Editing Combat (section)

== Ballistics & Handling ==
DayZ uses a realistic ballistic model that affects all projectiles, bullets, arrows, and thrown objects. It has to be taken into account when dealing with enemies at any range, but particularly at longer ranges.

As a bullet travels through the air, it is affected by air resistance (drag), and gravity. It will keep travelling until it hits something, even if that "something" is just the ground. The longer it travels, the slower it becomes due to air resistance, and will drop gradually due to gravity. Higher velocity bullets -- such as those used in rifles -- are able travel further before gravity and air resistance cause them to fall below the initial line of sight due to the increased amount of force behind the shot.

The effects of the environment don't have a large influence on shorter distances (less than 200m), however, it's very noticeable when using a sniper rifle or any scoped weapon. To compensate for these forces you need to aim above your target, or adjust your weapon to do this for you by zeroing it to a certain range.

Shooting ''through'' an object, otherwise known as bullet penetration, is also possible for some surfaces in DayZ. Surfaces which are obviously thinner and would be easily shot through in real life tend to be similar inside of the game: things like tents, and the doors & windows of a building can typically be fired through, though this is of course at the expense of some of the projectile's damage when it finally makes contact with the target.

=== Zeroing the Sights ===
[[File:PrisonHillSniping.jpg|frameless|right|400px]]
Zeroing is setting your weapon's sights to hit targets at a certain range. More accurately, you are adjusting the aim of the optics so that you do not need to manually aim the weapon up or down as much in order to account for distance. Most rifles in DayZ are capable of this and the sights can be adjusted (by default: {{key|PageUp}} or {{Key|+}} and {{key|PageDown}} or {{Key|-}}) according to the distance between you and your target. Adjustments will vary from weapon to weapon, but most can be set at 100m increments, up to the maximum range of a given weapon. Missed shots hitting the ground can be useful to show if you are above or below the intended range.

The most accurate method of determining the distance to your target is using the [[rangefinder]].

=== Sway ===
[[File:Sway.jpg|frameless|right|400px]]
Weapon sway represents the inherent movement of a weapon in your hands both as you stay still and while you are moving. If not managed properly it makes it harder for you to aim and shoot accurately. It is most noticeable when aiming down the sights of a weapon at distance. 

Some factors that influence it:

* '''Stance'''- Your stance affects how you handle a weapon. In general, you are more precise when crouched down than standing, and the most precise when prone.
* '''Breath Control'''- Holding your breath {{Key|L Ctrl}} temporarily helps to stabilize your aim for precision shooting. But holding your breath drains your stamina, so use this just before you are ready to take your shot.
<!-- * [[Attachments|'''Attachments''']]- Some guns can use a [[ATLAS Bipod|bipod]]. If you are prone with a bipod deployed you will have much less sway, while if you are crouching or standing with it deployed it will provide no benefit. !-->
* '''Fatigue'''- Has a detrimental effect upon your sway, by producing both inherent sway of your gun and your breath, simulating the difficulty of handling a weapon when exhausted. Fatigue is accumulated while running; before taking a shot, slow down or stop for a few seconds and wait for your breathing to steady.
* '''Health'''- Suffering from [[Character Status|limb injuries]] will make it harder to handle a weapon, negatively affecting your sway. In general, sustaining damage will make it harder to aim; it will cause your health & blood to drop making your vision blurry and less colorful.
* '''[[Brain Prion Disease]]'''- If a player has consumed [[Human Steak|human meat]], they will contain the non-curable [[Brain Prion Disease]]. This will cause the player to giggle and have bursts of uncontrollable shakes, making aiming difficult.

=== Leading the Shot ===
This is something that will come naturally to those who have spent a lot of time playing shooter games, but in DayZ it is necessary to lead your shots on a moving target. Bullets do not instantaneously teleport to where you are aiming when the trigger is pulled, so you must aim slightly ahead of the direction in which your target is moving. By doing this, you account for the time it takes the bullet to travel the distance between you and your target.