DayZ Standalone Gang

[Big Jack McBastard]

Fellow Steamers with DayZ unite!

Hangthebuggers (mr_neutral) and myself (BigJackMcB) along with Htbs mate and Mincraft server impresario (Sovietpig) are ganging up, pitching in and perhaps not dying quite so swiftly in the harsh Russki zombielands.

Do come join us for horrible fun won't you?

If it's looking like shite then this here may be a help, it turned mine from impossible and godawful to rough and ugly.

A map with loads of bits and bobs is here

All help is welcome even if you're rubbish, especially if you're rubbish cos then we can use you as bait instead of me.

[Hangthebuggers]

I'm really proud to announce that my first mission with Jack was a generally chaotic jaunt along a highly looted coast. To grow hungry, kill a deer with a pickaxe, eat the raw meat and then die in a bar from extreme sickness. Jack was sick in his helmet.

[Big Jack McBastard]

I also broke my leg sliding off a rock like a fucking idiot and then died of deer diseases in my pants just outside of the aforementioned bar, charming little outing.

No wonder the Russians are a bit on the miserable side.

[Big Jack McBastard]

Some shitters lured me into a hangar and shot me in Electro so I've fucked off the south coast and ran north into darkness tonight, lost sight of the sun sending everything a bit spooky but my dude is full of dinner and has a rifle and axe so he's not complaining. I am determined to make it to Novo even if I'm instantly shot when I pop over the horizon.

It's like Minecraft only with less enemies and more drastic consequences when one inevitably fails.

[Big Jack McBastard]

Used one bod and survived for 3 (well 2.8) sessions there! Unbelievable.

Made the epic hella desolate trip up north and fended off about 15 zombies on the way, kept my bod stuffed to the gills again, ran into Htb and headed back towards the middle of the map dealing with a swathe of the undead swines piling up on us as once again I got some colour draining lurgy and spewed in my helmet once more.

Was finally offed by some cowboyhatted bastard who got his chips out of my shotgun as we maimed each other to pieces while I was looking for pills, unfortunately blood and guts don't do ammo boxes or clobber any favours so Htb was left to scavenge what was passable from our mangled frames and then went and hid like a big lass. :)

Almost got another member of the crew (The Moro Reflex) to join but we were so far apart after my leg-it up north that we never managed to clap peepers on each other bah. Will probably be on all Saturday night and most of Sunday bar a break to hit the gym. Must get into a military base soon.

[Hangthebuggers]

[mook]

quick question.

right, i've got the attention span of a wizzed up goldfish, is this game a total grindathon, or could i get anywhere in it playing it in bouts of 20 mins or so?

[mook]

ANSWER ME DAMMIT?

[Jim_MacLaine]

Doubtful.

[Hangthebuggers]

quick question.

right, i've got the attention span of a wizzed up goldfish, is this game a total grindathon, or could i get anywhere in it playing it in bouts of 20 mins or so?

Probably not. It's one of those games were you need a little bit of patience. It takes ages to get anywhere.

[Big Jack McBastard]

I dunno about it being a grindathon, it's not as if you're looking to level up or owt, you're as good as your gear is, but getting that gear is a ring tester and no mistake.

It's more of a 'WhatthefucktheresjustamillionmoretreesthiswaywherethefuckamI"-athon blended with the cautious rapture of finding evidence of civilization.

Getting lost in the wilds you seriously begin to realise that Earth is hell but the sight of a couple of buildings is enough to completely flip your perspective into thinking it has the potential to be a paradise.

You may spend an hour+ just looking for your pal(s) only to be killed and sent to who the hell knows where on the massive map 5 minutes after joining up with them and you'd be fighting hypothermia, starvation, dehydration, zombies and the occasional IRL shitter the whole time getting there. That said the relief of having someone around who isn't looking to instantly fuck you over is palpable.

[Hangthebuggers]

Yeah, solo play can be fun and nerve wracking as you're looting building after building, desperately searching for matches or something to drink, but being buddied up does provide a degree of safety. That way you can split jobs and trade with each other and provide support.

I'll hasten to add, I didn't even know Jack was killed yesterday, he'd gone off looking for something, then I heard three gunshots and just assumed he'd tackled a few zombies. I hadn't realised someone had snuck up on him

Rest in peace are brave boys.

[Big Jack McBastard]

It's a shame mook probably won't be joining us, I'll have to just keep wondering if he speaks in all lowercase as well.

Popping on in 5 mins btw.

[Hangthebuggers]

I think I logged off in Vybor. After a quick raid to the military base nearby (not the air base). Got myself some dark clothing and a decent vest.

http://dayzdb.com/map/chernarusplus#5.039.065

Had to ditch your shotgun Jack,  (all the ammo was ruined) in favour of a rifle and scope. But since then I've found a pistol, clip and bullets and also some more shotgun ammo, should you find one en-route.

