Did I do something wrong? Sniping in the Airfield

[☣BioHaze☣ 7337]

Not only would I have killed him, I would have released my manly paste inside of his corpse. Just sayin'.

 

 

I thought you didn't fap over the corpses, Ricky-poo?

 

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So many ways people play now are not sustainable.

 

I can't wait for the upcoming features to completely fuck over a lot of peoples PvP play styles. :D

[Schlake 2]

So, I tend to be a lone wolf. I just like running the map, searching for heli crashes, farming, coming up with loot mini-games like an all-black pristine night outfit, full pristine med kits, etc. I really try to avoid player interactions, because they so rarely go well. I typically want to help people, but the few interactions I've had, I've been shot on sight, with little/no time to even assess the motives of others. So I play on one particular low-pop server almost exclusively (except when it's down): "Base of Operations - Home of SF."

 

In general, I've been questioning my approach to this game lately: Avoiding people because I don't wanna lose my gear, preferring to run away rather than engage people, playing on low-pop servers, etc. I'd had an encounter 2 days ago, a guy ran into a barracks I was looting, I drew first, gunned him down from the hip with my AUG. So I got a taste for combat, and felt justified bc I could see him raising his weapon.

 

So I ran up on NWAF, looking to loot the officer tent on the west side. I know the state of these buildings on this server. The officer's tent is the only one that seems to spawn useful loot. As usual, I crept up in the trees east of the runway and looked through the PSO-1 attached to my AK-101. I was shocked to see a fairly geared-looking dude running out of the officer tent. Then the adrenaline rush. What do I do? He's nabbing high-value loot, but I'm in no danger... yet. I'm highly geared. AK101 I found this morning, 4 mags I'd had waiting for the AK to go in, smersh vest, full Gorka. A lot to lose. A lot of firepower. Am I gonna let him take all this loot? Did he see me? I should kill him, what am I waiting for? Am I hidden enough? Am I being a p*ssy? Should I let him go?

 

All these things running through my head. I watched him from my tree as he left the barracks just north of the officer's tent. I watched him run through the warehouses. Then I caught a view of the helicopter crash he was about to loot. That's when I decided I was going to kill him. Hey, it's the NWAF. Combat zone. I'm justified. Right?

 

As he ran around the heli, I felt my heart rate surge, and consciously started taking deep breaths and relaxing my arms/shoulders. As he stopped to pick something up, I took my shot. Direct hit upper center of mass. The recoil of the AK-101 was surprisingly low (I'd never even shot it once!), and I got another one off before he started moving, also CoM.  The two that followed were on-target, but mostly ceremonial. He dropped. I took another one while he was down, to make sure. I'd seen streamers do that.

 

I ran up to his body, and as I searched his stuff, I started getting a sick feeling in my guts. I knew he'd have nothing for me. I'm really happy with my gear situation. I didn't have the heart to check his pulse, and I just ran away after barely looking through his stuff, taking nothing, hoping he was just unconscious, and he'd recover. I'm pretty sure he didn't. I didn't even think to bandage him.

 

I don't know man, I don't know if I did the right thing here. Why am I such a carebear? Or am I a monster? He wasn't a threat to me, but he probably would have killed me on sight. It's the NWAF. I've played FPS's since the original Quake. I'm a really good shot, and I hardly ever get to use my weapon. It's a game. But I've been killed on sight, and sometimes it feels like more than just a game.

 

I could definitely use some feedback here. Would you have taken the shot? Let me know why/why not.

Good god it's a video game. 

[ColdAtrophy 1850]

Good god it's a video game. 

 

Like ikr. How dare he get immersed in a video game with a stated primary goal of immersion from a developer that has a history of creating immersive games? 

[Mookie (original) 799]

Good god it's a video game. 

 

Good God, you're posting in a forum about video games.

[Funkmaster Rick 373]

OP, that was an excellent read. I have to say, it's your self-awareness that really tops it off.

