IshFingers

I'd like to wait and see how their loot re-spawn system works before I think up alternative suggestions to killing off server-hopping (perhaps 'killing off' is too strong of a term. Let's say... Encourage players to remain on their home server.) And that sort of implies my response to your question - I like to think people will naturally, organically, favour one server or another and stick to it. Doesn't really need intervention. Sure there will be bugs [loot re-spawn] and it won't be flawless upon initial release, but knowing that loot could re-appear nearby will give the impetus to go and find it, rather than log of... Wait 5 minutes... Log on and hope. If fails, rinse & repeat. And the great thing? Once X amount has been looted in a designated area, it will re-appear. Meaning on a busier server, it will re-appear sooner (more people collecting more stuff etc. etc.) It could also dictate how people move about the map, adding new tactical aspects to the game. Similarly, I'm sure the barricading issue you touched upon will be at the front of their minds. It's a blindingly obvious potential 'break' which should be at the front of their minds. Though it would not surprise me if it was dealt with in stages; I.E. Release barricading feature, wait a few weeks, release patch addressing known issues. There's still a lot of work to be done across the board, both gameplay wise to server issues, gear/items/VEHICLES etc. and they will all need to be carefully balanced to fine-tune this game into fulfilling what potential we can see it has. We will have to wait and see...

But would that player kill you if he had little to gain from the conflict? Or rather, be losing out significantly by firing his weapon? It could change the ethos of KoS, and perhaps discourage it a little. Disclaimer: As far as I'm concerned, KoS is - and always will be - a legitimate play style.

I agree with the need to make ammo a rarity, rather than commonplace as it seems to be today. It is quite easy at this stage of the games' development to 'max out' your ammo without trying. To repeat something I said in a similar thread a week-or-so ago; on my 3pp character I've got over 120 Mosin rounds without really searching for them - just aimless wandering. Now assume I'm a good shot (I'm not) and competent in firefights (again, no) that's 120 potential kills. I'm sure there will be adjustments made in the future to address the issues you've raised, but just to add a further 2 cents... The location of bullet spawns is wide enough that, as I've experience, aimless wandering can load you up with obscene amounts. Most buildings bar the most desolate civilian buildings have the potential to spawn multiple rounds of ammo. The quantity of ammo in a single box is huge - 20 Mosin bullets goes very far! Same for SKS - makes you very trigger happy. And up to 45 pistol rounds? If ammo is so commonplace, could this number be reduced? Magazines & snap loaders containing ammo? It's twice the prize! Ok, ok, the scarcity of magazines is an issue that's been brought up time & again, but I would genuinely prefer having to seek to seek out separate components and combine them to be fully functional. Though in the flip side, you want it to be fair on players without firearms to be able to stand up to zombies and other players - there are many ways this could be achieved, and many people have suggested a lot of good ideas. You don't want to find yourself in the situation that a single player/clan controls the map due to sheer firepower. Or maybe they should, if they genuinely spent weeks building up their armoury? Again, I'm sure the devs will be implementing many changes over the next year or so effecting the value and scarcity of weapons (which, just to touch upon, also need to be reduced in their spawn frequency/scaled down) but am in no way going to let their appearance lessen the fun I have on this game.

I generally stick to one server once I've logged on. This could be a server I've been on recently/favourited, or it could be another (friends online etc.). That said... - If I die, I consider it a viable chance to change server. New player, new life, new experience etc. - If the server becomes unplayable - lag issues usually - I'll wait it out. If the situation doesn't sort itself out, I'll change server. - Most controversially, if my enjoyment of the game could be improved by changing server - no players, 'dead' server etc. - I'll change server. Please note, this doesn't mean 'I want loot and I want it now!'. It means I don't want to spend hours running between towns with no hope of either contacting other players or finding anything of interest. The above 3 combined, I may change server once per play session (2-4 hours a day, if I'm going to play.) Similarly, if I change server I will do so in an appropriate area unless something unexpected comes up (real life issues...).

On maybe my second trip to Cherno via the coastal road, on the outskirts of the city I spy a guy in full camo etc. crawling in the reeds. I follow him and attempt contact with no reply. Keeping my distance I see where he's heading, when he runs forwards towards a new-ish looking guy (unarmed, yellow raincoat). They seemed to talk for a couple of minutes, unaware of my presence, as I slide nearby to eavesdrop on their conversation. As I get closer, I poke around and the guy I initially followed (now facing in my direction) says something along the lines of "there's someone over there." I panic & shoot my Mosin blindly, killing the yellow fellow. The other guy runs. After a few minutes of hiding, I return to the scene of the crime and search the dead man's body - it becomes very apparent he was a new player. The feeling of guilt overwhelmed me as I continue into Cherno, find a pristine PLU scope atop the office blocks and immediately rubber-band to my death. Since then I've always held my shot until I'm certain I'm the 'good guy' in the encounter. 95% of the time I die.

