***Warning, incidents in this AAR may appear funnier than they actually were.***

Hi all,

It was my first day in "Day Z" today and I was so excited. Luckily for me I am not a newbie to Arma, I had the original game and have had Arma2 for quite a while so the learning curve wasn't too steep.

Anyway, I had been lusting to play DayZ for some time. I had the usual hassles with figuring out how to get everything set up to install DayZ and when I finally finished the patch and mod dance I finally logged on to a server, happily there are plenty of Aussie servers and I was able to get into one with a nice low ping.

The anticipation was palpable, I had been pumping myself up watching Day Z videos for the last week and I was psyched. Spawning in for the first time I immediately went prone and checked out my gear, a bandage, a flashlight and a backpack. I didn't know how to use any of them, none of the tutorials I had read condescended to include this very basic information which is a stupid oversight IMO so I spent my first few minutes trying to click and drag items around in my inventory in an attempt to discover how they worked. I left clicked them, middle clicked them, dragged-and-dropped them, dropped them on the ground and and picked them up again, but nothing, to no avail.

So I said to myself, "Self, screw this, let's go find a gun and figure this crap out later."

Setting off at a crouched run I ploughed my way industriously through a large forest, keeping within sigh of an MSR to reassure myself that I would end up somewhere populated when, after about 10 minutes of this I looked ahead and saw a mysterious absence of trees ahead of me. In fact there was a mysterious absence of anything at all and I realised very quickly that, despite all the odds of doing so in a 1,000 square km map, I had found the edge of the world.

So, 10 minutes crouched run in the other direction....

On my way back I found a tent that had been pitched under a trio of pines. After assuring myself that nobody was present I crept up for a look since it was the first remotely interesting thing I had seen in twenty minutes of play. Anyway, somebody had diligently stocked it with raw and cooked meat, two waterbottles and some chemlights. Hoping that my absent benefactor wouldn't be too upset I took a portion of cooked meat and one of the water bottles and continued on my way

Finally I found my first town, a fairly small one, reading the roadsign I believe it was Kamenka or Karenka, something like that.

So, once again, I said to myself, "Self, good job, it's just as well that you took the time to decipher some Cyrillic when you were playing Arma, now lets go loot some kit!"

I quickly discovered that the lamebrains are pretty easy to evade in towns, even if they spot you it's not hard to lose them by going through a building or around a few corners and through some trees. Rejoicing in my god-like ninja skills I deftly dodged and leopard crawled past the idiot zombies until I found some buildings likely to have loot in them.

In first shed I entered there was: A jerry-can and a windscreen.

Next shed, jerry-cans, chemlights, a spare tyre

Next, a jerry-can and another windscreen, some scrap metal, firewood and some soda.

At this point I was confused, I wanted to consult the manual to reassure myself that the purpose of this game is to survive the zombie apocalypse and not to set up an automotive repairs supply chain. Was I supposed to take this stuff and set up shop alongside the MSR, hoping to earn a few kopeks from roaming Lada drivers?

The next town was much better, I found a .45 revolver and some ammo so it was time to pop a few rounds off and get a score on the board. No problems there, apart from the erratic undulations of my undead friends who seemed quite happy to shamble along into my bullets so long as I fired them from the convenient cover of a doorway. (AI and doorways have never mixed well in Arma, I remember in the original game it was practically impossible to navigate a squad of soldiers through a town without some of them falling deeply in love with a particular wall or sand-bag revetment and refusing to leave it. Many of them were subsequently executed by their irate commander). Remembering this aversion of the AI to buildings I was careful to do my shooting from a doorway with a narrow corridor behind me where the lamebrains would have to cue up in an orderly fashion for the privilege of having their heads removed by my .45. Anyway, several lamebrains went down and I ended up with a neat headshot to kills ratio which was confidence building.

After my little party I left Kamenka in search of other players and better loot, hoping to find a friend to join up with and share my fortunes with. The next town I found was much the same as Kamenka, I'd used up all of my .45 ammo so I was very careful about how I got around and I scoured the small settlement, which didn't even have a roadsign iirc, and quickly discovered that this town was also used as a pre-apocalypse dumping ground for unwanted automotive parts.

