Banditry: The Underappreciated Service to the DayZ Community...ATM

[kayakinack 57]

Ok, first of all, this is not a joke nor an attempt at trolling. The topic name is exactly how I feel and I plan to give a brief explanation of why you too should appreciate myself and other bandits for what we do for this game.

First of all, everyone in this community agrees the goal of this game is to survive, by any means you see fit. In order to make the game challenging different game mechanics were implemented to cause players' deaths. There are five main ways of dieing: other players' legitimate actions, hackers' childish actions, glitches, personal health needs, and zombies.

As the game currently stands, zombies and personal health needs (ie: hunger,thirst,temp) are virtually not an issue after the first few hours of play. Glitches and hackers are also an uncontrollable factor that doesn't add suspense or a challenge, they simply kill/ruin your game with no real ability to avoid/predict them. So what is left to make the game a challenge? Why would anyone play a game where all they have to do is outsmart some EXTREMELY limited AI and grab a bite to eat and something to drink everyone hour or so? At least IMO that seems extremely boring, games need challenges and scary situations. Well that is where bandits come in.

I know most people in this community can head straight through Electro and Cherno without stopping and probably without firing a shot at a single zombie and stock up on everything they need to survive and then head up north to sit around a campfire and do what you could just do in real life: nothing.

Luckily for this game a certain group of players evolved that decided the suspense of a big city in a zombie survival game needed to be there. IF there were a real zombie apocalypse I hope no one believes a city the size of Cherno and Electro would have 50 zombies in it, 50 THOUSAND zombies is more like it. Well currently that isn't a possibility due to hardware/software issues, SO instead bandits create the TRUE danger of a big city. When I am sitting on my hill with my sniper trained on you and waiting for the perfect shot or when I'm sitting inside the city waiting to ambush you, I create the danger and the suspense that is lacking due to zombies, well really the lack thereof. No one that has played this game for more than a few hours can argue that the real danger in this game is other players; whether they like that or not is a non-issue. There is no AI in the world that can create the danger and suspense of a real person. Argue about realism all you want; unfortunately for your argument, realism is also a non-issue because this game is based on pure fantasy: zombies.

If you are interested in dealing with nothing but zombie AI you always have the option of low pop servers. However, if you become bored with the monotony of simple survival on low pop servers, just as I did, you join a high pop server to create that suspense. I used to play only on servers with less than 10 people, now I do my best to only play on 30+ servers. Because the truth of the matter is: surviving EVERYTHING except other players is simple.

[chris p. bacon 182]

Absolutely. Bandits are what makes this game what it is. However, bandits are generalized into those assholes who snipe freshly spawned players in Elektro. Those guys aren't bandits, they're assholes. I believe that most people realize this mod would suck if not for banditry. I also used to play on low population servers and went apeshit whenever a bandit killed me. Now, I always go to a server with at least 30 people, or the game just isn't fun.

[Zombie Jesus 723]

I agree with you to a point, I hate snipers because it is incredibly unrealistic to have guys up on a hill going full sociopath just for the lulz. I do not begrudge your choice to snipe, nor do I want to see it removed, I just think you are cheap for doing it especially to the new spawns that inhabit Cherno. I am fully geared (except rangefinder) with a M240 as primary, M9 SD as secondary, and M14 AIM as my backup and I walked into Cherno on a medium populated server (after taking out some snipers in the hills so it was safe) just to see what type of threat there was. Some unlucky guy spawned into the hospital but only had an axe, when I told him to leave he ran at me and was quickly killed. Next a guy took a potshot (and hit me) from the second floor of the fire station and was quickly killed as well. Finally some guy came running by and was too slow in responding and was shot (I was going to let him live but about 30 zombies agroed so they got to feed on him). It was fun, but I felt somewhat bad for offing three low tier players with my vastly superior weapons. I have no idea how someone can truly find it challenging or fun to sit on a hill and snipe those running around with makarov's.

I guess to each his own. But I do agree with your overall theme of without player kills this game would be boring.

[Brandnew11980 26]

So you think killing random people for no possible reason is helping the game? Are you sure you're not trolling? Bandits who kill cause they're hungry that's making it more tense to go into the big cities... but going prone on a hill in a ghillie with a .50 sniping fresh spawns isn't helping anything, it makes you a douche. Especially when people do it for the hell of it and don't even care to loot. I don't think you're doing the game a service. You certainly wouldn't make my experience better by shooting me in the head with a cannon as I'm rummaging for beans when I have nothing but a hatchet.

