Lexman61

Sure, you could set up your own travelling circus and entertain survivors across the land! Entrance fee to the show to be paid in supplies and/or ammo.

As I mentioned earlier, your passion for DayZ is commendable and without doubt sincere, I have no reason to question your efforts and credentials in aiding the developers towards the long awaited final version of this great game I do nevertheless think that a less "dogmatic" mindset would be more fruitful in the long run, not only for you, but for DayZ's long term future. Ultimately, turning this game into the equivalent of a flight simulator in the never ending search for more "realism", will alienate many present and potentially future players. DayZ is just too good of a game concept to end up as a niche activity for a "limited" number of fans. Bohemia needs to find that difficult but necessary middle ground, which might not completely satisfy all the hard core survivalists, but that would enable a larger number of players to enjoy this epic adventure. As for the general level of present videogames (all genres), yes there is always room from improvement but I wouldn't entrench myself behind a too sectarian viewpoint. We all have our game preferences, denouncing gamers who play COD or other FPS doesn't really add anything new or constructive to the discussion. Gamers and the gaming industry itself have undergone enormous changes during the past 20 years. Every new generation of players will always be different than the previous, for better and for worse. Regards

It's a pity you didn't follow my advice to calm down from your somewhat exited state of mind. A bit of Minecraft with your nephew would have done wonders for you I'm sure. The tone of your reply is a bit frantic, try catching your breath once again and gather your thoughts, it does help quite a lot in promoting more convincingly the ideas you hold so dear. Although I would like to give you the benefit of the doubt about your self proclaimed language skills, I will withhold final judgement until more clear and convincing evidence emerges from your writings. Presently, it seems to me that you write in the same manner as you would shout and yell. Your DayZ passion is genuine albeit somewhat agitated and clearly with an undertone of frustration for those who play the game not according to your liking. Don't be so resentful towards COD players, they are part of our great gaming family too! Util we meet again. Regards

In spite of our differences in regards to the true significance of the term "anarchy" and the DayZ KOS issue I hope we can nevertheless part ways in a friendly manner, at least until the next debate. DayZ is often chaotic,unpredictable and frustrating (as it should be), and let's hope it stays that way. On how to best enjoy this virtual world, well, "variety is the spice of life" as they say. Concerning your friend/acquaintance BioHaze, his communication skills and vocabulary leaves much to be desired. Taking some time off DayZ was just a friendly piece of advice not an order. The man should be perfectly able to decide for himself, I presume. Regards

Calm down dear and have a look at yourself; foaming at the mouth with bulging eyes and flushing with anger, You need to get your breath back and the blood pressure down. Don't have the medical equipment to handle a heart attack out here in the DayZ wilderness and, frankly speaking, I'm not inclined to give you a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (a heart massage will do fine).. Now, what is it you are so mad about? Has somebody treated you unfairly? Oh yes, those pesky KOS players making it so much harder for you to stay alive. Life is indeed difficult in DayZ even for a true survivalist like you. Why don't you take some time off? Maybe play something less stressful. What about joining your nephew on Minecraf?. He seems like a bright young fellow for his age.You never know, he might even be able to teach you a thing or two about PvP. In any case, take my suggestion and try to relax, please avoid at all costs those terrible COD and KOS plebeians who make your life so miserable. They will be soon gone, making it so much easier for you to survive. Regards

Ok, so you can't fish by the pond or share a jolly meal with new friends without risking your life (sounds absolutely devastating). Let's see if we can do something about it. A different approach maybe? "Good morning Sir, how do you do? Could you please terminate your fishing activities since I would like to challenge you to a duel. Back to back and 15 paces please. O my dear, did I just kill you Sir? I'm ever so sorry Sir". Are you sure your are playing the "right" way or does it simply bother you that many other people don't? Does my play style have to be compatible with yours? Whatever the answers, you're caught between a rock and a hard place. You can't force people to play in a certain way and your own experience is frustrated by those who don't follow your standards Difficult situation without doubt Sir. Respectfully yours.

