The things I have learnt...

[GENDERS 3]

For new players:

1) Never pick up a pistol that you don't have a lot of ammunition for.

I had a Makarovo with 8 magazines. OK, not the best gun, but at least I had ammo. I found a M1911, cool, I pick it up, I lose my Makarovo and the 8 magazine, now I have a M1911 and no ammo and my Makarovo has disappeared from the game and there's no ammo laying around for the M1911.

Bollocks.

This maybe a mod bug?

2) When you have a nice amount of loot, don't, don't go swimming in the sea, lakes or rivers.

So now I have a Winchester and my empty M1911. I was out as far west as you could go. I was by myself for hours. Some how I'd triggered the local dead residents interest, they proceed to chase me out of their town. I bolt for it, Benny Hill music is playing over and over in my head as I run for it.

I proceed to dive off a small wooden dock into the sea, I'm safe, excellent. All the local dead residents looking at me with disdain, they can't swim. Cool, I swim away to relative safety.

Again, bollocks, apparently the sea eats you back pack and all it's contents, also you Winchester and it's ammo and leaves you with an empty M1911, a watch and a compass. No bandages, no food, no ammo, no water...fuck.

3) You can never lose a Zombies interest in you.

Now after finding out I have nothing and I'm now freezing, I get myself on land and start to run for it. Now though I'm shivering with cold, I have two Zombies on my tail and I have no where to go. Again Benny Hill music is playing, I run to two bridges for the road and railway. I proceed to figure 8 over and under the bridges trying to confuse the Zombies. Doesn't work, one clever dead bastard comes the other way.

So I improvise and get to the railway bridge and prone, they start beating the shit out of me, I crawl under it and get away. They stand howling at me...

I'm safe, I think, until I press the G button to look at my gear. I'd thought I take stock of what I have remaining.

My character proceeds to try and stand up in a space about 2 and a half feet high and quickly breaks his neck, back and legs and instantly dies...from 9000 blood to instant dead. I heard the positive death feed back as my body breaks and folds in two...bollocks...

[boneboys 7988]

1: When changing your weapon I suggest you open your gear, drop the little pistol and then take the bigger pistol.

(I never hit "enter" when prompted by the game).

2: When wearing a heavy backpack do not go swimming, you will drown or lose your gear.

(this has always been a problem in ArmA)

3: Mostly true but I have managed to shake individual Z's off of my trail.

I hope this will ease your pain and don't forget, this is an Alpha build, let's hope it gets beta...

Thanks.

[walrus2517 27]

1. I had the same issue. Picked up a 1911 that said it had two mags but the mags didn't go into my inventory. My makarov and 6 mags disappeared, but I didn't realize I didn't get the 1911 ammo until I had crawled a ways away. So I crawl back but nothing is there. I swear I ran around another 30 minutes before I found another weapon, but I eventually did.

2. Happened to me as well. Large price to pay, but you survived.

3. Never managed to shake one either.

You'll find this game very harsh when it comes to things like falling off ladders, standing in a small space, etc. Sometimes it's just the Arma game, sometimes it's the mod (still in alpha). All I can say is expect to learn the hard way quite a few more times, but I imagine you'll still greatly enjoy the experience. :)

[Legacy (DayZ) 1091]

3. The only ones you can lose interest is the ones that crawl on the ground, or hop around. Rarely can you get away from a running zed (Ex: Going in a building and waiting long enough to run out, running up a hill to make them go slower.)

[GENDERS 3]

Thanks all you lot, seems we have all similar experience. I've started keeping a note pad beside my desk while I play and writing down notes.

My current play I decided to stick around the Cherno, I ran to the building site on the edge of town with the crane and fire. Yep, all the Zombies, they shuffle up those stair cases after me like blood hounds, even when I'm hidden and I can't see them they find me...

Suggestion: I've seen this already mentioned - in game journals, something you could quickly jot down. Like - "Don't go swimming" and "You can't shake the walkers, crawlers and hoppers can". Maybe limited it to a mobile phone text of 160 characters. I could understand though that this could lead to stress on the servers DBs as hundreds or thousands of journals start appearing.

[GENDERS 3]

Things I have since learnt

ArmA II physic engine will KILL YOU...

Tried to crawl between a fence and a chicken coop. Some how, for some reason, broken my whole body...when from 12k blood to 3k blood, was shaking, screen blurring and gushing blood.

Bandage, morphine and a few tins of bean, pasta and sardines later...sort of OK at just over 4k blood...

What the hell...

Get somewhere safe and disconnect.

[bobtom 10]

2. It is there to simulate not being able to swim with all that bulk and weight. Which is understandable. I've never swam with a backpack and guns on me, but I don't really want to try either.

3. I looked at the code back when it was first released, and I don't remember it allowing for players to escape after a certain distance like in Celery's zombies. But it could have changed since then or I missed it, because I was just skimming.