Info from Dayz.db / oSSSeth
Although the modification versions of DayZ had its share of bandits who gunned down anything that moved in view, the alpha seems to have a lot more. For newer survivors without weapons to combat them, it can be frustrating to be killed by them. Here's a few tips that have worked for me in avoiding death by other players.
Team with Friends
A lone player is easy pickings for a bandit with a scoped Mosin in a bush half a kilometer away. Traveling with one or two friends might give a potential bandit a reason to avoid trying to rob you, especially if your group flaunts weaponry (even if it's unloaded). If you really need someone to watch your back, try going to the coast and finding a new player to take under your wing. Don't try to convince a fully kitted-out survivor to help you, as they most likely betray you later on, unless you're lucky to find someone who genuinely wants to help.
Avoid Large Cities
By far the easiest to accomplish. Larger cities attract bandits looking for a lot of bounty, like Vybor or Chernogorsk. Although it might take longer to search smaller clusters of buildings for items, it is much less likely you will run into other players looking around also. Still, exercise caution when entering a town, bringing us to my next pointer:
Look Before Entering
DO NOT BLINDLY ENTER AREAS. Hold right click, scan the area for thirty seconds. This will also give you the opportunity to note the location of zombies in the area. More than once looking over a town before strolling in has prevented me from walking right into a group of armed players. If you see them, either leave, or if it's too late to escape undetected, go prone in bush or the equivalent until the coast is clear. And if at this point you have the misfortune to run into a antsy player,
Use Direct Communication and Gestures
They have a M4A1 leveled at your head, and you have no place to run. First thing that will help you is to communicate to them. Caps Lock is the default button for voice chat if you're mic'd up (which I strongly reccomend, if not, use Slash for normal chat); say something along the lines of, "Friendly, Friendly!". Giving them a sense of your intentions will increase the likelihood that they will let leave unscathed. In addition, make sure you put away any weapon you have out, decreasing their anxiety. If, at this point, they're still ready to kill you (or haven't already blown yoru skull into a million pieces) using the gestures can perhaps save your life. F1 is wave, F2 is putting your hands up, and F3 is sitting down. If they want your stuff, give it. If you refuse, they can just as easily gun you down and loot anyway, so don't give them a reason to. Or, if you're feeling lucky,
Bluff
You can also try pretending that you have friends just waiting to open fire. Tell them if they don't drop some stuff and run, your imaginary companions will gun them down before they make it five feet. Of course, they might take their chances and shoot you anyway, but it's worth trying if you're not willing to quickly part with your hard earned items.
Run Like Hell
If all else has failed, try to make a break for it as a last resort. At this point, you're either dead or about to be killed, so you might as well try this as last ditch effort to live. Keep in mind, they will shoot to kill when you're running, and most likely you will be killed, but its worth a shot. I only got away once from being held up by bandits by running, so like I said before, it's a desperate move.
If anyone else has some useful methods for avoiding hostile bandits, by all means, post them below, I will happily add them in. I hope this helps helps someone out there in the alpha! If you find it useful, please upvote this guide, I would appreciate it!
-Seth
Although the modification versions of DayZ had its share of bandits who gunned down anything that moved in view, the alpha seems to have a lot more. For newer survivors without weapons to combat them, it can be frustrating to be killed by them. Here's a few tips that have worked for me in avoiding death by other players.
Team with Friends
A lone player is easy pickings for a bandit with a scoped Mosin in a bush half a kilometer away. Traveling with one or two friends might give a potential bandit a reason to avoid trying to rob you, especially if your group flaunts weaponry (even if it's unloaded). If you really need someone to watch your back, try going to the coast and finding a new player to take under your wing. Don't try to convince a fully kitted-out survivor to help you, as they most likely betray you later on, unless you're lucky to find someone who genuinely wants to help.
Avoid Large Cities
By far the easiest to accomplish. Larger cities attract bandits looking for a lot of bounty, like Vybor or Chernogorsk. Although it might take longer to search smaller clusters of buildings for items, it is much less likely you will run into other players looking around also. Still, exercise caution when entering a town, bringing us to my next pointer:
Look Before Entering
DO NOT BLINDLY ENTER AREAS. Hold right click, scan the area for thirty seconds. This will also give you the opportunity to note the location of zombies in the area. More than once looking over a town before strolling in has prevented me from walking right into a group of armed players. If you see them, either leave, or if it's too late to escape undetected, go prone in bush or the equivalent until the coast is clear. And if at this point you have the misfortune to run into a antsy player,
Use Direct Communication and Gestures
They have a M4A1 leveled at your head, and you have no place to run. First thing that will help you is to communicate to them. Caps Lock is the default button for voice chat if you're mic'd up (which I strongly reccomend, if not, use Slash for normal chat); say something along the lines of, "Friendly, Friendly!". Giving them a sense of your intentions will increase the likelihood that they will let leave unscathed. In addition, make sure you put away any weapon you have out, decreasing their anxiety. If, at this point, they're still ready to kill you (or haven't already blown yoru skull into a million pieces) using the gestures can perhaps save your life. F1 is wave, F2 is putting your hands up, and F3 is sitting down. If they want your stuff, give it. If you refuse, they can just as easily gun you down and loot anyway, so don't give them a reason to. Or, if you're feeling lucky,
Bluff
You can also try pretending that you have friends just waiting to open fire. Tell them if they don't drop some stuff and run, your imaginary companions will gun them down before they make it five feet. Of course, they might take their chances and shoot you anyway, but it's worth trying if you're not willing to quickly part with your hard earned items.
Run Like Hell
If all else has failed, try to make a break for it as a last resort. At this point, you're either dead or about to be killed, so you might as well try this as last ditch effort to live. Keep in mind, they will shoot to kill when you're running, and most likely you will be killed, but its worth a shot. I only got away once from being held up by bandits by running, so like I said before, it's a desperate move.
If anyone else has some useful methods for avoiding hostile bandits, by all means, post them below, I will happily add them in. I hope this helps helps someone out there in the alpha! If you find it useful, please upvote this guide, I would appreciate it!
-Seth
