ColdAtrophy

And so, with a bit of regret, I report that my character has died on Day 3. Why, you may ask? Oh, you didn't ask. Too bad. :) I'm telling you anyway. I was standing on a roof. I looked down and saw a canteen. I opened up my inventory, curious if I had enough space or if it was even worthwhile to pick it up. Then I got a black screen. Weird, I thought. Then the screen said, "You are dead." Sweet. I will never use ladders or stand on a roof again. Time to start over. I learned a good amount this go around. Hopefully I can make it out of my fresh spawn without being a KoS victim, find food and drink, and find some decent warm clothing before I am shot, stabbed, punched, beaten, starved, dehydrated, or frozen to death. Lol.

I started using them today after reading this. Very handy. I feel like an idiot for not recognizing that those were there. I just got killed by nothing though so I think I'm gonna take a break. I was standing there, looking at a canteen, when my screen went black and it said "You are dead." Oh well I guess.

I see. I didn't even know that those were quick access inventory slots. How I have managed to stay alive this long is beyond me.

I made a map of East Chernarus but was unable to view it. Was I not going about opening it the correct way or was it that I have to have a full map before it can be opened and viewed?

I'm not sure what Namalsk is (I'm guessing it's some Arma map), but, traditionally, alphas and betas don't give the entire game to the end consumer. Even though we paid for this, it would make sense for them to keep a map or two, perhaps some other stuff like some items or models out of this prior to the release version. If we are all burned out on all the content in the game come release, we won't still be playing it then. This hurts everything in a number of ways: 1) We won't be a part of a thriving active community. This game needs players. 2) We won't be talking about our awesome experiences to our friends or on the internet. This could hurt release sales. 3) We may not be interested in further purchases for added content after release, particularly if we get hooked on some other game in the meantime. There aren't many games out there that would benefit from continued content in the form of paid DLC like this one. I abhor the very concept in 99% of cases, but this is one for which it just makes perfect logical sense. This game could be over when the dev and the players agree that it is over. There is so much to it, immergent gameplay is such a core of the experience, that the long term value here is staggering. I guess, in a nutshell, what I'm saying is that I think it only makes sense that there would be multiple maps and if there indeed were, it would also make sense for us to iron out all the bugs that are universal (could exist no matter the map) first, so we have a reason to keep playing this in the future.

@BleedoutBill Forgive me, I'm new here, but I just noticed this yesterday while playing. My GPU doesn't seem to be doing much. I think I once saw it go to 30% usage but I could be wrong. It largely sat around 20%. My CPU cores are being utilized more at around 60%. I'm glad to see from your post that this is simply the way the engine/build currently is. I had started poking around the internet just to make sure this was not the result of some user error on my end. I couldn't find anything other than a few FPS tweaks that didn't seem to do anything but lower my draw distance and make pop-in worse without any real noticeable effect on FPS. I have a GTX 970 and it just sits there, largely unused. This makes me hopeful for the renderer updates. I'm looking forward to 60 FPS in cities rather than the 30's I get now, briefly and occasionally dropping as low as 20.

Can you elaborate on that? I'm not sure what you mean by this. Also, you mentioned some rendering upgrades? I'm hoping that this is part of the optimization tweaks rather than making things look prettier. The game looks just fine for what it is. I'd just like to stop having this issue where my frames drop into the 30's in large cities. I'm not complaining btw, I know this is alpha. I just look forward to those kind of tweaks. After playing in a city for awhile, it starts to bother my eyes. It's funny because I've only been playing games on PC for about 2 months or so. I used to play on Xbox 360 where everything was 30FPs (for the most part).

I just finished up my 2nd day with the same character. This game has a somewhat steep learning curve but once you start to learn it is insanely addictive. The friend I bought this game to play with has died at least 5 times since I made this character. I keep going from the far North to the Southern coast and back again trying to get together with him when he spawns. This last time, we tried to meet up at the airfield near Vybor since I was already over that way when he spawned this time. I must have been maybe 300-500 meters away from him when I got a message from him : "i died". Apparently, he alt+tabbed without getting to as safe a place as possible first and a zombie caught him slipping. While annoying, I'm thinking this has been good experience for me. I'm finding myself recognizing landmarks in areas I keep traveling through and beginning to understand where I am in relation to other things. I've picked up some pretty cool stuff along the way too. This game is far more than I expected it to be, truth be told.

