Double_Back

Thanks for the posts, but I don't need "how to play the game" tips. Been there. Done that...a lot. Within a couple of hours of spawning, I pretty much always will have, at the very least: an assault rifle, ALICE pack, 1911 or .45, canteens, matches, binocs, knife, hatchet, etc. and my standard 'med kit' of 3 bandages, 2 pain killers, and 2 morphine. I know what to get, where to get it, and how to use the standard stuff and how to survive with it. My lifes are usually measured in weeks. I've been to NW Airfield and Stary more times than I can count. Alone. Surving with and using 'standard' military weapons is old hat for me. I'm far from an expert, but I know what I'm doing. Again, I'm specifically interested in hearing from those players that have actually operated with the AS50 as loner. Those that have will know what I'm asking about.

I know how the game works. I have all the survival tools. I've got 200+ hours in game and I'm still in single digits on my total number of spawns. Perhaps I should have been more varied in my description of concerns. Generally, any movement at all will come with risks. Movement will be required even if it doesn't involve a town. With movement (and no NVGs) comes the potential for encounters with other players. I'm asking about the experiences from those loners that have actually used the weapon. The ones that have operated with it without server hopping or DC-ing as soon as they see another player within 300 meters.

Yep, it's the Loot Paradox. Scratch and claw your way to top tier loot and then become too paranoid to actually risk using it. (As a loner that is). Group members can die and scamper right back to their tents, vehicles, and/or buddies holding some gear for them; maybe even their old gear they salvaged from their bodies. On my last life, I was almost geared up to everything I wanted: NVGs, ghillie, etc. I'd become so paranoid and fixed into a routine, it started to become almost a chore to scavange since the odds of me finding any gear I could use outside of crashed heli's was extremely remote. I finally died in what I thought was a 1 v 2 at the NW Airfield. It was, in actuality, a 1 v 3. I got two of them... Anyway, it was the most liberating experience so far in DayZ for me and I was suddenly having fun again desperately looking for a Winny or a can of beans instead of being disappointed to find "yet another" M4 or 1017. Definitely made me not care anymore (too much!) about getting killed. All your gear is on loan from the DayZ gods. Eventually, they'll get it back. Accept that and you'll have a lot more fun.

If you have hunted something like deer in real life, you'd find that spending 30 minutes in one spot for that one shot at one target (in front of a computer in the comfy confines of your home) is quite easy. I've sat for 12 hours without seeing anything while hunting IRL. A lot of the same principals and issues actually translate well between real life hunting and sniping online.

I log off and do something that doesn't bore me instead of staring at a monitor and mindlessly mashing a keyboard like...well...a zombie. DayZ is allegory in many ways.

I had this exact situation happen the other day, but I was on the other end of the rifle. I had just finished checking the last room of the NW Airfield northern barracks and, as always, I check the window before starting back down the hallway. Just as I peek out, I see a guy through the window to my left crouch run accross the open grass towards the barracks. I know I'm trapped like a rat in there (I don't DC, I take my medicine like a man) and don't plan on waiting to see if he's my long lost friend or a meanie (NW Airfield: KOS rules generally apply). So, I quickly get behind the door at the end of the hall, lean over, and wait a few seconds. Right on cue, he barrels through front door and I put three M16 rounds into him and he dies. Had he just waited 15-20 seconds and scouted the barracks from a distance first (I myself watched for several minutes before going in) instead of running to it like it's a time-trial, he would have easily tagged me in the head on my way out. Of course, he probably thought I was 'camping' in there, but I'd actually only been in there a couple of minutes and on the server for a couple of hours. That said, I'm getting sick of the server hoppers, too. It's absurd that when you are in the airfield hangers that not only do you have to watch the hanger door for other players, but you also have to keep checking BEHIND you (where there is no entrance) in case some server-hopping douche logs in the back corner and puts one in your back. One of my first deaths happened that way.

Ha! Killed himself with his own satchel charge. Awesome. But, yeah. He's spawning crates.

Play as a loner, so I don't carry a second rifle and use the extra pack space for med supplies/extra food and ferrying some loot back to my tent. Slowly building a cache there. If I can find a coyote pack or find a top tier sniper rifle, I'll probably start carrying two primaries. Current gear: Alice Pack Ghillie suit Binocs NVGs Primary: M16A2 (5 mags in inv + 2 in pack) Secondary: 1911 (5 mags in inv + 2 in pack) Usual Standard 'survival' kit for me: 3 bandages, 2 pain killers, 2 morphine, 1 heat pack, 3 canteens Matches, compass, axe, toolbox, watch, knife, etc.

Compasses seem very rare. Matches are hit or miss. I might check 10 places they normally spawn and see nothing and then see 2 in one place. Murphy's law seems to apply to matches. Last time I spawned, I had everything I wanted short of NVGs (ALICE, M16, 1911, compass, tent, etc.) before I found matches. Now that I have them, I see them everywhere. I think Dayz is coded to torture you. Once you search for days for a particular item and finally find it, you'll then see that item everywhere.

