Day Z: I am terrible at this banditry thing.

[Zhukov]

I snatched up the Day Z Standalone early access a couple of weeks ago. (In a nutshell: basically functional aside from iffy mouse control and a really laggy interface.)

My first foray ended in under a minute when another freshly spawned player ran up and began punching me, presumably for lack of anything better to do. After an extended bout of clumsy and latency-ridden fisticuffs he knocked me out while I was looking through the options in search of the mic button that would allow me to give him a stern talking to.

My second outing was considerably more fruitful, and in fact is still ongoing, as I currently wander the countryside of [Undefined Eastern European Nation] equipped with backpack, ballistic helmet, gas mask (does nothing but looks cool), ample food, medicine, assault rifle and obscene amounts of jealously hoarded ammunition.

Having reached the point where basic survival was no longer an issue, I decided to squander my stockpile of ammo on a little senseless banditry, mostly for a lack of anything better to do.

Subsequent events have led me to the conclusion that I really, truly suck at being a bandit.

My first would-be victim turned out to be a helpless fresh spawn who charged up to me waving his arms and shouting, "Friendly, friendly, friendly!" I held my fire. Shooting fresh spawns is for pussies, and shooting fresh spawns who approach you yelling "friendly" is just beyond the pale. I ended up giving him some cans of sardines, one of my water canteens and a hatchet. Then I had to help him to locate a backpack so he could carry his newfound wealth.

Banditry score: -1

My second attempt was aimed at a pair of players I spotted on an inland road. They were two, I was one and at least one of them was armed. No guilty conscience here then, onward to glory! I shadowed them to a small town and opened fire while they drank from a well. Results were inconclusive as they took cover. I fell back to a vantage point and waited for them to emerge. They duly did so and I took aim for a second volley. Unfortunately a certain undead killjoy, presumably drawn by the sound of gunfire, chose that particular moment to wander up and attempt to flail me to death. My position thus prematurely revealed, I was forced to make a decidedly undignified retreat, sent on my way by a few blessedly inaccurate bursts from my intended victims.

Banditry score: 0.5

My third attempt began similar to the second. I spotted two armed individuals and set about stalking them. Sadly I then jumped the gun by opening fire from impractically long range. They fled to the cover of a nearby barn and I pursued with murderous intent. However, I was met with return fire of disquieting accuracy and had to retreat to the questionable safety of a hay bale in order to treat my wounds. As I was doing so I noticed that, for reasons unknown to me, my targets had holstered their weapons and were beating a retreat that would take them right past my position. Perhaps they had mistaken my direction and thought themselves to be running away from me. I set about stalking them a second time. An opportunity to take them out presented itself when they stopped to check a compass bearing. However, it seemed unfair to kill them after they had so thoroughly bested me the first time around, so rather than open fire I instead ended up approaching and meekly apologizing for the whole attempted murder thing. We then parted ways on relatively amicable terms.

Banditry score: ???

Yeah, I don't think the bandit life is for me. I'm considering gearing myself up as a medic and offering treatment to those I encounter. Or perhaps preparing backpack care packages and giving them out to the first poorly equipped survivor I see.

So... anyone else have any stories or amusing anecdotes from their time in Day Z?

 

[DiscoRhombus]

I'm hilariously moral when I play games too. I struggle to be the asshole even when it's kind of required.

Back before the days of the standalone I found myself in much the same position. After much failing and being murdered by other players I managed to find a decent weapon and some useful gear. Blood packs, bandages, ammo and the like. I was scavenging in what I believed to be an abandoned house when I saw another player. In my panic I shot him (but didn't fatally wound) and his friend turns the corner behind me. Now trapped with one injured player and one angry friend I offered up one of my blood packs so he could heal his friend. While he was busy fixing him up I shot them both in the head and took their stuff. Then I started to worry about what an asshole I was and I haven't played DayZ since.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

I tried playing Day Z but the awkward as hell controls and latency really put me off, I've played the game for hours and not found a single gun, though I did find one guy who straight off the bat tried to punch me but I ran off.

To me the game just reeks and is becoming not a survival game but more of a hold someone at gunpoint type of game.

I then proceeded to play No more Room in Hell and though players can kill you, they mostly co-operate 95% of the time and the game is free, weapons are scarce but exist and the game is free and works well with objectives compared to Day Z having nothing but players to kill because you know you want what they have rather than working together as a team.

 

[Muspelheim]

It's nice to see someone make a turn for the better, so to speak! Even after giving being a bad boy a go. Good luck in your wandering medic adventures! I'm afraid you will need it, but if something's worth doing, it's worth doing in spite of being shot.

If nothing else, it's good karma!

Now... Just to be an insufferable ArmA 2 git for a moment: the fictional Eastern European land DayZ takes place in is rather well defined, by video game standards.

It's the province of South Zagoria, part of the post soviet state of Chernarus.
The region is half ethnic Russian, half ethnic Chernarussian. There's apparently a difference enough for there to be a civil war, with the communist Chedaki guerilla attempting to make the region a separate state, with some healthy ethnic cleansing and with some quiet and slightly hesitant support from Russia.

