To Shoot or not to shoot; how do you decide?

[fathairybeast 246]

Well fathairybeast, for one I don't coware in the trees if I see someone.

No, you don't. You sprint towards them like a fucking boss (and get shot summarily thereafter). Looks like it's working out for you.

[Xxkev22222xX 0]

I just shoot any bandits or people who aim at me or have no mics

[deceitfulphoenix 6]

In all seriousness, I flip a coin

[EtyrzaDiscordic 1]

The people who shoot for not having mics are kinda sounding like d-bags, to be honest. You can hardly blame someone if they don't have the means to talk, and end up using side or local chat. My honest opinion is that if someone responds after I call out (even if they run off and try to hide first), I'm going to give them a chance. I won't leave myself open by any means, but I'm not going to execute them for not having spent money on a mic.

And the dude carrying on about being a hero for a reason who has his buddies shoot people for him... Yeah. Mechanics wise, sure, you got the hero skin. But I wouldn't want to have to deal with you. If you're ordering other players who are not acting hostile shot because you don't like the look of them, you're just as much a bandit as the friend you've got shooting them.

Personally, I'll fire first in four situations:

1- player is sitting on a hill in a ghille suit, near a starting town. Honestly, if you're doing that, I'm going to think you're an ass camping fresh spawns who are just trying to get basic gear. And you deserve a death if you're doing that.

2- any bandit skin+ decent gun. If you've got that skin, you did something to earn it. I might be nice if they only have an axe or makarov or something, though.

3- any player with a high-power playerkiller sniper rifle. You don't need that sort of zoom and damage for zombies, bud. If you've got it, you're at least preparing to shoot players. True, some might just want it so they can check for others doing the same, instead of using binocs, but still- I've yet to meet one person who goes around in a ghille and a HP sniper who wasn't a bandit.

4- Irritating assholes. If you're being a shit to me or others I know in text or voice chat, you die. I've admittedly only done this one once, though- someone was following me around when I was comparatively freshly spawned (only found a double-barrel shotgun with 2 pellets), screaming obscenities and calling me a whore because I hadn't given him a sidearm that I didn't actually have.

Edited December 22, 2012 by EtyrzaDiscordic

[RENEGADEXT88 0]

i'm starting to think just go down the route of shoot on site. Regardless. i'm fed up of bumping into people and declaring friendly then after 2 mins of conversation just getting shot for no reason.

for example, last night i was in cherno being chased by a mass of zombies and went for fire station ladder. as i approached the top i saw a bloke lying there waiting. i started climbing down but realized 10 zombies isn't really an option. i declared friendly while on the ladder still, then climbed to the roof. when i got onto the roof i saw the bloke had moved to the far side and was prone. he declared friendly upon my arrival and to make sure he understood i was friendly i turned to face the ladder to show i wasn't hostile. he approached me and we conversed for 2 minutes, i never turned away from the ladder while this was going off and he stood beside me for quite a while, then all of a sudden, bang bang bang into my side. never provoked him. i was about to leave to because the zombies had dispearsed.

so that encounter was the nail on the head for my friendly play style. i have never killed another player. just been killed by them. but thats now changed.

[smacin@lineone.net 1]

Ive tried to be nice to people, but almost every time they end up trying to take me (and my mates) out.

So the basic rules are now that only survivors without a weapon are friendly and that those with, are told to walk away. If they dont, I shoot. Bandits get shot on site anyway :)

I really went out my way to try and not shoot at other people, but they just dont appreciate the kindness :)

[Nerd (DayZ) 16]

The moment where I'm told to sit is the moment where I rely on fight or flight.

Telling someone to "sit" or "be still" is just lingo for "hold on a sec while I kill you."

This whole situation was shitty, though...

