Couple of Questions about Zombies Etc

[Pixel Crisis 4]

Note on me, I've been playing DayZ Mod / Arma2 for a few years in all of it's various forms and map locations.  I've been playing Arma3 as well, mostly Island Life and Wasteland.  WIth that said, I purchased the SA finally this weekend thinking I'd give it a shot. And well, I can't for the life of me, melee freaking zombies in this version of the SA or really evade them at all ... and my buddy whom I play with is having all of the same problems.

 

So my questions are these:

 

What's the best way to kill zombies with melee weapons / fists? I'm not sure if it's due to lag, or what, but I've tried just about every melee weapon there is and cannot kill a zombie.  I hit them on the head (or what appears to be the head area - not sure of the hit box) and have only killed 2 zombies in many play sessions and both of those were with my fists and literally strafing circles around them for 5 minutes....  what's the trick - where do you aim (the head? because it doesn't seem to be working)?

 

What's the best way to evade zombies? I have been trying to play where I shift / crouch walk most of the time and it seems that no matter what I do. If I'm behind bushes, a trees, etc (basically obscuring LOS) zombies still see me from 100+ yards away if they are at all looking in my direction and come at me.  I've tried the old - run fast to trees and bushes and then crouch walk out the other side and that seems to have worked about 2/20 times.  I seem to have better luck when I can find a two story building as zeds will occasionally glitch out when trying to go up stairs.  Of course they run right through walls I climb under, pop right through doors I close, etc etc ... 

 

Clouds seem to go in all directions, is the old West to East trick gone? Haven't paid attention in A3 how they flow. Is there a decent way to find North now? 

 

Have any other tips for the Standalone Noobs out there? 

 

Thanks! 

Edited April 29, 2014 by Pixel Crisis

[yogi92 50]

Aim your white dot slightly above head, should work for pretty much every weapon. But don't bother using shit like knives or wrenches for too long. You want to look for pitchforks, baseball bats and axes.

As to eveding, it depends on server. Sometimes zombies are super calm and won't agro. Sometimes, they agro from miles away. Best tactic is to crouch or prone behind them in a fair distance, say 10-15m. If they happen to agro and you can't fight, just run. You should loose them eventually. Also, zombies sometimes fall from hills and die, so try exploiting that.

As far as I know, clouds trick doesn't really work. Try to you sun or coastlines.

[Pixel Crisis 4]

Aim your white dot slightly above head, should work for pretty much every weapon. But don't bother using shit like knives or wrenches for too long. You want to look for pitchforks, baseball bats and axes.

As to eveding, it depends on server. Sometimes zombies are super calm and won't agro. Sometimes, they agro from miles away. Best tactic is to crouch or prone behind them in a fair distance, say 10-15m. If they happen to agro and you can't fight, just run. You should loose them eventually. Also, zombies sometimes fall from hills and die, so try exploiting that.

As far as I know, clouds trick doesn't really work. Try to you sun or coastlines.

Thanks for the tips, I'll try to aim above or to the side of where their heads are tonight and see if that works. I did notice that I can shift crouch right past some Zeds - 5 meters or less sometimes, and others just come flying at you from 2 football fields away - 28 days later style.  For finding North you mention the sun.  Does it rise in the East and set in the West in the SA? Haven't had a compass yet to check.

 

Thanks

Edited April 29, 2014 by Pixel Crisis

[terminal_boy 860]

Attack zombies from behind with a firefighter's axe and aim for the head. You may have to score 2-3 good head hits now to kill them.

 

Always fight them outside to avoid wall glitching and always on level ground as they can run like Usain Bolt uphill while your player shambles along.

[Pixel Crisis 4]

Found these topics where other players touch on the points I brought up ... 

 

http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/topic/182234-post-patch-zombie-feedback/#entry1871615

 

http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/topic/181496-it-has-happened/

[pilgrim* 3513]

and, a lot of discussion:

 

http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/topic/182234-post-patch-zombie-feedback/#entry1871615

 

zombies are badder than they were last week - you arrived at the right moment.