I didn't have a timer - I remember logging in the second time very quickly. But I should note this happened whilst the whole 'OMG the servers are FAIL, life SUXX, death to DayZ etc.' shenanigans were being spewed. I put it down to a mishap with server issues.Edit: orlok Sorry if I've said something I shouldn't have? Completely unintentional, please remove anything which could be considered 'crossing the line'.

Over the weekend, both myself and a friend on entirely separate occasions managed to 'duplicate' our character. Neither of us was there when the other managed it . I'm not sure how my friend managed it (he took a pic of tho self and his clone stood side-by-side almost 24 hours before the following story...) but for myself; I tried logging in to a server (joined same friend via Steam) and was greeted by the 'Wait for host' screen. After 60+ seconds of waiting, I hit Esc., and tried logging back in almost immediately (cannot remember of I waited any length of time). This time I went straight into the game to be greeted by... Well... Me. Scared me sh*tless. Orange backpack 'n everything. It took me a couple of seconds to realise it was my clone. I didn't have much in the way of decent gear at the time and just though it be best to back away veeerrrryyy slowly, leaving him/me/it on the rooftop. I've no idea what became of me. Back to OP: IMO 'duping' = bad! and when this game is finished (stop laughing you...) I'm sure it will be an offence. But at this stage of development, it's probably for the best that it's brought to everyone's attention to hopefully receive a fix in the near-future.

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo :). Sorry, carry on...

I'd like to see more complete uniforms (firefighter, police, doctors etc.) and bit more differentiation between shoes. Would also like to see a waistcoat somewhere in the game... I just like waistcoats! Also: accessories? I.E. Largely aesthetic add-ons to your character, along the lines of sunglasses etc. - Dogtags, Ties/Bow-Ties, Cravats, Snoods, Chains/Jewellery. - Stethoscope, Sashes, Suspenders. - Rings, Earrings, Watch/Pocket Watch. - Spurs, Cigarettes/Cigars, Knee/Elbow Pads. No, not very important and I'm sure down the line some of these will be implemented (either character creation or find the items) but I'd like to add a bit of personality to my survivors.

After the latest patch I've really enjoyed the threat from zombies. As has already been said, the poor melee combat system makes fighting them off (with an axe etc.) a little cumbersome, and their 'aggro range' is a little bit too big (I'd like to see a bit more emphasis on stealth to be able to sneak around zombies) but other than that, I'm quite pleased. The pace of the zombies is a nice mix between sluggish and rage-infused. Their strength is greatly improved (I don't know if it's intentional but sometimes I've gone 4-5 hits before bleeding, others it's after one hit) and the re-spawn mechanic, whilst not perfect yet (granted, I've not encountered any issues with zombies appearing right in front if me, but many have) adds a great deal to the game. Definitely a step in the right direction!

Well... In this case I think it's important to establish their crime. Are committing an act of banditry (interaction which could result in your death) or seeking your swift & bloody execution (KoS). Unfortunately I think any time-consuming punishment would require a little bit of RP'ing on their behalf. I mean, what's to stop this player logging off & joining another server (to seek help or... Something.) I personally don't like the idea of a a game mechanism forcing players who have committed a 'crime' into a time-out situation (I know it's not what you're asking, just throwing it out there) and any player-imposed action would have to be adhered to by both sides to really have any sort of results. Also unfortunately, once a player has lost all his/her gear it's likely they would prefer the 'death' option - as has been pointed out many times in the past, with little incentive at the moment to keep a player alive I would assume just restarting would be optimal. How could you prevent this? I think the 'best' scenario for you would be to make the encounter interesting for both parties. Russian roulette (I dunno, close your eyes and aim at the incapacitated criminal)? Public humiliation (walk him down a busy coastline/Elektro, Walkie-Talkie in hand reading out their crime)? This thought has just sprung to mind... You could drag their scrawny ass in front of their peers (some friends? Clan? Passers by? I'm sure you could find a group) and begin a trial. How authentic it plays out could be up to you, but it could make for an interesting sequence of events. Let the defendant plead his case: why did he try to kill you? Did he feel threatened? Is he starving & making irrational attempts of survival? Or kills for the laughs? Let the 'jury' decide where their fate lies. Haha sorry, I'm not sure if any of this is in any way relevant to what you're asking. I kinda followed a frame of thought and went with it...

2.5. Force-feed him regular food & drink so he is completely 'energised' & 'hydrated'. No easy death by starvation etc.2.75. Burlap sack 'em. Personally I don't think I could rob someone of their time in this way. It seems a bit too mean-spirited to me (empathy is a harsh mistress). But if you really wanted to d*ck someone over... To OP: I don't think there is a 'too far' as far as the rules of this game go (or lack thereof). I suppose it's down to what kind of person you are. Me? I'm a p*ssy. Edit: What would I consider griefing in this scenario? After befriending/identifying the player, find their name on Steam, follow them through the servers, do it again. And again. And again. Until they get the point.

