My DayZ backstory i originally did back in May 2012..
(at the bottom of the page is my first attempt at survival in game also in May 2012 )
Dayz.. a mod for ArmaII/ Operation Arrowhead that has you as a survivor in the middle of zombie apocalypse. Will you keep your humanity and help other survivors or will you tread the bandit path, slaying all in your way in this open enviroment. 225 square kilometres to explore, find gear you will need for survival,go lone wolf,try and team up, avoid or join up with bandits, and of course, kill Zeds. The story is totally yours to make, where you go and what you do is up to you. Average life expectancy ..28 minutes, how long will you survive the Dayz experience..
(at the bottom of the page is my first attempt at survival in game also in May 2012 )
Dayz.. a mod for ArmaII/ Operation Arrowhead that has you as a survivor in the middle of zombie apocalypse. Will you keep your humanity and help other survivors or will you tread the bandit path, slaying all in your way in this open enviroment. 225 square kilometres to explore, find gear you will need for survival,go lone wolf,try and team up, avoid or join up with bandits, and of course, kill Zeds. The story is totally yours to make, where you go and what you do is up to you. Average life expectancy ..28 minutes, how long will you survive the Dayz experience..
I wake up on the beach, my head is pounding, vision blurred..sound comes rushing back ...zzzzzzzzZZZOOOMPH! Woah, that was wack, i can hear the surf mere metres away and see that dawn is just breaking. I stand up and shake myself down, pat the sand of my dirty clothes... my gear! I madly grab my backpack and scuffle through..water bottle, shake shake..full, painkillers, flares, bandages, my trusty Makarov pistol with a couple of full clips and ..beans. I polish my gold rimmed aviators, hey, a guy has to have some sort of style, and while thinking of a course of action for the day my mind wanders back...
I remember the first time we heard the news story of the crazy drugged out guy in Florida..naked and eating another mans face, taking a bullet round seemingly unaffected..then another chap cutting himself up in an apartment and throwing his skin and intestines at the local police, peppersprayed, unaffected. The net went crazy about the Zombie Apocalypse. As usual the assailants turned up as internet memes within a few days, twisted humour , but this was the instant cyber world we lived in, everything was fair game.
The news contained stories of a new drug derived from LSD, ' Bath Salts' . Making people turn into unthinking wild animals basically. A few more random incidents then it all died down and became just another piece of madness in our daily world. The zombie craze faded.
A few months later I found myself on a business trip selling outdated laptops and smartphones to a shonky retail chain in Chernarus , the infamous former Soviet state, when the big news hit. America had been overun overnight by madness, people attacking each other in the streets, major rioting , the civilian populace out of control, fighting the police, the government, each other. I watched footage on the plane flight over and could not believe what i was seeing, people on the streets were literally tearing each other apart ! Whole cities were burning, everything had broken down..overfuckingnight! It looked like all of those crappy zombie movies from the 70's. Madness.
We landed at a small strip in Balota, east of Chernogrorsk, by then i had seen that Europe , Africa and Asia was also going through the same hell.What the fuck was going on??!! This was no Bath Salts, this was something far larger and out of control, spreading like a wildfire. I needed to find out more, and desperately quickly it appeared.
A small group of people were gathered near the hangars all looking at their phones , a larger lady was crying and holding two children whose eyes were wide with fear. I recognised Ivan' one of the aircraft mechanics and noticed he had a small pistol strapped to his belt. Weird. He waved at me and i I was just starting to head over when i heard the sound of an aircraft in the distance off to my left.
Approaching the small airport was a light plane, looked like a Technoavia SM-2000. Despite the crazy news i caught myself watching it come in, i had always been a plane nut and the Tech was an odd looking single engined bird that i had only seen in books. She seemed a bit lively..crabbing in , then diving up and down randomly..all of a sudden its engine cut a few feet above the concrete runway. She bounced hard..once..twice, then, the front wheel collapsing , it plowed along sparking on its nose until it slewed to a stop not more than 20 metres beside me. Damn! An already mad day was getting monumental ! I ran towards the crashed plane..tilted up crazily on its bent prop, fuel and oil leaking from its engine. Just as i got to the wingtip the door swung open bashing violently against the fuselage and this abomination looked at me..what ..the..hell ?! His face was ridden with cuts and what looked like small boils or some sort of pox. The cuts were not fresh though, nothing that had just happened in the crash..weird, and his eyes, man his eyes..they were blackly bloodshot and the pupils were small and beady, an off colour i cant describe.
In the brief seconds i was rooted to the ground taking this in i saw the pilot slumped over the controls, his neck had chunks missing, one eye lolled out of his socket and on his cheek...i noticed movement in the rear of the cabin..at least three more of these 'things'. Fuck this! Turning and sprinting in the opposite direction, faster than i ever ran at track, coach would have been proud i thought! Bolting past the small group and the crash team who was just pulling up i did not look back until i heard the screaming, these fucked up things had waded straight into the small crowd, swinging ripping,biting, tearing. I saw Ivan draw his pistol and start firing, he offloaded his magazine into one of them that dropped and then was overcome himself. The thing bit into his face and blood spewed out of his forehead, that was more than enough, i hightailed it across the field and onto the outskirts of the small village of Balota, jumping a random goat that had somehow wandered onto the field.
That was three days ago and it felt like a year. I had come to call the things 'Zeds' , short for Zombies, i mean c'mon..what else where they ? They ate people..they looked dead. Zombies. Crazy, but here i was..a character in 28 Days Later, The Walking Dead..Zombieland and not a twinkie in sight. Fucked up sideways mental. I was stuck in the middle of who knows what, i didn't really know what was happening outside of my little bubble of apocalyptica, but it was bad.Real fucking eat a dick bad.
I had worked my up the coast and roamed the streets of Chernogorsk for a day, raided a small shop and found the only weapon available, a small russian military issue pistol thrown on the floor casually amongst tinned food and a pile of watches, it had become my 'trusty Mak'. I had watched the Zeds become more and more numerous , chasing people through the streets, eating them as they lay screaming on the ground. Panick was rife and more than once i had seen people who had not been killed by the Zeds, full of bullet holes. It did not take long for some people to turn.
That same day i killed my first bunch of Zeds, chased by a bunch of them into a building while i was investigating a pile of tin cans randomly strewn with more tinned food near a house, standing back from the doorway blasting away as they filed in and had heaped them up on top off each other with round after round, emptying magazine after magazine. I didnt worry about conserving ammo, it seemed everyone here had had a Mak, i was constantly finding full mags in every second house or building i walked into too. They say America is gun crazy..after visiting Cherno, i beg to differ.
I sat on the top of a block of apartments and ate beans and pasta from cans. I scabbed through hotels, pubs, shops, hospitals. I was slowly getting supplies , bandages, painkillers, tins of food. matches and a bigger backpack to carry it all.. i had no idea how long i would be by myself. Would the military come and take these Zeds out? Was it an infection ? Was everyone on these Bath Salts? I suspected the government, one of their projects gone had gone balls up. They fed us crap all the time, fuel prices, needed wars, low pay rates, bad economy..blah blah blah..now Bath Salts ? Made by a couple of punks looking to make a buck and now the world was fubar? Yeh right. Fuck you politicians, i hope they eat you slowly.
After a fitfuls night sleep on top of the apartments i made my way via the forest and hills to Elektrozavodsk, one of the highlights of my former visits , the pubs were seedy and the ladies were generally seedier. As i approached i could see things had taken an even more downward turn, vehicles were burnt out in the streets and for some reason someone had taken a disliking to washing machines as what seemed like all of them were thrown recklessly and randomly outside. Strange people these Russians.
