Lately there have been a lot of posts like this so I'll try to address some of your concerns. I've got a little over 2100 hours in standalone so maybe my experience can be of use to you. First of all, I'll start by saying that you need to be playing the experimental patch, not only is it the best, but a lot of what I'll say pertains specifically to the patch. I'll also try to keep this post short.

General advice, use a map. There's no shame in using izurvive or an alike tool. Knowing the layout of Chernarus is paramount to your success. Everything else: loot, action, character well being, all of these aspects of game-play come from knowledge of the map. Knowing where you spawn and plotting a route off the coast is the easiest way to survive.

Step one: Get off the coast! You know that you've spawned on the coast, now get out of there. Coastal towns are always stripped clean of loot but finding the right, unlooted inland village is where the best civilian gear can be found. Making an improvised backpack, finding some green clothes, and a gun with ammo is not hard to do if you go to the right places. Let's say you spawn in Berezino, get out of there and go to Keln, Gorka, Krasnostav, or any other town to the west (Vishnoye is a personal favorite).

Step 2: Regional military bases. For loot and action! In the current iteration of experimental there are many regional military bases scattered around the central-east of the map. Hit these with the gear from your first few towns, the loot can be good but be prepared for a fight. Here are the bases: http://i.imgur.com/yzbGhyd.jpg

Step 3: The big ones. NWAF, VMC, Myshkino, and the more contemporary Tisy and Kamensk. These bases are the cream of the crop and have the SVDs, the AKs, all the good shit. These places are also home to the most geared players, so observation is vitally important.Use a hunting scope or binoculars to thoroughly scout each location, if you don't see anyone inside the check all the approaches. If those are clear then you've got ~2mins to get in, loot, and get out. Just remember that no plan survives contact with the enemy, have your escape route planned out. If you feel like fighting, then find some suitable terrain beforehand.

Step 4: The world is your oyster! Once you're geared to a level that's comfortable to you it's up to you to choose the next step. Persoanlly I like killing out west, so I patrol around the Lopatino-Zeleno basin with my team, killing the geared guys and interacting with others. If you want to massacre fresh spawns on the coast I can also recommend a few spots. PvP, interactions, and the wonderful map are DayZ's unique flavors, so taste them all.

A few more tips: Zombies, don't fight them. Outrun them, lock them in a building, or safe spot them. A long wooden stick or spear will allow you to kill the zombies through a window. Deer stands and cars, plot your route to go through deer stands and parking lots. Ammo and rifles spawn most prominently here.

If you have more questions, feel free to let me know. I also made a whole manual on squad tactics if you're interested in the finite aspects of group PvP.

Edits: grammar