What populates a DayZ server?

[LodiLu 2]

I tried looking up what could populate a DayZ server. Nothing popped up and I'd like to see what people mostly look for in a DayZ server as a reference for people trying to populate their server. Give me dem beans and support this!

[stealthninjaAP 4]

Active admins. Our server was once in the top 300 simply because we were so active on the server.

[Dreams_Of_Cheese (DayZ) 71]

As far as I can tell, players. How do you get players? Have some friends play. Get it started.

[Blondedash 403]

giving something unique no other server can give. and active admins and map type.

Edited April 3, 2013 by nousernamehelp

[nox81 28]

I look for a server with a mid populatuion size, no starter weapons and not too many vehicles. Any server with loads of vehicles, starter guns and 40 people is going to be battlefield 3, which while not a strictly bad thing is not why i play DayZ

[Vilez 9]

+1 BenjamK you dont want to turn it into a everyone is armed to the teeth with guns and no longer worries about drinks and food and basic survival

[Azziax 81]

I look for an original gameplay. I dont want 30 helicopters and 500 cars in the server. They should be scarce. Especially the heli's.

I love walking thru the woods approaching a town, laying down to see if there is any activity apart from zombies for around 5 minutes.

So that when I decide to move in im pretty sure I dont get shot on sight. Then look for and hopefully gather the supplies I need, avoiding the zed's.

Same goes for vehicles, If I find a busted car or heli I love to go out, find a toolbox and the appropriate parts to fix it, hoping that someone didn't beat me to it.

I want this game to be about survival and not about the PvP.

Though that is fun too, but then I just prefer ArmA II wasteland mod which is way cooler to PvP in because of the missions, weapons and vehicles.

[Mos1ey 6301]

Active, FAIR admins that don't use their powers for anything other than promoting fair play and keeping hackers out.

[dulix11 731]

Lots of people, so I can practice my shooting skills.

[MOS182 63]

Active Admins and Other (number of players and also side chat)

I really like servers with Side Chat, gives me something to do if I get bored also it's great when people post where they are and where they're going on Side Chat

[Odrama Vin Laden 18]

I hate it when people say they don't want a server with a lot of vehicles. I understand the helicopter side, and the no starter weapon thing, but how in any case is having only a few vehicles per map authentic? Did the zombies blow up all the vehicles? I don't think so. Cars trucks etc should be plentiful but fuel should be rare. Gas pumps would not be working anymore. Fuel should be the reason that no one drives around not just an outright lack of cars.

[creature 1189]

Take what you see posted the most in this thread and do exactly the opposite.

People want vanilla day servers but no one wants to play on them.

It takes a lot more than how the server is set up to get consistent players. A website with a forum helps. Advertise everywhere, all the time. Oh, and keep your fingers crossed.

[killzone_kid 51]

new map

[Blondedash 403]

Zombies.

[Imafighter 236]

Vanilla servers. Nothing else.

That is my preference, at least.

[Blondedash 403]

ask what the public wants.

[Cap'n (DayZ) 1827]

I usually look for the spawnrate of roadflares. 40% is my minimum, and 85% spawn rate in all spawn tiers is the base rate on my current server.

[nox81 28]

I hate it when people say they don't want a server with a lot of vehicles. I understand the helicopter side, and the no starter weapon thing, but how in any case is having only a few vehicles per map authentic? Did the zombies blow up all the vehicles? I don't think so. Cars trucks etc should be plentiful but fuel should be rare. Gas pumps would not be working anymore. Fuel should be the reason that no one drives around not just an outright lack of cars.

I think most cars would be in bad condition after a zombie apocalypse has been going on for a while, flat tyres, dead batteries etc. Im not against there being cars (hell i have my one hidden in the woods lol), just not loads so that everyone is driving all the time, enough so that yes its possible for cars to pass on the road but not so that everyone is racing around. it adds more value to them as something on the server.

The desoloute atmosphere is what makes dayz tense, that moment when you hear a car coming along near you when you thought you were well away for other players is tense, but you dont want to hear cars roaring up and down the roads like its rush hour in New York.

[SoulShaper2 243]

i only play on expert servers, no waypoints crosshairs thirdperson or death messages, only two of these servers are alive and 1 is closing this month, i struggle to play on servers like this now so i have to go by these and nothing else :/

[GodOfGrain 191]

yea guys, come over to bmrf.me:

whitelist, expert, no third person

74.91.123.48:2303

Really struggling as well to find servers like this...

"Back in the days" there have been at least 50-100 servers with 3th person off...

Edited April 3, 2013 by GodOfGrain

[Odrama Vin Laden 18]

I think most cars would be in bad condition after a zombie apocalypse has been going on for a while, flat tyres, dead batteries etc. Im not against there being cars (hell i have my one hidden in the woods lol), just not loads so that everyone is driving all the time, enough so that yes its possible for cars to pass on the road but not so that everyone is racing around. it adds more value to them as something on the server.

The desoloute atmosphere is what makes dayz tense, that moment when you hear a car coming along near you when you thought you were well away for other players is tense, but you dont want to hear cars roaring up and down the roads like its rush hour in New York.

You know, I get what your trying to say, you should feel like you lost alot when your car gets stolen. But the way this is instilled now is totally unrealistic. Sure, batteries would be dead, and flat tires, but thats not anything that cant be easily fixed. The way it is now is there are pretty much no cars around unless you were there when the server was new. They are too rare, and should periodically respawn. Its stupid to think that all the cars are lying in rubble because the world is enduring the zombie apocalypse.

The way it stands right now, if you find a car, its pretty easy to keep it forever as long as no one steals it and you dont drive like an idiot. There is no gradual 'wear n tear' and fuel is an unlimited resource from petrol pumps that dont even have electricity supplied to them. Gas should be like gold. The idea is right, but it's executed poorly.

[amazed 17]

Whitelisting since it keeps hackers at bay most of the time. After paying for their scripts they cant be arsed to bother with such worldly things.

[ZomboWTF 527]

Active admins and the right map

namalsk or chernarus are very popular, or even taviana

many admins overdo it with custom npcs or additional loot buildings so that getting military weapons becomes far too easy, this can hurt the server

[BwobBwub 660]

10000 vehicles, M249 SAW starting weapon with a coyote backpack and 2000 helicopters fully repaired!

I see a lot of people on those servers.

[Serious Stan 202]

I voted other,

what populates a dayZ server is history and stability that ensures a healty playerbase.

Meaning posessions and a raeson to play there, once some players are regulars people will come just because there are other people there.