New players joining and looking for tips

[Pherion 1]

Hello everyone. We found this mod a while ago by watching some videos on youtube and it looks to be pretty awesome!

Me and a friend of mine just bought the game on steam and we're still downloading it but we have some questions. :)

1-Is everyone in one big server or are there multiple servers? If so, can you people say which ones are best? I assume a full server is the most fun as I've seen the map is huuuuge!

2-Do you choose teams? Like Bandits and survivors?

3-Is the game to dificult to learn? From the videos looked a bit confusing on how you place tents and make fires and stuff.

[Rage VG 4033]

Hi, to answer your questions:

1. There are mutliple servers. The bigger servers are the most interesting however you are more likely to run into hackers or connection issues there. The smaller servers are more likely to be quiet and hardly any hackers, but it's not nearly as active or thrilling.

2. You start off as a survivor. Killing other players will decrease your Humanity until you eventually become a bandit. Giving players items and healing their wounds will increase it until you become a Hero.

3. The first day or two you play, expect to die alot. Spend this time learning what the places look like, a place you can always recognise if you need to meet up with your friend, and what buildings you can enter, as these will help you escape zombies.

If you want, I can come and meet up with you and your friend and help you find some stuff, and show you how to sustain yourself and your friend without relying on looting or killing, just hit me up with a PM.

[Charlotte (DayZ) 6]

1. Multiple. Some servers are private. Some are connected to the hive (that mostly just means if you switch servers, you have the same gear you got on the last one). If you use dayz commander, you can "favorite" servers that you enjoy playing on, have a tent on or whatever.

2. No.

3. Meh. Steeper learning curve than a lot of games, but you'll get it. You can do that arma tutorial to see the controls.

Hoover over tent > hit enter to take it > go to a flat, open area > right click the tent in your inventory & click place tent ... repeat until it works. > save tent.

Fire, drinking, etc everything is similar. Right click the item and an option will pop up (unless there's nothing you can do with the item).

[LUDW1G 1]

Be careful with who you trust in dayz. Many times we were killed by people that stated they were friendlies before shooting us in the backs.

[dallas 5195]

1. Official whitelisted DayZ servers usually have around 40-50 player slots. You character progression is saved on the oficial character sever and whenever you login on an official server, you'll continue from where you logged out. Servers are usually full while it's daylight in game, so people will often leave, when the sun goes down on the server and join another server with different time settings. Play at night is a great experience, however if the moon isn't up or is new, you're completely blind without artificial lights.

2. No, you actions determine what you are. When you start you have 2500 humanity points and wears a regular survivor skin. If you kill someone, you'll probably drop below 0 humanity and turn into a bandit, wearing a headscarf to hide your identity. If you don't want to stay as a bandit, you basically have to avoid killing other players for a while or do good deeds: Give blood transfusions, bandage other bleeding players. If your humanity get to 5000, you'll get a hero skin. Whether you meet a survivor, bandit or hero, you can never be sure, if they are going to help you or kill you, eacher play is motivated differently.

However you can also find skin around the world, you can pick up these and wear them, they will cover whatever skin you have. Ghillie suits and camo clothing, makes you less detectable in grass and woods.

3. If you're used to regular first person shooters, you'll have to get used to a different way of playing. Although it shares some of the basic controls, not all controls are intuitive and takes a little time to learn.

Food, drinks, bandaids, right click, left click to use in your inventory interface(G key as in gear).

Stuff you interact with in the world, items on the ground or doors, you use your mouse wheel to select an action.

V = to vault over small fences.

Notice the ear/eye icon to the right of your screen.

The taller you walk, the faster you run, the easier it is for zombies to detect you.

If they look in your direction, get out of sight.

Also important you starter backpack has room for 8 items. if you place more than 8 item in it, you will usually destroy/delete the item you're trying to fit in. So if you're trying to store a rifle in a backpack, make sure you have room for 10 items or 5 items if you're storing a handgun.

Lastly when you and your friend joins allow yourself to experience the utter chaos of being completely new to the world. You might die alot, untill you learn, but when you've become knowledgable about how the game mechanics work and know your way around the map, you sometime kind if missing being completely lost and confused, like in the begining.

Also don't hack. :)

Edited September 9, 2012 by Dallas

[Pherion 1]

Don't worry, we won't hack. Hell we hate hackers. :)

Thanks all for the wonderfull info but this new info also raised some new questions. :)

4-About saving our stuff, how does this system work? Private servers and hive servers. Can you save all your stuff in any server or only the hive ones?

