Would rather start with a compass and have no pistol

[underpaidorphan 2]

Speaking purely based on my own shit experience, I cannot comprehend how this realistic game allows you to spawn with a pistol and plenty of ammo, food, morphine, painkillers, water, but NO COMPASS.

I would rather have a compass at spawn and have to stealthy find a pistol.

As far as people camping the coast and killing with higher weapons, then implement some sort of spawning protector that I see tons of threads on.

Once again, only my personal experience , but once you get as far north as the airfield, you WILL get turned around as far as compass direction. And road signs are barely useful (even with a "cheat" map opened in Google).

Enjoy my tears.

[thegarcia 12]

This does make sense, I would agree to have this implemented if the spawn killing was somehow addressed.

As for road signs, I believe it's quite easy to read if you have one of those maps open. You just need to have a general sense of where you are and you can figure it out quite easily.

[CalUKGR 4]

How about three different starting load-out options the player could choose from?

Each option has a default load-out consisting of:

1 x water bottle

2 x can of beans

3 x bandages

2 x morphine

1 x can of soda

Option One 'The Marksman': All the default items, plus: A handgun and two x rounds of ammo

Option Two 'The Navigator': All the default items, plus: A map and a GPS

Option Three 'The Survivalist': All the default items, plus: A hunting knife and 1 x box of matches

Players grouping together can then pre-assign agreed roles to team members before spawning into a new game and selecting their roles. This idea could be expanded to include, say a 'Medic' or a 'Mechanic' load-out...

[SixPackAbs 13]

how do you expect to be able to get any more weapons with the current spawn numbers? This would make the game too easy, learn to navigate by the sun and stars, it isn't very hard. I also don't agree with the road signs being useless... if you have a map you can pinpoint your location using the town names and outlines of the buildings / orientation of the roads.

[tunedbeats 0]

The 'rarity' of a compass is one of the reasons DayZ can be so tense, not excactly knowing where you are and where you are going. The thrill of finally finding a compass.

If you swapped pistol with a compass and made pistols as rare as compasses, well, that would bring much more issues.

Its perfect the way it is, stop trying to make this game easier. You are rewarded for staying alive long and scavenging well when you finally find a compass, lets keep it that way shall we? :)

[c.chris.perry@gmail.com 17]

Perhaps a watch, which can be used as a compass (look it up, you can use it to determine direction), instead of a compass.

[Koot (DayZ) 5]

Option Two: All the default items' date=' plus: A map and a GPU

[/quote']

Why the hell would i need a graphics card in a zombie aftermath in the middle of nowhere.

GPS

[Gremlin (DayZ) 0]

Personally, I've never had much trouble finding my way around, and I've yet to encounter a compass in-game.

Of course, this is partially because I'm not trying to do a precision sweep across the map and I have fairly good orienteering skills. Someone who is less skilled with reading a map or is in more of a hurry to get to a particular spot might have more difficulty. But as it stands, I think things are fine.

[UbiquitousBadGuy 846]

Not having a compass adds so much more to the experience than having one. You're forced to rely on road signs and sun/star orientations. Since you spawn near the coast, it's also easy to find out what direction the main map is in once you find a nearby town.

Personally I would rather start with matches.

[BannedOpinion 14]

I keep finding compasses, it's irritating after a while when I'm after god-damn beans.

[Publik 404]

I'd rather spawn with a mak, one magazine for it, an empty water bottle, and a can of beans.

(I'd also rather have spawns happen 30 minutes after player death, enforced grid-wide, so dying is more shitty)

[Marcuss95 0]

i would like to trade my spawn pistol and ammo for a map. map is most important to me as i dont kill lol. i have been on my account for about 19 hours now without a death and only have 1 zed kill ^_^

[Virfortis 111]

Well the Makarov is pretty pointless anyways in my experience, but spawning with a compass is definitely not a good idea. It gives the player a sense of direction, and half the fun in this mod is figuring out where you are.

[clever 12]

It's not that hard to find out what direction you're going if you study the map beforehand. Usually the coast that player's spawn on is on the south side of the map, therefore you can keep track in your head which way you're going.

It's even easier to know which direction you're going at night, just look up and look for the north star, pretty easy.

[DaPessimist 1]

Just use the Sun and Stars.

[Rigel (DayZ) 0]

The Sun rises in the east, sets in the west. In between dawn and dusk, it is in the south. Southeast before noon, southwest afternoon, at noon its at about due south.