Then i saw someone ! He was moving slyly between buildings, a bandana of some sort on his head and large pack on his back. He stayed low and moved into the church ..alert, definitely not a Zed. I nearly flipped! A real live person ! He even had a pair those poofy looking red Oakleys on ! I watched him enter then looked around for Zeds, none i could see so i bolted down the hill through a field, stopped at some buildings to gather my breath, still no zeds. Quickly across the street and into the church, he was down on the floor, kneeling picking up a Mak mag, how surprising. In my excitement i blurted out..
' Holy crap dude, are you a sight for sore eyes! '
He jumped up, pistol in hand and started blasting away at me, FUCK ! I ducked and ran out the door, shots cracking plaster off the walls all around me ! Trigger happy little fella but he couldn't shoot straight for squat. Must have been his crap choice in sunglasses. The noise attracted the Zeds and i saw two bolting up a street to my right. Damn ! Three more coming from the left, running hard and grunting.Trigger's shooting would bring everything within a block down on me. I pumped my legs into a long gray nondescript three story building and vaulted halfway up a flight of stairs, checked my clip was full and placed three more down beside me, settled my breathing.
Half a minute later and i had seven deader than dead Zeds laying on the floor in front of me, i was starting to become a pretty proficient marksman. Five of the Zeds i had just dropped were headshots. Shooting like a boss as we used to say when playing crappy fps games. I loaded a fresh clip , waited for my heart to stop racing, made sure Trigger was not coming in and then headed up the stairs. Checking five trashed rooms i added four more Mak clips to my backpack and a can of sardines, sweet, they would taste like a five star meal later.
The last room i looked in had an axe on the floor..shiny and new. I had given up wondering why i continued to find weird shit laying around, i simply jammed the small Mak into my pocket and hefted the axe..good weight, and the wood smelt nice, reminded me of my pops place in the mountains where we used to spend weekends fishing and cooking fat trout on an open fire. I used to pretend it was just me and pop, the bush and the wildlife. nobody else in the world , now it seemed nearly true.
I could see myself causing some serious carnage with this axe and not having to worry about alerting the whole neighbourhood while i hacked away silently. It seemed i already had the mindset of that freaky Michael Myers fucko from the Halloween series..fuk yeh, come at me bro.
From the top floor i surveyed the Church , five minutes went past and i never saw Trigger, he was either laying low inside, being dined on or had already left while i was plugging Zeds. I exited on the opposite side i had come in and worked my way up past a bunch of houses stopping at the corner of one and looked across into a field. Before me was what looked like a power station about 100 metres away, a large hill behind it, looked like a perfect place to overwatch the town. Something moved close by.. what do you know, there was Trigger, cautiously crouching along with his back to me, not five metres away he exited a small grove of bushes.
I made a snap decision and started stalking him..4 metres..3.....2.....now! I axed him a question, directly into the base of his neck. Down went Trigger with a small grunt and a large amount of spurting blood. I hefted the axe once more and split the back of his head wide open. Before i even knew what i was doing i was pulling the axe out of his flesh and bone and rifling through his small backpack..compass, a crumpled map and some more beans. I stripped him of his watch and also scored a knife he had hitched to a small toolbelt, sweet. I then dragged his body under a tree out of view.
I stood up and nearly keeled over as my vision darkened, my heart was pumping like a locomotive, i could feel it busting against my ribcage, hands shaking so badly that i had to grip the axe until my knuckles were white for fear of dropping it, blood was all over me, still warm and mixing with the sweat that was draining out of me. I was a killer. Every detail in the woodgrain handle of the axe stood out as i looked down at my hands, every hair on my arms seemed as if under a microscope and i could see how badly i had been chewing my nails unthinkingly during the day. I had killed. Staring at my victim i thought it was strange how things look when they have no life, you can see the finality, as if they never where.
I felt as much remorse in that moment as i ever had in my life. Like the first time i shot a small bird, winging it with a small calibre rifle and then having to chase it for nearly two miles as it hopelessly flitted from tree to tree getting lower and slower, life draining out of it but needing to stay alive. Finally hitting it again and then sitting down by myself with this small animal needlessly shot. The excitement of shooting a gun gone, the weapon feeling like lead in my hands, knowing i would never kill again. I knew what i had just done was different, and that i would do it again if need be, it could be me laying under the tree..and i wasn't ready to punch out just yet.
Looking around from under the cover of the low branching tree i could Zeds dragging themselves along the ground, not appearing to see me, it was like the highschool prom all over again, the zeds were the hotchicks and i was the guy shuffling quietly in the corner invisible. I moved low and slowly past them. At a distance of about seven or so metres they seemed nearly blind if you were quiet and not moving fast. I worked my way up into the treeline a small distance from Elektro, the Zeds did not seem to like the wooded areas, congregating instead close to man made structures. Maybe they still had some sort of instinctual humanity left, nobody liked the woods when alone and especially not in the dark, possibly even the Zeds. I on the other hand loved it and felt at home when surrounded by the forest and the inky blackness, maybe it could offer a safe haven.
From what i did know of the region i was in there was a major airfield further North but i did not have the provisions to make a journey that far, yet. I wanted to head up there eventually , try for a working set of wheels first, and hopefully get my hands on some better weaponry, there was an airforce prescence at the airport so there had to be some serious deathware tucked away. For the moment though i would head along the coast, have a look around and see if i could get any more goodies for my trip. I would also like to make contact with some people and form a group, watch each others backs and fight the Zeds instead of each other, every passing minute in this new world tells me to stay alone and observe, but would i go mad by myself ? Should I just stay a loner ? at least i know where the Zeds stand, people are another matter.
For now i head down to a pond, fill my water bottle, head across a small heavily forested hill and make my way to the beach near a lighthouse that splits the two towns, i decide against spending the night in the concrete walls of the tall structure, it seems a far too obvious place. On the edge of the beach under a thick grove of bushes i dig down in the sand so i can sit with just my head in view, thick grass pulled out to conceal my body. I eat my cold sardines and start drifting off as the sun disappears ...wondering what the next few dayz will bring.
I had worked my up the coast and roamed the streets of Chernogorsk for a day, raided a small shop and found the only weapon available, a small russian military issue pistol thrown on the floor casually amongst tinned food and a pile of watches, it had become my 'trusty Mak'. I had watched the Zeds become more and more numerous , chasing people through the streets, eating them as they lay screaming on the ground. Panick was rife and more than once i had seen people who had not been killed by the Zeds, full of bullet holes. It did not take long for some people to turn.
That same day i killed my first bunch of Zeds, chased by a bunch of them into a building while i was investigating a pile of tin cans randomly strewn with more tinned food near a house, standing back from the doorway blasting away as they filed in and had heaped them up on top off each other with round after round, emptying magazine after magazine. I didnt worry about conserving ammo, it seemed everyone here had had a Mak, i was constantly finding full mags in every second house or building i walked into too. They say America is gun crazy..after visiting Cherno, i beg to differ.
I sat on the top of a block of apartments and ate beans and pasta from cans. I scabbed through hotels, pubs, shops, hospitals. I was slowly getting supplies , bandages, painkillers, tins of food. matches and a bigger backpack to carry it all.. i had no idea how long i would be by myself. Would the military come and take these Zeds out? Was it an infection ? Was everyone on these Bath Salts? I suspected the government, one of their projects gone had gone balls up. They fed us crap all the time, fuel prices, needed wars, low pay rates, bad economy..blah blah blah..now Bath Salts ? Made by a couple of punks looking to make a buck and now the world was fubar? Yeh right. Fuck you politicians, i hope they eat you slowly.
