Average Lone Wolf Wouldnt Survive

[sloasdaylight 129]

Actually, Christopher McCandless died of regular old starvation. That whole bit about eating "moldy seeds" was effectively made up by John Krakauer, all based upon (really low quality) pictoral evidence of Christopher holding a bag of (apparently, according to Krakauer) "moldy" seeds. Autopsy evidence found no evidence of poisoning.

http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/how-chris-mccandless-died

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalyldiaminopropionic_acid

Krakauer was wrong to suggest it was swainsonine, but he was ultimately proven correct when he mentioned the seeds as being the root cause of McCandless' death. The seeds of the Wild Potato do contain ODAP, which is a neurotoxin known to cause Lathyrism, which would easily cause one to die of starvation due to an inability to move.

Edited January 5, 2015 by sloasdaylight

[sachad 1016]

Both playing styles (should) carry their own risks and rewards.

 

Lone wolves will be leading a more nomadic lifestyle, roaming the map freely but not being able to build much of a base. The benefit is that a town with even a few cans of beans and Pipsi will save your life if you're starving. I'd say the nomad style, if done right, may even be safer in terms of attracting enemies. A lone player is harder to spot than a group of five or six people going through the same area. The downside is that if you do end up facing overwhelming odds, your fighting chances are very slim.

 

Groups will be able to hunker down and use their numbers to their advantage, but more survivors means more mouths to feed, more wounds to tend, more security needed. Groups can be infiltrated. If people with ill intentions find your base, they can rob or destroy it, or hide nearby waiting for survivors to return. If someone dies, your group is weakened. And even the most closely knit group can have a falling out.

 

All in all, I think these things will balance themselves out. I hope people will stick to various styles with their own pros and cons, rather than conforming to what is the 'best' strategy. Otherwise this game will become truly boring.

[StayAlive (DayZ) 169]

Both playing styles (should) carry their own risks and rewards.

 

Lone wolves will be leading a more nomadic lifestyle, roaming the map freely but not being able to build much of a base. The benefit is that a town with even a few cans of beans and Pipsi will save your life if you're starving. I'd say the nomad style, if done right, may even be safer in terms of attracting enemies. A lone player is harder to spot than a group of five or six people going through the same area. The downside is that if you do end up facing overwhelming odds, your fighting chances are very slim.

 

Groups will be able to hunker down and use their numbers to their advantage, but more survivors means more mouths to feed, more wounds to tend, more security needed. Groups can be infiltrated. If people with ill intentions find your base, they can rob or destroy it, or hide nearby waiting for survivors to return. If someone dies, your group is weakened. And even the most closely knit group can have a falling out.

 

All in all, I think these things will balance themselves out. I hope people will stick to various styles with their own pros and cons, rather than conforming to what is the 'best' strategy. Otherwise this game will become truly boring.

 A very nice thing about being a lone wofl and coming up against a large group is that they tend to care for each other.

If you hurt one person, there seems to always be that one guy that tries to bandage/splint him. This lead to a good opportunity

for repositioning and exploiting the situation.

 

 

@sloasdaylight Your avatar is hilarious! :)

Edited January 5, 2015 by StayAlive

[sachad 1016]

 A very nice thing about being a lone wofl and coming up against a large group is that they tend to care for each other.

If you hurt of person, there seems to always be that one guy that tries to bandage/splint him. This lead to a good opportunity

for repositioning and exploiting the situation.

 

 

@sloasdaylight Your avatar is hilarious! :)

 

Reminds me of a video I saw, where a lone sniper took out a group of four or five people, simply by shooting someone and waiting for their buddies to come out and help them :P

[nexventor 429]

If you keep failing playing as a long wolf, then surely you're not learning from your mistakes? The game should be easier to play if you were to learn from your mistakes!

 

I think people find it is easier to whine than do the hard yards and analysis what they are doing wrong and amend their behaviour. The amount of people that complain about KoS'ers but then continually run into towns without looking etc is astounding. A person posted a comment a while back about how he got killed KoS'ed three times in a row and in his story every time he was killed while on top of a building in Cherno. "I don't know, here's a thought, maybe don't climb on top of buildings in cherno?"

 

Now OT: The game should be hard! It should be a struggle to stay alive, especially if you are a lone wolf. What it most certainly shouldn't do is make it impossible for lone wolfs and the "buff" of teaming up should be moderate. At the end of the day, the goal is survival so that shouldn't be easy to achieve.

[huf757 82]

 What happens to the guy who says he doesnt need a girlfriend or friends and spends all day in mommys basement? Hes either a 600 pound socially akward gamer or he becomes a school/mall/theater shooter because society doesnt understand him. (If you dont like the truth, fix the truth)

 

Boneboys seems to function properly.

