I'm sure I played on a private server the other day with the view locked in very close to the shoulder. Can that be done on private servers by admin? It was a bit annoying but I could get used to it.

My first ever game was Jet Set Willy! Oh, and I play on low pop servers mostly ;)

I have never killed on sight (even bandit skins in the mod) but I would kos cannibals. It's in the spirit of the game to do so for me.

Ah this again, lol. Surely this isn't even an issue now with both different types of server? I suppose people will always just enjoy arguing about it.

Same for me. Everything else is just additional, I'm good at making do.

Surely an easy way to give a more weathered atmosphere would be to just change the colours used on the map a bit? I'm sure that could be cleverly done to give a more weathered look to the environment with no performance hit. Personally I completely agree with Hetstaine though and will add that there is not enough evidence of the infection either (ie general mess in the streets/buildings, ambulances). The whole place does seem too clean. The environment is the single most important aspect for encouraging immersion. Without immersion, it's just a shooter.

Removing the zombies would be like adding firearms to the spawn loadout. It's contrary to the fundamental basis of the game and should never be allowed.

I agree here. I think DayZ is an example of a game which can benefit from individual zombie behavior. Fast/Slow will always be personal preference and both have pro's and cons, and the compromise you outline is a good one. What if additionally each infected/zombie behaved differently so in any given group you could have fast or slow or a mixture of both but you couldn't tell until they were alerted. That would I think also add an extra element to any planning. When the game can handle it, I'd hope to see it go in this direction.

The point is however, that you are less likely to take chances with the fast type than the slow ones, therefore less likely to get in that situation. That sprint across the car park through the shambling horde, you think you might just make it, right? You wouldn't try that with infected. What I mean by a moment of pure panic is the instant you believe you have made a fatal mistake. With infected you wouldn't get to that point so easily as fear would override the urge to take chances - you'd always be on the clock around them. The differences are subtle.

Hmmm have you played Killing Floor? You should try it, you'll then understand how things can go so wrong when people think they have it all under control in these situations. The strength of slow zombies is that people underestimate the danger and become complacent before making a mistake and getting swamped. It creates moments of pure panic rather than just adrenalin spikes like in, say, L4D for instance.

It's a technicality, but accurate. Personally I find that the new age sprinting infected in movies removes a lot of tension and turns the situation into an action/ shoot em up thing. DoTD2004 was the only good example of fast moving 'zombies' I've ever seen (I'm not including 28 Days Later, great movie - not zombies) and to anyone thinking slow moving animated corpses would be too 'easy', I prescribe one full viewing session of the original 1978 Dawn Of The Dead. It has some rather excellent issues covered regarding massive numbers of shambling pusbags.

As they are infected, not undead, I think faster movement suits the condition. I'd prefer them to be proper undead zombies though, slow and in much larger numbers ie. EVERYWHERE so strategy and planning becomes necessary... When technology catches up and a suitable game is produced I'll be a happy bunny.

I'm inclined to agree with you OP. Before the SA came out I was perfectly happy with a completely open sandbox where you make your own entertainment within its walls and rules. Now though, having died/re spawned/geared up so many times I'm starting to think the concept of DayZ could benefit from some added 'goals', Not endgame, but added lore related things - the Green Mountain legend for instance could be expanded upon a little. I found the bloodsuckers/object A addition to the Namalsk map on the mod to fit in well too, as an example of how small additions can perhaps spice up the survivor existence. The design of the game currently prohibits securing areas to be used as survivor camps/trader posts etc and I think that is something which can be included without affecting the core experience if it's done right. Persistent objects and base building is a start, but for longevity, I feel more freedom to inspire creativity in the player is required.

Do they attract zombies? They probably should

Look at it this way: Realism - simulation of reality. Authenticity - simulation of the perception of reality.

Do you mean certain suborders of isopods? This was investigated in the movie 'The Bay'. The infected in DayZ are dissimilar to any other I can think of in zombie lore as they don't seem to have a specific mechanism to pass any infection on, this does suggest that whatever it is will be airborne. Isolating the cause of the transformation of the infected would be very difficult which always leads to very interesting discussions. I'm a water quality microbiologist and have always been interested in this kind of scenario and what could cause it.

Ammo should be much more rare than the guns themselves. As frustrating as that might be, I think it would make people rely more on melee and for that they have to get closer... Finding a corpse with an AKM and just half a mag of rounds should be like Christmas.

I agree about the SA zombies being bad, this is why the mod still wins for me. Until zombies are finished/fixed in the SA, the ones in the mod will always provide a more interesting experience.

Having people spawn only on the south coast again for instance would create all the player interaction you could want, even on a 40 player server, without flooding it with an army. Also, it could very easily be done immediately. I do agree that player encounters should be encouraged at this stage in development but I'd rather see zombie numbers and behaviour being worked on rather than making sure the server can handle more players. It's really aiming for the same goal.

I think to avoid being too similar to the Battlefield series, player numbers should be kept lower. It was fine with 40 in the mod and there's no reason for it to be increased, this would dilute the tension which the large map/low player numbers creates. It might be an idea to move the spawnpoints again so they are a little more localised, as many people seem to stay close by to where they spawn. That would increase the chances of meeting players but potentially cause trouble for newspawns.

Oh not at all, I always enjoy the read :)

Ah, I remember the epic 109 pager of August 2013, the biggest of a large selection of identical threads on a rather moot argument now that HC mode is a thing. This fierce and pointless conflict reappears periodically like Brigadoon and the same views and arguments clash harmlessly against each other with the end result of lots of angry forumers. The real point here is that DayZ is a game to be enjoyed by players in the way they prefer most, that includes 1st or 3rd person - two different viewpoints neither more valid than the other in this video game. People do love to argue on internet forums though, so as you were.

Different modes, different tactics. I play both and always have, I don't find much of a difference between them TBH... could do with more hardcore servers available though.

Truly a rare breed in DayZ

I think all the heart players are playing WoW