After a fitfuls night sleep on top of the apartments i made my way via the forest and hills to Elektrozavodsk, one of the highlights of my former visits , the pubs were seedy and the ladies were generally seedier. As i approached i could see things had taken an even more downward turn, vehicles were burnt out in the streets and for some reason someone had taken a disliking to washing machines as what seemed like all of them were thrown recklessly and randomly outside. Strange people these Russians.
Then i saw someone ! He was moving slyly between buildings, a bandana of some sort on his head and large pack on his back. He stayed low and moved into the church ..alert, definitely not a Zed. I nearly flipped! A real live person ! He even had a pair those poofy looking red Oakleys on ! I watched him enter then looked around for Zeds, none i could see so i bolted down the hill through a field, stopped at some buildings to gather my breath, still no zeds. Quickly across the street and into the church, he was down on the floor, kneeling picking up a Mak mag, how surprising. In my excitement i blurted out..
' Holy crap dude, are you a sight for sore eyes! '
He jumped up, pistol in hand and started blasting away at me, FUCK ! I ducked and ran out the door, shots cracking plaster off the walls all around me ! Trigger happy little fella but he couldn't shoot straight for squat. Must have been his crap choice in sunglasses. The noise attracted the Zeds and i saw two bolting up a street to my right. Damn ! Three more coming from the left, running hard and grunting.Trigger's shooting would bring everything within a block down on me. I pumped my legs into a long gray nondescript three story building and vaulted halfway up a flight of stairs, checked my clip was full and placed three more down beside me, settled my breathing.
Half a minute later and i had seven deader than dead Zeds laying on the floor in front of me, i was starting to become a pretty proficient marksman. Five of the Zeds i had just dropped were headshots. Shooting like a boss as we used to say when playing crappy fps games. I loaded a fresh clip , waited for my heart to stop racing, made sure Trigger was not coming in and then headed up the stairs. Checking five trashed rooms i added four more Mak clips to my backpack and a can of sardines, sweet, they would taste like a five star meal later.
The last room i looked in had an axe on the floor..shiny and new. I had given up wondering why i continued to find weird shit laying around, i simply jammed the small Mak into my pocket and hefted the axe..good weight, and the wood smelt nice, reminded me of my pops place in the mountains where we used to spend weekends fishing and cooking fat trout on an open fire. I used to pretend it was just me and pop, the bush and the wildlife. nobody else in the world , now it seemed nearly true.
I could see myself causing some serious carnage with this axe and not having to worry about alerting the whole neighbourhood while i hacked away silently. It seemed i already had the mindset of that freaky Michael Myers fucko from the Halloween series..fuk yeh, come at me bro.
From the top floor i surveyed the Church , five minutes went past and i never saw Trigger, he was either laying low inside, being dined on or had already left while i was plugging Zeds. I exited on the opposite side i had come in and worked my way up past a bunch of houses stopping at the corner of one and looked across into a field. Before me was what looked like a power station about 100 metres away, a large hill behind it, looked like a perfect place to overwatch the town. Something moved close by.. what do you know, there was Trigger, cautiously crouching along with his back to me, not five metres away he exited a small grove of bushes.
I made a snap decision and started stalking him..4 metres..3.....2.....now! I axed him a question, directly into the base of his neck. Down went Trigger with a small grunt and a large amount of spurting blood. I hefted the axe once more and split the back of his head wide open. Before i even knew what i was doing i was pulling the axe out of his flesh and bone and rifling through his small backpack..compass, a crumpled map and some more beans. I stripped him of his watch and also scored a knife he had hitched to a small toolbelt, sweet. I then dragged his body under a tree out of view.
I stood up and nearly keeled over as my vision darkened, my heart was pumping like a locomotive, i could feel it busting against my ribcage, hands shaking so badly that i had to grip the axe until my knuckles were white for fear of dropping it, blood was all over me, still warm and mixing with the sweat that was draining out of me. I was a killer. Every detail in the woodgrain handle of the axe stood out as i looked down at my hands, every hair on my arms seemed as if under a microscope and i could see how badly i had been chewing my nails unthinkingly during the day. I had killed. Staring at my victim i thought it was strange how things look when they have no life, you can see the finality, as if they never where.
I felt as much remorse in that moment as i ever had in my life. Like the first time i shot a small bird, winging it with a small calibre rifle and then having to chase it for nearly two miles as it hopelessly flitted from tree to tree getting lower and slower, life draining out of it but needing to stay alive. Finally hitting it again and then sitting down by myself with this small animal needlessly shot. The excitement of shooting a gun gone, the weapon feeling like lead in my hands, knowing i would never kill again. I knew what i had just done was different, and that i would do it again if need be, it could be me laying under the tree..and i wasn't ready to punch out just yet.
Looking around from under the cover of the low branching tree i could Zeds dragging themselves along the ground, not appearing to see me, it was like the highschool prom all over again, the zeds were the hotchicks and i was the guy shuffling quietly in the corner invisible. I moved low and slowly past them. At a distance of about seven or so metres they seemed nearly blind if you were quiet and not moving fast. I worked my way up into the treeline a small distance from Elektro, the Zeds did not seem to like the wooded areas, congregating instead close to man made structures. Maybe they still had some sort of instinctual humanity left, nobody liked the woods when alone and especially not in the dark, possibly even the Zeds. I on the other hand loved it and felt at home when surrounded by the forest and the inky blackness, maybe it could offer a safe haven.
From what i did know of the region i was in there was a major airfield further North but i did not have the provisions to make a journey that far, yet. I wanted to head up there eventually , try for a working set of wheels first, and hopefully get my hands on some better weaponry, there was an airforce prescence at the airport so there had to be some serious deathware tucked away. For the moment though i would head along the coast, have a look around and see if i could get any more goodies for my trip. I would also like to make contact with some people and form a group, watch each others backs and fight the Zeds instead of each other, every passing minute in this new world tells me to stay alone and observe, but would i go mad by myself ? Should I just stay a loner ? at least i know where the Zeds stand, people are another matter.
For now i head down to a pond, fill my water bottle, head across a small heavily forested hill and make my way to the beach near a lighthouse that splits the two towns, i decide against spending the night in the concrete walls of the tall structure, it seems a far too obvious place. On the edge of the beach under a thick grove of bushes i dig down in the sand so i can sit with just my head in view, thick grass pulled out to conceal my body. I eat my cold sardines and start drifting off as the sun disappears ...wondering what the next few dayz will bring.
Above screen shots http://gamescreens.org/dayz/ i normally do my own but these were nice so i used them :)
My first real survival attempt in may...
Day 1
I'm up in the hills behind Elektro at the moment, i started off on the coast near Kamyshovo, just on sunrise, wandered onto the outskirts of town and could not see any zeds. The game kept freezing and i shot all of my ammo into the air in game rage, bad move, because when i logged out and respawned i was empty, duh. Walked up to the bustop on the very Western edge of Kanyshovo and i could hear flies ..sweet..dead people ! Both of them i found just behind the bustop in the grass, Mak ammo, beans,and an empty bottle ..situation salvaged.
A hopper bouncing slowly down the main street took interest in me so i backpedalled slowly and took him out, a fat gut zed then came at me after hearing mymy Mak so i downed him, then a blackshirted zed ran around the corner and as i shot him i noticed more coming out from behind houses and buildings, all intent on me, time to split ! I headed up into the hills (three valleys) my plan being to work my way up into Sobor as i have only ventured along the coast and a bit inland so far. I followed the road North up to Msta keeping on the edge of the forest line and just ducking into the barns to replenish my ammo.
