Adventures in Chernarus

Here’s an overall recap of our adventures in Chernarus on Sunday. Obviously this is just from my POV and what I heard on comms. No doubt the various spawnies could fill out their various parts in thisthrilling tale!

VW had spotted a guy with an ATV and waited for an opportune moment to steal it, which he did successfully. I was on a fresh spawn near Electro, so nipped in to get some basics and then headed NE and rendezvoused VW (1). The ATV had some gear in it, nothing special and was in good working order except for the engine, so we checked a few industrial units on our way to Polana (2), where I went to the supermarket and a few other buildings to gather supplies whilst VW watched over the ATV. I found a tent so we decided to try and find a good spot to make a base, as we both had to log soon.

I figured that the forest at Blunt Rocks with Willow and Black lakes may make a good base, with no buildings around for quite a distance but within reach of Berezino and the NE airfield at Krasnotav. So we headed up there, taking the wrong road out of Polana, which confused us for a while before getting back on course.

We reached the east coast and were heading N, and I went afk to get ready as I had to log. I came back 5 mins later to find my screen greyed out and was bleeding. VW informed me he’d driven passed a player camp with a truck and someone had opened fire (3). VW sped on and I took a bullet in the back. Bandages and blood was administered then I had to log out. We’d put the tent in the ATV so I reminded VW to get it out in case it didn’t save.

VW logged back in and came under fire, taking damage. The player from the camp had obviously tracked us north. The guy run to flank round him but VW opened up with his AK and took the guy out before losing consciousness, then ALT-F4’d. He gave me a call and let me know what happened.

I came back an hour or so later and VW was still offline, I waited another hour or so before impatience got the better of me and I logged in. I was cautiously moving around with my Lee Enfield, couldn’t see anyone and I couldn’t find the ATV but I did find a tent with a bike about 100m from where we’d logged. There was just a GPS in the tent which I took. I then took a wide circle inland, round the lakes and rocks into the area where I figured we’d driven to.
That’s when I found the truck. It was absolutely rammed with gear, 5 DMRs, L852 AWS, assault rifles, machine guns, alice packs, night vision goggles, range finders, tons of stuff. This was quite some find and my adrenaline seemed to start pumping – I was expecting to get ganked any second! I jumped in the truck and started driving through the forest heading N. Found what I thought would be a good place to hideout at around (4).

I updated VW with the good news. Of course, he was in a bad place, on about 3k blood and unconscious. I’d marked the point where I’d logged out with my waypoint, and was now about 1.5km away. We had a chat about what we should do next. So should I run back to try and save him? Drive down with the truck? Figure that it was unlikely I’d find him and best just let him die and respawn?

Taking on the ‘Leave no one behind’ mantra, I headed back down with the truck. VW logged in briefly, and was under the ATV - the player from the camp had thrown a grenade and the ATV had been caught in the blast. I searched the area and managed to find the ATV (5), it was a wreck and very difficult to spot as with no wheels it was much lower to the ground and being burnt out, the colours also blended in with the surroundings even better than it does with its normal camo.

Then we got dc’d – it was a server restart. I logged back in first and the ATV had miraculously been repaired! I shifted it forward a little then went back to the spot to await VW spawning back in his life threatening condition. He appeared with the hourglass of unconsciousness running, bleeding out and I was unable to select him to apply bandages for what seemed ages, but then I was able to and stopped the bleeding with him on a few hundred blood. A transfusion followed, I jumped in the truck and he followed me N with the ATV. We took a breather back at around (4) and VW equipped from the truck.
By this point MM and Flight had logged in. MM who logged out after a NW airfield mission had been teleported to Kamenka and Flight was up near Devil’s Castle. So we arranged to pick Flight up (6) as we drove along the top of the map heading W. MM was going to start heading N, but there was the hope Appy would log in, as he too had been teleported to Kamenka the night before, and had broken legs, had no meds, so needed help. Luckily he logged in within a few mins – must have been some spawny ESP thing… MM was able to get him back on his feet and they set off N together.

The overall plan was to take the truck all the way W, then head S and find a good spot for a base west of Zelenogorsk.

We’d used quite a bit of fuel, so were going to need to fill the jerry cans up. Adam logged in and was up in the vicinity, so started making his way N. Flight was charged with the mission of taking the ATV to pick Adam up, then to swing by a fuelling station (7) NW of Grishino, fill the jerry cans up and get back to us safely. After various encounters with zombies, both Adam and full jerry cans were loaded onto the ATV. Not long later, they met back up with VW and I, the truck was refuelled and we set off west again. It was now getting dark, so night vision goggles were being used to drive through the woods safely.

Along our route, we picked up Koyote and not long after, he spotted some tents in the woods to the south. We stopped to investigate and they were well loaded with top end gear. Koy got a ghillie suit and the Coyote backpack (biggest in the game). We then set off again.