The discussion about how a post apocalyptic situation would affect human behavior and social institutions is very interesting not only from a real life perspective, but also in regards to DayZ. Considering the case of a total breakdown of a central authority after an apocalypse (government,police/army forces,municipal authorities, etc.), a state of anarchy is most likely to develop. But here we need to agree on the meaning of the word "anarchy" before continuing the debate. A situation of anarchy and violence does imply that all people simply become a mass of psychopathic individuals who act in a completely unrelated and asocial manner with their surroundings. As previously noted, even during riots, wars, serious social unrest, revolutions and similar events, humans will obviously still group together regardless of whether they do it to defend and protect themselves or to murder and loot. The true meaning of the word anarchy, in its original form, is a state of social disorder due to the lack of a central authority (or a central authority unable to control a serious crisis). A situation which can last just a few hours/days to years depending on the gravity of the events. A crisis/apocalyptic scenario where anarchy reigns therefore means that, there is no recognized hierarchically superior, coercive power that can resolve disputes, enforce law and protect all its citizens within a commonly accepted social frame. Under these circumstances, civilized society based on the rule of law and democratic principles does not exist, hence the anarchy. This situation does not prevent groups of people to collaborate and organize themselves for whatever reason according to common needs and interests, but there is nevertheless a breakdown of civilized society in the traditional sense. I quoted the real life example of Somalia earlier. People of this country have indeed organized themselves under warlords, religious fanatics and pirate gangs to survive and seek protection/help, but the country as a whole is nevertheless in a state of permanent anarchy. Its very weak central government only controls a small part of the country and is unable to establish a rule of law and security for all Somalis.The fact that all the various competing groups/factions/local armies help/protect their own members and local communities does not exclude anarchy. . How does this all connect to DayZ? Well it can only do so in a partial manner since a videogame is always a compromise between "realism" and entertainment (flight simulators for pilots excluded). So although you would see relatively few lone wolfs and killers in the ensuing anarchy of a real life apocalypse because people would naturally tend to help each other in small communities/groups to survive, DayZ is different BECAUSE it is a video game and must obey to a different set parameters. For many players KOS and run-and-gun are part of the entertainment too. Trying to force all players to play in a certain manner would be counterproductive. There is enough space for everybody in DayZ!

Going back to the core point of it all. DayZ, is a basically a huge "sandbox" game with a diversified terrain (urban & rural), which under the many and varied interpretations of the concept of "survival", challenges players within an hostile environment (nature + other players), to stay alive. The "playing ground" is extensive enough to permit any kind of play style (with related pros and cons). It is ultimately each individual player who decides in which manner he wishes to experience DayZ. Social, antisocial, lone wolf, team oriented, KOS, run-and-gun, etc.etc. DayZ should not turn into a "survival simulator" nor an "arena style FPS". It must find the difficult balance in between so as to give the greatest number of players an interesting and diverse gaming experience. As gamers, we can only be interested in having a large player base which ensures continuous game development and a thriving DayZ gaming community. Aiming to turn this game into a niche experience for a limited number of die-hard-survivalist fans is not the way to go. Bear in mind also the release of "Escape from Tarkov" next year, which undoubtedly (if successful), will appeal to many DayZ. players with obvious consequences.

Excellent, finally an interesting debate! Well, first of all it takes much much less than an apocalypse to create anarchy, murder and looting. You really don't have to look at fictional Hollywood movies to see what happens when law and order breaks down. Plenty of real life examples under your noses. The Tulsa race riots in 1921, Detroit riots 1967, LA riots in 1992. Just a few situations where things got "slightly" out of hand for several days with plenty of crime and murder before the central authorities got the upper hand. Obviously, this is in the US only. Somalia in another great case of year long anarchy, with a practically non-existing central government and the country being run by murderous warlords, religious fanatics and pirate gangs. No need for atomic wars, deadly zombie viruses and blockbuster movies to plunge from a civilized society to a state of barbarism. Under these conditions, even your friendly next door neighbor could "misbehave" at your expense. Yes, as a social animal, humans tend to prefer a stable social order but the dividing line between this and anarchy/violence is thin,very thin. But let's not get carried away with those annoying realities, after all,DayZ is only a video game, not a flight simulator for aspiring professional pilots. So if you want to grow crops, socialize and make new friends around a campfire during your DayZ experience that's fine with me but don't tell people that KOS and run-and-gun players are not just as justified in their actions as you are. No Robinson Crusoe only gameplay, please. Regards to all of you and merry Christmas!