The zeds seem more alert now (after patch) as they seem to be on to me easier than normal, i ended up with a trail of four hopping freaks that would not go away even after putting more than a kilometre between them and myself. I stumbled across a deer hut about 3/4's of the way to Msta in the forest and clambered up, took a swig of water , ate some beans and waited. Sure enough a minute or two later and they came grunting out of the forest. I capped them one by one and then headed on my journey again.
Now somewhere here i backtracked a little bit and got lost, the only map i have is the hires Dayz map i run on a second screen, but still i managed to end up lost and had no clue where i was. At this stage i did not know the clouds always headed East so i was finding it hard to get my bearings when surrounded by hills and forest. I kept on trudging onwards finding and skirting a little bunch of huts, 6 zeds around so i kept my distance, heading back deeper towards the forest, i then heard grunting and scuffling really close and stopped, looked around but could not see jack..getting closer..WHERE THE HECK! closer..stuff this..i up and bolted flat biscuit down the side of the mountain, not looking back, noisy as Deliverance! and just as panicky. Reeeeeeeeee reeeeeee!
After 30 seconds i stopped and looked around, nothing.I calmed down and then straght in front of me..a small dam, sweet ! Went down and filled my bottles and rewarded myself with some more beans.Yum. I love beans. Looking at my map i was guessing i was now Southwest of Msta and facing roughly Elektro. Giving up on my bush expedition i decided to head to Elektro and grab some hardware, from there i would get my bearings back as well and decide on a new heading.
25-30 odd minutes of bushwalking and hill climbing and i was looking down on the outskirts of Elektro. I headed in from the eastern side , first hut and i scored a crossbow and some bolts. Heard a Mak going off and some running outside, got ready for a confrontation but no-one appeared. Venturing slowly outside i made it to a three story building in the centre of town and grabbed a knife and some food, lovely. A quick bolt across the road and i moved into the shops and grabbed another empty water bottle ,a heatpack and some ammo for a winchester..hoping to find one soon, time to check the church.
Gunshots.Rifle shots snd pistol shots..Effin shootout at the OK Corral ! Waited on the corner just outside the shops , alert. Approached by one survivor so i layed down and kept him sighted, he said he was friendly and i replied in same without taking my sights of him, i watched him crouch slowly away into the shops. As soon as he was inside i darted over the road and headed for the church, no plans on hooking up after my last few experiences. A few zeds around but none so close that i would alert them unless i broke into a panic, i walked into the church and saw my first ghillie suit dude, splayed out on the floor, winchester in hand , thankyou sir ! i left my crossbow in his hand and stood back to examine him. He looks like a right tool here in the city dressed like a mobile hedge. Checked the rest of his gear..Alice pack,tent,binocs,hatchet plus general items. Much better. Two more guys dead and bled out in the church , this must have been the shootout, not hanging around as they have probably already respawned and would be heading back in.
I have enough supplies now to last a good day or so, i head to the Northern side of Elektro and fill up my water bottles at the small pond near the power station. Here i take out 3 or 4 more Zeds and grab some wood from a hut in anticipation of slaying a beast once i start my inland trek. Just as i near the edge of the forest i see a guy moving slowly to my left..i hit him up and ask if he is friendly..no reply. I am backing away, winnie trained on him , then i see another guy up on the forest line to my right moving slowly..damn, they are flanking me ! I instantly turn and sprint for the forest keeping the flanker on my left and the other guy behind. Crack! A bullet flies past me into the dirt , bandits ! I angle to my right and hit the forest at full tilt, run up the hill for about 30 seconds at an angle then dart to my right keeping bushes behind me. Another 30 odd seconds dodging between trees and bushes and i drop brething hard under a fir tree with low lying branches and plenty of cover, crawl under and face where my attackers where, winnie up and ready. I lay prone here for about ten minutes just listening, not breaking cover. Hearing nothing except birds and the odd underbrush noise i decide here is as good a spot as anywhere to leave my guy and continue the adventure later.
All up i was in for about 3 hours and have decided i am definitely going full loner. I have not killed anyone yet in game and do not intend to unless attacked but i do not trust anyone anymore. There was a guy in town on top of a building who asked for help, said he was wounded out of food and water. The only person who ventured up there shot him in the back.
Tonight i want to see if i can stack up a bit more , get some antibiotics, some matches, go get myself some a beast so i can feed my guy some hearty cooked steaks. I'm over these beans. Then i am going to make the journey inland and have a poke around the areas i have not been too. My plan is to walk a bit then make a tent supply stash for myself about an hour out of Elektro so i dont have to go all the way back for gear.
Server Dallas29.
I'm up in the hills behind Elektro at the moment, i started off on the coast near Kamyshovo, just on sunrise, wandered onto the outskirts of town and could not see any zeds. The game kept freezing and i shot all of my ammo into the air in game rage, bad move, because when i logged out and respawned i was empty, duh. Walked up to the bustop on the very Western edge of Kanyshovo and i could hear flies ..sweet..dead people ! Both of them i found just behind the bustop in the grass, Mak ammo, beans,and an empty bottle ..situation salvaged.
A hopper bouncing slowly down the main street took interest in me so i backpedalled slowly and took him out, a fat gut zed then came at me after hearing mymy Mak so i downed him, then a blackshirted zed ran around the corner and as i shot him i noticed more coming out from behind houses and buildings, all intent on me, time to split ! I headed up into the hills (three valleys) my plan being to work my way up into Sobor as i have only ventured along the coast and a bit inland so far. I followed the road North up to Msta keeping on the edge of the forest line and just ducking into the barns to replenish my ammo.
The zeds seem more alert now (after patch) as they seem to be on to me easier than normal, i ended up with a trail of four hopping freaks that would not go away even after putting more than a kilometre between them and myself. I stumbled across a deer hut about 3/4's of the way to Msta in the forest and clambered up, took a swig of water , ate some beans and waited. Sure enough a minute or two later and they came grunting out of the forest. I capped them one by one and then headed on my journey again.
Now somewhere here i backtracked a little bit and got lost, the only map i have is the hires Dayz map i run on a second screen, but still i managed to end up lost and had no clue where i was. At this stage i did not know the clouds always headed East so i was finding it hard to get my bearings when surrounded by hills and forest. I kept on trudging onwards finding and skirting a little bunch of huts, 6 zeds around so i kept my distance, heading back deeper towards the forest, i then heard grunting and scuffling really close and stopped, looked around but could not see jack..getting closer..WHERE THE HECK! closer..stuff this..i up and bolted flat biscuit down the side of the mountain, not looking back, noisy as Deliverance! and just as panicky. Reeeeeeeeee reeeeeee!
After 30 seconds i stopped and looked around, nothing.I calmed down and then straght in front of me..a small dam, sweet ! Went down and filled my bottles and rewarded myself with some more beans.Yum. I love beans. Looking at my map i was guessing i was now Southwest of Msta and facing roughly Elektro. Giving up on my bush expedition i decided to head to Elektro and grab some hardware, from there i would get my bearings back as well and decide on a new heading.
25-30 odd minutes of bushwalking and hill climbing and i was looking down on the outskirts of Elektro. I headed in from the eastern side , first hut and i scored a crossbow and some bolts. Heard a Mak going off and some running outside, got ready for a confrontation but no-one appeared. Venturing slowly outside i made it to a three story building in the centre of town and grabbed a knife and some food, lovely. A quick bolt across the road and i moved into the shops and grabbed another empty water bottle ,a heatpack and some ammo for a winchester..hoping to find one soon, time to check the church.