[Tiercel 63]

Fair point I suppose...

but if youre gonna "bandit" do it properly... sniping people from 700+ meters away when they havent got a hope in hell is just a wanker thing to do, theyre the type of people who never got over being bullied at school so in turn they have to do the bullying now, except they can only bully unarmed noobs on the coast.

[thezoq2 0]

I agree, but as long as the bandits you are refering to isn't the elektro snipers. I am totaly fine with someone killing me when I have full gear and they kill me for the loot. But when someone runs around in elektro killing fresh spawns with an AS50 and don't care about the loot even though it's 5 meters away, are just plain duchebags. (That happned to me once, guy with an AS50 killed me point blank, then when I got back to the same place a few hours later... All my stuff was there)

[AfterShave 140]

On paper that sounds great, but in reality:

1.Sprinting to Cherno for lewtz

2.Dies

3.Glitchy server screen

[Blindingsun 233]

everytime someone cries about snipers camping spawns in ghillies.

I'm going to spend 1 hour camping fresh spawns.

=D enjoy

[gambles 234]

You are so full of shit OP it makes me actually sick. You think you're creating a suspenseful enviroment by camping the 'known' newbie big citys by shooting them with a rifle that you most likely only have cause it was duped in, from 700+ meters away? But just incase you're not trolling and think you are some legit bandit, let me break it down for you.

You spawn as a new player and run to a big city, to scavenge and survive the zombie apocalypse. You most likely have limited knowledge about the controls, or even what weapons are in the game, or how to pick them up and use them. With hundreds of unique players each day these are the people you are shooting. You are not teaching them suspense or anything of the sort. If you were a real bandit after real gear for real survival you'd be killing when it matters.

Players already have plenty of suspense in large citys with other players trying to loot the same location too. It's a hotspot for close quarters suspenseful combat if it isn't being camped by f4ing snipers.

If you really want to create some kind of suspense why not get down in there with your pistol and take on some of them newly spawned players, them seeing you decked out in gear coming at them with the risk/reward of either facing you and dieing or running off scared.

Or better yet why not camp NW Airfield where the end game players are? Ya know the ones that have sniper rifles and thermal and stuff to add some suspense FOR YOU. You know the guys who actually need the difficulty increased. End game gets boring as hell and you're praising yourself for making the opening most challenging part of the game even more frustrating, get outa here.

You are exploiting the newly spawned players and that is it. 99% of the people you are killing have no chance to avoid/see/retaliate or even know whats going on. I respect true bandits who kill and loot the body for useful stuff. The guys who don't alt f4, don't camp cherno for newbs, and play in the end game locations with end game gear. Ya know the real bandits? Not the murderers like yourself who camp new spawns for the thrill of shooting what basically equals the same thing as shooting a goat or cow in the field.

Good day to you.

Edited August 21, 2012 by Gambles

[Kyuss (DayZ) 0]

I am a survivor myself. I do think DayZ would miss a lot, if there were no banditry. It's part of the game and that is good! I just wish the bandits would go at it with a little more RPG-style. For example, I was robbed once at gunpoint. But they (2 bandits) didn't kill me, after I gave them what they wanted. This is banditry. Not shooting me from mile away and then not even take something from my corpse. That's not banditry. That's assholeness. Plane and simple. Please don't take me wrong, I don't have anything against beeing shot at...but please. At lease loot my body for something you need, okay? ;-)

Edited August 21, 2012 by Kyuss

[shnoogy 30]

I personally have no issue with snipers, but it would be nice if when they shot their incredibly loud 50 caliber weapons they aggroed some zombies. I think it would make things more interesting. Maybe actually be a downside to sniping?

[gambles 234]

I personally have no issue with snipers, but it would be nice if when they shot their incredibly loud 50 caliber weapons they aggroed some zombies. I think it would make things more interesting. Maybe actually be a downside to sniping?

Sniper rifles are not the problem. It's the fact that they are used almost solely for pointless killing of newly spawned players. Oh and the sheer number of them because of duping.

[OrLoK 16185]

Interesting one.

Real, true bandit's (or in reality the threat of any player killing you) were a small and interesting part of the initial dynamic.

Now, once a bandit minded chap is kitted out, the safest thing for him to do IS to kill fresh spawns (as well as anyone else) as he then stops other folk from becoming a threat. And the safest way to do that is from a distance.

