How do I not panic/shake when I get in a gunfight?

[cheeseburger8 80]

This is my second post on the DayZ Forums,.

 

I notice whenever I get into a gunfight, I shake uncontrollably, and always end up getting killed. Every time there's a gunshot, my hand spazzes out at like, a million miles an hour, I can't help it! 

 

Yet, I see these dudes on YouTube who can take on a group of 4 fully decked-out players and not even flinch. But for me, when there's a gunfight, I ALWAYS get killed. I've never won a gunfight... what do I do?

 

Thanks in advance for all responses, :D

[Conrad_The_Comrade 577]

Like your actual hand in reality is shaking, or your in game character? If you mean your real one, just take deep breaths and remind yourself it's just a game :P If it's in game, no clue, I rarely get into firefights, I talk my way out of most of them.

[leviski 2152]

Sadly, unless you are a hardened combat veteran, there is no way around this.

 

After many hours in dayz this should go away.

 

I still get this when im doin stuff with a highly geared character.

[AgainstAllAutority 126]

well, to win firefights in dayz (standalone, mod, breaking point.. arma series) u need to improve 2 things:

 

1. playing skill (positioning is most part of it)

2. will

 

to make you playing skill better try to play simple arma3 death matches (wasteland, sandbox are good for it) - look how good players move there and when they engage and try to make same moves in dayz

 

the "will" aspect maybe a little more complicated and depends alot on your personality, however there's a good trick to fight fear - just think of death as a bonus lever :)

 

edit:

death is a part of game, like looting and running dozens of kilometers

these dudes on YouTube who can take on a group of 4 fully decked-out players and not even flinch

 

trust me, they have died hundreds of times :) there's nothing new for us

Edited October 12, 2014 by AgainstAllAutority

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

This is my second post on the DayZ Forums,.

 

I notice whenever I get into a gunfight, I shake uncontrollably, and always end up getting killed. Every time there's a gunshot, my hand spazzes out at like, a million miles an hour, I can't help it! 

 

Yet, I see these dudes on YouTube who can take on a group of 4 fully decked-out players and not even flinch. But for me, when there's a gunfight, I ALWAYS get killed. I've never won a gunfight... what do I do?

 

Thanks in advance for all responses, :D

 

Drink a pint.

 

Like your actual hand in reality is shaking, or your in game character? If you mean your real one, just take deep breaths and remind yourself it's just a game :P If it's in game, no clue, I rarely get into firefights, I talk my way out of most of them.

 

Verbal judo, nice work.

 

Sadly, unless you are a hardened combat veteran, there is no way around this.

 

After many hours in dayz this should go away.

 

I still get this when im doin stuff with a highly geared character.

 

Alot truth being said.

 

 

 

Me personally, scout, scout and more scout leaves alot of the suprises out when entering a populated area.

Edited October 12, 2014 by Steak and Potatoes

[leviski 2152]

 

 

Me personally, scout, scout and more scout leaves alot of the suprises out when entering a populated area.

How does one scout without Binoculars? (or a scope)

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

How does one scout without Binoculars? (or a scope)

 

First person, proper cover and patience.

[cheeseburger8 80]

Thanks all for the helpful responses, I'll just remind myself that even if I do die, I get to start over and have fun again.

 

Once again, thanks everyone for all the responses. :D

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

Thanks all for the helpful responses, I'll just remind myself that even if I do die, I get to start over and have fun again.

 

Once again, thanks everyone for all the responses. :D

 

Anything to support another ingestible username.

[DemonGroover 8836]

Get a gun with a high rate of fire aim in the general direction and shoot shoot shoot.

[nettles 396]

Usually when I get shot at there's this wide-eyed scuttling to cover phase.  Once I'm behind cover or concealment I'll go back over it in my head while scanning to see if I can remember where it came from and what kind of cover there is in that area.  At that point adrenaline is going crazy and I'm usually having problems pulling out my weapon, but I thank merciful fuck that I'm in cover already.  If I haven't spotted the shooter/s yet, I'll usually look for a way out and into the woods/thicker woods.

 

The main thing that'll help you with your nerves is to get shot at.  A lot.  Unfortunately practice is the only thing that'll help you stay cool.

As for winning a gunfight, Against said it once already, positioning is very important.  You don't need a full auto rifle or a scoped MLG-signed AS50 with a 40mm underbarrel grenade launcher to win most fights, just some patience, gumption, and a little know-how.