5-For example, we got our gear, guns and vehicles, if we leave everything on some area there, when we return, we will still have our stuff there and spawn right where we left our characters?

6-And you can store things in tents/cars/backpacks right? And they will stay there until you reconnect?

Edited September 9, 2012 by Pherion

[Noons 0]

Private and hive are separate so atm I have 2 diff chars so to speak. Vilayer run a group of servers so I have a char there and another on the public servers.

Vehicles only exist on that server and you can store gear in them.

Tents are the same.

Both can be looted/stolen by others.

You can get bigger backpacks and move between servers saving items on your home server tent or car.

Don't get close to your gear. Be prepared to lose it every minute you play thanks to the d'bags hacking.

Other than that enjoy the game.

[Rage VG 4033]

Don't worry, we won't hack. Hell we hate hackers. :)

Thanks all for the wonderfull info but this new info also raised some new questions. :)

4-About saving our stuff, how does this system work? Private servers and hive servers. Can you save all your stuff in any server or only the hive ones?

5-For example, we got our gear, guns and vehicles, if we leave everything on some area there, when we return, we will still have our stuff there and spawn right where we left our characters?

6-And you can store things in tents/cars/backpacks right? And they will stay there until you reconnect?

4. A "Private Hive" is a separate database so your items won't carry over, you can consider this an "alternate account". Thesse accounts are not linked.

5. Assuming you "Save" the vehicles from the action menu, the vehicles will be in that spot on that server. If you join another server, vehicles won't follow. Also note that someone could find the vehicles and take them whilst you are logged out.

6. You can store things in your backpack, which you carry around with you, and you can also store them in the boot of vehicles and camping tents, and assuming you "save" them your items should remain there on that server.

Don't get close to your gear. Be prepared to lose it every minute you play thanks to the d'bags hacking.

This, although not just because of hackers, but backstabbing, bugs, anything. It's always best to remember that any sort of gear in this game is reobtainable and worthless in value. It'll save you a lot of anger when you think you've lost like the only M249 SAW in the game.

Edited September 10, 2012 by Rage VG

[Pherion 1]

Hmmm...So on the private hives it will still save my things right? Vehicles/tents/gear but just on that private hive. On the public hive it will save aswell but on a new "account" right?

This, although not just because of hackers, but backstabbing, bugs, anything. It's always best to remember that any sort of gear in this game is reobtainable and worthless in value. It'll save you a lot of anger when you think you've lost like the only M249 SAW in the game.

We are ready for it. To be honest this feature was one of those that truelly interested us. :)

[DemonSlayer666 5]

Read the Dayzwiki. It will give you needed to know info that won't spoil the game content.

Learn how to move, chat, use your inventory, get a new backpack, swap weapons, use the hatchet, etc.

Tip #1 - be patient. This is not a shoot-em up.

#2 - Learn how to avoid the zombies, and lose them if they get on you. After that, you can start gearing up.

#3 - watch out for other players. Avoid them if you can. Many will shoot you as soon as they see you. Keep your trips to major cities short (get in and get out quick).

[harley001 315]

You should also learn landmarks. Here is a good map http://dayzdb.com/map

[BelMarduk 169]

There are many youtube videos for new players. Just do a search for 'dayz how to' in youtube. I wouldnt worry too much about the hive questions, although there is a huge list of 'alternate' servers just dont connect to one with 'extra' info next to 'dayz' in the server list and you should always connect to a 'hive' server. The game is persistent on an individual level, meaning anything to have on your person will carry over to any other server you connect to (in the hive) but tents/vehicles are server specific. Prepare to die many many times. The learning curve as to what buildings are enterable, and what loot you can find in those buildings takes time. The first couple weeks I played I think my average life span was less than an hour (maybe 10 min the first day or so). The big thing is learning what your environment looks like (from buildings to players, e'g' what buildings are enterable that a bandit will most likely shoot you on sight, but a hero will most likely help you). Send me a PM and Ill tell you what server I live on and help you learn the environment while watching your back. Our group (we are not a clan) is dedicated to helping new players and hunting bandits [bMG] and [bMGM].

[Redstar (DayZ) 0]

A good tip; Don't crawl up and down stairs, you will only break your legs. Better to crouch slowly.

[HMS 115]

Did you install and run the games yet?

The thread is jumping the gun here a little bit. You have a potential adventure ahead just in getting the thing to run properly.

Get that happening, then just play.

You will have nothing, and you will die with even less. You have to learn this feeling to understand what it is like to have literally nothing to fight a zombie with. You will be in that situation more often than not.

Don't worry about vehicles or even guns. You aren't going to be getting any for a while.