Double_Back

M14 AIM Most recently found in NWAF barracks. Previous to that at a crashed heli and once at a tent in the middle of the map.

M14 is my absolute favorite. My personal 'ultimate gearing goal' when I play now is the M14 + DMR combo; which I currently have. The M14 has great sites, hits hard, has good ammo capacity, has decent usuable range, and the ammo is relatively common. It shares the same ammo as my sniper rifle (DMR) which really keeps things simple and efficient in terms of not having to really worry about ammo. My only knock on the DMR is it doesn's have the range of the .50 cals or the 1 shot kill ability (aside from head shots). Everything else about the DMR I love: use with NVGs, compact size, rate of fire for follow up shots, can use in CQC in a pinch, easy to use mils, ammo capacity, relatively low recoil, and doesn't draw zombies like an air raid siren the way .50s do.

I've started to mark down the tents that I find for possible gearing up later if I need it. If it's legit gear, I'll just take what I want/need and not trash it. A while back, I found a cleverly hidden tent and took an M14 that was in there (I love that rifle). I left my M4A3 CCO in it's place. I noticed he had an M4A1 CCO SD as well, but no SD ammo. So, I left him a couple of SD Stanag mags I'd been keeping for no particular reason and also left a couple of morphine since I had 5 at the time. Leave a penny, take a penny.

"You will not get banned by BattleEye for simply picking up a hacked weapon" is NOT the same as saying it's OK to do it; much less an endorsement that it's legitimate gameplay. Jesus, what's wrong with some of you?

Last two characters were 23 days and 21 days respectively. Both died to mass kill hackers. Some thoughts if you want to survive (without cheesy exploits) long-term: - You have to decide that long-term survival is your primary goal. It's not as obvious as it sounds. It requires a different play style and it's not for everyone. It means being more deliberate in your actions, planning ahead of time, often taking the loooong route to your next stop, being patient, being stealthy all the time, and usually (as a loner) less combat overall. If you prefer to run and gun and instant gratification (and there's nothing wrong with that - the goal is to have fun), then you may not like the play style it generally takes for a loner to live long term. - Unless you have a well-coordinated team, play alone. Other people, for various reasons, will get you killed more often. When you're alone, you're more focused and paranoid. Paranoia keeps you alive. - You aren't making friends. If the other guy doesn't know you're there, you don't call out "friendly" or attempt to communicate first. Ever. Keep in mind, that is NOT (necessarily) the same as KOS. If they don't know you are there, keep it that way. Evasion is ALWAYS the safer alternative to contact. - Unless you're face to face and shooting starts, if you aren't behind some cover when you first see another player - get some immediately and then decide what to do. You don't do or think anything before getting some cover first. Two players behind cover are 1000 times less likely to start shooting. - Do not view your zombie kill count as a source of pride. Look at every zombie kill as a failure. You alerted the zeds by failing to do something with enough stealth or patience, they attacked, and you killed them. Aside from an axe, in order to kill them, you shot them. When you shoot, you are announcing your presence to every player nearby. Many (most?) of them use your gunfire as a beacon to home in on and come kill you. - Don't be in a rush. Take your time and scout (with cover) before entering and exiting an area in which you will be exposed. Plan your route into and out of a loot spot ahead of time. Use treelines, depressions in the terrain, bushes, walls, and buildings as much as possible on your way in and out. - Why are you entering a town/loot spot? Just because it's there? If you're already well geared with food and survival supplies, why enter a town? Do you need to search the whole town or just one building in the town? Basically, learn what spawns where and in what building types. You'll save a lot of time and grief and reduce your risks by not visiting, for example a barn, when you already have military-grade weapons and plenty of food. Risk vs. reward. - Know your weapons! Hello, single player. Know where the ammo for your weapon spawns. - When traveling in the wilderness, stop, look, and listen frequently. This alone is often the difference between living and dieing. You see the other guy first and you're not the one that gets shot in the back. - NEVER stop without some cover. Ever. Not in a forest. Not in a field. Not in a city. - If you must cross open an area, run. Randomly zig zag. Most snipers hate that. Snipers love people that stop, walk, and/or run in straight lines. - Learn to read and use the topographical map and compass properly. Know where you are and where you're going. - When you're down to one can of beans and a soda, you waited too long to stock up. Keep food and drink well stocked. You never want to be desperate for either. Desperation makes you make mistakes. Mistakes get you killed. - Steaks: nature's bloodbags. No 2nd player needed. - Keep a standard "med kit". I consider my standard med kit to be: 3 bandages, 2 pain killers, and 2 morphine. I don't stock more than that, but I start looking soon when it drops below that. As alluded to, steaks can be considered the "mini-bloodbags" of your medical supplies. Whenever possible, I keep several steaks on me and use beans to stop hunger. I try to keep the steaks (800 blood apiece) for restoring blood from injuries. - Aside from newly spawning in and stocking up there first, stay the hell away from Cherno and Elektro. #1: Some Luck. Hackers are a sad reality. Even the most careful player can still get shot by an AS50 from 800 meters. Even the best can end up on the short end of a 3 v 1. Even the most methodical can get shot in the back of the head by a non-cheater that just happens to spawn in behind you in a spot you checked 10 seconds before.