Adolescent male rage on the internet is so rare. Let's see if he hit the usual major points... -Profanity and almost visible spittle hitting monitor...check -Full-scale assault on proper grammar and sentence structure...check -Inability to control emotional impulses...check -Total lack of self-awareness and inability to see that perhaps his behavior is the issue...check -Expectation that he be absolved of any guilt, but the person responsible for his punishment be crucified...check -Inflated sense of worth and stature within the "community"...check -Expectations of "rights" on a privately owned internet forum and demands for resolution...check -threats of retaliation...check Yep, pretty much hit most of the classic "adolescent male internet rage" points. Well done, Mr. Internet Cliche!

Not a cheat report, but more of a thank you to the devs. While I know there are plenty of cheaters that haven't been caught, it's nice to see some are getting caught. Clean players very much appreciate any and all efforts to keep this great mod fair for those that play by the simple rule: DO NOT CHEAT. Anyway, I was working my way through the woods looking for a boar or goat to grab some steaks after a near death experience with some zeds in an apartment complex earlier. I see a player join with some clan tags next to his name. Let's call it clan "XYZ". Think nothing of it, I notice this guy log on and off every 10 minutes as I make my way to my next target area to loot; checking deer stands along the way. He stays for a 5-10 minutes each time and then leaves. Repeats this probably 8 to 10 times for an hour or so. OK, so this guy is clearly server hopping. Yeah, I don't like it, but so be it. What can I do? Well, he must have finally found something he liked because here come his clan buddies logging on at the same time. Then the best part happens and I see the messages: [XYZ] Player 1...global banned [XYZ] Player 2...global banned [XYZ] Player 3...global banned Don't recall the exact wording, but they were global banned. Ironically, the original hopper was not banned and continued to server hop for another hour. Anyway, it's nice to see some of them do get caught. Who knows, maybe one of those clowns would have radar-ed in to my location and looted my precious NVGs. Several of us on the server got quite a chuckle. By the way, this isn't a swipe at clans. The clan tags only indicated that they were operating and hacking as a group.

Correct. It's less visible from a distance.

No kill at the NW Airfield is 'unprovoked'. Just being there is provocation enough. It's the price of admission

I've had both the M9SD and PDW. There's a reason I carry the 1911.

Well, I finally found a pair of NVGs. I'd just finished a tense solo run through the Stary tents and was a bit depressed I hadn't found anything decent that I wanted or didnt already have. So, I headed north to check one of the deer stands before I logged off. Just as the stand comes into view, I look right and see a downed heli. Nothing there except for the NVGs. The previous looters must have missed them since they weren't easy to spot. Also went 6 weeks having never seen a downed heli and then have seen 4 in the last two days; two right next to each other in one spot. Other than the NVGs, nothing I really wanted. So, I log onto a night server to check them out. And, yes, they ARE cool. It's going to suck when I eventually lose them. What I really want now is one of the higher end sniper rifles. I have NEVER found a DMR or M24; much less one of the .50s. I've found countless assault rifles, MP5s, and even found a Bizon (no ammo) and a PDW yesterday. Have never found any of the 'higher end' assault rifles, either. No CCO or ACOG variant of the M4/M16. Would love an M14. I've played a lot of hours and know where the loot spots are for what I want, but I do it all solo. No tent for saving. If I die, I lose everything. I don't server hop loot spawns or farm with friends, so I'm definitely not improving my chances.

Only drove a vehicle once: Last time I died, I respawned near Cherno by the docks. Crap. I hate Cherno. I really hate Cherno. Walked about one minute, skirted the cranes, and a nice ATV was sitting right in front of me. I have no idea where vehicles are supposed to spawn, so I immediately think this is obvious bait. Some sniper on those buildings is going to brain me if I get near it. I was about to sneak (over ground that had as much cover as a mall parking lot, so 'sneak' is a relative term) around it and thought, "What the hell. My last character lived a long time. Who cares if this one is short?" So, I scurry over to it and find it's in good shape and has plenty of fuel. I hop on and blaze through Cherno as fast as I can. I figure I'll have some fun before I die and then get 'serious' on my next life. So, I haul ass through the middle of town. Pass hordes of zombies and a couple of players that didnt even shoot at me. I almost ran one guy over near the hospital and I hear a couple of shots as a speed away. After a couple of runs across town, I realize: I'm still alive! Didn't plan on that. So, I figure I wouldn't tempt fate a third time, and I carefully cross the railroad tracks and tear off west out of town and then north towards Kozlo expecting to get blasted off my new toy at any second. Followed the power lines west with Zeleno in mind. When the fuel got low near Drozhino, I ditched the ATV in the woods and I was on my way. A trip that normally would have taken me a couple of tedious hours was done in minutes and I was soon looting to my heart's content at the supermarket in Zeleno. I'm still on that 'life' and it's been one of my longest, most active streaks yet and it all started with what was essentially a suicide attempt on an ATV. That ride through Cherno was awesome!

