PhilB

wHAT did you start!? I feel weird now. sad, but also apprehensive.

Totally agree. Perfect description of "following a road". I share the sentiment about seeing but not being seen is really tantamount. I would never say I'm pro. I suck. I get owned all the time. But identifying other players first is top priority of improvement for me and always has been. Vast majority of death for me is an unseen assailant.

I think it's a known joke that DayZ itself is the greatest bandit in the game. Who knows how many lives have been taken by those stairs in the firehouse at nwaf? I lucked out. I found morphine after a short crawl. To OP, don't give up man! Don't you let DayZ win, damnit. Think of it this way. If you do survive this latest fall, it's just more credit to yourself and your skill and fortitude. Don't let the game make a bitch outta you, lol.

30min-4hours. My recent lesson is to reduce game time. My most bitter and avoidable deaths tend to be at the end of extra long runs. I'm tired and I make a mistake.

A novel idea I wish I had done back in the day- And also a comment about this idea which I will call The Carebeared Noob. Go to Chernarus+ map at DayZDb. Check it out and plan yourself a unique loot run. In sequence, write down the names of the towns/places you must hit along your route in order to successfully reach your final destination. Write the English and Russian names. Next, close the DayZDb map and commit to not using it again until you die and plan another unique loot run. Also, keep a notepad or diary of your journeys. Make a note in each place of essential details-time of day, zombies/no zombies, how looted was it scale of 1-5, weather conditions, server pop, current character well-being, etc. Obviously you are keeping track of significant events like player encounters, ladder deaths, what have you. After awhile you're gonna be sitting on your own set of real data about what does and doesn't work in DayZ. I recommend this approach for all brand new players. I discourage getting pro tips, or at least all of them at the get-go. At least 50% of the fun of DayZ is figuring out how it works. For yourself. My experience has shown me that "introducing" a noob, a friend or coworker for example, is a sure recipe for them experiencing the game as bland, dull and essentially boring. They don't ever seem to take to it. And I think I know why. It's because I show up at the coast in a SUV with every item in the game, on top of giving the potential player a condensed, 10 minutes overview of rules, concepts and interface such that they are fully good to go in 20 minutes and I've left them with nothing else to do! (except mainly kosing which is fine but they do not enjoy the pvp because they don't have the value underlying it, which is the hard work put in looting to earn the right to kill in DayZ). This person, the friend let's say who you fully kit out and hook up on day one and then goes, "I don't get it, dude. I don't see what the fuss is all about. It takes forever to run somewhere, there's no map!, and it's just really boring," is who I call the Carebeared Noob. Anyway, I'm guilty of it. I'm wondering how prevelant, anyone else have this experience? Maybe this is just a long winded way to say I'm starting to agree with the "Why don't you play the game and find out for yourself!" crowd. Sort of. But I also feel the frustration. It sucks feeling like your getting owned at every corner. But I like the idea of arming yourself with your own self-guided information. Be clinical about keeping track of what happens. You might find by your own statistics that it turns out Cherno is quite survivable after all, contrary to some advice. This is way off your post, but had to throw this nug down cuz it's been rubbing me. Point is, soliciting tips is okay but also dangerous; don't make the game boring for you by having it handed to you on a platter. However, using data to influence gameplay will not only reduce your learning curve but is also essential for future success. For instance, the recent restriction of spawn points to the Solni/Berezino coastal area has fundamentally changed the dynamics of available loot. To the likelihood of untouched loot, your assumptions are probably true but, on the assertion that nobody's experiences are atypical, your own personal accounting of the how and whys of each of your deaths will clue you in on patterns and risk/reward calculations. A diary would be cool. I like the youtube guy with his social experiments. He proves, loosely, that most people are, in fact, friendly. But I already coulda told you that because I keep track of all my encounters and the math says a slim majority are friendly. Anyway, I think it serves you right to go out and get your own DayZ knowledge, not for the motivation that I'm too lazy or miffed at your noobness to not bother giving you any, but because I strongly believe that ruins a huge part of the game. A lot of guys can post more succinctly what I'm trying to convey. Which is basically, "Learning it on your own is the best way". But I'm attempting to give some insight as to why so many of us recommend that to new players. Because taking that approach makes you do crazy awesome shit. First time I fixed up a chopper and turned that beast on, I had no gametime experience. That death surely goes down in the annals of me. I shouldn't say this but I recommend a timer as well. I use the stopwatch on my phone. It's interesting to test my perception of time vs. reality. Why relevant? The actual time it took to run from some place to the next was way off what I assumed.

Right, 12 pounds. Or in our language, dropped 15 your way. Hope that helps and maybe gets the ball rollin' for some others to provide. Question-Is it perm daylight? Can't remember but thinking maybe it is. If so, here's vote #1 for normal day/night cycle. Westcoast is hardcore, ya dig?