[Tegla (DayZ) 112]

Thats good, trust me. Hold on to that feeling, don't ever let killing another player become second nature.

 

I still remember my very first player kill. I shaked uncontrolably, and my heart was faster than a Pendulum track. It was a feeling that no other game has provided me

[k3malb3y 23]

Listen nyan cat (10 hours) as background music

[amiasfree 262]

For me, even two hundred hours in I haven't gotten over fire fight and first encounter jitters. Just have to do your best to control it, and keep yourself in an advantageous position, 'cause we need it.

[Judopunch 523]

This is my second post on the DayZ Forums,.

 

I notice whenever I get into a gunfight, I shake uncontrollably, and always end up getting killed. Every time there's a gunshot, my hand spazzes out at like, a million miles an hour, I can't help it! 

 

Yet, I see these dudes on YouTube who can take on a group of 4 fully decked-out players and not even flinch. But for me, when there's a gunfight, I ALWAYS get killed. I've never won a gunfight... what do I do?

 

Thanks in advance for all responses, :D

Go into your situations with a plan and understand your gear. Practice shooting tacticly at zombies when you have the chance. Remember your plan, practice it. 

 

The shaking isnt what is killing you, its the panic. I get MASSIVE addrenilin too. The difference is years of games and real life experience have trained me to act in various situations, I can thank paintball for some of it!

 

If you dont have experiance to draw on you have a couple choices.

 

You can use iintelligenceto learn. You can learn from arma 3, the combat is very similar it would help you get over the awkward mechanics of ranged combat in DayZ. You can watch streams or videos of people in combat situations. When you do either of these things think about what happened. Why did one person come out on top over another? Was it aim? Awareness? Setup? When you die, reflect on what happened and what choices you made that led to your death. Think about at least one alternative action you could have tryed.

 

You could also use in game practice. Fimilerize yourself with weapons, learn how they shoot and what effects accuracy. Have a plan for what to do if your in a building and you see/hear a hostile. Have a plan for what to do in a city outside when you see or hear a hostile. Have a plan for small towns and woods. Go over that plan a few times.

 

When you hear that gunshot make a choice. Ask 'was that shooting at me'? If yes, move! Move to cover as quickly as possible until you have more information. If the bullet hit right next to you the next one wont miss, moving is your only choice because of how you have to ready weapons. If the fire is not at you, or distant, do you investigate or run? If you choose either choose how you will use cover to move around and what your goal is.

 

Always know if you are willing to fight or if flight is your best option. However be warned, because of the godlike camera in third person, if you are playing that, flight becomes harder unless you have distance and cover.

[plexico 386]

I used to have the same problem, always ended up getting killed because I got incredibly scared and began to shake.. Take deep breaths, remind yourself it's just a game. The more playtime you have and fire fights you get into, the easier it will be to control this.

[consortiumczar 40]

It's simple. Seek out more PvP. You just aren't used to it yet. You need to desensitize yourself.

[Cptn_Miller 83]

This is my second post on the DayZ Forums,.

 

I notice whenever I get into a gunfight, I shake uncontrollably, and always end up getting killed. Every time there's a gunshot, my hand spazzes out at like, a million miles an hour, I can't help it! 

 

Yet, I see these dudes on YouTube who can take on a group of 4 fully decked-out players and not even flinch. But for me, when there's a gunfight, I ALWAYS get killed. I've never won a gunfight... what do I do?

 

Thanks in advance for all responses, :D

If your name and avatar are any indication i would guess its mainly due excessive amounts of cheeseburgers.... These are very bad for you, especially in cqc battles as they clog arteries and block the blood flow to your brain, which in turn slows down your reaction time, which then leads to paranoia and major anxiety attacks, which then leads to you assuming the fetal position in a corner of a room crying like a baby for your mom... and then you are dead...  I would prob switch to hamburgers instead, my guess its the cheese...

[CANUCKinNZ 108]

I find this is one of the few games that does this to me too. I think part of it is you can spend hours just exploring, gearing up and killing a zombie or 2. Then all of a sudden the whole game changes. You need to make split decisions like fight or flight, say hello, wave, (oh crap that's the middle finger button!) or figure out what you or they are going to do.

In most games when you see there is an enemy,  you kill him before he kills you. No need to think or evaluate. That's what makes this game so fun.

 

Edit: IOS 8 Keyboard sucks! 