80% of the 'tough guys' on these threads would piss their pants and run and hide, sobbing in the drama teacher's office.

Agree with the M9SD. The novelty quickly wore off when I found one. Thankfully, I hadn't dropped my 1911. I dropped the M9SD not long after finding it in a residential loot pile as a nice suprise for someone. The situations where I'd actually prefer the M9SD over any other sidearm are, for me, extremely rare. About the only time I'd want it is if I aggo-ed a single zombie in a town and didn't want to spook the horde when I shoot it or if I was close enough to headshot another player from behind while surrounded by zeds. In any other situation, I'd rather have a 1911 (or revolver or G17) as my side arm. So, I'd have to keep two sidearms on me and it's just not worth the sacrifice of backpack space. Even in that case, I'd have to keep the M9 equipped the whole time in situations where I think I MIGHT need it and I certainly wouldn't want to have it equipped if I ran into another player aware I was there. That's even without taking into consideration the relative rarity of the ammo.

The zombies are a bit more 'active' now, but not too bad. What I have noticed is that the 'new' zombies in the latest patches require more attention. That means I'm spending more time watching the zombies now and less time watching out for other players in town. I've definitely noticed I'm letting my 'anti-human' guard down a bit more now. While I used to spend 5% of my time occasionally glancing at the zeds while looting and 95% time looking out for players, it's a bit less lopsided now; which is going to increase my chances of getting shot in the head. On the other hand, more players are aggroing zeds which is a nice, organic alarm system for those sneaking properly.

I found two M16A2s in a single deer stand yesterday. I was quite suprised and had never seen two weapons, let alone two of the same weapons, in a single stand before. Considering I had spawned maybe 15-20 minutes before (still cyring I lost my M4A1 and all my gear from my previous long-ish life) and all I had was a 1911 with no ammo, I was a happy boy.

It depends. As many have said, most players are somewhere between 'friendly' and 'bandit' and how you meet makes all the difference. I'll preface my experiences by stating I play as a pure loner. I avoid Cherno, Elektro, and the coast in general at all costs. If you want to play as a 'friendly' or don't want to kill other players simply for the fun of shooting another player, freaking stay out of Cherno and Elektro! I have no problem if that's what people want to do, so I stay away instead of crying about PK-ers. It's like complaining about hookers being at a whorehouse. Even on spawn, I'll quickly scoot right past coastal towns for the second set of towns inland to start gearing up. In general, I'm out in the wilderness checking deerstands for military weapons and quickly sneaking in and out of towns/barns for other stuff. Carry three canteens and use ponds to fill them. Shoot boars and cows for food as much as I can. In general, I rarely run into any players and, when I do, they usually don't see me. In those cases, I almost NEVER shoot because they usually don't represent a threat and I quietly head the other direction. For me, it's always risk vs. reward and not killing 'just because I can'. I don't want to needlessly aggro zombies (conserve ammo and health) and you never know when that one guy you see is actually 1 + 3 near him out of sight. I don't want to fire shots and announce to anyone nearby exactly where I'm at. The three types I run into away from the coast/ in the north (not at NW Airfield) are: A) Friendly - will not shoot you and want to team up/chit chat. Usually a newer player and a zombie magnet. B) Aggressive - will shoot you at the first chance they get. They'll often do it even if they'll aggro 30 zombies nearby. They're playing to shoot other players or simply freak out at first player contact and shoot. C) Neutral Loner - most common - Will hold fire and stay hidden until they figure out your intentions and make sure you are not a threat. 'Threat' isn't just being aggressive towards that player by shooting. 'Threat' could be that you're approaching them from behind or approaching too closely. 'Threat' could be that your aggro-ing every zed in a 1km radius and dragging them to him or near him. This is the guy that (like me) that you often didn't see. This is the guy that makes you think 'everyone' shoots on sight because you never knew he was there, he could have shot you, and didn't. He didn't shout "Friendly!!!" or "I'm the guy near the barn! Can we be friends?". No, he waited quietly, observed, assessed the risk, and decided to avoid. But, yeah. If all a player does it hang out in the War Zones (Cherno/Elektro), he probably does think 'everyone' shoots on sight. In those places: yes, they do usually shoot on sight. Off the coast, it's entirely different story. The 'bad guys' are generally smarter and more skilled, but there's far fewer of them. A lot of the guys like me that are away from the coast are there for a reason: they don't want to play DM and will usually do a little thinking before firing at you in the middle of a town. As stated 1000 times: get off the coast!

What I usually do is keep a folder for each patch labelled "1.6" or "1.7.1.1" saved in my docs and download each set of files to it when a new patch comes out and leave it. So, if there's ever a major issue on a new patch, I can roll back since I have my own set of old files.

Same issue since 1.7.1.2. Disconnects every 5-10 minutes. Tried multiple servers.