Player activity heat map w/ travel routes - Also my random day Z tips

[LeninTheRed 9]

So I've been playing Day Z for a little over a month and I'm starting to get a pretty good feel for the game. A few weeks ago, I decided I'd start keeping track of what routes I used to get various places and how often I encountered a player along the way. I put this together with loot maps, the experiences of other players, lots of youtube footage, common knowledge, and a fair bit of guess work, and came up with a map to use as a general guideline for where I was most likely to encounter another person.

I've always been a solo player. No clans will accept me because I can't use voice chat (My sons crib is right next to my desk and I can only play quite late at night), so its always been a necessity for me to figure out how to survive on my own. So far the best way I've found to do this is non-confrontation, and an emphasis on survival when contact does occur. Unless I think a player saw me, or I think I am likely to meet them at my next destination, I let them pass. To date, I have never been killed by a player. However I always pay careful attention to where they are going and where they were coming from, and most importantly by what route they went there. This has given me a unique opportunity to notice trends in player movement and anticipate where I'm most likely to run into trouble, thus, this map. Unsurprisingly, most people stick to the trees and take the shortest route between to points that has consistent tree cover.

Keep in mind, this is still just my opinion. I'd love to see other people add to this, I think something like this could be a very useful resource (as long as its not put out by the devs, which is obviously unfair and ruins a whole dimension of meta-gaming for day Z) if it were contributed to by competent players and experienced groups. I'll take all the suggestions on this thread every week or 2 and update the map accordingly if anyone cares.

That said if your contribution is to call me an idiot because my map sucks, please post somewhere else. I know it sucks, it was initially for personal use, and I decided to add a legend and share it here for people who might be interested. If you aren't interested, that is fine, but I really don't need to hear about it.

Anyway here it is

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Resources

Here's a bunch of my favorite resources for day Z (Many i'm sure you know already)

http://dayzmap.info/ - Interactive map with loot probablity tables, very nice & fast.

http://dayzdb.com/map - A very polished and comprehensive map with loot tables & even vehicles.

http://dayzwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page - The day Z wiki!

http://ttp2.dslyecxi.com/basic_rifleman.html - An enormous, comprehensive, and wonderful guide for the default game, ARMA II. It answers many questions you might have and offers a wide range of beautifully illustrated and well explained strategies that apply to Day Z. I recommend every Day Z player read this, excluding the parts which obviously don't apply to Day Z.

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Tips, rules, and random observations.

These are my rules for solo survival, take em or leave em. I added one every time I ran into trouble.

The Rules:

Rule #1 - NEVER RUN IN TOWN

Rule 1A - Unless you've agro'd a zombie, then sprint for the nearest large building and attempt to shake/fight the zombies.

Rule #2 - Engage any player who might be aware of your presence or location. In the event that this is not possible or is unsafe, make a stealthy retreat as soon as it is safe. Do not engage a player if it can be avoided. Do not approach the players body to loot if there is any doubt it can be safely recovered.

Rule #3 - When combat with a group is inevitable, determine the existence/location of any possible overwatch/sniper element. If one exists, engage and destroy it with as few shots as possible, making a quick retreat out of the line of sight of the main group as soon as it is destroyed.

Rule 3A - If close combat with a group is inevitable, IE in a town, attempt to sneak as close to the enemy as possible and intermingle with his ranks. They will often hesitate to fire to determine if you are friendly over team speak, giving you an advantage. This has saved my life more than once.

Rule #4 - The hospital just isn't worth it man.

Rule #5 - Cooked meat is King. Always have at least 4 cooked meat on you whenever possible. Replace canned foods with cooked meat as you build up your pantry.

Rule #6 - Keep only one food & water in your main inventory, keep the rest in the bag.

Rule #7 - Keep at least one pain pills in main inventory at all times.

Rule #8 - Eat & drink before leaving any building which has food or drink that you cannot take with you.

Rule #9 - Do not enter a building with a zombie in it. Just don't.

Rule #10 - The further NorthWest you encounter a player, the more likely they are to be well equipped.