 

(they kind of buffed them a bit.. and the zombies also went kind of crazier .. ya know

... zombies get like that sometimes)

Edited April 29, 2014 by pilgrim

[yogi92 50]

 For finding North you mention the sun.  Does it rise in the East and set in the West in the SA? Haven't had a compass yet to check.

 

To be honest, I sometimes play for 2 hours straight and the sun won't move a bit. Usually it sits around south-east.

[SmashT 10907]

Circle strafe so they aren't able to hit you and aim for the head.

[CJFlint 357]

I think in the last patch the Zombies have become more "OPed", if you will. Thee fire axe was the one hit zombie melee weapon of choice for a long while. It used to be, that one hit anywhere would drop them with a fire axe. Now its less effective. Unless you get a prefect head shot, it will take a few swings.

 

My current strategy is to avoid them all together. Either from running from them at high speed, simply turbo running around them (zombies are really stupid) or sneaking around crouched and just avoiding contact them all together (this works best). I really don't like fighting them these days, they will cause you to bleed, get infections and slowly bleed you to death if your not careful. Its also a free ticket to have your close and equipment ruined. Real annoying pains in the asses they have become. Another thing I have noticed with the new patches, is the more people who have in your group, the more zombies that will spawn.

 

One way I learned to keep zombie contact down to a min is pure stealth. Keeping low, not going in front of their line of sight, not firing weapons with out reason ect ect. To me it works the best, although sometimes they still will come after you. If you have to get one out of your way hit them from behind in the head.  

 

If all else fails and you don't feel like getting into melee with them shot them if you really have to. Just remember gun shots are like location beacons for other players and more zombies. 

Edited April 29, 2014 by CJFlint

[Pixel Crisis 4]

Right on guys, thanks for the bits of info.  Between your comments and the reading over those couple of posts I found, I guess it's just the current state of affairs in-game.  Zombies were buffed and my lag / server side hit registration are likely the culprits as I'm probably getting body shots even though it looks like head shots.  I'll try varying where I hit the Zeds and I'll just have to run like the wind when the eagle eyed Zeds come at me from 100+ yards away while I'm already crouching behind a bush ... that, or I'll continue my circle strafing around them until I figure out where on my screen I have to hit them.

 

Any other tips / tricks? 

[Pixel Crisis 4]

Welp, didn't die last night! Did everything the same as I've been doing ACCEPT ... I had a fire axe and I didn't aim where the dot was, I aimed where it seemed that the axe was in the physical space when swinging it ... so that's the game changer I guess.

 

With this epiphany, I'd have to say that some major tweaking of melee weapon damage and hit boxes needs to be done. ;)

 

Thanks for the tips guys!

[DeKamme 41]

Yep, don't mind the dot, look for where blood appears on the Z. It's usually almost a head's space above his head you have to aim for.

That, and strafing - they're so easy to strafe from, I sometimes go for a dance with them for the heck of it.

 

I even down them with fists sometimes. Try and land a few headshots when they're downed, to keep them down.

 

I like this now, zombies shouldn't be too easy to kill. The map is way too big, there has to be something to keep us on our toes ^^

[DelayedReaction 18]

I find using a machete and aiming a little bit above the head works, usually take between 1-3 hits to kill them, you want to aim the weapon, not the crosshair as the crosshair is a bit off for melee i believe.

[ProtoWasHere 1]

What's the best way to kill zombies with melee weapons / fists?

Strafe (Side-step) a circle around them in one direction. Close, tight circle, and beat them down.
I've found that 9 times out of 10, if done right, I walk away without getting touched once, they die pretty quickly.

 

What's the best way to evade zombies?

Stay out of line of sight, and don't sprint around.
The easiest thing to do is hold ALT(Default) and look around before going in to any place.
Also good to do random checks of your surroundings in order to see who all is around you.
Check your corners in 3rd person.
This tactic works well for players too...
...but...
Zombies have very predictable elements about them.
Players, do not... some have better instincts than others, and will investigate a cricket chirp.
...and a good way to avoid getting spotted or having to engage players?
Look up some creepy DayZ interactions... and you'll want to avoid everybody...