 

What you did was cruel, but in the same way that the lightning strike that starts a forest fire is cruel: you're not an asshole for what you did, just a survivor. He might have been friendly, but the majority of players are not these days. You're just riding the statistics, doing what's smart. When most people are psychopaths, it's necessary for your survival to assume that everyone is a psychopath. That's not cruelty or psychopathy, just an eyes-open defense strategy. That's how I play, too. Never stop the self-examination, though; that's the part that keeps you human.

 

When you've got the drop on someone and you're confident you can quickly create a situation where you have all the power and the other guy basically has to do what you say or die, then you have a realistic chance to assess their personality and see if they're any kind of trustworthy, see if they're still human. It's a sad state of affairs, but when the world's gone crazy, what else can you do? Don't give them a chance when the power balance isn't heavily in your favour, because there are simply too many people out there who will exploit it, tip the balance in their favour, and once it's in their favour you're a dead man. Life sucks in an anarchy with limited resources.

 

You made the right call, even if it hurts.

[Grimey Rick 3417]

I thought you didn't fap over the corpses, Ricky-poo?

 

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So many ways people play now are not sustainable.

 

I can't wait for the upcoming features to completely fuck over a lot of peoples PvP play styles. :D

 

You put the idea into my head, BioCutie—I came to the realization that it might be a good idea to try. (;

[Schlake 2]

Like ikr. How dare he get immersed in a video game with a stated primary goal of immersion from a developer that has a history of creating immersive games? 

Immersion is fine but to act like killing some guy in an airfield is an emotionally traumatzing experience is a bit far dont you think?  Notwithstanding the fact that the only people who go up to the airfields are there for gear designed specifically with the intent of killing other players, no? 

[Funkmaster Rick 373]

Immersion is fine but to act like killing some guy in an airfield is an emotionally traumatizing experience is a bit far don't you think?

Why shouldn't it be? Stealing can be emotionally traumatizing for the thief if they're doing it out of desperation or fear. Regardless of how you view it, even if you think it's just a game, when you pull that trigger you're taking something away from someone. Specifically, all the hours they put into building that character up. And if you think that's not the same, go hire someone to do a job for you then try to stiff them after. Time is not worthless.

[Schlake 2]

Why shouldn't it be? Stealing can be emotionally traumatizing for the thief if they're doing it out of desperation or fear. Regardless of how you view it, even if you think it's just a game, when you pull that trigger you're taking something away from someone. Specifically, all the hours they put into building that character up. And if you think that's not the same, go hire someone to do a job for you then try to stiff them after. Time is not worthless.

Again, if you feel guilty for killing someone in the place where you go to get clothing and weapons desgned for killing other people in this game, you're playing the wrong game.  Just remember: It's a video game.

[FrigginTommyNoble 61]

Again, if you feel guilty for killing someone in the place where you go to get clothing and weapons desgned for killing other people in this game, you're playing the wrong game.  Just remember: It's a video game.

 

It's a video game, but you're a person. I'm not robbing the video game of time, I'm robbing another living person of their time. I'm choosing to make them start over from scratch. I honor other people's time. I don't mean this as an insult, but if you don't find other people's time valuable, that probably means you don't find your own time valuable. And you should.

 

More directly to your point, yeah I chose language in the OP that highlighted the physical and emotional tension in that encounter, but many of us get a palpable, physiological, fight-or-flight response from these types of encounters in DayZ. That, right there, is proof positive this isn't "just a game." I don't know if anyone ever told you this, but not all people are the same. You seem to lack empathy, and I can't relate to your point of view for that reason. But whether or not you think emotions should be part of the experience, they are. People are emotionally moved by music, film, books, paintings, plays, etc. Why is it such a far concept that games fall under the same category as these other forms, and as such, can be just as moving, even if you aren't moved yourself? What if games have even more potential power to move us, because we're creating a living story, in real time, with other real humans?

 

You don't have to agree with all of that, but don't try to cheapen the experience for others by calling it "just a game." I mean, if it's JUST a game, why are you here trying to convince everyone of that in a game forum? Is it possible it's a community too? Is it possible we can affect each other through the wires?

[Herkyl Puuro 52]

Again, if you feel guilty for killing someone in the place where you go to get clothing and weapons desgned for killing other people in this game, you're playing the wrong game.  Just remember: It's a video game.