Rule #11 - Small night time servers can be safe, but beware that these have a higher rate of players with Night vision goggles, which are obviously extremely dangerous.

Rule 11A - Deploy FLARES to blind NVG users from very far away. Test showed good effect (quite good) up to 250m. For this reason flares take massive priority over chemlight (much less effect).

Rule #12 - If you find a chopper location, take note of the server and the location. You can find out what server your on by holding the "I" key.

Rule #13 - Examine any particularly thick or dense cluster of trees that cannot easily be seen through. You sometimes find tents and repaired vehicles in this area. This has been a very profitable practice.

Rule #14 - Loot quality has an inverse relationship with player activity. The better the loot in an area, the more likely it is there is a player nearby. The worse/more sparse, the less likely you are to encounter someone.

Rule #15 - Zombies can knock you out if you are below 9,000 blood. This is often fatal. Hunt for cooked meat to get above 9,000 blood before entering an area with zombies if it is at all possible.

I'm sure there will be more rules to come, I'd love to see everyone else's rulebook :D.

Tips:

Here's some advice I offered to another forum I frequent, where many people including myself learned of DayZ and eventually decided to buy ARMA II for it.

"Here are some quick tips:

G opens your Gear (inventory). In your Gear list, the number to the Right of the item is the number of that item you have. The number on the LEFT of the item in your item list is how many are on the dead body/on the ground. That took me a long time to learn.

When you are bleeding (indicated by the cross sign on your blood drop meter), open inventory with G, right click a bandage, and hit bandage myself. This takes a few seconds and fails when interrupted. You wont lose the bandage until you are successfully bandaged though.

NEVER, EVER, EVER RUN IN TOWN! Z, X, and C are your stance buttons. Z is prone, X is crouch and C is stand. Always be in crouch or prone position when near anywhere that zombies spawn (like town). Press shift twice to switch your default movement from run to walk, then hold shift when you need to run. 95% of my deaths are traceable to having ran in town.

If your screen is shaking badly, you are in pain. Take some painkillers and the shaking will stop.

if you break a bone (broken bone icon on HUD) you'll need to take morphine (same as bandaging, right click in inventory)

When starting you'll need a weapon. The following list is listed from Safest (at the bottom) to most profitable (at the top). These two things have an inverse relationship in Day Z, the more weapons and the better the weapons are in a place, the less safe it is due to player traffic.

Barracks (very rare)

Airfields

Fire stations (have military grade loot for some reason)

Chopper crashes (so rare to actually find one that there are almost never players around since almost no one knows where they are, i've only ever seen one)

Deer stands (only one loot spot, not really worth checking usually since you can be seen from so far away while your in one/approaching one)

Office buildings

Barns (Best place to find weapons early on IMO, high rate of Winchesters/Enfields and unparalleled safety.

The order of the day is to become 2 things: Self sustaining and deadly. To this end, you need a rifle, plenty of ammo, about 3-5 food items, 2 cans of drink and 2 refillable water bottles, 2 painkillers, 2 morphine, 4 bandages, night vision goggles, also preferably a map (GPS is so rare I wont even mention it), a hatchet, matches, and a knife. Once you have all of these things you can survive for extended periods in the woods, rarely having to go to town for anything. You can then hunt players who travel in the forests at night (Often in a dead sprint and paying no attention) for intermittent ammo, etc. You can refill your bottles at any lake or even the ocean, also at water pumps. You can hunt wild game for meat and chop wood for a fireplace with the ahtchet. The cooked meat refills a lovely 800 blood so you can use it to recover from a fight gone wrong.

When you are being attacked by a zombie (If you see one approaching you with any kind of speed, its after you). Go into stand position and SPRINT AS FAST AS YOU CAN! NO matter how many other zombies you attract or how many players might see you. Run for the nearest semi-large building or building with only one entrance. Once inside take a knee and let the zombies come in. Zombies are forced to walk inside buildings and it is much easier to take them out in a bottleneck and walking than it is with them zig zag running around. NEVER EVER engage more than one zombie out in the open. If its only one zombie, sprint to where there are no other zombies, turn around and drop it very quickly. The goal with zombies is simple: Not one bite. One hit is enough to put you in a situation that could ultimately kill you."

