Sorry but not sorry (how do you play the game?)
So my play style is to pick a low pop official server and if I can get a good start (a bag, some food, a decent melee), slowly make my way south. I'm definitely more pve than pvp, I'm not great at shooters and if I actually run into someone I'm liable to spaz out and get killed easily.
I've played the game since it first came out and early on I would try and meet people etc., but my current gaming situation is that I'm fully remote at work and play dayz covertly between meetings. I can't really openly communicate with other players. Early on I was into the pvp element but currently I find it relaxing to just roam Livonia, bopping zombies on the head and collecting loot, keeping myself fed and watered and trying to avoid catastrophe. Inevitably I'll fuck something up (I didn't get the memo wolf meat makes you sick) or get sloppy and get murdered by a scary man while I'm in my boxer briefs wringing out my pants. Sometimes this results in a week long break from the game, sometimes it is a year or so. Bottom line is I love looting games and dayz is the most addictive because the looting component is so harsh and then so rewarding. I like that the game has a pvp element and that I might run into someone who puts me down. But I'm not actively seeking out pvp.
Typically when I run into other players I get completely owned. I can count a few instances where I cheesed the system and was able to leave the server and sneak up on someone, but that doesn't feel great. 99 times out of 100 I'm rounding a corner and get gunned in the face by scary dude in full gear. I generally die before I do anything too advanced.
My most recent play through in Livonia I was having a really good run, I found a damaged crossbow early which is basically a zombie cheat code. I was cruising around the big industrial but somehow military area in the lower center of the map for several days and wound up with an AUR with a mag, and I had collected a shit ton of that ammo.
I had like ten minutes to play before my wife got home with my kid and I decided to run around that area one time. I was out of ammo for my silenced handguns and I'm trying not to over use my crossbow because it's damaged and I can't find a gun cleaner to save my life. So I had my AUR in hand. I came around a corner and only realized this guy wasn't a zombie because he started shooting at me. I believe that he did what I usually do which is spaz out and start firing. I didn't catch a single bullet but I unloaded all 30 into him and his general direction. The worst part is I barely got to loot him before my wife got home and I had to log off. I couldn't get rid of my stuff and add his guns and bullets fast enough. This was exacerbated by our gunfire drawing like ten zombies to me which also caused me to use up a bunch more ammo just to get to his corpse.
I feel bad because buddy had a crazy good full kit, and based on his possessions was clearly on a mission to do something for a base he has somewhere. And I know how I feel when a pretty good load out gets killed.
In short, I play the game avoiding pvp interactions and just like roaming the world collecting and staying alive. How do you play the game?
But sorry, not sorry, you shot first bro and that's how the cookie crumbles.