[hedgehog90]

I'm often tempted to try this again, but ever since those first 3 or 4 sessions I've never been able to get going.
The last few times I've played I encounter 0 people and find 0 useful items, and just end up running into the country once I've decided there's nowt in that particular town, and before I can starve to death I just switch it off out of sheer boredom. I've tried different servers with little success.

It always feels like I'm missing some vital information that would allow me to play the game properly. Are there any clues in this post as to what I'm doing wrong?

[Big Jack McBastard]

It's a bit of a hit and miss thing, what with spawning in the south most of the time you find those places are usually looted or you're only getting shitty stuff from them but then a couple of roads away you find a dumped bag and coat that someone has switched over and you climb the ladder a little.

Food is important early on, ideally get yourself 'Stuffed' or at least Energised & Hydrated ASAP and do everything you can to keep it that way so you're not croaking from hunger, that's a bugger early on, you're forced to scour houses and store tins until you get an axe or hammer (or if you're uber weird a tin-opener) also getting a raincoat is nigh on essential to keep hypothermia from doing you in. Tearing up shirts for rags and sewing kits for doing up wounds too, always stop bleeding as soon as you can.

I had a right mixed bag, first day I was killed by a zombie, then held hostage by a camoed up rifle toting nut who made me strip to my pants and lay on a dirty mattress while he locked the doors and jeered at me, then I died of cold, then a mystery bullet, then awful deer diseases.

Next two sessions I survived start to finish then got rifled in the face and arm at the back end of the third.

Tonight I was set upon instantly by a zombie when I spawned so I ran around the houses, literally, until I'd picked up 3 more and then ran up some pipes in an industrial yard. Where I remembered 'Oh yeah this wasn't a zombie survival game originally I'm fucked up here'. Jumped off, broke leg, dead.

Next I ran into another cowboy type with an axe who did me in within 10 minutes. Spawned again and was set upon within a minute and chased off a pier by zombies so I swam to the other side they walked (over on the ocean floor) to get me. I scaled an oil tanker hoping to find anything, no. Zombies close in from miles off, I walk off the roof hands-up.

Then joined up with Htb and hit up a military base on a quiet server, nice trick and YAAAARRRRS! Lovely, LOADS of shit in there, oh my, it took forever just to decide which hat I liked best. It killed me to swap out the pilots helm but my new Gasmask/Cyan UN Beret combo just about makes up for it.

Properly kitted out now, good weapons and a massive backpack, a raft of ammo and a sexy belt.

Still takes for fucking ever to meet up but as I said earlier on a couple of people are a horrible prospect to fight, three or more is a terrifying force for potential ill. I'm deffo on for a long stretch tomorrow, hoping the other lads'll be as well so do join us if you can dude, we'll do our best to get you sexy and full of scran.

[hedgehog90]

This fucking game.

I tried it again today, went on some really populated servers and got my ass handed to me several times. The first 2 servers I went on there were loads of explosions happening around me, what's that all about? Anyway, then I spent some time being extra careful on a semi-populated server and managed to get all the essential gear, and then I found rifle and the corresponding ammo...
This was the first time I experienced the game with a working gun, for me the experience changed entirely, all of a sudden my cojones swelled to twice or thrice their normal volume, and I swaggered about like a psychopathic Liam Gallagher looking for prey... Not for long mind, I got shot before I could use it on another player, but blimey, it was quite an extraordinary feeling.

I was taken out in a suitably humbling way - I was just about to sign off so I lay on my front in a little outdoor shack (don't ask me why, it makes it feel like he's going to sleep) when I noticed a ladder up to a nearby roof, so I thought I'd just nip there to sign off because there's so often loot up there, and I'd likely get an extra load when I logged on next time.
So I climbed up this ladder. Step, step, step, step. And the moment my head was above the wall I saw someone in full SWAT garb pointing a rifle at my bonce. Before any gunshot sound/visuals happened on my end I was met by the death screen.
I was efficiently and precisely executed in a manner that made me feel like a colossal noob, it was quite impressive.

[kittens]

i really really want to play this, but i'm worried my computer isnt good enough and then i'll have bought it for nothing. 'can you run it' says the minimum requirement for dedicated video ram is 512mb, but i only have 32. otherwise i meet all specifications. dyou reckon it'll run???

[Hangthebuggers]

i really really want to play this, but i'm worried my computer isnt good enough and then i'll have bought it for nothing. 'can you run it' says the minimum requirement for dedicated video ram is 512mb, but i only have 32. otherwise i meet all specifications. dyou reckon it'll run???

Argh Kittens, unfortunately not. I know people with 2 gig of ram who have trouble optimising it. Spend that money on ram instead.

