Question about server restarts and resets

[nillie 30]

Hi all !

 

I am new to DayZ, playing for about 48 hours now. I have some questions about servers etc...

 

It took me a while to find a server where there where not too many people on, trying to kill me on sight, and where i could find enough loot to basically survive. Yesterday, i found such a server with some friendly people on it, daylight time to play, and a good amount of loot. 

 

I have finally managed to set up a good character with good supplies and weapons. I don't mind getting killed in game by other players or Z's. Its part of how the game works. However, i am scared to lose this character due to stupid things such as server restarts or disconnects etc. 

 

So i have learned to disconnect when i see other people lose connections, as it seems to be a sign that the server will restart soon. In the past, i have disconnected from a server, only to find my character gone and having to start as a fresh spawn, losing all my gear. Sometimes, when i click play, instead of automatically loading my last created character on the server, it takes me to the server selection screen. I have solved this by placing the current server in my favorites, and when i rejoin, my character also seems to have been saved. I am doing the right thing here? It seems to work, as i have been able to successfully reboot this character now for a number of times, without losing anything. I am scared to join my friends on other servers, fearing that i will lose my gear and start as a fresh spawn when i join. Is there anything i should look for when joining other servers? Somebody told me to ONLY use the steam overlay  to join friends and to only connect to public servers? Should i only join public servers with persistence on to keep my gear cross server? 

 

Which brings me to my other question : The server regularly shows an info message saying something like : "Server resets on Wednesday xx.xx PM. Pack up your tents in time if you don't want to lose anything". 

 

Does this mean the server will completely reset on that day/time, and everyone's stuff will get wiped? Or is it only the stuff that is placed in tents? If the server resets completely, will it help to join a different server with persistence, and then rejoin again the old server after the reset so i can maintain my gear? 

 

Some answers to these questions would be nice. So far, i have been really attached to some of my characters, losing them in a dumb way. I realize this is alpha and there are constant wipes and also bugs, so i should not get to attached to my inventory, but i still want to do everything i can to keep this character as long as possible!

 

Thanks in advance ! 

Edited December 30, 2014 by nillie

[boneboys 7988]

You can let the server disconnect you at restart but do not try to rejoin straight away, this is when there is a risk of character loss.

I let the timer run out (90 secs) and then go back to the browser and refresh the list.

This gives enough time for the server to re-boot.

 

Some people recommend checking the time *08.00 (bad) 08.05 (good), some just check the player count.

 

Wednesday is maintenance day, at this time in development persistence (tents for example) is not reliable or guaranteed, hence the warning to pack up your tents.

Your character will be safe.

 

I have a tent in my hands that I packed up before Christmas on my public 1stP character, I can now go to any 1stP public server (persistent or not) with my tent.

 

I prefer crafting backpacks and hiding them at "supply drops" across the map (something about eggs in one basket) but once again "persistence (crafted backpacks for example) is not reliable or guaranteed"

 

* times may vary.

[nillie 30]

OK thank you for this response !

Just to make sure i understood correctly :

 

So to summarize :

I can carry over my character AND inventory to any other public server, provided that server is up and running and not just restarting. I should probably join a server that already has people in it, to make sure that IS in fact running properly. If i want to join a friends game, i can do so via steam overlay, and will also keep my character and inventory, provided my friend is also playing on a public server. I can have 1 public character per steam account. 

 

Some additional questions about private servers : 

What happens when i join a private server? So far this has always reverted me to a fresh spawn. Do i lose my public character+inventory forever, or will my public character and inventory simply re-appear when i connect again to a public server? 

 

Thanks again in advance ! 

 

 

[claws4life 99]

OK thank you for this response !

Just to make sure i understood correctly :

 

So to summarize :

I can carry over my character AND inventory to any other public server, provided that server is up and running and not just restarting. I should probably join a server that already has people in it, to make sure that IS in fact running properly. If i want to join a friends game, i can do so via steam overlay, and will also keep my character and inventory, provided my friend is also playing on a public server. I can have 1 public character per steam account. 

 

Some additional questions about private servers : 

What happens when i join a private server? So far this has always reverted me to a fresh spawn. Do i lose my public character+inventory forever, or will my public character and inventory simply re-appear when i connect again to a public server? 

 

Thanks again in advance ! 

your public character will be safe when you join a private server, so don't worry :D

[sneakydudes 278]

I have finally managed to set up a good character with good supplies and weapons. I don't mind getting killed in game by other players or Z's. Its part of how the game works. However, i am scared to lose this character due to stupid things such as server restarts or disconnects etc. 

 

There is a small chance you can lose gear by disconnecting and reconnecting to soon, or simply rejoining after the time small glitch.

I recommend following the small bug rules, and simply logoff if your going afk. Don't let yourself be attacked by Z's.

[ChainReactor 922]

OK thank you for this response !

Just to make sure i understood correctly :

 

So to summarize :

I can carry over my character AND inventory to any other public server, provided that server is up and running and not just restarting. I should probably join a server that already has people in it, to make sure that IS in fact running properly. If i want to join a friends game, i can do so via steam overlay, and will also keep my character and inventory, provided my friend is also playing on a public server. I can have 1 public character per steam account. 

 

Some additional questions about private servers : 

What happens when i join a private server? So far this has always reverted me to a fresh spawn. Do i lose my public character+inventory forever, or will my public character and inventory simply re-appear when i connect again to a public server? 

 

Thanks again in advance ! 

 

At the moment, you have 2 character slots on the public hive: One for all third-person servers and one for all first-person servers. Once there is an experimental version again, you will have additional 2 characters for the experimental branch ( again 1st and 3rd person ). Those 2 (4) characters are saved individually.

 

Private shard servers run an own database, so you will have one character on every private shard server. You can't transfer characters between different private shard servers or over to the public hive.

[eno 1049]

Very good info. I just lost my prized character doing the "rejoining too quickly" thing- Took a bit of getting used to how long it takes these things to reboot... I generally know one is coming on when I try to step over a fence or open a door and nothing happens. Or I swing my axe into the side of a house and it doesn't make a sound (even though I am there to hear it). 

 

I have found it frustrating with the amount of "please wait" and "waiting for host" messages... which was the original result of my prompt disco / reco with various servers. That's when my character got wiped. I've since learned to be more patient. 

 

Good info on the private / public venues as well- It took me awhile to get my head around it... with persistence on and off. Seems simple enough now that I'm used to the difference between a shard and a hive... and what persistence means! 

 

Anyway- thanks again.