Do I suck or....?

[zypher128 0]

so, iv'e put a few hours into this game and a lot of deaths. its seems if its not the zombies that I cant seem to land a hit on half the time (even if im standing still) using anything besides an ax which i never seem to come across. which leads to my second main cause of death, GD hypothermia.  why is it ALWAYS raining?!? i cant stay dry to save my life or find all the things that re required to make a fire. so is it just me or does this game really have that steep of a learning curve? any tips or tricks for a FNG? i just got the game this last weekend and plan on playing all weekend if you guys want to leave your steam names to help out a fellow survivor too.

[NuckFuts 265]

You don't necessarily Suck.. per se, your just learning..

 

Embrace these early times! once you plough 500hrs into it DayZ becomes a different game.

[becker44 22]

The early life of a survivor is the most perilous. Your first actions should be clothing, food, and matches. I suggest running from Zombies early if you are having trouble killing them with melee weapons. This will compound your problem trying to use your fists. Zombie battles are all about timing and terrain. The timing comes with practice. You'll find experienced players allowing Zombies to come running at them, side step at the last instant while swinging your melee weapon and BAM it's usually a one hit battle. 

 

The key to success in melee battles is learning to strafe, and back away if needed. Wait for the Zombie to make an aggressive leap then move in for the kill. They always pause for a moment after their leap. This is your opportunity to move in (from the side or behind) and land a punishing blow. The "hit box" for maximum damage is the head. Using your cursor, position the dot slightly left of the head and let her rip. Additionally, flat terrain is your best option for a successful battle. Remember though, leaving a dead Zed in the street alerts passing players of your presence. Try and draw the Zombie(s) behind buildings or a little off the beaten path to ensure your safety if a nefarious survivor is in the area. 

 

Fire starting can be accomplished with just a box of matches and a rag or torn out page from a book. You can gather the necessary kindling in any forested area. Just look at the ground and spin your mouse wheel for the option to gather. Combine the sticks you've found with a rag or paper and you have a fire kit. Use the additional stick(s) for adding to the fire kit. Place the matches in your hand, look down t your creation and "ignite"

 

Hope this info helps and welcome to DayZ.

[Richard III in Leicester 200]

What becker said. All good info. Try to be stealthy as well, I know some zombies have spidey senses and xray vision and will aggro no matter what but there are also ones that can be stealthed. Crouching and walking can get you through a town unnoticed sometimes. 

[zypher128 0]

so i dont need an ax to chop down a tree to make a fire? 

[Richard III in Leicester 200]

It can be done now with kindling. Kindling & a rag or page of paper to make the 'fire kit' then put more kindling into it as fuel. The axe can chop trees to make fuel as well but it can be done with just kindling.

[General Zod 1118]

You don't necessarily Suck.. per se, your just learning..

 

Embrace these early times! once you plough 500hrs into it DayZ becomes a different game.

That's some slow learing.

[CJFlint 357]

so, iv'e put a few hours into this game and a lot of deaths. its seems if its not the zombies that I cant seem to land a hit on half the time (even if im standing still) using anything besides an ax which i never seem to come across. which leads to my second main cause of death, GD hypothermia.  why is it ALWAYS raining?!? i cant stay dry to save my life or find all the things that re required to make a fire. so is it just me or does this game really have that steep of a learning curve? any tips or tricks for a FNG? i just got the game this last weekend and plan on playing all weekend if you guys want to leave your steam names to help out a fellow survivor too.

When I 1st started playing it was easier then it is now to be a new player. There was no weather effects and you could gear up quicker. Also the zombies were easier to deal with. Now days even if your a veteran player it can be a challenge to get geared up and survive. Between the weather heath effects, zombies that are a pain to deal with and loot being alittle harder to come by, it throughs out a few roadblocks. So you have allot of challenges to over come.

 

So its harder for new players more then ever now.

 

The 1st thing you need to do is find food, and something to fight the zombies with. Tear your tee shirt into rags and get rid of the flashlight. The battery I would keep incase you find a melee device that needs them, like a cattle prod or stun batton. Your tee shirt is useless, other then making rags to stop bleeding with. Look for some sort of weapon pref an fire axe, or wood cutting axe. Every thing else is less effective against zombies. Aim for the zombies head, try to circle them to avoid being hit by them. Look for first aid kits, food, back pack, water bottles, matches, axe clothing and a knife. You need these basic items just to survive for any duration now. If run a across a can opener grab it, if not use your axe or knife to open cans with. Once you find these items, either obtain a log by cutting down a tree and keep it with you for building a fire. Also craft a fireplace kit. Try to keep the fire place kit and log with you. If you lose it you will have to cut down another tree, which really degrades your axe quickly. There is no other way to warm back up other then building a fire right now. You can also use you fire to cook meat with if you decide to hunt. If you do not have a good start on this with in say 30 mintutes and you still cold and hungry....your chances are not good. So get it done as fast as posible. Try to find a gun as well, that may take alittle more time. Once you have your basic survival items it becomes easier.

 

So I will say it dosn't surpise me to hear a newer player saying what your saying.

 

Honestly every thing you spawn in with is pretty much useless, I normally toss everything except rags from my tee shirt and the battery. I have no idea why the devs give us what they give us as a fresh spawn. Its useless. I also keep the pants until and shoes til I find something new. Normally with in 10 to 15 minutes I don't have anything I spawned in with anymore, and have close on that I found.

