Living off the land challenge

[bad_mojo (DayZ) 1204]

I'm going to try a new challenge in DayZ, I can only eat food that I hunt, catch or forage for, and I can only drink water from wells & bodies of water.

 

I'm currently healthy and fully geared, so it will be easy this time, but my next life I hope to starve to death a few times before I can get healthy and enough gear to be self reliant.

 

I might go even further and say the axe is the only weapon I can loot, so hunting will have to be done with an improvised bow & arrows that I have to craft. I'm just worried that the bow/arrow might not be powerful enough to take down a deer. Also, I might make cows offlimits(mad cow disease?!?) because they are so plentiful in some places it would remove the challenge.

 

Anyone else want to take up the challenge, or have you done something similar?

[Dawgstyl 51]

I played for 17 in game hrs without running in to another human, matches, ax and knife are the big thing to have multiple of. 

[bad_mojo (DayZ) 1204]

I played for 17 in game hrs without running in to another human, matches, ax and knife are the big thing to have multiple of. 

A stone or pickaxe to get a stone is a good thing to carry also, you can sharpen a 'badly damaged' axe/knife back to 'damaged' state.

[sachad 1016]

I might try this. I recently got into the hunting game business, but as I had a backpack full of canned goods, it seemed kind of pointless. Next time I die, I'll take on the challenge.

 

To be clear: the challenge is to not pick up any 'man-made' food or drink, but everything else is still OK? 

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

I can only eat food that I hunt

I can only drink water from wells & bodies of water.

the axe only 

Anyone else want to take up the challenge?

 

I'm in.

[AlfalphaCat 66]

I'm in.

 

I think drinking from wells makes it too easy.

[Red_Ensign 990]

I prettymuch do that with my hardcore.  he can't eat or drink from cans, and can't use anything that fires bullets.  (he trades guns though)

 

oh, and he doesn't drink ANY water that isn't purified or already in a bottle/canteen.

Edited September 24, 2014 by Red_Ensign

[Tatanko 5591]

I can't say that I've ever done this for an extended period of time like some of you have, but it is fun to do once in a while just to prove it can be done and enjoy the solitude.

[ebrim 998]

I'd love this even more if the portable cooking stove didn't auto-burn. Chopping a tree down every time you want to cook doesn't feel right.

[bad_mojo (DayZ) 1204]

It's fun so far...

Zombie smelled the deer steaks cooking and came running.

[RagedDrew 209]

I might give this a try on my hardcore character. But I might give myself a little bit more of a challenge, can't use anything that propels an object, so hunting with melee weapon only.

Edited September 24, 2014 by RagedDrew

[bad_mojo (DayZ) 1204]

I might give this a try on my hardcore character. But I might give myself a little bit more of a challenge, can't use anything that propels an object, so hunting with melee weapon only.

 

To be honest hunting a deer with an axe really isn't much harder than with a rifle. I missed him on the first run, and all he did was run about 100m away and stop again. I really wish they would ramp up the difficulty of the animals, if a zombie can see me across the field and come running, I want the animals to be able to see us across the field and run away, far away.

[RagedDrew 209]

To be honest hunting a deer with an axe really isn't much harder than with a rifle. I missed him on the first run, and all he did was run about 100m away and stop again. I really wish they would ramp up the difficulty of the animals, if a zombie can see me across the field and come running, I want the animals to be able to see us across the field and run away, far away.

 

Yeah I know it's not hard to kill a deer with an axe, done it before but does offer a little bit more of a challenge.

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

I think drinking from wells makes it too easy.

 

Suggestions then for alternate form?

[bad_mojo (DayZ) 1204]

The reason I included wells was because a lot of the water in the northern parts of the map are unfinished. You'll come upon lakes and streams roughed in, but no actual water yet. Alpha and all.

[skypig 139]

that's kind of what I've been wanting to do when my current character dies. find a splitting axe, matches, rope and a canteen. everything else will have to be crafted and hunted. apart from clothes I mean... until we can make some snappy deer skin pants!

[AlfalphaCat 66]

The reason I included wells was because a lot of the water in the northern parts of the map are unfinished. You'll come upon lakes and streams roughed in, but no actual water yet. Alpha and all.

 

 

Ahh, sorry, didn't know that.  Just got back into the game, and I am still exploring.

[Dagwood 680]

I've been doing this since hunting and cooking were implemented. You won't notice a difference. Now as far as using a bow to accomplish all of this: not my cup of tea. Hunting is too easy at the moment but it was be reworked soon enough.

