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only one day, but friendly so far ... DayZ Epoch Chernarus
this server ive just started trying out has pretty friendly admins, fairly strict ban rules over abuse, but is still open to bandits or survivors.
http://www.petuniaserver.com/dayzforums/index.php
it is *very* small maybe a dozen or so players on at peak. they have plenty of players from everywhere so i have heard there's always someone on. the server and most of the admin types are apparently US side.
for some reason there is a whitelist time period that i haven't quite figured out yet. but im still perusing their forums. the safe zones are interesting in that they consist of 3 of the cities on the map. however, this did not stop hostile AI or zombies from hunting me down the streets of town. honestly, i found that fun, though im not sure if there are traders in those 'safe zones', nor am i sure that pvp is actually turned off or you are just expected to respect the ingame terms.
you spawn in one of 2 UN camps with only toolboxes and *maybe* some food to loot. other than that you get a machete and some bandages. i like that. i also like that military loot isn't lying around every corner. things were there to loot for sure, but you had to keep looking and make decisions. (i found only one backpack improvement the 2 or so hours i played.)
there are random hostile AI patrols that will kick your ass if you're not careful. that being said, i lucked out on one once when it got separated with me behind him sneaking. so a machete will get you an AK in a pinch 
'mike' was the admin on at the time and on TS so i got to talk to him for a while. even met another player and we lucked out with that AI i killed, he apparently had an ambulance humvee. which we sold, were then separated when ambushed by AI in a small town, and then the friend was sniped by a bandit on his way to get me.
all in all i had a good time and hope to go back again soon. admittedly as a former mmo addict i am used to having multiple characters with multiple experiences/storylines so i do server hop.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
Comments
forgot to mention, Petunia Servers are apparently discussing opening up an Epoch survival mode server. like original DayZ loot will be very rare and the focus will be less of worrying about your fellow players getting you and more about just plain making it from day to day.
i like the sound of it. i miss the days when the typical gun was a Winchester or a Lee Enfield and an ALICE pack was a treasure.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
so i'm having fun recording my experiences and thoughts here. i hope the management doesn't mind.
i would like to input from others on what they think either about the Petunia Server or their choice of mechanics.
so i really like the fact that i can literally stay in a city-wide pvp free greenzone. there are only a few and they are just a radius around a city it seems.
but not only are the zombies there but more interesting the AI will helicopter over the city and if they spot you drop an assault team nearby.
however, to get the higher end military loot you have to leave the safe zones and venture out to the military bases and to the AI missions that drop medical, construction, and military loot.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
Hey Aspekx, Mike here from Petunia (the admin you spoke with on TS).
Glad you've been enjoying the server!
Just wanted to post here with info about a couple of the things you mentioned in your first post
"for some reason there is a whitelist time period that i haven't quite figured out yet. but im still perusing their forums"
^^^ The whitelist, ahhh yes
Some players like it, some hate it lol. It's there during the late night sessions when there are usually less admins on. We've had issues with hackers nuking the server. Whilst this just means needing to do a rollback, it's a pain for players that have gathered loot in the meantime. So we whitelist between 10pm and (I think) 6am Atlanta time (although I'm in the UK, we have a few USA based admins too).
We may remove the whitelist soon, but we did have hackers nuked the server only a few days ago, so not sure (only takes us about 5 mins to do a rollback though, so no big deal, the script kiddies can't cause too much harm for our players!).
" i found that fun, though im not sure if there are traders in those 'safe zones', nor am i sure that pvp is actually turned off or you are just expected to respect the ingame terms."
and
"you spawn in one of 2 UN camps with only toolboxes and *maybe* some food to loot"
^^^ Most traders are safezones and the 2 spawn points too (Kamenka and Elektro). PvP is turned OFF in traders (A temporary god mode) however I opted for something a bit different in the green zones...
In the two big green zones (united nation peacekeeper zones), you CAN actually shoot & kill another player, however:
a) It's against the rules
b) Just in case that's not enough incentive, If you shoot at another player whilst in the UN green zones, as soon as your bullet hits another player (even if it doesn't kill them), you're 'outcast' from the UN peacekeeper zone (in reality, you're teleported to very close to the edge of the map... it's a LOOOONG walk back!).
We did the above as it's nice to try to do something a bit different sometimes, I hope you like the idea
Aspekx, I hope you're enjoying the server and I hope you enjoyed the server event! We run those quite a bit at weekends and they are usually a lot of fun and a great way for players to let off some steam (we often use a different gameserver for the events, to keep the regular bases and vehicles etc safe!).
Thanks aspekx! Hope to see you in-game again soon!
Oh! Also...
Our Panthera map (the hardcore version) should be live this coming weekend (currently reworking all the loot tables to make it less military and more role-player/survival).
Regarding your comments re: Zombies agroing on the AI... Hoping to have that sorted by tomorrow night! Thanks for your suggestion! (The zombies won't harm the AI, but they will agro all around them, so can be used to spot AI etc... AI will also attack zombies nearby to them).
nice!
i will now have 2 servers to split my game time between with you guys. that means gonna have to cut back on another, but that's a good thing all around i think.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
Cool! I hope you like the Panthera server when it's up
as far as i can tell there are no 'official' servers.
however, there are servers that belong to what is called a public hive. from what i have read so far public hives have a particular set of standards for version update of ARMA 2 (which isn't hard since there hasn't been a real update to ARMA 2 in at least 2 years). they also have a standard update version of the core Epoch mod along with standardized anti-hack software.
often though, a group of servers appear to belong to their own private hive with it's own set of software and anti-hack versions.
in either case all servers appear to be privately run affairs. there are several places on the web that can offer lists and at times even reviews of currently open Epoch servers.
in my own opinion the best way to get a quick view of what's out there is to first download DayZ Commander after your purchase of ARMA 2 andn ARMA 2 Operation Arrowhead. it not only provides a list of servers with server notes, but allows for searching based on terms and on which DayZ mod you want.
probably not clear enough, but as i've said i've just really gotten started. perhaps Mike may see this and provide a better response.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
still the best mix of pvp/pve ive seen.
i have been trawling the various mod options for servers via DayZCommander when i have the chance.
there are a number of pure PvP and pure PvE servers out there, but the mix so many of us are looking for is not only difficult to find but not so easy to maintain.
the folks at Petunia Servers are doing a pretty good job with destructible bases but based on mutually agreed upon clan or personal wars between players. so your base won't evaporate overnight because you and your friends can't play 24/7.
im not riding around trying to dodge multiple heavy armored vehicles as well. which can be fun, but seems to kind of fly in the face of the general feel of the DayZ mod. trust me, once you've seen a Stryker roll thru Cherno, you'll wonder who the zombies ever made it.
and the admins and players are friendly, even if they still will shoot you in the face for a can of beans
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
Hey Aspekx
Hope all's well... Just wanted to say, we miss you on the server!
I wondered if the AI were a bit too over the top? - If so, you may be interested in our new map - I'll shoot you a PM!
Cheers
Mike.