Azelbaum

There is a new twist to this one that we experienced. The abort and respawn buttons are disabled and alt f4 causes you to die. The only way to safely quit out of a thunderdomed server is to ctrl alt dlt and end the game from there.

Rocket - Thanks for the hard work. Could you please address the wake up animations after a player has passed out? Currently when you are knocked unconcious or pass out due to blood loss, the player will attempt to play the weapon readying animation three times as well as what looks like readying a rocket launcher before the player is able to do anything. When you have zeds eating you, blood pouring out and/or other players on their way to loot/kill you time is critical.

But you can throw a bottle or can. Get them to look the other way and then walk out the door.

Before we begin, this is the second time today I've seen you make reference to the fact that there's a female avatar. Get over yourself. Not every feature is just for you, ladies that play the game want an avatar that reflects them. There are multiple ways you can evade zeds now. When you aggro zombies... run. Run into as big a building as you can find. The small buildings the zeds will glitch into. Once inside go prone, and you'll drop them. If you don't drop them, and the building is big enough, like a warehouse, move to the back and let all the zeds come walking in, kite them to one side of the building. Once they're far enough in, run out the front door and start going around corners putting as much distance and as many obstacles between you and them that you can. You'll break line of sight and lose them. Once you've broken line of sight, go prone and keep going. If you're out in the boonies and there aren't any buildings, find the steepest hill you can and sprint in a zig zag pattern up it. You'll keep sprinting, the zeds will try to take a straight line to you and go into walk mode because the hill is to steep. Get over the top of the hill and haul ass, breaking line of sight any way you can. Go around pine trees, run diagonally through the trees. If they stay on you and the other side of the hill is steep enough, they'll fall down trying to come down after you. Keep going and do what it takes to break LOS. You can also just run around a building, make two tight turns at the corners then keep going straight. Get prone as soon as you can. A bullet is not the only solution to Zed aggro.

ROFL. "He's not my friend!" Great story, great vid.

Short answer is, you aren't supposed to know. You have to learn and grow through experience. The learning curve for this game is really steep at the moment. Rocket has said that the zeds are over sensitive right now as he's in the process of re balancing them. So take heart, it will actually get easier! As for which buildings you can enter, you will learn to recognize them. Someone already posted screenshots above of some of the buildings you can go inside and how to tell the difference. Head to this link: http://picacid.com/arma2/loot_en.html Look at all the buildings that have listed loot spawns. There are a few non enterable buildings that have loot spawn on the porch. This is a case of you just have to play the game more in order to learn what buildings you can get into and what you can get in them. Good luck! As for the guys going at the OP, stop being dicks. The perfectly valid answer to the original question is "play more and learn." It's ok to tell people that. You can do it without being dicks. Try helping rather than insulting people for not knowing something that you do.

YES I'm not a fan of the heartbeat sound but it's a start in the proper direction. I'd prefer a visual representation via an intermittent idle animation. Watching someone for any length of time from a distance is what all players should do, if you're paying attention you might notice it. Perhaps an altered run or walk stance. Something subtle, not glaring. Something that will take attention to detail to notice.

NO This removes newly spawned players ability to defend themselves against geared out spawn and newbie murderers. New survivors with Makarovs killing each other should happen. Guys with high end weapons killing for fun shouldn't imo. In this instance, I don't care about realism. This would cater to the PVP for PVP's sake and not survival's sake crowd.

I'm not complaining, I'm trying to troubleshoot along with you. You presented evidence that suggested that simple server load isn't the only problem and decided to test out your evidence to verify what you're saying. It does look like something is there, in that installing the the v1.5.7 files fresh provides quick access onto servers that were previously hanging at the WFSR screen. If your suggestion and my testing of that suggestion helps them find a problem that's being obscured by main server load, GREAT! So my posting here isn't because I'm complaining its because you presented something interesting and trying to test it out was better than staring at a black screen.

Confirmed. I was able to get the same results. Connect to Dallas 6 (and many other US servers, endless WFSR screens) Exit Game (1.5.7) Copy over v1.5.7 files with old 1.5.6 files Start Game Connect to Dallas 6 Advance into game, recieve notice of out of date files. Abort>Disconnect>Exit Game Copy over v1.5.6 files with current 1.5.7 files Start Game Connect to Dallas 6 Short WFSR screen and then right into game. Looks like there's something for you guys to investigate here. **Update** Disconnect from Dallas 6 Connect to Dallas 8 - Endless WFSR screen. Are files being updated locally from the server on connecting to a server? **Update_2** I repeated the process when I started running into the WFSR screens again. Connect to Dallas 8 (and many other US servers, endless WFSR screens) Exit Game (1.5.7) Copy over v1.5.7 files with old v1.5.6 files Start Game Connect to Dallas 8 Advance into game, recieve notice of out of date files. Abort>Disconnect>Exit Game Copy over v1.5.6 files with current v1.5.7 files Start Game Connect to Dallas 8 Short WFSR screen and then right into game. With the added step, this time, of: Abort>Disconnect>Exit Game Start Game Connect to Dallas 8 Short WFSR screen and then right into game. So, I couldn't replicate what was happening the first time, though installing the v1.5.7 files fresh seems to help. Hopes this helps someone get to play for the night or gives the devs an inroad into what might be wrong, besides getting hammered due to population.

