How to find out where you are without map?

[despair (DayZ) 9]

so im using this http://dayzdb.com/map to know the map layout

however i have no clue where i am in game. unless you happen to find a map in game, you have no clue where you are (im a newbie so i dont know the layout). is there any way to know your location besides finding a map?? i want to join up with a friend but we're so lost

[Beloozero 118]

May I present to you the newest innovative technology of the 21st century: The Global Positioning System!

[Lopz 2]

That's a sweet map!

Other than reading in-game signs and lower right-corner upon logging, i don't have any other help to give.

[Turin (DayZ) 3]

Find a town and look at the signpost. It's really not that hard to figure out where you are... especially if you're using an external map for reference.

[NguyenSanity 5]

Use your real world skills. Even the maps in game don't show your position, its a map, as simple as that. If u want to find out where you are, use landmarks and inference. Did you run up the field from Elektro? You are probably north of there somewhere. Is that a powerline to your left? okay, not even better. How far are you from these landmarks? What type of terrain are u on? Then, use a external map to zero on your own position.

Yesterday, after getting a town of zeds to aggro me in the dead of night while all alone, I ran around in a circle by justing running straight at every fork in the road or just winging it. After I tried to shoot the zombies (and ended up throwing chemlights at them first), my leg was broken and I was in shock and I was lost.

What then? I used the night sky to see the silhouette of a tower on a hill. I was also next to some fences and I was sitting on a paved road. After a while of guessing, I surely found my position, even after sprinting in the dark with nothing but a G17 flashlight beaming all over the place. Survival and skills is the name of the game. Use your surroundings to find out where you are.

[noxiousg 5]

Time to learn some navigation skills. Find a town or road sign and read it. Then use what you've read to find that location on the map. Now you know where you are. From this point on you can navigate via landmarks (keeping tracks of roads is probably the easiest, but power lines, forests and hills are also useful).

Also note that the game uses real world time. Your shadow can serve as a compass if the sun is out and you pay attention to the time zone of the server that you join.

[mercuss 4]

For a me a compass is about a million times more useful than the ingame map. Since you are already using a map out of the game find things like roads, powerlines, towns, lakes, forests etc. Then compare to the map. You are at a T intersection? Okay how close are you to the woods, what direction was the last fork in the road you passed going?

Learn to read the signs, you don't need to know all that much about Cyrillic. A few pointers c = English S, p = English R, r = english G. So Черногорск is Chernogorsk. Learning even only a few of the letters to help you figure out what a sign is saying is a great way to find your way around untill you learn the map. Plus you actually learn something.

[Lopz 2]

I love GPS :)

[Big Boss (DayZ) 23]

GPS grids are the best, even if it is only 6 digit. (10 digit option would be awesome)

[Hze 3]

look at your surroundings and try find out where you are, or look for a nearby town. only way in game is with a gps and a map

[Rakkasan 23]

Hint...get an in game map, MOST servers that are regular or veteran have a special feature to navigate. You open up the map...hold down shift...left click on the place you want to go...close map...and poof. You now have a marker in game that tells you the distance (in meters) and pointer telling you where to run. This is an Arma 2 feature that apparently works with the Dayz Mod. Some servers have it disabled, but majority do not.

PS if you want to sound highspeed to your friends...1000meters= 1 click. So when they ask you in TS/Ventrilo how far you are away from them and it says 2500m you can say, 2 and a half clicks out. They will revel in your Godliness. I like to keep that map secret to myself...but I am sure now everyone will be using it.

[Lukio (DayZ) 24]

however i have no clue where i am in game.

Roads, powerlines, large rocks, ponds or even distinctive buildings (castles or radio tower) usually will give you a good indiation of where you are.

You may want to go into the armory and fly around Chernarus with a chopper, like this you'll be able to ID most towns & areas before you can even see the signs.

On top of that if there are some extreme height variations you could also be able to recognize where you are by the height lines.

[sukha 1]

Never go out in wilderness without a compass

[Landen 2]

you find a town and read the town sign, tab out to your saved map and find the town on that map, find the layout of the town to find your bearings and get a move on.

it isnt that hard, but even if you have an in game map, some servers dont show your position on it.

[coolboynaked 0]

If you log in and out it tells you where you are in the bottom right

[BL1P 252]

Find someone with a big gun and ask them for directions in Direct Chat.

Just say "oi you with that gun where are we ?"

[jonahcutter 51]

Never go out in wilderness without a compass

If you can gauge the time-of-day (server-time, that is), you don't need a compass in the game. Just check your shadow. I don't think seasons are modeled in the game, so shadows should pretty much fall east or west, depending upon whether it's afternoon or morning.

A way to know whether it's afternoon or morning without a watch is to observe whether shadows are getting longer (afternoon) or shorter (morning).

[tarin4med@gmail.com 10]

I look at the roads, buildings and elevation around me.

It takes a while but if you spend enough time comparing all that on an out of game map you can eventually figure out where you are at. It also helps if you can figure out your directions without having a compass.

I have gotten myself lost a couple of times and after spending a few minutes looking around me and comparing it to a map I figure out how far off track I have gotten.