It really depends on exactly where I spawn in as to where I go first. In general, my first overall destination goal is a supermarket. Those seem to be the best bang for the buck for a new spawn. Good number of relatively concentrated loot spots with some decent (not great) cover with more than one entrance/exit, great chance for larger quantities of food/drink, decent chance for general survival gear and a larger backpack, and a decent chance for a low-tier weapon with ammo. I'll hit whatever deerstands and barns there are along the way as well. Again, it depends on the exact spot I spawn it at.

Also, the term "fog of war" does not refer to actual fog. It's a term that references the inherent confusion of battle.

Agreed. We all know it, let's hope the devs make it priority #1 for the standalone. If it resembles anything like the mod in it's current state in terms of security, I will absolutely not buy it. Here's hoping they will since I love the game. Just lost a 21 day character about an hour ago to a server-wide, mass kill hack. My character just rolled over and died along with every other person on the server. No teleport. No Thunderdome. No leg breaking. Just keeled over and died while in the far north of the map while running. As soon as I saw the first 20 or so names "killed" hit the screen in within one second, I knew what was happening and tried to abort. But, too late. My character previous to that lived 23 days and, of course, that life was ended by hacker as well. I'm having a lot of trouble trying to remember the last time I was killed by a player. There is no mechanic, gameplay style, or bug in this mod in it's current state I can't endure, ignore, or learn to live with. Two consecutive 20+ day characters ended by mass-griefing hacks, on the otherhand, is just demoralizing.

Most people know there are hacks for the game and where to get them, too. Doesn't make it right. Plenty of scripters use cheats and claim "Everyone is doing it. I'm just evening things up." We've seen posts on this forum using that exact justification for using scripts. The difference is having the integrity and honesty not to utilize either hacks or hacked weapons. I know that's expecting way too much from anonymous, adolescent multi-player gamers, but it doesn't mean I have to buy these ridiculous rationalizations of cheating behavior. People can rationalize all they want, but if it's not supposed to be the game, it's not supposed to be in the game. If someone uses a hacked weapon, they sure as hell shouldn't cry about scripters, server hoppers, ghosters, and Alt-F4ing. Agreed. That's why I specified "knowingly" using hacked weapons. Not every player is going to know every legitimate weapon in game and no one can telepathically know the origin of the weapon they just picked up, but every player that's played this more than a couple months should know what weapon types are supposed to be in the game. Duping is obviously a problem, but no one can know if it's duped or not with any degree of certainty. However, I do know with certainty when a certain type of weapon isn't supposed to be in DayZ at all. Granted, someone finding and using an AS50 TWS isn't on the same level as mass teleporting everyone on the server to their deaths or using god mode (not even close), but it's still cheating.

How is knowingly using a hacked weapon cheating? Really? Try playing a 5th ace while playing poker with your friends and telling them "Hey, I didn't put it in there. Therefore, it's a legitimate hand. I win. Give me my money."