My character is 100% healthy on blood and health. I'm keeping well hydrated and fed. I have an axe, a .357 Repeater, a Mosin, and a M1911 with a suppressor and a tac light. I've got ammo for everything. I've got some rarer (I think) medical supplies that should come in handy if I need them and I just found a UK Assault Vest. I've got a Motorcycle Helmet and a white balaclava, some gloves, and combat boots. Gorka pants were given to me along with a canteen and I just found a 2nd canteen. I've got an orange raincoat too so I'm not getting cold or wet at all anymore. However, I would really love it if I could find a darker colored one because I feel like I'm a beacon walking around in neon orange. I wouldn't say that I've gotten attached to any of the gear that I've come across thus far. Instead, I think I'm more getting attached to the comfort and stability that the gear provides. I will trade out anything I've got in a heartbeat, I just don't love being helpless when I have nothing in the beginning.

I do EXACTLY the same thing. I wish I hadn't died with my first character. I had a vest, a medkit, a drybag, and yellow waterproof box. I kept my ammo and matches in the waterproof box, medical supplies in the medkit, food in my backpack, and whatever I might need often in my vest. It was working ok for me and my storage organizing compulsions. Then I died a horrible death after visiting a hospital and finding that it had no supplies. I had lost a lot of blood and had barely survived making it to the hospital. I also accidentally dropped my Repeater while fighting my way into town. My equipped primary was a shotgun (which was nice) but I only had 4 shells left. I had to switch to a cattle prod which turns out didn't work that well on the zombies. Maybe I was missing a bunch. I could barely see straight. That's when 3 zombies glitched into the hospital through the door and one in the floor. I ran outside right into another zombie and by this time I was bleeding again. I fell unconscious before I could patch myself up and found myself laying in the mud, in the rain, never to rise again. I guess losing the first one is the hardest. :(

^Thank you very much! That is quite helpful. Is Gorka where the Gorka clothing comes from or does that clothing spawn in various places?

Fair enough. I thank you for your input. Now I have a better idea of what I'm going to lust after as I vainly scrounge through junk! :)

Thanks. I'm learning quickly. Chernarus is an unforgiving land. One must adapt or die. I chose the latter. :)

Thanks. I looked at the map and I 100% agree. Krasnostav seems like the absolute best bet. It also seems like the place that may end my journey. I can't afford to not go there, but it looks like a larger city. That means Zed will be coming out of the woodwork. I wouldn't mind that except for one thing. I didn't have a compass and I went East instead of North. I ended up here: http://www.izurvive.com/#c=39;118;4 where I ran out of rounds for my .357 Repeater. The Hospital and the Police Station were already ransacked. All I found were some damaged boots and a worn out 9V battery. I am now armed with only my wits (LMAO!) and a rusty pickaxe. I am cold, low on drinks, and just outside of Khelm, http://www.izurvive.com/#c=57;97;5 If I make it through Krasnostav, I will be sure to come back and thank you all. If not, thank you all for your replies and advice. Know that I died fighting tooth and nail, with as much honor as one can muster while wearing a pink backpack and a ripped yellow raincoat. UPDATE: Special thanks to DJK, camo-clad, walking DayZ wiki, Ranger extraordinaire. He got me through the last leg of my journey to Cernaya Polana with a new set of pants, a nice canteen, and a crash course on some of the basics of surviving in Z-land that I had absolutely no idea about. Here's hoping I can get to my friend when he logs in tomorrow without having to venture too much closer to the sniper paradise of Novo. Thanks for all the tips people. You guys are all right :)

I'm stuck in a large beached cargo ship with a broken leg, an orange hunger level, and laying in the rain trying to die. I fell about 3 feet and am now screwed. The Reaper eludes me. Can someone please come kill me so I can respawn and try again? If I'm reading the map on iZurvive correctly, I'm right to the West of a town called Rify.

Thanks anyway.

Nevermind. I finally died! YAY!