Chernarus, meanwhile, want itself and South Zagoria to remain independent, and so does NATO, who has sent advisors and some U.S. Marines to help. There is also a nationalist terrorist group that cause bombings and other attacks in Russia, causing them to intervene in Chernarus as well. Not particularly helpful.

And then the zombies shambled along. As if the Chernarussians didn't have enough to deal with, poor things.

(I don't know if you're particularly interested, but still. Bohemia's done a very good job lorewise)

 

[Comocat]

I heard the expression once true PvPers attack the character, not the player. Seeing as banditry is valid play style try to accept you are attacking "PlayerChar123" not the guy behind it. I have a hard time doing this, so DayZ is probably a game I will read about but never play.

edit: I enjoyed your mirthful description of your adventures

 

[Unsilenced]

It's this sort of thing that turns me off of Day Z and such games. Joining a game where everyone already has better gear, a team, and a hard on for killing you goes against my idea of fun.

Then again, I did like the multi-player of Red Dead Redemption, which is teamless, rule-less mayhem for the most part just as well. In that though you at least spawn with some weapons, and can form some semblance of a team.

On a scale of 1-10, how fucked is a new player with no friends in the game?

 

[Corven]

On a scale of 1-10, how fucked is a new player with no friends in the game?

I'd probably give a new player 50-50 chance of surviving to get some cool stuff if you keep off the main roads when you spawn in, and if you do end up in a confrontation going first person and punching the guy in the head yields a chance of knocking them unconscious.

Although that really doesn't matter since at the moment the majority of players just migrate between elektro and balota, since those two places spawn pretty much everything that there is to offer in the alpha at the moment. If you actually head inland and explore the rest of the map, your encounters with others, be it bandits or just survivors, will drop like a stone since people will just up and suicide their character if their spawn point isn't near elektro or balota.

 

[NearLifeExperience]

Is there some free trial/free to play version of this game available? I've heard some mixed stories and I don't have the money to just buy it without trying it first.

The game is still in early access, which means there are a shit ton of bugs and only a few basic features that have been fleshed out. I recommend holding off, unless you're anything like me (a diehard DayZ player) and wish to support the developers in this work-in-progress. I purchased it when it came out on Steam, explored Chernarus for a few times, and have now gone back to the Arma II mod for the time being. There isn't a whole lot to do in the game as of yet, which is also the reason why 9 out of 10 people WILL try and murder you if you give them the oppertunity. That being said, Chernarus does look stunning already and the many lootable buildings make for some serious exploration. Watch out for roaming deathsquads on the coast though!

You went up in my estimation (not that you were particularly low).

I tried DayZ once (as the mod rather than standalone). It took me about half an hour to get into a game, after which I walked around at random in the dark until a zombie started attacking me. I say attacking me, it actually just stood behind me twitching (twerking?) in a way that seemed to hurt me a bit, but not much. I ran away, but he was able to keep up quite well. Twitch, twitch twitch. Eventually I just gave up and logged off.

For me it was one of those games I get super excited about because it sounds great on paper, but then I play it and my soul is utterly utterly crushed.

It's because you didn't give it the attention it deserves. DayZ is a very unforgiving game, and a tough nut to crack for newcomers. But once you get the hang of it, it is truly unlike anything else. The zom-noms in the mod shamble indoors and in dense shrubbery, while they're able to sprint outside (makes no sense at all, but it works as a mechanic). Zombies aren't your true enemy though. Coming across another player is ten times more terrifying.

 

[Vale]

First rule of banditry: Understand the "bush" part of "bushwack".
It ain't safe, but you got to get as close as possible without being noticed. Literally hiding in a bush might be a valid tactic. Most important thing is keep probable line of sight in mind. How likely are they to notice you in this relative (to them) position? Do you have cover available, would they have a reason to look your way? Just try to be invisible, basically.

Second rule: No mercy whatso-fucking-ever.
You shouldn't avoid killing no-gear newbies just because it is "unfair". You should avoid killing them because it's boring and gets you nothing useful. If you can whack someone with good stuff, it's always good times and you shouldn't ever hesitate. If you can whack someone giving a blood transfusion, you've basically created art.

Third rule: Fuck teams.
Never communicate. Never allow people to think that you might be reasoned with. Always try to kill larger groups of people by your own. You're the avatar of spite, and they will bloody well know that they don't measure up.

Being a really angry and hateful person tends to help, or so I've found.

 

[MrRaggaedeman]

Yeah being a bandit can be really hard. Most times I end up helping people instead of hurting them or stealing something.
A few days ago I met a fresh spawn who asked me to escort him to Elektro. Having full gear and nothing to do I agree to help him and even giving him my magnum and a few bullets. We travel around 15 minutes together. He seemed friendly, he had plenty of opportunities to shoot me or end my life with his axe.
I told him that I was hurt and a few minutes later he stole some medical supplies from a random player near Elektro.

