![]() But after several instances of people pretending to be friendly then stabbing me in the back (literally), or luring me into an ambush, I’ve become wary of other survivors to the point of fearful paranoia. I’d give them advice or ask if they needed a hand. Or, and this happened to me, the game has turned them into a horrible person. Or they might helpfully warn you about a group of bandits (DayZ slang for players who kill other players) in the next town down the road.īut they’ll probably just shoot you on sight. Sometimes, but not that often these days, they might wave you down for a friendly chat and some beans. Even now my heart pounds when I’m exploring a town or wandering in the wilderness and I see another player ahead. The real thrill of DayZ, and the reason I’ve played both the mod and the standalone version for hundreds of hours each, is in the feeling you get when you inevitably bump into another survivor. I've become wary of other survivors to the point of fearful paranoia When you die you’re unceremoniously dumped back to a random starting location with no gear, and knowing this makes every decision, especially with other players around, loaded with danger. I actually love this, because it makes death mean something. ![]() But the more you hoard, the more nerve-racking the game becomes, because you know that you’re just one trigger-happy survivor or mischievous troll away from losing it all. The sandbox nature of the game means that getting ‘geared up’ will be most players’ main goal: finding a gun, ammo, bandages, food, drink, and maybe a nice helmet or something. There are vehicles, but they’re often missing parts or fuel, and locating them can be a real chore for a solo player. But that means a lot of uneventful running. ![]() When I play DayZ, I’m constantly on the move, travelling between towns, landmarks, and other points of interest, grabbing whatever I can find, avoiding trouble if I can. The largest concentration of players tends to be around around cities and military bases-where the best loot is often found-meaning you can travel in the wilds pretty much undisturbed. It’s a fantastic setting, and a welcome change from the more familiar Western post-apocalypses that usually feature in these games. But there’s a quiet beauty to be found out there too, particularly in the rolling farmland, dense forests, and sleepy rural towns. You get the feeling that even before the zombies arrived, this would’ve been an unpleasant place to get lost in. The map, Chernarus, is a former Soviet republic, and dripping in misery. There’s nothing more disheartening in DayZ than trekking for miles to a town, only to see all the doors lying open: a surefire sign that someone has already been and no doubt thoroughly looted the place.īut this does complement the hopeless, melancholy atmosphere of the game. You have an ever-dwindling parade of meters to manage-thirst, hunger, temperature, and so on-and the general scarcity of items can make staying alive an ordeal. Minute to minute, this is about as gruelling as survival games get. If this all sounds a bit miserable, it is. The map, Chernarus, is a former Soviet republic, and dripping in misery Veteran players will remember the agony of climbing a ladder and ending up inexplicably dead at the bottom of it. At least those damn ladders have finally been sorted out. And the chances that you’ll be killed by some unseen sniper, usually seconds after you finally find something good, is always high. You can scour an entire town for supplies only to find one dirty jacket, a tin opener, and no tins. The zombies still get stuck in walls or just completely fail to notice you at all. You still have to run for miles to meet up with friends. For better or worse, it’s the game I remember. But honestly, I wasn’t expecting much else. It’s kinda absurd that, in a 1.0 release, there are still problems that have been stubbornly lingering since the alpha days. ![]() There’s something comforting about the fact that DayZ is still DayZ, with its clunky controls, buggy zombies, and commitment to making surviving as hard as possible. ![]() Five years later and DayZ, having gone through an extended Early Access period, is finally out. ![]()
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