Gunshots.Rifle shots snd pistol shots..Effin shootout at the OK Corral ! Waited on the corner just outside the shops , alert. Approached by one survivor so i layed down and kept him sighted, he said he was friendly and i replied in same without taking my sights of him, i watched him crouch slowly away into the shops. As soon as he was inside i darted over the road and headed for the church, no plans on hooking up after my last few experiences. A few zeds around but none so close that i would alert them unless i broke into a panic, i walked into the church and saw my first ghillie suit dude, splayed out on the floor, winchester in hand , thankyou sir ! i left my crossbow in his hand and stood back to examine him. He looks like a right tool here in the city dressed like a mobile hedge. Checked the rest of his gear..Alice pack,tent,binocs,hatchet plus general items. Much better. Two more guys dead and bled out in the church , this must have been the shootout, not hanging around as they have probably already respawned and would be heading back in.
I have enough supplies now to last a good day or so, i head to the Northern side of Elektro and fill up my water bottles at the small pond near the power station. Here i take out 3 or 4 more Zeds and grab some wood from a hut in anticipation of slaying a beast once i start my inland trek. Just as i near the edge of the forest i see a guy moving slowly to my left..i hit him up and ask if he is friendly..no reply. I am backing away, winnie trained on him , then i see another guy up on the forest line to my right moving slowly..damn, they are flanking me ! I instantly turn and sprint for the forest keeping the flanker on my left and the other guy behind. Crack! A bullet flies past me into the dirt , bandits ! I angle to my right and hit the forest at full tilt, run up the hill for about 30 seconds at an angle then dart to my right keeping bushes behind me. Another 30 odd seconds dodging between trees and bushes and i drop brething hard under a fir tree with low lying branches and plenty of cover, crawl under and face where my attackers where, winnie up and ready. I lay prone here for about ten minutes just listening, not breaking cover. Hearing nothing except birds and the odd underbrush noise i decide here is as good a spot as anywhere to leave my guy and continue the adventure later.
All up i was in for about 3 hours and have decided i am definitely going full loner. I have not killed anyone yet in game and do not intend to unless attacked but i do not trust anyone anymore. There was a guy in town on top of a building who asked for help, said he was wounded out of food and water. The only person who ventured up there shot him in the back.
Tonight i want to see if i can stack up a bit more , get some antibiotics, some matches, go get myself some a beast so i can feed my guy some hearty cooked steaks. I'm over these beans. Then i am going to make the journey inland and have a poke around the areas i have not been too. My plan is to walk a bit then make a tent supply stash for myself about an hour out of Elektro so i dont have to go all the way back for gear.
Server Dallas29.
Day 2
sunrise...
After waiting an hour for the sun to come up and feeling fresh i headed on my way. I had had to bump two zeds while waiting for the darkness to dissappear, i had headed to low into the field under my hiding spot while waiting for daylight and heard a low grunt to my right, popped a flare and saw a hopping zed approaching. Without hesitating i put three with the Mak into him and then his pal who came up behind. That made me retreat back into the forest and wait for the sun, keeping a watch in case anyone came to investigate the shooting. I kept binoc'n Elektro and saw zed movement around several different areas in the town but never saw any other survivors.
Dawn was awesome as i watched the sunlight pierce the inky black and then early morning greyness, a welcome relief, my temp had dropped to 31 degrees about minutes previously so i used my only heatpack , had myself some beans and a drink of water. Now that i could see better i dropped down to the pond North of Elektro and refilled my water, just because i can, i drink all three bottles before i refill.
I pop up my map and decide i am going to head west down the coast , pick up some more supplies, hopefully get some matches and then head to the main NW airfield north of Vybor, a fairly large trek. I start off by heading over to sniper hill and having a last look at Elektro, wondering if i should risk it for some matches, i decide not to after still seeing zeds lurking everywhere in the town centre and start my westward walk.
I have an uneventful but scenic stroll via the large rocky mountain and through Prigorodki to just outside of Cherno where i drink a bottle of water and refill again. I decide i will have to head into Cherno and look for some matches, my head says no but without matches i cannot cook any meat so i decide it is worth the risk.
Stacks of zeds on the outskirts, i binoc the joint and find a gap in the horde and head in down beside a small road that leads to the industrial area. Crouching through a couple of hoppers i walk into a nondescript two story building, find some winnie ammo some beans and another heatpack. In here i hear a low growling , covering both doors i wait..nothing. Check the other rooms , no gear that i do not already have. Damn. Just as i head out the door a zed comes around the corner and charges me, i turn and head back in then turn to face it and crouch with my Mak drawn. Blam! blam! blam! down he drops..of course another one follows..because i am in a good mood i empty four shots into him, one in the head and three just for kicks. Reload. Wait a minute listening then head off.
Outside again i head down a side street working towards a bunch of buildings on the west side.A few zeds kicking around but none close. I walk into a long high industrial shed ..no matches. Check out a little checkpoint building..no matches, just tin cans. As soon as i exit there is a zed in my face, this one gets a chew in on me as well as 3 bullets to the face at point blank. I scurry back to the larger building i just left and bandage myself. Damn, i am down to 8700 blood. I give up on Cherno and head out. Next stop Balota airfield.
Halfway to Balota i spot a guy near a service station, i crouch behind a tree and sight him down my winnie, ask if he is friendly. No reply. Ask again, still no reply so i lay down and keep him sighted as he loots the station and heads on his way towards Cherno. Good luck pal. Up again i head into the treeline and come across Balota field from the Eastern side. I binoc the place for a minute and slowly work my way past it through the forest and up towards the hangars. Here i spot another survivor. This one i just watch, he is crouching past a few zeds, looting the hangars. Betcha he is finding matches! I wait for him to leave and then go have a look myself. No matches. I have a quick look in the tower, only Mak ammo , eat some beans and have a drink. Time to start up to the main airfield and i still have no way to cook meat. Going to have to rely on beans i find on the way as i am down to one tin now.
So my true journey begins now, no map or compass..the two main things i need and possibly a compass. The towns are all signed so it is easy enough to find out where i am so as long as i dont blindly panic or wander to far off into the forest like i did yesterday i should be all right.
Leaving the tower via the ladder i head out beside a dirt road going North. I make my way to Drozhino passing small villages on the way, not bothering to check them out. At Drozhino i check out a barn on the outskirts. Inside are four dead zeds. Someone must have been past recently but i have no way of knowing which way they were heading. I have no idea of how many survivors have laid eyes on me while i was walking , clearly no bandits have seen me yet anyway. In the barn i swap my winnie for a scoped CZ50 with ammo. Outside i hear the zeds stirring, deciding that leaving the winnie with ammo is frivilous i swap it with the scoped rifle and go outside , i run around the barn attracting the zeds and then bolt inside and set myself up on the wooden stairs. I waste all of my winnie ammo on the four zeds that enter, knee shots, gut shots, ankle shots and headshots. Ahhhh that broke the tedium. Go back up and swap out guns again, leave the faithful winnie for someone else.
Just as i leave the barn i realise i am starving again, man these beans may last five years but they certainly dont last long in my system. I eat my last can. I start to worry, maybe i am heading to slowly, i need to increase my pace. I have plenty of water so i drink one bottle to flush the bean taste out of my mouth. I need beans just as much as matches now. Next stop Zelenogorsk. Lets head out.