Those who claim that DayZ is not difficult enough and that more importance should be given to the more bread-and-butter survival aspects rather than PvP, seem to suffer from what I call the "Robinson Crusoe" syndrome. Crusoe, as you might remember, spent 28 years on an apparently desert island after getting shipwrecked. For the first 12 years he did nothing but gather resources, build himself a small fort, raised goats, hunted animals and planted crops. If was only after many lonesome years that we finally got some action on Crusoe's island. Very interesting to read about, but hardly the kind of activities to base a videogame on. If the Crusoe style is your thing no problem, there are plenty of opportunities for you. But don't forget that, in a real life post apocalypse scenario were anarchy reigns supreme, gangs of no mercy killers, looters, rapists and other highly dangerous individuals would roam freely in city streets and countryside so the KOS and run-and-gun style is absolutely justified too in DayZ.

As this post is similar to others regarding the "PVP vs survival simulator" debate, I can only reiterate my opinion on this matter. Although the developers and creators of a game have obviously an idea and a wish in how their game should be played once released, it's important to remember that it is ultimately up to each individual player deciding in what manner they want to play and enjoy the game. This means that there is no "right or wrong" way to play DayZ. Lone wolfs, socially minded players, KOS enthusiasts, super stealthy resource gatherers, bandits and heroes are all part of the DayZ universe. This is what makes DayZ unique. The idea that DayZ must and should only be played in a particular way, and that those who KOS or have a run-and-gun play style are not "doing it the right way", is simply patronizing. DayZ is not a game of chess with fixed and unquestionable rules to obey. Naturally, there are more suitable games for those who prefer high kill counts and continuous fast paced action, but this is once again a personal choice. The area in which DayZ takes place is large enough to include all sorts of players and play styles. Yes it might be irritating and frustrating for some "survival diehards" spending time gearing up their character just to get KOS by some guy who thinks he's playing COD or Battlefield but, after all that is part of the risk and uncertainty which makes DayZ so special. You can shelter yourself from the rain, gather food and drink water to feed yourself, run from or kill zombies and wolves, cure wounds and infections but the ultimate and deadliest threat to your survival will always be the other PLAYERS. How boring, if this game could only be played as "survivor simulator" or only as a run-and-gun shooter. Play in whatever way suits your style best, there is room for everybody!

Although the developers and creators of a game have obviously an idea and a wish in how their game should be played once released, it's important to remember that it is ultimately up to each individual player deciding in what manner they want to play and enjoy the game. As I have stated in another post, there is no "right or wrong" way to play DayZ. Lone wolfs, socially minded players, KOS enthusiasts, super stealthy resource gatherers, bandits and heroes are all part of the DayZ universe. This is what makes DayZ unique. The idea that DayZ must and should only be played in a particular way, and that those who KOS or have a run-and-gun play style are not "doing it the right way", is simply patronizing. DayZ is not a game of chess with fixed and unquestionable rules to obey. Naturally, there are more suitable games for those who prefer high kill counts and continuous fast paced action, but this is once again a personal choice. The area in which DayZ takes place is large enough to include all sorts of players and play styles. Yes it might be irritating and frustrating for some "survival diehards" spending time gearing up their character just to get KOS by some guy who thinks he's playing COD or Battlefield but, after all that is part of the risk and uncertainty which makes DayZ so special. You can shelter yourself from the rain, gather food and drink water to stay alive, run from or kill zombies and wolves, cure wounds and infections but the ultimate and deadliest threat to your survival will always be the other PLAYERS. How boring, if this game was just played as "survivor simulator" or only as a run-and-gun shooter (the two extremes). Play in whatever way suits your style best, there is room for everybody!

Like somebody very intelligently said before, there is no "right or wrong" way to play DayZ. Lone wolfs, socially minded players, KOS enthusiasts, super stealthy resource gatherers, bandits and heroes are all part of the DayZ universe. This is what makes DayZ unique. How boring, if this game was just played as "survivor simulator" or only as a run-and-gun shooter (the two extremes). Play in whatever way suits your style best, there is room for everybody!

