Vanilla, is it all out PVP now?

[Jock McScottish 216]

Just asking people. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining about being murdered, I have played long enough to know that if you die, its because of your own mistakes, and as an average at best player who always goes it alone, I make plenty! Its just that a year or so back, you would bump into fellow players the odd time who would interact with you before shooting! Due to the hours I work though recently I am only able to play at night on the busy US434 vanilla server, and its been tough! When trying to make the trip up north through the constant well chasing zed infested latest patch, I have been KOS. Both times with nothing more than a trusty baseball bat first time, and a bloody crossbow with a heap of zeds on me second time!

 

In all my time playing I can proudly say I have never shot at a fellow survivor who hasn't shot at me first on the mod, but is it finally time to treat vanilla servers as all out PVP?

[BC_Hawke 276]

No, there's plenty of great non-PvP interactions to be had in the mod, but you still have to be cautious and watch your back.  Vanilla DayZ mod is not some RP game with rules against KOS.  There's three big factors that determine whether or not you get KOS'd in vanilla mod (434 in particular, I play exclusively on that server).

 

1. The luck of who you run into.  There's a pretty good mix of bandits & survivors on 434, and a few heroes here and there.  The known good bandit squad on the server (Frogs) don't really waste their time shooting fresh spawns or under geared people unless you run into their territory (they currently have a base near Stary).  Sometimes you'll run into nice people and sometimes you run into bandits.  That's just how it is.
2. Your ability to spot other players before they spot you.  This is crucial.  You'll have a much better time surviving if you maintain the upper hand while approaching people.  Players often shoot other players out of fear or just the rush of PvP because they haven't seen anyone in a while.  If you can approach someone while tactically keeping the high ground, you can reach out via direct chat and often times get a good response.  Just don't run straight up to people yelling "FRIENDLY!" or expect players not to shoot you when you're minding your own business derping around town out in broad daylight (or moonlight in your case).  Keep your head on a swivel and be aware of your surroundings.  Always keep some sort of cover if you can and avoid aggroing zombies if at all possible (aggro'd zombies make you super easy to spot).
3. You humanity.  MAINTAIN SURVIVOR HUMANITY LEVEL.  People are much less prone to trust you if you're a bandit.

 

Additionally, I'd say just flat out don't trust bandits.  My squad, which for the most part is a friendly squad, has a zero tolerance policy with bandit skins.  People get butt hurt about being KOS'd as bandits, often using the "but I'm only a bandit b/c of self defense!!!" excuse.  Well, there *are* means by which to raise your humanity in the mod, people are just too impatient and/or put more emphasis on PvP and not losing gear than maintaining humanity.  I'll never get why a player that's a fairly fresh spawn with a patrol pack and and enfield will return fire on an attacking survivor, losing 2k humanity over his bottom tier loot rather than attempting to flee, defusing the situation, or disabling the attacker.  It's WAY easier to get back a patrol pack and and enfield than it is the 2k+ humanity that you lose for killing the attacker.  This approach of helping survivors but killing bandits gives you a lot of good interaction but also keeps you fresh on your PvP skills.  

[StrongBean 12]

I exclusively play Europa server and it's certainly not an all out PVP/KoS deathmatch. I think because of the nature of vanilla it's often hard to get anywhere by yourself for extended periods opf time so groups are formed and the players may want to make new relationships with other fellow survivors.

 

There's still snipers in Elektro, Cherno is never friendly and many bandits want your beans but there's a lot of good guys out there!

[Jock McScottish 216]

No, there's plenty of great non-PvP interactions to be had in the mod, but you still have to be cautious and watch your back.  Vanilla DayZ mod is not some RP game with rules against KOS.  There's three big factors that determine whether or not you get KOS'd in vanilla mod (434 in particular, I play exclusively on that server).

 

1. The luck of who you run into.  There's a pretty good mix of bandits & survivors on 434, and a few heroes here and there.  The known good bandit squad on the server (Frogs) don't really waste their time shooting fresh spawns or under geared people unless you run into their territory (they currently have a base near Stary).  Sometimes you'll run into nice people and sometimes you run into bandits.  That's just how it is.
2. Your ability to spot other players before they spot you.  This is crucial.  You'll have a much better time surviving if you maintain the upper hand while approaching people.  Players often shoot other players out of fear or just the rush of PvP because they haven't seen anyone in a while.  If you can approach someone while tactically keeping the high ground, you can reach out via direct chat and often times get a good response.  Just don't run straight up to people yelling "FRIENDLY!" or expect players not to shoot you when you're minding your own business derping around town out in broad daylight (or moonlight in your case).  Keep your head on a swivel and be aware of your surroundings.  Always keep some sort of cover if you can and avoid aggroing zombies if at all possible (aggro'd zombies make you super easy to spot).
3. You humanity.  MAINTAIN SURVIVOR HUMANITY LEVEL.  People are much less prone to trust you if you're a bandit.

