Mr Jizz

If you collect loot in a non-persistence server, then log into a persistence server, is your loot preserved? I'm assuming this is an issue for people who miss visible heli-crashes.

This post was inspired as many before it- getting killed by another player. For a new player, as well as many DayZ veterans, one might say "so what" or "that's the game". And you know what? They're absolutely right. This is a video game, so the consequences are what you make them, but they certainly never result in personal injury, loss of income or property. Lost sleep? Maybe. I decided that after 700 hours of my life given to this game I should write down what I've learned. Both to assist those that come after me, and as a way to codify so many lessons that seem fleeting in the throes of a manic idea.. "Man, I really want to find an AK for this drum mag..." But Dave, that means you have to go to Vybor Military Base; you know what happens at Vybor Military Base. "I've been carrying this stupid thing for two days! And there's only 5 other people in the server" I wouldn't do that Dave. "STFU Hal." I'll start with the obvious stuff. Military loot sites These include (as of v0.49) the Northwest Air Field (NWAF), the Vybor Military Base, the Pavlovo Military Base, the west end of Zelenogorsk, the Balota Air Field, and any helicopter crash site. This is where you find the good shit. It includes AK's, M4's, High-cap vests, magazines, helmets, military pistols and military clothes. You'll also have a higher chance of finding things like fire axes, ammo, rare medical gear and even a good amount of food. It's basically loot heaven... or is it? Just as you're balls deep in that second can of beans on the upper floor of the Vybor Prison building, everything your instincts were screaming come true, it happens - in runs a geared player with his weapon in his hands (where yours should have been) and... ..you're on a beach. Five rules that I will never ignore again whilst in a Military Loot site: NO PLAYER, NO ONE, not your grandmother, not even the Pope is "FRIENDLY" when they see you at a military site, Period. DO NOT STOP MOVING. It's not OK to pop a squat and enjoy a can of peaches while reminiscing on the good old days. If you must stop, do it for tactical reasons. Find a place you can sit and observe, and... KEEP YOUR WEAPON OUT. No excuses. Keep it out and keep it raised while in buildings. LISTEN. This doesn't mean put your ear on the ground like Tonto. Before you go in and out of closed doors, listen for just a moment for a player that might be traipsing around on the other side. CLOSE DOORS behind you. This accomplishes two things; first, with sounds added to doors, the opening of a door you've just closed is a sure fire sign someone is coming, and secondly, it slows down other looters and gives the appearance that a building is unlooted. This could buy you valuable seconds if a hostile player is busy looting a building you've already been to. General Player Politics As I mentioned above, ALL players at military sites are NOT your friend. They will kill you even if they're not normally a KOSer (for the kids, that's: Kill On Sight-er; basically someone who has no interest in socializing, working together, or making a new friend). The fact of the matter is most players with at least 10 hours of play have had a bad time at a military site, at least once. It sticks with you. That's ok, learrrrrrn from it. Trust no one and you're better off. After 700 hours of play I've come to realize this is one of the parts of the game that will never change, and there's no patch for it. Trust me B) Shouting "Friendly" is not going to save you at a military site; EVER. All it does is tell the other player that you don't have any fight in you. What about everywhere else? There are four situations you will find yourself regarding a player that hasn't already tried to kill you. IN A NEW SPAWN AREA. If the guy has gear, you're at his mercy, don't fight it. You're not Mike Tyson, so unless the player has shown aggression towards you it's generally not smart to take your dukes to a gun fight. If you want to commit suicide, just tell the guy, no sense making him waste a bandage. Most veteran players will understand where you're coming from if you want to spawn elsewhere. If the other player is NOT geared, this is the most likely time at any point in the game that you'll be able to have a conversation with another player. Share stories, loot together, discuss bugs.. whatever. I've made a few friends this way, and so long as you're not a douche, the other guy isn't going to shoot you if he finds a gun before you. Be civil. YOU SPOT THEM FIRST, from any distance. If you see someone who hasn't seen you, its your decision whether to kill them, follow them, or disappear. Since 1 and 3 don't require further explanation, lets focus on following them. You've found yourself in a unique situation where you can use your omniscience to determine the next action. Think of it like dating. Keep a conservative distance, understand their boundaries and intentions, and act responsibly. If you rush in, it's going to go one of two ways, and chances are you're not going to like it. This is one of the few opportunities where you can have a fulfilling interaction because you're in control. Corner them in a building, and make yourself known. THEY SPOT YOU FIRST, or CORNER YOU. This is a tricky one, no two ways about it. If they spotted you and didn't kill you immediately, the player is either feeling you out or he is a bandit. Weigh your options. REMEMBER: Despawning (logging out) means your character remains behind for 30 seconds, but your name disappears. A smart bandit in a low-population server will watch the player list for a name to disappear once he has you cornered. If you do this, there's a good chance that when you join the next server, you'll find yourself on a beach. Being robbed is not a fate worse than death, I promise. It sucks, and you might want revenge, but chances are you walk away with at least some of your stuff. Banditry is like a profession in DayZ, some are actually quite magnanimous. They want your rare stuff, not necessarily your food or clothing. Plus the way I see it, it's more fun than starting from scratch with an 80% chance of spawning in a lootless, shitty eastern town. YOU STUMBLE ON EACH OTHER. It's fight or flight here, no real strategy about it. Make a choice on the type of player you are and stick to it. It will make you better in the long run. If you are a KOSer, kill