Impressed

[Whipidhinio 7]

First of all. I have been following Dayz Standalone since its inception as a standalone. I was not however one of the first to purchase. Over the past two years I saw it grow slowly. But these past 8 months my Laptop has been incapable of playing this game, and have been watching it grow via a youtuber called K3nste. From what I have seen its been steady progress.

 

I have just made a PC on a budget, with a GTX 970 and an i5 4690k, with this I can now play Dayz to my hearts content. Now that I have had a couple of days to get used to it and the new surroundings I have to admit I am impressed. The new buildings in the airfield in the North East, new towns littered about (I know they've been around a while). A whole new amount of loot and craft-able items. Survival to me has become incredibly hard when it rains. I think maybe too hard for fresh spawns. I don't know if the developers are aware of this, but Ive only been able to make headway into the surviving, is when i'm lucky on a server that has not been looted in my area, and its not raining. I applaud this harder complex way of survival. But when you spawn fresh in the middle of nowhere when its raining. I just look for the highest building and jump off, because its too hard for a fresh spawn when you are damp as it turns into a viscous cycle. Like I said, I don't think the concept or the execution is wrong here, I just feel that the fresh spawned people should be given a chance in a harsher climate, I.E spawning with a Full raincoat and basic fireplace materials, but you don't get a torch... ? Just a suggestion to help the newbie characters without making their spawn OP compared to a sunny day spawn.

 

I don't want a load of haters on this, some critical feedback is welcome. But I just think that as a fresh spawn your character is a little F*@#ed when you spawn in the open and its raining. Other than that I find it easy enough when I have made a headway into it.

 

I would like to go back to the improvements I have seen. To me there is so much more now, which I love. Originally it was a simple process in Dayz to survive. It was spawn, look around for Food Water Ammunition Gun Tin-opener Rucksack. You were set. Now there's a load more I have to think about, warmth which is wood, therefore I need an axe, matches, clothing I wear. Its more complex now which I love and can see being really good in the future. I'm loving the game at the moment, unless its raining and im fresh, but everything else seems very good, I know there are some major bugs like swimming, which now there's a prison island involved might be more annoying than ever, but that will be fixed over time.

 

I have to say I am very impressed with the work and it is good work along with high quality stuff. Now that I have a powerful PC I can really appreciate the intensity they've gone into with the textures of the buildings and the items when in the inventory. Its to me reached a point where I can enjoy the game and now give feedback on what I feel works with gameplay. Ive never been a bug tester or finder, but I feel I am capable of playing something and giving good feedback rather than just bashing it.

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

Moved to new player discussion,  if its raining I usually just sprint to the nearest building shut myself inside and sprint circles until warm and rotate clothes with the ones I locate inside.  I then move from building to building doing this until I have the correct gear, seems to keep me warm during the monsoon.

Edited January 30, 2015 by Steak and Potatoes

[tommy290 941]

Do the heatpacks work? I've found them, but never when I was cold and wet so I've never actually tried using them.

[krazypenguin 174]

Do the heatpacks work? I've found them, but never when I was cold and wet so I've never actually tried using them.

Some people say no but they have always worked for me. Animal guts will keep you warm too.

OP - Agreed, I got DayZ SA quite a while back and, whilst I could see the potential, I only managed 20 hours before I gave up in frustration. Since coming back to it in the last month or so I've added another 200 odd hours.

The improvements have been massive and exceptional. But best of all the roadmap and dev input shows that it's just going to get even better.

With regard to spawning in the rain, you can also search the coastline for fishing boats which usually have raincoats. Also, crouch down on rocky ground and search for stone until you find one, then put the stone in your hand and, still looking at the stony ground, "craft improvised knife" Voila, most OP item in the game! Only uses 1 slot, can cut kindling and open tins perfectly. You still need to find matches to make a fire but otherwise you are pretty much good to go!

Edited January 30, 2015 by krazypenguin

[tommy290 941]

Some people say no buy they have always worked for me. Animal guts will keep you warm too.

OP - Agreed, I got DayZ SA quite a while baxk and, whilst I could see the potential, I only managed 20 hours before I gave up in frustration. Since coming back to it in the last month I've added another 200 odd hours.

The improvements have been massive and exceptional. But best of all the roadmap and dev inpit shows that it's just goong to get even better.

