What's the point of helicopters?

[omgwtfbbq (DayZ) 1069]

Wait. Read thoroughly before posting.

Thanks, Rollingpwns for the info. This thread has been edited appropriately.

But that's the new question. What about helicopters? Why bother with a helicopter, finding all of those parts and refilling it with all of that gas if it resets so quickly? Just saying, helicopters last years and years in real life (normal life, not zombie apocalypse life). If someone takes it, fair. But all that time just to have it despawn seems like a waste.

Edited August 31, 2012 by omgwtfbbq

[rolling 19]

The only thing that doesn't save is Helicopters. All other vehicles and tents stay forever, until the server completley dumps its entire save file.

[Sam Entropy 7]

A mate and myself use tents, we had an ATV as well, but someone looted out camp earlier and stole it :(

the server we play on resets every 4-8 hours I think, and our stuff has been fine for several days.

[jdblair5 170]

Wait. Read thoroughly before posting.

I can understand cars being used as transportation, and tents used as bases. 100% understanding there. The thing is; why do people even bother with them? Servers reset every 6 or so hours. Don't cars and tents reset on server restart? So unless you play for six straight hours, or play several times between server restarts, why bother gathering all of that stuff if you're just going to lose it the next time you play? As for the cars, I would want to have a car with me until I die, or until someone takes it. Yes, most times people will take it, but still, if nobody does, I want it to last as long as I maintain it for.

If tents and cars don't reset, or some servers restart every week or so, then I guess that's the end of the conversation. But almost every single server I join restarts at least twice a day.

So tell me: why do you use tents if you're going to lose the excess, and why use cars if they're going to reset soon?

(again, if they don't reset, then mods, feel free to lock this thread. I apologize for the possible clutter thread)

All this damn time you been playing the game and on the forums you didn't know how tents and vehicles work? What the hell you been doing man?

But to answer your question (hence the edit)

Whats the point of tents? to dupe gear.

Whats the point of vehicles? to drive to the shore, kill fresh spawns, then drive back to my gear duping tents.

Edited August 31, 2012 by jdblair5

[omgwtfbbq (DayZ) 1069]

All this damn time you been playing the game and on the forums you didn't know how tents and vehicles work? What the hell you been doing man?

I don't use vehicles or tents. I never knew about the spawns/respawns.

[{N3RD2} HazardousJJ 15]

The last update fucked up vehicle saving. I believe 1.2.4 servers will save things perfectly fine but the current one doesn't. That is what I was told. I try to look for cars on outdated servers. :thumbsup:

[jdblair5 170]

Whats the point of Helicopters? To fly to the coast, kill fresh spawns, then fly back to my gear duping tents.

[Minamo 114]

1.7.2.5 ... we're having LOTS of stuff still

[Buffjesus 357]

[Inception. 9443]

Go back to .4. That's what my group and I have done. Then you can fly helicopters for days.

[omgwtfbbq (DayZ) 1069]

Dat recoil

[sostronk 334]

Well, helicopters do give a massive advantage over other players. You only have to play in a clan server to know just how much.

[Faceman Peck 93]

Well, helicopters do give a massive advantage over other players. You only have to play in a clan server to know just how much.

You couldn't be any more mistaken. Watch 80% of heli videos in Dayz are shot down by a sniper. Clan server or otherwise, it does not give anyone a distinct advantage. You become a huge target that everyone sees and helis are only good for fast travel or group drop off/extraction. They can also be handy for looking for crashed heli spawns. But I use helis a couple times a week and I can tell you its no advanatge buddy

*(not to mention that at most altitutdes those mounted machine guns are useless)

[venthos 605]

Helicopters are primarily for transportation. You can go end-to-end on the map within a minute or two because of speed and the fact that you can take a direct route vs. up and over hills, around trees/obstructions, etc.

The M240s mounted on the doors are of extremely limited use and really only best as suppressive fire. The desync issues in vehicles make the guns only able to be used about 75% of the time (the other 25% it looks like you're flying into the ground to the gunners). At reasonable speed to avoid the average sniper's fire, the M240s are incredibly difficult to hone in on a target. To get a good shot at a target with them you have to slow to speeds and keep a steady heading that make it fairly trivial for someone to snipe door gunners.

If someone in the trees has an AS50 or M107, it doesn't take much at all to drop a chopper. THe other day a choper flew around in Cherno. They were over 1km out from my position and I couldn't see them due to whether (but could hear them). They coincidentally ended up trying to egress the city almost directly over me. I fired a few rounds of my AS50 into the chopper (aiming for the main rotor area) and dropped that thing like a rock even though they were going about 200km/h by then.

Helicopters are a lot of fun to play with, but it also adds a layer of responsibility. They are much more difficult to hide given you need a reasonably sized FLAT clearing to land them. This makes them easer to spot by far as compared to ground vehicles/tents. The places you hide them generally mean if you lose it to someone you're in for a LONG hike back.

I would love to see the addition of a very small capacity transport only (no mounted guns) helicopter that is more plentiful (2-3 per server) for the standalone.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Venthos

[sostronk 334]

You couldn't be any more mistaken. Watch 80% of heli videos in Dayz are shot down by a sniper. Clan server or otherwise, it does not give anyone a distinct advantage. You become a huge target that everyone sees and helis are only good for fast travel or group drop off/extraction. They can also be handy for looking for crashed heli spawns. But I use helis a couple times a week and I can tell you its no advanatge buddy

*(not to mention that at most altitutdes those mounted machine guns are useless)

Most videos on youtube do show stuff like that. It doesn't make it any less beneficial. You can identify any tent/vehicle/crashed heli spawn on the map better than any other method. You can access certain places that can't be accessed any other way. You can travel further faster than any other method. Just because there are alot of stupid pilots who fly over highly populated sniper locations doesn't make it less advantageous.

