Mookie (original)

If you were capable of organising your words and thoughts better, people might stand a better chance of understanding you. Just sayin'. I don't camp new spawns. Nor do most people (many of them, uh, quite new spawns) who fall through floors to their death.

Absolutely right Judo. I just don't go upstairs anymore. And it's not just the stairs - it can happen when you're walking or standing, or crouching on the floor. ATC tower, red roof barns, jail building and factory have all killed me in this way. The only building I'm reasonably confident in is the generic office building. Certainly seems like either navmesh, or desync, or both, but until I hear something's been done about it, I'm a ground floor guy only.

Much good advice here. If you spawn on the coast, go inland on a low pop server. Find a piano house or a police station via this map: http://dayzdb.com/map/chernarusplus. There you will find at least some clothing and loot to get you started. As a rule, the further north and west you go, the fewer the zombies will be. Prioritise the acquisition of: Reasonably warm clothingFood, and something to open cans with (screwdriver, etc)Melee weapon, preferably an axe or (at least) a baseball batAnything you can find to drink, including sodasThen, when you're not starving, dehydrated or freezing to death, go looking for a gun and some ammo. An SKS is just fine. Then consider checking military locations for better clothing and better loot, but be prepared to die again once you get there... It's harder to get started than it used to be. You will probably die once or more before it starts to work out. If you find yourself in your underwear near a bridge, don't worry. In fact it's a good thing - almost the jackpot of spawns - because you are just yards from a piano house and five minutes away from some prime loot locations.

Presuming much on an internet forum? The only time I go anywhere near fresh spawns is to try to help them.

There may be two distinct things here, although it's hard to distinguish between them. There is absolutely an insta-death risk (ie no broken legs or anything else - you just die instantaneously) on upper floors of the ATC, jails, barns, factories and probably lots of other multi-storey buildings. In fact the only place I've never had it happen is in the generic office building. I'm not sure this is the same as the legs-broken bug, although of course it may be just the more extreme form.

