Where's the loot?

[Thing 4]

I've checked the wiki map and watched a few guides on you tube where the player finds a deer-hide (gets a weapon), goes to store (finds some food) goes to a barn (finds an axe). But when i try the same thing i find a deer-hide (empty), go to the supermarket (empty), find a barn (empty). If I'm lucky maybe one building in five contains something useless like a flare or an empty tin can.

Do I have a bad installation, am I playing on some wierd, hardcore servers or has the game been patched to make items rarer? If the later the game is just completely unplayable for me as it's impossible to find enough food/water to survive even before you run out of ammo. It's also extremely annoying to spend 15 minutes sneaking/fighting your way into the middle of town just to find it completely empty (e.g. the store in Polana - should it ever be completely empty?)

I know the loot is working as I do occasionally find things, just not nearly enough to survive for any length of time. Don't tell me I'm looking in the wrong places or I need to learn where things are... I'm looking in the same places all the guides/videos suggest - just not finding anything (nothing in the store in Cherno either, some medical supplies on the roof of the hospital but no weapon or anything else to break the ground level windows with)

[KingJew 1]

Sounds like a hardcore server to me

[daspope 146]

I've checked the wiki map and watched a few guides on you tube where the player finds a deer-hide (gets a weapon), goes to store (finds some food) goes to a barn (finds an axe). But when i try the same thing i find a deer-hide (empty), go to the supermarket (empty), find a barn (empty). If I'm lucky maybe one building in five contains something useless like a flare or an empty tin can.

Do I have a bad installation, am I playing on some wierd, hardcore servers or has the game been patched to make items rarer? If the later the game is just completely unplayable for me as it's impossible to find enough food/water to survive even before you run out of ammo. It's also extremely annoying to spend 15 minutes sneaking/fighting your way into the middle of town just to find it completely empty (e.g. the store in Polana - should it ever be completely empty?)

I know the loot is working as I do occasionally find things, just not nearly enough to survive for any length of time. Don't tell me I'm looking in the wrong places or I need to learn where things are... I'm looking in the same places all the guides/videos suggest - just not finding anything (nothing in the store in Cherno either, some medical supplies on the roof of the hospital but no weapon or anything else to break the ground level windows with)

Sounds like you just have bad luck, find a night time server that has a full moon so you can see, or put those flares to use. pop a flar in the middle of the street in a big city, zombies and bandits will be attracted to it naturally so stay outside the light range as much as possible. chem lights are nice for looting inside dark buildings.

[Partywaffle 24]

Usually when I go to the NWAF or Cherno I listen to this:

Usually helps me find more loot.

Edited August 5, 2012 by Partywaffle

[DaBilderberg 3]

http://dayzdb.com/map

[belesis 14]

Change server, probably the places you are looking someone has already looted.

[daspope 146]

Usually when I go to the NWAF or Cherno I listen to this:

Usually helps me find more loot.

lol, I likes me some biggie.

[Thing 4]

Sounds like you just have bad luck, find a night time server that has a full moon so you can see, or put those flares to use. pop a flar in the middle of the street in a big city, zombies and bandits will be attracted to it naturally so stay outside the light range as much as possible. chem lights are nice for looting inside dark buildings.

Thanks, I used some chem lights to see around the supermarket at night. Verified there was no loot at night either :-) if only. Could eat the chem-lights...

[FrankFisher 46]

Must be the server

[Thing 4]

http://dayzdb.com/map

Thanks but I already have that map. Knowing where things SHOULD be is not the problem. As a test I went into the supermarket a Polana (empty) then switched from server to server to see if I could find any instance that had loot. I had to switch 3-4 times before I found anything at all ( some flares and a backpack). I did not find any food at all (1 tin) until about the 10th server.

Those odds just aren't good enough to survive normally without switching servers (which should really be considered cheating anyway). Regardless I am not seeing the amounts of loot people are finding in the tutorial videos. Either the game is broken or someone has figured out a way to teleport around the map, strip all the loot, then switch to another server.

I know I am not the only person seeing this, and until it is fixed the game is just broken IMNSHO

[ApriL 28]

Maybe you should try playing on a regular or veteran server.

[daspope 146]

Thanks, I used some chem lights to see around the supermarket at night. Verified there was no loot at night either :-) if only. Could eat the chem-lights...

lmao... one chem light smoothie coming up!

[daspope 146]

Thanks but I already have that map. Knowing where things SHOULD be is not the problem. As a test I went into the supermarket a Polana (empty) then switched from server to server to see if I could find any instance that had loot. I had to switch 3-4 times before I found anything at all ( some flares and a backpack). I did not find any food at all (1 tin) until about the 10th server.

Those odds just aren't good enough to survive normally without switching servers (which should really be considered cheating anyway). Regardless I am not seeing the amounts of loot people are finding in the tutorial videos. Either the game is broken or someone has figured out a way to teleport around the map, strip all the loot, then switch to another server.

I know I am not the only person seeing this, and until it is fixed the game is just broken IMNSHO

if you are in the one location and hopping from server to server and no one has been in that area for a while it decreases your chances of items spawning compared to if you travel to that location. I have found when I log out in a good loot spot then log back in later on a server with not a lot of people, often times the spot will have no loot until I run off and loot stuff further away then come back.

I have no hard evidence, but I think its to somewhat thwart people that server hop to cherry pick loot at the good places. not 100% sure though, just a hunch.

[Thing 4]

lmao... one chem light smoothie coming up!

Got to love the internet. We truly live in a golden age :-)

[Thing 4]

if you are in the one location and hopping from server to server and no one has been in that area for a while it decreases your chances of items spawning compared to if you travel to that location. I have found when I log out in a good loot spot then log back in later on a server with not a lot of people, often times the spot will have no loot until I run off and loot stuff further away then come back.

I have no hard evidence, but I think its to somewhat thwart people that server hop to cherry pick loot at the good places. not 100% sure though, just a hunch.

I don't think this is the case... those odds (1:5 of finding anything, 1:10 of finding anything useful) are about the same as what I am seeing when I play normally, running from town to town. It takes so long to get about and sneak into the next town that I am usually either starving or dying of thirst. Maybe just a problem with the servers in my area, or some hacker is strip-mining servers. I AM finding weapons, but as you can only carry one weapon at the time that supports the strip mining theory rather than just some item-spawn bug.

[daspope 146]

I don't think this is the case... those odds (1:5 of finding anything, 1:10 of finding anything useful) are about the same as what I am seeing when I play normally, running from town to town. It takes so long to get about and sneak into the next town that I am usually either starving or dying of thirst. Maybe just a problem with the servers in my area, or some hacker is strip-mining servers. I AM finding weapons, but as you can only carry one weapon at the time that supports the strip mining theory rather than just some item-spawn bug.

hmmm

Maybe just get better at ditching zombies and sprint through the towns and go town to town. the zombies will never catch you unless you run into a chain link fence you didnt see or something lol.

I do the sprinting grab-n-go method a lot when I get irritated and there arent a lot of people on the server.

[Thing 4]

hmmm

Maybe just get better at ditching zombies and sprint through the towns and go town to town. the zombies will never catch you unless you run into a chain link fence you didnt see or something lol.

I do the sprinting grab-n-go method a lot when I get irritated and there arent a lot of people on the server.

The zombies are not catching me. I'm just not finding any loot.

[Thing 4]

Solved... it was the server (actually it was a lot of servers).

So that is my advice for new players... if you are having problems finding loot, switch to another server. When you find a server which is spawning useful loot, remember the name and stick with it. Doesn'y solve the problem of partially looted pile blocking spawn points with piles of empty tin cans but ce la vie.