 

Additionally, I'd say just flat out don't trust bandits.  My squad, which for the most part is a friendly squad, has a zero tolerance policy with bandit skins.  People get butt hurt about being KOS'd as bandits, often using the "but I'm only a bandit b/c of self defense!!!" excuse.  Well, there *are* means by which to raise your humanity in the mod, people are just too impatient and/or put more emphasis on PvP and not losing gear than maintaining humanity.  I'll never get why a player that's a fairly fresh spawn with a patrol pack and and enfield will return fire on an attacking survivor, losing 2k humanity over his bottom tier loot rather than attempting to flee, defusing the situation, or disabling the attacker.  It's WAY easier to get back a patrol pack and and enfield than it is the 2k+ humanity that you lose for killing the attacker.  This approach of helping survivors but killing bandits gives you a lot of good interaction but also keeps you fresh on your PvP skills.  

 

cheers for the tips BC my good man. Listen, I know vanilla isn't RP, just was a wee bit shocked that I was so quickly taken out by other players when I wasn't much of a threat, unless bleeding with a group of zeds on my trail looked threatening! Maybe it was a mercy kill lol- Thing is, when I was playing I had came home, had a few Gin and tonics and felt brave enough to run from forest straight into a supermarket as the old hunger and thirst levels were starting to become a worry. Just knowing its vanilla though- you kind of hope that theres a chance a player might just help you out of trouble instead of blowing you away, no questions asked. I was probably a bit drunk and butthurt about being killed when I posted! I only shoot at bandits anyway, wouldn't give up my survivor skin for anything! Thanks again for the tips though, any tips are always welcome for loner players like myself on the latest vanilla patch.

[Jock McScottish 216]

I exclusively play Europa server and it's certainly not an all out PVP/KoS deathmatch. I think because of the nature of vanilla it's often hard to get anywhere by yourself for extended periods opf time so groups are formed and the players may want to make new relationships with other fellow survivors.

 

There's still snipers in Elektro, Cherno is never friendly and many bandits want your beans but there's a lot of good guys out there!

 

I like the Europa server strongbeam my good man, but my problem is Im usually on too late, and its usually dark there by the time I hop on. That's why I jump on the higher ping us434 server, but surviving alone is really tough now on the latest patch(the way it should be!) and I love the challenge of travelling up north, so I don't see much of cherno and elektro anyway when I play :)

[Aidsplosion 36]

If it's too late for you, you might wanna try our server. It's a month old and we have decent players. Most people don't go all out pvp, but you still have to watch your back, especially if you have a vehicule or something that looks of value.
See sig

[Jock McScottish 216]

If it's too late for you, you might wanna try our server. It's a month old and we have decent players. Most people don't go all out pvp, but you still have to watch your back, especially if you have a vehicule or something that looks of value.

See sig

 

Thanks for the offer bro, I will check your server out! Thing is, I don't mind being killed. Its what happens when you prefer to play alone, one wrong move and its curtains... I was just asking around as the vanilla is private nowadays, and if its clan vs clan heavy an average survivor like me will always be shot on sight, no questions asked. I have played many versions of the mod, and have bumped into a few good guys in the past. The mod is getting older though, and I was thinking that the players left, especially on vanilla are all seasoned players who could travel the map blindfolded, with a squad of similar level players watching their back and the day of the lone player trying to nip around hoping to survive on their wits are over.

[HappyXceed (DayZ) 28]

Short answer, yes. Long answer, yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees.

[Aidsplosion 36]

Thanks for the offer bro, I will check your server out! Thing is, I don't mind being killed. Its what happens when you prefer to play alone, one wrong move and its curtains... I was just asking around as the vanilla is private nowadays, and if its clan vs clan heavy an average survivor like me will always be shot on sight, no questions asked. I have played many versions of the mod, and have bumped into a few good guys in the past. The mod is getting older though, and I was thinking that the players left, especially on vanilla are all seasoned players who could travel the map blindfolded, with a squad of similar level players watching their back and the day of the lone player trying to nip around hoping to survive on their wits are over.