[aussiebobby 82]

Ive seen many ideas shot down because they would hurt the lone wolf. "I dont want detailed surgery it would hurt lone wolves, dont add sanity/social needs it would hurt the lone wolves, dont add in crew fired weapons it would hurt lone wolves". Honestly, Im tired of hearing everyone say "Oh, well IRL I woud be a lone wolf I wouldnt need anyone then why should I in DayZ?"

Because the fact is most people here cant perform medical operations/CLS techniques to others let alone doing it to yourself. Dont say that you dont need social lives when SHTF, humans invented language and civilization BECAUSE humans need interaction. What happens to the guy who says he doesnt need a girlfriend or friends and spends all day in mommys basement? Hes either a 600 pound socially akward gamer or he becomes a school/mall/theater shooter because society doesnt understand him. (If you dont like the truth, fix the truth)

So I say add in complex surgery, yeah I can do basic CLS treatment on myself and others but according to you all were untrained survivors who shouldnt be able to use tactical stances (see A3 stance in DayZ thread)

And add in sanity/ a need for social contact, yeah I go camping for a couple weeks to a month sometimes but I still crave human contact after a while (and I dunno about yall, but talking to my girlfriend is one of the best parts of my day)

Tl;Dr--> Lone Wolves will die IRL when SHTF and its the EOTWAWKI

If you want"irl" get some random to do complex surgery on you and come back and tell us how it worked out for you.

 

I also have died zero times playing lone wolve in 140 hours,where as the buddies/clans deathmatch players die at a fairly high rate.This maybe why you want surgery because you want the easy way out of being a Bambie and gearing up after getting you ass handed to you everyday just by pressing "H heal" key for complex surgery .

 

If you don't like running of the beach,stop getting killed

[Beizs 186]

Mkay, first of all thats luxury camping. Who the hell takes a phone camping?

Second, dont make stuff up. If you can read without twisting the words into what you want them to say, you can see that I clearly state that Im more than capapble of survival. Hunting, fishing, skinnin, Ive been doin that since day one. I can, and have, stopped bleeding and pulled glass sticks and blades out of myself and others. I can sew up a hole (not purty but yeah) and have been lost, actually lost in the woods (no phone mind you) for 16 days. I survived, but the fear in that situation made me crave human contact. Ive been alone in odd and ratger frightening situations alot, and I always looked forward to talking to the girlfriend, family ect.

And by the way, Survivalists and Preppers are NOT the same. Im a Survivalist, and my group of others have plans, BOLs and contingencies to ensure our and our families (and any peaceful wanderers in need of help)survival. We arent paranoid Dbags who would shoot on sight (much like Dayz) but we all onow that we may have to kill to survive.

Preppers are paranoid basement dwellers who KoS in Dayz to train for TEOTWAWKI :D

Bringing a phone does not make it luxury camping. First, if you're alone, sorry, but you're a fool to not take a phone (emergency situations and if you get truly lost). There's wanting to be alone in the wild and there's just being irresponsible.

The thing about twisiting your words is bull. I didn't say that YOU couldn't, I said that MOST couldn't do those things. This poses an issue in game as either everybody has to be capable, or nobody can be capable. I can make fires using a variety of methods, purify water through a variety of methods, create basic knives if I need to, build structures ranging from very basic to building shed like buildings (or cabins) given enough time and basic tools (hammer, though a rock suffices, nails and a saw). I know how to fish (spearing included) and how to skin and prepare a range of animals. I can also cultuvate plants (with a knowledge of safe plants to eat in my area) and perform basic medical procedures in theory (never had to do anything, luckily).

But most people can't. I want to be able to do these things in game, as I know how to in real life. I'm fine with the fact that this means other people are able to in game, even if they're not able to in real life.

I agree with that last part about preppers and survivalists, though.

Edited January 6, 2015 by Beizs

[Evil Minion 943]

I play as lone wolf about 50% of the time and I want to playstyle to be nerfed hard. It's ridiculously easy and far too viable. I want it to be very challenging even without hostile surivivors because this would virtually improve any other way of gameplay. Humans are not meant to be solitary and hyperaggressive animals and they should not work as those in DayZ either.

 

Now I do not think it should be completely impossible to play on your own but this playstyle should require great care and skill as well as quite an amount of luck. This would make interactions with strangers more viable and also makes it possible to have challenging PvE and survival gamplay when playing in a group as well.

[pale1776 375]

I agree with that last part about preppers and survivalists, though.

