No bandit, no gun

[kebman 213]

So I was just thinking...

Let's say your goals are:

• Not engaging in PvP
  
• Avoiding attention from Z
  
• Making surviving easier
  
• Try to make some friends
  

...Then why pick up a gun, ever?

Or rather, wouldn't it be more than enough with a hatchet? Or maybe the crossbow?

Reason I ask is, well, SD rounds are short lived, and then you get sort of caught up in the game of looking for more ammo if you run out. Any other weapon attract way too much attention when fired. So, minding the points above, that leaves you with just the crossbow or hatchet as the only viable options. However, even though the crossbow is nice and quiet, it's slow and hard to aim, whereas you can just keep 'em coming with a hatchet - at least if you're positioned well.

Also, if you have no gun, you're less likely to get KOS'd.

Your thoughts?

[Stunt_M()nkey 26]

Makes no odds, there are people out there that don't care what loot you may or may not have, they just enjoy getting their murder count up. It's an Apocolypse, arm yourself to the teeth and if fired upon located the enemy and give him/her the good news!

[VaultDweller (DayZ) 58]

The answer lies in your last goal :

,,try to make some friends,,

In the world of DayZ,that is unfortunatly impossible without some kind of protection (A GUN)

Saying ,,friendly,, and him responding ,,friendly,, doesnt mean you two are on the friend zone just yet.

The next thing you know when you lower your gard is him putting a few bullets inside your chest.

Weapons - SELF DEFENCE.

Also your second goal :

Making surviving easier ( BY GETTING A WEAPON)

Self defence doesnt make you a bandit!

Edited July 31, 2012 by VaultDweller

[Udak 104]

I think for a lot of beginner players simply the pursuit of better gear is a prime motivator. Even if you discard weapons, a dude with a coyote backpack/alice/czech backpack is still a walking target.

You're severely impacting enjoyment by limiting gear progession to simply equipment. Also crossbow is apparently only accurate out to 30m, completely useless (but does enough damage that it would easily be considered a threat by any serious player).

Besides you might get pity in Cherno or Electro, but trying that stuff at NWAF or Stary is a great way to get .50'ed across the field, likely before they can tell if you havea weapon out or not....and even if you get passed by 9/10 people in cherno/electro, you're still going to die often to that 10%

EDIT: Also, it's surprisingly easy to just conceal a weapon inside your bag, run into a group proclaiming your weakness and then gank 'em while their backs are turned.

Edited July 31, 2012 by Udak

[kebman 213]

This wasn't a suggestion to how the game should be. Only to how you can play it, if you want to.

Shit, I know there are players out there who would shoot you on sight no matter how you're armed, or maybe even if you sat in a wheel chair. You can easily avoid other players for a long time by moving smart and tactically. And when you do decide to contact another player, you'd have to be smart about it anyway, like making sure you're behind cover and that you have a way to retreat.

Still: A gun makes you a bigger threat to other players. The sound of it aggros more Zeds. So why pick up a gun in the first place? I see no need for it, unless you get easily bored. In that case, go right ahead. Nobody's stopping you. I'll think you're a coward, of course, but go right ahead. :D

Personally I've had better luck making friends with a hatchet rather than with a gun. And a hatchet is honestly the best Zed defence I've ever found in the game. Reason? If I get stalked by Zeds, just run into a house, position yourself tactically, and chop away. You'll have Z casualties in the hundreds in no time, without ever having to worry about ammo.

The Crossbow could be better, for instance if a decent quiver were available. As it is, I find it better to simply use a hatchet. Sure, there are times where it would be nice to kill off a Zed to get to a certain area quicker, but you can still distract them by other means.

@Udak: I sure love your sneaky ways!