:/

[krihelion 175]

Spare no one and the game is so much better

[Dylanco1 10]

I spare people but only if they dont have stuff I want or need such as a Guy tried to hit me with his car I just about managed to put a Makarov through the poor sods low blooded Body leaving him out cold broken Legged right next to Krutoy I drove off in his car an Hour later he tries to play me off as a bandit and a Hero who had been watching it with a Sniper he'd just got off a Dick who had been on Sniper hill (He had manage to get to the hill nearby) Immediatly turned to tables and even took me to the guy under the illusion of us giving him morphine and a bloodpack and gave me his Revolver with One bullet I felt a bit of Pride when I said "Sorry man No Morphine we are gonna have to put you down" you just heard him yell "NO!" Then the Revolver round left him dead I returned the Gun got a Ride back to my Car and went on my Merry way I think however people need to learn being friendly is alot more helpful and assists you alot more than if your a Bandit or a Dick

[Nekan 55]

I don't ever shoot first, just can't do it knowing that whoever I shoot will have to start over again with nada. And I won't return fire on a warning shot, either. You can tell who wants you dead and who doesn't in this game, hardly anybody will miss a shot on a target that isn't moving. So when that shot hits the ground near you, just high-tail it out of there and cut your losses, chances are they wanted to scare you away, not start a fight.

If I get caught with my pants down and the person is giving me orders, I happily obey them, better to listen and stay alive then try some Rambo bullshit and end up dead. So he might take a couple supplies in my backpack, so what? He deserves them, he got the drop on me, not the other way around.

Edit in reply to 'Nerd': Someone telling you to 'sit' or 'stay still' is not lingo for 'I'm gonna shoot you.' It's lingo for 'I already had a shot, but didn't take it because I'm not an asshole and am trying to not kill you.'

Edited December 23, 2012 by Nekan

[Legendoire 11]

I spare people but only if they dont have stuff I want or need such as a Guy tried to hit me with his car I just about managed to put a Makarov through the poor sods low blooded Body leaving him out cold broken Legged right next to Krutoy I drove off in his car an Hour later he tries to play me off as a bandit and a Hero who had been watching it with a Sniper he'd just got off a Dick who had been on Sniper hill (He had manage to get to the hill nearby) Immediatly turned to tables and even took me to the guy under the illusion of us giving him morphine and a bloodpack and gave me his Revolver with One bullet I felt a bit of Pride when I said "Sorry man No Morphine we are gonna have to put you down" you just heard him yell "NO!" Then the Revolver round left him dead I returned the Gun got a Ride back to my Car and went on my Merry way I think however people need to learn being friendly is alot more helpful and assists you alot more than if your a Bandit or a Dick

Your thoughts would be much more legible if you were to use punctuation, grammar and a little of the English language.

[#Sleepy 572]

There's not tell tale signs unless he's a Bandit, I mean you even have to put down a few hero's due to the humanity system being fucked. But there's just some natural 'instinct' that I feel and know when I have to or when I don't.

[HouBaby74 6]

If they have the bandit skin they die. Regardless of if they see me or not. Even if I have fresh spawn gear and a crappy pistol I'll still sneak them and kill them. Better for me to have their better gear.

Also, if they fire a warning shot without typing or talking on the mic they die.

If I see them kill another player, especially a Bambi or hero skinned without probable cause I kill them.

[thepathmaker 1]

I play in Aussie servers only. I travel with a mate most of the time. If we come across a new spawned player we will help them out and then let them go on their way. If we come across a bandit, generally shoot on sight. A lone survivor with a gun, we will help them out if we can approach safely, otherwise we just leave them. The only other time we shoot people is if they out number us or we fell they are to close. I like to have tacitacl advantage, being up hill from players, quick and lethal if required(no long shoot outs) Have a fall back point incase something goes wrong.

[chaoseffect 18]

I don't like to kill people. Like, I've held off firing on someone in Stary because I couldn't tell if they were a Bandit or a Survivor (Fun Fact: was a bandit, and my hesitation meant he gunned me down with an AKM before being put down by my friends). Sometimes I get screwed over, but all the times I don't makes it worth it. Like earlier today a bunch of people in Cherno were using the side chat to say exactly where they were and how they were all friendly; seems like a terrible idea right? But it actually worked out. We had like 8 people not murdering each other, and then 4 of us from that pickup group raided Stary and the NW airfield, all without a single backstabbing. Sometimes you just need to give a little bit of trust and heartwarming things happen. Or you get gunned down for your troubles... but it's Dayz and that always happens eventually anyway no matter what you do.