the bastard and don't look back. If you're a collaborator or friendly player, arm yourself and (assuming this is somewhere other than a military loot site) make contact through your mic. Use introductory language, be clear on your intent, but don't let your guard down- remember what I said about yelling "Friendly". Be clear that you are armed and aware, but don't fire unless fired upon.A Note about language barriers: There is no one group of people, or culture that is more friendly than the next. I'm an American, and I know you know my accent, and I've been killed by Chinese, Japanese, Russians, French, Germans, Brits and other Americans alike. This is equal-opportunity murder. What is important is that if you find yourself communicating with another player, don't try to force the issue if they don't understand you. A break down in communication is exactly that. If you can't establish a dialogue with someone within 1 or 2 sentences, or their microphone is a piece of crap, it's time for fight or flight. This happened to me not long ago, and in trying to strike a friendly conversation with an Asian player, I started focusing on the conversation more than my situation. He had me cornered in a prison, and all I could make out was "GUN, DOWN" .. why it was that I thought he wanted some food or that I could convince him that I was friendly is hindsight now. He killed me and up to the very end I was trying to avoid bloodshed. Stupid. This game is all about bloodshed. If you want to avoid that reality, play Tetris. Personal Conduct and Considerations I'll close with some general points that apply to your objectives as you endeavor through Chenarus. The most important lesson that I learned from FrankieonPC, (despite my unwillingness to listen) is to LOOK UNIMPORTANT. If you dress in full military equipment, camouflage and a helmet, your chances of making friends are greatly reduced. Imagine walking up to your apartment with a bag of groceries, whistling "Get Lucky" when all of a sudden you're approached by a guy with camo, a gasmask and an AK-47... It's no different in this game. There is a fine line between looking like a civilian with a purpose and looking like a mercenary. Bright clothing will certainly make you easier to see, but it will also make it harder to hide. Don't overdo it- for example, dressing entirely in yellow might seem funny to you, but to a veteran player with a gun you just look like an asshole. Civilian clothing and loot has exactly ONE glaring benefit over military gear - you don't have to go to a military site to replace it. Zombies will undoubtedly find you as you search for loot, so consider this. WHEN (not if) Zombie-scissor-hands slaps you in your shiny new Gorka Jacket, it will probably be Ruined. What's that mean? Get lucky and find one in a barn, or go to a military base where you'll almost certainly find one. This is where manic ideas are borne. This should at least factor into your reasoning. Military gear is great, but the more of it you have, the more often you'll be finding yourself in danger to replace it. Just remember, some of the best players out there use a Mosin. Pack light. Use the forum to determine what is rare if you're not sure. There is no need to be a travelling gun salesman. Just because you like the Engraved 1911, doesn't mean you need it. My rule of thumb is this - if you have a working firearm with ammo, only upgrade or gather more if you already have the magazine for the new one. This means, if you have a Makharov with mags and ammo, and you find an Engraved 1911 but no mag- leave it. It will take up valuable gear space and add to your vulnerability as you search for unicorn horns. However, if first you find a 1911 mag, keep it, this is rare and only takes up a single slot. You will undoubtedly find another 1911 at some point, and in the meantime you're not making extra room or dropping things that don't fit. Carrying an AK with one round chambered is not better than a Blaze 95, especially on the hope that you might find a magazine.. this is called chasing the house in Craps. The odds are against you the same way every time, and the house usually wins when the odds are bad. Don't run around in the open. Stay near tree lines or the edges of buildings, use cover and take time to observe. It is exponentially harder to spot another player while you're moving, so take short cover to scan your path and take a quick look around. You'd be surprised how long I've followed people who never take a moment to look back over their shoulder. If you do find yourself running across a field, point your view to the ground as you run, it cuts your profile in half and makes you harder to spot, if only from a distance. Rooftops in cities are no-mans-land, at least wear a helmet. Use guns on zombies only if you're very confident or being overwhelmed. Gunshots are audible for a pretty wide radius and stereo imaging is spot on. Many of the more blood thirsty players hear distant gunshots as a dinner bell. The melee system has been improved for accountability sake, but this also means it is more challenging. Whether fighting a zombie or another player, the sweet spot is easiest if you aim your swing through the space between their right hand and right foot, like 7 O'clock. The top part of the swing seems to be registering every time, and you have a pretty good chance of connecting a head blow. Loot farming via Server hopping is a thing. People do it.. shit, I've even done it out of frustration. If you choose to go down this road just remember that this behavior is largely why certain items are hard to find. I have a job and a life, so when it comes to hopping from server to server I can't hold a candle to a college kid on a day he doesn't have classes. Midday in the servers is for loot what the Pacific Ocean is around Japan.. empty, lifeless with no bounty. It's been overfished. In general, its best to join populated servers and stay there. Getting good at dealing with players and scrounging will serve you better in the long run. Future changes to the game will make server hopping thankless, and players that unaccustomed to loot-staved servers will be fish out of water. Bring a friend. This last piece of advice is probably the most obvious. Having a friendly player on your back makes many problems go away. Make friends where you can, and play together versus going it alone. The sight of a group is normally all a lone wolf needs to see to keep their distance. This game, much like life, is better with a buddy. :beans:

