Dagwood

Just look at how the effective range of standard issue rifles has changed from WW1 until now. Also, notice how magazine sizes have jumped skyward. Why? Because expecting a soldier to land several hundred meter shots even near their target while under fire is fanciful. To adapt to this realization, military organizations worldwide have adopted a new fire superiority strategy. Fire enough rounds down range and eventually you'll hit something if not just suppressing them and reducing incoming fire. Not one nation in the world issues a bolt action rifle as their standard issue weapon. Think how much cheaper it would be to equip soldiers with accurate, simple, bolt action rifles instead of less accurate automatics. Lading a 400+ meter shot is not possible for most casual, recreational shooters. However, if you gave those same shooters an M4 with, say, an RDS, and a 30 round magazine, they could probably suppress or hit that same 400 meter target. Yes, the weapon sway mechanic, as it is currently implemented, is less than desirable as an endgame feature. However, I think that it affects gameplay in an authentic way that makes landing one of those long range, one hit kill shots that much more difficult and ultimately, more rewarding. It's not perfect, but neither is the rest of dayz. Adapt to its imperfections, as you have learned to adapt to the bugginess and broken features that we lovingly call dayz. I am by no means saying don't give constructive criticism, but try and see the other camp's perspective before you chastise them. It can often lead to more productive, pleasant discourse! :)

This pointman-overwatch strategy is also effective when looting military bases and high traffic towns. Some of my more boneheaded deaths were the result of oogling over loot with nobody watching my/our back. The way I see it, if we're going to take the time to travel to these out of the way military installations, there's no need to rush through them as quickly as possible. One guy looting while his partner or his team cover him just makes a whole lot more sense to me. Good on you for adapting to the environment instead of giving up on player interaction all together.

Or you just leave the doors the way you found them and nobody moving through your wake will be the wiser... I do this at military bases to 1) cover my tracks, and 2) to slow server hoppers down. Being truly "good" at dayz requires diligence and attention to detail. In a game where the first shot often ends the fight, taking steps to ensure you're not the one in the sights makes all the difference. TLDR: stop leaving doors open like you were raised in a barn!

Woah guys, haven't you seen Rambo? Explosive bolts are the real deal. But on a serious note, even though it may not be realistic, wouldn't short range, difficult to craft, explosive bolt constructed of bolts and gunpowder add something interesting to the gameplay? They were implemented in the dayz aftermath mod and they didn't break anything. Just useful for blowing holes in walls.

Nah you just say "hauh hauh hauh! You are French!" In a thick French accent. And then ask them when they are planning on retreating/surrendering. That should let them know that you're friendly

We can't forget about those explosive bolts either... Imagine deconstructing a frag or a box of shotgun shells and turning your crossbow into an anti-vehicular weapon with some McGivering. Awesomeness

Low recoil and small dispersion values make the sporter worth while IF you can get the headshot. It's a very difficult weapon to field effectively, but can definitely be lethal in the right hands. And as another said, players will underestimate you when they see a sporter. A sporter with a 10 round magazine has been my most effective backstabbing weapon. Armed players see a sporter and assume you're harmless: until they both get canteen shrapnel to the face.

As per Dagwood map? And that Zelenogorsk-GM region is where I typically find them as well. Maybe helis per restart is not static anymore? Or some were replaced with Russian helos.

So you have been finding them in similar locations as you did on .48? I have only put in a few hours on the newest patch, but haven't seen any crashsites in the places I normally found them. Where did you happen to find your 3?

Saw a friend headshot a zombie at 300 or so meters yesterday on his first shot with a longhorn. Didn't think it was that accurate. Pretty cool for a low gear, stealthy player eh?

The OP wouldn't have received all this flak if he wasn't so dramatic about such a small issue. It infers a certain level of entitlement that gets under people's skin. Yes, this bug (for which I am grateful to now know of) should be addressed and changed. However, calling it game breaking sounds ungrateful and ignorant.

Every time I open the server browser or even just click "play" my game crashes. Tried restarting the computer but no luck. Anyone found a solution to this?