It seems to me that crash site hunting became much more popular, just as 0.48 (when it was good) became 0.49 (when it was bad). I've been doing it almost full time since crash sites and NATO equipment were reintroduced with (?) 0.47. Times are hard in heli hunting. Happily, I don't really need to do it anymore, so perhaps some of what follows may be helpful. The DayZDB map now shows the spawn sites, and they seem accurate to me: http://dayzdb.com/map/chernarusplus#4.054.053;item=M4%20Buttstock%20CQB Some of them have been removed (especially towards the south and around Balota), while others have been introduced (to the immediate south and east of Zelenogorsk, for example). This guide is really about UH60s. Apart from the Blackskull balaclava and an occasional UK tac vest, I have never found anything worthwhile at an Mi-8 site. Usually, if I find an Mi-8 spawn, I will just leave the server, as it simply reduces the probability of a UH60 spawning there. There are two phases to this DayZ lifestyle choice. There's finding the sites (ah, that elusive grey smudge on the skyline), and there's what to do when you've found one. Part 1 - finding spawns I could be wrong, but my impression is that of the three spawns that will happen per restart, a random number will be Mi-8s and UH60s. This means that there may be no UH60s on a given server at all, or there might be three. Once or twice in 0.49 I've found two UH60s in one run. While three may be theoretically possible, I've never had a run of three in 0.49. Let's do some maths on the best possible case scenario, in which there are three such UH60 spawns from a possible 58 spawn sites. This gives a 5.17% probability of a spawn at any individual site. Obviously, the more of the sites on the map you are able to run, the greater the probability of you finding a single spawn, or in our ideal case finding all three. But in reality, running all the sites is very time consuming and in some cases such as the NWAF, not entirely without risk. And clearly you don't need to run over all the sites to spot them - you just need to be able to see them. To maximise probabilities, you need a run which maximises your view of the largest number of potential sites, in an amount of time that also takes some account of the fact that there are hundreds of servers involved. IME, there are four such runs: The classic Green Mountain run This goes from just north of Zelenogorsk, round Sosovny Pass to the north and east, to the eastern side of Green Mountain woods. It takes in 18 sites, more closely grouped than most. You don't have to start from as far south as Zeleno, because you will be able to see the smoke if a crash has spawned there from further north. Similarly, you don't have to run across the clear ground east of Green Mountain, because you will be able to see the four potential sites on that ground. The growing problem with this run is that it's what most serious crash runners do, so spawns have often been looted, while there is a small chance of encountering players or groups of them. The NWAF/south NWAF run The reason so many people seem to find crashes at the NWAF is that there are four of them on the runway, all in plain sight. There is a further, looser grouping of four or five to the south. Clearly, running around on the NWAF runway, or even to the south of it, is not entirely risk-free. In fact, having done that run a few times, I'd never do it again... But on an empty or low pop server it might work out ok for you, and it's certainly efficient in terms of being able to see lots of sites in a relatively short space. The southwest Zeleno - Kamenka run If not as productive as the GM run, this is slightly more risk-free and takes in the Pavlovo barracks if you feel that way inclined. You run from the clear ground to the west of Zeleno, to the southernmost site just north of Kamenka. The main problem with this though, is that not many of the sites are in clear view of each other and there are quite a lot of treelines involved. The short, far west version takes in six sites. There are another three off to the west around Windy Mountain if you haven't found anything, but that does make it a much longer run. The northwest run I actually really like this one, as not many people do it. It takes in 12 sites between Sinistok and Lopatino. The northern bit is nice, as it's around the northwest bus garage, but further south there are more treelines to contend with. The upside is that if you find a spawn, it is less likely to have been looted than on other runs IME. Of course there are further sites off to the east. But they are relatively isolated, and in a context of designing an efficient run, not very worthwhile. A word on visibility In theory, you should see a smoking UH60 site from 1000m away. But a lot depends on the weather. If it's raining or hazy, you can halve that distance. Do pay some attention to your graphics settings (eg Objects), and to the draw distance in your cfg file, if you've been tweaking it. Lower settings may equal poorer sight, and as always have a reasonable FOV setting. Also, keep looking around you. More than once I've been so focused on trying to see something in the distance, that I've only noticed a spawn 50m away from me by accident. Remember that tree lines can be your worst enemy - even fairly close, because they mask the denser smoke. Part two - looting You've found a site. What now? Well obviously run over to it and loot it dummy. Actually, just a sec. Will there be zombies? What if it's camped? Is the stuff easy to spot? No there will not be zombies, although if you're close enough to a town (eg Kamenka, Zeleno), they may spot you and pay a social visit. Camping crash sites, however, is an increasingly popular occupation. If in doubt, scout the tree lines relative to the site. Do not hang around the site. NEVER pause for a little sit down and a meal at a crash site... An unlooted spawn will usually have at least two or three M4 mags, a similar number of attachments (in varying states of repair). In addition, you may find grenades (very hard to spot), a small amount of loose ammo, clothing and flares, perhaps an ammo box, and - deo volente - that elusive M4 or FNX you've been dreaming of. The loot is usually at the nose and on each side of the chopper. You can tell if it's already been looted (a) because the remaining loot will be crap and (b) because there will probably be empty mags. However, this does not necessarily mean everything good is gone. Sometimes your fellow heli hunters are just looking for that one thing - an M4, an ACOG, an FNX - and will ignore or miss other stuff. Go around the crash twice. The first time do so crouched with your inventory window open, using it to 'spot' things for you. The second time go around visually. Either way it is quite possible to miss things. Green painted attachments, or sights in the undergrowth can be elusive. Look at the actual sides of the chopper, especially towards the nose. Sometimes loot glitches in to the model, but can usually be recovered. Also, don't cling too tightly to the edge of the model. Sometimes things spawn a few feet away. Don't play inventory tetris while you're there. If your inventory is full, decide what you're going to chuck if you need to before you get there. Do your looting and then get the hell out. I hope some of this helps the many aspiring heli hunters I seem to have ben talking to lately. Good luck.

They've taken out that entire line of Balota/south coast spawns I think <_< , but have added others to the SE of Zeleno...

Mi-8s are broken, need fixing and I think all are aware of it. If done properly, they should be (a) not glitched into the ground and (b) spawn Eastern Bloc items roughly equivalent to the NATO items at UH60 sites - AK101s/AKMs/attachments/mags, etc. As it is, they spawn only crappy clothing, with an occasional Gorka helmet, or tac vest, or (very, very rarely?) a SMERSH vest.

Hence the problem with this thread. 'Fully' is ambivalent as between 'acceptably' or 'ideally'...

I have a suspicion that the sewing kits are bugged in 0.49. Several times I've tried repairing badly damaged or damaged things like t-shirts of trousers, and while the mechanic seems to work, their status does not improve... As to weapon cleaning kits, they're essentially useless. I've never seen a firearm that wasn't either pristine (which is how they always spawn) or ruined because it's taken a bullet in a fight.