FML

So, onto the next town, getting a little bored now but still hopeful that something cool would happen, or just something, and something did, (something uncool). In my impatience (The bandwidth of Arma is littered with the respawns of the impatient) I attracted a conga line of lamebrains who savaged me mercilessly.

Looking to the debug monitor I noticed I was losing blood. I quickly made every effort to ditch my new friends and found a safe place to crouch, look through my gear and come to terms with the intricate complexities of first aid in Day Z. I clicked, middle clicked, dragged and dropped, all to no avail whilst the crimson tide of my virtual life pumped vigorously from my open wounds.

Nothing.

So I said to myself, "Self, it's time to alt-tab. Get to Google! We still have a chance!"

Google was very unhelpfully helpful.

It revealed to me that most players of DayZ seem to be unhelpful #%&*$# who basically server-hop, hoard gear and game the game. If I wanted a Huey, an ATV or a Bradley IFV I was set. If I wanted to learn how to bandage myself I was #%&*$# outta luck.

"Self?" Myself inquired of me, "Have you tried right clicking?"

And there is was, it took me a while to see it because the message was hidden under the debug monitor but I finally staunched the flow of claret and popped some pain-killers, cooked meat and a soda for good measure.

So on we went, in search of a bigger town, better loot and hopeful of catching a glimpse of the rare species Humanus Playerus (Hopefully one not of the genus Douchebaggius Wankerus) On the way I found a few isolated barns and sheds, a shotgun which was perfectly useless (after missing several zombies with it in iron-sights more I discarded it in disgust) a crossbow that was equally useless (whose bolts mysteriously expanded in my inventory to occupy an entire slot where a 100round box of M240 ammunition only occupies two??? Go figure, but what is even more puzzling than the irreglar spatial logistics of my pockets was the fact that I decided to carry around 100rds of ammunition that took up two slots and that I had no practical use for).

Of course, I also found enough jerry-cans, windscreens, car tyres and scrap metal to start my own speedway.

Despite these adversities I had mastered bandages, consumed a can of soda and my pilfered meat and reassured myself that I was indeed an awesomely handsome lamebrain slaying sex-machine, I was feeling pretty optimistic again. I felt even better when a large town came into view and I heard gunshots, that could only mean one thing!

Other players!

Abrupt and shocking carnage erupted in the town ahead of me, M016 fire popping off all around and , in the distance an explosion and a plume of greasy black smoke rose into the air. Lamebrains darted hither and thither to be cut down like summer hay before the merciless scythe of 5.56 NATO. Cheering, I made my way into town to greet these zombie slaying champions, confident that such players would welcome another zombie slayer to their band. Especially one who had alredy figured out all of the newbie stuff on his own and even managed to secure himself a weapon and some other useful items that were not automotive parts. Placing my empty revolver near a bus-stop so I could come back to it later I made my way into the chaos to hail one of these players and see how I could make myself useful.

At first I saw nothing but lamebrains, scurrying around but then I caught a glimpse of my first player, running towards me. I set out to meet him at a crouched run, finger on the caps-lock key.

"Hey, I'm friendly!" I called "I'm unarmed Don't sh.."



You are Dead



It was then that I realised something that I had suspected for a very long time...

People suck.

lol awesome

Welcome to online gaming.

Great read JB!

Thats what refrain me of using DayZ, people will kill you at first sight.

And so does the AI.

What a gr8 read. I so want you to go back in there and go all Ghandi on their @sses and prove that the path to salvation lies in brotherhood...and die again. And write about it.

Ha, that's a great idea. Or maybe I can hoard a bunch of smoke grenades, wander into central Chernogorsk, throw them one after another until all the PC's connected to the server are brought to their knees.

Great story. Been there, done that.

Now... toodle on down to the SimHQ DayZ forum and hop on the SimHQ DayZ TeamSpeak Channel for some group fun.

Great read I can relate to the experiences you had when I first started playing it, although back then you at least started with a gun and some food! It will be a much more rewarding game when the standalone gets on its feet (I hope). Its still a lot of fun and if you think players are deadly watch out for going prone under trees or stepping on a rock the wrong way those are the real killers. That and some of our groups pilots LOL!

