Is DayZ Scary Anymore?

[applejaxc 2500]

Is DayZ scary anymore?

Sadly, like Dead Space 1 and 2 (3 was never scary), WaW Nazi Zombies, and many other games, DayZ has lost the chill factor, the fear factor. I no longer get the adrenaline rush of charging into Cherno and getting out with a survival knife like that makes me God. I've resorted to killing myself once a week/playing random private-hive servers to restart, but by the 7th death day, I've got NVGs, a Coyote Patrol Pack (is that the small-looking brown US one that is super awesome?), a hero skin, and a FN Fal, whether from raiding military loot areas or killing a**hole bandits.

The first week of DayZ was an emotional roller coaster. I died probably once every day, for various reasons, for my first 3 weeks. Every second near the shore sounded like a car or a helicopter was coming to kill me. I was scared, alone, and afraid; I shot anything that moved, and paid dearly.

But now I have learned, adapted, become experienced with A2 and DayZ. I don't for see DayZ SA bringing that fear, so central to the zombie-survival genre, bringing that back, and I feel like that might hurt its reputation among long time DayZ players, who will expect action and explosions and zombies and love and loss and rage and joy, who have already felt and ignored these feelings through DayZ mod gameplay.

That doesn't mean I won't be purchasing DayZ SA, of course! I couldn't let all those a**hole bandits live, now could I?

Maybe I'm just an idiot, and can't perceive a threat more obvious than a Hollywood "Jump Scare," but the reason I got around to thinking about this is because I recently picked Garry's Mod back up. We're talking a Half-Life 2-based, low-resolution game with very typical FPS controls and no penalty for death. But I downloaded/installed an addon called "Nightville," and THIS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKkQ7snKh6U scared me more than DayZ could today. Ask me a few months ago and I'd shudder at the name, "DayZ," or the mention of bandits. But now, I just laugh... Has American Hollywood and independent films (like the Blair Witch Project) ruined horror in general for the world over?

[GOD™ 2795]

uhmm?

who's God here mister? :)

hmm?

Edited March 15, 2013 by GOD™

[GOD™ 2795]

But yes dayz is no longer scary, it is only scary those who are new to dayz.

the only thing that could scare me in DayZ if it were to be added is some sort of super zombie that regenerates.

Edited March 15, 2013 by GOD™

[Welch (DayZ) 756]

I don't find it scary in the least. In fact I've left for Arma 3 until SA, unfortunately...

[Food 309]

A lot of that feeling comes from the map. It should feel like a new landscape leaving that feeling of being lost, as well as the new zombie AI which will make them more dangerous, and therefor, scary.

[h3retic 224]

I dont think dayz ever was or even needs to be scary.

it can be an intense game, but not a scary one.

and it never should be a horror game.

[Jordan* 277]

I have been playing for 6 months, and like you I remember how terrifying and enthralling it was to charge somewhere, and now know if you were going to make it out. Now zombies have little to no effect to my game play most of the time sadly.... hopefully the stand alone will prove otherwise.

[applejaxc 2500]

Zombies aren't a threat to me at all in DayZ mod. You either run down hill and watch the Zombie Olympians attempt the 100 meter jump or run into a building with a ladder/2 doors and let them line up for headshots. *sigh*

EARLY early on, before I had NVGs, zombies popping out of the darkness into a streetlamp made me crap bricks.

[OrLoK 16186]

Hello there

Scary? No I've never been scared in a "horror" way, although the first few games gave me the willies as I and those around me had no clue as to what was happening and felt naked and lost without our standard Arma Gear.

I still feel scared in a "I just know I'm being scoped by a player" way whenever I play DAYZ, but I have that (to a lesser extent) in many MP PVP games. I had a couple of rounds of RO2 today and was quivering like a baby mouse. Traditional Coop no respawn Arma games give me that feel too to a degree, but im always alert when Im up agaisnt real people.

But BOO! scary? Nope. never.