[carpenatedbevrage 21]

Well fathairybeast, for one I don't coware in the trees if I see someone. And it's hard to gauge ones intentions through text only, not even knowing how they are armed. For the example I gave yes, it was a bad I idea.

Hiding is not the same as "cowering." If you see another player and they don't see you then you have the advantage over them and you have the opportunity to decide whether to make contact, KOS, or avoid them completely. Sounds to me like the guy you met in your original post spotted you before you spotted him, decided to hold you up instead of just killing you, and then felt forced to kill you because you wouldn't cooperate. A bandit, without a doubt, but if he had wanted to kill you, he could have done so without going to the trouble of making contact and revealing himself.

Also: typing in chat allows you to make contact without giving away your position. Talking in direct gives the other player spatial information about your position.

[carpenatedbevrage 21]

To answer your original question, I only trust people I know outside of DayZ, or those I've met ingame who go out of their way to play with another friendly. For example, I've met friendly players before and then moved to a PH server to get away from the scripters. People like that are actually looking for teamwork instead of waiting for you to let your guard down. That's the beauty of this game is that it forces people to actually work together instead of doing things that award them a "teamwork score." I've seen half a dozen stories on this thread of players complaining about people calling friendly and then shooting "for no reason" later. Man, I can tell you that I am suspicious of players that approach me! If some guy comes up and is all like "friendly, friendly! Wanna team up?" I'm gonna think "he wants to know if I'm alone so he can kill me and take my gear without anyone else interfering." So if you go running after another player and then you're disappointed when they shoot you later, just remember that it takes more than words and token favors (bloodbagging, etc) for someone to be able to trust you. It's not always about greed, sometimes it's just risk aversion (though it is usually about greed).

Anyone I don't know who I can't avoid (i.e. hide from), I will shoot on site.

Edited December 24, 2012 by carpenatedbevrage

[thodouras95 21]

I never shoot, unless fired upon or I see a bandit mask.And from that point on, I just let the game flow.If I get killed, I don't mind.If I don't get killed, and the dude's friendly or just runs away, I see the former as a chance to do something good for the other players and restore some of their faith in the DayZ community.I didn't get that hero skin for nothing.I once even helped a bandit, although it was more of an attempt to trap him that ended up with both of us dead.

Anyway, my opinion is that I don't need to turn to banditry/shooting on sight to enjoy a game.Some people may indeed have undergone experiences far worse than mine, but that's how I like to play.I once did shoot a poor guy on spawn because he creeped me out, and it actually felt bad.All I do is play on servers with no more than 20 people, and everything works out.

[dallas 5195]

Anyone who demands you disarm and place yourself them fully at their mercy, in a land full of bandits and zombies, wants to do you harm. Either to rob you, kill you or leave you defenseless, when some other bandit accidentally walks by.

However anyone one the move, using cover, concealment and try to be unpredictable, makes a difficult target. If you are in a populated area, it's up to you to take precautions so you don't expose yourself to the best sniper positions, you don't take forever sitting still while looting a popular place. If you allow someone catching you sitting still and have clear bead on you, you're asking for trouble.

If you're a bandit it's easy, you just shoot as soon as you spot somebody, if you're a hero, you always have to have cover within reach and always be ready to run for cover. Whenever you're in cover you can negotiate on friendlier terms. If you're trying to convince someone you're friendly, while pointing a high caliber weapon at their face, most reasonable people will decide to pull the trigger before you do.

In conclusion:

Don't be a sitting duck.

Don't point a weapon at someone you're trying to convince that you're friendly.

Don't allow others to point a weapon at you.

Don't let your guard down, because a complete stranger says friendly, friendly!

Don't be caught without cover.