If you're on a server with the same time as your time zone, you can easily find out which way is which. If you have a watch, you know exactly what time it is in game.

[naizarak 41]

navigating isn't very hard. just open a map on google and follow the roads.

[The Burned Man 20]

Just look at the stars and- oh you all play on daylight servers anyway.

When it's day you have the sun, when it's night you have stars.

That should be enough for basic navigation until you find a compass.

[kyriel 45]

How about three different starting load-out options the player could choose from?

Each option has a default load-out consisting of:

1 x water bottle

2 x can of beans

3 x bandages

2 x morphine

1 x can of soda

Option One 'The Marksman': All the default items' date=' [b']plus: A handgun and two x rounds of ammo

Option Two 'The Navigator': All the default items, plus: A map and a GPS

Option Three 'The Survivalist': All the default items, plus: A hunting knife and 1 x box of matches

Players grouping together can then pre-assign agreed roles to team members before spawning into a new game and selecting their roles. This idea could be expanded to include, say a 'Medic' or a 'Mechanic' load-out...

I both like and dislike this idea. It's a good idea, except it must remain random just as you cannot pick where you spawn. You should not be able to pick what "class" you are. Being able to pick makes it too easy, this game is meant to be hard. With that said, I would throw out the "navigator" because you're capable of navigating without a compass and GPS.

I've found myself becoming extremely intimate with the map. I've never played Arma 2 until this mod. But I know generally where most things are now. If I spawn anywhere between Kamenka and Otmel, I can most definitely make it all the way to Stary Sober (And then on to the Airfield and Devils Castle) no problem because I've been that intimate with road signs, landscapes, etc and walking all over the damn place (Which included dieing a lot at first). I'm directionally challenged so if I can figure it out, so can you. Put effort into it.

learn to navigate by the sun and stars' date=' it isn't very hard. I also don't agree with the road signs being useless... if you have a map you can pinpoint your location using the town names and outlines of the buildings / orientation of the roads.

[/quote']

So true. Work and put effort into it.

Well the Makarov is pretty pointless anyways in my experience' date=' but spawning with a compass is definitely not a good idea. It gives the player a sense of direction, and half the fun in this mod is figuring out where you are.

[/quote']

The Makarov IS pretty chitty, but it's better than nothing. And as it's been mentioned you can have a sense of direction based on where you spawn. If you spawn on the south coast, obviously walk away from the coast and you're going north. If you spawn in Solnichny or anywhere on the east coast, then walk away from the coast and you're going West. Same thing as having a compass.

[Dudg 0]

tbh, I think the starting gear is pretty bloody generous as is, given how much of a sadist Rocket seems to be!

I think I'd rather start with some comfy, (quiet!) trainers/sneakers...

[underpaidorphan 2]

Everyone does make good points. I think overall I agree with the post that has different starting classes, because everyone is always going to have an opinion.

Starting with a compass does not really make it easy, as you have NO gun to defend yourself. If anything, might be a bit harder if you encounter an early zombie.

A good example of this is, I am AMAZING at avoiding zombies. I'm sure lots of people are, but most don't have the patience.

However, my friend sucks at avoiding zombies and sprints everywhere and gets obliterated.

As such, I would prefer to start with compass. No need for a gun early on.

My friend would definitely need a gun. Haha! No use for a compass for him.

And yea, the sun helps. And the stars. But still, between avoiding zombies, getting killed by this seemingly deathmatch community, and trying to find loot... having to keep track of your location can be disoriented.

And to the guy who said finding out where you are is fun.... O.o

Maybe the first couple of times... but no. It's not that much fun. i.e. Walking Simulation 2012

[Reaper (DayZ) 2]

I definitely would support this idea but at the same time, it has it's unfairness about it too. Bandits would be more than happy to wait for a weaponless survivor to appear and chase them down til they caught them because they knew they couldn't fire back.

You'd have to outwit the bandit.

[gogozombie 1]

Here's a bit of advice to get yer bearings at spawn. You are gonna spawn on a coast. There should be a railroad and a road near the coast. If the road is closest the ocean, you are on the east coast, possibly as far south as the southeast corner of the map. If the railroad is closest to the ocean, you are on the south coast. The only place this is not applicable is if you are between Elektro and Cherno, in which case you are probably fucked anyway.

[daedrick 90]

You guys can check out my suggestion for starting kit and spawning mechanic in my signature if you are interrested, it adress spawn camping and loot choice.