New Player,as usual.

[*Regulator* Tatoo 4]

Should I wait untill day time server side to begin playing?Im not 100% sure how my flashlight works - i've moved it to the secondry slot and pressed L to no effect,and narrowly avoided another player I spotted by his flashlight,shortly to be killed by a zombie. In short,I stand no chance.Any hints/tips to starting at night? (Ive never played the game and am not familiar with the controls)

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

For a noob, I would definatley suggest waiting for daylight/twilight. It'll be easier to get you head around it. Also, some nights are darker than others depending on the moon/weather ect. Good luck.

[Gapi182 21]

honestly... i liked it better at night. It's much harder to spot you and if the sky is clear you can still see a bit. I managed to find a shotgun and some ammo and even a sniper rifle at night. I'd say give it a try but you can also find a server from a different country where it's currently daylight.

[*Regulator* Tatoo 4]

Its a fairly dark night,any ideas how I can solve my flashlight problem?Is it possibly out of batterys?

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

If the flashlight is on your toolbelt in the inventory then right click it. Then choose "remove from toolbelt". This equips it. Then use "L" to turn it on/off. Also, I reassigned the "L" key to the Spacebar. Makes life much easier.

[Sacredify 2]

Night time...is dark. I had to turn up my brightness, simply because playing a game that is pitch-black is unplayable.

About the flash light: Middle mouse and make sure it's equipped (in your hand) and then press L. It only really works if you stay still (or itl move around insanely.)

If you're playing with friends (and are away from towns) chemlights and flares are extremely useful here. Chemlights illuminate for an hour (granted they bug out more than half the time) and are always helpful to identify youreslves...be warned though, you're a dead givaway.

Also it makes a good time to raid the coast if you need too.

[*Regulator* Tatoo 4]

Thanks for your help,Ill like all your comments for being supportive and helpfull!

Edited July 13, 2012 by Ste97R

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

No probs, any more questions then fire away or PM me if you have probs finding an answer.

[*Regulator* Tatoo 4]

Well,the flashlight still doesnt work,do you spawn with batterys?And whats the best way to approach getting weapons? For example if towns are heavily guarded by zombies and weapons spawn there,how do you get your first weapon?And is there anything I should know about where to find food?

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

The flashlight should work straight away so not sure why your having probs with that. You should be able to see it in your hands if it's equipped properly.

There's so many different approaches I could write a book, but for a noob i would search the nearest houses for tins of food/drink. It can take a while to find some. Supermarkets in the cities have loads of good gear but the chances of getting shot are very high.

Once you have some food/drink and ideally a hatchet then head north to the smaller villages (much less chance of being hunted by bandits).

Use this map if it helps: http://dayzwiki.com/wiki/Gmap/beta/gmap.html

Then search barns, there's a good chance of finding a shotgun in these. Or, if your feeling more adventurous, start looking for deerstands. There's a good chance of finding military grade weapons if your lucky.

like I say, this is just one approach, You might find a better way that suits you altogether.

P.s - If you hear flies buzzing around, it might be a dead player nearby. Search him and take his stuff.

[*Regulator* Tatoo 4]

Thanks again,that should be it for now.