Skilled Vs Unskilled bandits

[Ioncannon 10]

So lets see. You were knowingly out in the open, not using cover and were shot. You knew about the rocks across from the airfield but still did not check them before looting?

Sounds like you really are conflicted, you want to be able to loot easily because someone will not shoot you due to some fictional code of honor that you desire. But it also sounds like you want this game to be harder and have more work/skill to it so why don't you try this: go hunt the sniper in the spot before you try and loot shit out in the open.

It does 2 things, gives you get the harder game you want AND allows people to play it how they like for their own 20 bucks.

[Tek (DayZ) 95]

So. What is a skilled bandit? Well. I was killed twice today and once was skilled and the other was not.

So if you were killed by both kinds of bandits then how does that make one bandit skilled and the other unskilled?

If you are in US002 origins...I was kiled on the NE airfield by the DMR nightvision camper. He is up past the hangars and I have seen him there more than once. Kill him if you can lol. He was sitting in the rocks waiting and I looted all the hangars and was leaving the airfield. I stopped to check my position 1 time on my map and was shot dead in pitch black. That...is an unskilled bandit. I didn't know he was there. I was on the airfield and no chance of fighting back. No chance to surrender. Nothing. There is a special place in Day Z hell for those losers.

So, because it was night, you ran around looting with a carefree attitude. How do you know it was a sniper on the hill? How do you know you didn't get snuck up on and shot in the back of the head?

How is that shooter an unskilled bandit when he shot you at exactly the right moment when he would have his best possible shot (assuming he was on the hill)? How is that nothing but your fault for getting shot when you stated you had seen a sniper on that hill before and yet you stopped in a spot that gave him a shot?

The fact that you had no chance to fight back suggests that this was a highly skilled bandit. He shot one time when you stopped, he didn't just start shooting the moment he saw you. The fact that you stopped in a spot he could still see you suggests that you made the mistake, and not the "unskilled" bandit.

Now. The bandits that have TRUE skill are the ones who just did me in. I was in some town I had looted it and gotten an AK and plenty of gear and a nice pack. I moved from town to town. I was doing well. I drove up about 500m to a town (a little closer than normal...but this place didnt allow it). I moved in and looted it. As I came back to the truck...out of nowhere someone tells me not to move. THAT is a skilled bandit. Using the dark as cover...waiting at my vehicle...and NOT shooting on site. He tells me to drop my weapon and pack. I comply. I dropped my side arm too. He took EVERYTHING useful I had...even though he had it all already. I was on the verge of no food and no water. He then proceeded to give me a morphine and shot me in the leg. THAT is what a skilled bandit is. Doesn't just waste a player. He takes EVERYTHING the player has...and forces him to play from where he is. Doesn/'t give him a chance to respawn. My hat is off to that guy. Great bandit.

So because you got robbed (what a joke to get robbed), in a town, and survived, makes this guy more "skilled?" Give me a fucking break.

Everyone has a different skill set. Some are more skilled in the close quarters combat, where high automatic guns rule. Some are more skilled where the distances are 200-400m, where assault rifles like the M14, Fal, and Enfield rule. Some are better at set ups to make sniper shots at 500+m. Where they make their 1 shot count. It isn't just shoot shoot shoot the moment they see someone. It's waiting for the right shot, and then making it count. This last person may suck at CQC, but excel at thinking as a sniper. Where to setup, knowing the guns tendencies, knowing when to shoot and when to wait. How does that make him less skilled then the person who is great at CQC but sucks at sniping?

The fact that you want the game played a "certain" way shows your true colors. Arbitrary rules. Don't shoot some fresh spawn, don't shoot hero skin, you can only shoot someone if you're within 100m, and when you shoot them you must shoot to break their leg so you can rob them. Only then will you be "skilled."

More like only then are you trying to force your playstyle on everyone. Everyone has different playstyles. Everyone excels in different area's of the game. Some prefer to just fix vehicles, some prefer to chopper hunt, some prefer shooting choppers from the sky with other choppers. What makes your opinion more right then anyone else? And yes, it is an opinion.

Yes the game needs bandits. And yes shooting on site is sometimes the only option. But when you have the drop on a player...dont be a wimp. Try and hold them up. I am sick of the scaredy cat bambi bandits. I LOVE being held up and I love HOLDING people up, Heck sometimes I do a reverse bandit and give people gear if they are fresh spawns so that they can grow and I can bandit them later. There aren't enough hold ups...there are too many wimp bandits out tthere. So I urge you guys...PLEASE PLEASE hold people up. Nothing quite as heart pounding as a hold up for the non bandit and the bandit.