Depends. Lot's of possible variables, but to summarize quickly: If it was lone medic: probably not. If it was a medic operating with a large group: absolutely. I'd assume he earned he 'medic skin' simply by helping out his squad buddies and no one else.

Yes, it is. It's a cheaters weapon used by cheaters. The cheaters will try to justify using by saying "It's OK as long as I'm not the one that spawned it in." Many people seem to have interpreted "You won't get banned by Battle Eye for simply using a hacked weapon you didn't spawn in yourself" as meaning "It's perfectly legitimate to knowingly use a hacked weapon." Takes a special form of twisted cheater logic to come to that conclusion; but many appear to have done so. Sort of like saying, "If I cheat and Battle Eye doesn't ban me for it, it's not 'really' cheating." If you know a particular weapon is hacked and you choose to use it anyway, you are a cheater, too.

I get tired of seeing the same twisted rationale of "I didn't spawn in the hacked weapon, therefore using it doesn't make me a cheater" posted on this forum over and over. Knowingly using a cheater-produced/hacked weapon makes you a cheater. Use whatever tortured logic you want to justify it, but it is cheating. Whether you get banned for it not is a separate question.

Right now I'm carrying the DMR + M14 Aim combo. Great versatility and lethality. Fits well with my playstyle and I love only needing one type of ammo for both rifles. Used to love the 1911 as a sidearm, but after it was nerfed, I prefer the G17 or PDW.

My first unprovoked kill ended up not being an actual kill. Happened 2 or 3 months ago. Nothing special or elaborate, but it sure was exciting for me at the time. I was making my way from deer stand to deer stand. Had an AKM as my primary and was getting somewhat comfortable with the game. It was getting close to dark and as I was about to cross a gulley, I spotted another player cross in front of me about 200 meters away. Normally, back then, I would have stayed hidden till he passed and headed the other way, but this time I decided to follow since he wasn't being very cautious about being spotted. Within a minute or two, I realized he was heading towards the deer stand I had originally planned to visit next. For some reason that kind of irked me since I considered that MY loot and I had already trekked a decent ways to get there. I followed carefully behind him a bit further and he eventually came to the deer stand and started crouch walking towards it along the treeline. "A bit too late for him to be careful, now.", I thought to myself. I stopped and leaned out from a tree behind him. Heart started to beat a bit faster. Shoot him? Yes, shoot him. That's my loot he's about to take. What's the range? 200 meters? Maybe get closer. Am I certain he's alone? Not sure. Nah, he's alone. Would have spotted a buddy by now if he had one. Too far to be sure of a first shot hit with these iron sights and so close to dark. I wanted to make sure of a kill with him having no chance to shoot back. Now that he was closer to the stand he seemed to get a bit spooked; stopping longer and looking around more. Each time he moved towards the stand with his back to me, I darted to the next tree; closing the gap. When I got to about 100 meters range, I stopped and waited. Shortly after, he stopped. The zeds were close to him, but he was between the zeds and me. It was very close to dark by them. He's close to the ladder. Move closer? No, take it. Take the shot. Now or never. I took aim, center mass, and fired. He went down immediately, but I didn't see a "killed" message. Did I miss? Can't see him. Zeds started started towards me. Crap. He's alive and those zeds are going to vector to me and give away my position. A couple seconds later, he stands up and drops again. Ah, I got him in the legs - broken. He tried to get up and run and, in doing so, pulled the three zombies onto him. They maul him and he dies. I dispatch the zeds with my 1911 and search his bag. Only thing of use was a few cokes and cans of beans. I then checked the deer stand to collect my loot and there wasn't a damn thing in there but tin cans. Nothing epic but, like every other kill or death in this game, I learned a few more lessons that helps me stay alive in game.

Happened to me again yesterday. I was well geared and up north near the NE Airfield when I logged out. Respawned by the docks in Cherno. Yikes! Felt like a wealthy man with nice clothes and an expensive watch walking through a bad part of town at night. Managed to make it out OK. Ony saw one person before I made it around the town and into the treeline and the zeds were nice enough to handle that one for me. I really didnt want to fire my M14 there. Happens to me about once a week, but I usually will spawn on a relatively remote beach when it does.