Hardware limitations on the consoles might actually prove to be a positive thing. A "smaller" DayZ with reduced maps, player actions and player count could potentially run with less problems than on the PC. In any case, a successful console version could bring many new players into the DayZ world and bring some fresh and renewed interest in the game. No doubt that PC gamers still playing DayZ today are a dedicated and passionate group of people, but the great player numbers and excitement seen at its release are hardly likely to come back on this platform even after the game is finally "finished". So the new "frontier" must and will be the Xbox and Playstation if DayZ is to have a second great wave of public enthusiasm after the PC. I actually think Bohemia has underestimated the console potential for DayZ. Let's wait and see.

By "watered down" I was also thinking about (but did not mention it), the limitations of a console controller vs a keyboard. Can the developers cram into a controller the same number of options a keyboard offers? I doubt it. Considering also the more "casual" nature of many console players, I think some differences in actual game play characteristics compared to the PC version could be implemented on the XB1/PS4. An excessively ARMA style and/or "survival simulator" gameplay would probably be less appealing for a broader console audience. It goes without saying that DayZ is not a FPS meant to be played like COD or Battlefield but making it too tactical would have some drawbacks. Having to spend 30 or more minutes getting geared up and armed just to get killed on sight by the first player you encounter, would be extremely frustrating. A slightly faster paced game, the possibility of gathering resources more rapidly than the original version and not having to spawn or re-spawn completely helpless would probably be more suitable in a console environment. The game would still retain all the features of social interaction, stealth, resource collection and bandit/hero game style but adapted to smaller maps and a different type of "end-user" than on PC. Let me hear your comments.

Can't wait to finally get my hands on DayZ for XB1! Obviously, due to the hardware limitations of consoles, a "watered down" version of the game is to be expected but it's ok with me. Let's just hope we'll be spared all the bugs, problems and drawn-out developing times of our fellow PC gamers.

Although I'm not a PC player, I've been following all Dayz news,videos and forum posts for some time now. It really seams to be a great virtual adventure. Perfectly aware that, once this game is (finally) released on PS4 and Xbox, it will be a "watered-down" version its PC counterpart. Nevertheless I know that many console players are really looking forward to join the ranks of the "survivors". The DayZ community will grow and Bohemia acquire many more customers (for better or for worse).

There are many valid reasons and opinions regarding the "long" developing time of DayZ, but ultimately, the shrinking player numbers and an ever growing frustration of those who see no light at the end of the tunnel is undeniable. Maybe the developers are quite happy to eventually deliver a finished game for a (relatively) small group of dedicated players and not aim for the AAA crowd and millions of copies sold. A clamorous turning point from the above mentioned scenario could only take place if DayZ is released for the Xbox and PS4 and turns out to be a great success with the console people. This would obviously create new interest for the game and revenue for Bohemia. Otherwise I just don't see how DayZ can bounce back to it's former player-count and initial enthusiasm. I'm also concerned about where the developers really want to take this game. I hope not from one extreme to another. From a KOS run and gun to a survival simulator where "toilet needs" will be added just to make it feel more "realistic". Time will tell!

Maybe it's about time they release DayZ on Xbox 1 and PS4 to get some fresh blood into this game. A "watered down" version of the game due to the console's hardware limitation, could actually work better and have less problems than the PC counterpart. If the game is successful with the console crowd it might regain some popularity also with PC players. Just a thought.

Buakaw is completely right on this issue. It's paradoxical that, while many players ask for more "realistic" game features (I wonder when toilet needs will be included!), they are totally OK with 3rd person playing style which is utterly unrealistic. Unfortunately, as Buakaw states, it's probably too late to "abolish" the 3rd person option as too many players are used to this way of playing. Let's not turn DayZ into a boring "survival simulator" .

I presume the developers of DayZ must find the difficult balance between a realistic engaging game and a real-life-apocalypse-simulator. Too much of the first type and the result could end up being a run-and-gun FPS. Too much of the second would lead to a frustrating and excessively slow game pace (just think if they added toilet needs, personal hygiene, sleep requirements and other "realistic" features in order to make the game as real-life as possible). Let's not exceed with too much "realism".