My advice isn't meant to be the Gospel, it's 'best practices'.. especially for newer players. OF COURSE there are examples of players that won't shoot you (or would prefer not to shoot you) at a military site, but remember that nowhere in my explanation did I assume or prescribe a method for handling hostiles; only that one should presume hostility until proven otherwise. If you choose to detain, hold up, shoot, execute, flee.. it's up to you and the way you play. I'm speaking from a lot of experience with this, and lot of hard-earned lessons. Even a conservative estimate like Old Crow Whiskey's was an 80% hostility rate at military sites, where my experience might put it closer to 95%. If you want to hang on that 5-20% chance like you're suggesting, you should request the devs to equip your default with suntan lotion instead of a flashlight, because you're probably going to be spending a lot of time on the beach. Think: discretion, caution, awareness, and low-expectations.

LOL! I guess that depends how much haggis you've been eating! Personally I take Zinc supplements /derail :P

Its OK, different strokes for different folks! I try to make a point of never taking anything too seriously in gaming. It's supposed to be a release, plus that name still makes me chuckle sometimes when I see it. Remember- keep telling yourself it's a glass of 'milk' :P

Hallelujah! Soon we'll be like..

Can anything be done with the human skins yet?

I thought about it some more, and really what I was getting at with the first rule of military loot sites is that it's a "rule" not necessarily a fact. As a rule I will treat all those on a military site as hostile unless persuaded otherwise. As a guide to new players, following this rule will help them die less. Also, don't assume I'm only in it for player interaction. I too love the direction the game is going, and it will be great when there's enough environmental factors to give us more to do than collect rare loot.

Part of me agrees with you, and I understand. But having 'principles' in a video game is like having matches at the bottom of the ocean, they'll get you nowhere! This is really at the root of my frustration, and why I've simply given up on leaving it to the 'grey area' of DayZ. Countless times I've tried to persuade someone that I'm friendly, that I don't want to fight while on a military base, and every time I've been killed or shot at. As much as I gave people a chance to be human, they always let me down. I hope that if you and I ever encounter each other at NWAF, that it's with a wall between us, so maybe we can chat first and enjoy our mutual good fortune. Everyone else has put themselves into a category that statistics and experience have shown 99% accurate.

As the title suggests, I'm very confused. I know that a certain amount of what I'm seeing is the result of server hoppers, but I did a little server hopping of my own to investigate. How is loot implemented fresh? Is there a central authority over what spawns where, or does each server have its own unique loot when it resets? The reason I ask is there are several systems including persistence that are now in play, and I have no clue how these work together.

