Solo-Survival and Kit management

[The Bunny In the Bush]

As you all know its really pretty easy to survive unless you taking risks for fun (trying to provide bloodpacks and such), what i want to know is how do you manage your inventory, what do you carry, how you deal with groups, prefered weapons and avalablity of them?

I personally am kind of a sucker, i carry generally two medical kits, filled, far too much for one guy "Just incase" i have the option of helping someone, generally a few pairs of cuffs, Some canned drinks due to the energy and hydration they supply (canned drinkings being the best way to get blood back solo) and both a revolver and a pistol, switching between the two means i don't have to stop and reload in the middle of a fight up against a group. aswell as whichever rifle i get my hands on with ammo. i also prefer to not take a bag unless i come across a hunters. the lack of green on other bags makes it hard to blend, where as a full solid olive kit works better then camo, so the hunters pack fits in.

So my brothers and sisters, do sit around the campfire and explain how you manage your inventory and solo-survival.

Edit: People seem to think im asking how to survive or for tips, what i was hoping for was discussion of your personal styles, i already have my own.

[Diogenes]

Avoid player interaction if you want to survive. Avoid anywhere Obvious. Travel light and hug the tree lines.

If I am travelling light, all I take is a TTsKO shirt and trousers, a Tacticle Vest, Combat Boots, Gas Mask and Gloves. I will also take 2 bags of Rice, 1 Canteen, A 300 Round Ammo Box, A fully stocked 1st aid kit, A Mosin and Long Range Scope, 2 FNX .45 Clips, a Fully Upgraded FNX .45 and a Muchette.

[Solgath]

if you want a good guide on survival check out the one by STALKER Dust on the DayZ forums.

solo survival that is.

[The Bunny In the Bush]

Diffrent strokes for diffrent folks, I love player interaction. hidings all well and good, but safety is hard fun in my opinion. on the subject of TTsKO, like i said before, in comparison, full olive will give you much better cover in most enviroments based on how light works in game, i took pictures comparing fullsuits of diffrent colours and olive was outright the hardest to spot in tall grass or the dark of woods.

Edit: People seem to think im asking how to survive or for tips, what i was hoping for was discussion of your personal styles, i already have my own.

[Existential Dread]

This is a good, complex question seeing how players have different play styles. However, this should be a good "Baseline" for any player to adopt and adapt to their own system of doing things. - Now, I personally have a tendancy to "Over-Prepare" seeing how majority of the time, you RARLY live long enough to actually go through all your gear. But here we go:

- Weapon of your choice W/ attachments if possible

- Fireman's Axe until another melee weapon of equal value comes out

- OPTIONAL: Sidearm W/ Attachments if possible

- Atleast 2 of Epi/Morph. injector pens EACH

- 1-2 Saline IV bags

- Can Opener

- Canned Foods/Rice/Cereals

- Atleast 2 Canteens

- One medkit mainly stocked with bandages

- Ammo box W/ appropriate ammo

- Compass (REALLY IMPORTANT - Especially if you use online maps)

Mind you, there are MANY factors involved when picking out gear. When it comes to clothes, you gotta make the choices, Space to Camo ratio. --- As for main weapons? I have always preferred the Mosin, however, the M4 typically reigns surpreme until more weapons are added. Simply due to the fact that, if you're engaged at long-distances, you're almost never gonna see them in time to shoot back, so it's always best to run and re-think your tactics. Plus the M4 has faster rate of fire, and versatile to close/long range if you're a decent shot. Lastly, with an M4, the need for a sidearm isn't really there. However, a sidearm would work best for weapons like: Shotguns, SKS, Mosin users. Your handgun mainly being an "Indoor" weapon.

[The Bunny In the Bush]

See now this is what i wanted, healthy discussion, i have to admit there is SOME form of baseline but the real question i should have asked alongside the kit question is chosen enviroments, as some people prefer to stay urban and blend in with the greys and blacks.

I prefer the fields and forests myself, and when it comes to melee i avoid two-handers the bright colours attach too much attention.

[Harold]

You can stick your firefighters axe in your hunters backpack. Besides a rifle of your choice, a little ammo, sticks/morphine, 4 rags/1 bandage and some food you dont need anything. Water sources for now are so plentifull, you just drink untill stuffed everytime you get to one, and eat to keep bright energized.
Personally, i carry 2 rifles, a sawed off shotgun, a pistol, and more or less anything usefull i can get my hands on. Realisticly you dont need most of it. A compass maybe nice, but knowing your way around the map comes soon enough if you play any amount of time. One medkit full of bandages might look good, but if your on your own, this means to actually need that you are constantly letting yourself get hit by zombies or something? If you get into fights with other players you definitely wont need so many bandages.

[Toastie Buns]

I'm currently decked out in a trendy checked shirt, with sunglasses, hunters pants, a cowboy hat and a bright red childs briefcase. I don't care how obvious I look, because STYLE.
Rocking an SKS with absolutely nothing else, checked shirt packed full of SKS ammo.
I'm hoping for a med kit, canteens and food. Everything else will just be nice to have.