Then, moments before we left Elektro he just kills me with an axe. I don't know why.. just one swing and I'm dead.

 

[vIRL Nightmare]

I'm pretty good at the bandit thing. I used to be quite "moral" in games where you can choose to be nice or a jerk. Something happened however, people kept taking advantage of my good disposition. Kept griefing me when I tried to be polite or helpful. So now I tend to play just as scummy as everyone else, because the vast majority of other people are scummy and if they aren't yet it is your responsibility to teach them to be scummy. If you don't, well they won't learn that the current gaming environment is meant for ass holes, and that anyone else should shut up and keep their head low.

Also get yourself a group, bitches fear groups.

 

[II Scarecrow II]

I'm a much more gung-ho player, shoot first, ask questions later sort of guy when I'm with a group, or hell even have a bit of range on another player. But when the chips are down, I've found I do not handle the pressure very well. I was at the NE airfield in a hangar when a sniper took pot shots and forced me into cover. I spent the next 10 minutes in a corner while my sniper teammate scouted the area. While I was checking my inventory for a scope, another player ran through the wall and held me at gunpoint. I panicked, having every intention to shoot him on site and clicked... Nothing happened. My character struggled to pull his gun off his shoulder and bring it up, by which point the other guy had me at gun-point and demanding I drop the weapon.

With little else to do, I did so, and contemplated combat logging before my friend said he was moving into position over TS. The guy, still suspicious asked if I had any ammo or supplies or if it was me shooting. I told him the truth, that I was hiding from a sniper, at which point he told me to pick my gun up as he wasn't going to shoot me. Before I could relay this to my friend, he put a 7.62 round into the guys chest, flooring him. Still alive but badly wounded, he begged me to bandage him up. And you know what?

I did. Well, I tried to. I kinda imagine my character fumbling horribly at the site of blood, because I just couldn't hit my inventory for some reason with various people yelling in my ears. When I finally managed to grab the bandage, I started bandaging myself, while this guy was begging for help. In frustration, he tore up his shirt, while I kept trying to bandage him, but the game was glitchy and wouldn't do it because he was supposedly moving. Anyway, we finally stopped the bleeding, he told me to grab the gun as we needed to make a run for it. Doing so, we sprinted out to the tower, while my friend took shots at this guy, but missed horribly.

Still wounded but now in solid cover, he asked for a blood pack, which I had the materials to make and even offered it to him. Then, I saw another player moving behind the tower and I yelled out over Direct. My new found friend took a stance, aiming at the tower, searching for this potential bandit.

Then I shot him. While his back was turned to a player he trusted for help, and had ample opportunity to kill, I murdered him. It was at the point I realised, not only was I a bandit and an asshole, I was a bit of a pussy as well.

 

[Unsilenced]

How do you people have so many interesting things happen? In 2 hours of playing I've found nothing but axes and 2 nuggets, both of which had no ammo in them.

I died the first time because a zombie gave me a papercut by flailing about 2 meters away from me, and without any bandages I bled infinitely until death, because clotting just isn't "realistic."

The second time I died was also because I received a papercut (while stumbling around in the dark, because the flashlight in the game works on magic that produces non-reflecting light for maximum uselessness), but I threw myself from a building before I died of the wound because I didn't feel like wasting another half hour stumbling around first.

The third time I died was when I saved someone from a zombie, so they crow-barred me to death to steal all the butt fucking nothing I had in my inventory. This is the only other player I have ever encountered. Unfortunately I couldn't find him again, because re-spawning is too unrealistic, and I have to leave the server when I die apparently.

Now I have a hoxton mask (wow, epic may-may references!) and another fucking axe, and am wandering around the empty game world willing fucking anything to happen.


I can't believe I paid money for this being-thirsty sim.

 

[FrozenCones]

I imagine i'll have to take the "Eve Online" attitude towards this game. Assume everyone is out to kill you. Establish dominance before they can assert theirs or fucking run away.

Does everyone spawn in the same area or are there randomly generated spawn points all over the map?

 

[Zhukov]

On a scale of 1-10, how fucked is a new player with no friends in the game?

A new player who's never played? Probably a 7.

A freshly spawned player who knows what they're doing? Maybe a 2.

Locate some basic supplies (food, water, melee weapon if possible) then get off the coast ASAP. Exercise caution, stay out of the open and off roads, hide from any armed players you see. Once you're inland, locate a military supplies spawn area and you should be all set.

Does everyone spawn in the same area or are there randomly generated spawn points all over the map?

Everyone spawns on the coastline, but the coast is pretty damn big. It takes up two whole edges of a massive map so unless you're just very unlicku you will be spawning more or less alone.

Is there some free trial/free to play version of this game available? I've heard some mixed stories and I don't have the money to just buy it without trying it first.

No trial or demo as of yet. The mod version of the game is free, but you need to own Arma II in order to play it.

The lead developer of the game, one Dean Hall, has repeatedly said that the standalone is not worth buying at this point unless you really want to see the game develop over time.

Of course, that hasn't stopped nearly a million people buying it.