dricht1

I can pretty much guarantee that the majority of people in that time period did not spend more time attempting to murder people than interacting with them. A minority, maybe, but what you are describing is not the same as the current situation in DayZ.

To answer the question originally put forth in the title, yes. Bandits, in the current context of how the term is used in DayZ, are a bad thing. Allow me to explain. DayZ in its current state is about as far as you can reasonably get from a realistic depiction of a post-apocalypse while still being able to claim realism as an important design goal. The problems are varied, but most of them stem from one critical underlying flaw: there is, at present, virtually no player versus environment gameplay. Sure, we can get cold. We can get hit by zombies, and bleed. We can get hungry or thirsty. But when was the last time any of those things actually posed a real threat to an experienced player? The biggest PvE threat at the moment is the dreaded ladder, followed by the equally dreaded uneven terrain (and subsequent leg break). Glitches are all we have to worry about, because food and water are plentiful, gear is fairly easy to come by, and ammunition is reasonably available. None of which would actually be a problem, except... The zombies that supposedly caused the apocalypse pose virtually no threat to anyone. I understand that they are working on that, and this isn't really meant to knock the game's clearly-stated 'Alpha' status. But this does leave other players as the primary form of engagement. In fact, it's so easy to survive that aside from setting 'loot-goals' for oneself, all there is to do in the game is interact with other players. And that means either making contact in an effort to be friendly (thereby running an extreme risk of being attacked, by the target or any buddies he may have, for no personal gain), holding up the player for resources you don't genuinely need or care about (also risky, also doesn't gain you anything relevant), or shooting them for giggles from the safety of a distant bush. Is it any surprise that so many people pick the third option, given our natural aversion to risk? But, that brings us back to the original topic. Are bandits bad? Yes, because in a true post-apocalyptic world you wouldn't have infinitely respawning bullets, infinitely respawning cans of peaches (and can openers), wells of infinite clean water, infinite bandages and magical morphine, and infinite lives. You would be lucky to have a gun at all, and luckier to have bullets. You would see other uninfected humans as someone who might kill you, true, but also as someone who might instead help you SURVIVE the zombies and starvation and other inconveniences of post-apocalyptic life that we don't currently have to worry about in DayZ. Hell, you'd probably be pretty keenly interested in survivors of the opposite sex, too, as well as even the faintest hope of a new society that might mean you don't have to fight tooth and nail for basic sustenance while simultaneously worrying that you might not wake up from your next night's sleep. Instead, we have DayZ - where your next meal will spawn in that house up ahead, a quick run through a military base will yield all the guns and bullets you need, and all you have to do for a safe and secure night's sleep is hit that exit button while you aren't actively being shot at. And even if you do the bandit thing, you face no consequences for doing so, because death isn't permenant and a simple server change can ensure that your reputation is irrelevant even if a community does form. In the current sub-optimal state the game, bandits are in some regards necessary for the type of gameplay many people come to DayZ to experience (paranoia, tension, etc). But please don't confuse that with 'KoSers are just playing realistically'. They aren't, and they add precious little to the game compared to those bandits that actually put some effort into creating an interesting scenario like a capture or holdup. Even those folks are 'faking it', but at least they're doing it with some style and creativity. #thingsyoudotokilltimeatwork

Check the ocean near balota, I've dumped a couple in there over the past month or so :D

This is the kind of thing that needs to be recorded. But as for the topic at hand, night seems more dangerous. Literally all of my encounters with players at distances closer than 500 meters have all been at night, and most started off with one party or the other being startled, quickly followed by gunfire. These incidents account for literally all of my kills on other players. People are just jumpier at night I guess.

lol I need to join a clan, spice things up a bit

Ahahaha 10/10

I've found tons of knives and two additional ropes now that I don't need them. Got lucky with the boar, found one within a couple hours (and naturally another one a few minutes later).

Hang in there, the server abuse will get sorted out with time and reports.

My biggest wish right now is for zombies to be fixed. My second biggest is for night to be fixed. I would absolutely love for nighttime to be unavoidable, dark, scary, and strongly encourage the use of a flashlight or night vision goggles. It adds a huge amount of atmosphere to the game that you really can't get during the day. But instead I use the gamma exploit because 1) broken flashlights go through walls and 2) there's a >50% chance based on the poll that anyone I run into at night is going to be using it to see plain as day. Atmosphere is great, but not worth throwing away all my gear for.

Nothing wrong with that, and while I will admit that it may end up legitimately not being the game for you, don't let the negativity of some posters be what puts you off. If you and your friends decide you want a guide you can PM me.

So I've been meaning to build myself a leather backpack since the patch that introduced them. The first step, I think to myself, is to find an animal to skin. After days of searching I found a deer, killed it... and realized that duh, the axe isn't gonna work for skinning. Okay, so the first step is to find a knife! ...or not. Entire towns searched top to bottom, not so much as a kitchen knife. Eventually I decide 'fukkit, I'll see if I can find one of those new mp5s.' ... ... ... Apparently everyone else had the same idea, because after nine police stations I had to call it quits. Not even one mag, and still no knife, and no animals, all of which I've been looking for desperately this entire time. "Whatever. Balota is near, maybe I can meet someone there. Screw finding loot. Along the way I find a kitchen knife. Then two minutes later, a deer. I finally realize I need a rope, and just take the skin with me. Off to search for rope! So now that I'm not looking for one, I spot an mp5 in a police station with a 30-round mag on a car outside (awfully inaccurate by the way). Then an akm in a barracks room, with a drum mag in the room right next to it. Already had an AKM with drum mags so I did the sensible thing and dumped both new finds in the nearby ocean. I find that the best approach to gun safety is to make sure you're the only one with a gun. Also came across not one but two pristine m4 bayonet knives. ... Several hours and three entire towns later, I finally, finally find a rope and triumphantly drag it onto my deer pelt! ... Hate you dayz. Off to find a boar...

Chance of finding: SKS > AKM Everything else: AKM > SKS

Echoing what others have said, most of the difficulties you experienced are due to lack of experience and bugs (zombies are bug-ridden currently), both of which will be taken care of in time. It can be helpful to ask for a guide at first, who may know some tricks and even be able to give you some starting gear. A good player could probably have led you all to one another in a few hours tops, depending on spawn locations, and guarded you along the way, even if it was just until you met up. But one huge thing to keep in mind is that this game has no rules regarding player interaction, and some people will be dicks. Arm yourselves, avoid the northeast part of the map, and play cautiously. You'll still die from time to time, but there aren't many games that can match the sense of adventure and accomplishment.

Sexiness.

Very interested in this. Lone wolfing is getting old, so it would be great to meet some people in a more controlled environment. Sadly my primary character is on regular, at least until he dies. Maybe next time!