Perceived usefulness of Weapons.

[Jamesbiff 4]

I wasnt sure how to word this, but ill have a go. (NB: What i write here is purely my opinion, if it sounds like i stated something as fact i either didnt, you misread, or it was unintentional and i apologise)

Im not sure that the way certain weapons work in this mod are...the best way they could work?

i mean, right now, ive been alive for over 2 weeks, my character has most of the tools youd need, map, compass, matches, knife etc etc

But im still using the winchester and the revolver. For 2 very simple reasons:

1) Ammo; plenty of it.

2) Noise; quietest (non silenced) weapons ive found (ex crossbow).

Now, the problem here is that those two reasons are also INTEGRAL to surviving in the wilderness. Youre going to need to shoot stuff and youre going to want to do it with the least fuss possible.

What am i getting at? well, most of the high end weapons (again, ex silenced weapons) are incredibly loud and also incredibly hard to find ammo for, so ive found (the hard way) that these weapons just arent worth it. If your intention is staying alive, using these weapons to any extent will end up getting you killed.

What does this mean? well, for me and many of the players ive discussed this with, it means that these weapons that many players clamour for and organise raiding parties to get, are effectively useless, after many brushes with death; zombies, players, thirst and hunger, we've found that there is literally no good reason to risk your life for those weapons. I had an M4 with 4-5 mags of ammo and left it in a barn for a winchester instead, everytime i fired the damned thing i was either swarmed or 10 minutes later players were hunting my ass...I left one of the most sought after weapons in the game...in a barn...for a measly shotgun.

Now, is this just my playstyle? potentially yes, it could just be that. However, the mod has been out now for a while, many people are experienced in how you survive and undoubtedly, near the top, if not AT the top is stealth.

What am i suggesting? well in all honesty, i hadnt thought about it, this wasnt a complaint thread, merely an observation thread by someone who feels he has experience enough to have some sort of commentary in the matter, im sure many people feel the same and i dont think any ONE person will have a solution to it.

BUT, a start would be to test out tweaking the weapons, they need to offer something more than just rarity, the game is after all about survival, not an mmo where you show of your shinies. Chances are the guy you waste with that M4 ISNT going to care if it was a makarov or a gold plated anti tank cannon. At the moment i have 3 categories of weapon:

1) Pistols

2) Winchester

3) Stuff thats going to get me killed.

I apologise for the flippancy.

If you disagree, great, tell us why, if you dont, contribute an area you feel these weapons could be impoved/balanced for the effort it takes to aquire them.

[wasrad 42]

winchester has to long of a reloading time for me and it sucks at range. I like to pick of zombies from at least 100-200 meters which the military weapons handle nicely but if I happen to get too close then I know I have 30 rounds with no reloading time. Also, the Winchester sucks in PVP. IF you are getting shot at from 200m or so and arent a cowering disconnector, the winchester is useless.

Also, something like the DMR is GREAT if you happen to be alone and want to do some PKing from a distance.

Also, why do you refer to yourself as 'us'?

[Tiger205 48]

I mostly agree but here's my thing - I like those weapons I have with me, for instance I prefer the 74 instead of AKM just because I like it more than the AKM and when it comes to shooting zombies I just hide in an open building and start picking them off one by one. I only switched to an M16 because there isn't any subsonic ammo for my 74.

What I don't understand though is why the Dragunov is so damn rare. I have one and I simply got lucky because I found an ammo box for it in one of the barracks but still - the only advantage Dragunov has over DMR is it's mechanical range finder in it's scope. Other than that it's essentially the same rifle - almost same caliber, same effective range but DMR has a bigger magazine.

[Tummynator 1]

Maybe you just haven't engaged in pvp yet. Some one with an automatic weapon is gonna have a better chance at killing someone with a lever action

[wasrad 42]

your signature is bad and you should feel bad. Please remove that crap, thanks

Maybe you just haven't engaged in pvp yet. Some one with an automatic weapon is gonna have a better chance at killing someone with a lever action

[Jamesbiff 4]

winchester has to long of a reloading time for me and it sucks at range. I like to pick of zombies from at least 100-200 meters which the military weapons handle nicely but if I happen to get too close then I know I have 30 rounds with no reloading time.