I have 900 hours in game, pretty much know the map (especially the west), but always make a point of picking up a compass. Many's the time you can find yourself in the woods, lose your sense of direction and wander around for far too long. If I have space I'll pick up a spare and find a bambi to give it to, along with bandages, water bottle, etc, etc.

Updating following yesterday's successful trades, and the fact that now I already I have these things, I predictably keep on finding more of them: HAVE: M4 MP stock (P) M4 MP guard (P) M4 ACOG (P) M4 RV1 sight (P) M4 RiS guards x 2(both P) WANT: Er, not much really. Morphine. That would be good. Cheers.

Also traded smoothly with Dagwood, despite some difficulty getting on the same server as he's 6,000 miles away from me... :D

Good luck with that btw.

Clearly varying thresholds ITT. For me: M4A1 (just has to be) with at least three mags and at least one sort of scope (pref ACOG) A good pistol (pref FNX) and at least two mags Fireaxe (to be painted black) At least one canteen (pref two) Compass Can opener Bandages/rags Matches (especially since 0.49) Gorka clothing Hunting pack (no other) Hicap vest Military boots Beanie. Then I move on to stage two, which comprises: All M4 attachments Binocs Combat knife 300 round box Nades Medkit and morphine Protector cases Aviators. Then I'm just about done. It takes quite a while. I'm pretty much there now, and it's taken a lot of effort.

Just did some business with RyanH. Nice guy, smooth transaction, no problems.

Possibly not, but here's hoping...

Unless I get a better offer for my spare M4, I'll be doing a deal for it tomorrow evening. So if you have a bipod, make it quick!

Re-updating. Have just found pristine ACOG. :D HAVE: M4 (P regular guard, W Magpul stock, P M68 optics). So not a bad M4 in its own right. All the kit below is separate to the attachments already on it. FNX (P) Blackskull balaclava (P) M4 CQB stock x 2 (Both P. Your choice of green or black) M4 Magpul guard (P) M4 M68 optics (P) M4 RiS guard x 2 (Both P) M4 BUIS (P) M4 M9A1 bayonet (P) RDG5 grenade (W) WANT: ACOG (P) RV1 optics (P) Bipod (P) Protector cases (P) 300 round box (P) Getting seriously fed up with lugging this spare M4 (and all the other M4 kit) around. Thanks.

99% of the contributions to this thread are missing the point. The random death 'falling through the floor/your leg is broken/you are dead' bug has nothing to do with bone health and (probably) everything to do with lag between client and server, which briefly miscalculates your position and thinks you have fallen off something. It's the whole reason why most experienced players just don't go upstairs in most cases (with exceptions for certain specific building types). It can happen to characters who have never been hit by anything. It certainly has happened to me when I've never been hit by anything, and is one of the most irritating bugs in the game.

It's pretty obvious that crash sites are more rare now. In .48, on my regular run I'd find at least one each time. So far in .49 I've found only three. That's fair enough I guess - and I get that it should be harder to find M4s and their attachments. It's just going to take even more effort to do so, or I should go off and do something else. I'm guessing that in terms of the probabilities, there are still four possible sites out of 74 possible locations, but that this mixes the Mi-8 dynamic spawns and the Blackhawk ones. Can anyone confirm that please? Worth saying that the Mi-8 sites (which appear to spawn in the same familiar locations as the Blackhawk sites, but are harder to spot as they don't smoke) seem pretty bugged. The loot, what there is of it, is pretty crappy.

So probably looted by whoever ran the hack. The empty mags are the main clue. I've never seen an empty mag at an unlooted site. Finding helis in 0.49 requires serious stamina and determination, added to a small amount of brainpower to determine the most economic run possible, balancing time, viewing distances, and probabilities.

I went onto a clan server yesterday, in a barn full of fire axes, mosins, pistols, etc, etc. Needless to say I was kicked off it within 30 seconds.

Updated. I've had at least two offers I took seriously, but neither has been followed up :huh:

The only function of Mi-8 crash sites right now is to tell me that I have even less chance of finding a UH60 site. I've seen quite a few and have found virtually no loot worth picking up, even with the 'specialist techniques' for finding it. They're broken, need fixing, but hey it's alpha, etc, etc. I get that. The real point is why even bother having them when most of what they spawn (ok, ok apart from the SMERSH vests) is available elsewhere.