A Couple of Questions about Hackers

[Spademan 1]

I just started playing Dayz about a week ago. I've run into a number of hackers in the last couple of days, and I had a couple of questions about hacking. Can hackers track people between servers, even if you have a generic name? What's the best way to avoid hackers? Should I stick to smaller servers and avoid the larger cities, especially when there aren't many servers with a lot of people on?

Here's why I'm curious:

Last night, I managed to get everything I needed to survive out in the wilderness for days (good gun, good sidearm, food, water bottle, medical supplies) in Elektro without getting myself killed. I moved out of Elektro towards Staroye, and I stopped in a random field. Then, somebody appeared out of thin air and started chatting (Hey budddddy...what's up?). That was pretty shady, so I decided to just log out for the night and preserve what I had.

I logged back in this morning to a different server. I turned to my right, and instantly there's some dude in a bandit skin holding nothing. I just ran at this point since I was in the middle of nowhere, and he shouldn't have been there. Then, I got hit by what I'd best describe as "force lightning". I got hit tons of times with small damage each time (buzzing sound), and I died.

I switched servers and spawned in another server, and within 3 minutes, some random dude is next to me again. He seems friendly enough, and I guess that I could have just bumped into him since I spawned in Cherno. I followed him into a building, where he dropped a box (is this even possible without hacking?). He said he had a gun in there for me. When I looked in the box, it contained what had to be 5 of all possible upper level equipment in Dayz.

Ok, lesson learned. If somebody "shows up" next to you, he's probably a hacker, and it's time to switch servers if you want to play the game straight up. Also, running into three hackers in a row like this seems unusual. Dayz is a great mod/game, and hacking is the only problem that I've had with it (and inventory control and breaking every bone in my body falling off of deer stands, I guess). Unfortunately, the hacking takes a lot away from the survival and resource management aspects of the game that make it great.

[Fitzkrieg 129]

I don't believe there is anyway to track someone, even though it would be pretty helpful. Avoid high pop. servers, or play private hive, because those are the best defended from hacking, cities aren't any issue, hackers can teleport anywhere to anyone.

[PhilB 230]

I have advice for you but it's too late to act upon it. My advice would have been to explore the forums and realize that this game is absolutely fucked because of the hackers. I'm sorry bro you paid good money for something that is unplayable (and don't gimme the 'bought a mod for arma 2 b.s., afterall Rocket has never put a disclaimer on the main download page alerting potential customers that the entire project is in utter shambles and it would be wiser to NOT attempt to play as opposed to purchasing the game and then be monumentally disappointed).

Second advice, don't play chernarus. Play Lingor Island. Global side chat is still enabled on Lingor (paying attention Rocket, you're not a genius, why not take a lesson from Lingor). Because side chat is enabled, hacker alerts are immediately made known by one player to all others on server so everyone has an opportunity to log before the douche teleports to you next. Also, it seems that when the hacker has the spotlight put on him in Lingor, they tend to leave the server. These scripter fucks depend on anonymity, and Lingor does a better job of exposing them for the immediate benefit of the player.

Third, don't ever think that a low pop server is safer. Trust me when I tell you, if you're 1 of 4 players on a server, the other 3 'players' are all scripting.

Last, my best advice if you're gonna make a go of it. Find a private hive server with diligent admins. I found one last night and trust me it was pure joy to be killed by actual legit players. Not that hacking will end there, but you might get an hour or so of real gameplay before you're hacked, which is something I guess. It was a nice server I found but I won't get my hopes up. A few minutes after I spawned in I came across a dead body with a Makarov SD. Because it's a private hive, there's no way that gun came from the regular hive, it was hacked in, in that server.

Lastly, see how sympathetic Rocket and his team are when they yell at you for you post here and then promptly lock it. Thanks for the great customer service!

[[email protected] 1]

Everytime i play on a full server i get spawned in the sea,or everybody gets spawned in the middle of nowhere and murdered.

Even the server we used to travel around on has a frequent hacker visiting,spawning all the vehicles and raiding our tents.

This is the only game where i have seen so much blatant cheating.

[Mentize 21]

Tracking: This can be done with DayZ Commander, it has a friends list that does not required acceptance from the person your adding, so unless you change your ARMA profile, they see what server you are on at all times.

Avoiding this: Use different names, if you are stalked by a hacker, switch it up - go from say Mentize to Mentixe, that way they'll have to re-add Mentixe after finding out that's what you've changed too.

Server size: Hackers come in 3 forms:

1. Killers - These people typically target large-population servers and solely aim to kill everybody online, from teleporting and shooting them, to spawning everyone on a bunch of bear-traps.
   
2. Medics - These will go to low-populated servers (Sometimes high) and will attempt to communicate with people, make friends, give out illegal rubbish, trying to be nice. But nobody loves them cause they're hackers (least the smart people don't)
   
3. Kiddies - Kiddie hackers will try to be nice, they'll tell some jokes, try to insult you then when you dont respond to them you bruise their egos and they just kill / stalk / ruin the server.
   

In short > Play low-pop till you feel like just going all out and killing people at the risk of dying yourself, then go high-pop.