And thats all that matters

[CJFlint 357]

I play as lone wolf about 50% of the time and I want to playstyle to be nerfed hard. It's ridiculously easy and far too viable. I want it to be very challenging even without hostile surivivors because this would virtually improve any other way of gameplay. Humans are not meant to be solitary and hyperaggressive animals and they should not work as those in DayZ either.

 

Now I do not think it should be completely impossible to play on your own but this playstyle should require great care and skill as well as quite an amount of luck. This would make interactions with strangers more viable and also makes it possible to have challenging PvE and survival gamplay when playing in a group as well.

It is pretty easy for me too. Some say it is hard to play solo, I find I surive longer in game solo. Its not hard for me anymore to do it. What makes it easy is water and food are really pretty easy to find in game, and water is every where. I think every player goes through kind of a learning process, and they get to the point were it almost starts seeming easy and less thrilling. I started off dieing sometimes twice a night being shot or dieing it seemed really hard, now I keep avatars alive for over a month. My 3pp public avatar has been alive since nov 12. Its kind of rare I die pvp and all, its been serveral months. I stay out of meat grinders instead shoot into them. Im almost......well bored with it, cant wait for GTA 5 to come out for pc lol. Def was not always the case though, god there was one night when 1st started I died 4 times in one night lol I kind of want that thrill back, you know when you 1st start playing...it was pretty intence. Thats when dayz is the funnest, I just dont get that feeling anymore.

 

With that said if you turn up the heat on seasoned player, your really turning it up on the new players. Thats the truth, becuase there is quite a learning curb in this game. I think it is even harder on new players now days then when I 1st started, same with you too.

Edited January 7, 2015 by CJFlint

[pale1776 375]

If you want"irl" get some random to do complex surgery on you and come back and tell us how it worked out for you.

I also have died zero times playing lone wolve in 140 hours,where as the buddies/clans deathmatch players die at a fairly high rate.This maybe why you want surgery because you want the easy way out of being a Bambie and gearing up after getting you ass handed to you everyday just by pressing "H heal" key for complex surgery .

If you don't like running of the beach,stop getting killed

Well Doctors are nothing but randoms who *gasp* learned how to do it. Anyone can learn anything, if they try. No, I wouldnt let a random do it now. But if it came down to letting him/her do it because they hae some knowledge and dying, Id take lightning bolt stitches anyday.

And good for you? Ive only lost characters to wipes. I play lone wolf, but there (despite most keyboard warriors [not you] beliefs) limitations to solitary living.

Oh, and maybe you should research who your flinging the pvp bandit kiddie crap at. If you had, you woulda seen that I am an advocate of the anti-kos party (kos is for kids who play the mass murderer, but its different when you kill out of fear or neccessity) and I actually play only with the crossbow/bow, magnum, and cowboy get-up.

Tl;--->DR<---

Read the whole comment, why should I water it down.

[Chaingunfighter 917]

I've never actually seen anyone argue against any of those ideas with the lone wolf defense except for the sanity idea. Crew-served weapons? Most people seem to be okay with them, and 99% of the time actual opposition to them is just the old "this isn't ArmA" conjecture. Also, crew-served weapons can be used fairly easily alone, you don't need two guys to shoot an M240 or PKM, it's just that carrying adequate ammunition is difficult... which is obviously a reasonable tradeoff to weapons with that capability. They aren't meant for lone wolves and that will be represented.

 

As for surgery, it just seems meh to me. I mean, with the medical skill the survivors have in game I wouldn't be surprised were it possible but it really depends on how complex they want to make the system. Surgery usually takes a complex medical environment to do and you can't do much more than rudimentary stuff with the medical equipment and world of Chernarus left behind. It's not a terrible idea but I don't really think it's necessary given that the amount of engine work needed to have it implemented right.

 

Sanity is just a bad idea in general because it's impossibly inconsistent and far too arbitrary. There's no "you need interaction with other people", and even if there were, it affects everyone to completely different degrees. There's just no real way it could be done in a fashion that works well for gameplay all around and at the same time isn't unrealistic or wonky.

[Jex 1104]

I also don't have the niceties of being able to apply blood bags or saline drips.

 

Something I practically never have to do with my friend so ur not missing out on much - doesn't anyone use either of these with any regularity?

[Jex 1104]

You Americans know how to party!

 

Seriously though, was that loaded or unloaded? The traditional British Army large vehicle is called a "4-tonner" (a Bedford MK) and when unloaded, in neutral and on a flat surface should be pushable by 4 people. That'll be 4 army trained people. Maybe it's just that you need 20 Americans for 4 Brits, that seems like a fair ratio.. ;)

 

Now to be fair the V3S in the game is, I think, about 5 tonnes and being built in Eastern Europe is bound to be made out of wrought iron so would literally feel like pushing a tank.

