are those military loot? I get your point though! :)

I respectively disagree. If you couldn't use them except for night time...once you survey the area with the thermals and put them away when you're done...you can't see shit again. For the most part. I see your point though. I just miss that thermal L85 :)

look at dayzdb map...up north...all those roads and flat areas put in. I'd say they have something planned up there.

compound bows and cross bows have been suggested in the Suggestions thread

yes!