Day 2

Dear Diary,

I just found out I need a partner for a blood transfusion, HA! fat chance of that ever happening. Oh well, maybe if I take the day off my stats will reset. I've lost a lot of blood, things are not looking good. THey started off well, I discovered that I can use my hatchet as a weapon and this kept me safe enough to scrounge up some really good gear.

I'm currently about a mile North-Eastish of Elektrazavodsk with an ALICE pack, Colt 1911, Glock 17, Lee Enfield and an AKM. Running low on AKM rounds (39 left) but I have plenty for the Lee and the 1911. Two mags for the Glock too which I guess adds up to 30 rounds or so but it's only a 9mm so I din't guess it will be much use. Maybe the torch on it works, the one I have in my pack never seems to.

I found an airfield on the coast earlier today and an army camp nearby, not a damn piece of loot worth picking up at either of them. You wouldn't believe it. Oh, sure, I could have picked up all the replacement windscreens I wanted in the town nearby but of course there's no useful gear in a full-on military base.

I'm kinda wondering what the point is of surviving, is it all really worth it. That's what's going through my mind as I sit here hoping to find a box of matches so I can go hunt some food and get my blood back up. At least I'm not fainting, yet, I am shivering though and pain-killers aren't helping, maybe I need a heatpack.

I'm pretty tempted to throw all my gear in a dam, chamber one round in the 1911 and end it all but I guess I'll keep going. Maybe something good is just around the next corner... but probably not.

Just more lamebrains, jerry-cans or a trigger happy @ss-bandit.

What is with the amount of spare engines lately, the entire time I have been playing I've seen one truck. Where are all these cars supposed to be that such a high amount of auto parts is spawned?

This is ridiculous, my life as a survivor is a farce. At least I've taken a good number of #%&*$# with me this time, over 100 of the stinking things. If only I could find a group of friendly survivors but I won't hold my breath, I doubt such a thing even exists. When more than 5 people enter the server I'm playing in I log off and go elsewhere now, why bother even trying? There's no way I'm letting another real player near me after getting shot at from helicopters and by snipers for no reason at all. People are nuts, I'm better off without them.

I'll fight the undead alone, #%&*$# humanity.

Very Solsenitzen.

Actually it is one of the reasons I never downloaded, reading that it had quickly become a zoo.

Would be easily fixed in the final version of the game though. Just need a server setting for no 'friendly' fire.

Would it help to adopt a real sniper mentality? Only travel at night...Etc

When moving, the sniper should always remember the following rules

a. Always assume the area is under enemy observation.

b. Move slowly. A sniper counts his movement progress by feet and inches.

c. Do not cause overhead movement of trees, bushes, or tall grasses by rubbing against them.

d. Plan every movement and move in segments of the route at a time.

e. Stop, look, and listen often. f. Move during disturbances such as gunfire, explosions, aircraft noise, wind, or anything that will distract the enemy’s attention or conceal the team’s movement.

Day 2 and a half...

What goes up must come down.

A few hours rest brought my strength back and I was able to get to shelter, I found an isolated barn to stay in a ways up the road from Elektra and even an old bicycle and a Ghillie Suit. Whilst I slept something strange happened, I must have been robbed because my Glock and Lee Enfield are missing from my backpack, I have the ammunition for them but the weapons are gone, well, no great loss, at least I'm still alive. I make a stash in the barn, there's nothing up here and it is hardy visible from the road so I figure it will make a suitable short-term storage space until I can find something more permanent. Thinking thus I dump a lot of the accumulated crap from my pack and set off on my new bike to find some matches.

If I have matches I can start a fire and cook some game, if I can get my blood back up I might live another day.

The bicycle is in great nick, even the bell works which is something I remind myself to be careful off. It's a long pedal before I see anything promising ahead and I trundle along, stopping, looking, listening every 100 yards or so until I catch sight of a tiny settlement ahead. There's a couple of sheds that look promising and amongst them I see something that brings a smile to my blood-smeared, crud-encrusted face.

A chicken.

Of course there are a few lamebrains lingering around as well, nothing my trusty AKM can't handle. I deal with them and pull out my Colt to catch dinner, I'm half way through gutting the chicken when something hits me hard in the back, two zombies that I haven't seen have appeared out of nowhere and they are going to town on me. I spin around and empty my colt into both of them and after they are dead I see a fresh gout of blood I cannot afford to lose splattering on the ground.