Agreed. I've used both. They are, by a wide margin, my favorite two sniper rifles. The DMR is more versatile. If I could only carry ONE rifle, it would would be the DMR. Of course, in practice, I usually carry two rifles. Up to 400-500 meters, the DMR is powerfull and accurate. Going beyond 600 meters, it starts to show it's limitations. The DMR allows quick follow up shots if needed. The MUCH lower noise (to zeds) compared to the AS50 enables more flexibilty on where one can use it. If I plan on being relatively mobile, I want the DMR. The AS50 is a hammer. The perfect rifle for sniping from a static position at long ranegs. The ranges I consider a stretch for the DMR and some of the other scoped rifles, seem like short range for the AS50. 600 meters for the AS50? - practically point blank range for it. The accuracy is incredible. The one hit and it ain't getting up or disconnecting - awesome.

At the moment, I'm using the M14/DMR combo. Love the versality. Now if I can just find some NVGs again, I'll be set. Depends on your style, of course. Previous to my current setup, I had the AS50/L85 combo until the L85 glitched out of my inventory. The scope on the L85 is great for spotting targets/threats, but if someone gets close to you and spots you, your only reliable combat option is going to be your side arm because of the L85 thermal scope isn't well suited to shorter range combat. In practical terms, I consider the L85 to be a thermal scope that just happens to have a rifle attached to it. After my L85 glitched out, I picked up an M4A3 CCO and loved it. It seemed to be a great compliment for my AS50. I don't use a tent, so my options are limited but personally, if I had your setup (tent/extra weapons), I'd carry the L85 at night, when sniping from a static position, and for counter-sniping and the M4A3 if I planned to be more mobile. The L85 thermals are usefull, but not that useful if you're staying alert; counter-sniping being the BIG exception. Again, it really depends on your style. WIth the AS50/L85, I was doing a lot more sniping from a static position and waiting...a lot. With the DMR/M14, I'm being more mobile and 'stalking' certain routes/areas.

That's really what it boils down to. Nothing helps a player learn to avoid snipers than actually playing as a sniper for a while. Sniping, getting the kill, and living (without DC-ing) consistently isn't as easy as some think. There are issues a sniper has to deal with and a smart players learns to take advantage of those difficulties a sniper faces in order to increase their chances of not getting a bullet in the head. The "wait for the sniper to shoot another player first" isn't a good tactic when you're trying to get into a loot spot because, very often, YOU are going to be that player. Aside from the Cherno/Elektro PVP orgy, player traffic isn't as high as many people think. Having done quite a bit of lone sniping myself: it's amazing how relatively rarely some places get visited. A good sniper is, more than anything else, patient. He will wait. He'll wait 30 minutes, an hour, two hours. He will wait longer than you. How many players are going to wait an hour at the edge of the NWAF just waiting for a sniper shot (by a sniper that, statistically, probably isn't there in the first place) at yet another player(s) going there to loot first? Not many. Aside from that: the whole point is to get in there when there are no other players! Why on earth would you want to wait for other players to show up before you go in? Also, a good sniper (unless he's part of a team) isn't going to kill a player and wait for the next one. He's going to shoot and move. For a loner going to NW Airfield: plan your route smartly, stay hyper-alert, get in, get out, don't get greedy, don't linger.