Here's a few- 1. It will get fixed eventually, but for right now start taking note of which buildings aren't spawning loot. This will drastically cut down your loot time, only going to those houses you know there's a chance for loot. 2. Still true for SA, GO INLAND! (for example, yesterday I went immediately inland on a packed 50 pop server. Gorka, Mysta, Novy/Stary, Rogovo, Pogorevka and Zelenogorsk all still had loot in them. Then I went back to the coast, forced to kill 3 survivors who tried to gang up on me and eventually got killed in Elektro). I recommend plotting a course or plan of attack before heading out. Make small, specific goals. I notice with western side of the map it seems to be primarily heavily kitted players. I'm noticing a pattern, in western towns, where the military specific buildings are looted and everything else in town is untouched. These folks have all the food and supplies they need. Go to those towns deep inland. It may take 5 extra minutes to walk to Zeleno versus walking down to Elektro but is totally worth it. 3, Until you get a strong sense of the map, your routes should follow the roads. It is so easy to get lost. Rather than continuing to guess for an hour while lost in a woods, staying next to road will make sure you always hit that next time you're after. Seems stupid while you're in the zone, in the moment. But have you ever been in the woods, alt-tabbed for a moment, re open game window and realize you have no idea which way you were running before alt-tabbing? 4. This is almost opposite to mod and a result of latest spawn locations, but I'm finding the nwaf, stary/novy and cherno to be more safe than let's say neaf, berezino and balota. 5. So, if I had a noob in tow and I was really motivated to keep them alive, I'd take them to Zelenogorsk area.

Nice list. Can't wait for DayZ 2 in 2018 when all this awesome shit will be in there. How 'bout binders that hold multiple papers. Analogous to the ammo box. Pen protector to hold mutiple pens, maybe wrench and can opener type items as well. Mutilation? Should we be able to visually impair someone? Cut off individual limbs and cauterize the wound? As a player you come to some hard truths in those situations, and I think it would be very engaging. What if bandits caught me and cut off both my arms? I couldn't do most actions in DayZ. I'd be totally dependent on others. If I could survive, would I want to? Maybe too controversial, but kitchen timers, lead pipes, kitchen chemicals, you get the idea. If base building becomes a thing, it might behoove a settlement to construct land mines around their base. There may be new opportunities for looting experiences wherein one might purposefully pickup and hide items to help keep the wrong combination of items out of the wrong hands, acting out of a sense of the greater good. I'm thinking about the hacker lust to nuke servers. As a true survivor, I say bring it on! Let em try. But in the game for real. Some bozo wants to detonate a homemade device in Downtown Cherno on a packed server, I say go for it. I like the idea that it becomes everyone's responsibility to keep a vigilant eye. Also that there are many levels of bad or evilness.

To the OP. I love you kid. Just wanted to say that cuz, lol, you gonna get so much grief for this, oh man. jk, it's all good. But yeah what you're saying is almost heresy (well the save point is heresy, iffy on rest). I sympathize with your motivations; I really do. I totally sympathize when people are complaining about connection issues, hackers, game-killing bugs and all that because they got 2 kids, 'nuff said. Clothing, my friend. No need for icons when you can identify your friends by their physique and fashion, just like real life. Don't worry 'bout your multiple characters. Sadly you'll have too many to play soon enough when private hives take over. Here's what I wanna know? Child zombies? Cannabalism? Growable Beards? Mutilation/Self-Mutilation? Craftable Poisons? 3 hours of heavy rain/heavy cloud cover? No looting your own body? No 24/7 daylight? That's the argument in a nutshell. How dark do you want your DayZ?

Yeah, I'm not sure icons will ever go away. I'm surprised they haven't already conceded this and implemented pretty much exactly what you posted. Seems like a no brainer. The current text system is just the opposite side of the same coin, here. These systems aren't that invasive if they operate like the hot keys where they fade away over time.The more urgent your particular icon need, the more urgently it flashes. If you enhance this with some light audio suggestions where possible and keep the visual icons on a "prompt me as needed" basis, that's a workable solution. Also, your design evokes a certain nostalgia for the mod but is clearly modern, updated. Looks great! I might lower their vertical location and soften them up a bit, but they look "right".

I dabbled with it in mod, but never took to it. SA has me converted to 1P, though! I won't deny it can be a difficult adjustment. Often claustrophobic. dslyexcis' tagline is perfect, "If I can see you . . . then you can see me." Conversely, "If I don't see you . . . you probably don't see me." Which I like. I naturally play better in 1P. I expose myself less. I feel like I can't see shit, but the math says otherwise. Is it possible the issue with 3P is not so much the distance horizontally but more about the distance vertically? The exploit examples in dslyexci's video seem to suggest this. When I get shot or hit by a zombie, I might bleed in a particular spot. Only way to ascertain that in current 1P is to press Tab-inventory. Not the biggest gripe in the world, mind you, but firefights and zombiefights is one of those times I need to quickly check my character to see if and where I'm bleeding. And Tab ing to the inventory screen is inelegant, to say the least. -----However, after much thought, I realize I have no answer. I can't fathom a compromise that would even suit my tastes.