Also' date=' something like the DMR is GREAT if you happen to be alone and want to do some PKing from a distance.

Also, why do you refer to yourself as 'us'?

[/quote']

Really? i dont know if its because i played arma2 for a long time, but i have no issue picking off things, even players, at range with the slugs. I might not kill them, but ill certainly drop them so i can follow up with another.

And i said 'us' because this is a forum, you wont just be replying to me, but anyone else that replies to this thread.

Maybe you just haven't engaged in pvp yet. Some one with an automatic weapon is gonna have a better chance at killing someone with a lever action

Im a bandit, i hunt players, as long as you can aim worth a damn it doesnt matter what weapon they use and you arent engaging at crazy ranges.

[daedrick 90]

I like to have my fancy M4A3 CCO while I use a revolver for anything that isnt a player. I have more than enough ammo for my revolver to deal with zombies waves and while I defend myself and kill in style with my fancy rifle.

At first I was like you, then I started to want NVG. But I have yet to find any, what I found tough is a lot of mags for my main weapon, more than needed, and since no matter where I go I can always find ammo for my revolver, zombies are no threat. I dont know why some people say they get huge swarms but the most Ive got to kill in one wave was maybe 15-20. Thats 3 revolvers ''mags'' that I will find in the next building i will loot. Hell, even the makarov is a better weapon than all the fancy silenced/flashlight pistols, unless you use a rifle such as a winchester.

[Katana67 2907]

It is entirely, ENTIRELY, situational and up to the player. Sure, if a player's gonna' stay around the smaller towns and kill only zombies, then the Winchester/Revolver combo is going to work most of the time.

But, sometimes, the loot just isn't in my favor and I have to make due with an Enfield. Which is fine, but situational.

Furthermore, if I see a DMR with three mags... I'm obviously gonna' pick that up. I have very little trouble finding ammunition for AK's, AR's, and M14's up north. Deer Stands are your friend in this regard, just as much as barns are.

It's all about how you want to play.

You present a lot of reasons that present the Winchester/Revolver combo as great. Rightfully so, but survival is inherently situational... and Day Z is at the whim of the player more than most games.

Hell, I don't even kill zombies if I can sneak around them. I fire very little of my ammunition, as I'm saving it for emergencies and player encounters. Thus, a Winchester isn't as important to me as something that is more versatile.

Revolver is great though, I frequently use it as my secondary no matter what. There aren't really any good alternatives for secondaries. G17 doesn't drop people, neither does the Makarov, and neither does the M9. Only real option is the M1911, and it's only got one more round per mag and is often a two-shot kill. Plus the PDW blows in my opinion. So I stick with the revolver, using it to kill zombies and my primary to kill people.

But lately, I've been opting for a second primary stored in my pack. I'll roll an M4 as a general purpose primary, and keep a scoped rifle in my pack for when I need it. It's kind of irritating though how cumbersome the inventory is in this regard, but I make it work... slowly.

[wasrad 42]

Really? I dont know if its because I have played these since OFP but I have no idea why you think that. What do you define as "at range"? I will take a AS with kobra or a dragunov over a winchester anyday. For that matter, I will take an enfield over a winchester anyday....but hey, we all know what they say about opinions.

In the end, whatever works for you, be it an illusion or not, is what you think works for you. If you want to try to PVP at 200-300m with a winchester...well.....good luck and thanks for the loot!

Really? i dont know if its because i played arma2 for a long time' date=' but i have no issue picking off things, even players, at range with the slugs. I might not kill them, but ill certainly drop them so i can follow up with another.

And i said 'us' because this is a forum, you wont just be replying to me, but anyone else that replies to this thread.

[/quote']

[Tummynator 1]

your signature is bad and you should feel bad. Please remove that crap' date=' thanks

Maybe you just haven't engaged in pvp yet. Some one with an automatic weapon i gonna have a better chance at killing someone with a lever action

I should feel bad? I feel bad for your inability to read

[kelron.si@gmail.com 0]

I do like the Winchester, but I prefer the AKM for a general purpose weapon. Ammo isn't too hard to find, it has double the magazine capacity of the Winchester and still usually drops a zombie in one hit. So 3 mags can last you a while, and if you're running out then Winchesters are everywhere. The faster rate of fire also comes in handy if you're forced to kill zombies in the open.

