Harsh Transition

[Xadie 16]

I'm a guy coming from playing strictly MMORPG's, never touched any FPS/Shooter/Survival games. I played RPG's growing up and when WoW came out I played that for 10 years, I finally got tired of it. A different kind of tired feeling though cause I would have that feeling of boredom, take a break and come back but this time. I have 0 interest in coming back to WoW cause the game disgust me now. I did well in PvP competitively, I mostly did arena. Highest I ever got was 2514 for those who know of or play WoW that's a nice feat I believe.

 

I've been watching DayZ videos off and on for a year, watching Frankie, Goldglove, Sacriel and Jam Jar. The game had my attention but, I was never sure about actually playing it because it looks harsh on noobs/bambi's like me. A friend gifted it to me through Steam and so I had no more excuses not to play it, I play it and my experience of it was in this thread I made http://forums.dayzgame.com/index.php?/topic/227338-my-first-week-experience/...

 

I love the game for what it is, would say I have a good hold on things but...honestly whenever I meet an unfriendly player who wants to kill me 85% of the time I die sadly, I don't mind dying. It actually motivates me to be a better player but when that will be god only knows...

 

So, how long do you think it wilI take before I can hold my own and survive a firefight being this fresh to this kind of game?

Edited July 27, 2015 by BobMcnjr

[frosti 2165]

Hmm...

 

Players who choose to Kill on Sight are like those who choose to play as Rogue or Mage in Warcraft.

 

Players who try to interact with others are Warlocks, Shamans, Warriors, Paladins, Druids, Hunters, Priests and Monks.

 

And the DayZ is a PvP server...

[Death By Crowbar 1213]

It depends on how you view the game. Are you a Counter Strike or CoD straight FPS player who feels no remorse about killing anyone they see? Or are you a MMO player who is used to working with others and understands the consequences of losing your coprse/gear? If you're a straight KOS player, then it won't take long. If you're someone who values player interaction and doesn't view everyone as a moving target, it's going to take some time. If it's the latter then my advice is to gear up and play on a low pop server and practice on zombies... snipe them, get them chasing you, fight them in close quarters, learn how to shoot from the hip and also taking careful aim, learn how (or how not to) shoot after running when the sway is huge, etc.

[blackberrygoo 1416]

It took me about 6 months playing at least a couple hours a day to get to the point where I can actively run through high population towns and meet people without succumbing to their banditry . All it takes is for you to die a couple dozen times and make sure you learn something from each death!

[Deathlove 2280]

All it takes is for you to die a couple dozen times and make sure you learn something from each death!

Pshhh ONLY a couple dozen times....... XD

 

By that time you'd be the fucking Highlander. Good thing they haven't learned to cut your head off! 83

 

Now all you need is your sword! Go find one! :o

Edited July 27, 2015 by Deathlove

[Xadie 16]

I had a sword yesterday actually, I was very happy with it. Reminded me of playing my Arms Warrior in WoW.

[gannon46 788]

glad you like it i have sort of the same origin with this game but it was the mod that got its tentacles in me first so to speak. you'll get better with time no one is the man at this and if they are they aren't legit. we all die sometimes a lot and sometimes we last awhile if you want to survive for a long time combat is something you do not want to engage in yet it can get boring at least to me funny i was happy to avoid combat in metal gear and hitman but in this you gotta get into the shit and fell those shakes....adrenaline junkies all of us.

[Mookie (original) 799]

I think it's a much tougher and more masochistic experience than any MMORPG I've played, partly by design, and partly because the game is alpha, so has all sorts of interesting glitches.

 

That said, it depends how you play it. If you want to have a laugh, interact, wear a pink dress, die a lot in Cherno that's fine.

 

But if you want to actually try to survive for as long as possible, it's a different story. At least until persistence is sorted out, there is no save game, no Eve Online station holding your stuff safe and sound.

[jtberry2000 27]

I've got about 80 hrs in. Have been playing on low pop " friendly no KoS server", just to get more comfortable with everything. Got KoS'd today. Live and learn.

[freethink 984]

Die loads of times. Get used to the adrenaline of fire fights. Don't play on low pops as all you'll get is super geared server hoppers plus playing on low pops lowers your guard so when you do meet a play you panic. On high pops even though you mightn't see a player for ages it's not as much of a shock.

Never say "Friendly!" - Just say hello or hey man but don't approach a geared player and expect them to adopt you.

If you are running in the open - zigzag in an unpredictable manner. You'll be hard to hit. Don't go left for a sec, right for a sec, then left for a sec. Mix it up. Go left, right, left, left or whatever. Most times I fancy my chances v a geared player just by running. Run away then circle back around the back of them then choose your moment to kill.