It's really a process of elimination, planning, and, above all else, patience. Quick and dirty advice: #1 - The obvious spots first. Think: where would YOU be if you were a sniper? A good sniper won't be in those spots, but many others will be. Bad snipers love tall buildings. At NWAF, that's the ATC tower and fire station. I'm sure you already know this, but anyone in there will spawn zombies. Need to watch carefully since 3rd person (if you are that server type) enables them to stay hidden until they set up for a shot. That said, they're trapped like a rat in those spots if you manage to get into the building. #2 - The treeline on the west side of the runway offers a good FOV against the hangars and has a safe egress for the sniper out to the west. However, if you approach the AF from the east, you can easily get into and out of the barracks and firehouse without exposing yourself (much) to their FOV. The hangars are a shooting gallery for a sniper over there. However, there is a relatively limited range of spots in the treeline which they can be in without spawning zombies at some of the outlying buildings. #3 - Remember, a sniper can't see every loot point from a single spot. Figure out what direction you'll be most exposed from and either sweep that spot on the way in or approach from a safe direction. Again, think: If I'm in spot "A", what direction can a sniper see me from? Does HE have cover in that spot? Is there a safer route? Am I better served quickly running accross that spot or crawling slowly? These things have to be considered before you get to spot "A". There are a few other favorites snipers use, so use your judgement. If a sniper does shoot and misses/wounds you and you don't know where he is: RUN. DO NOT STOP - at all. Not for a secod. Run for the nearest cover and keep running, zig-zagging along the way. Sort out the zombies chasing you after you exit the AF. They will be the least of your worries. Above all else: If you are a loner, DON'T GET GREEDY. If you check every single loot spot at the airfield, you almost gurantee that a sniper will get a shot on you at some point because, eventually, you're going to cross his FOV. So, decide which section of the AF you want to check, choose an approach that offers the most cover, identify where you will be most exposed, and sweep/scan those areas becfore going in. Personally, I will usually limit my loner runs to one of the barracks and any tertiary spots nearby that offer some cover. All that said: not much you can do against people spawning into the airfield somewhere while your there and throwing the best laid plans out the window. By far, that's the THE most likely way you'll get shot there.

Do actually think that's how BE works? Seriously?

I saw zero my first 2 1/2 months. However, I've seen about 8 in the last 10 days with 4 being in the last 72 hours. Still, I love the game and will keep playing. But, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't playing less and having less fun because of the constant possibility of being part of a mass teleport or shot by an invisible player. Sadly, I wish it was "only" hacked weapons and vehicles. One at least has a chance against that. Previously, I never was too bothered at all by the glitches, loot hoppers, dupers, DC-ers, and spawn killers. Those were things that might occasionally annoy me, but never affected how often I played or my enjoyment of the game and I realized they were either due to the game being in alpha or simply a byproduct of a persistent game set up (which I love!). But these recent mass-griefing hacks have become too common, too rampant. It's so bad now the scripters/hackers are crowding each other out and many are hitting even low pop servers. I truly hope the stand alone will allow the devs to make the integrity of the game a top priority. Personally, I think they know what's currently going on and, without being able to manipulate source code (it is only a mod), have severely limited options. No, they can't stop all the hacks, but stopping 90% of them would make a big, big difference. It's just a hacking free for all right now. Let's hope the stand alone comes sooner rather than later. I would happily pay for the mod as a standalone (in it's current state) if some semblence of control over the hacks were included.

Current one is only 3 or 4 days old thanks to my 23 day old character being on the receiving end of a server wide hack attack last week (AS50, you will be missed). Play solo 100% of the time. Primary: M4A3 CCO (very first weapon I found after re-spawning!) Secondary: DMR Sidearm: G17 (used to hate it until the 1911 got nerfed) Going to try and get my hands on an M14. Always liked the idea of having my two rifles use the same ammo. Other than that, just want to find a ghillie and a pair of NVGs).

Don't feel too bad. I lost a 23 day old character last week to a hacker. With the huge spike recently with the scripters/hackers, I knew it was only a matter of time. Not a pleasant experience, but it was kind of fun to be back to needing to scavenge again. I was annoyed that I lost my AS50 and M4A3 CCO, though. The ironic part is that the FIRST weapon I found after re-spawning was an M4A3 CCO! Only the second time I'd ever found one. Found a crashed heli the second day with an M107 and a DMR. Grabbed the DMR for a change of pace from the .50s. Then, had yet another very close call with a server-wide mass teleport shortly after. Sadly, I know it's a matter of time till I get killed again by hackers and I'll bet money it will be a lot less than 23 days this go around.

It does seem to be going into overdrive lately. I went 2+ months without ever seeing anything I even suspected of being related to hacks. In the last week or so, I've seen forests on fire, hacked weapons on bodies, had a run in with an invisible player, been teleported twice, and seen an entire city expode with a dozen different explosions at the same time. About five minutes ago, the entire server I was on was teleported into the sky and dropped. All of these on half full servers.