[IIvIIozzie 31]

I tried this, hoping it would bring some enjoyment. It didn't. It gets boring very fast.  Aside from getting the essentials; backpack, axe, matches, and knife/machete, I would go to an area and start to pinpoint where wildlife would spawn. For example in Msta, I would start by killing the two goats that spawn near the pub/restaurant. You can kill any animal with the axe if you're patient enough but the goats you can literally run next to them as they run from you, very easy.I would then find a boar nearby and then take out the buck near the barn. For drink I would walk down to the pond. Rinse/repeat. I threw fishing into the mix as well, there just isn't anything skill based in the game yet to keep me interested in playing continuously. There is no point in hunting/fishing right now when you can spawn into the world and loot 6 food items from the first building you enter. If they nerfed loot significantly and made loot spawns based on player activity and population it might be remotely interesting to do something other than checkout the new exp patches.

Edited September 25, 2014 by IIvIIozzie

[Whyherro123 2283]

Suggestions then for alternate form?

 

Simple, remove 75%-90% of the water fountains found in Chernarus. Make "free" clean, potable water a rare resource.

 

If you remove the "free and safe" water spigots, then people would either;

1. Have to treat their own water, either through boiling in a pot, filtering, or through the current chem-tabs
2. Travel to one of the few remaining wells.

 

Point #2 is very interesting, as it opens the possibility of clans taking control of said spigots, then charging other players for the use. Other clans could attempt to take over these spigots (and the wealth), giving an actual reason for organized PvP, while independent traders could buy stockpiles of water, then travel around Chernarus trading the water, Fallout-style. 

 

IRL, boiling enough water for even a small group ( approximately 6 people) was a pain in the ass, and took a substantial amount of time and materials (firewood, which needed to be gathered and split). I expect these water-merchants would be the preferred means of getting water if my above plan was implemented. Just think of the "political" opportunities it could offer!

 

Clan: Oh hey, the water traders are here!

Traders: nope, not this time, just passing through.

Clan: What!? Why?

Traders: Some of your guys knocked over one of our caravans and killed some of our guys. You won't be getting any water soon, at least from us, until you publicly apologize (On the forums, maybe?) and pay us restitution. 

[karlkurtz32 59]

I pretty much do this every time I play.

 

I spawn, get geared up, and head to the woods and live my DayZ life.

 

The only water I drink is collected rain water that fills my canteens.

The only food I eat is whatever I can hunt or pick from a tree/bush.

 

My main weapon is my axe.  I never shoot zombies or people (unless the situation becomes dire) so my ammo is almost strictly for hunting.

 

The challenge is fun.  I like when my canteens get low on water and I think to myself, "Man, I really hope it rains soon so I have something to drink."

Or when I am hungry and I'm thinking, "I seriously need to come across some kind of wild animal soon or I am going to starve."

 

Looking for cans of soda and canned food is way too easy.

 

I feel like playing any other way is just unacceptable.

[kimmaz 63]

Do you have a looting pattern or route, to insure you get like all those hard to find items to be able to do this BEFORE dying of cold and/or hunger?

 

Like you need a axe, matchbox, a rifle/bow+ammo, and some tools and idk medical stuffz,.. Ive spent a hour looking for a matchbox now, its like impossible to find something if you really need it ^^

[sachad 1016]

So far so good. I ended up dumping most of my guy's gear, and now I am living the woodsman life. Have a deer pelt backpack full of deer and boar steaks, crossbow, fire axe, machete and two canteens. Looking for a fish hook now so I can go fishing, and later today I'm gonna try and get some apples and berries for a more varied diet. Aside from complaining about the cold all the time, my guy is doing good. Even had a nice encounter with a bambi who saw my fire. Ended up sitting round the fire telling stories for a bit before I sent him off with some delicious cooked boar steaks.

 

Now I just need a tent... if I can ever find one.

[aereton (DayZ) 3]

Suggestions then for alternate form?

 

Get a bottle, fill it up and only drink from it when the water has been purified with those (yet) useless tablets. :-)

[Kirov (DayZ) 585]

Although I do eat canned food, I've spent a lot of time working on my survival skills, crafting, cooking, hunting/fishing, map navigating, etc. A lot of fun for a long time, but gets too easy and repetitive after a while as there are simply not that many things to do yet. I'm still waiting for the horticulture (which was mentioned by the devs before .049, but apparently didn't make it), more varieties of animals and so on. Maybe crafting your own clothes. And I believe all man-made stuff should be greatly reduced in numbers, so that living off of land is a necessity at least to some extent and not a 'crazy hermit' option. :)

 

And the bow should be better, currently it's only good for animals and zombies and I stick to the crossbow even in  the 'hunterer-gatherer' mode (and waiting for craftable bolts).

 

No to mention that right now you can solve all your eat and drink problems just by clicking 'search for apples' for like an hour. ;)