If you do make contact, never stop and talk - keep moving back and forth so he or his sniper pal doesn't have an easy shot.

[Reg Park 160]

ive noticed NOTHING is guaranteed in this game, especially combat situations. but there are things you can learn from experience (lots of pvp), that will help increase your odds....you will eventually die though. i have many hours in the game and i still lose fights, not as much as the first 500 hours but when you're greatly outnumbered, it's not always realistic to survive against experienced groups (takes more strategy). patience can help you and hurt you, rushing like rambo can do the same... but knowing when to do each is key. how and when to shoot, etc.... just getting armed and finding players to fight is what is going to get you the experience, learning what works, what doesn't. it does take time... and this game is so clunky with the poor fps and desync, pvp does not always go your way. scout out the area first, seeing players before they see you is nice advantage. obviously the more you do it, the more calm you will become in those situations. watching experienced pvp players on youtube may also give you ideas.

[Parazight 1594]

Hmm...

Players who choose to Kill on Sight are like those who choose to play as Rogue or Mage in Warcraft.

Players who try to interact with others are Warlocks, Shamans, Warriors, Paladins, Druids, Hunters, Priests and Monks.

And the DayZ is a PvP server...

That's rubbish, regarding wow classes. And wow pvp is totally different. You don't lose your gear.

[Xadie 16]

Bad day Rick?

[Funkmaster Rick 373]

Freethink has a load of good points there.

 

As for improving your fighting skills, I recommend playing similar games. ArmA 3 would probably be the place to go these days for good milsim experience. And don't kid yourself - that's what this game demands, if you're going to survive or win fights in DayZ SA. That being said, there are a few other viable options. CS:GO competitive is good for developing a decent twitch reflex and intuition for cover and positioning. Insurgency is even better. As much as it pains me to say this, CoD probably has a few things to offer - mostly in terms of running and navigation in various environments, in my humble opinion.

 

Mostly though, if you want to survive in DayZ, or accomplish anything interesting, you've got to learn how to think like other people.

[deadjuice 64]

It's hard to say, because DayZ isn't just any FPS or 3rd person shooter with survival elements: it's also partially a simulation game.
It is not pick-up-and-play, like Battlefield and Call Of Duty. 
I believe your high level RPG play will help you with making quick decisions and such. But for someone new to the genre, I predict it will take you from 50 to 100 hours to get the solid basics down. 
 

I myself have a wide range of gaming experience, mostly in 3rd person and FPSs, and it took me about that amount of hours to stop sucking and start getting it down and being reasonably decent in PVP.


But again, it's hard to say what would help you, or to give any tips, because DayZ has a lot of emergence elements.
In everything from friendly interactions to firefights, the "meta" of the game changes constantly.
 

If you want to practice your PVP, or have a come-what-may attitude, then go to a public server:

Public servers allow you to carry a toon from one to another. This allows people to server-hop, and obtain the best gear in the shortest amount of time.
This adds several rather obvious elements: 
1. People can quickly have good gear, and won't be too afraid to lose it, thus resulting in them being more aggressive and PvP oriented. 

2. They will constantly meet with like-minded people following the same paradigm, and thus be much more ready for combat. 

e.g. people that server hop will kill other server hoppers they run across. And even players that hang on that particular server will kill people if they think they are server hoppers.

3. Anyone being able to jump with their Public toon to any server, makes public servers both wonderfully unpredictable, and horrifically chaotic.

My best advice, to someone who is brand new, is to play mostly on private servers. 
People in private servers are slightly more likely to be friendly, because they have a bit more to lose from dying, or are comfortable with the general players and attitude that inhabits that particular server.
And when persistence returns in .58, people on private servers (who can't server-jump or ghost), will generally be slightly less aggressive, and more leaning toward actual survival in attitude.

 

Edited July 31, 2015 by Deadjuice

[deadjuice 64]

Die loads of times. Get used to the adrenaline of fire fights. Don't play on low pops as all you'll get is super geared server hoppers plus playing on low pops lowers your guard so when you do meet a play you panic. On high pops even though you mightn't see a player for ages it's not as much of a shock.

Never say "Friendly!" - Just say hello or hey man but don't approach a geared player and expect them to adopt you.

If you are running in the open - zigzag in an unpredictable manner. You'll be hard to hit. Don't go left for a sec, right for a sec, then left for a sec. Mix it up. Go left, right, left, left or whatever. Most times I fancy my chances v a geared player just by running. Run away then circle back around the back of them then choose your moment to kill.

If you do make contact, never stop and talk - keep moving back and forth so he or his sniper pal doesn't have an easy shot.

Also: every single thing this guy says. 

Except for the last part:

If you run into genuinely friendly or reasonable people, constantly moving around will just scare them, and make them think you're going to attack or something.