This. & make ammo a scarce resource. Make people value their bullets. At the moment on my 3pp character (my 'doesn't give a sh*t' character) I've got over 120 Mosin rounds without even trying to gear up. 120 potential brutal, bloody, cold-blooded murders. But I'm too nice for that...

So I've just had one of those heart-in-mouth moments I've been looking for since picking up DayZ... I was on a mid-pop server, had been for about 3 hours, and was now exploring the far-west (was interested in where the map 'stopped') when the sun began to go down. Over the course of 15 minutes or so what was once lush grasslands turned into fields and forests of doom and despair. Wanting to find some sign of civilisation I began to head North in search of Zelenogorsk - though not having a compass, map or any sense of direction I found myself getting very lost, very quickly. I was regularly checking to see how many people were online - 15, 13, 8... Fewer and fewer as the night progressed. Counting my blessings as I stumbled into the military base, somewhat relieved that with so few people online and my poor night vision, the odds of seeing anybody were slim-to-none. Slowly, carefully making my way into the base I noticed all the buildings had been looted - all the doors were open making it easy to sweep through and salvage what was left behind (including a pristine M4, Tactical Vest and a healthy First Aid kit). Though despite only having maybe 5 people on the server now, I couldn't shrug off the feeling someone was nearby. Then there was a noise... Unlike any zombie noise I had heard before, it was more of a sucking, gargling noise I'd imagine someone would make if they were being drowned. Still in darkness, I tried to [hesitantly] flick on my flashlight to gain some sort of perspective. Akin to every horror film since, well...ever, it didn't want to work (was stuck pointing to the top-left of my screen) so I put it away. Then footsteps! Loud, crisp, nearby... I swung behind some nearby barracks and waited. Only 2 other people on the server now. Honestly, my palms were beginning to sweat and my heart stepped up a gear. I try to avoid confrontation - I'm a friendly person by nature, coupled with the fact that my reactions aren't what they used to be, more-often-then-not leads to an early demise. I didn't want to die. Not now. Not after hours of exploring the wilderness. It seemed so long ago. The smell of the ocean, the warmth of the evening sun hitting my face. But I puckered up the courage to venture out and crept to the barracks doors. They were closed. Someone was inside. Against my better judgement, I went inside... All but the far door were open. I went into the showers... Nothing. First bunk... Nothing. Second bunk... SKS. Shuffled along to the last room, opened the door, sawn-off at the ready... Nothing. The hell... ? I go in, look around and sure enough, nothing in there. Not even a goddamn Mountain Backpack. So I leave towards the front door. It was closed. Something in my mind flips out. I wanted out. More gargles were heard from outside so I run... Straight into a f@king wall. A silhouette appears, a dull thud and I'm unconscious. Another, and those fateful words appear: you are dead. I'm sure someone out there got some kicks out of scaring the living daylight out of me and I thank you. I wanted to log out in those barracks and return when the sun rose, but I couldn't. I had to see it through. And I'm glad I did. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sorry that was a little longer than I planned. Anyone got any other good scares they want to share? TL;DR - Sh-- happened, I died. The end. Your turn.

Police State!.... Sounds, uh, interesting. "Those who give up freedom for a little security deserve neither and will lose both." Or words to that effect. Haha I'm sorry, I just think IRL this is bound to cause trouble. But all the best! Also... Your 'zone' (or should that be 'your' zone?)... Will you be evicting people who may already be there? I've got my liberal douche-bag hat on today.

Simple one this: when you enter/loot buildings, do you leave the doors open or close them after yourself? Similarly, after you've left do you leave the door open or close it behind you? I've been in the habit of closing doors after me on any occasion I think someone may be nearby, but notice that I avoid buildings which are open: either thinking they've already been looted or for wanting to avoid confrontation. But at the same time, if I'm looting I don't want someone seeing I'm in a building... Which kind of contradicts my own method of only looting closed buildings. Thoughts?

I realised today that in my hours of DayZ I've yet to be poisoned by eating rotten food. To me it just seems a little easy to avoid eating something which will make you sick. So what I'm suggesting is: Damaged food should have a chance of causing you to become ill. Perhaps remove rotten fruit completely, or leave it in just for the sake of it (and at 100% chance of causing sickness! for those really desperate), but scale food so at 'pristine' it's completely safe to eat, damaged/worn has a 20~% chance to make you sick etc. etc. In my opinion this will not only provide a bigger risk when eating - after all, you may be fine, you may not - but provide a greater incentive to keep looking for food and, ultimately, medical supplies. Obviously it needs a little more work/tuning, but it would put a little more emphasis back on survival. PS: Also, cigarettes? Could they be implemented somehow? I.E. Lower health & stamina, but raise accuracy (calming nerves). Could provide various tie-ins to a 'mental fatigue' system which has been touted. I just think my guy needs a cigarette in his mouth to finish the look...