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I'll update my heatmap as I notice trends change and as other people offer advice or criticism on it. I'll update the rules as new ones come along or as other people post good ones. Of course that's assuming anyone cares (unlikely).

-Lenny

[DrHellNo 11]

This is awesome, thanks!

[Keshik 1]

I like rule 3A. I think it'd be pretty funny.

I don't believe water bottles can be refilled in the ocean, though I haven't tried. I have refilled them at every lake I've visited, as well as the waterpumps as you listed.

As far as your last tip on killing zombies:

One entrance buildings work fine to kill them. However, I prefer two entrance buildings such as a farmhouse. You can run straight through the building and lose most, if not all of the zombies. They will walk slowly through and lose line of sight.

Edit: other than that, great guide!

[Strategos (DayZ) 190]

I hate this kind of stuff, loot maps, vehicle maps, helicopter maps, lol that one makes me chuckle though).

The more resources like this you give noobs the less they get out of the game. The joy of discovery, the fear of uncertainty, all the good stuff.

[LeninTheRed 9]

I hate this kind of stuff' date=' loot maps, vehicle maps, helicopter maps, lol that one makes me chuckle though).

The more resources like this you give noobs the less they get out of the game. The joy of discovery, the fear of uncertainty, all the good stuff.

[/quote']

A noob is still a noob no matter how many fancy charts he has or how many FAQs he's read. Good advice out of the game does not translate to good technique ingame.

[Rellik_pt 7]

this tip is not good "Kill other players on sight. Don't talk to them unless its to lure them into a false sense of security. Trust me on this one, don't trust anyone."

[Keshik 1]

this tip is not good "Kill other players on sight. Don't talk to them unless its to lure them into a false sense of security. Trust me on this one' date=' don't trust anyone."

[/quote']

I think it's a great tip. If you don't follow it,t here is an 80% chance that you're dead.

[LeninTheRed 9]

this tip is not good "Kill other players on sight. Don't talk to them unless its to lure them into a false sense of security. Trust me on this one' date=' don't trust anyone."

[/quote']

That's an old technique, I've adjusted my playstyle since I originally wrote that post. I should probably snip it out of this post.

[Keshik 1]

this tip is not good "Kill other players on sight. Don't talk to them unless its to lure them into a false sense of security. Trust me on this one' date=' don't trust anyone."

[/quote']

That's an old technique, I've adjusted my playstyle since I originally wrote that post. I should probably snip it out of this post.

You trust people now?

[Jack Lz 24]

very nice of you to create this map. if you dont mind some suggestions.

1. refilling in the ocean was patched out

2. at the nw airfield north of the hangars, there is a barracks with a treeline alongside of it, its always very heavily occupied.

3. very important.... zombies spawn when a player is detected in an area, if u come up on a town that has zeds already in it when you arrive, that means someone was there before you, and may still be around!

[LeninTheRed 9]

this tip is not good "Kill other players on sight. Don't talk to them unless its to lure them into a false sense of security. Trust me on this one' date=' don't trust anyone."

[/quote']

That's an old technique, I've adjusted my playstyle since I originally wrote that post. I should probably snip it out of this post.

You trust people now?

No certainly not, the rules clarify:

"Rule #2 - Engage any player who might be aware of your presence or location. In the event that this is not possible or is unsafe, make a stealthy retreat as soon as it is safe. Do not engage a player if it can be avoided. Do not approach the players body to loot if there is any doubt it can be safely recovered."

[LeninTheRed 9]

Bump for tips/critique for map and other helpful info.

---

very nice of you to create this map. if you dont mind some suggestions.

1. refilling in the ocean was patched out

2. at the nw airfield north of the hangars' date=' there is a barracks with a treeline alongside of it, its always very heavily occupied.

3. very important.... zombies spawn when a player is detected in an area, if u come up on a town that has zeds already in it when you arrive, that means someone was there before you, and may still be around!

[/quote']

Just saw this!