Meanwhile, MM and Appy were making good progress heading N. They lucked out and found a player camp with a few tents, full of gear (9). They tooled up with a few pieces and set off again. About 5 minutes of travelling N, suddenly without warning Appy heard a few silenced (or distant) shots and was killed. Seconds later MM was also taken out.

Such is Day Z that you don’t know where the shots came from or who fired them. They were both somewhat narked, and logged off.

We decided to stick with the plan and continued west until we hit the road just west of Skalka (8). I drove onto the road and after about 100m suddenly saw muzzle flash from a single gun in some trees to the road, I swerved to the right but was killed along with Flight. VW following on the ATV, took evasive manoeuvres but was also killed. Koy and Adam managed to get out of the vehicles in one piece and Koy took out our assailant. In the panic, Adam incorrectly identified Koy as an enemy and shot him in the back. Another Blue on Blue victim!

So from the highs of our discoveries of incredible gear and vehicles, we were now down to one man, with everyone else on fresh spawns on the south coast, miles away… Adam secured the truck and took position to guard it. The rest of us started the long trek back to try and recover our gear.

Adam must have been feeling himself in a pretty strange place. He’d just taken out a buddy and was on his own in the dark, not knowing whether our attacker had squad mates in the area or on there way… Sure enough, it wasn’t long before he spotted people, and was then under fire. Outnumbered and outgunned, unfortunately he couldn’t protect the truck and was unable to make it out in one piece.

So all of us had wound up dead.

Bunnies and Bandits

So after the drama of Sunday’s ambush on our truck, I’d respawned and made my way back up N. I only picked up some basic gear, sustenance and plodded through the darkness using the clouds to gauge direction (clouds always move from W to E). Needless to say I got horribly lost, overshot my destination heading too far N, then consequently went too far E! Blundering my way back westwards, trying to find the camp we’d found on Sunday, I was getting tired and a little desperate… so I equipped my trusty torch and began searching.
Some minutes later VW said he could see some loon running around with a torch in the middle of a field. ‘Er, that could be me!’ Sure enough it was and he was able to take me to a camp where I got a map and could waypoint the other camp with the goodies. I got myself to within a couple of hundred metres and then logged for the night.

Monday evening I equipped at the three tent camp we’d found on Sunday (1). This has everything you could want, so I set off with the biggest backpack in the game (Coyote Patrol Pack), Night Vision Goggles, Rangefinder, GPS, food, meds etc and opted for the L85A2 AWS assault rifle (scope with Night Vision AND Thermal, see pic), the DMR sniper rifle (works with NV Goggles) and a pistol.

Night was falling, so NVGs were in action, and I was sweeping the area using the thermal as well, then moving to another spot not too far off, sweeping again etc. As per the pic, people show up as bright white making it fairly easy to see them against the contrast of the orange, even at range. However, zombies, animals and vehicles also show up like this. So I’d often spot some white poking out round the side of a bush or tree or perhaps over a ridge or gully. This induces mixed feelings of fear, worry, excitement… then a rabbit hops out… FFS!

MM logged in so we met up and decided to head S (2). It wasn’t long before MM realised he hadn’t packed any water bottle or drinks, but he did have about eight morphine auto-injectors… Despite shooting-up a few of these, he was still getting thirsty; clearly not enough H20 in them. So after checking the map we decided that we should head to Lopatino (3) which was 1km to our E, rather than the 2km plus to the lake SW of Vybor. I needed to log for a couple of mins, so gave MM a water bottle as he didn’t want to wait and was going to press on solo.

Now I should let you know that I’ve previously said that I was struggling with DayZ in that my playstyle in a FPS in the past has always been a pretty gung-ho approach. You can’t really do that in DayZ without dying a whole lot, and dying is a royal pita, so I’ve been trying to adapt to be more cautious and considered in my play. MM however is a very impatient chap, and was getting disgruntled having to wait for me repeatedly as I lagged behind anything from 200 to 400m. Needless to say my move a bit, stop in cover, thermal sweep, move a bit, stop, thermal sweep routine was way slower than MM’s charging through the undergrowth like Usain Bolt!

At one point I spotted someone running ahead of MM, and let him know. He expressed doubt in my ability to properly distinguish between a person and an animal. “I can tell the difference you know! It was definitely a person, rabbits have much bigger ears!” Anyway they’d disappeared into the night and despite continuing with my thermal sweeps, didn’t show up again. 

After my five minute short break, I logged back in. MM was in Lopatino by this time, busy trying to lose some zombie friends he’d acquired. I started making my way down the hill towards the town and advised him the water pump should be on the N side of the church.

I came into town and crawled passed some zombies who were too close for comfort. MM: “What are you doing, crawling all the way?” So I proceeded to get off the ground and crouch-run to get to him a bit more quickly. This however attracted the attention of some zombies who started heading my way in the hope of fresh meat. Fuck it! I dropped them with my L85 as I was loaded with SD rounds which although make a lot of noise, are actually in-audible to Zombies so you don’t wind up with any more making a beeline to you.