I've experienced the same thing. My character in Fragnet Servers doesn't seemed to be getting into all of the Multiplay servers

The hardest part about the new loot system is that there's no easy way to find what you want any longer, which in general translates to better gameplay. It should curtail server hopping, and it will make loot gathering a more difficult, though more fulfilling endeavor. I feel that ammo is really not the commodity it once was, in other words, it's just a matter of time before you find the ammo you seek. The same can not be said for the guns. The crashes are either bugged or the locations have changed, which has made them super difficult to find, eliminating a lot of possibilities. I can't say that I'm upset about fewer M4-toting KOSers. What I'm most butt hurt about is the fact that ammo cans only spawn at crashes.. this is just plain silly. The military bases IRL would be littered with ammo cans. I personally own three. There's easily three ammo cans for every gun on a military base, so I can't understand why the developers are so set on making them impossibly rare. In my experience (in order of frequency)- Rifles/long-guns - SKS - Most frequent, seen them in the blue warehouses a couple times too; haven't seen a single stripper clipShotgun - about as often as the SKS, no Hacksaws since the patch; speedloaders very infrequentAK101 - usually see one every third barrack building, mags much less frequentMosin - Surprisingly few, always in white piano building or warehouse; found a stripper clip on the floor of a tentBlaze 95 - about as infrequent as the Mosin; speedloader very infrequentSporter - seen it around, I normally don't even bother. Without a mag its basically a nerf gunCZ527 - I've seen 3 since the patch: 1 in a barrack (probably left behind), and 2 in white piano housesAKM - NONEM4A1 - HELL NO, only seen 1 crash in 40 hrs of gameplay since the patch, and 'Yes' I know where to look, the map is onlinePistols/SMG - Makharov - Spawn like canteens, LITTERING the floors of tents, mags also rather easy to come by. Actually found a tent that had three!1911 - See them everywhere, especially in firehouses, NOT A SINGLE MAGAZINE since the patch (anyone got a suggestion?)Magnum - Infrequent, but I feel like when I do see one I'll find three in rapid succession. Something screwy with the loot tables maybe. Only one speedloader since the patchCZ75 - Seen a few, but very infrequent. Also NO MAGSWalther P1 - I've just one since the patch, in a firehouse, NO MAGSFNX45 - NONE, can't find crashes. I DID find a mag and I've been carrying it since.. like a unicorn hornLonghorn - Honestly forgot it was in the game, haven't seen oneAmphibian .22 - see LonghornMP5 - NONE, did however find a mag on the roof of a police stationRAK - NONE, NO MAGS either Here's how I'm seeing ammo (in order of frequency)- 9mm - I'm seeing those little green boxes and small piles of bullets to the point of annoyance- I think people are ditching it in favor of ammo they can find mags for, like .380 and Magnum.45 ACP - about as frequent as 9mm, probably for the same reason.. 1911 mags and FNX45 pistols are basically non-existent5.56x45 - Seeing the beige 20-packs everywhere; military and civilian.22LR - about as common as the 5.56, but I usually ignore it, so I'm sure others do as well7.62x39 - Plenty around the military installations, police barracks, once or twice in typical civilian top-loot structures7.62x51 - Surprisingly infrequent. It's out there, but not even remotely as frequent as it was..380 ACP - Opposite to the 9mm and .45ACP, I think the infrequency of this ammo type is indicative of the ease of which you can find a Makharov and mags.357 Magnum - Like the 7.62x51, it's definitely out there, but not like it used to be. Mostly seen it in white piano house, barracks and firehousesSo in terms of what you can actually find, your options (if you choose to loot instead of KOS) are the SKS, AK101, and Makharov. Yes, there are more possibilities out there, but if you're just spawning into the game I would probably ignore 9mm, .22LR, .45ACP, and maybe the 5.56. It's everywhere, which is tempting, but finding magazines to hold any of these is nearly impossible. The saving grace for the 7.62x39 is that you have two options (SKS & CZ527) that don't require a mag or clip for a full load. From the perspective of someone who doesn't KOS, or hunt other players for loot.

I wanted to take a moment to appreciate how great non-militarized character looks.. Looking like something the cat dragged in is really the authentic survival feel I don't practice nearly enough.

Is it possible that its some sort of feedback from gear becoming ruined? I remember in a previous version, right around when they added rain, my character suffered a broken leg as my pants went from damaged to ruined whilst standing still. My thought at the time, having not been in an elevated place for more than 10 minutes, that the rain ruined my pants and the game registered the destruction of my pants as an impact. I know its a stretch, but I know what the OP is talking about and it's friggin whack to be penalized for the mere presence of gear.