With regard to spawning in the rain, you can also search the coast line for fishing boats which usually have raincoats. Also, crouch down on rocky ground and search for stone until you find one, then put the stone in your hand and, still looking at the stony ground, "craft improvised knife" Voila, most OP item in the game! Only uses 1 slot, can cut kindling and open tins perfectly. You still need to find matches to make a fire but otherwise you are pretty much good to go!

 

I've been searching for screwdrivers to open cans since I can never find an actual canopener. I could've been making my own little knife this whole time?! Now I feel silly.

[tobias winfro 305]

Spawning in the middle of nowhere in the rain does add a degree of difficulty especially when you're a new player but its not impossible. When you get your bearings sprint to the nearest shelter like Steak had suggested and try to find warm dry clothes until you get a rain coat or gorka military jacket. If you're near the beach you can search for stones, when you find one put it in your hands and look at the ground again to make an improvised stone knife. Its quite durable and can dispatch a zed in a few hits, it also opens cans and can cut burlap or used to skin animals or human(if you're a cannibal), it can be used to chop kindling for fires or used to get a branch from an ashwood tree for an improved bow or fishing pole.

After you've been fed and get rid of the chills you can then start to build a life in chernarus, looking for a gun or a bigger backpack and the basic things you need to get to the next town. If you're playing on near full or full server be careful when dealing with other players as most tend to shoot on sight especially near the airfields and if you encounter others, don't shout friendly a bajillion times at them. Try to engage them in friendly banter( been shot too many times after saying I'm friendly).

Glad to hear you enjoy the game and the updates they are making to it, its been a slow process but they are doing good things in my opinion, yes it has problems but they are making progress. Stay safe and hope to see you down the road. Sorry if I'm going over things you may know already, just trying to be helpful

Edited January 30, 2015 by Tobias Winfro

[toasted duckie 156]

Nice to see that you're enjoying the game and its progress :)

I can imagine how it's a bit hard and harsh to survive when you're not used to the current game / environment mechanics. However, I never have any issues surviving as a fresh spawn, maybe you just have to keep trying / evaluating your strategy. Also, don't forget that the game is supposed to be a bit hard/harsh ;)

[Target Practice (DayZ) 1335]

This first post impressed me so much I actually logged back in after god knows how many months to give you beans.Good job sir, it's nice to see we're now at the stage where new players are coming in with open minds and actually contributing proper feedback rather than just OMG GAME NOT FINISH!!1 SCAM!!one!.

 

Here's to you sir, and many more like you.

[eno 1049]

OP- 

 

I came in with 0 knowledge of the game or the mod and with the most basic experience in Arma2 and 3- so I know a little about the trials of a total freshie... not just on the coast with nothing but a battery and a flashlight and some addidas- but with no idea of where to go from there. The map was entirely new to me... I had no idea there was an online map I could use instead of crafting one out of 4 maps I never seem to be able to find- I'd spawn in somewhere totally unknown, go somewhere totally unknown and get killed by something totally unknown (hypothermia? In a game? Never had that happen before!) 

 

I've always been a bit of a forum guy so it was my first stop after I was proving to be exquisitely unsuccessful in my approach. I paid particular interest to the "How was your DayZ" thread and learned how other new folks were adapting to the game. Little tricks emerged as they made discoveries and elaborated on them a little. A few trips to the wiki also helped somewhat but I'm told they're quite outdated. So that thread became my wiki. 

 

While I'm not going to hate on the suggestion that the fresh spawns have it too hard... I'm going to disagree with it. It's not that I enjoy fresh spawning in to find that I'm already being mauled by zombies or that I can't find an ounce of food before starving to death with 4 cans of food on me and no way to open them (I thought). But I will recommend that you not sit around and wait for the game to change to suit you and instead put some energy into learning how to adapt to it. 

 

 

The improvised knife is- bar nothing- probably one of the best features of the game to enhance survival. Use it to chop kinding from bushes... use it to open cans, quarter and skin animals... cut burlap strips... cut ashwood branches off... chop the top off a plastic bottle to make a fish trap... pluck seeds out of vegetables for future use- I mean the thing does almost everything you need to prepare yourself for opportunity. Sure, maybe it won't allow you to dig for worms... and it won't help you prepare a hole to plant a seed... and I'm not sure it's a great weapon to fight off a zombie- but it is a tool that truly maximizes your potential while only taking ONE slot! Amazing... and in fact in some respects may have made survival TOO easy. 