I can't believe I forgot the NW Barracks... derp. I'll throw it in when I update the map.

[LeninTheRed 9]

Last bump to see if anyone is interested in adding something

[deviantdigi 22]

Wow that map is really interesting. Look @ all those people searching the edges of the map for tents.

[Patient Zero 2]

Green mountain is a newbie magnet. That enormous red and white transmitter that can be seen for dozens of miles hypnotises them.

They cannot resist the urge to find out what lies at the top of that mountain. I avoid it as a route and go around it but there always people there every time I pass.

[LeninTheRed 9]

Wow that map is really interesting. Look @ all those people searching the edges of the map for tents.

Most of the people i spotted on those routes were from a couple weeks ago before the big tent wipe.

[s0ulassassin 11]

very nice dude. I'll be using this to hunt players for sure =)

[Azrail (DayZ) 211]

oh no a heatmap! *gasp*

how could you ... people will soooooo be abusing this ...

and my secret extra hidden save spot *tears*

on the bright side, gj there, beat the devs to it :D

the south of zeleno actually looks interesting with all the spread of heatpoints, not quite as i would expected...

[ThePunisher (DayZ) 12]

thanks for this post, not really because i needed it cause experience has already taught me all of these things. but because new players that DO need to know these things will complain a lot less on the forums about how pvp is bad in this game because they may understand more why they keep getting killed.

[kozzy420 39]

Nice work!

I would suggest to new players to be patient and try to get some food,drink and a weapon/ammo down south (around Bolata or Cherno) and then head up northish where its not as crowded.

[MeatAbstract 47]

Excellent post, I especially love the map. Good work!

[derrida (DayZ) 18]

Really nice map. Thanks!

[Blakbewwy 8]

I'd turn up the heat up north, and perhaps nerf the southern area. This is actually amazingly accurate (in my opinion anyway) but places like Cherno and Elektro aren't as dangerous as they used to be. All the bandits have realised now that these cities are 90% filled with new people trying to get basic gear, meaning the bandits have rubbish loot, and that places up north such as Stary Sobor are much more frequented. Cherno and Elektro could almost be considered safe in servers with around 10-15 people (any more and it's probably still dangerous).

But honestly, when I was in Stary Sobor some days back, and I was server hopping (sorry, I get impatient) for loot, I joined servers with only 1 or 2 people in. And, the weird thing is, in some servers with only one person in I still managed to find someone else in Stary Sobor and either shot them or was shot. Same thing at the airfield, but the airfield seems a little safer due to it's mass size. So, actually, I'd rate Stary as the most dangerous hotspot in DayZ because there are just so many people there. And it's also a good place to find a red or camo UAZ, a bus, and even a helicopter (I've actually seen a red UAZ, a camo UAZ and a bus there at once!).

Also I'd add a new colour, maybe green or something? While yellow is mainly travel routes (I'd put that as true, I frequent the empty roads often and sometimes go off-road), green would be more dangerous and better looting than yellow, but then the danger and good loot are much rarer than in yellow. I'm saying that most large groups, or small groups, tend to set up their camps on the western and northern forest areas where very few landmarks exist and where very few people travel due to its lack of loot. It's also the place where hidden vehicles are likely to be found, especially if you travel at night. This means that, while finding hidden vehicles or camps would be time-consuming and quite a rarity, the actual loot yield would likely be way higher as people will be hiding their valuable military equipment and such here.

So if you make an improved version of this map with an additional colour like I said and also more concentrated hotspots in the north, I think this would be pretty much spot on. Cheers!

EDIT: Also, I couldn't help noticing the map seems to have an extended North barrier and that Grozovy pass's incoming road is coming from the East rather than from the South. Is this an outdated map where the world was different? I'm using this map - http://dayzdb.com/map

Edited August 27, 2012 by Blakbewwy

[McLovinCR 29]

Does anybody have found any camps near Pobeda Dam?

[- Valkyrie - 89]

The whole area between and around the NWAF and Stary Sobor should be orange/red. You have snipers always, and I mean, ALWAYS there covering the city and the fields around it on a 15+ people server.