First Day in Day Z

[Dresarian 1]

(Posted this in New Player Disc. like a noob. Moved here so they can delete from there if needed.)

Been an avid ARMA player for a long time, way back to OFP. Unfortunately, when I moved out and bought my own house, I lost access to the powerful render machine me and my dad built a few year ago, so I've been pretty much limited to flying whirlybirds over Takistan on my seriously outdated laptop (Saitek X45 still in great shape still makes this an absolute joy) for the past 2 years. Chernarusian forests eat my litke mobility 6850 for lunch.

So last night after watching waaaaay too many youtube videos, a binge that started by me drooling over DCS-A-10 vids, I installed Day Z and was able to get a livable frame rate tweaking settings for about 2 hours. At that point, wife kindly informed me it was 4AM and time to turn in.

Cut to today. Finally log into the game proper, and am surprised to actually get into a game on my laptop, over the home wifi. Manage to suppresss the gag reflex upon seeing the Makarov in my characters' hands and take note of my surroundings. I'm on a tiny island across from a small town near some railroad tracks across a little bit of a swim. Hit dry land and dry off, decide to inspect the town. Carefully, I observe the little hamlet and spot a total of one zed on the outskirts. "Alright, let's do this. Time to get my scav on," I think to myself. So I make my way in, and inspect every building I can, and find a few cans of beans, and 3 Makarov mags. Not a bad haul.

Flush with the unwarranted self-confidence given a man whose ammo surplus and canned goods have made him the undisputed god of all creation, I decide to evaluate the Mak's performance on that one zed I'd been avoiding, so I approach at a respectful distance, switch to iron sights, and try to get a bead on him. Annoyingly, it is at this precice moment I get to remember Arma's slightly "notchy" aiming. *POP* *POP* "Er, why's he still standing?! And now he's running at me!" He zigs, he zags, I shoot, and I miss. Then I notice his 3 friends. "Clever girl..." I mutter, while hauling merchandise out of town. I'm sprinting a quarter of a mile, and turn to shoot. "SWEET! Headshot!" Now I'm down to 3. More rounds. More misses. I'm panicking. Just blindly, rapidly fanning rounds down range. Two fall, but the third is on me now. Bleeding now... ragged breaths that suggest my AVATAR IS NOW PANICKING, finally I connect with a point-blank headshot. Bandage myself up, regain my composure and take stock of my situation. Situation is labeled in engineering parlance as NG. 2 rounds 9mm Makarov remaining. Blood icon thingy red. Currently I am lord of 10 road flares, 3 cans of beans, a bandage, and a bottle of painkillers. Figuring this would be a good time to "reroll", I stop myself. The whole point of this mod is emergent gameplay. I exit the menu, and get my head back in the game. I check my gear again, at least both rounds are in the same mag. Eat some beans, and start to make my way up the coast.

Eventually end up in Elektrozavodsk a few hours later. The Makarov is history, replaced by a Glock found shortly after ending up in town, those last two rounds unexpended. In the mean time I've logged off, remembering the mouse-smooth=1 fix. Trigger discipline and smoother controls have replaced panic and idiocy. Headshots now fall like rain. Creeping on my way out of town I hear gunfire. LOUD gunfire. Slow cycle rate. Did I mention LOUD? ...

Enfield.

I hear running, and multiple zeds. I drop to my chest, my glock outstretched, and see a fellow survivor running across my open doorway, an Enfield on his back, two pops and an empty click from a 1911. Seven zeds hot on his ass. Suddenly realize I have a choice. Step out, and risk the gear I've accrued in the past hours, or let the zeds run him down while I put distance between myself and the buffet. I've got 17 rounds on tap and 34 in the cabinet. Choice made, I stand, step out, draw the horde's attention and back myself into the building. Seven rounds later I meet my first other player. He observes VOIP courtesy and doesn't spam global, just types a thanks dude. A quick "no prob" from me and I drop the Enfield rounds I've been carrying for the better part of an hour and part. I'm still a nub. Let my mistakes be my own. I won't draw bring misfortune on another person just because I'm learning the rules. As I head out, I check one more building behind a high barb wire fence, just to be sure. My karma is rewarded. AKM, 3 full mags. First long arm of the game acquired. Almost immediately, zeds are on me and I have to put it to use. I hear a few Enfield rounds then nothing. No death notice in global. Hope he got away. Here I found out the AKM is loud. More Zeds incoming, even on semi with good trigger discipline I'm only making my world harder.

So I run. Blast an opening and bolt for the countryside. Pistol must be marginally quieter than the AKM, because every round I fire from the long-arm brings 3 more after me. Switch to the Glock and keep running, turning around to thin the herd, but by now I've got a train running. Open Barn. Salvation. Crash inside and start dropping zeds with my trusty Austrian brick. *CLICK* empty, mags expended. More inbound. I take a deep breath, flick the mouse wheel and go back to the AKM. Maybe the rounds I have left will outlast the undead that it draws to my position.

They don't. I die alone in a dirty barn outside Elektrozavodsk, switching mags on an AKM.

(And this is an ALPHA?!)

[whtwlf 8]

I always love stories like this and yours was definitely worth the read. I'm sure you're finding that this whole "emergent game play" thing can be more exciting than what most big game developers can churn out.

[Bandit Hunter 29]

And this is only day 1!

[Dresarian 1]

Thanks! I've played EVE Online for six years and the philosophy of "Don't get fly what you can't afford to lose in combat" still holds true in this game. I lost a Czech backpack last night, shrugged, and jumped back in at the respawn.