Good guide; could do with a bit of formatting & changing the colour scheme a little so it's not so...intense, but on the whole a nice work in progress. Could I maybe suggest a section on interaction with others (unless I've already missed that bit...)? Just common etiquette/terms that people should be accustomed to? Of course headed by the DayZ mantra: Don't trust anybody. Could always argue that this guide is in the ALPHA stages ;)...

Another note on splints: do they have to take up 3 slots? Yes yes, realism blah blah, but 3 slots is a lot , especially considering most other medical stuff is just 1 slot. I've gotten into the habit of carrying a splint with me just in case (not needed them yet) but always come across something which could be more useful. Especially earlier on in a characters life where space is a precious resource. Ah well, I guess that kind of decision is part of the game....

Giving you the benefit of the doubt here: I agree, perhaps some sort of action you can perform to slow blood loss if you are walking/stationary. But dude, tone down the language please... Also, prevention is better than cure ;-)

I've always considered my actions in a zombie apocalypse-type situation would result in horrific tragedies to people around me, but leave myself left unharmed. For better or for worse. I'm sure many of my 'friends' can attest to this. Once I run out of cigarettes though, I'm screwed...

I want to step up to hardcore but feel I still need to learn a lot about the game before I do. I'm sure this has been asked/answered elsewhere but does anyone know if there are going to be any extensions to hardcore? I.E. Not just 1st person perspective.

For me it can vary from 15-30 minutes (today, very lucky spawn west of Elektro - found 3 guns: 2x SKS and a Mosin within first 2 buildings - canteen also in first building, food plentiful in a couple of shops on the high street. Somehow managed to jump off the hospital roof through no choice of my own. Grr...) to 4 hours+ if I happen to take the wrong route. Largely luck dependant/varies on server population. I generally join servers at about the 10 player mark and wait for it to fill up. It usually does before too long. I think the longest it's taken me to gear up (your definition) whilst avoiding death is about 8-10 hours over 2 days. It started with a scramble into the middle of nowhere for food - on the brink of starvation until I found a fresh orange and some rice in a farm house, but by that point I was verging dehydration. Ended up lost inland surrounded by fields upon fields of nothingness, topless and bleeding quite often (most of my shirts had to be turned to rags at some point), a wrench as my only defense... Ended up by the castle (how?!?) and made my way to Grishino from there. By sheer fluke, I might add. From there things improved considerably. Sorry, off tangent. Average 2-3 hours.

My first encounter was a rather basic new-spawn-runs-through-a-building-trailing-zombies-me-with-axe-plow-them-down. We waved, he departed. The first spoken encounter was a little more interesting: in a fire station (got a feeling it was Electro but not certain) and there's a fella crouching in the corner. A gunshot rings through nearby and this guy dashes forward - away from me - and a bloke outside is trying to mow him down with an axe. The first guy asks me to help him so, being the chivalrous soul I try to be shoot the aggressor in the back. I ask if he's ok; he thanks me, loots the dead body, takes a pistol and shoots me dead. Lesson learnt.

Legitimate question for advocates of combat logging: what constitutes 'fun' to you in the context of this game? I myself agree that a game should be first & foremost fun. If you're not enjoying yourself - be it this game or the next - then there's very little reason to be playing it. [Part of] the fun I get from DayZ is from those tense stand-offs where you're thinking "am I going to die? Where are they? What was that noise? Who's there?!?" Etc. if I opted to log off when I sensed danger I would be ruining that moment - my fun. Now, if my fun came from the hoarding aspect of the game - "I want every piece of optimised gear I can get and not loose it to some random SOB from 500m away" then I can understand the need to log off/switch server. Personally I wouldn't find this enjoyable - it would make me avoid interaction with anybody & almost seem too easy, but if that's your goal then so be it. No skin off my teeth. However, what I gather most (?) people's frustration comes from is the KoS/Combat Log hybrid. You know the kind - appear on a server, kill a few people, when their cover's blown log off. Rinse & repeat. This comes down to FairPlay in my books, or lack thereof. Yes, you may have spent your money to play the game your way, but the thing about MMO games is... It's not just you. There's [literally] an entire world of people out there looking to play the game a certain way and the way DayZ is - the way it tries to be, or trying to become - is what I imagine the majority of people are looking to accomplish. A hardcore survival game. There are always going to be 'grey areas' in games, especially online games of all genres. FPS? Spawn camping. RPG? Power Levelling. Sports games? Kinda similar to this actually... Log off before an inevitable loss. All 'options' in their respective games but all equally questionable one way or the other. Is there any way to discuss this without erupting in flaming or is that a naive hope on the internet?