 

 

Anyway, all that aside I reckon that as a task pushing a vehicle should be a many person task, unless it's downhill when all you'd do is put it into neutral and let go of the handbrake. Without the engine running you'd have fun stopping it mind.

 

Try dragging around the typical trailer for that truck with one wheel missing and see how much fun you have....

[TheHermit (DayZ) 22]

I don't care what happens in real life.

 

This is a game, and for my needs, it needs to be entertainment.

 

I have no problem with the ultra simulation genre though, there are people that do enjoy it. But this game is not really that though, it is still a loot & shoot, or hide & thrive video game.

So, I come home from a long day at my real life job, looking to unwind for an hour on DayZ, maybe run across Severo. Right now, the game is doing a good job of entertaining me. There are some things that are too easy, I agree... but please keep it in the realm of possibility for single players.

 

Now Epoch, otoh... that is becoming not fun at all for the lone wolf lol.

Edited January 7, 2015 by TheHermit

[Etherious 907]

I am all for ideas that only groups could do, I don't mind. However, I can still survive by myself in DayZ, easily. Cooperation is never needed, for me at least. ^-^

[rickyriot 1009]

Something I practically never have to do with my friend so ur not missing out on much - doesn't anyone use either of these with any regularity?

I think I've only ever needed it once and in the mod not SA. It's more that you can't do it, rather than I need to do it.

[Caboose187 (DayZ) 3036]

Lone wolf here and I survive just fine.

Edited January 7, 2015 by Caboose187

[Jex 1104]

Now Epoch, otoh... that is becoming not fun at all for the lone wolf lol.

 

I gave up playing the mod a long time ago but would be interested to hear what you have to say about Epoch and why it's bad for lone wolves now :)

[Sirwarriant12 94]

While I enjoy playing with people, my life span drastically goes down. When playing with the people I play with my bandages get used up extremely fast, loot has to be shared, it's harder to stay undetected etc. Had a toon alive for like 3 months with playing pretty much everyday, then my friend wanted to go shoot some people in Berinzino, 5 minutes in a hacker ports over to me puts my guns away and bam is kill. I tend to be less alert when playing with a group because I feel like I don't have to with the extra eyes, so I am definitely more paranoid alone but again I live much longer. Playing solo, if you know what your doing enables you to live much longer than in a group but it can't beat dicking around in the game with your friends. When I play solo I stay in the wilderness more and head into towns and what not when i need loot and thats about it. I enjoy the woods and fields and the small little towns where no one is at, then with friends its to the larger towns etc. Both have their challenges but solo lets you focus on yourself only so is better for long term by far.

[tsandrey 379]

I play lone wolf, but I accept the limitations of that. I am considerably more likely to be attacked and if I am I have less chance of surviving it, I can't share out resources so whatever I can fit in my inventory is it and I leave stuff behind, I also don't have the niceties of being able to apply blood bags or saline drips.

You're actually less likely to be attacked, since it's easier to spot 2+ people than just 1. It's also harder to find enough resources when you're a group as food/water is then used much more often.

[Whyherro123 2283]

You're actually less likely to be attacked, since it's easier to spot 2+ people than just 1. It's also harder to find enough resources when you're a group as food/water is then used much more often.

No, it isn't. The amount of food you require as a group goes up on a linear scale, but the amount of "effort" (time taken, places searched, carrying capacity, etc) it takes to get that food decreases on an exponential scale, due to more available labor.

[Mookie (original) 799]

Co-operation is not needed. Right until the point when you actually do need it (ie near death). Then you will do anything for it. This is probably as much true IRL as it is in game IME.

[Rick Machete Grimes 1]

I started playing Dayz going in trusting - to a point, raising my hand, telling people I was friendly etc. A few times it was all good but usually when I had superior weaponry on show.. and almost pointed at them. Then they would be all friendly.

I would die, and do the same thing, wave, say hi etc, but people would kill me if they were armed better than I.

So I learnt my play style (and trust style)  suits the lone wolf way. I will spend time out bush but regularly go into towns and military bases.  

 

Before I go in I study the place and watch people. I try to avoid people if I can. However many times I've crossed paths with 1-2 people who've tried to kill me and in turn I've killed them.

Lone Wolf has it's strengths so I don't mind at all if the developers bring in crew fired weapons.

 

You'd be surprised at how much confusion, panic and damage you can cause with a mosin if you remain hidden and plan ahead a little ;)

Generally all I carry is the mosin, the Magnum and the fire axe.