I haven't played it and assume by KOS you mean kill on sight?
For years I've followed games like DayZ because the concept is so appealing to me, but I never buy these games. And not sure I can adequately describe why. But at it's root is the way that players interact.
If something like a zombie apocalypse were to happen in real life, and folks were left to survive on their own in a hostile world, how would they behave? How would they react when encountering another survivor? This sort of psychological mystery fascinates me, and makes me want to live in a virtual world where this would play out.
Two things I think are at the root. One, people suck. Two, it's a game.
Now imagine this is real. You are alone, scared, with little in terms of food, clothing, shelter, self defense, companionship, hope. How would you react if you spot another human? I think people will naturally gravitate and bond with folks under unusual, threatening circumstances, when there is a real, shared threat to their safety. Folks pull together when they have a common enemy, whether it be the environment, or predators, or anything. There is safety in numbers, two people can accomplish more than double what one can on his own. Not to mention the human need for companionship, or to feel they aren't in it alone.
In a virtual world, these tendencies offer an amazing potential gaming experience. This is what makes the
thought of such a game so appealing.
But back to the two things, people suck, and it's a game. In a game there is no real sense of danger, of loneliness. You can always switch servers or log off and go have a beer with your mate. It's artificial. So what we end up with is KOS players who just want that bloke's stuff. All of the other base human reaction is absent. It removes the things which I personally feel would be the most amazing parts of such an experience, and I just don't buy these games as a result.
In a game, a player sees someone at distance. And opens fire. There's stuff over there after all, and if I kill that blob of pixels it will be my stuff. But what if there's a chance it's your own brother out there? Your dad? Your best friend or neighbor? What if he has skills that would help me survive, or a safe shelter he might share? All of this means nothing in a game, and the true potential of these games, interaction, is reduced to kill everything. Only stuff matters.
I'm not naive enough to think that even in a real life scenario such as these that there wouldn't be people who are threats, who do want to kill you no questions asked. But in these games this becomes the norm, the first instinct. Kill first, take their stuff later. Because, it's a game. I also realize that there are many cases of two players meeting and forging ahead together. None of this is black and white. But when the motivations are shifted, the actions are shaped to fit.
I am answering a question that hadn't been asked, but it's something I've thought about quite a bit. It's a genre I am certainly interested in, but for reasons that don't actually exist, at least in a public server. Playing with friends removes most of the KOSence, but also removes the unknown, and uncertainty. There is so much potential for an amazing experience with these sorts of games, but I find it just all boils down to take the other guy's stuff. Most folks won't care, and for many this is the attraction. For me however, I see more there, but it just doesn't happen.
Sorry if I derailed your thread too much Chucky, but these sorts of things interest me