I'd advise moving as socially appropriate (in DayZ) as possible: 

Move to the let when you say one thing, move to the right ONLY AFTER the next sentence. And NEVER move toward them, unless you KNOW they trust you 100% to do so.

[Funkmaster Rick 373]

Deadjuice has an excellent point there. DayZ is a particularly interesting game: nowhere else have I had a perfectly polite conversation with another person while we're both ducking in and out of cover for fear of the other being a bandit.

[8bit_Survivor 93]

I agree with Deadjuice. I almost always prefer interaction over KoS. But if I meet someone who keeps moving all over like a twitchy crack head, they are dead. Can't trust crack heads, I prefer to stay in partial cover and just don't sit and talk with anyone for too long.

This isn't a social club anyway. Ask what you need to and move on. If you're gonna team up do so but figure this out as quickly as possible.

[xalienax 621]

I agree with Deadjuice. I almost always prefer interaction over KoS. But if I meet someone who keeps moving all over like a twitchy crack head, they are dead. Can't trust crack heads, I prefer to stay in partial cover and just don't sit and talk with anyone for too long.

This isn't a social club anyway. Ask what you need to and move on. If you're gonna team up do so but figure this out as quickly as possible.

^ This. And as an old dayZ clanner heres some more tips for spotting and avoiding obvious 'bad situations' that some newer players might over look-

 

- ALWAYS recon first, and 'keep your head on a swivel'. scout an area out before moving in. know whats going on, and know what your going in for. be quick and deliberate and get out.

- Like in MMOs pre-formeds rule over pickups. If you see a group of players moving together, best to avoid. 99% chance they aren't a 'random pickup' squad and will probably just kill you and split your stuff sooner then take you in or help you in any way.

- Watch 'body language' during an encounter. You can tell a lot about someone intentions by how they position thier characters, if they keep trying to move around you, etc. If you find yourself forced into a situation where you have to deal with a group, be mindful of other group members trying to bet behind you while your talking to someone.

- Kill people who stall during a conversation. if they cant or refuse to give straight answers and seem to be 'beating around the bush.. cap'em and move on.

[eno 1049]

Deadjuice has an excellent point there. DayZ is a particularly interesting game: nowhere else have I had a perfectly polite conversation with another person while we're both ducking in and out of cover for fear of the other being a bandit.

 

I actually agree with the sniper shuffle back and forth... not to say I disagree with the logic behind being careful with it. Generally I'll still move back and forth as I talk to someone- and if they do the same to me I know it's because they don't trust me either. In my opinion it's just smart play and if I come across someone who does it I know they're not brand new to the game or at least smart enough to be suspicious of everyone.

 

I'm about 700 hours in and still suck at the pvp stuff- I die... that's just what I do. I've grown up through the game really, really trying hard not to kill people and that has resulted in being reluctant to do what is necessary to kill. ie: kill more people and get good at it.

 

With that said, one thing I did get pretty good at was the conversations and initiating contact in a way that is less suspicious. I still trust people too much- but I've stumbled across some great warning signs. I won't bore you with them since the game was more fun before I figured them out and knew my way around the map.  Needless to say starting with "friendly" as mentioned above is a direct route to being killed. The white armband people are wearing now adays... that too. 

 

As for what is concerning you regarding what you've been watching- that subject has come up recently in another thread as well for this exact reason. Basically the representation of all these pvp circus streamers versus what the game is ACTUALLY supposed to be. Unfortunately what the streamers do accurately represent is a common mindset about what DayZ is NOW- not what it intends to be... not what it's GOING to be- but more what it is during this painful transition between being nothing and being something. Part of the reason it's a common mindset is because guys like you watch the videos and come in thinking that's what it's all about. Stupid voices... idiotic pvp engagements... slapglitch comedy...

 

There are a TON of videos out there showing pvpers out there doing whatever they do... and some are good at it. But as a mindset I think these guys are generally very "LOOK AT HOW AMAZING I AM" followed by 20000 videos of gunfighting in a couple of blocks of Cheranus. 

 

Meanwhile the group of guys who are quite happy to move inland and live under the tree canopy with leather crafted clothing and hunting animals with bow and arrows are are characteristically quieter crowd that have a few "how to videos." They're more like the quiet professors while the pvp clique are the sassy teenagers tangled up in their own ball of pubic hair.

 

I didn't play a LOT of Arma2 and while I did play some Arma3 was never very good at it. There aren't a lot of keys to learn but the crafting "recipes" are daunting... fun to learn and experiment with but it takes some getting used to.  

 

But as a guy that had no experience with the mod, I've found the transition just uncomfortable enough to keep me engaged but not SO distasteful to make me not want to come back to it- as my ~700 hours or so attests.