We still receive an impressive amount of people that claim to be "new to DayZ". Some of them might be lying to attract people to kill, but most of the time it is true. Except this week when I got shot and lost a chopper. The guy crashed it 10 minutes later.

Still, I'm trying to make people commit to the server, so I help out freshspawns as much as I can, even if I die here and there.

But sometimes, it's just fun to be an asshole :D

[Jock McScottish 216]

Short answer, yes. Long answer, yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees.

So that's a big yes then ;)

[knoCC (DayZ) 211]

Depends on the server, but as others have said....yes. Earn as you learn baby. I tend to be wary of all people when I'm roaming about Chernarus. I am the Friendliest Bandit you'll ever meet on DayZ. I get a thrill out of killing Heroes. I wish I knew why because I'm a generally nice person. Something about their look. Bullet Catcher made some fantastic points and you gotta respect that. I think it's up to you how far you want to trust someone. Not all people are out to get you, but always be aware. When you find a server you like, you'll know who the Bandits and Heroes are. Good Luck Young Jock, maybe one day I'll see you on the beaten path and invite you to my house in Stary for some Summer sausage and a cold one...

 

A wise man once gave me this advice when I told him I wanted to become a Bandit...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7bHCs_iu9w

[Purist1620 1]

No, there's plenty of great non-PvP interactions to be had in the mod, but you still have to be cautious and watch your back.  Vanilla DayZ mod is not some RP game with rules against KOS.  There's three big factors that determine whether or not you get KOS'd in vanilla mod (434 in particular, I play exclusively on that server).

 

1. The luck of who you run into.  There's a pretty good mix of bandits & survivors on 434, and a few heroes here and there.  The known good bandit squad on the server (Frogs) don't really waste their time shooting fresh spawns or under geared people unless you run into their territory (they currently have a base near Stary).  Sometimes you'll run into nice people and sometimes you run into bandits.  That's just how it is.
2. Your ability to spot other players before they spot you.  This is crucial.  You'll have a much better time surviving if you maintain the upper hand while approaching people.  Players often shoot other players out of fear or just the rush of PvP because they haven't seen anyone in a while.  If you can approach someone while tactically keeping the high ground, you can reach out via direct chat and often times get a good response.  Just don't run straight up to people yelling "FRIENDLY!" or expect players not to shoot you when you're minding your own business derping around town out in broad daylight (or moonlight in your case).  Keep your head on a swivel and be aware of your surroundings.  Always keep some sort of cover if you can and avoid aggroing zombies if at all possible (aggro'd zombies make you super easy to spot).
3. You humanity.  MAINTAIN SURVIVOR HUMANITY LEVEL.  People are much less prone to trust you if you're a bandit.

 

Additionally, I'd say just flat out don't trust bandits.  My squad, which for the most part is a friendly squad, has a zero tolerance policy with bandit skins.  People get butt hurt about being KOS'd as bandits, often using the "but I'm only a bandit b/c of self defense!!!" excuse.  Well, there *are* means by which to raise your humanity in the mod, people are just too impatient and/or put more emphasis on PvP and not losing gear than maintaining humanity.  I'll never get why a player that's a fairly fresh spawn with a patrol pack and and enfield will return fire on an attacking survivor, losing 2k humanity over his bottom tier loot rather than attempting to flee, defusing the situation, or disabling the attacker.  It's WAY easier to get back a patrol pack and and enfield than it is the 2k+ humanity that you lose for killing the attacker.  This approach of helping survivors but killing bandits gives you a lot of good interaction but also keeps you fresh on your PvP skills.  

 

 

 

Exactly this and well said Bullet. I recently change over from Bandit to Survivor. What a great change for me.  :)

Edited April 22, 2015 by Purist1620

[lt dan 7]

I don't spend much time in coastal areas, but I find people there (with less to lose) to be friendlier and willing to take a risk in talking instead of shooting. 

 

In my experience with fights, 90% of the time, whoever spots the other guy first wins. Instead of shooting right away, its more rewarding (and much more fun) to call out in direct once you are aimed and confident you could kill him if he turns to aim at you. People you spare in this way may prove to be the most loyal of friends.

 

The most unfriendly place I know of is NWAF, I have never encountered a friendly player there, and have got the jump on many people and given them a chance to be friendly.

 

If you want to work together with someone, I recommend either talking face to face as a fresh spawn, or if you are north to try to not let them see you while you talk until they agree they are friendly.

 

I have never had anyone claim they are friendly and then attack me in vanilla, although I know it sometimes happens.