What makes you play DayZ?

[skulkingfox 8]

I've been playing DayZ for a little while now and these days I find myself doing particularly well. I could do better but my character has survived for a long amount of time, I have a Winchester Rifle with sufficient ammunition and a Colt 1911. Not to mention I know where to look for water sources and I can now hunt my own food. I know it's nothing particularly special but now that I've reached this level where I can sustain myself in game I find myself a little stuck. What is there left to do? I've survived a few encounters with other players, I've done some things I wish I could take back (yes, I play as a survivor, that explains the modest gear) but while wandering through the woods near Mogilevka I found myself asking.

"Now What?"

Sure, I don't have a car, helicopter or a camp or even nightvision goggles but those material items aren't really enough to make me go on a mission. So this begs the question:

What makes you continue to play DayZ when you have all you need to survive? What rewards make you come back to fight for? What honestly stops you from reaching this point and saying

"Fuck it, I'll hunt other people."

[Detta (DayZ) 59]

What makes me play DayZ?

The absence of a real-life zombie apocalypse. We need more of those.

[stinkyghost 28]

The sour tears of a fresh survivor when I shoot him.

[TheCatStrangler 1]

What makes me play dayz? well there are really no like specific things that the game tells you to do so grab your friends and just use your imagination what would you do if you were in this situation in real life? then do it. its a pretty simple game survive.kill. dayz for me means coop with my friends i try to play it by myself but it just isent the same with 2-3 more people alongside you because its just fun planning what to do. just by myself its pretty boreing and i make mistakes cause i get no opinions on my plans on what to do. so basically

just make goals for yourself

thats how this game is played

for example "oh wow a bandit keeps killing people in electro lets go kill him guys" or...

"wow we went through all theses cities and found some cool stuff now lets head north so we can go fix up a car or heli or just go look for cooler stuff"

sorry for making this post so long i tend to do that :D

good luck and happy killing!!!

but i do hope that Rocket does make some cooler things you can do in this game

[skulkingfox 8]

What makes me play dayz? well there are really no like specific things that the game tells you to do so grab your friends and just use your imagination what would you do if you were in this situation in real life? then do it. its a pretty simple game survive.kill. dayz for me means coop with my friends i try to play it by myself but it just isent the same with 2-3 more people alongside you because its just fun planning what to do. just by myself its pretty boreing and i make mistakes cause i get no opinions on my plans on what to do. so basically

just make goals for yourself

thats how this game is played

for example "oh wow a bandit keeps killing people in electro lets go kill him guys" or...

"wow we went through all theses cities and found some cool stuff now lets head north so we can go fix up a car or heli or just go look for cooler stuff"

sorry for making this post so long i tend to do that :D

good luck and happy killing!!!

but i do hope that Rocket does make some cooler things you can do in this game

Oh, don't apologise at all, I appreciate the detailed response!

[Vanglory 72]

Grab some comrades, skulking. Having some fun and friendly pals at your sides to goof off or strategize with makes the game a whole lot more enjoyable.

[adamtheheretic 106]

The sour tears of a fresh survivor when I shoot him.

Why would a fresh survivor give a fuck? They don't have anything to care about but self preservation to (hopefully) gain good gear, no point crying over a death when you'll spawn in the same exact circumstances in 10 seconds... Now killing that Ghillie wearing, Coyote having, M107 wielding, Night Vision using, GPS tracking survivor... That's fun.

Edit:

For the actual point... Survival is the only "goal"

Everything else personal choice.

You mention your weaponry, but... Do you really need that? If I was just going for a survival role, I wouldn't need any weapons... I could simply raid Berezino daily for my food and water, medical supplies (if need be) as well as heatpacks (when temperature actually works). Your hunting knife, matches and hatchet come in use for eating without looking for tins or for making a fire and staying warm without heatpacks (once again, when temperature works) but do you really need them?

Just create your own goals, if you listen to goals that other people give you... why are you even playing?

Edited July 25, 2012 by FishIsTwonk

[Josh225 129]

Something about raiding high traffic towns in the north and fighting well equipped people is entertaining from my point of view.

[Fooz (DayZ) 46]

Just playing with my buddies makes it fun, I find it a little lonely and boring on my own, but not unplayable

[BuddyMcFriend 30]

I'm more afraid of the sound of a gunshot in the distance than a player that I can actually see. If I can see the person, that makes them real, if I can't see them, then they're some hidden force that can take me out at any time, which makes me feel like every single place that I'm hiding in may be compromised at any moment.

This is something that makes me enjoy DayZ, because I've never had a fear like that in any other game. I do feel that the game needs more content somehow. For the average-non pking-player. I will shoot anyone that gets too close to me because I don't trust anyone anymore, but I think if the zombies were a little more intimidating, survival against them would be more entertaining.

[Apelo 26]

I felt the same way as you when I reached this stage, also with 'modest' gear. I am a survival guy so I stick to the woods with my CZ550.

I also asked what now? And although this may not appeal to you, but I decided to take my survival-realism obsession farther and become a tactician. As cheesy as it sounds it makes you take risks; something that escapes my normal play.

Essentially I hunt groups of players. When I find a geared player I stalk him to see if he has comrades and then on I make it my goal to kill them. Maybe they are friendly? Maybe, but not likely.

I also 'tactically' hunt the outskirts of large cities for snipers who prey upon city dwellers. They are evil in my books, so I hunt them.

If you are cautious and you plan enough this becomes quite exhilerating, not to mention rewarding.

Edited July 25, 2012 by Apelo

[a_casual_banana 38]

Fun with friends.

My only problem, is I start to get anxious and less forthcoming the more gear I get. Like yesterday, for example. I ran to the NW Airfield with a Remington and a friend, and felt nothing but pure excitement for the loot we found. Not nervous at all. But after I got all that loot, I had a hard time running, at night, from Cherno to the three way junction north of it to get picked up.

[C4SINO (DayZ) 20]

Maybe set yourself a challenging goal if your bored, go on a zombie killing rampage, hold off the airport from other survivors, or do a good deed and go bandit hunting on the coast and help out rookies

[BuddyMcFriend 30]

I also think that playing with friends is a COMPLETELY different experience than playing alone. Playing alone, I've realized that every zombie attack is a threat, that every corner I turn I might get spotted by another player and won't have someone to get my back. Every body I loot is 10-20 seconds that I'm vulnerable to fire without having my best friend at my back. All of these things can be avoided by having a friend playing with you. Also, playing with a friend means that you BOTH have to get the necessary items needed for survival, which is very awesome. I love that so much, really. I played with one person I met here on the forums, and he came to my aid with a can of food, and then later on we were both surviving off of the things that the other person had/ would pick up. Not to mention that it's not lonely, which gives you more confidence.