At Zeleno i find no beans or matches. Heading out and up towards Sosnovka. No beans. Damn. Here i take a risk and dodge a bunch of zeds, checking every open hut or house. Nada. Next stop Pustoshka. Man i am starving again. I gotta get moving, i have still been moving to slow so start to speed up, right into the path of a hopper. I decide to try out the scoped rifle. Headshot, dead. While i am searching him another one runs at me, c'mon! By the time i get my Mak up he is on me and i panic shoot him five times. Bleeding, bandage..i fumble around with my gear like an idiot and by the time i am bandaged i am at 6000 blood. I have to take a painkiller here too as i started shaking. I follow the treeline all the way to Pustoshka.
In a barn i find two tins of sardines , yes! In a barn on the other side i find a further two tins of beans, sweet. I head out of Pusto and stopping for a minute under some trees in a field i eat a tin of sardines and have a drink. Not far from the airfield now, one more stop on the way at Vybor and then i plan to lay up in the hills and check the field out for activity. Just South of Vybor i fill up my bottles at a pond. Deciding against going into Vybor i bypass it heading North and climb a small hill that is to the Southwest of the airfield. So much open ground for the last 5 or so kilometres that i have been very paranoid, constantly looking around and diving behind trees whenever i thought i saw movement in the distance.
Perched on my small tree ridden hill i decide i will camp out here for the remainder of the day and night, i have two heatpacks, 3 tins of food and plenty of water. Time to relax and hit the airfield in the morning.
sunrise...
After waiting an hour for the sun to come up and feeling fresh i headed on my way. I had had to bump two zeds while waiting for the darkness to dissappear, i had headed to low into the field under my hiding spot while waiting for daylight and heard a low grunt to my right, popped a flare and saw a hopping zed approaching. Without hesitating i put three with the Mak into him and then his pal who came up behind. That made me retreat back into the forest and wait for the sun, keeping a watch in case anyone came to investigate the shooting. I kept binoc'n Elektro and saw zed movement around several different areas in the town but never saw any other survivors.
Dawn was awesome as i watched the sunlight pierce the inky black and then early morning greyness, a welcome relief, my temp had dropped to 31 degrees about minutes previously so i used my only heatpack , had myself some beans and a drink of water. Now that i could see better i dropped down to the pond North of Elektro and refilled my water, just because i can, i drink all three bottles before i refill.
I pop up my map and decide i am going to head west down the coast , pick up some more supplies, hopefully get some matches and then head to the main NW airfield north of Vybor, a fairly large trek. I start off by heading over to sniper hill and having a last look at Elektro, wondering if i should risk it for some matches, i decide not to after still seeing zeds lurking everywhere in the town centre and start my westward walk.
I have an uneventful but scenic stroll via the large rocky mountain and through Prigorodki to just outside of Cherno where i drink a bottle of water and refill again. I decide i will have to head into Cherno and look for some matches, my head says no but without matches i cannot cook any meat so i decide it is worth the risk.
Stacks of zeds on the outskirts, i binoc the joint and find a gap in the horde and head in down beside a small road that leads to the industrial area. Crouching through a couple of hoppers i walk into a nondescript two story building, find some winnie ammo some beans and another heatpack. In here i hear a low growling , covering both doors i wait..nothing. Check the other rooms , no gear that i do not already have. Damn. Just as i head out the door a zed comes around the corner and charges me, i turn and head back in then turn to face it and crouch with my Mak drawn. Blam! blam! blam! down he drops..of course another one follows..because i am in a good mood i empty four shots into him, one in the head and three just for kicks. Reload. Wait a minute listening then head off.
Outside again i head down a side street working towards a bunch of buildings on the west side.A few zeds kicking around but none close. I walk into a long high industrial shed ..no matches. Check out a little checkpoint building..no matches, just tin cans. As soon as i exit there is a zed in my face, this one gets a chew in on me as well as 3 bullets to the face at point blank. I scurry back to the larger building i just left and bandage myself. Damn, i am down to 8700 blood. I give up on Cherno and head out. Next stop Balota airfield.
Halfway to Balota i spot a guy near a service station, i crouch behind a tree and sight him down my winnie, ask if he is friendly. No reply. Ask again, still no reply so i lay down and keep him sighted as he loots the station and heads on his way towards Cherno. Good luck pal. Up again i head into the treeline and come across Balota field from the Eastern side. I binoc the place for a minute and slowly work my way past it through the forest and up towards the hangars. Here i spot another survivor. This one i just watch, he is crouching past a few zeds, looting the hangars. Betcha he is finding matches! I wait for him to leave and then go have a look myself. No matches. I have a quick look in the tower, only Mak ammo , eat some beans and have a drink. Time to start up to the main airfield and i still have no way to cook meat. Going to have to rely on beans i find on the way as i am down to one tin now.
So my true journey begins now, no map or compass..the two main things i need and possibly a compass. The towns are all signed so it is easy enough to find out where i am so as long as i dont blindly panic or wander to far off into the forest like i did yesterday i should be all right.
Leaving the tower via the ladder i head out beside a dirt road going North. I make my way to Drozhino passing small villages on the way, not bothering to check them out. At Drozhino i check out a barn on the outskirts. Inside are four dead zeds. Someone must have been past recently but i have no way of knowing which way they were heading. I have no idea of how many survivors have laid eyes on me while i was walking , clearly no bandits have seen me yet anyway. In the barn i swap my winnie for a scoped CZ50 with ammo. Outside i hear the zeds stirring, deciding that leaving the winnie with ammo is frivilous i swap it with the scoped rifle and go outside , i run around the barn attracting the zeds and then bolt inside and set myself up on the wooden stairs. I waste all of my winnie ammo on the four zeds that enter, knee shots, gut shots, ankle shots and headshots. Ahhhh that broke the tedium. Go back up and swap out guns again, leave the faithful winnie for someone else.
Just as i leave the barn i realise i am starving again, man these beans may last five years but they certainly dont last long in my system. I eat my last can. I start to worry, maybe i am heading to slowly, i need to increase my pace. I have plenty of water so i drink one bottle to flush the bean taste out of my mouth. I need beans just as much as matches now. Next stop Zelenogorsk. Lets head out.
At Zeleno i find no beans or matches. Heading out and up towards Sosnovka. No beans. Damn. Here i take a risk and dodge a bunch of zeds, checking every open hut or house. Nada. Next stop Pustoshka. Man i am starving again. I gotta get moving, i have still been moving to slow so start to speed up, right into the path of a hopper. I decide to try out the scoped rifle. Headshot, dead. While i am searching him another one runs at me, c'mon! By the time i get my Mak up he is on me and i panic shoot him five times. Bleeding, bandage..i fumble around with my gear like an idiot and by the time i am bandaged i am at 6000 blood. I have to take a painkiller here too as i started shaking. I follow the treeline all the way to Pustoshka.
In a barn i find two tins of sardines , yes! In a barn on the other side i find a further two tins of beans, sweet. I head out of Pusto and stopping for a minute under some trees in a field i eat a tin of sardines and have a drink. Not far from the airfield now, one more stop on the way at Vybor and then i plan to lay up in the hills and check the field out for activity. Just South of Vybor i fill up my bottles at a pond. Deciding against going into Vybor i bypass it heading North and climb a small hill that is to the Southwest of the airfield. So much open ground for the last 5 or so kilometres that i have been very paranoid, constantly looking around and diving behind trees whenever i thought i saw movement in the distance.
