Which server to pick as lone wolf?

[Anyx7 3]

Hello! How many should I play with on a server when playing as lone wolf?

20? 30? 50?

I like the idea of pvping, but if it's too many people which means no chance of surviving for a decent amount of time getting decent gear, maybe not.

Any suggestions?

Edited November 12, 2012 by Anyx7

[Zorro55 4]

It mostly depends on your personal preference. Personally, I play a lone wolf, and I usually join a lowly populated server when I newly spawn, and join more populated ones as the quality of my equipment increases. But strangely enough I have had few encounters with other players.

[kichilron 8550]

Even though I'm pretty much always playing alone, I prefer full servers to have some interaction from time to time;-)

I'm currently only playing on Namalsk-Servers anyway, so there's not so much choice and as one's dying there more often anyway, you could also just join full servers for the fun.

DayZ's getting boring very quickly, if you try to play only on empty servers, because it's only looting and shooting infected. If I'd want that, I'd go play Resident Evil.

But it's a good thing for medical assistances to have an overlook over players joining, that's the only reason I see in joining empty servers.

[GeneralMelchett 35]

Hey!

I see you look for a server! We run a private hive server because the publics are full of cheaters.

We are still looking for new players so if you are interrested we can whitelist you!

Let me know if you are interrested!

More info can be found here:

http://mgftw.com/showthread.php/7503-Not-whitelisted-Read-here

More

Best Regards,

Melchett

[flypp 21]

For a looner... you can get a good experience playing in "3dp:off" servers. You can survive in wilderness scoutting for camps, deer stands and heli crash. And when you get in a large city, ... well, you know... in 1st pv if someone is sniping on a roof, he must expose himself to see you.

Of course... side chat:off (atmosphere killer).

I played a long time as a loner, and the best experiences I had were traveling along forest from NW airfield to Cherno, scouting people in their "loot trip".

[Dr Octagon 16]

low player count servers are good to get used to the elaborate control set up (unless you are an arma 2 vet) and a feel for the maps.try not to stress about dying as it is an inevitability and crying over the loss of virtual items is sad.have a look over the maps on www.dayzdb.com to become familiar with the environment.

above all , just keep playing as it a unique game that has kept people logging on in spite of the many problems that often accompany an alpha.

and enjoy ,

good luck!

[Bakst 98]

For a looner... you can get a good experience playing in "3dp:off" servers. You can survive in wilderness scoutting for camps, deer stands and heli crash. And when you get in a large city, ... well, you know... in 1st pv if someone is sniping on a roof, he must expose himself to see you.

I second that. Expert/hardcore servers with 3dp & ch off are the way to go. In Chernarus low pop is good at first for gearing up, say with up to 10 players on the server, minimizing your risks early in the character's life. When you're ready, it's always fun to go on medium to high pop servers with anywhere between 20 and 40 players. Even with 3dp:off you're still at a significant disadvantage as a lone wolf when you're up against a hostile team or squad, but 3dp:off gives you a slight tactical edge as it makes it easier to conceal your position.

Oh and another tip: before you log onto a server, check the player names in Dayz Cmdr. If you see a bunch of players with clan names like "[~XYZ~] Killer" you might consider going somewhere else since these guys will most likely be very well equipped and taking them on alone would be suicide. (Edit #2: If there is actually a playner named Killer belonging to a clan called XYZ then I apologize, the name was pure fiction on my part ;))

Edited November 13, 2012 by Bakst

[Mos1ey 6301]

I like 20-40. 40+ is probably good if you're a bandit but for me, not so much...

[Bakst 98]

I like 20-40. 40+ is probably good if you're a bandit but for me, not so much...

The only time I ever played on a server with 40+ players was back in the early summer. I was quickly discouraged from such servers, as these were still the bad old days of widespread thunderdoming & co. But I must say that these days, when I'm somewhat geared up 30-40 players is pretty exhilarating. For a map the size of Chernarus I don't think I need more than 40 though.

