First impression of DayZ SA

[generic username 2]

Greetings

 

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Peter and I'm completely new to DayZ.

 

I recently forked out USD30 for this game and I am so glad I did. I fully understood that I'd be getting a game that was still in Alpha testing, and that gameplay would be hampered by bugs/glitches. That being said, there haven't been any notable incidents such as zombies clipping through walls, the occasional opening and closing of doors and the haphazard melee fighting in general, which have put me off playing the game. The bugs, although prevalent, hardly detract from the gaming experience and if you're a patient player, they won't bother you so much that you'd end up ragequitting. In my opinion, the game is worth the money, especially considering that you'll be getting the full title (expected in 2015) at no extra cost. And it obviously goes without saying that the launch title will be considerably more than USD30.

I never played the Mod version, so cannot compare the two. The game does seem quite resource-heavy which is to be expected until further optimization development is patched. Let me walk you through my first few hours of gameplay. Please note that this is the first time I've ever played such a game and I am completely new to the survival genre.

 

I spawned in the back yard of a house, next to a ravenous zombie, I kid you not. I read online that most people spawn on or near the coast. I spawn next to a zombie. I wasn't even fully familiar with the controls yet and this zombie is attacking me like I ate his last brains. He landed a couple shots as I was skilfully crouching, going prone, standing up, then going prone again, because I was frantically trying to find the sprint key by hitting everything, and I started bleeding. I gave up and casually jogged into an abandoned house, zombie having no trouble keeping up and drilling my bunghole, closed the door behind me and went upstairs. I could see the zombie clipping into the house at the bottom of the stairs, although he didn't come up. Don't think he knows how to use stairs. I wanted to restart the whole game at this point as I was nearly dead anyway. My screen lost a lot of saturation, indicating blood loss. I bandaged myself up with my t-shirt and contemplated my next move. After learning all the controls I decided to run like Usain Bolt and get the hell out of the town, which I did, learning that the zombies tend to be slower than the players when sprinting. They're currently not even much of a threat, more like annoying children. I didn't have to be as afraid as I was. Maybe that will be fixed in later patches, making zombies more dangerous. I explored a bit, found an axe and construction helmet (looking like a Village People reject now), ate and drank stuff, and eventually the colour returned and I was near healthy. Even slayed a couple zombies. Throughout all my hours of playing, I have yet to encounter another player. I have no idea where I am, where to go, what to do next. I found a compass so I figured I'd just head in a single direction. One thing I can tell you, the in-game character is a whiny, arrogant, needy a-hole. Forever reminding you that "I want to drink", or "I want to eat something". It's a zombie apocalypse and all you think about is food? I shall name my character Brock (from Pokémon).
 

Anyway, thanks for reading this far. I've got an idea, newspawns unite in a supergroup or something, pillage the land like a swarm of locusts, and form a community. What do you think?

[Dagwood 680]

Enjoy this time of ignorance. This is when dayz is the most exhilarating. Don't go on YouTube and look up where to find all the uber loot. Figuring everything out for yourself will be much more entertaining and ultimately fulfilling.

Welcome to the clusterfuck that is dayz.

[makomachine 263]

Enjoy it - can't remember a game that I spent $30 on and got 300 hours playing time in and still having fun. On a break at the moment, but expect I'll get double that easy when the game gets closer to completion. Bargain basement, best bang for the buck fun in this persons opinion. Just got to look past the Alpha warts.

[thelonewarrior 886]

Just remember when you encounter someone to stay hidden while talking if you decide to make contact as you never know their intentions

Edited May 2, 2014 by Regulator Lone Warrior

[[Outcasts]Massacre 121]

nice post man, welcome to DayZ, if you need a hand or have questions feel free to PM me, we might be able to meet up in game and get you some gear.

 

ps, be wary of other people, most people kill on sight except when your in a team/group with them, or they know you to be a friendly.

Edited May 2, 2014 by Massacre

[sobieski12 835]

Bookmark this map, let it be your guide to DayZ

http://dayzdb.com/map

 

Probably the map that is being used by the entire DayZ community.

[Irish. 4886]

Congrats so far!

 

The first time you meet a player you will either see them first or this:

"You are Dead."

 

...Good luck! ;)

Edited May 2, 2014 by lrish

[hannibaldaplaya 1095]

Congrats so far!

 

The first time you meet a player you will either see them first or this:

"You are Dead."

 

...Good luck! ;)

 

Dirty assumptions, Irish, not everyone kills on sight.

[hefeweizen 254]

Glad you enjoyed your experience. DayZ is amazing when you are first getting started and have no idea where everything is and what it does.

When Arma 2: Combined Operations goes on sale you'd be doing yourself a favor by picking it up, the mod is a great way to get an idea of where the standalone is going to end up. Both the vanilla mod and the more popular DayZ Epoch have their own charm. Private hives do away with things like server hopping, ghosting and for the most part combat logging. Plus, vehicles/persistent storage really flesh the game out nicely in a way that hasn't been achieved in the alpha yet.

 

Once the Standalone is closer to completion it'll surely be hard to compete with as for as zombie survival goes, but at the moment it sounds like you'd really enjoy the mod.

[generic username 2]

Bookmark this map, let it be your guide to DayZ

http://dayzdb.com/map

 

Probably the map that is being used by the entire DayZ community.

Hey thanks, it's quite detailed. Bookmarked

[Hetstaine 10852]

Patience will get you miles in this game, nice to read an unwhiny thread :)