Rgds

LoK

[Shiki Nanaya 9]

That video you posted wasn't scary as well honestly. Maybe it's because of the style of the game's graphics and the fact the hanged girl could be hit like a rag-doll with the crowbar made me go "Oh its this kind of game"

DayZ only 'scares me' in terms of "I don't know what's around this corner,bush,tree,building, etc". Everytime you go somewhere else on a high populated server its a difference between life and death. Then there is the fact if you are a sniper you have to eventually get paranoid at sounds

"Was that something behind me???....No must be my imaginati---"

You have died

"son of a..."

[applejaxc 2500]

That video you posted wasn't scary as well honestly. Maybe it's because of the style of the game's graphics and the fact the hanged girl could be hit like a rag-doll with the crowbar made me go "Oh its this kind of game"

DayZ only 'scares me' in terms of "I don't know what's around this corner,bush,tree,building, etc". Everytime you go somewhere else on a high populated server its a difference between life and death. Then there is the fact if you are a sniper you have to eventually get paranoid at sounds

"Was that something behind me???....No must be my imaginati---"

You have died

"son of a..."

1: Jump scares are scarier when playing. Does a Slender video give you heebie-jeebies? Definitely not.

But does playing with 3D turtle beaches in a dark room during a full moon? Kind of. Until you play daylight mode, like me.

2: I personally don't know that feeling of uber paranoia while sniping. I can't camp in DayZ. MY paranoia makes me too jittery. I don't stay in one spot more than 3 minutes after shooting.

[sausagekingofchicago 4711]

So scary that many people refuse to play on servers with a night cycle.

[applejaxc 2500]

So scary that many people refuse to play on servers with a night cycle.

Those are the people that don't play Skyrim because it has spiders in it (who are arguably the weakest/most laughable enemies in the whole game)

[Shiki Nanaya 9]

1: Jump scares are scarier when playing. Does a Slender video give you heebie-jeebies? Definitely not.

But does playing with 3D turtle beaches in a dark room during a full moon? Kind of. Until you play daylight mode, like me.

2: I personally don't know that feeling of uber paranoia while sniping. I can't camp in DayZ. MY paranoia makes me too jittery. I don't stay in one spot more than 3 minutes after shooting.

Well technically if you have a type of paranoia you are scared in some way. So maybe it's not 'scary' as much as it used to be for you but to me it sounds like you are scared of playing Day Z in some way.

So scary that many people refuse to play on servers with a night cycle.

Yeah....Never understood why people don't play as much with a night cycle. "Oh is that a zombi---nope nope nope that thing is running towards me with a gun".

[applejaxc 2500]

Well technically if you have a type of paranoia you are scared in some way. So maybe it's not 'scary' as much as it used to be for you but to me it sounds like you are scared of playing Day Z in some way.

Yeah....Never understood why people don't play as much with a night cycle. "Oh is that a zombi---nope nope nope that thing is running towards me with a gun".

I have a crazy bi-polar survival instinct that's more confusing than fifteen women on their period arguing about different shades of white.

I'll do "Crazy Ivans" (a term that defines sudden, random, and unexpected moves to check behind you/your blind spots, started by General Ivan in submarine warfare because subs are extremely vulnerable to close attacks from directly behind) every two minutes or walk side-to-side when I'm thinking so I don't get shot as easily. I'll sit on a rooftop for five minutes if I hear footsteps. I don't approach cars or helicopters very often.

But I always stop to check dead bodies, even if I know there's a bandit on the loose, or I'll chuck random flares to light up "Stealthy 1337 Bandit Ninjas" in the dead of night just to piss them off. I'll go running into a house full of zombies for a crowbar or can of beans when I don't need either. I roll off the tops of buildings when I should stay still. I sprint down stairs (and haven't broken my legs in a long time!). I'll go into *super obvious* sniping/hiding spots in Chero/Elektro and sit up there for the sake of being up there. I'll lead zombies into a dead-end alley to see how many I can kill.

It's almost like I have an obsession with my own life, to the point of suicidal jealousy. I'd rather die than be killed... is that... weird?

[Shiki Nanaya 9]

It's almost like I have an obsession with my own life, to the point of suicidal jealousy. I'd rather die than be killed... is that... weird?