Edited December 24, 2012 by Dallas

[Ratsmon 131]

Well. Seems like a clear case, you had it comming. Now, when the SA comes along and I buy it, I recommend to you that you dont go within solo players, they are most likely to not want company or/and are bandits. If you find a group and not a group of bandits that is, team up with them, they are most likely in need of company and friends. Anyways

That's just my opinion on all of this :D

[Josh225 129]

Man everyone saying that surrendering is a bad idea, I hate when all I want is you to drop your rifle, handgun and pack so I can pick from your supplies maybe even give you a hand but you people always have to fidget or pull a gun on me and force me to put you down. I prefer doing that instead of just killing people, saves me from wearing that ridiculous bandit skin and also adds to the role-play.

Me and my group once tried to hold up 2 players with an ATV and a car that were driving up and down the western roads, we posted 1 machine-gunner down the road, another gunner a little up the road while I stood at a gas station waiting for them to drive through. As they came over the hill I told them to stop the vehicles or we would stop them, sure enough the dumb asses sped up straight into a wall of machine-gun fire. Both were killed , the car blew up and we later recovered the ATV. When people try to hold you up, co-operate.

Edited December 24, 2012 by Josh225

[zachgibson22 14]

Yeah Ratsom I agree with you. The biggest problem I had was tha is wasn't an official server so they could have jumped to many other servers to not have there bandit skin since nothing transfers. In this case I only saw one of them and he didn't have a skin..... All in all it was still a bad idea no matter what.

[Lonely DJ 1]

I watched a guy run into the Elektro store with a train of zombies. I watched him take it up the butt for a few minutes until he finally killed them all. I told him how I could of ended his misery if i wanted to and asked if he was friendly. He called friendly and asked for blood so I gave him some...he then offered the extra M16 out of his pack as payment for the blood. We looted together and then i noticed him basically humping me and he finally turned and walked out. I instantly checked my bag to find he stole my CZ 550. I grabbed the Lee off the ground and gave chase. He took off sprinting drawing agro so I shot him in the leg and watched him suffer. Sadly, his buddy earlier took the M16 that i was offered and mowed me down before I could get my stuff back.

TL;DR: I don't trust anyone now and will gladly shoot on sight if I don't have a way to escape. I avoid conflict due to my wifi and from respect...unless I know they are a bandit, a threat (sniper rifle), or near my tents.

[musketeer 33]

There's two times i've encountered another survivor:

First time was in a factory, where I had trouble picking up an axe, gave up, went to the walk ways and saw a guy with an axe crouched in the door way, i told him not to shoot (couldn't see his weapon at first), and he ran off. Second time was an unarmed guy at some hangers by the cost (not familiar with place names), and I had a makarov and an axe. I let him follow me for a bit, but the server restarted.

I feel i'm more inclined to ask friendly and stay put until they leave, unless they're unarmed. One guy I did find with a gun fire warning shot, but got chased by a bunch of zombies. They went out of me render distance, but I went back to see if he was dead or if I could help him (or loot his gun :P), but got shot at and saw him behind a tree, it was the last thing I saw...

Edited December 25, 2012 by Musketeer

[BAHADIR 124]

Man everyone saying that surrendering is a bad idea, I hate when all I want is you to drop your rifle, handgun and pack so I can pick from your supplies maybe even give you a hand but you people always have to fidget or pull a gun on me and force me to put you down. I prefer doing that instead of just killing people, saves me from wearing that ridiculous bandit skin and also adds to the role-play.

Me and my group once tried to hold up 2 players with an ATV and a car that were driving up and down the western roads, we posted 1 machine-gunner down the road, another gunner a little up the road while I stood at a gas station waiting for them to drive through. As they came over the hill I told them to stop the vehicles or we would stop them, sure enough the dumb asses sped up straight into a wall of machine-gun fire. Both were killed , the car blew up and we later recovered the ATV. When people try to hold you up, co-operate.

Thats right, I agree. If you guys try to be a hero when someone bested you and caught, you will end up died. Do not reveal your position and always watch your area, do not run or walk like ArmA II npc's. If you hear bandit says "surrender", that means you will surely end up with something bad...