Kneeling to look inside my pack I am dismayed to discover that my spring cleaning has left me bereft of bandages.

How could I be so stupid? After all I've been through I am going to die through my own sheer fatigued idiocy, what a fool I am, what a hateful universe that does such a thing as this to a man. I dash to my bike, hoping that I can make it back to the barn before I expire.

Throwing caution to the wind I pedal as fast as my depleted strength allows along the MSR that leads to my hide-out. Ages pass, the bitumen ahead extends out into vistas of eternity, the immensity of which I could not conceive existed under any other circumstances. Finally, around a bend in the road the dam comes into sight, I pedal past it furiously and turn right, heading up the hill, trailing a spraying stream of blood to mark my passing. My blood is giving out in perfect synchronicity with the distance remaining to safety, marking the yards I have to go, the seconds I have left.

Finally I reach the barn and dismount. I stagger forward a few steps and die, just a handful of feet from salvation.

This is definitely the key to ArmA, Day Z or not and any simulation in general.

You have to assume the mentality appropriate to the simulated situation, well, that or you can run and gun like a moron if the acronym KDR and words like "immersion" mean nothing to you.

I'm definitely becoming a lot more cagey in my playing style, I can get around most human players without being seen now and I'm starting to think that knee-capping a few bandits and leaving them for the lamebrains to finish off might be fun. The great thing is I won't get a murder to their name and they'll be stuck without legs and either forced to let the dead have them or crawl on their bellies for hours on end. Call it passive-aggressive resistance if you will...



I have to say I have a love/hate relationship with this mod so far, it's growing on me.

Day 3 (Part One)

Being comprised of: "I meet someone who doesn't shoot me.", "The tale of Jimmy and the Bandits." and "A parting of ways."

I had the misfortune recently to find myself in Chernogorsk, let's call it a mixed blessing since, even in the emptiest server, Chernogorsk is a magnet to the every low-lifes in Chernarus. It's where they all go to secure the survival of our species by mindlessly killing each other, the things I have seen in Chernogorsk defy belief.

Anyway, I entered the city from the East and I was not far out when I heard the report of an M-240 firing short bursts ahead of me.

"Great." I sighed, knowing that I would have to work extra hard to remain undetected in order to secure myself the essentials for survival this time.

As I crept closer the pattern of gunfire and the amount of newly made corpses I discovered made it clear to me that two bandits had taken up residence in central Chernogorsk, one with an M-240 and one with an MP-5, and they were cutting down the unarmed survivors who are inevitably drawn into the city's murderous web in search of provisions.

Taking the greatest of care not to be seen I was able to slip past the bandits as they amused themselves, cutting down the helpless and roaring from one part of town to another in their commandeered Ural truck. Using the distraction created by their gunfire and the noise of their engine I was able to reach the center of town and arm myself with a Lee-Enfield rifle that I found on the top floor of a building that appeared to have once been a small cafe.

I still wasn't in any kind of situation to deal with bandits, I was outgunned, out numbered and the firing and general racket in the city had caused the lamebrains to congregate in the area like bottom feeding fish beneath a feeding frenzy of sharks. By creeping past the Z's when opportunity arose I eventually found my way into the Church and decided to shelter here with my rifle trained on the entrance from a concealed corner until the bandits decided to leave town. Keeping a sharp look-out through the entrance I watched and listened to the murderous carnage outside and was surprised when I noticed that another survivor, who appeared to be unarmed, had managed to evade the bandits and was making his way directly towards me. I withdrew to my prepared position, ready to open fire if he turned out to be armed and hostile after all. I was certain that he was unarmed but you never know and I wasn't in the mood to give out any second chances.

He must have glimpsed me on his way up the road because I clearly heard on the other side of the church wall.

"Can I come in? I'm unarmed and being hunted. Please don't shoot me."

A moment passed before I could think of anything to say.

"I'm not going to shoot you but if you're gonna screw around just remember that I'll my rifle aimed at your head the whole time you're in here so don't try anything."