Same with lions and cubs. He sees them as a threat and scoffs them. nom nom nom. Not nice. but true

I don't approve of this myself, but understand it from their (a bandit's) point of view. It's a selfish, self preserving mechanism which works.

Until a mechanism is put in place to stop that kind of thought it will continue forever.

As to bandits contributing to the game. I'm not so sure. If some imagination/roleplay was put into it then yes, I can see the benefit. But as it stands the game may as well not have any Zeds and be just pure DM/team DM.

In the beginning of DAYZ, it was usually a lone bandit or two and the rest of the server would gang up to find his sniping spot and put paid to his naughtyness (either that or we all got killed). That I enjoyed. but with so many folk going "rogue" that kind of playstyle is far rarer. It exists but isn't common.

Mechanics need to be introduced to allow us all to play the way we see fit bandit/carebear/other but they have to be incredibly well thought out rather than a knee jerk "no PVP/only PVP".

The core idea is good but needs tweaking. Then again this is an early test.

Back to OP point. Banditry *can* be useful/fun/sexy etc but at the moment, in general, it's a bit sucky.

Rgds

LoK

[bournesto33 21]

what is ok....sniping from a distance to keep people off a corpse with good loot while someone else goes in for the loot.

what isnt ok...sniping people who just spawned up

what is ok....shoot on sight IN THE CITY, I cant trust you nor you can trust me IN THE CITY.. if we are in a small town and we exchange a few words we both can go to a city and watch each others back etc.

I dont mind bandits as soon as I see a mask on you, you are dead to me because you earned that mask for a reason, you certainly didnt earn it by playing nice.

[BlindProphet 34]

Bandits are a godsend to the game.

There is a difference however being a bandit, and sitting around the main coastal cities and popping new players/fresh respawns. Yes you're adding 'tension' on being in one of those cities killing people who have no chance. But the 'tension' is one sided, and has about the same difficulty as taking out zombies (until someone flanks you on the hill and kills you for being a dick).

Now on the other hand, laying in wait elsewhere waiting for them to hit up location x and then ambushing them when they do (even if you are 800m away) is more akin to banditry. You're actually adding suspense, tension, and all those things that make playing with other players in DayZ actually enjoyable. Yeah it does suck walking into such an ambush but at the same time if you'd actually spent more time scouting and making sure it was clear you might not have been taken out. But you also end up with the feeling of suspense too in that situation. They likely have as good of equipment as you, or better. They're probably being careful, they're probably scouting out to see if the coast is clear. They might be coming from the opposite direction than you're expecting.

Its the exact opposite of sniping freshies out on the coast. Now can you end up doing hilariously awesome things in the main coastal cities as a bandit? Yes. Holding people up at gun point for their beans, forcing people to fight each other to be able to leave, taking over part of the city and setting up a bandit camp... Yeah they may only have a mackarov or 1911 but at that point you're down in the thick of it, and someone could end up coming up behind you, or raiding your fort or whatever. Theres suspense there both ways. Unlike that asshole up on the hill who might as well be shooting zombies for all the skill it takes to camp freshies.

[BudiJ 13]

I do enjoy that there is PVP. It's about half of the excitement in DayZ. But still, I think people should consider what they gain with every kill. Do they kill to help themselves or do they kill just to fuck up the other player. This game isn't ment for just deathmatch PVP and gaining player kills, it has mechanics that not many game has to threaten your survival. Yet many people seem to play like it is just another generic shooter. People server changing with sniper rifle looking for server that has people in elektro/cherno etc. aren't doing it right.

[bazbake 456]

New spawns definitely experience suspense before they ever meet their first bandit. It's there. The game is stressful for new players, especially when they don't know zombie pathfinding or have a decent weapon or get fully stocked.

The people the zombies aren't stressful for are mid-geared players. And these are the players who aren't in Cherno/Elektro running around unarmed looking for cans of food.

The campers in Cherno/Elektro are basically just making a game that is difficult for new players even more difficult for new players.

What's interesting is that bandits are players, too. So by going to Elektro/Cherno sniping newspawns for fun, they are basically making the argument that rather than experience a difficult game situation, they step into a game situation where they experience no threat at all (just like everyone else at their level) and harass people who can't defend themselves while those people are busy dealing with a situation that is already difficult.