So if they shoot first instead of trying to hold you up they're a wimp and a scaredy cat? They become a true bandit only if they try to rob you?

If you get robbed it just shows what kind of player you are. If anyone told me to stand still and drop my gear i'd try to escape and then try to kill them. Maybe it's just me, but it seems to me if I get robbed I have nothing. If I get killed I have nothing. Atleast if I fight back then I have a chance to keep my stuff.

[Smith Comma John 16]

Maybe it's just me, but it seems to me if I get robbed I have nothing. If I get killed I have nothing. Atleast if I fight back then I have a chance to keep my stuff.

This. Exactly this. Stonewall, your playstyle depends upon the other player to not understand what is in his own best interest.

The difference you are really talking about is not anything to do with skill, it is just rp vs not rp. Most people don't rp in this, and just see it as a fun, sandboxy video game. Some, like yourself, see it as roleplaying a real zombie apocalypse...and so you play accordingly. You value your e-life for its own sake, not because of the time you've put into it. I feel a rush in pvp because I am gambling my time spent getting to that point gear-wise vs. his. So my willingness to engage in risky combat situations scales accordingly. As I go up on that scale, I don't really have much to gain from fair fighting, so I don't. Unless I'm feeling crazy. Anyway, let me point you in the direction of a game that would suit your view of video games:

EVE. Yes, it is internet spreadsheet spaceships but it is exactly what you are looking for. For a good amount of time I was in a pirate corporation and our primary income was derived from ship ransoming. I warp in while someone is mining or ratting (killing npcs) in an asteroid belt, lock him up and put on a warp jammer, then demand a price slightly lower than the estimated total cost of his ship + mods + implants on pod. Sounds like its right up your alley.

Edited March 24, 2013 by Smith Comma John

[Cap'n (DayZ) 1827]

I'm not a bandit, but I don't agree with you on #1. He took advantage of your weakness, and had every right to. A good bandit does not need to be praised as honorable towards his methods of killing. He simply needs to walk away alive and well with your loot. But does that change my outlook on bandits? Nope. I kill them anyways, brah.

[codave 121]

Dear Sir,

Please give me a comprehensive list of things I should and should not do in this game.

Afterall, we are all here to please you.

[Shiki Nanaya 9]

What a load of crap.

Here is a scenario for you:

My friend and I are at the North-East airfield, he is busy looting the barracks while I am positioned nearby to make sure nobody decides to give him a surprise.

Suddenly 2 players appear in the distance, both armed, but not as well as I am.

_

Okay, so you are trying to say if I were to shoot these players I am a 'KoS' player and unskilled?

You say they are in the distance but were they actually coming towards you? If they were coming towards you thats more of a self-defense tactic. From what the OP was saying he was just randomly shot. So you actually just gave me a different scenario all together.

[applejaxc 2500]

I have been playing Day Z for quite a bit now. I have gotten really good too. I have started banditing quite a bit and I have gotten quite good. I decided to start playing Origins and I am sad to report that there are far too many unskilled bandits out there. What is an unskilled bandit you say? Shouldn't bandits just shoot on site? I say no. In daylight sure. But during the night time? Not at all. It is a lame tactic and it really is simply the sign of a poor player. Anyone...I mean ANYONE can grab a sniper rifle and sit in the dark and shoot someone who turns on a flashlight. But what fun is that? That means that pretty much nobody can play in the dark when they are a newbie. Too much risk. I stopped playing at night when I am in a new server because of the nightvision DMR campers.

So. What is a skilled bandit? Well. I was killed twice today and once was skilled and the other was not. If you are in US002 origins...I was kiled on the NE airfield by the DMR nightvision camper. He is up past the hangars and I have seen him there more than once. Kill him if you can lol. He was sitting in the rocks waiting and I looted all the hangars and was leaving the airfield. I stopped to check my position 1 time on my map and was shot dead in pitch black. That...is an unskilled bandit. I didn't know he was there. I was on the airfield and no chance of fighting back. No chance to surrender. Nothing. There is a special place in Day Z hell for those losers.