Nope that's not weird. You are actually a human being and by that I mean someone who actually wants to die on their own terms and not because of someone else.

[PracticalTactical 164]

I think DayZ needs to capitalize on the night a bit more. More strange sounds, strange lights etc. It would be great if there were some sort of other creature out there than just zombies like the stalkers in namalsk.

[Shiki Nanaya 9]

Honestly I would be fine with more mutated zombies. If you think about it (logically), zombies could just be run over by a tank and then call it a day. So i'd say make different types of zombies like the stalkers in namalsk. Actually i would be more then happy if they added stalkers to stand-alone and that they come out during night time and the only way to keep them at bay is to use flare/campfires. Not only does this give your position away to other players but It would be nice if zombies got attracted to light sources as well. So if they did that then you would also have to fear the horde of zombies coming towards your location with the Stalkers hiding within them.

[burritoman259 593]

Those are the people that don't play Skyrim because it has spiders in it (who are arguably the weakest/most laughable enemies in the whole game)

Never mock the ice spiders, Never

[hoik 415]

That fully/un-expected 'crack' of a bullet passing by your ear still gets me. I would have to say that for maximum theatrics night time is the way to go - the blacker the better :) . This is a pic of me looking back over electro after a frantic escape from zeds and other people - that was not my flare...

[VisionTwelve 24]

Is DayZ scary anymore?

Sadly, like Dead Space 1 and 2 (3 was never scary), WaW Nazi Zombies, and many other games, DayZ has lost the chill factor, the fear factor. I no longer get the adrenaline rush of charging into Cherno and getting out with a survival knife like that makes me God. I've resorted to killing myself once a week/playing random private-hive servers to restart, but by the 7th death day, I've got NVGs, a Coyote Patrol Pack (is that the small-looking brown US one that is super awesome?), a hero skin, and a FN Fal, whether from raiding military loot areas or killing a**hole bandits.

The first week of DayZ was an emotional roller coaster. I died probably once every day, for various reasons, for my first 3 weeks. Every second near the shore sounded like a car or a helicopter was coming to kill me. I was scared, alone, and afraid; I shot anything that moved, and paid dearly.

But now I have learned, adapted, become experienced with A2 and DayZ. I don't for see DayZ SA bringing that fear, so central to the zombie-survival genre, bringing that back, and I feel like that might hurt its reputation among long time DayZ players, who will expect action and explosions and zombies and love and loss and rage and joy, who have already felt and ignored these feelings through DayZ mod gameplay.

That doesn't mean I won't be purchasing DayZ SA, of course! I couldn't let all those a**hole bandits live, now could I?

Maybe I'm just an idiot, and can't perceive a threat more obvious than a Hollywood "Jump Scare," but the reason I got around to thinking about this is because I recently picked Garry's Mod back up. We're talking a Half-Life 2-based, low-resolution game with very typical FPS controls and no penalty for death. But I downloaded/installed an addon called "Nightville," and THIS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKkQ7snKh6U scared me more than DayZ could today. Ask me a few months ago and I'd shudder at the name, "DayZ," or the mention of bandits. But now, I just laugh... Has American Hollywood and independent films (like the Blair Witch Project) ruined horror in general for the world over?

I still get scared of namalsk... ...fuckin hate that map and I fuckin hate bloodsuckers. They make me fuckin scream

[ButtHat 96]

The unknown is scary. Once you know what to expect and you know what's around every corner, there's not surprise. No penalty for death because you know how to quickly acquire new gear and carry on.

Fear is simply a way for the human body to heighten it's senses to help self preservation. Once you know nothing bad is going to happen and if it does, you can quickly return to the same state the body's need for fear is over and it becomes another game.

Walk through a haunted house. The first time is always where you jump the most. It's not the game's fault, you've just become desensitized to it. I've found not over doing it helps. Take a break for a week or two. Once you climb back on you'll get a little bit of that rush. Not to the extent previously, but it comes back a little bit.

[applejaxc 2500]

Nope that's not weird. You are actually a human being and by that I mean someone who actually wants to die on their own terms and not because of someone else.

That's the rational I've been using. :)