Don't flatter yourselves. Bandits at NWAF with its 10 zombies are doing a public service and adding tension. Bandits in Balota with its multiple massive hangars where zombies are forced to stroll very slowly are creating a tense atmosphere. Bandits in Cherno/Elektro are kinda...well, they're pussies shooting at clay pigeons because they're afraid of someone on the off chance shooting back at them.

Edited August 21, 2012 by BazBake

[OrLoK 16185]

Hello there

I have to add, although i am not a bandit i will kill anyone too close to me or if I feel threatened in anyway, no matter the skin or loadout (unless unarmed).

I've been killed too often for naught to trust anyone. Sad but true. This is down to greifers rather than the true bandit (which I feel is 1% of the total of all the bandits, I'd love to be wrong)

rgds

LoK

[HydrogenHats 17]

Shit bandits snipe new spawns in Elektro with spawned/stolen items.

Good bandits snipe shit bandits.

[Aeoneth 163]

Agreed Banditry is needed in this game...

But what you describe is not banditry. Banditry is exciting because there's the uncertainty factor. If I cooperate I may get out with my life, if I don't He'll probably shoot me. Can I take him on and possibly win, if he shoots 1st will I have time to react and shoot back? Will following him end up being beneficial to me or just a hindrance.

With people like you there is no uncertainty. Your going to shoot me, so I have to shoot you better, faster, more. You are slightly elevated from the zombies that shamble around. You are a zombie with a gun... do not put yourself on the same level as real bandits.

[Zombie Jesus 723]

everytime someone cries about snipers camping spawns in ghillies.

I'm going to spend 1 hour camping fresh spawns.

=D enjoy

As long as you do not call yourself a bandit I am fine with how you play this game (just know bandits hunt idiots like you all the time, I know all the sniping spots above Cherno and I check them carefully from the North before ever dropping down to the coast).

The problem with the bandit/survivor debate is we are missing a third category, griefers. I am not perfect and I kill fresh spawns for no reason from time to time (sorry again zombie bin laden, it was funny though), but I never really set out to do this. Griefers only goal is to snipe people from a distance and usually log off within a couple of minutes of the shot, these are not bandits. Whenever I find a body with a sniper rifle I hide the body so that rifle is now out of circulation. I am not even some butthurt victim, I have not been sniped in over a month because I am careful, so maybe they do provide a service by teaching new spawns the importance of stealth and avoiding stupid places like Cherno and Elektro (the only useful gear is medical, and Berenzino has a hospital that is far less sketchy). See you at the NWAF and Stary where high level bandits do their thing.

[martin_sonderegger@bluewin.ch 141]

See you at the NWAF and Stary where high level bandits do their thing.

Yeah, because we totally don't use sniper rifles up there.

[flimsypremise 94]

I love the snipers camping spawns. Best source of good gear. I suggest going to unpopulated servers, climbing up to popular sniping points, and then logging into populated servers to pop the sniper while his back is turned. Probably the most fun I've had in dayz.

[Zombie Jesus 723]

Yeah, because we totally don't use sniper rifles up there.

Misses the point of the entire post then says this stupid shit. No fucking shit you have sniper rifles up there, I also know all the common sniper spots up there. I roll with backup so while I am usually rocking the light machine gun to fuck up cars and groups of people in mid range engagements, two buddies are watching with a DMR and an AS50, so good luck getting that shot off on me in the first place.

You missed the point though, I could care less if you murder me at Cherno, Elektro, or the NWAF because I am a long term player who knows how to play this game (death is a big part of the game despite it not happening to me all that often). Right now I am fully geared out except the rangefinder, so murdering me is completely fair game and I stand out like a sore thumb with my huge M240 running through any area. I said real bandits are killing higher level groups or are hunting experienced players at Stary and the Airfields, people who are pure griefers are hunting new spawns at the coast like douchebags. If you actually manage to murder me by sniping or in a mid to close range firefight bravo, I will not bitch at all. I just think the newb campers are pussies and I make a point to murder them when I am in the area (which is not that often).

Edited August 21, 2012 by Zombie Jesus

[Bulf 5]

I think it's almost exciting to be hunted while you have great gear. As a fresh spawn though, it just makes the game more frustrating. I believe that if you're able to get enough gear to make it to Starry Sobor, you should never go back down to Cherno or Elektro for pvp. Real bandits should hunt the players that actually have stuff instead of just trying to get their murder count up