Edited October 23, 2014 by CANUCKinNZ

[Abram_ 40]

I also got this a lot when i first started playing. Nowadays, my heart certainty pumps and the adrenaline gets flowing, but I'm getting used to it.

Dayz is the first game in a looong time to do this to me, and it's pretty awesome.

[pilgrim* 3513]

This is all good advice on this thread. My beans to everyone. You can tell each player here has learned "the hard way", they are all talking sense.

 

A big reason military people train and train and train again IRL is so that, when it comes to the real situation, even if their brain is completely frozen with adrenaline/panic/fear/excitement, they can still automatically do the things they are supposed to.

In the game - getting used to firefights and learning by your mistakes is the best way ..

 

Always remember too, that one of the most fun parts of the game is starting on a beach in your underwear and trying to find enough stuff the stay alive; You can do anything you think of because "what difference does it make?" - you've only been alive 5 mins - you learn from each new spawn life however short it is. Nothing to loose.

 

So remember that newspawn feeling when the next shooting starts - loosing the shootout just means you get a chance to run around in your underpants.. you can go straight for the nearest police station, see what is on the whole main street, talk to anyone, try to punch out someone who is kitted up.. whatever you feel.. it's much easier on your stress levels than thinking you have all your good stuff on your back and one wrong move looses everything.

 

Don't get attached to your gear, or maybe keep your gear to a minimum (throw away stuff, really!) .. and hey - with the new persistence, they tell me you can hide your backpack under a bush, go into town just with a shirt and your revolver or your SKS, and even if you loose ... your backpack will still be under the tree when you finally get back to it (though this may not be true, quite often? there are different opinions but it seems to be getting better? ). Just don't get attached to your gear, it's only stuff you need to survive, if you don't survive, you don't need it, and you get the chance to go look for new gear, meet new players, have fun.

 

Apart from that, the adrenaline is always there, you learn to control it better, and you learn better tactics to deal with different situations - For instance, as Steak says, scout ahead, think ahead, think round the next corner, and across the next open space, check every treeline, sit and watch for a while without showing yourself, and PLAN. Then if you get into an unexpected face-to-face, it's because you made a lazy decision, a greenhorn choice, or you didn't think it through.. in fact YOU put yourself in the wrong place and that's already YOUR OWN fault, from 5 or 15 minutes earlier, it's NOT the other guy's victory, he probably plans and thinks worse than you, but you ALREADY made the mistake before you met him.

 

OR (like many players) spend a couple of weeks heading straight for Berezino every spawn, and pick up an axe, a pitchfork a stun stick on the way, or even run in empty handed and see if you can find a fresh body on the street with a full assault rifle still warm.. (ya probably WILL) and you WILL get killed a lot, but ATM that's what Berezino is for, and you get used to it..It's the 'survive-2-hours-max' version of DayZ and can be big fun too.. completely crazy.. but fun.

(Myself, I stay away from there..)

 

There are many tactics and techniques and good tips, , as you see from this thread, but when you're GEARED into the 'serious' phase of survival, been alive a couple of days or a couple of weeks, then you WILL get ADRENALINE for sure, just for fear of loosing the GEAR.. .. the best bottom line is KEEP PLAYING.. don't let yourself get caught the same way twice. I lost all my gear - chosen carefully, worked out, exactly what I needed for long term survival and self defence, this Friday after 3 weeks of play, because of one really simple beginner's mistake.. Just ONE slight error and I knew it half a second after I moved.but that's a whole quarter-second too slow.. only ONE slip.. and then... one shot and bang/blackscreen. I just made a real noob move 100% ... hmmm... I KNEW never to do that, and now I REALLY know, I have the proof as well as the theory....at least I wont forget THAT soon.

 

How could I have done that?.. am I dumb? I know better. But WTF.. after looking at the black screen long enough (as long as you like, nothing changes) - then you get back to the beach, ya throw away your flashlight, check where the F you are, tear your shirt into rags, and go look for stuff before you freeze.. life is simple again, and fun.

