moleculor

Sure, if you expect people to think ahead that far, though perhaps part of the testing is to see what happens if people with old versions try to connect. It probably wipes their characters, but they want to see if it crashes the server, or if you can break things while using an older version. Go in and try and break stuff! That's what alpha testing is for! Maybe you can walk through walls, or something crazy.

No. It definitely happens. I get the feeling it happens on full servers, or servers that haven't been restarted in a while, though it might just be happening during peak hours instead.

1.7.2 isn't out yet for the public. You're staring at a server doing the closed testing. (Closed testing in an Alpha is strange.)

Move your mouse over it, hit Delete.

You can't see the light from as far away (a normal flashlight is like a bloody long-distance beacon at night announcing your presence to anyone in front of you).

Day Z is NOT Player-Vs-Player. Scroll down half that page to the "Player versus evolution" section, the quote is the first thing you should see after the pictures.

Actually, I have 1.7.1.5, and 1.60.93965 (and it shows that version on the menu), and I can talk on Side Channel on some servers. I think some server admins are re-enabling Side for much the same reasons some admins disable my ability to recognize a player I've been playing with for days by removing his name tag. Because they feel like that way of playing is "better" somehow. Either that, or that particular server, despite saying the beta is required, isn't running the latest beta.

I'm not entirely sure of the specifics, but.. When someone approaches an area, zombies and loot spawn. After a long while, if that loot is still there when someone else approaches, it despawns on their approach. Then, after a long wait, if someone ELSE approaches, loot spawns again.

Then you don't have the beta patch. The beta patch, not the alpha for Day Z. The beta patch for Arma 2. The game you bought, not the free alpha testing mod. If it doesn't say 1.60.93965 in the lower right corner on the main menu, you're not running the beta patch. And you'll need to look up instructions on how to do that, because it's not just as simple as installing it.

No. Anyone who says that it works for them got lucky. The bug is related to the engine itself, not in Day Z's code, and can't be fixed by him. The beta patches for Arma 2 itself have not mentioned one word about fixing this sort of bug. The issue is not fixed, it just doesn't happen 100% of the time.

Zeroing is a measure of how far out a bullet will hit the exact center of your crosshairs. 800m means that at 800m, the bullet will hit exactly where you're aiming, and beyond that it will drop lower.

You do not remain in the game for 5 seconds. They removed that, as it was causing performance issues. You are probably not running the beta patch. Launch the game and look in the main menu at the lower right corner. If it does NOT say 1.60.93965, you are not running the beta. (It probably says something like 1.60.8****.) When you've confirmed that you're not running the beta, you'll need to find the instructions and figure out how to be running the beta on your own. I've already walked six people through the instructions, holding their hands the entire way. I've come to the conclusion that if you're not well-versed in computer troubleshooting enough to find the instructions on how to run the beta, you shouldn't be testing an alpha.

I actually suspect it's because of the global ban on all the cheaters. This game's lack of bandit skin during the previous patches was attracting the sociopathic scum of the earth who will do anything at all to gain an advantage over other players and/or ruin their day. Much like EVE Online attracts those players. Many of these people are the same type of people who will move on to using cheats to further ruin people's play experience. When they got banned, the bandit population dropped considerably. Plus, you're north.