[kittens]

bollocks. i tried for months to research and buy a new video card but i'm just too dumb to work out all the variables. i guess i'll play it in a few years when i get a new pc

[Hangthebuggers]

Oops I misread what you originally said. But even so, you'd need a better card.

[Big Jack McBastard]

This fucking game.

That should be the tagline for it, everyone says it at some point.

Who are you on Steam? Oh please tell us you're on there and we can all play silly buggers.

[hedgehog90]

Actually, FUCK this game.
Just had another go - or goes rather - and didn't get ANYWHERE. Sometimes there's no backpacks on a server, sometimes there's no food, sometimes there's just loads of zombies and nothing to pick up. Sometimes you run into the woods and encounter a camoed up CUNT with a rifle and end up getting shot in the leg, running for an hour losing blood and suffering from wonky vision until finally succumbing zombie blows.
After a while it just get's so boring raiding the same houses in the same towns, every now and then attracting a group of zombies and then doing yet another Benny Hill chase marathon to shake them off.
Honestly I'm done, this game annoys the fuck out of me.
I remember why I stopped playing the last time.

[Big Jack McBastard]

You need some mates mate, we'll see ya right.

[hedgehog90]

That should be the tagline for it, everyone says it at some point.

Who are you on Steam? Oh please tell us you're on there and we can all play silly buggers.

hedgehog90 on Steam also. I appreciate the tips you sent me but I'm done for now. I'm not willing to suffer through 98% of this game for that 2% glimmer of ball tingling excitement.
Also, after comparing what I played today to what I played almost a year ago, I don't have much faith in the developers to be honest. Can't see it coming out of alpha anytime soon.

[Big Jack McBastard]

True enough, it's mighty desolate and shonky I suppose, all the same there's 3 of us on in 5 mins if anyone else is biting.

[Big Jack McBastard]

We finally meet up and immediately need food, loads of it, off down to Electro where upon we find about 4 bits in the whole goddamn town and a nasty end for Htb and MrPig when a ruthless sniper popped their brains inside the police station, meanwhile I sat pooing myself with a shotgun aimed at the door waiting for some nerk to make his way in for his prizes, no dice cos the parade of zombies outside harried him until he had no choice but to run. I bolted and headed for the coast, machinegun fire pops out strafing zombies behind me (probably aimed for me), I scarpered, lost my trigger-happy admirer and bowed out for the evening behind a disused railway.

Was getting hairy for a moment there.

[hedgehog90]

Went back on my word and had another go at it earlier. Died a couple times to begin with but then finally overcame the initial difficult bit. It does appear to be entirely luck based as to where you spawn and if it's been looted dry already. What's annoying about this is it usually takes between 30-60 minutes to work this out.
In the spirit of the game I try to exclusively go on highly populated servers and I think that's probably where I've been going wrong.
I came very close to starving a couple times on one particular server before finally cracking and visiting a high loot server. From what I've read this is quite frowned upon, but after so many tries I couldn't give less of a fuck. I found tons of grub pretty pronto, stocked up on all other sorts of goodies and went on my merry way.
So now I'm finally in a position to do a bit of exploration without the fear of running out of food.
...errr, so now what? Do I hunt down n00bs with my axe and rifle for shits n giggles basically?

Oh yeah, that reminds me, I finally managed to kill someone earlier and it felt pretty hollow to be honest. I spotted him running from some zombies - I was starving at the time so all I saw was an anthropomorphised roast chicken - so I took a few swings at him with my axe but the bastard scarpered. I took out the zombies and started looking for him. I was wearing a black biker jacket, shades and a bandana at the time, I probably looked like a right old menacing hunk to him.
Eventually I gave up on him and got back to searching some nearby houses, when all of a sudden I hear the bastard running up behind me and then he twats me some with his fists. I gave him a few knocks with the axe and he fell before I could shed any blood. After all that though it turned out he had nowt on him.
The thought occurred, if I have an axe and there's a dead body laying on the ground and my stomach is singing, why can't I chop him up for grub? I could have started a fire and roasted his bum flesh for a bit of dinner. If this game were realistic that would be a feature. All I want is a bit of cannibalism, that's all I want damnit.

If I haven't gone off the game by the weekend maybe I could join you lot for a sesh.
That's a big 'if' btw. I estimate that there's around a 50% chance I'll have uninstalled it in a big huff.

[Hangthebuggers]

Cannibalism is coming in during the next update.

[Big Jack McBastard]

Both wonderful bits of news.

Glad you got a good run in for once there hedgehog, it is a tad dispiriting to get dealt shit hand after shit hand ain't it? If I'd not had that fortunate streak early on I might feel the same way.

I've had an evening of Bioshock Infinite tonight, might be on for a bit tomorrow but not hella late cos I gots work.