"Ok, it's ok, I'm cool, just don't shoot me please."

This was a bad situation, I knew that those bandits might run in here at any moment and I couldn't spare the time to watch both my new-found companion and the entrance at the same time. Oh well, so long as he was unarmed it was reasonably safe I guess. He sprinted in through the entrance and I leveled my rifle, ready to fire at the slightest provocation.

"Over here, get behind the slab so the lamebrains leave."

About a dozen of the rotten things had followed him and they were milling about in the doorway, taking a few steps inside, turning and leaving again. One or two of them ventured further inside and we crouched huddled together behind a marble slab and waited for them to leave. When they had gone I crossed back to my vantage point and kept a close eye on both the stranger and the door.

"Are there any weapons in here?" He asked.

"Nothing." I replied, I had scoured the church earlier in search of a sidearm to accompany my Lee but only found spare magazines, bandages, flares, chem lights and cans of soda. No Jerry-cans thank goodness and not a spare windscreen in sight.

Our bandits can't have been to bright since they obviously failed to notice the congregation of zombies who were waiting outside like extras from some blasphemous Indy horror film. They should have known from this that someone was inside but they seemed to have no interest in this fact, from which I could only presume that either they were complete idiots or that their sniping position did not have a direct line of sight on the entrance to the church.

It was most likely to be the latter, buildings in Chernogorsk are tall and I was nervous about remaining in here too long unless we should be discovered inside a structure with no second exit. A plan began to form in my mind and I crept up to the entrance to see what vantage points outside might have the church entrance covered.

"Look." I said to the stranger as he rifled through the detritus inside the church in search of useful items. "I'll help you find a weapon and get past these bandits but after that you're on your own." Remember I'll be watching you and even if you do get me, they'll hear it and they'll hunt you down.

As if to emphasise my point a burst of M-240 fire erupted outside.

"You hear that, that's an M-240, the other guy has an MP-5, they're not #%&*$# around out there so don't #%&*$# with me and you might make it out of this alive. When we leave the church I'll try to keep you covered."

After I had satisfied myself that the coast was clear I left the church and made my way into another cafe, I lost track of the stranger who seemed to have opted for the supermarket as his destination and I quickly made my way upstairs, being careful to stay away from the windows, to try and get my eyes on the bandits whom we believed were holed up in the nearby hospital. They must have become impatient waiting for suckers to try and run the gauntlet of their ambush at this time and I heard the engine of their Ural fire up. It drove off away from us at some speed, probably towards the church and I used the time that this movement bought me to search the cafe for weapons.

In one of the upstairs rooms I found a Makarov pistol and three magazines of ammunition. I picked them up, debating whether or not I would give them to the stranger if he had not found anything of his own. I could probably figure out a way to do this safely but the reappearance of the Ural meant that I had more pressing concerns. Thankfully the Ural didn't stop again, our nemeses had obviously become frustrated by having to pursue opponents who did not run foolishly into a pitched battle against their superior gear and the Ural lit out of town like a scalded cat.

It wasn't long afterwards that I saw my companion come out of the supermarket with a shotgun and I wondered what would eventuate now that he was armed. How should I play this? What would he do?

I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, he knew that I could easily have killed him a dozen times already. I could even kill him right now if I wanted too but I decided on an impromptu test to see whether or not he was trustworthy.

"Did you find anything?" I asked, knowing that he could not see me and waiting to see if he would answer truthfully.

"I found a shotgun in the supermarket."

I felt my self relax a little, he was playing it straight so far.

"Okay." I said. "I'm in the cafe across the street from you, top floor, come on up if you need shells, there's plenty in here.

Concealing myself downstairs behind the register I waited for him to enter and followed him up the stairs after he entered. Waiting until he had crouched to pick up some shells before revealing myself to him. He didn't make any move to shoot me or seem alarmed by my actions which indicated to me that he had a clear conscience and I let myself relax a little more, at least to the extent it is possible to relax when in the presence of an armed and unpredictable stranger.

"So." He asked. "What are you going to do now?"

"Probably look at the supermarket and then the fire-station." I replied. "There are still a few things I need, binoculars, a map, a hatchet. Want to come?"