 

That's the game... it was designed to give you adrenaline and STRESS.. seems to WORK, yes? In fact it sound's like you're enjoying it. The biggest rides at the fairground are always full, right ? This is it right here. This is not a game where you can predict what will happen in the next ten seconds.. you can do your BEST, but you can't ever know..and YES the Youtube guys are looking cool because they are on video and they know it, and they show you the 12 minutes of bits that make them look GOOD and throw away the other 15 hours. But even then, when you have experience in DayZ, you see PRO Youtube vids where you SEE 'the heros' do stuff all wrong, without even noticing how badly they are playing, and, also where they don't even understand the way the game works

 

DayZ SA IS a great game. People who tell you it's "easy" - you just say "oh yeah?" and ask them how they got killed LAST time (heheh).. not one of them ever says, "it's too easy, I've played since the start 2 years ago and I never got hit once by anything." When they say "its too easy" they mean they are still alive after maybe 4 days, they didn't get killed today so they don't know what to do next..they just don't count the deaths as being part of the game...

 

gunfighters die young

 

xx.

 

Maybe also (?) - join any clan of - NOT street-fighter pirates IMO - and learn to coordinate with them, teamwork, that's a 'military training' in itself.. you can learn plenty, even if it's not the way you want to play for a long time. And think about these comments in the thread above - each one in their different individual unique way, they're ALL survivors..

Edited October 12, 2014 by pilgrim

[yazar8 584]

Getting experienced will save you from getting excited.

 

The more you go in to gunfights, the calmer you get.

[cheeseburger8 80]

This is all good advice on this thread. My beans to everyone. You can tell each player here has learned "the hard way", they are all talking sense.

 

A big reason military people train and train and train again IRL is so that, when it comes to the real situation, even if their brain is completely frozen with adrenaline/panic/fear/excitement, they can still automatically do the things they are supposed to.

In the game - getting used to firefights and learning by your mistakes is the best way ..

 

Always remember too, that one of the most fun parts of the game is starting on a beach in your underwear and trying to find enough stuff the stay alive; You can do anything you think of because "what difference does it make?" - you've only been alive 5 mins - you learn from each new spawn life however short it is. Nothing to loose.

 

So remember that newspawn feeling when the next shooting starts - loosing the shootout just means you get a chance to run around in your underpants.. you can go straight for the nearest police station, see what is on the whole main street, talk to anyone, try to punch out someone who is kitted up.. whatever you feel.. it's much easier on your stress levels than thinking you have all your good stuff on your back and one wrong move looses everything.

 

Don't get attached to your gear, or maybe keep your gear to a minimum (throw away stuff, really!) .. and hey - with the new persistence, they tell me you can hide your backpack under a bush, go into town just with a shirt and your revolver or your SKS, and even if you loose ... your backpack will still be under the tree when you finally get back to it (though this may not be true, quite often? there are different opinions but it seems to be getting better? ). Just don't get attached to your gear, it's only stuff you need to survive, if you don't survive, you don't need it, and you get the chance to go look for new gear, meet new players, have fun.

 

Apart from that, the adrenaline is always there, you learn to control it better, and you learn better tactics to deal with different situations - For instance, as Steak says, scout ahead, think ahead, think round the next corner, and across the next open space, check every treeline, sit and watch for a while without showing yourself, and PLAN. Then if you get into an unexpected face-to-face, it's because you made a lazy decision, a greenhorn choice, or you didn't think it through.. in fact YOU put yourself in the wrong place and that's already YOUR OWN fault, from 5 or 15 minutes earlier, it's NOT the other guy's victory, he probably plans and thinks worse than you, but you ALREADY made the mistake before you met him.

 

OR (like many players) spend a couple of weeks heading straight for Berezino every spawn, and pick up an axe, a pitchfork a stun stick on the way, or even run in empty handed and see if you can find a fresh body on the street with a full assault rifle still warm.. (ya probably WILL) and you WILL get killed a lot, but ATM that's what Berezino is for, and you get used to it..It's the 'survive-2-hours-max' version of DayZ and can be big fun too.. completely crazy.. but fun.

(Myself, I stay away from there..)

 

There are many tactics and techniques and good tips, , as you see from this thread, but when you're GEARED into the 'serious' phase of survival, been alive a couple of days or a couple of weeks, then you WILL get ADRENALINE for sure, just for fear of loosing the GEAR.. .. the best bottom line is KEEP PLAYING.. don't let yourself get caught the same way twice. I lost all my gear - chosen carefully, worked out, exactly what I needed for long term survival and self defence, this Friday after 3 weeks of play, because of one really simple beginner's mistake.. Just ONE slight error and I knew it half a second after I moved.but that's a whole quarter-second too slow.. only ONE slip.. and then... one shot and bang/blackscreen. I just made a real noob move 100% ... hmmm... I KNEW never to do that, and now I REALLY know, I have the proof as well as the theory....at least I wont forget THAT soon.