 

Have any other tips for the Standalone Noobs out there? 

Get your smartphone, and pull up a map of Chernarus.
The more detailed, the better.
Use it to get around, as finding maps in-game is a pain in the arse.
There are also apps you can get that will show you spawns of items, where, and what. Weapons, supplies, clothing, equipment.
Do not EVER announce your presence in a large town like Elektro. Doesn't matter how well armed you are, or who you're with.
There will always be some sicko with a rifle on a building waiting to end your life.
ALWAYS check your corners. Less blind spots you have, the less chance there is of somebody sneaking up on you, or getting the drop on you.
If you're exiting a door-way, look on either side of the outside of it.
Never walk backwards unless you can see behind you.
If somebody has their weapon raised, they more than likely are looking to kill something, or someone.
If you have a lot of stuff... you're a walking treasure chest.

...and lastly... if you can see them, they can likely see you.
Stay low, go slow.
 

[AuG_d0g 0]

Hey man.

I'm far from pro at this game, but this is how I go about it. Oh and also I just play alone. So if your in a group, a lot of this wouldn't apply.

 

1/ Fireaxe. Always fireaxe. I've had mine for over a week on this character, taken out heaps of zombies, and it's still in pristine condition. Wear and tear doesn't seem to be an issue with them.

2/ Just avoid them if you can, even 1-2 hits can ruin some of your gear. I got hit just a couple of times, went to reload my M4 later on, and found that my ammo box, and all the ammo within was ruined. Couldn't use it.

3/ If you can't avoid them, but you're out of their line of sight ie. not aggroed, Just use your walk button [shift] and walk up behind them. You don't even need to crouch, in fact they hit YOU in the head now if you crouch, so I just don't bother. You can usually whack 'em a couple of times before they get the picture and arc up. Even after the patch, I've 2 hit killed zombies. I assume that was because headshots. (It's hard to tell, like old matey said, look for where the blood comes from and adjust aim accordingly), in any case, if you get them twice, you really only have to do the strafe dance for another 2-3 hits.

4/ There's no need to run around madly doing the circle jerk. Look at their animation. They telegraph when they're about to strike from a mile away. A quick sidestep then will avoid a hit every time. Also, take zero notice which direction they're facing, and how far away they are. If you don't move, they'll still hit you pretty much every time.

5/ If you see one aggroed from 100 metres away, just run. They're not that hard to lose using buildings and foliage to run around and kill the line of sight. But they're damn fast so do it quick.

6/ Never EVER run up a hill to escape, the lil' buggers don't slow down. Unlike you. Choose another route.

7/ Never fight them indoors unless there's no option. ie. You're cornered and can't get past it. This goes double if they're floor glitched. Makes 'em so damn hard to hit and you're almost certain to take damage to that sweet sweet gear you have.

8/ This has been said by pretty much everyone, but the sweet spot seems to be about a head above their head. If you put your white dot on their head, you WILL hit their body. Again, just look for the blood.

9/ For multiples, well, never take a knife to a zombie fight. You're gonna get hit. If it is not feasible to run, pull out any gun that has more than 2 shots. I just use an FX .45 or an M4. Then run like hell because you've just alerted every player and zombie in the area. Remember that just one random hit can break your arm, (not such a big deal), or your leg, (A much bigger deal). If you are undersupplied and that happens, you're as good as dead.

 

That's about all I can think of. Everybody does stuff differently, that's just how I myself do it. Oh, and also, I'm a newb. Well for a few weeks at least.

This kiwi wishes you the best of luck bro.

[DeKamme 41]

About Proto's map suggestion:

 

In-game you can call up Steam with shift-tab (default). There you can open up a browser.
In that browser I have my dayZ map open, with city names, loot drops, water wells etc.

 

It's better then alt-tabbing to a regular browser, because in the ingame steam window, you can see the background feintly, and hear your surroundings. And don't have to move your hands to a smartphone or other device.

 

or just print it and hang it on the wall, for the oldschool paper touch :)

Edited May 2, 2014 by DeKamme