I do want that hug blanket, though.

Without needing to read more than the title, if you're alive then it was the right call. My guess is he was afk the whole time or he was in the last stages of logging out when you and the zombie crept up, essentially combat logging.

I'm a little skeptical because I don't understand how you can know enough to ask such a nuanced question as #11 but still be curious about #1 or #3?

Fair concern. No doubt you are mindful that this is a massive issue with no easy answers. It would be cool if the browser menu had a check for a)legit server restart and b)player attempt to rejoin same server. Should there ever be a time penalty for any player under that circumstance? I can't think of any off top my head.

Was this a print only article? This is stellar to read. I approve on all points. It's like Dean's reading all my posts! When he says vehicles next priority, one must realize he always means item permanence across server restarts. Your car trunk might be your first tent site.

It should always be an option while conscious to turn your gun on yourself. I think Rocket approves this, if I recall. Each time a new animation/action gets implemented, we can expect the folkz will have a field day with it for a few weeks. Right now it's capping guys in the knee. Next week it'll be strangling guyz with a garrote. After that it'll be permanent visual impairment by eye gouging. I hesitate to mention, but this brings up my other idea. It would be fascinating to play as a differently-abled person in the game. You think DayZ is too easy? Well then play as hearing or vision impaired, or wheel-chair bound. You wanna get your full rp on with some serious contextual challenge? Imagine if one of the people in your group was blind? (can access menu to eat food, equip items, but can't see shit) How would that complicate things? Oh, the fear of imminent and likely death is crucial for a survival sim. DayZ is a survival sim, because it is so peculiarly hard to stay alive, lol.

I'm all for this. Any sort of clanism, hierarchies and prestige are impossible right now because there's no storage/bases. I assume, just like mod, that larger social networks will grow when that happens. Complex interactions allow for specialization, meaning not everyone will wear the same exact "practical" clothing. Already we see competent groups wearing the cowboy hat for style because they feel confident enough in their power to show off a little. I could totally imagine a large group headed by a female leader. She may not need to tote around a gun and all that bullshit anymore. Having largess and security, and basically power, in DayZ is a whole other "end game". Side note-Griefing is huge! Of course we want to dress hostages like prostitutes while feeding them disinfectant. The idea of kidnapping a guy, disarming and stripping him, then dressing him up all lady like and dropping him off in the middle of cherno on a busy server, sounds too hilarious to me to not happen.

Hey, I've been playing this server too! Hopefully the pop stays high. Ha, I got all excited at the server name and made my way back to Balota from up north with a dozen+ books. Eventually got killed on another server in Cherno. As I'm dead listening to the guy loot my body in the menu, I hear him in side chat, "Why the fuck you got so many books?"

Hopefully the nascent pen and paper system can scale up to include this. I like the idea that the game gives you the ability to be as anonymous or recognizable as you choose. If everyone spawned with an ID card, you can bet that 50% of all players will, as a habit, promptly discard that on the beach when they spawn. While p & p was working, I would write a short, outlandish character story on there as well. A little egg for whomever might find my dead body. I'd like to see journals and a binder to hold multiple papers. Some people like to rp as police. They could write mission reports or hand out tickets. Book collecters, gun traders, medics, etc. might need a binder that holds multiple papers to keep track of inventory. Anyway, it'd be cool if there was myriad stuff like this to create backstory and enhance interaction level.

I think he's claiming he's Patient Zero.

Ha, lightning striking players would be legit. I experienced the new weather two days ago for first time. Instantly I thought about this possibility. Why? Because I was in Svetlo looting and a lightning strike hit damn close to me and I jumped a bit and quickly ran inside a building. I had to ponder for a moment before I went back out whether it was remotely possible at all BIS had implemented a damage mechanic related to the lightning (having not bothered to fully read the changelog or pay attention. Thunderstorm totally caught me by surprise, was fucking awesome). It occurs to me that the low probability of being struck by lightning irl has everything to do with modern society's mitigation techniques. For instance, modern golf insists that players go indoors during an electrical storm. Demography, technology, culture and tons of other shit work together to almost eliminate lightning strike fatalities in modern society. So I'm running around like a douche bag on top of Klen mtn with a mosin with a 6 inch metallic bayonet pointing up to the sky in the middle of a massive thunderstorm? My personal experience tell me I'm asking for it, lol. I think "Exposure to the Elements as a Factor" in DayZ as its own whole subcategory is self evident. One can dream: A decade from now DayZ will have a new engine where weather is fully dynamic, striking players down in a fashion befitting an apocalypse.

Ahhhh!, Oh, KoS, my heeerrrooo! You were the cute one in the Beatles, btw

A classic, great post.