One zombie had a pepsi, so I downed that then went round to the church. “Where are you then MM?” 

MM: “Just over here, can’t you see me?” Suddenly my whole screen went bright white. “WTF! I can’t see shit!”

ME: “What da fuk is going on, what did you do?”

MM: “I think I dropped a flare…”

ME: “FUCK! Let’s get the fuck out of here!” Flares totally screw up night vision goggles, blinding you temporarily and at night can be seen from a long way off.

ME: “Head south. There’s a big barn over there, meet in there!” We both stumbled our way out of the town and pegged it across a field with some zombies in tow and into the barn. I said we need to get out of the area fast, so should continue to head south into a nearby wood. MM agreed. Then my screen was plunged into whiteness again as he lit the entire barn up with another flare.

ME: “Seriously dude, wtf!”

MM: “Oh, oops, I still had throw selected…”

ME: “Leg it!”

We made it out safely. I seriously think MM is just trolling me, despite his protestations of innocence. On a couple of occasions he’s let off a round from his silenced M4 near me, shitting me up.

*

With Flight now on the server, we set off to meet him at the lake SW of Vybor. MM was again way ahead of me, and as I approach the lake, he once again decided to shit me up by sqeezing off a round. “FOR SHITS SAKE!!”

We had a drink and topped up our canteens. Flight decided he wanted to test out his aim with his new sniper rifle on a few zombies lurking around in the town, so shattered the silence of the night with the crack of a few shots. A few disgruntled colleagues of his target started heading our way, so I helped take them down. MM was a tad perplexed about all the noise we were making.

After a moment’s discussion on what to do and where to go, we decided to head over to the North West Airfield. This being a military site, it houses various highly desirable resources and is therefore one of the most attractive destinations in Chernarus. MM and Flight were keen to try and take some people out.

Off we set, with me again taking my sweep and move tactics. I noticed how well Flight was hidden with his Ghillie suit, so I took an extra pause to put mine on. You have to drop your backpack, put the suit on the pick you backpack up again. So by the time I was moving again, they’d gotten perhaps around 200m ahead of me.

“CRACK, CRACK, crack… crack!” Shots rang out!

Flight: “I’m dead!”

MM: “I’m hit, I’m down!”

Flight: “I think it was two different shooters, maybe from the right.”

Me: “FUUUUUUUUUUCK!” I was shitting bricks, expecting to go down any moment, adrenaline was absolutely pumping and I was shaking… Being some way behind them and running to catch up, I didn’t know where my downed comrades were or where they’d been shot from. I tried to steady myself and leaned round the side of the bush frantically scanning with the thermal trying to locate our assailants and listening intently. MM started waffling and blubbering on that I needed to kill them! “No shit, STFU, I’m trying to listen out for them!”

I peered round the other side of the bush. Nothing. I held my position and continued to search, still fearing that any second I’d be looking at the ‘YOU ARE DEAD!’ screen. After a few seconds, I was daring to assume they hadn’t seen me at all. Perhaps a minute or so passed, then I spotted them. They’d made their way over to the bodies and the two of them were busy looting one of my buddies.

I took aim with L85 and let off a few rounds but missed. I was unsure of the range and the performance of the L85 from any distance. Luckily, they didn’t hear the shots as I must have been way beyond the audible range of the weapon. I switched out to my DMR and took aim again, going for the centre mass of the body figuring that despite also not knowing the range and zeroing of the DMR, I’d should still at least hit. And hit I did with two rounds and took the kill. The other scumbag dropped prone just as I plugged a round into him but then was out of view. I wasn’t sure if I’d killed him and in the excitement hadn’t checked the bottom left of my screen which displays death messages e.g.‘Joe Bloggs was killed’.

I scanned the area again and couldn’t see anyone else, so moved about 50m to another bush to try and get a better angle to see the second guy. MM was still alive, on good health and not bleeding, however he was unconscious and had a long hourglass time before he would regain consciousness. I opted to continue to scan for other threats and hoped he would come round soon.

No-one else was showing up on my thermal sweeps. I had moved round a little more and could see three bodies, two close together and a third some 50m to the right; I figured this was probably MM and the other two belonged to Flight and an assailant and they were possibly obscuring the second guy I’d hit.

MM: “Oh, should be coming round any second now… Yep I’m up”. I came back from scanning the horizon to where the bodies were. The one now crouching was between the two bodies and the one on the right… wtf!? MM went over to check the bodies on the left and identified them, one being Flight. I wasn’t thinking straight but let MM know about heat I was picking up to the right and guided him over to it.

UI text: “The Joker is dead.”

MM: “Teeehee! Got the bastard!”