Suggestions on how to start playing

[zombieland78 42]

Hi Guys, 

 

Disclaimer: total noob, please don't flame!

 

I've been watching most of the popular DayZ video diaries. Mainly Standalone but a bit of mod. Really fancy having a go but not keen on the idea of paying for the game quite yet as it still seems rife with bugs and/or primitive game play.

 

I saw that arma 2 is available for very cheap now so just wondering if the mod version of DayZ is still a viable option as a cheaper way to test the water? Is that mod and all the relevant servers still going strong?

 

If so, do I just buy arma 2 and download the mod for free? or... do you still have to pay for the mod separately anyway?

 

Thanks :)

Edited April 15, 2014 by zombieland78

[Salva (DayZ) 52]

The mod is still viable, yes. Tons of servers and way more options and variants to play. 

 

Compared to standalone, the mod offers:

 

Standard DayZ Mod

DayZero (survival style like vanilla but with custom features)

DayZ Overwatch (lots of weapons and pvp)

DayZ Epoch (base building and AI missions)

 

Just to name a few.

 

You're best off buying Arma 2 Combined Operations (Arma 2 + Operation Arrowhead) and then use DayZ Commander (http://www.dayzcommander.com/) to download the DayZ version you wish to try. You can also update your Arma 2 beta patch with DayZ Commander, saves some work. Hope this helped you a bit.

[zombieland78 42]

Cool, ok that's downloading to Steam now. I'm not 100% sure on how to put dayz commander and arma 2 together but I did install commander (in a state of confusion) before hand and it said that it couldn't find my arma install, so hopefully that means that once arma IS installed, it'll take me through it somewhat intuitively. Is that about right? Or is it more fussy than that? lol 

Edited April 15, 2014 by zombieland78

[Salva (DayZ) 52]

All you have to do, after Arma 2 and OA finished downloading and installing on steam is fire them up both one time and then close it again. Then you can isntall the latest beta patch via DayZ Commander and pick a DayZ version. You do have both the regular Arma 2 and Operation Arrowhead?

[zombieland78 42]

Fair enough. Hopefully simple then. Cheers :)

 

As per your recommendation I bought 'combined operations'. It's currently downloading 'Arma 2' and under that I see two more available 'Operation Arrowhead' and 'Operation Arrowhead Beta'. Any good?

[Salva (DayZ) 52]

Yeah thats it :)

[iBane 381]

You can learn how to play the game on either SA or the Mod...yes, details are different, but the basic mechanics are the same.  That being said the Mod, as Salva points out, is currently in a mature state with much greater in-game content , numerous server setups/variations, additional maps, etc.  

 

I started and learned to play DayZ on the SA version, but have gone over to the Mod (mostly the EPOCH variation).  I go back to SA and will continue to do so when major content updates roll-out, but between these there's just a lot more to do in the Mod.  

 

Good luck!

[zombieland78 42]

Thanks iBane :) hopefully should be fun!

 

Quick question folks, I installed Arma 2 and now it's downloading Operation Arrowhead. Because I just bought this PC and it's my first SSD, it's just filled up :/ so wondering if I can uninstall regular Arma 2 if DayZ requires Op Arrowhead, or does it need both?

 

Secondary question (points if you can answer this one) seeing as my main OS SS drive is full, I decided to install Arrowhead on my other internal D drive. Reckon this will work ok? or should they be on the same drive as windows/each other?

Edited April 15, 2014 by zombieland78

[Karmaterror 982]

You will need Arma 2 and arrowhead installed to play the mod. Don't uninstall A2 lol ;)

 

Cant help with 2nd part.....not that tech savvy, but I cant see it being an issue :)

[zombieland78 42]

Ok, almost there. 

 

Got DayZ mod running from within DayZ Commander. But when I play it, it sort of looks a little old or something. I installed the mod via the install menu from Commander, just the regular DayZ mod. The inventory doesn't look like I've seen in other videos and the hungry/thirsty icons are tightly grouped together (slightly overlapping).

 

I mean, this could even be because my version is actually much newer than the videos I'm looking at, lol. 

 

What do you advise?

 

EDIT: ah, I've just tried another server and it's slightly different (icons are normally spaced). Can different servers play slightly differently?

Edited April 15, 2014 by zombieland78