Now. The bandits that have TRUE skill are the ones who just did me in. I was in some town I had looted it and gotten an AK and plenty of gear and a nice pack. I moved from town to town. I was doing well. I drove up about 500m to a town (a little closer than normal...but this place didnt allow it). I moved in and looted it. As I came back to the truck...out of nowhere someone tells me not to move. THAT is a skilled bandit. Using the dark as cover...waiting at my vehicle...and NOT shooting on site. He tells me to drop my weapon and pack. I comply. I dropped my side arm too. He took EVERYTHING useful I had...even though he had it all already. I was on the verge of no food and no water. He then proceeded to give me a morphine and shot me in the leg. THAT is what a skilled bandit is. Doesn't just waste a player. He takes EVERYTHING the player has...and forces him to play from where he is. Doesn/'t give him a chance to respawn. My hat is off to that guy. Great bandit.

Yes the game needs bandits. And yes shooting on site is sometimes the only option. But when you have the drop on a player...dont be a wimp. Try and hold them up. I am sick of the scaredy cat bambi bandits. I LOVE being held up and I love HOLDING people up, Heck sometimes I do a reverse bandit and give people gear if they are fresh spawns so that they can grow and I can bandit them later. There aren't enough hold ups...there are too many wimp bandits out tthere. So I urge you guys...PLEASE PLEASE hold people up. Nothing quite as heart pounding as a hold up for the non bandit and the bandit.

You know, I could very easily play devil's advocate here and say the stealth of shooting someone in the dark while undetected is skill.

[Inception. 9443]

It was your lack of situational awareness. Your fault, your problem.

You died. You're the one who lacks the skill.

[PieceOfDust 11]

I stopped to check my position 1 time on my map and was shot dead in pitch black. That...is an unskilled bandit. I didn't know he was there. I was on the airfield and no chance of fighting back.

I know I'm probably going to get flamed for this, but if you didn't even know he was there and were taken out instantly, then he did a damn good job, assuming he was after the gear you just looted.

Even if he was just killing people for the fuck of it, it's an effective way to do so. Yeah, it's boring as shit compared to doing stuff like trying to rob people, but there's really no reason to cry about it on the forums.

[rossums 2190]

You say they are in the distance but were they actually coming towards you? If they were coming towards you thats more of a self-defense tactic. From what the OP was saying he was just randomly shot. So you actually just gave me a different scenario all together.

If they are in the general viscinity of an area like the airfield, they are 99% of the time coming for the loot and not to make friends.

Even if they weren't coming directly towards me, why wouldn't I shoot them for my own safety?

What's to stop them doubling around and coming back?

How do I know that they aren't just going round to get a vantage point and I spotted them first?

There are too many ifs and buts to just leave a potential threat alone.

[IcyZ 295]

unskilled bandits=people that shoot first and miss.

The nightvision dmr guy is called "a camper"

The guy that robbed you is called "a guy that knows how to enjoy the game"

And my hat is off to you mr stonewall1350 for not being the stupid guy that refuses,randomly spams his gun,and ends up with a bullet in his head.

But most of the bandits do not try to rob cause everyone is busy alt-f4ing or thinks he can rambo that shit and ^ ^

Me,and my clan,as bandits we kill pretty much everyone,but we do not camp.And we attack cherno or elektro only if we need supplies like blood and morphine,not to hunt fresh spawns.Now,about sniping up north.

If you do it as my clan does it,2-3 guys move in while 1-2 stay back and report/snipe,then it's good teamwork.If you shit with your as50 on your belly for 3 hours just to hit one guy at the leg when he stops,then you suck

[Rodom87 5]

So in essence:

Skilled bandit: doesn't kill people

Unskilled bandit: kills people

?

What people fail to understand is that there is a difference between bandits, and raiders. Bandits will rob you, and will try to leave you alive but undersupplied. They are the ones that have my respect. Raiders are the ones who will shoot you and loot you. Personally I believe that it is a matter of choice, so i wil not go around and complain about it. It is a game, players have the choice to kill or rob, and they are allowed to do what they want, as long as they are not hacking or cheating. But what I and OP are trying to say is that the game is much more fun if you are robbed because DayZ is all about learning to adapt to new situations. And If you leave somebody on the verge of death, it can be extremely rewarding for you and the player especially if he/she is able to learn from the situation.

[-Guardian- 206]

man i just killed a Lee enfield wielding bandit with a makarov to the face.

Ain't nobody got time fo dat!

[-Guardian- 206]

What takes more skill people? Managing to sneak up behind someone at gunpoint and forcing them to drop their stuff? OR just sniping someone easily?

