Finding groups can actually be really difficult if (like me) you have kids and might find it hard to plan when you get into the game -- or at what times of the day or for how long. Also, I've almost always had to server shop due to bad connection speeds, so I've not had much luck sticking with one server. Anyway, I know it's alpha and that much is still in the works, so I don't want to complain too much. I just eagerly await a day when I can log in for an hour in the middle of a Tuesday and play a little pick-up coop.

I'd be for it only if there was no cross-over between PVE/PVP characters (i.e. characters can't use loot from PVE servers to use in PVP) and if Rocket's plans to introduce PVE objectives doesn't have an effect on the degree of KoS PK'ing in the game. If this latter situation occurs, I would rather see a server set that limits or punishes indiscriminate PVP rather than simply making it impossible. Whether or not some people here would find it fun is immaterial -- if there's a choice, then you can always choose to stick with PVP servers.

So true. In reality, assholes like this would be fried from sleep deprivation after being too scared to fall asleep since, you know, they wasted all their ammo on the people who might have been willing to keep watch.

You mean like an MMORPG raid? I don't see it like that. It doesn't occur inside a separate instance or anything -- it would be in an existing in-game location, such as the Electro grocery store. The rest of the world goes on as usual around it, but it provides an opportunity for a little objective-based play in the middle of all of that.

I would actually like to see a few more PVE-based objectives. Specifically, A.I. CIVILIANS. I think it would be awesome to have a few pockets of civilians spawn at random (and very rarely) in high-danger areas -- I'm thinking inside interior locations inside large towns or cities. The PVE objectives might be to a) clear the building they're in, b) capture and hold some key points around the building for a certain amount of time, and then c) bring the civilians X amount of food, water, or medical supplies. The payoff could be that if these objectives are completed the civilians could provide/trade some rarer gear (anything from maps to compasses to backpacks to car parts to, maybe on rare occasions, NVG -- non-combat stuff only). This stage should be very difficult to achieve and to maintain. For me, the appeal of this kind of feature would be immersion. As I've said previously in this thread, most zombie movies/books stress banding together and fortifying a position, not killing just for the fun of it. This allows a dynamic way of achieving that same kind of experience. It doesn't do anything to hinder PVP beyond simply giving players a more significant reason to band together instead of deathmatching. In my opinion, this could make the game so much more immersive. It's also completely voluntary. Don't want to get involved? You don't have to. Want to grief the players trying to achieve it by killing them and/or the civilians? Go for it. :)

While I understand the appeal and the thrill of banditry, I think this game is overbalanced towards it at the expense of cooperative gameplay. I fully understand that this is only an opinion, and that others disagree. For me, it boils down to a dissonance between every zombie movie I've ever seen and this game. Zombie movies are about survival, true, but they're also about fortifying a position, protecting others, and preserving humanity in some way, shape, or form. Sure, in pretty much every zombie movie there are cases where humans kill other humans, but for the most part these are the exceptions rather than the rule. And, when it happens, it's pretty much never just for shits and giggles, but rather self defense or brought about by serious ideological conflicts about how a group is going to survive. It seems to me that PKs in DayZ boil down to either a) self defense (returning fire), b) shoot first killings when an opponent is dangerously close to you), c) a legitimate need for food/water, or d) shits and giggles. The first three I have no problem with (although the food/water thing should pretty much never happen as it's so easy to come by), but the last is, frankly, a drag and seems to happen way to much. People argue that it adds tension, which it does, but to me it also completely breaks immersion as it is a reminder that this is essentially a large-map deathmatch game. I like DayZ a lot and want it to succeed and grow. I just have worries about its lasting appeal if the balance is not adjusted.

I like the idea of a "karma" system. Some players might object to it being tied to such a key game play mechanic as loot quality/quantity, however. What about connecting high karma to more aesthetic or convenience-based concepts. Perhaps high-karma players have the opportunity to spawn with a new skin or at a location of their choice, while low-karma players do not?