[DeadShaun 25]

I normally play on low pop servers and have only come across some hacked in weapon crates/ammo boxes the once, not had any of the other problems that are associated with hackers tbh and why would a hacker want to go on a low pop server, there are not enough people on for them to annoy.

[BoomBang 0]

I normally play on low pop servers and have only come across some hacked in weapon crates/ammo boxes the once, not had any of the other problems that are associated with hackers tbh and why would a hacker want to go on a low pop server, there are not enough people on for them to annoy.

For diffrent reasons i like playing on low pop server. one is the hacker stuff and the other is to get more of the survivor part and not beeing shot at any time.

But to come back to you:

I played lately on a maybe 3-4 pop server and not checking the pop for about an hour just to find out the pop went up to like 12 or 15. I still dont think that this is so many people but not more than 5 minutes later i and my 2 friends got ported over the sea and ya know what comes next....

Compared to thouse 40 to 50 people servers i guess its not important how many there are.

And for me its not just the "getting killed stuff" that is what kills fun...

amo/weapons, vehicles spawning, maybe artifical aiming (yet to be confirmed for me), maphack (vehicle+player tracking, tents, crashsites and more). I had it all on every map. No matter if there is nobody or full servers.

If ya ask thouse kiddies why they do that.... well u get aswers like: Others do that too or why search for 5 hours to get half decent gear? well i havent asked the killkiddies cuz the game denies that. Which kind of sucks too.

[Spademan 1]

Thanks for the info and suggestions, guys (especially Mentize-I'll change my profile up just in case). I guess I was looking for the same servers that hackers would like (low ping, populated, no nametags, no global chat). I'll stick to low population servers while I figure all of the mechanics out, and I'll look into the private servers and alternative maps too.

[Michaelvoodoo25 3120]

You'll have a better experience by doing things for yourself as opposed to reading some comments by angry posters especially those who purchased a game and didn't get what they wanted (Usually 10 year olds) Don't forget Arma 2 has more to offer than just DayZ, go and enjoy it.

There are a load of servers and maps to choose from, don't worry about the hackers, believe it or not you can still have fun and a satisfying experience irregardless of hackers. Mentize has some valid points, good to know and cheers.

[[email protected] 450]

I have advice for you but it's too late to act upon it. My advice would have been to explore the forums and realize that this game is absolutely fucked because of the hackers. I'm sorry bro you paid good money for something that is unplayable (and don't gimme the 'bought a mod for arma 2 b.s., afterall Rocket has never put a disclaimer on the main download page alerting potential customers that the entire project is in utter shambles and it would be wiser to NOT attempt to play as opposed to purchasing the game and then be monumentally disappointed).

Second advice, don't play chernarus. Play Lingor Island. Global side chat is still enabled on Lingor (paying attention Rocket, you're not a genius, why not take a lesson from Lingor). Because side chat is enabled, hacker alerts are immediately made known by one player to all others on server so everyone has an opportunity to log before the douche teleports to you next. Also, it seems that when the hacker has the spotlight put on him in Lingor, they tend to leave the server. These scripter fucks depend on anonymity, and Lingor does a better job of exposing them for the immediate benefit of the player.

Third, don't ever think that a low pop server is safer. Trust me when I tell you, if you're 1 of 4 players on a server, the other 3 'players' are all scripting.

Last, my best advice if you're gonna make a go of it. Find a private hive server with diligent admins. I found one last night and trust me it was pure joy to be killed by actual legit players. Not that hacking will end there, but you might get an hour or so of real gameplay before you're hacked, which is something I guess. It was a nice server I found but I won't get my hopes up. A few minutes after I spawned in I came across a dead body with a Makarov SD. Because it's a private hive, there's no way that gun came from the regular hive, it was hacked in, in that server.

Lastly, see how sympathetic Rocket and his team are when they yell at you for you post here and then promptly lock it. Thanks for the great customer service!

lol you just made my day, sir. So much ingnorance in one post I have not seen in a few days.

I'm sorry bro you paid good money for something that is unplayable (and don't gimme the 'bought a mod for arma 2 b.s., afterall Rocket has never put a disclaimer on the main download page alerting potential customers that the entire project is in utter shambles and it would be wiser to NOT attempt to play as opposed to purchasing the game and then be monumentally disappointed).

I see you fail to understand what the words MOD and ALPHA mean.

Lastly, see how sympathetic Rocket and his team are when they yell at you for you post here and then promptly lock it. Thanks for the great customer service!

You didn't buy anything from Rocket, he doesn't owe you anything. But I'm sure you don't understand that concept.

[Mentize 21]

Remember: ARMA 2 was made for a very small specific community of hardcore WAR SIMULATORS, it was never intended for realism survival, looting or being alive for long-periods of times

I'm sorry bro you paid good money for something that is unplayable

You paid for an unfinished game, that's like buying a can of soda before its been filled and saying 'OMG ITS BROKE' ....the content isn't finished yet.

Play Lingor Island. Global side chat is still enabled on Lingor (paying attention Rocket, you're not a genius, why not take a lesson from Lingor). Because side chat is enabled,

Side chat is disabled by the server admins choice, I know this because i am an admin of a server and the control panel gives us the option to enable Side chat.

Community chooses to disable it, not Rocket.