 

I don't get this, how clothing is designed for killing other people? 

 

Anyways, I don't think anyone gets traumatized playing Dayz, and original post doesn't definitely refer to a traumatizing experience, but a moral dilemma. The guy who was killed by FrigginTommy might have been the nastiest basterd or the coolest person ever, but there's no way to tell.

 

I don't know if you realize this, there are people playing this game in various ways which don't include killing other players. Well experienced players who choose to not to kill, not because they suck at fighting, but because they want to learn different ways to play the game than just pvp. As most of these players want to equip well like anyone else, so they will go to search military sites for better gear, exactly like the ones who will kill others just for fun or loot.

 

You seem to judge that everyone in military site is free game as they present a threat. My point of view is not that much different, maybe I am less trigger happy I don't know, but I know Dayz is not Tetris, so there is no need to oversimplify the game experience.

[styzzi 2]

I am in the same boat as the OP. I only join low pop servers, mostly due to the fact that I am having rather low frames... and I like beeing a lonewolf too. This game is different, and it is allowing me to be a lonewolf, so why the heck not eh :)

Anyway, even on low pop servers, after ages of no contact, sometimes I encounter other people at the strangest of places. Onces I was somewhere in Stary, which is really far off the map, 4-5 players on the server, yet I hear a truck approaching. Already struggling with my low fps (10-15 in towns/cities) I decided to log.

The other day, I parked my toon at the NWAF, in the officer tent which is close to the hangars / tents. When I rejoined a couple of hours later, -after ages of loading screen-, I finally got to the point when the game actually loads the visuals... background & the ground, the tent and other objects... and another player, right in front of me, fully geared of course. It takes a few more seconds for me to be able to move after loading... and right at the point when I was able to, he drew his weopon...!! I was standing in between the beds and spammed my sks (which was still in my hands woohoo), 10 rounds...we traded, my screen went wonky but I didn't had any injuries... he dropped though. I couldn't believe what just happend and said "..good game, unlunky..." and felt bad about it, because I usually don't KoS and know how long it takes to get all the gear he had, especially the millions of berries ;)

 

But he made his decission, and I had to move on...

 

If anything could be consided as currency in this game, then it is "time". Time is what gives objects a value, especially to the very and ultra rare items. Anyway, I admire the way you're treating this game Noble, you've got principles, care for moral and question your actions. I think this is the way this game should be threated. Of course, there are no rules to begin with, and it is "just a game" but that doesn't mean that there has to be chaos and servers full of egomaniacs. There are a lot more people out there that do understand these basic concepts... so keep your faith, keep on rolling, enjoy your time, give your best trying to do the "right" thing and don't look back when you've failed.

[twr 43]

Don't feel bad, iv killed 10 in a span of 2 hours.

;)

[pilgrim* 3514]

..//..

I ran up to his body

..//..

 

Good story !

Did you do wrong or did you do right ?

 

You did one thing wrong for sure

You had eyes on the dude and you followed him by sight, thinking about him, concentrating on him

- how can you tell he didn't have a friend working some other part of the airfield?

"You ran up to the body"

If you do that, the next thing is - you get a bullet in the back.

 

If you want loot you already know how to get loot - you're a lone wolf, you're fairly well equipped, you said yourself you have an AK already.

If you want to kill, go to kill - snipe - see if someone else comes to that body. Lay low or change position, get quick away or move to other cover.

 

Don't go out there yourself.

If anything is going to happen it will be in the minute after he goes down.

Various different player situations might be on around that area - if you go out to the body, anything happening will happen to YOU.

 

About morality - work that out first before you bring your scope up on the target.

Having those thoughts in your head while you're targeting will only mess up your aim.

 

Very nice tale FTN - worth thinking about before AND after the action (you aint the first)

but dont' think about it AT ALL when you're in the situation, that just gets you messed up, keep the doubts for camp while you're cooking up your beanz.

 

beanz

 

xx pilgrim

 

      

 

      

Edited October 6, 2015 by pilgrim