Bump. Any solution?

They're likely set to spawn in hunter's shacks and deer stands. When those start spawning loot again (probably next Wednesday's hotfix) we will be able to find hunting knives

We're you able to wear the balaclava and helmet simultaneously?

So we can test them! If nobody finds them, how will we use them and report issues to the developers?

Buddy and I followed the road NW out of lopatino to a small estate (house, shed and shack) looking for the military tents. Whoops.

Got a PSO scope and AKM drum mag on hardcore as well as a gorka riot helmet. I'm looking for an M4 or CR527 mags. If you have any offers, PM me or reply here. HARDCORE/1st person only

Dayz feels like dayz when I first started. Despite the bugginess, I'm having a grand ole time

I'm guessing 7.62x39mm having weight has something to do with bullet drop, but that is only a guess.

The last few firefights I've participated in have done little in the way of exciting me. Being attacked out of the blue or even seeing a player unexpectedly used to be enough to get my heart racing. What's changed? Part of the problem is tolerance. I've been playing for over a year and become accustomed to the way dayz plays out. But the other issue, which I would like to share, is the extreme commonality of every top tier piece of equipment in the game. Even when loaded up with an AKM carrying several magazines, my favorite clothes, and all of the other goodies, I find myself unconcerned at the prospect of death. Why? Because gearing up is as easy as one trip to the west side of the map. In the mod, the reason you were afraid of dying was because of all the gear you stood to lose. An M4CCO (one of the easier rifles to obtain) might take an entire evening of playing to get your hands on. I believe that players go through two distinctive life stages with each avatar: looting and surviving. During the loot phase, acquiring better equipment is the main objective. Sacrificing safety for speed is acceptable. During the survival phase, acquiring additional gear is unnecessary and the main objective is to survive while completing various tasks (usually killing). Interactions during this stage are what I crave. Heart pounding, nerve racking terror. Lately, I haven't been able to achieve a level of attachment to my character that makes the game enjoyable for me. Rather than just whine about it here and put the game down, I've decided to hunt heli crashsites until I find an M4. After finding the M4 (for which I now have various attachments) I will find an MP5 for the MP5 mag I've been humping around. My hope is that once I have obtained these relatively difficult to find weapons, dayz will regain some of its edge that it has missed in the last few weeks. Because this is a discussion forum, and not just a place for whiners to whine, I will leave y'all with a question: what about dayz keeps you on edge? Is it the threat of losing your time investment (as it is for me)? Is it the thought of the other guy "winning" and you losing? Or is it just the unpredictability of not knowing what could be around the corner? PS: if you would like to make a donation to the "help! dayz isn't scary anymore" rehabilitation program, I will be accepting M4s and/or MP5s in need of a loving owner. Dagwood

I found the M4, and the paranoia is real. A casual run through the western military bases, even late at night, has taken on a new level of intensity.

I found 2 M4s at one heli crash last night! What an awesome feeling after searching for two whole afternoons... I think western weaponry spawning at crash sites (whether they're land or air vehicles) is a great way to keep their numbers down. At the same time, it also gives geared players something to look for. I'm so much happier about this M4 than the fully kitted AKM I had. The main reason being the difficulty in finding it. Now I just need to find an MP5...

You have at least another week before the wipe hits. Experimental is too broken at the moment to be pushed to stable.

If any of you played dayz aftermath you will know what I am looking for. In aftermath, when I was playing it, the only military rifles available were the M4 and the AK74. However, most players you encountered were carrying a Mosin, Winchester lever rifle, or a shotgun. Why? Because the ak an the m4 spawned in several pieces. To field one of these assault rifles, players had to find 4 pieces: the receiver, the stock, the barrel, and a magazine. As individual pieces, they were useless. And even having a completed rifle didn't mean much if you didn't have enough ammunition; which spawned in stacks of 1-5. This amount of dedication required to field a top notch weapon made my life, once I had one of these weapons, that much more dear to me. I think loot table balancing will achieve the same effect. But in the meantime, the rarity of the M4 and MP5 will have to do.