Robbing someone in game is already a possibility. Once direct comms are working again anyway. I don't see it working via text chat. Have to agree with Nekosan though, being robbed of all your supplies and arms in this game is the same as being killed. Notice once they told him to give up his sidearm as well as his rifle is when he started to fight back. If you've made the mistake of getting that close to someone, or as in that video looting a survivor in the middle of the road! It's time to fight. Notice what happens to one of those robbers at the end of the video.

After two successful player interactions offset with a staggering number of bullets to the face, I've decided to go it completely alone. This is how I do it. Opinions differ and everyone has one. GUNS I recommend the Winchester / Revolver combo. Both the guns, and their ammo, are common in the outlying areas you'll want to stick to. Both are one hit torso kills. The Winchester is quiet and you can switch the ammo between slugs and pellets. I switch to pellets when I go into town. When, WHEN you mess up, or get caught with a glitch they're nice for crowds. Otherwise I use the slugs. (1) IMO, military guns are for the PK'ers and Zerg groups that can raid an airfield for them. I looked at an airfield after the patch(1.5.7) and just turned around and walked away. The ONE redeeming factor of the AK's, M4's, and M16's TO ME is ammo density. You use two slots for 30 rounds of Winchester ammo vs one slot for a 30 rounds of assault rifle ammo. You have more inventory room carrying 90 rounds with an assault rifle. The assault rifles are loud and getting ammo for them means going to an airfield or military tent camp. I have found a few AK's in hunting stands before... so you can try there if you really want one. Food and Equipment I carry canteens(2-3) to be refilled, the hunting knife and matches. Once you have those three things you don't really HAVE to go back into a town again for food. You can refill your canteens at a well or a lake. You can kill and cook your own food. I treat Soda Cans and Beans as something to consume on the spot. I save my water and meat for when I log in starving and thirsty or when I'm injured and need blood. You want to find a Watch, Map and Compass. Navigation can be accomplished with only the first two however. If you know the time, Morning or Evening you can navigate by the sun during the day. The Sun rises in the East, sets in the West. At night the Moon is generally to the South. Binoculars are great! If you find them, use them to scout towns, use them to read town names without ever leaving the woods. Travel If possible, be in the trees. Travel overland through the woods. Observe towns from the trees, hunt from the trees... you're Robin Hood and the Sheriff wants your beans. Never be on the roads unless you're crossing them. If you wish to follow a road, do it from the nearest treeline. Keep your head on a swivel! When traveling around, 1st or 3rd, your thumb should be on the alt key constantly checking your surroundings. Someone said earlier, find danger before it finds you and that's hitting the nail on the head. Keep your ears open! I turn off the music. It's not tied to being spotted by Zeds or combat. I'd rather hear shots in the distance. Sometimes you only hear one or two and I want to know what direction they're coming from so I can go the other way. Also, if I'm in the open and I hear loud, obviously close shots, the first key I hit is Z. Drop, then figure out if they're shooting at you, if they are, get back up, double tap W and head for the trees! When you have to go into town have a plan. What do you need? When you find it, leave. How are you going to leave? Where's the nearest treeline, cover or hill? Have all of those things in mind before you go into town. Stay prone. As others have mentioned you can make sweet love to a zed if you're prone. The only reasons to stand up in town, to me, are I'm being shot at or a Zed has seen me. Sometimes you have to crouch to get into a building because of collision, use your judgement. If a Zed has spotted you, find the nearest building and run inside of it. Fight there. At this point there's no more fancy stuff. You're in a fight, because you had to come into town and were seen. Kill, Loot, Leave. As fast as possible. Your fighting a respawn timer and the bandit you should always assume is there is now watching you. Why aren't you back in the sweet embrace of the tree's yet? If a bandit has seen you and is sniping, get into cover and start crawling out. When running is a necessity, Sprint. Move in an erratic zig zag pattern. If you're in a close up battle, there's nothing you can do. Fight and live, or fight and die. Either way, fight. Dealing with other players. "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. " - Isaac Asimov You're asking about going lone wolf, so why are you dealing with other players? People lie. If I was a bandit, and someone says, "Identify friendly or die." Well, I'll identify friendly. Then shoot them. Assume everyone is going to do that. In my experience they are! That's not to say you can't help people. If you see a guy running frantically across a field and feel the need to intervene, do it. Bleed off some or all of the horde and then go away. You don't need his thanks, you're awesome enough already. Don't be brave! If someone is sniping at me, I run. If I see someone going into the town I'm scouting, I lay low until they leave. Maybe I'll have an easier time of it after they've done the bleeding. If you hear loud, close gunfire, hit Z. Drop to the ground then worry about if its coming at you. If it is.. run. The goal is to live, not to be a badass. Badasses spawn on the beach. You've fucked up in a big way and a guy is five feet from you. There's nothing for that. Shoot him! He might be a friendly, he might not be. Every time, EVERY time I was surprised by another player, who was just as surprised by me, I died mid salute or typing "Frie..." Every time. In a pinch, everyone defaults to self preservation especially if they've got good gear. The main thing about playing lone wolf, or hermit, is to avoid other people at all costs. If you're in a fight it's because you fucked up. Figure out why you ended up in that fight and don't do it again! Sorry if this seems to ramble, but it's now very late and I'm tired. Hope it helps. (1)This applies as of patch 1.5.7. My opinion might change once the respawn rate is adjusted. Right now, it doesn't seem like you can clear out an airfield fast enough before you get respawns. You'll be locked in battle that only ends with you being out of ammo and beaten to death. Possibly while a bandit kneecaps you because they were bored. Right now, the effort it would take to get military weapons outweighs their usefulness by a fair margin. Your goal as a loner is to avoid conflict, not fight battles.