 

How could I have done that?.. am I dumb? I know better. But WTF.. after looking at the black screen long enough (as long as you like, nothing changes) - then you get back to the beach, ya throw away your flashlight, check where the F you are, tear your shirt into rags, and go look for stuff before you freeze.. life is simple again, and fun.

 

That's the game... it was designed to give you adrenaline and STRESS.. seems to WORK, yes? In fact it sound's like you're enjoying it. The biggest rides at the fairground are always full, right ? This is it right here. This is not a game where you can predict what will happen in the next ten seconds.. you can do your BEST, but you can't ever know..and YES the Youtube guys are looking cool because they are on video and they know it, and they show you the 12 minutes of bits that make them look GOOD and throw away the other 15 hours. But even then, when you have experience in DayZ, you see PRO Youtube vids where you SEE 'the heros' do stuff all wrong, without even noticing how badly they are playing, and, also where they don't even understand the way the game works

 

DayZ SA IS a great game. People who tell you it's "easy" - you just say "oh yeah?" and ask them how they got killed LAST time (heheh).. not one of them ever says, "it's too easy, I've played since the start 2 years ago and I never got hit once by anything." When they say "its too easy" they mean they are still alive after maybe 4 days, they didn't get killed today so they don't know what to do next..they just don't count the deaths as being part of the game...

 

gunfighters die young

 

xx.

 

Maybe also (?) - join any clan of - NOT street-fighter pirates IMO - and learn to coordinate with them, teamwork, that's a 'military training' in itself.. you can learn plenty, even if it's not the way you want to play for a long time. And think about these comments in the thread above - each one in their different individual unique way, they're ALL survivors..

Thanks everyone for all the replies, they were all helpful.

 

Pilgrim, thank you so much for the awesome reply. Now that I think about it, dying isn't so bad! As a matter of fact, being decked out gets boring after a while (not saying I'm gonna jump off the clock-tower in Novo or anything), but even if I do die, like you said, it's the fun all over again. I find that Pilgrim's post was very helpful (everyone else's was too, but his was very informational and longer), and I really appreciate it.

 

I want to emphasize that EVERYONE ELSE'S POSTS were EXTREMELY helpful, but Pilgrim's was the best reply on a forum that I've gotten, ever.

 

Thank you. :D

 

[pilgrim* 3513]

Thanks everyone for all the replies, they were all helpful.

 

Pilgrim, thank you so much for the awesome reply. Now that I think about it, dying isn't so bad! As a matter of fact, being decked out gets boring after a while (not saying I'm gonna jump off the clock-tower in Novo or anything), but even if I do die, like you said, it's the fun all over again. I find that Pilgrim's post was very helpful (everyone else's was too, but his was very informational and longer), and I really appreciate it.

 

I want to emphasize that EVERYONE ELSE'S POSTS were EXTREMELY helpful, but Pilgrim's was the best reply on a forum that I've gotten, ever.

 

Thank you. :D

 

 

Thanks Cheeseburger8 - I appreciate that! -  but I'm just putting together what people have said here, and other players have said earlier. I got my information and ideas from the same place as you, from playing, and making the mistakes, and working it out AND from hearing what other's say, and thinking "yeah THAt happened to me too... I'll try that".

Even if  many players give shorter comments, or are 'harder' on you, or make jokes.. you start to recognise which ones are always worth reading when their names come up.- you get to know the most interesting names and go to see what they say, it's usually worth it. - And the people who only say one or two lines - plenty are better players than me, I could quote some good names, but you'll find them bit by bit, so - Enjoy.

 

 

xx Enjoy

Edited October 12, 2014 by pilgrim

[Cptn_Miller 83]

Thanks everyone for all the replies, they were all helpful.

 

Pilgrim, thank you so much for the awesome reply. Now that I think about it, dying isn't so bad! As a matter of fact, being decked out gets boring after a while (not saying I'm gonna jump off the clock-tower in Novo or anything), but even if I do die, like you said, it's the fun all over again. I find that Pilgrim's post was very helpful (everyone else's was too, but his was very informational and longer), and I really appreciate it.

 

I want to emphasize that EVERYONE ELSE'S POSTS were EXTREMELY helpful, but Pilgrim's was the best reply on a forum that I've gotten, ever.

 

Thank you. :D

 

Did you switch to hamburgers ? 

Edited October 12, 2014 by Cptn_Miller