It has zeroing and is pretty accurate with ironsights up to ~300m, it's not a sniper weapon but it can suppress and potentially kill players in a way the Winchester can't. You might be able to hit at that range with a Winchester, but it won't kill them and you'll have trouble hitting a moving target with it.

And as far as the rarer military weapons go, I love the M16 ACOG if I can get one. The range markings on the scope are very easy to use, it's accurate and has low recoil combined and it's much easier to find ammo than for sniper rifles. Picking off zombies from out of their hearing range is a viable tactic, as it's quiet enough not to draw them in from long distances.

[Jamesbiff 4]

Really? I dont know if its because I have played these since OFP but I have no idea why you think that. What do you define as "at range"? I will take a AS with kobra or a dragunov over a winchester anyday. For that matter' date=' I will take an enfield over a winchester anyday....but hey, we all know what they say about opinions.

In the end, whatever works for you, be it an illusion or not, is what you think works for you. If you want to try to PVP at 200-300m with a winchester...well.....good luck and thanks for the loot!

Really? i dont know if its because i played arma2 for a long time, but i have no issue picking off things, even players, at range with the slugs. I might not kill them, but ill certainly drop them so i can follow up with another.

And i said 'us' because this is a forum, you wont just be replying to me, but anyone else that replies to this thread.

Its mainly because i never engage someone on open ground, i never travel across it and i never sit near it, if im engaged with someone i either have the drop or i have cover, in which case flanking around is easy as pie. I also dont sprint everywhere and regularly take breaks from running, so my crosshairs are rarely shaking around too much to aim effectively. If im outranged, i wont sit still taking futile potshots ill just keeping moving, till im in range, this isnt only to compensate for fall off, but simply its a better way to fight when ammo is scarce, even if i could make a shot at an impossible 600 yards, i probably wouldnt, id get in close and be sure of using only one or two slugs than potentially missing and wasting 3-4.

[deadbolt (DayZ) 10]

m14 aim for the stopping power against people

m1911 for zombies

[ancronym 1]

I have not played too long the z mod, but steam shows hours spent in arma over 900.

I have only died once and my first survival lasted 15 hours.

I died shortly after leaving my winchester in a military camp north of Berezino because I got charmed by the shine of an AK74. Actually not because of that, but because I had just 3 mags and when a horde jumped me I did not want to spend them right after acquiring them. So I took out my revolver and whilst doing that got knocked down and never managed to get up again when the 10+ zeds feasted on me.

The Winchester is good against zeds. I had pellets loaded and was approaching a barn when a 15ish bunch spawned on top of me. Piece of cake with the Winchester - took me 10 rounds to finish them.

So far the Winchester has been my best friend, then again I have not been engaged by bandits or else PvP.

I saw just one other player in the beginning of my survival and after that I have just rarely heard shots in the distance - which I try to steer away from.

So so far I agree - at least for noobs who can keep their head down and be patient, the Winchester is absolutely lovely. As for sidearms, the revolver does a nice job.

[Herr Robert 28]

I think that it comes down to whether you are a member of a group, where you are playing on the map and what you need the weapon for. I'm playing with two other guys, and it's very useful for us to have assault rifles for when we enter cities to kill other players (at the moment we have two AKMs and one AKS-74 Kobra).

If you are a friendly player who's almost only killing zombies, the Winchester is a better pick any day.

[Publik 404]

I've got an AKM with 8 mags (ugh), a glock I'm looking to ditch, and a m24 in my pack. The AKM has so much ammo. 240 rounds? I can make that last months. The glock is a piece of trash so far (never had a chance to use it since I've only got the one mag). I did have a 1911 with 7 mags but the server forgot :(

As it stands I use my AKM for everything. I like that the sights can be adjusted, it doesn't seem to make all that much noise, and I've got so much ammo I can afford to waste it on zeds. The glock is currently a rainy day weapon, but I'd rather have a revolver or a 1911 for general use. The m24 I've yet to find a use for, but I've only got 1 mag for it so I'm not going to use it yet.

