3rd Time A Charm

[daniel.owens@iqu.com 43]

So I bought ARMA II a while ago searching for a 'more realistic shooter' and played a little, but not quite that much. To try get some value out of my purchase, I decided to try out this DayZ mod a friend had briefly mentioned. I must say that upon logging in for the first time, I had absolutely no idea what to do and spent a good 5 hours or so just running around, trying to sneak in to villages, only to find nothing and die. I got frustrated, I invested a lot of time to only find death, but I was intrigued by what appeared to be a steep learning curve and difficult gameplay. Putting it down for a few days, I finally went back and convinced myself I was going to try a real slow and safe approach to everything. I was doing great, until I got stuck in the middle of the mountains with no idea where to go and to my own lack of navigation, I once again put the mod down. I just wasn't seeing the excitement everyone else seems to in the videos on YouTube, so I thought I probably wouldn't pick it up again.

This was until yesterday at work, I was required to write an article about DayZ and that had me thinking about the mod again. I set home that afternoon to FINALLY try and understand why this mod is so fun. I spawned on the far west coast in the middle of the night and immediately began making my way east, I decided to try and look for farms as I figured if these villages are turning up empty, surely the country folk will have guns! I didn't find a farm, but I did find an airfield and immediately made my way over. Every time I have tried to go near anything previously, there have been zombies everywhere, this time it seemed there was one loner off in an open field and that was it. This told me I was either lucky, or someone has been here already, leaving little chances of loot. I saw three hangars, but also a watch tower which looked like it would be the safest place to look for supplies while also scoping out the surrounding area before laying claim to these hangars. The strategy paid off, there was a makarov upstairs, this was an epic moment for me, I was yet to hold a gun in DayZ and so to finally have something to shoot was a great feeling. I began to look around when I started to hear groaning, then yes of course, there was another survivor who had attracted several zombies and taken to the top of the watch tower where I now lay, panicking, pinned to the ground protecting my new shiny.

He laid waste to the zombies he attracted, and then saluted me before awaiting a response. I wasn't sure what to do at this point, I see countless people saying trust no one, and as an EVE player I can totally get down with that. Besides this though, this guy looked like he had some decent loot, I had a new gun, and in the name of survival I could play a shoot on sight rule like everyone else, and probably come out with better gear than before. I decided to put my life in the hands of the zombie gods, and saluted back hoping for someone friendly. He accepted my friendship and motioned for me to follow him. We set out to clear out the hangars, followed by the rest of the buildings, and then further. This player took me across the coast, weaving in and out of each village, taking anything we can find and killing any zombie who opposed us and earned his bullet. The other survivor was a great leader, he would leave gear for me when it seemed of use, and was never greedy when sharing findings of better gear or food. It wasn't long before I had become fully stocked up with a G17, an AKM, a bunch of equipment to see in the dark and other supplies. For the first time my character was actually not hungry or thirsty as well, this guy was helping me make progress.

Before I knew it, it was 3am and we had been running around for hours. I can safely say at this point that I now understand why everyone finds this mod so fun. The adventures we had, the little moments between moments, made for a crazy night of good ol' fashioned gaming. Thanks for not being a jerk to a new guy, random survivor, you've convinced me to stay and play.

[Caviano 287]

Very good story, glad to have you on the friendly side of this ordeal. Together we will survive friend. Together and ONLY together. Breath another day, friend.

[Michaelvoodoo25 3120]

It's good to read stuff like this, as it points out it can be done if people want it. Forget Shoot On Site, it gets boring, that moment when you just dont know and It turns out safe is one of the best feelings in the game for me.

[daniel.owens@iqu.com 43]

Thanks guys, it defniitely seems that being friendly has its rewards. If I had of shot that guy, I probably wouldn't have learned a lot of the things I did so quickly while following him around. Plus beyond what I could steal from him, I wouldn't have found all the great loot that should at least keep me alive for a few more days :P Also the game is a lot more exciting when you are working as a team, can't buy that as a bandit... unless you're a bandit with friends >.>

Edited July 17, 2012 by WintersWolf

[DZR_Mikhail 2424]

I'm glad you went lucky to find a good guy. In my opinion, telling that people only kill each other for beans in DayZ is no more than an analogue of the crime statistics in real world. In RL we have lots of ruthless criminals spilling blood. Yes, they are numerous, it's disturbing. But in general, people live, help each other and live further whatever happens, zombie, nuclear or any other apocalypse.

Bad things are easily forgotten. Good things - never. All that will be left in our memories about DayZ will consist of such awesome help\cooperation stories in full color and detail, with a tiny vague gray note to oneself "and yes, there were bad times, but we got over it".

DayZ is more real than we all think. It is a model of human emotional and moral evolution. At first you may think it's a game, then "damn difficult game", then you realize there's something more than a game. Then you go roleplay and find all the freedom of DayZ or may be go coast-noob-shooting and quit it... And so on. I myself enjoy every moment of DayZ I can until it's gone. I won't ever forget this. For me this is the best game of all times. Uncompared emotions, experience and tension\happiness range. When DayZ standalone will be out next year, things may change and never be the same again. I really hope DayZ standalone game will explode and give us even more fun.

Edited July 17, 2012 by -=PA=-Mikhail

[daniel.owens@iqu.com 43]

I agree completely. I am a huge sandbox fan, and I am yet to play a game that allows you to be evil where there isn't a large group/s of players fighting for the cause of good. The mod is the perfect example of a social experiment, and a very fragile one at that. I am yet to witness a game which strikes such true emotions from players, from that survivor who gets overly excited when he finally comes across another player after hours of loneliness to that tense situation when two clans bump into each other. You can't fake this kind of stuff, and I am glad that Rocket is doing his best to focus on how the game makes you feel, rather than what "features" the game has to offer.