Perched on my small tree ridden hill i decide i will camp out here for the remainder of the day and night, i have two heatpacks, 3 tins of food and plenty of water. Time to relax and hit the airfield in the morning.
Day 3
Dawn...
The sky has lightened enough to start the last leg of my trek. I head Northeast through some forest on a bit of a rise hoping to scope the field , its too dark when i come to an opening to see anything though. I am in two minds now, i stop and have a drink and decide i will go in through the Southern end of the airfield. The Northern end to me seems the perfect spot for snipers to sit and i dont want to bump into any while i am crashing through the scrub in the dark.
Looking at my map i see a pond marked near Vybor so i head down there to fill my empty bottle, i want all three full in case i end up staying at the field for longer than i hope to. Still fairly dark and i stop every 30 seconds and scan the land in front of me for zeds and survivors, the noise i make while i am walking is freaking me out as i just have a feeling that there will be a bunch of survivors at the field with maybe some lookouts.
Reach the pond.Refill. Scope. I head East across a road, into bare farm land, in front thrugh the greying dawn i see a barn and some small sheds. Last stop before the field, possibly matches. Crouching and scoping out the small farm buildings i see four or five zeds silhouetted against the lightening sky, i pick a gap and crawl in between the middle of two walking away from each other. One is making incoherent noises , his head lolling on his shoulders like a deflated balloon. This makes me grin and i nearly bust into laughter. Damn, i'm starting to go loopy out here by myself!
In the barn i raise to a crouch and climb the ladder to the left loft..a few pieces of wood and some shottie ammo. Look behind some hay in the hopes a pyro left his matches there. Zip. Down the ladder and over the other side and look behind the hay , more wood. Last chance , up the right loft ladder , look behind the hay..MATCHES! sweet mother of God! I can make fire! I am on par with my cavemen ancestors at last ! I put the matches carefully in my backpack and head out, crouching slowly. Zeds are off in the distance but i stay crouched and start heading Northeast towards the field , i pop up and start running , stupid move. A zed runs at me , i stop and crouch to see him better above the grass, bam!bam!bam! he drops, i hear another off to my left, turn..a hopper, coming at me sideways grunting. Blam! blam!blam!blam! I empty my clip and reload, i don't care about headshots, just taking 'em down. The gun has echoed across the field and my paranoia is in overdrive, i should have just tried to outrun them a bit..thing is ..they never stop, they are like terminators.
Just two, i wait another 5 seconds then scramble North towards the field. I come across a tower, looks like a guard tower,set near a high long concrete wall ..this has to be it. I can see the tower is empty . I follow the wall for a few metres and come across a breach, slowly i slip in and head to my left, darting from ttee to tree. I stop in a bush and pull up my binocs, the field appears before me, the beacons that mark the end of the strip are still lit.Weird. This is the first time i have seen any power since the zeds appeared. I stay in my bush for 2 minutes and check out the row of massive hangars in the distance, still fairly dark but i cannot see any movement. I get up and do a mad rush for about 30 seconds towards the hangars.Stop.Scope.No movement. Heart is beating like a drum.
Ok , i am going in. I will start at what i call hangar 1 and work my way up. Depending on what i find determines how long i am here for, if i can get some night vison goggles i am gone, i wouldn't mind a compass but i have been doing ok without it so it is not a primary concern. I have everything i need to kill, gut and cook animals now so my food problems are solved. Nvg's would be a good score.
I am about 80 metres from the hangar. Scoping still shows no movement. Up and running across the asphalt of the runway ..70 metres..50..40..to my right i see a hopper, too far away to see or hear me..20..10..i'm inside the doors! Breathing heavily , i back up into the hangar, heart pumping after my full out sprint. Total blackness in the hangar. I go in about a quarter of the way and turn around so i can see anything or anyone that goes past the hangar doors. Its too dark in here to see jack, i can't pop a flare or a chem light. Looks like i have to play the waiting game with the sun.
Crack! Crack! a high powered gun goes off nearby, outside and too my right. BAM!BAM!BAM! A semi auto of some sort , m16? I dont know but it sounds serious and loud ! Running feet on concrete..lots..i am glued to my spot, crouched , gun sighted on the entrance. Sweating bullets. One guy bolts past the door left to right, another behind him, shots are still ringing out, single and automatic fire, two more run past..and still another. I have not moved at all yet. zeds start running past the door and it sounds like all of the guys that just ran past are opening up. I watch the zeds fall in front of the hangar entrance, another guy runs past the door..more shots. Damn. I want to head to a corner but i dont want to move and make any noise.Gahhhhhh! Dont panic, just wait.
A few more Zeds run past, more shots then silence. Still waiting. I have not moved. I hear footsteps running to my right and getting quiter.. they must all be heading away. I dont know if they were bandits or survivors,Must have been at least 5 or 6 guys, the ones i saw anyway. Then all of a sudden a guy pops into view on the right side of the hangar entrance, he is crouched , an automatic weapon drawn, looks like he is in camo's of some sort, has a cap and shades or something on..bandit ? He scopes the hangar and settles on me..BLAM!BLAM!BLAM! Crap! I am down..noooo!
I am dead.
From seeing him to him shooting me was about two seconds. He must have had NVG's , there is no other way he could have seen me, sitting still in the complete dark. My last thought is that i should have opened fire immediately, taken my chances with all of his mates. But i am not built like that, i like to think other survivors would give me a chance before blasting me or at least skirt me and leave me be.
Thus ends my journey.In a darkened hangar on a derelict field, in a country where i do not know my surroundings... and can not trust anyone.
Dawn...
The sky has lightened enough to start the last leg of my trek. I head Northeast through some forest on a bit of a rise hoping to scope the field , its too dark when i come to an opening to see anything though. I am in two minds now, i stop and have a drink and decide i will go in through the Southern end of the airfield. The Northern end to me seems the perfect spot for snipers to sit and i dont want to bump into any while i am crashing through the scrub in the dark.
Looking at my map i see a pond marked near Vybor so i head down there to fill my empty bottle, i want all three full in case i end up staying at the field for longer than i hope to. Still fairly dark and i stop every 30 seconds and scan the land in front of me for zeds and survivors, the noise i make while i am walking is freaking me out as i just have a feeling that there will be a bunch of survivors at the field with maybe some lookouts.
Reach the pond.Refill. Scope. I head East across a road, into bare farm land, in front thrugh the greying dawn i see a barn and some small sheds. Last stop before the field, possibly matches. Crouching and scoping out the small farm buildings i see four or five zeds silhouetted against the lightening sky, i pick a gap and crawl in between the middle of two walking away from each other. One is making incoherent noises , his head lolling on his shoulders like a deflated balloon. This makes me grin and i nearly bust into laughter. Damn, i'm starting to go loopy out here by myself!
In the barn i raise to a crouch and climb the ladder to the left loft..a few pieces of wood and some shottie ammo. Look behind some hay in the hopes a pyro left his matches there. Zip. Down the ladder and over the other side and look behind the hay , more wood. Last chance , up the right loft ladder , look behind the hay..MATCHES! sweet mother of God! I can make fire! I am on par with my cavemen ancestors at last ! I put the matches carefully in my backpack and head out, crouching slowly. Zeds are off in the distance but i stay crouched and start heading Northeast towards the field , i pop up and start running , stupid move. A zed runs at me , i stop and crouch to see him better above the grass, bam!bam!bam! he drops, i hear another off to my left, turn..a hopper, coming at me sideways grunting. Blam! blam!blam!blam! I empty my clip and reload, i don't care about headshots, just taking 'em down. The gun has echoed across the field and my paranoia is in overdrive, i should have just tried to outrun them a bit..thing is ..they never stop, they are like terminators.