[Katana67 2907]

I've got an AKM with 8 mags (ugh)

I feel ya' dude. Everyone thinks that more mags = better. It's much more of a burden on your inventory once you get 6+ mags of anything. I've got six or seven for my M4A1 that I use for general-purpose shooting and having that many mags really cuts into how well I can manage other things. I even had to straight up ditch a full STANAG SD mag because I really couldn't make it work with my inventory.

I've had situations where I don't have room for food/water supplies. With my main inventory stuffed with mags and medical supplies, my pack stuffed with a DMR and three/four mags, plus cooked meat for health regen, I don't really have much room for illumination or food/water.

It really makes it tough if you want to roll out armed for any situation and not have to dip into towns every hour to grab beans and water. I think four is the sweet spot for primary weapon magazines, depending on how big the mags are.

[Yarden 0]

winchester has to long of a reloading time for me and it sucks at range. I like to pick of zombies from at least 100-200 meters which the military weapons handle nicely but if I happen to get too close then I know I have 30 rounds with no reloading time. Also' date=' the Winchester sucks in PVP. IF you are getting shot at from 200m or so and arent a cowering disconnector, the winchester is useless.

Also, something like the DMR is GREAT if you happen to be alone and want to do some PKing from a distance.

Also, why do you refer to yourself as 'us'?

[/quote']

gotta totaly disagree with your post. the winchester almost always kills in one shot in pvp if you hit upper body/head from short - medium+ range(if you are using slugs). winchester ammo is EVERYWHERE and the gun itself is quiter than most if not all of the guns in the game(except the silenced pistol and the bow maybe..).

[Freek314 32]

AKM as main due to ammo availability, zeroing, and firepower.

G17 as secondary due to ammo availability, mag size, and light. (Just HS zombies so the mag sizes are beneficial and not negated by low firepower.)

I might switch out the AKM for a silenced weapon if I find enough ammo for it beforehand, but I do not look forward to losing my zeroing.

[Goldstein (DayZ) 46]

Finally had the pleasure of using the PDW/Uzi as my sidearm today.

The iron-sights are a dream and it takes many ammo types.

[Otleaz 3]

I'm pretty sure winchester isn't as quiet as it sounds. I heard a guy from a fuck-all distance away firing that thing. I was a huge distance from the town he was firing in and it took him 5 minutes to make his way into my range so I could kill him.

Choosing the winchester just because it sounds quiet might be a bad decision.

[kelron.si@gmail.com 0]

Finally had the pleasure of using the PDW/Uzi as my sidearm today.

The iron-sights are a dream and it takes many ammo types.

Really? What ammo does it use and how many shots to bring down a zombie? I mainly use sidearm for zombie killing and haven't seen any reason to switch from revolver/1911.

[Publik 404]

Finally had the pleasure of using the PDW/Uzi as my sidearm today.

The iron-sights are a dream and it takes many ammo types.

Odd, I thought it was crap. Now that I look at it, it really does take all sorts of ammo... PDW mags, M9, MP5, and G17 :0 Might have to find another...

[Goldstein (DayZ) 46]

I briefly stuck it on full auto when I had about 10 zombies flirting with me in a hangar.

the kickback is so small that I still scored mostly headshots.

It's basically a makarov with better sights and bigger clip. Minutes before I had an M9 SD which was surprisingly disappointing.

Not having to reload while backpeddling makes a huge difference.

[shemashko 2]

PvP is not all about weapons people. Much more of it is based on your wits and skill. I've taken down 3 bandits with a winchester, they had a SAW, M4 silenced, and a 74. They were just plain stupid, being extremely close together and firing away at some survivors on the beach. I looped around them with my 5 buddies and got them in position and fired away at the bandits with winchesters, lee-enfields and empty tin cans. Easy pickings and now we have better guns, but they won't last forever, so it either to venture up there or ration your ammunition when big trouble arises!