[The Bunny In the Bush]

Go god no, i don't carry more then one bandage at a time, that seems excessive, the medical kits contain a pristine defib, two morphine, two epi-pens, and a couple bloodpacks of O+ blood with IV's. Like i said i like to help out where i can, also i operated under the assumption that items carried in hand do not save upon log out, atleast they never have for me, so two rifles seems near impossible for long periods of play.

One thing you said interests me however, Do saw-off's fit in bags?

[I.B.N.K.]

Weapons carried in your hand(if you have to rifles) actually do save when you log out. Just bind the weapon to a hotkey and press it when you log back in. Have been carrying a Mosin and a M4 for quite some time now.
Yes, sawed off shotguns fit into yout bag.

[Harold]

Sawed off will fit in your bag, only takes 4 slots, so could even go into vest. If you log out with a rifle in hand currently, it will drop that rifle on the ground where you logged out, but you also keep the 2nd rifle yourself. Most common would be mosin and m4, but either with an SKS isnt bad either. It does create it's own set of challenges tho, when you login, you will have 1 gun on your back and 1 just excists in your inventory, but is not in your hands. This means you can still run, but when you take out your gun, you always need to have 1 in your hands which means no more running. If you need to eat or melee a zombie, you drop your rifle from your hands on the floor, switching between the 2 can also be a hassle on full/laggy servers because it can take ages for things to show after dropping.

[Rickenbacker]

Originally posted by The Shaky Surgeon:

This is a good, complex question seeing how players have different play styles. However, this should be a good "Baseline" for any player to adopt and adapt to their own system of doing things. - Now, I personally have a tendancy to "Over-Prepare" seeing how majority of the time, you RARLY live long enough to actually go through all your gear. But here we go:

- Weapon of your choice W/ attachments if possible

- Fireman's Axe until another melee weapon of equal value comes out

- OPTIONAL: Sidearm W/ Attachments if possible

- Atleast 2 of Epi/Morph. injector pens EACH

- 1-2 Saline IV bags

- Can Opener

- Canned Foods/Rice/Cereals

- Atleast 2 Canteens

- One medkit mainly stocked with bandages

- Ammo box W/ appropriate ammo

- Compass (REALLY IMPORTANT - Especially if you use online maps)

I'd say you're overstocked! What you really NEED is a fireaxe, a gun (if you can find one) with 2-3 reloads, a few bandages and a morphine injector (OR a splint, but that takes up more room). Plus of course a can opener and a canteen for emergencies. But there's really no point in carrying food and water, or very much ammo. If you need to reload more than twice, you're either dead or have won the fight already.

Also, the best way to regain blood/health isn't drinking sodas, it's getting your status up to "healthy" BEFORE you get hurt. After that it's pretty easy to keep it there by just eating any food you find straight away.

[Rickenbacker]

Originally posted by Harold:

You can stick your firefighters axe in your hunters backpack.

Yes, but why would you? If you leave it on your back, it doesn't take up any inventory slots.

[StrawHatMonk]

personally i've noticed most people tend to horde more than guns and ammo than whats needed myself included but my dream set up is easy but it takes a while to find the exact equivlent of items. as for the rifle it depends on the first good scope acog = m4 long range scope = mosin though i lean more towards mosin. I would rather only carry the .45 as it reloads much easier with clips for ammo usage one ammo box with the right ammo med kit with bandages morph and epi's two canteens and 3 or 4 bags of rice a few powdered milk and beans and a compass i know the map pretty well but running across long stretches of fields and forests you can get disoriented sometimes. Though playing in a group is generally more fun its hard to just form one in game but the rest of the space in my inv is generally water bottles and canned tuna for any new spawns i run across to give them a helping hand. also perfer the splitting axe to fire axe a tad weaker with weird swings but alot harder to spot sawed off is alot of fun as well just for the shock and awe affect in a fight. Though if i am a new spawn or game swipes my stuff no matter how much i go "no swiper no" lol i will run around with a sawed off and cowboy hat and check shirt and cargo pants just to have the baddssery look that the old constant camo crap can't match

[SPYcorp]

Originally posted by Rickenbacker:

I'd say you're overstocked! What you really NEED
...

Well...your minimal gear is "must have". But i also carry to much "just in case" stuff plus keeping stuff not working yet but will be added soon.

[Harold]

Originally posted by Rickenbacker:

Originally posted by Harold:

You can stick your firefighters axe in your hunters backpack.

Yes, but why would you? If you leave it on your back, it doesn't take up any inventory slots.

I dont do this, but somebody before me said he avoided 2 handed melee weapons because they make it easier to be spotted. Also, generally you dont really need the extra inventory space, if youve got all the clothes and vest's.

Originally posted by The Bunny:

... when it comes to melee i avoid two-handers the bright colours attach too much attention.