You guys are funny.

WHO CARES WHAT TAKES MORE SKILL

I can easily kill anyone with any weapon and have multiple times. No biggie. So if i had a sniper rifle why would i waste my time to try and get close to this person with the threat of them turning around and seeing me in the process, when i could easily shoot them from a distance (which is what the weapon is ment for) ensuring my safety and their gear?

I could argue that the people trying to close quarter combat with a sniper is more 'Call of Duty'ish than me sniping you from 500 yards.

At the end of the day, Im alive and eating your beans at pobeda dam, and youre starting over on the coast. U Jelly?

[Sensemann 145]

I totally understand the OP. Last gaming session, me and my 2 (new to DayZ) friends were very close to NW airfield when the server restarted. Upon respawning at our location, we continued on the plan that we've made while the server restarted (we took a 15 minutes, smoking, tactical break while talking on TS). Upon approaching the north-east hangars of NW airfield, a guy with a DMR runs out, followed by zombies. Our group decided NOT to attack him. The bandit was scared however and threw a nade, not injuring any of us, but all of ous deaphened. After looting the barracks, one of my friends said that we will take our car to Stary Sobor. He said that on the direct channel, which turned out, the bandit must've listened.

We had to refill the car in Vybor before and went to Stary. Inside the camp, we were half-way through looting the tents, when my friend gets hit by a DMR shot. He's wounded and jumps into the tent with my other friend, patching up. After a minute, they both decide to charge to kill the bandit, beacuse they were scared of losing our car. I told them to stay, but too late. Both got killed. I waited for 15 minutes until I saw the guy running to the car. I had an M16 and wanted to cross him and kill, but unfortunately, he was closer to the car and managed to get into it. I couldn't even shoot. Around 30 minutes later, I was on my way to Novy Sobor and the bandit awaited me, gave a warning shot and said "I killed both your friends. Lay down your weapon and I let you live". He did. He checked my gear, even left me my gun, around 50 meters down the street so that he could escape when leaving me alone. Great skill, I admitted. And in the end, my friends got a helicopter ride to Stary Sobor from some other friends. THIS, is real bandit behavior.

On the other hand, you have those wannabe-bandits that are in a ghillie suit (or have a high-end weapon), running through Elektro and Cherno, shooting freshspawns that don't even have a hatchet. Sometimes it's so bad that I simply switch servers. That's not a bandit at all. That's a player that forgot that Arma 2 is a game where you can shoot a lot more on the same map. Just that there is a challenge because you face other players on-par with your gear.

[Auslovich 48]

IMO there are four types of bandits, in order of 'the most skill':

1-Highwaymen, they hold you up, steal yo' shit, and let you go mostly unharmed.

2-Bandits that take time and think before they kill someone: Checking whether they're in a good spot to ambush their victims, weigh their odds.

3-KOS bandits: Bandits that attack you as soon as they see you, mostly the type that hangs around the coast and spends their whole time battling in Cherno and Elektro.

4-Coast camping bandits: Those who attack fresh spawns who have next to no gear and cannot defend themselves properly.

I consider myself the 2nd kind of bandit, although I am also friendly half the time.

[herrjon 478]

I don't think it's a question of skill, just different playstyles. Some people enjoy just shoot targets far away or KoS CQC and getting some beans afterwards. Other enjoy interacting with their victims on some level and maybe getting more out of it than just some gear they don't need and a kill count. In that sense, I could mean the experience of player interaction or "holding up a guy" then tracking him back to his camp or his buddies to kill or steal from. Now, I am a Hero, but I respect all bandit play styles that aren't hacking, but my question for the KoS people, why not just play Arma/Wasteland? It gives you the same experience of intense fighting with high-end weapons, and the zombies don't get in the way. However, I highly doubt you can effectively hold up and kidnap someone in a Wasteland server or a general Arma multilayer mission. They would just try and shoot you, respawn, and come back after you with vehicles and guns.

DayZ was deigned for player interaction. It is of course optional, but why not? We don't all have to be care bear Heroes and rebuild society, but you don't have to shoot everything that moves all the time, I'd image that would get a bit stale. And on the victims standpoint, it can be much more enjoyable even if it ends in death. Some of my most intense and enjoyable bandit related experiences, beyond the intense firefights where only one of us barely walks or crawls away, were ones where I was held-up, kidnapped, left for dead in the middle of nowhere without a map, or forced into participating in hatchet fights with a gambling ring. Try to be more creative, bandits of DayZ. It will be more fun for all of us.