I'm a Game Design student. I'm not afraid of some bugs. I actually have a few Early Access games that I got just to monitor progress and see how they change from an academic standpoint. The second half of that statement is that I am a student. I do okay monetarily, but I'm not rich. Spending money on games is something I have to be conscientious about. This one I'm considering buying to play with a friend. He doesn't play it often and hasn't played it in awhile. I read a lot of user reviews on Steam wherein the players are bashing the devs for the apparent lack of progress in the game. Gamers are not generally even tempered, patient individuals. I know that because I am one first and foremost and I've been reading and watching the behavior of other gamers for a very long time. Gamers tend to get irrational and overreact very quickly. I wish someone would do a psych study on our demographic as this has always been interesting to me. So anyway, when I read user reviews, it begins to paint a picture but it most definitely does not tell the whole story. What I'd like to know from you forum regulars is this: 1) Is the development of this game really slowing down? Can we chalk some of that up to the fact that we just got through the holidays and this type of work naturally will slow down through that time of year? 2) Do the devs appear to be slacking off and losing interest or do they still appear to be engaged in making a polished final product? 3) Is it possible at this stage in the game to have a fun, unique experience that isn't overshadowed by bugs? 4) Do you regret having purchased this game? Thanks for your time.

LMAO. That's par for the course I'm afraid. I don't think many gamers have a basic or even layman's understanding of how games are made or the kind of expertise and knowledge it takes to be capable of making a solid game. Making games is not as simple as learning one program or having played X amount of games. Being a designer is one of the most interdisciplinary jobs I think a person can have. It's easy to make it seem simple in your mind and then get mad over it when you have no concept of what goes into it. I feel like if they did, some of the negativity might evaporate. I'm speaking in general terms here with regard to gaming in general.

No worries man. It's totally cool. I bought it, downloaded it, and it's ready to play. I think I'm gonna wing it. Like I was telling someone else a moment ago, you can't play a new game for the first time twice, if you know what I mean. New games are an interesting experience in and of themselves, regardless of how good they end up being when you look back on them.

I mean, the statement you made sounds accurate in a general sense, but I'm not going to pretend like I have any idea how simple it is to fix the problem you are describing. I've never messed with the engine.

This is the problem with analogies. Some smaller aspect of it gets seized upon which muddles the original message.

So now you are going from being mad about hackers to being mad about the development progress of the game, although it was clearly communicated to you that this game was in Alpha and may never actually be finished when you bought it? M'kay. I wish I could be more understanding. I derive no pleasure in arguing with people on forums. I just can't see where you have a leg to stand on here.

I'm not saying your anecdotal evidence was not evidence. Dude, I've not even played the game yet. I'm just sharing why I don't worry about hackers based on the claims of other players. Like or not, the vast majority of gamers who scream hacks are flat out terrible at playing video games. It was not intended to be an insult towards you or anyone else. It basically just is what it is. Poor coding....I'm not sure it's fair to say that about a game that's in Alpha. Nearly every game, especially one that pushes to innovate, looks and plays like garbage compared to the final product when it's at this stage. I mean, if we want to talk about your specific complaint, you have only mentioned one instance. That in and of itself is no reason for me to believe that hackers have infested the game. Remember that this is the internet and if one does not practice objectivity, it's easy to get sucked up in misinformation, false causes, and so on.

I have an i5-4690k that I can crank up to 4.5ghz stable if I want to with an H60. I also have a Gigabyte GTX 970. I think I will be okay. Stock: http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/6097060 CPU Oc'ed to 4.5ghz, GPU +100mhz core: http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/6106018 Thanks for all the tips and info. I'm looking to get involved in something a little new and different. I've been stuck on BF4 for the most part for the last year and a half across two platforms now and I'm ready for something different to grab my attention. I'm not afraid of hackers. You should go check out the Battlelog forums. Every day there is a 5+ page thread about how BF4 is infested with hackers but I've only seen two in close to 300 hours and they were promptly banned. I find that the majority of hackusations are a result of insecurity and an unwillingness to accept defeat from competitive but basically unskilled individuals. This is not to say that hackers don't exist, but I've been accused of hacking a couple times and I'm a mediocre player who just so happened to have a good match. I think it's a psychological thing.