"Yeah, there was a lot of stuff in the supermarket, I couldn't stay long enough to have a good look, let's check it out."

The stranger had by now demonstrated to me that his intentions towards me were not hostile but I was overtaken by the feeling that both of us would be much happier when we were on our own again. I knew I would be.

In the supermarket I found a veritable bonanza of loot, including the map I had been wanting and a Colt 1911. The stranger and I plundered whatever useful items we required before meeting up outside again.

"Well, I'm going to head for the power station now." He said and I took from his tone that this was the part where we peacefully parted company.

"Yeah, I'm going to take a look at the fire station and then strike out north. I guess I'll seeya then?"

"Yeah, thanks for your help."

"No worries mate."


(Part Two)

Being comprised of: "There's no Such Thing as a Free Chicken Dinner, or The Perils of Culinary Procurement in the Post Apocalyptic Age."

After leaving Chernogorsk I set of along an MSR that wound its way through the mountains to the North, hoping to find an isolated barn or woodman's shack where I could hole up and begin to plot my survival in earnest. It was apparent to me that I would need a way of sustaining myself that did not revolve around being dependent upon finding cans of beans and pasta to survive if I was to be successful and I had procured all the items that I required in order to be able to hunt my own game.

The map that I had found was an incredible help, it wasn't long before I had found an isolated barn on a hillside in the woods near a small dam. I cleared out the few lamebrains who had taken up residence outside and draped some concertina wire across the downhill entrance for security. At least if I came back at any time to find an intruder inside then they would be trapped and I could deal with them, although, any marauding zombies could probably walk over it since they seem to pay no regard to such slight injuries as wire can cause.

Deciding that this would have to be a satisfactory cache for now I dumped my gear, being especially careful to keep on my person those most essential items, and set off towards the nearest town to the north in search of victuals.

Finding the town was a simple matter, along the way I had spotted a hare who was too quick for me to take a shot at, forcing me to run the risk of hunting for domesticated animals that might still be around.

Sure enough, as I followed a rocky valley between two mountains the ground rose and the valley widened until I found myself on a plain once more and looking at the outskirts of a medium sized town. I counted off quite a few Zombies ahead of me and, amongst them, one chicken whom I decided would become my dinner.

It took me a couple of shots to wing the chicken as the creature was quite cunning and darted hither and thither, unpredictably in the long grass, but I hit it on my second shot and settled back to mow down any Z's who had been attracted by the noise.

A few staggered along and I quickly dealt with them before going in to claim my kill. Famished by long hours without anything to eat and being unwilling to touch the emergency supplies of food in my ALICE pack I decided to cook myself a feast right then and there, there was nobody else around and it looked quite safe. Bringing out a small bundle of firewood and m matches I soon had a blaze going and I skewered sections of the chicken over a make-shift rotissary by which means I was able to cook the most delicious feast I had tasted in the longest time.

The scent of roast chicken wafted tantalisingly around the valley and, unbeknownst to me, I was not the only one to smell it.

Where I had been careful not to enter too deep into the town it appeared as though my caution had been for nothing when, attracted by the smell of the roasting fowl that I had just heartily consumed, I suddenly found myself surrounded by zombies!

The rapid firepower of my Colt cut a path through which I was able to escape and I made my way into town, hoping that there would be a structure within where I could find a place to hold these lunch-crashing bastards off. It seemed as though all the town was sealed against me until I glimpsed a small barn in a stand of trees and made my way inside. I had taken a few gouges in my escape and quickly bandaged myself, noticing as I did that my first venture in to post-apocalype cookery had cost me more blood than it had replaced, and having treated my wounds in a rudimentary fashion I unslung the Lee Enfield from my shoulder and waited for the dead to come.

Around about 40 or so of them fell to my .303 rounds before I emerged, blinking into the sunlight, stinking of cordite and death. Leaving the pile of carnage behind me I limped back to my cache, determined that next time I ventured out for take-away I should find a way to eat my lunch in peace!

JB,

Just read your AAR.

'Day 2':-

For someone starting out, you carry way too much weapons/assorted ammo at the expense of other survival items. IMHO just limit yourself to one sidearm and one primary. You cn speailize your weapons loadout later when you are geared up beyond basic survival and have a camp to hoard stuff.