 

I encourage you to go and write a diary of your own in the "how was your dayz" thread. It's fun to look back at my first posts and see the things I didn't know that I do now... and how many pieces of the developers intentions have fallen into place. There are still a few missing- make no mistake... but that's what we signed up for! 

 

See ya!

Edited January 31, 2015 by ENO75

[DaTerroristG 2]

Raincoats also help from the rain and prevent you from getting wet. Idk if someone mentioned it but didn't take the time to read some of the longer novels (paragraph)

[Whipidhinio 7]

I have to say there's been some great responses. I will add though I do know most things about the game as like I said, I have been keeping up to date with the additions through K3nste, and having played it a while back. So I am not a complete novice or stick in the mud when it comes to starting. I did not know however that the animals guts could be used, and now I have learnt something to my arsenal. I would like to reiterate my finite point though of the fresh spawn whilst raining. I want to emphasise not on the lack of surviving tools or techniques, as I know some and you guys have said as well, there are plenty when you spawn. Its more to do with the immediacy of getting those techniques done, the very beginning of spawning its raining its going to be raining all day, im absolutely nowhere and there's no loot whatsoever. Which has happened to me more than once. That's the small thing I would like to see adjusted. I can only really suggest a raincoat on spawn without going over the top. But I think that would be enough for anyone to get past that steep incline there is occasionally.

 

Do you guys agree? Just a small tiny help on those occasions? Or Disagree, do you think im jumping the gun and there's no trending issue?

 

On a side note, Is it about time we dispensed with the torch (flashlight) as I have never felt the need to have one....

[eno 1049]

I respectfully disagree-

 

I get what you're saying- and agree that it is hard. I also have no idea whatsoever why we have the flashlight. I have started keeping the battery, however.

 

I do, however, disagree that we need additional protection because it's raining out. It'd be like starting you out with a melee weapon (in case zombies are nearby), a down jacket (if it's cold) and sun glasses (if it's sunny.)  

[Kirov (DayZ) 585]

Do you guys agree? Just a small tiny help on those occasions? Or Disagree, do you think im jumping the gun and there's no trending issue?

 

I can't say I agree. With time, you're bound to learn how to deal with all the adverse situations, just remember that sometimes good clothing is a better catch than a weapon and you should focus on the former rather than the latter. When I spawn, I thoroughly loot any kind of nearby house and shack, not only the fat ones, and if everything's gone (which I rarely find to be the case), I go to the nearest inland smaller town (from Berezino you can go to Khelm or Dubrovka, from Solnichniy - to Dolina and Polana, from that spawn between Cherno and Elektro - try Pusta, etc.). There you should find all you need for basic survival. Until I'm fully geared I never omit any sheds, shacks, garages, etc. for ropes and matches to keep me fed and warm.

 

And I agree with people here that the stone knife is just the best. It can do so much I honestly believe it's just OP. It's also a good weapon against zeds (1-2 headshot kills and the second one is easy when the zed gets up from the ground), although you need to come closer so you're more prone to zombie glitches or low FPS issues. I hope the devs nerf it somehow (3-slot size makes it still indispensable), more survival options shouldn't just by definition make it ridiculously easy to survive as an outdoorsman, as it is right now.

[Avant-Garde 229]

 

and I'm not sure it's a great weapon to fight off a zombie

It is exelent, the animations looks like the punching, but kill zeds in 2 (or 3 don't remember now) hits to th head, Aim with the animation and do not walk foward + strafe left/right when you click to attack because that breaks the animation. You dodge the zed attack, and then hit him, its a very good weapon if you respect the zed intiative and react accordingly. Go full caveman against the zeds!

 

Think about it, stone knife is all you said + uses only 1 space in inventory + rekt zeds left and right + you find it everywhere. Best item ingame?

Edited February 2, 2015 by Avant-Garde

[eno 1049]

^ Good to know... 

 

First steps in game: 

 

1) Throw away flashlight / battery.

2) Take off shirt and create rags.

3) Search for stone and create stone knife