 

Edit: Don't trust anyone you meet randomly in game either! No one! They have nothing you need and for the most part are not going to help you or look out for your best interests. Most players are dicks to each other, were talking about 80% of them. Not kidding. So if you want freinds to play with join a clan or play with a steam freind. If you do meet someone in game, watch there hands at all times. They pull any crap or tell you anything misleading or if you get anykind of bad feeling about them kill them or flee. There are tons of KOSs that play...tons. Theres also players who love to set people up, and pull crap with you. Real dickish type stuff goes on in this game.

Edited October 24, 2014 by CJFlint

[zypher128 0]

Thanks for the tips guys! this will really help, the biggest thing was the fire making, that seems like a piece of cake now! and ill just spend a few lives learning to deal with the zombies

[Cptn_Miller 83]

Also use this to navigate http://www.dayzdb.com/map = edge of towns/cities have large rectangular signs on 2 posts, match up the russian name on map and you know where are / going.

 

Hypothermia - look for servers hosted by vilayer = wont freeze to death.

[CJFlint 357]

Thanks for the tips guys! this will really help, the biggest thing was the fire making, that seems like a piece of cake now! and ill just spend a few lives learning to deal with the zombies

You will get it, and don't ever think that you suck. Most players don't live more then a few hours, some a few days. I would say your dealing with the game pretty well. I'm a long term survivor. I have survived for over a month quite a few times. In order to survive for a duration you gotta get a good kit. Something will get you at some point though. Just expect it and prepare for it. What I do is always were as much protective gear as posible when I enter towns or know pvp is likely. Gear like the high cap vest and the gurka helmet. When Im out of towns I were the bonny hat. I carry medical supplys bandages, tons of rags, any kind of meds as much as I can find. I carry 3 water bottles norm. One my current build I have 2 1st aid kits. Shit tons of ammo for what ever weapon I have. A pot is an asome thing to have, you can carry 6 pieces of meat and it only takes for slots. Fire axe.  I have been alive for about 3 and half weeks now, came really close to death 2 times, to the point were was seeing blurry grey. One time from a close quarter pvp encounter the other from poisoning. Managed to pull my self out of it both times.....the reason.....I had a good kit. If I was poorly geared I would have passed on, and had to respawn. I have to say each time I pull my avatar out of certain death and recover completly, I get quite abit of a since of acheivement. More so then killing other players. Although good pvp is a blast in dayz.

 

Also other things to think about is the game is in alpha phase. So theres things that are out of balance, and mechanics that just don't work as well as they should. Every time they do a patch read the notes...known issues and so forth. And look out for them when you play. Its smart to do that, other wise you may run across a bug that will screw you over.

 

Also go to DayZTV and check out the map like Cptn_Miller was saying, its a great tool. It has all the info about were things are, you can even figure out ranges with it.

Edited October 24, 2014 by CJFlint

[a_ruttle 199]

try circling around the zombies and aim for the head, keep the aiming reticle on the head until the hit connects.

[escobert 112]

It just takes time and patience. soon you will know what houses are worth looting and all tat good stuff.

[camblack2112 0]

i also suck at this game :( can someone add me and help me on DayZ steam name is camblack2000

[Lionelpunishment1 2]

I'm new and having the same problems only had it 2 days I like it though!! Add me on steam lionelpunishment1

[Rags! 1966]

 

DayZ has a higher learning curve than the Olympic Pentathlon. 

[snwh 24]

Here's a few more things I've learned as a newer player myself.

 

Raincoats and Gorka jackets will prevent you from getting wet in the rain, making it a lot easier to stay warm if its raining.

 

In the newest patch, which should be coming out tomorrow, There is a very small shed with a small overhang on one side of it. In the experimental, you're almost guaranteed to find an lumber axe and a hacksaw here, if someone else hasn't looted it.

 

If you can't find a Firefighter axe, the second best choices in my experience are the Hoe(I hear its getting nerfed tho) splitting axe, the stun baton (if powered), the cattle prod (if powered) and the sledgehammer (coming tomorrow in the new build).

 

Learn the buildings that spawn the most loot, and what kind of loot that is. (Police station, fire station, Hospital, school, supermarket, piano house etc.) Spawn locations do change from time to time though. Like the blue portable generators spawn loot in experimental, but not in the current stable (may change tomorrow)

 

third person mode is a good place to practice melee. Watch where your weapon actually goes where you swing it, if the weapon animation doesn't connect, you don't score a hit. That being said, weapons generally do hit where your crosshair is pointing in first person. Just get some practice in and zombies will die by the hundreds!

 

Don't be too afraid of zombies, even if you don't have a melee weapon. Its actually not that hard to box zombies, with a  little practice. If you punch them in the head (which isn't too hard) they will be knocked out for a very short amount of time. Repeat the headshots about six or seven times more, and you've kelled a zombie with your bare hands! Congrats! (Body shots don't work nearly as well.)

 

Zombies have a tendency to respawn nearby after you've killed them. This may change, but just keep it in mind.

 

 

I'm still a beginner, but I hope all that helps!

[sachad 1016]

try circling around the zombies and aim for the head, keep the aiming reticle on the head until the hit connects.

 

No no no... forget about the dot when fighting melee. All you gotta do is make sure the business end of your weapon physically connects.

[☣BioHaze☣ 7337]

Warning, "Alpher".

 

New stable update.... INCOMING!

 

Many game elements will change for all of us TOMORROW.

 

(Zombie hit detection/melee will soon be greatly improved!)

 

I for one am curious to see how many of the bugs we scared out of the build have been exterminated for stable release.

[a_ruttle 199]

No no no... forget about the dot when fighting melee. All you gotta do is make sure the business end of your weapon physically connects.

which of late, I have found to happen if you keep the dot stuck to the targets head

[sofia 0]

wring your clothes when you are inside a house. that helps a bit not to get worse.