[Bakst 98]

The only time I ever played on a server with 40+ players was back in the early summer. I was quickly discouraged from such servers, as these were still the bad old days of widespread thunderdoming & co. But I must say that these days, when I'm somewhat geared up 30-40 players is pretty exhilarating. For a map the size of Chernarus I don't think I need more than 40 though.

Not that I'm posting this as a bandit... or am I? lol

[rooneye 135]

Lets be honest, running around in the world and not seeing anyone is boring as hell (at least for me, not the kids that like to go on empty servers to gear up because they suck at the game). Therefore I would suggest joining the highest pop server you can with reasonable ping.

Once you get a tent/vehicle and start to make a camp though things change a bit (at least for me), because now you will most likely play on that server mostly so you want a server that ALWAYS has a decent amount of player on. Like sometimes a server will have 50 people on, so you think great ill make this my home server, then you come back tomorrow and the next day and theres like 3 people on. Find a constantly high (if you want high) server.

[The Bean Marine 29]

If you want a challenge and a chance of surviving in the world of DayZ you should join a server with 10-15 people not too many and not too low so you would probably meet some players in larger cities and so on but you won't meet a player every 5th minute i personally used to play on servers with 1-5 people because i didn't have so much experience but now i normally play with 40-50 players...

[Azrail (DayZ) 211]

going after playercount is useless, in no time you have 10 less or more players on a server,

but that doesn't even mean anything as they can be anywhere on the map, usually crowding around popular places of course.

just pick a server with active admins and decent ping, apply common sense, and hope for the best.

[Dr Octagon 16]

another good way to go is a local (good ping) private hive as i have found hacking frustrations are minimized (though not removed totally).even if you go lone wolf you can get to know regulars on the server and the admins.it also eliminates the players that server jump from hot spot to hot spot in a concealed sniper position.as for player number i feel the more players you see the better as it improves your reaction time faster.ultimately how you play the game is up you you ,but it is more satisfying to play with like minded players (even if you don't interact with them in game).what country do you play in?maybe another player geographically close to you can recommend a good hive.

[Candylol 82]

50!!!! it will be a challenge and it will be fun more people to sneak past or kill. :)

[Bakst 98]

Lets be honest, running around in the world and not seeing anyone is boring as hell (at least for me, not the kids that like to go on empty servers to gear up because they suck at the game). Therefore I would suggest joining the highest pop server you can with reasonable ping. (...)

Agreed. Still, when I'm a fresh spawn who needs to gear up, I go for low-pop (but certainly not no-pop) servers, much like Peter suggested (see below). Once geared up, I prefer anywhere between 30 and 40 players. 50 is getting a little ridiculous for me given the map size, although there are worse fates... =)

If you want a challenge and a chance of surviving in the world of DayZ you should join a server with 10-15 people not too many and not too low so you would probably meet some players in larger cities and so on but you won't meet a player every 5th minute (...)

In the end I think it comes down to what Dr Octagon said, although I might add that I think public servers are just fine these days in terms of cheating/security:

another good way to go is a local (good ping) private hive as i have found hacking frustrations are minimized (though not removed totally).even if you go lone wolf you can get to know regulars on the server and the admins.it also eliminates the players that server jump from hot spot to hot spot in a concealed sniper position.as for player number i feel the more players you see the better as it improves your reaction time faster.ultimately how you play the game is up you you ,but it is more satisfying to play with like minded players (even if you don't interact with them in game).what country do you play in?maybe another player geographically close to you can recommend a good hive.

Basically, as you start playing DayZ, you want to begin a process of filtering the servers down to the ones that suit you best. The best place to start is indeed geographical location: I live in Germany so it's all DE and UK servers for me. Once you've limited your selection to nearby locales with good pings, apply further filters in the form of 3dp, ch, and death msg settings according to your preference. You could further limit your search by excluding servers that are running older versions of the beta patch. By now you should have a manageable server list, and this is where you have to start playing on a few of these servers in order to get to know the admins and regulars. If you find one you like, fav it and keep at it! Becoming a regular pays off as you become more familiar with your environment and the habits of your friends and foes :)

Edited November 14, 2012 by Bakst