Don't bother hanging around Elektro / Cherno. It's a killing zone. Most of the buildings are picked clean because the area is heavy traffic.

Head North / NE as soon as you as you can. Use this map http://www.dayzdb.com/map

Shoot sparingly, if at all, until you get geared up. And even then, shoot sparingly.....for obvious reasons.

The Lee Enfield and AKM have very good dmamage and range but are zed dinnerbells. The discharge is so loud, you attract a horde to you in no time. That is why you get a load zeds running after you everytime you open up to kill your chicken dinner. See the comarison audible range for various weapons here :- http://www.dayzdb.com/database/weapon-comparison

I ran with an AKM for a week but swapped it out for an AK-74 when I found enough clips for the latter. I'm not player-hunting and do not as yet need the power of an AKM.

Don't bother looking for tool belt items and sundries in Cherno/Elektro. Head to the Northern supermarkets and larger residential buildings and stock up there. North-Eastern areas still require a healthy dose of caution but less Wild West than the Southern coast.

Oh yeah.....play in 1st person only servers if possible. In many ways its safer and fairer because idiots cannot use 3rd person exploits to see around corners while remaining hidden.

Listen to Harry-the-Ruskie Jimmy. This guy knows what he's talking about and got me trained and loaded for bear earlier this evening. These SimHQ guys are top-notch and you really ought to hook up on TeamSpeak and join us on the server. We'd love to have another teammate.

Airdog is the resident SimHQ DayZ Sensei. He'll give you a 'crash course' in helo flying if you ask him nicely

I'd love to join you guys but I seriously doubt I could stay connected to a US server. I'm in Australia and on wireless so my ping to the US is around 230ms and the kick limits usually seem to be around 150 for DayZ servers which puts me 100ms or so out of the required range.

Thanks for the friendly invitation though, I appreciate it.

I'm getting to the point now where accumulating stuff is becoming quite easy and I always end up wondering what to do next. It would be good if there were some objectives or missions to complete, I can kind of make my own to an extent like setting up a cache or helping survivors but I often get myself into trouble because I get bored and go looking for it.

What do you guys do once the basic challenge of getting started is gone?

Hey Jimmy, once again, great read!
I agree with Harry though, sometimes you literally seem to play with fire.

As for hunting down animals, I wouldn't waste any ammo and time for small beast. Go for boars, sheep and cows if possible. They generate far more meat. Here's a good comparison chart: http://www.dayzwiki.com/wiki/Raw_Meat

Oh, and yeah, never get a fire going close to what you call the "lamebrains". Always do it in a secure spot. Not only do the zombies get attracted by the sound of your weapon and the light of the fire; it also attracts other players. And as you have found out yourself already, they are far more dangerous.

And personally, I wouldn't make base in a barn either as that would mean I'd always have to fight my way back in. You could make base by getting a tent and place it somewhere save from where you could then venture into the zombie post-apocalypse wastelands.


As for not getting bored, well, I felt the same way as well in the past. For me teamplay has changed everything. After hooking up with the SimHQ guys lately the mod has become a whole different quality to me. I’m connecting from Europe, by the way.

I may set out on my own again once in a while to scavenge for supplies on my own (I'd like to check out those barracks in the NW airfield, albeit that could easily become a suicide mission). Also, it's nagging me how guccied-up the team is. I'd love to find all the stuff they piled up on my own (thus the planned trip to the airfield). The stuff I have on me right now is mostly out of some tents we once stumbled over. Last but not least, since the team has helped me out, I'd like to give something back, which means that I keep on playing to get my hands on more stuff that I could then contribute to the team.

Also, I'm fairly impressed when I see for how long some players have managed to keep their character alive. That's something that could get me going as well; trying to keep my character alive for as long as possible. That's where the term role play game becomes a whole different meaning.

If I were on my own I'd probably try to get my hands on a tent, make base somewhere in the vast wasteland of Chernarus and still try to keep my character alive for as long as possible. I'd stick to hunting animals for food and only refill my water canteens at ponds in the middle of nowhere. Maybe I'd help some newcomers. But then again, as you've said, you can trust no one (well, almost ).



And hey JC, welcome on board!