[Faceman Peck 93]

Most videos on youtube do show stuff like that. It doesn't make it any less beneficial. You can identify any tent/vehicle/crashed heli spawn on the map better than any other method. You can access certain places that can't be accessed any other way. You can travel further faster than any other method. Just because there are alot of stupid pilots who fly over highly populated sniper locations doesn't make it less advantageous.

Choppers are only beneficial for travel and even then by the time youve repaired one (generally speaking) you couldve gotten to where you wanted to go using another means in half the time. OIther than the hotel roof and a few other spots not many other places a chopper can reach that you cant get to with another vehicle then climb yourself. (boat excluded)

in short although handy to cover some grouond, choppers arent a great advantage over anyone, furthermore, its not like every server you log into there is a clan flying around lighting you up with one. So Im not really sure what advantage you mean

[venthos 605]

...by the time youve repaired one (generally speaking) you couldve gotten to where you wanted to go using another means in half the time.

This would be valid if helicopters were one time use vehicles. Once you get a chopper going you can ferry yourself and friends all over the map forever (once the vehicle save problem is fixed) until you're careless enough and get shot down or someone steals it. Just because you want instant gratification doesn't mean helicopters are useless. They're amazing for transportation.

[omgwtfbbq (DayZ) 1069]

Helicopters are primarily for transportation. You can go end-to-end on the map within a minute or two because of speed and the fact that you can take a direct route vs. up and over hills, around trees/obstructions, etc.

The M240s mounted on the doors are of extremely limited use and really only best as suppressive fire. The desync issues in vehicles make the guns only able to be used about 75% of the time (the other 25% it looks like you're flying into the ground to the gunners). At reasonable speed to avoid the average sniper's fire, the M240s are incredibly difficult to hone in on a target. To get a good shot at a target with them you have to slow to speeds and keep a steady heading that make it fairly trivial for someone to snipe door gunners.

If someone in the trees has an AS50 or M107, it doesn't take much at all to drop a chopper. THe other day a choper flew around in Cherno. They were over 1km out from my position and I couldn't see them due to whether (but could hear them). They coincidentally ended up trying to egress the city almost directly over me. I fired a few rounds of my AS50 into the chopper (aiming for the main rotor area) and dropped that thing like a rock even though they were going about 200km/h by then.

Helicopters are a lot of fun to play with, but it also adds a layer of responsibility. They are much more difficult to hide given you need a reasonably sized FLAT clearing to land them. This makes them easer to spot by far as compared to ground vehicles/tents. The places you hide them generally mean if you lose it to someone you're in for a LONG hike back.

I would love to see the addition of a very small capacity transport only (no mounted guns) helicopter that is more plentiful (2-3 per server) for the standalone.

Um...first line of OP...

Edited August 31, 2012 by omgwtfbbq

[adamtheheretic 106]

As many other people have said, in 1.7.2.4 helicopters work fine. Once you have it, if your camp is in a decent enough spot you can keep them for a long time, especially with the fuel capacity.

[Draxx (DayZ) 61]

Choppers are great! Our pilot brings me and my Spotter behind the enemy lines. To get your squad fast into battle it is an amazing vehicle. For reeinforcing clan troops which are under fire it is perfect, because you can gather all clan members in no time and bring them to the hotspot.

I love the chopper ingame, but yes, it is sad that it vanishes after a server restart. And, hands down, nothing is cooler to get picked up in the middle of nowhere by a heli. It has a lot of style.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Draxx

[porkus_maximus 36]

On a couple of servers I play on I've noticed tents placed near chopper spawns filled with all the parts needed to repair them. Personally I have no objections using duped vehicle parts to repair a chopper at the moment since the chopper will be gone as soon as the server restarts anyway. Repair it up, take it for a joy ride then leave it for someone else to enjoy next time.

[omgwtfbbq (DayZ) 1069]

On a couple of servers I play on I've noticed tents placed near chopper spawns filled with all the parts needed to repair them. Personally I have no objections using duped vehicle parts to repair a chopper at the moment since the chopper will be gone as soon as the server restarts anyway. Repair it up, take it for a joy ride then leave it for someone else to enjoy next time.

Interesting, I've never heard of anybody doing that.

[venthos 605]

Um...first line of OP...

What about it? What did I post that was inaccurate?

If you think I misunderstood the OP, you need to realizes it comes off like you think it's by design that helicopters don't save right now. Further, your post implies that you think ONLY helicopters have this problem and that it doesn't affect ALL vehicles.

Right now, NO vehicles save on reset. So your post might as well be "Why repair any vehicle?". It makes no sense why you are isolating helicopters in your rant.

It's clear you don't understand that vehicle saving not working is a bug, because you go on to say "helicopters last years and years in real life", which you wouldn't state if you knew it wasn't a design decision and in fact a bug.

Therefore, *because* I read your OP thoroughly, I responded to your post in the context of you claiming it's a design decision and not realizing it's a bug.

[rolling 19]

My group plays on a server that rstarts about every week, so we get a good amount of use out of it. There are basically two main "factions" on the server, my 10 man squad, and another 8-12 man squad. Whenever the server restarts, both of our sides usually end up goin to the spawn areas and getting in a fire-fight, and its great fun :)