Edited March 28, 2013 by (TMW)HerrJon

[prominentalex 76]

I ambush people ALL the time, with the ol' used car in the middle of the road trick. Does that make me a horrible bandit? Taking on squads of 4 people with offroad vehicles etc.

[boatie 34]

What is the difference between a bandit sniper and a script kiddie? Not a hell of a lot. I would guess that at least 1/3-1/2 of the bandit snipers playing right now are script kiddies using esp. The sniper "stalking" someone is so rare, he's a myth. Unless by stalking, you mean that he was sitting waiting for you to come to the area he was overwatching and then following you. This observation does not take into account pvp servers, who are an entirely different animal.

Edited March 30, 2013 by boatie

[tombom 28]

i literally just got killed a minute before writing this. I happened to come across a body last week that had everything i needed to survive. I didn't just spawn and find it i spent about to days barely surviving off of things i was finding in random towns and axing any zed that came my way. I had to play very stealthy. I just happened across this body finally in the woods. So i set up camp and logged out. Today i got on and it was night time. I went to the treeline east of novy and flashed my second non military flahslight so other survivors who might need help could come my way. Im not a hero and not a bandit i just want a buddy. I looked though my binoculars and saw no one. I did find a dirt bike though and a crashed heli in the distance. The dirt bike needed a wheel and the crash was close to stary so i continued on a looted quite a bit in my search for a wheel. I heard a lot of flies but saw no bodies so i knew someone was killing others to loot them. I still came across no one and decided to just head back. As i lay down after dodging zed i went to check my map only for some shit fucker faggatron to miss me ten times while i yelled friendly. Never did see him and try as i might to stay down the little fairy got a lucky shot that must have hit my head. I couldnt even yell over sidechat or anything ill never know who did it i just lost all interest in playing. Its players like that who make the game uninteresting to me and even sadder that they hide behind the anonymity of DayZ. They aren't even getting a satisfaction to say they killed someone to other players they are just getting off in their perverted ways by shooting anyone without warning. Even skilled players that would best these guys 100 out 100 times could not get out of this situation in the night with no where to hide and no idea where to shoot. Ranting done now i am done with dayz for awhile because of how disappointed i am by this. I have been KoS so many times but this one just really bothers me.

[KA4LxTITANx 8]

I try to hold people up but they always try to shoot me with their wimpy makarov when I'm behind cover and I just want to give them something I dont need lol so everyone always says I'm a dick for shooting them when they possess the IQ of mentally challenged snail and decide to try to pop off rounds at me with no chance, lol but I do agree with you on the skilled vs. unskilled

[SteveLord 32]

The people that break it down by "skill" are just butthurt about being killed by bandits. As others have said, it's about style.

Edited April 2, 2013 by SteveLord

[Heathcz 84]

Killing bandits is the only thing that satisfies at dayz moreless, and its just awful how many elektro snipers I meet. Hate those people. So far havent met a single skilled bandit, hope I will do so, once

[-Gews- 7443]

Am I the only one who feels an urge to KoS purely out of spite after reading through this thread? <_<

[entspeak 374]

As someone who isn't a bandit and tends to play lone wolf style, there were some things I learned very early on. Going to an airfield at night if I'm not properly geared up is extremely dangerous - I usually avoid it. I also don't go into the major towns unless it is absolutely necessary. These are things that, especially if you are playing this as a zombie survival game, you have to accept. I go to those places when the server population is low enough that the chances of someone being in those spots is reduced - in the rp mindset, when most people are "asleep." Even then, unless you're the only one on the server, there is a risk. Understand the risks, you take your chances and accept the consequences.

I have no beef with people who camp the airfields looking to snipe players and nab their loot... it's smart because you're making the player do all the work for you and you kill them and take their stuff. I've been killed by a sniper at the NWAF at night... I didn't have NVG's, but I had a NV FAL. He picked the right moment and I just hadn't properly cleared the place. I could only be mad at myself. You must always be on your guard in this game.

The true "non-bandits" are the douchebags who simply snipe new, unarmed players along the coast. They don't go loot the bodies because there is no loot to be had. For them, it's not about playing DayZ, they could be playing any shooter and simply kill someone who isn't armed. To me, that is not a bandit, because there is no gain beyond the kill - and it's a cheap shot.

Edited April 3, 2013 by entspeak