Just two, i wait another 5 seconds then scramble North towards the field. I come across a tower, looks like a guard tower,set near a high long concrete wall ..this has to be it. I can see the tower is empty . I follow the wall for a few metres and come across a breach, slowly i slip in and head to my left, darting from ttee to tree. I stop in a bush and pull up my binocs, the field appears before me, the beacons that mark the end of the strip are still lit.Weird. This is the first time i have seen any power since the zeds appeared. I stay in my bush for 2 minutes and check out the row of massive hangars in the distance, still fairly dark but i cannot see any movement. I get up and do a mad rush for about 30 seconds towards the hangars.Stop.Scope.No movement. Heart is beating like a drum.
Ok , i am going in. I will start at what i call hangar 1 and work my way up. Depending on what i find determines how long i am here for, if i can get some night vison goggles i am gone, i wouldn't mind a compass but i have been doing ok without it so it is not a primary concern. I have everything i need to kill, gut and cook animals now so my food problems are solved. Nvg's would be a good score.
I am about 80 metres from the hangar. Scoping still shows no movement. Up and running across the asphalt of the runway ..70 metres..50..40..to my right i see a hopper, too far away to see or hear me..20..10..i'm inside the doors! Breathing heavily , i back up into the hangar, heart pumping after my full out sprint. Total blackness in the hangar. I go in about a quarter of the way and turn around so i can see anything or anyone that goes past the hangar doors. Its too dark in here to see jack, i can't pop a flare or a chem light. Looks like i have to play the waiting game with the sun.
Crack! Crack! a high powered gun goes off nearby, outside and too my right. BAM!BAM!BAM! A semi auto of some sort , m16? I dont know but it sounds serious and loud ! Running feet on concrete..lots..i am glued to my spot, crouched , gun sighted on the entrance. Sweating bullets. One guy bolts past the door left to right, another behind him, shots are still ringing out, single and automatic fire, two more run past..and still another. I have not moved at all yet. zeds start running past the door and it sounds like all of the guys that just ran past are opening up. I watch the zeds fall in front of the hangar entrance, another guy runs past the door..more shots. Damn. I want to head to a corner but i dont want to move and make any noise.Gahhhhhh! Dont panic, just wait.
A few more Zeds run past, more shots then silence. Still waiting. I have not moved. I hear footsteps running to my right and getting quiter.. they must all be heading away. I dont know if they were bandits or survivors,Must have been at least 5 or 6 guys, the ones i saw anyway. Then all of a sudden a guy pops into view on the right side of the hangar entrance, he is crouched , an automatic weapon drawn, looks like he is in camo's of some sort, has a cap and shades or something on..bandit ? He scopes the hangar and settles on me..BLAM!BLAM!BLAM! Crap! I am down..noooo!
I am dead.
From seeing him to him shooting me was about two seconds. He must have had NVG's , there is no other way he could have seen me, sitting still in the complete dark. My last thought is that i should have opened fire immediately, taken my chances with all of his mates. But i am not built like that, i like to think other survivors would give me a chance before blasting me or at least skirt me and leave me be.
Thus ends my journey.In a darkened hangar on a derelict field, in a country where i do not know my surroundings... and can not trust anyone.
Survivor 1 - Rest in pieces - 2012-2012- he was a good man.
( survivor pic by KaMeLRo of the DayZ forums )
( survivor pic by KaMeLRo of the DayZ forums )
Despite the lack of many engagements with survivors and only a tiny tally of zeds i count this as my preeminent DayZ adventure. I had so many moments where my heart was going full biscuit, gaming moments i have only had before in combat flight sims - when flying along in a clear sky alone, looking around at the vast open sky with a smattering of clouds, the earth far below, just taking in the scenery when suddenly your cockpit erupts with cannon and machine gun shell and an enemy plane roars overhead streaking upwards - total jump out of the seat moments. Realising you have been someone else target , being stalked and never seeing the stalker.
DayZ provides an atmosphere, you can be blissfully strolling through a forest and taking in the endless rolling hills, leaves and butterflies swirling around, birds chirping and then someone opens up with a semi auto shattering the peace and making you clench your butt, heartbeat immediately racing, trying to stay out of panic mode. Being chased in the darkness and not really sure where your adversary is , freaking out because you have no food or something as simple as knowing you only have one bandage left , low on ammo and miles from anywhere.
The risk of hanging around a large town for too long or any area of importance like industrial areas and airfields, if you are in full survival mode then it all becomes about the risk of do i or don't i, simple things become major like just going in to check out that barn for beans or ammo. Encountering someone and trying to uphold a no kill policy is also a lot harder than simply blasting away at every moving thing you see.
When my guy died i just sort of sat back in my chair and went..fuck..well there you go. There was no save or continue, just dead. At that time i was a bit spun out by his actions, no talk just bullets. I was a loner and he was in a group so really all he was doing was making sure their five did not have some guy trailing behind. He saw me armed in the hangar and facing him , made an instant decision and took me out of the equation.
Because of all of the buildup on my journey to the field finally getting shot was one of the worst and best moments i have had in gaming and nothing else - besides a couple of times when i have dragged a shot up world war two bird home over miles of empty ocean and successfully found and put her down on a aircraft carrier - comes close.
Cheers to Dean Hall aka Rocket for getting his concept out there for us to enjoy.
DayZ provides an atmosphere, you can be blissfully strolling through a forest and taking in the endless rolling hills, leaves and butterflies swirling around, birds chirping and then someone opens up with a semi auto shattering the peace and making you clench your butt, heartbeat immediately racing, trying to stay out of panic mode. Being chased in the darkness and not really sure where your adversary is , freaking out because you have no food or something as simple as knowing you only have one bandage left , low on ammo and miles from anywhere.
The risk of hanging around a large town for too long or any area of importance like industrial areas and airfields, if you are in full survival mode then it all becomes about the risk of do i or don't i, simple things become major like just going in to check out that barn for beans or ammo. Encountering someone and trying to uphold a no kill policy is also a lot harder than simply blasting away at every moving thing you see.
When my guy died i just sort of sat back in my chair and went..fuck..well there you go. There was no save or continue, just dead. At that time i was a bit spun out by his actions, no talk just bullets. I was a loner and he was in a group so really all he was doing was making sure their five did not have some guy trailing behind. He saw me armed in the hangar and facing him , made an instant decision and took me out of the equation.
Because of all of the buildup on my journey to the field finally getting shot was one of the worst and best moments i have had in gaming and nothing else - besides a couple of times when i have dragged a shot up world war two bird home over miles of empty ocean and successfully found and put her down on a aircraft carrier - comes close.
Cheers to Dean Hall aka Rocket for getting his concept out there for us to enjoy.
Postscript.. many many months after this original journey i set a new character a mission, retrace the original route and make it to the hangar alive. Having a lot more experience it was a relatively easy task given that i knew the high pvp areas and the well travelled routes, also the zeds had been somewhat nerfed as they are currently very easy to get rid of once they lose their sight on you behind buildings or trees. My guy made it up just in time to watch a sunset from the hangar of death, once again he was shot at whilst at the airfield being hit once and had to bandage in the hangar hiding away tucked in tight near the main doors. I popped two smoke grenades then waited about 15 seconds, ran out through the smoke and zig zagged down the side and into the forest to the north, found a suitable small clearing about two kilomtres from the field and set up a small camp he will call his home for the moment.