Just looted through it myself, not much to report. 5 canteens~10 bottles of water~10 mixed cans of foodsome fruit1 Gorka Pants1 UK Assault Vest1 box of 7.62x391 box of .45 ACP3 Mosin Compensators1 weapon cleaning kitrandom other crap Don't let the length of my list fool you. For the sheer size of this camp, this isn't much loot for the number of tents and structures present. If you're low on food, and want to roll the dice on the occasional box of ammo with relatively low risk of seeing other players or any zombies... this might be your spot. There's a particular hangar-like barracks/bunk building in the middle of camp with a wood floor and a door. This building accounted for the .45 ammo, the UK vest, fruit and the cleaning kit.

On the topic of heli crashes, I'm a little put off by the new rarity of ammo boxes by confining them to crashes after the patch. Its pretty stupid IMO that you would only find ammo boxes on downed helicopters but not on one of the three military bases or the dozens wrecked tanks, humvees, and UAZ's. Guns, ammo, tactical clothing, grenades, but no ammo boxes??? :rolleyes: For chrissakes, its an AMMO BOX, not an ACOG scope!

What a tool. Reminds me of these guys...

A DayZ logo shirt would be easy enough for them to add and give as a 'reward'. Like a free booster/DLC pack that goes out in an email blast to anyone's steam account who owns the game before beta release.

GREAT opening animation.. is that official? It should be.

The screen goes totally black for unconsciousness, but as time passes and you are slowly dying, the screen begins to brighten, starting in the center like a light at the end of a tunnel. Like a timer the glow and point of light grow in size and intensity. When you die the light overtakes the screen; "You are Dead" appears at the middle of a completely white screen. I think this would also make being revived that much more intense.. imagine experiencing "the light" only to have it fade to a washed-out blurry greyscale scene.

So, the verdict seems elusive on the forums, and I was hoping to get a blend of opinions and other people's personal experience with these two powerhouses of the game. Both have ups and downs in real life, but there's certain bits that aren't in-game that might make the decision easier. For example, the AKM should basically be free from regular maintenance, where the M4 should require regular cleaning and upkeep (i know that its not perfectly true to life, but it would showcase the AKM's classic strength). Also, if the suppressor/silencer was functional it might make the M4 a no-brainer. Alas, as it stands I have to go by what the guns offer currently as strengths. Just so everyone knows, my M4 has a pristine ACOG scope, MP stock, gear rail front stock, and 2 coupled mags; my AKM has the PSO1 scope, collapsible stock, gear rail front stock, a drum mag and an additional mag. SO as far as upgrades are concerned, they're both rather well blinged out. Carrying both is sort of a pain in the dick, and I hate having to put it down every time I have to pull out my canteen or compass. Hence the choice must be made. My sidearms are the Engraved 1911 (two mags) and a Sawed-off Shotgun (two snaploaders), both of which I value. I have a Longhorn in my inventory that I'm hoping to bag a boar with, but I'm certainly not attached to it. ** DO ME A SOLID, and be sure to post why you voted the way you did. Personal preference is fine, but substantive examples of one versus the other are helpful to me, and anyone else pondering the same thing.

Yea, I edited my post to acknowledge that its pretty remote and my comparison was meant to bring light to the fact that train stations are among the most important buildings in European towns/cities of any size. Also added the Bratislava train station photo.. I think a similar size/design would be a nice fit for Cherno or Novo.

I've been to big cities like Prague and Budapest that had a number of decent sized malls; even Bratislava had one IIRC. Department stores (rather than full-on malls) are certainly not out of the question (in places like Cherno and Novo) The REAL issue is that there's no decent train stations anywhere. ALL of Europe, including Eastern Europe, have large train stations in even medium sized cities. In many destinations, the train stations are among the nicest, most well-appointed, well-stocked structures/complexes in town. Most have several stores attached, plus cafés, convenience or grocery stores, police offices, news stands, etc. I know most of Chenarus is pretty depressed, but cities the size of Cherno would at least have a half-decent station with shops and police.

Like I said, I've seen my fair share of fights. The way I play is by setting objectives for myself, like getting in and out of the Medical Clinic in Berezino for bandages or morphine, then approach it like an infiltration mission. If I do my homework and take my time, no shots necessarily need to be fired... but shit happens B) (so I want the sharpest tool in the shed). Are you talking about the flash suppression? Does it actually work? I was referring more to the *chirp* *chirp* silencing that you get with a lot of video games. I'm sure everyone could go on and on about how unrealistic this might be, but it's still a video game, and I'm pretty wary of how much noise I make. Its probably 30% of why I stay alive. Awesome, LOL :P

LOL.. tempting, but I'm a believer in karma.. even the virtual kind. Some clown would probably think they hit the DayZ lottery :lol: