Thoughts from my first day playing DayZ

[DifferentFrogs 0]

Preface: I understand this is only a mod, and that it is free. I didn’t make this post to whine or complain; what I really want to do here is share my experiences with the game and compare them to those of others.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I didn’t enjoy this game. I really hoped I would – it looked amazing from the reviews – but in the end I simply didn’t have fun playing today. While there are many specific problems I could write about here that frustrated me, many of them appear to be limitations of the ARMA II engine, and the others I’m sure have been brought up and addressed. I would also be capable of overlooking most of them if the game itself was solid.

Here’s a quick overview of how my day went:

First half:

1. Spawn

2. Move towards settlement in the hope of finding guns

3. By trial and error, spend 15 minutes finding the 1 building in 10 that is enterable while remaining undetected (by going prone mostly)

4. Enter the building, find tin cans, hatchets and pasta

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until I attract the attention of a zombie

6. Die

7. Repeat

After realizing this was not the way to succeed, I watched some tutorials and read the guide. The second half of my day was spent thus:

1. Spawn

2. Move towards settlement in the hope of finding guns in houses, and maybe a deerstalker if I'm lucky

3. By trial and error, run around until finding the 1 building in 10 that is enterable

4. Run inside the building, find tin cans, hatchets and pasta

5. Enter the building, find tin cans, hatchets and pasta

6. Attract the attention of a zombie

7. Attempt to lose the zombie in buildings

8. Repeat steps 3 through 7 until I fail to lose the zombies

9. Die

10. Repeat

The game just wasn't fun. Most of the buildings were not enterable, and the ones that were had shit all inside them. The only decent places to find loot were guarded by other players. Zombies were almost impossible to defeat without a gun, and the only reliable way of getting rid of them felt cheap and unrealistic (why do zombies move slowly in buildings?)

The only game I've played with a steeper learning curve than DayZ is Dwarf Fortress. I’m sure it has the potential to be great fun if you spend a couple of weeks memorizing the map and the best spawns, learning the layouts of the towns and their buildings. But I don't have that sort of time. If, despite following online guides, I can't find a gun within the first 6 hours of gameplay, I find it very difficult to keep trying.

Does everyone feel this way starting out? I know this game is not supposed to be easy in the least, but when the only alternatives it seems to present are crawling around for hours, or running around for hours with 5 zombies on my tail, it is neither fun nor realistic, nor does it instill any sense of thrill or fear.

What were your starting experiences with DayZ? Should I try for a bit longer and try and push through the learning curve, or is this game just not for me?

Edited July 27, 2012 by DifferentFrogs

[Caviano 287]

If you'd like a helping hand, I offer my services in teaching basics and such. Only to those who have a working microphone and willingness to download mumble.

[Arach (DayZ) 7]

When i started playing DayZ, i had already looked up lots of guides and tutorial videos, so it was relatively easy for me to get into it.

But otherwise i'm sure its frustrating as hell.

Though i loved DayZ right from the start, i introduced it to a friend. He hated it, so the more you know before you go out there, the more pleasant it would be.

But of course, its not for everyone, so you might never like it i guess.

[DifferentFrogs 0]

If you'd like a helping hand, I offer my services in teaching basics and such. Only to those who have a working microphone and willingness to download mumble.

Thanks very much Caviano, I really appreciate the offer. However, someone was already kind enough to teach me the basics, so I understand how the inventory and weapons systems work, how to interact with the environment, how health, hunger etc. all work. I also understand what the best places to find weapons are.

What I want to be able to do is find some way of defending myself without having to rely on charity. I can't bring myself to believe that the game is designed in such a way it takes more than 10 spawns to find a weapon (when working alone), yet that's what it seems like so far :(

[MisterNine 7]

This an alpha version of a mod built on an unpolished 5 or 6 year old game engine. You are not playing a finished product polished for mass appeal. That being said, spend some time doing some research on the wiki and you will gain vast insight.

[Rising (DayZ) 99]

I cannot agree enough, the amount of pointless buildings really kills the game for me atmosphere wise at the moment. Like you said, you work really hard to get near that building around millions of zombies (most of wch magically walk towards you most of the time), just to see a painted door. ESpecially when youre dying of thirst and out of ammo... really fun.

[osiriszoran 33]

read my guide in my sig.

[ODoyleRulez 195]

I am glad you took the time to share your opinion, but this is not supposed to be made mainstream. Either you will love the survival element or you wont.

Learning curve is no easy thing in this game. But that is sort of a trial by fire and survival element in itself. You can either just yet give up, or get with some people who will show you the ropes and take the edge off (if you can't handle doing that alone).

This is a hardcore experience, some people can do it alone. Others need a helping hand, at least at the beginning. I was one of the ones who just dove in alone and thrived. Some of my friends didn't make it until I helped them. It is just one of those things.

I hope you can get over the wall or find whatever game makes you happy to play :)

[ODoyleRulez 195]

Thanks very much Caviano, I really appreciate the offer. However, someone was already kind enough to teach me the basics, so I understand how the inventory and weapons systems work, how to interact with the environment, how health, hunger etc. all work. I also understand what the best places to find weapons are.

What I want to be able to do is find some way of defending myself without having to rely on charity. I can't bring myself to believe that the game is designed in such a way it takes more than 10 spawns to find a weapon (when working alone), yet that's what it seems like so far :(

Sometimes you find a gun the first house you go in. Sometimes you find one 2 towns over. That is the unpredictable nature of it..

[DifferentFrogs 0]

This an alpha version of a mod built on an unpolished 5 or 6 year old game engine. You are not playing a finished product polished for mass appeal. That being said, spend some time doing some research on the wiki and you will gain vast insight.

Thanks; I am aware of the game state, that is a mod and it is free. Like I said above, I don't mean to whine or complain. What I want to do is understand why the game seems so awful when it's very popular. I want to solicit opinions before I give up and part ways, just to make sure there isn't anything I'm doing badly wrong.

I have read all the wiki guides. The wiki zombie guide has this to say about zombies:

"Zed do have a slight problem climbing stairs and ladders but this is only to buy you a little time... they WILL come up (or down) after you, eventually. The best bet is to run up or down a hill. Zed can usually be outran doing either of these for a long enough distance.

As a last ditch maneuver run like hell towards another survivor(s) and hopefully they will either help you shoot them."

I don't want to waste my time playing a game in which the best way to escape from enemies is to exploit a glitch in AI programming and engine mechanics. If that's the case, I'd like to know that now before I commit myself to really trying to overcome the learning curve.

Edited July 27, 2012 by DifferentFrogs

[sausagekingofchicago 4711]

You found ways to defend yourself. It sounds like you didn't realize it though.

The hatchet is probably the best weapon in the game for zombies. To equip it, open your inventroy (press G), right click the hatchet, and select 'remove from toolbet'. This places it in your primary weapon slot. (currently you need to reload it, its funny and should remind you that it's in alpha stage of development)

There you go. You now have a great weapon to fight off zombies with. Not too effective for players though but a good start.

It's best to use it inside buildings until you get the hang of its range. Once you do, you can take down zombies by sneaking up on them from behind and by running backwards until they take swipe at you (this one is very hard though so use so don't expect it to work right away).

Hope some of that helps. I'm surprised the guy who taught you the basics forgot this.

Also, GO NORTH. Don't run along the coast.

Edited July 27, 2012 by SausageKingofChicago

[DifferentFrogs 0]

I am glad you took the time to share your opinion, but this is not supposed to be made mainstream. Either you will love the survival element or you wont.

Learning curve is no easy thing in this game. But that is sort of a trial by fire and survival element in itself. You can either just yet give up, or get with some people who will show you the ropes and take the edge off (if you can't handle doing that alone).

This is a hardcore experience, some people can do it alone. Others need a helping hand, at least at the beginning. I was one of the ones who just dove in alone and thrived. Some of my friends didn't make it until I helped them. It is just one of those things.

I hope you can get over the wall or find whatever game makes you happy to play :)

Thanks :) I'm beginning to think that this game is not for me (and also that I was incredibly unlucky with guns. I searched 30 + houses/factories/deerstalkers/barns today without finding a gun.)

Edited July 27, 2012 by DifferentFrogs

[ODoyleRulez 195]

Also this map will help you understand how and what type of loot spawns where.

http://dayzdb.com/map#3.069.056

I hope that helps some.

[Sgt Abraham Ford 82]

It's not for everyone. I read tutorials, stories, and the forums for days before I purchased Arma. It shouldn't take you more than 15 mins to find a weapon, and I never aggro zeds anymore unless I'm being lazy. Either take your time and learn the proper distance when dealing with zombies, or aggro zeds and repeat your steps. I honestly am not sure if zombies have ever killed me without assistance from a bug or player, so I'm not sure what you're doing to attract/ fail to lose them. In any case, learn the building types you can enter so you don't spend ten minutes crawling up to each building. Use dayzdb.com map if necessary, but knowing every building where you can go to find loot does take a lot of the mystery and excitement away.

[zyfer.nyholm@gmail.com 131]

I cannot agree enough, the amount of pointless buildings really kills the game for me atmosphere wise at the moment. Like you said, you work really hard to get near that building around millions of zombies (most of wch magically walk towards you most of the time), just to see a painted door. ESpecially when youre dying of thirst and out of ammo... really fun.

the mod is currently running on another engine, if you are blaming dayz for having "houses without doors" you have come to the wrong place, and its not something that will be changed at all, so the point of whining about it is .000. best thing to do here is to recognize which buildings can be enterable, or is that to hard? there are also maps you can google, loot maps.

[DifferentFrogs 0]

You found ways to defend yourself. It sounds like you didn't realize it though.

The hatchet is probably the best weapon in the game for zombies. To equip it, open your inventroy (press G), right click the hatchet, and select 'remove from toolbet'. This places it in your primary weapon slot. (currently you need to reload it, its funny and should remind you that it's in alpha stage of development)

There you go. You now have a great weapon to fight off zombies with. Not too effective for players though but a good start.

It's best to use it inside buildings until you get the hang of its range. Once you do, you can take down zombies by sneaking up on them from behind and by running backwards until they take swipe at you (this one is very hard though so use so don't expect it to work right away).

Hope some of that helps. I'm surprised the guy who taught you the basics forgot this.

Also, GO NORTH. Don't run along the coast.

He did, don't worry! I tried the hatchet every time I got too frustrated with running, and while it worked on the first few zombies, I was never able to use it without being hit, and was usually overcome in the end. It sounds like I need to spend a day or so practicing with it, which unfortunately is not something I have the time to do at the moment :(

Edited July 27, 2012 by DifferentFrogs

[ODoyleRulez 195]

Honestly I don't think any of us plays because we exactly like the pain in the but a fresh spawn can be ( it can be a blast sometimes though ).. which is what makes the later part so amazing. You always have the thought in your head, that if you screw up or someone murderers you.. that you gota go back to start. Makes your life even more valuable.

[DifferentFrogs 0]

the mod is currently running on another engine, if you are blaming dayz for having "houses without doors" you have come to the wrong place, and its not something that will be changed at all, so the point of whining about it is .000. best thing to do here is to recognize which buildings can be enterable, or is that to hard? there are also maps you can google, loot maps.

I'm not blaming the mod (perhaps he is but I'm not :P ), but like you said I would have to learn which houses are enterable, which is one more thing necessary to learn before I can really get into the game. Again, I'm thinking it's not for me - I just don't have the time to commit to learning if I'm not going to have fun doing it.

[Sgt Abraham Ford 82]

Thanks; I am aware of the game state, that is a mod and it is free. Like I said above, I don't mean to whine or complain. What I want to do is understand why the game seems so awful when it's very popular. I want to solicit opinions before I give up and part ways, just to make sure there isn't anything I'm doing badly wrong.

I have read all the wiki guides. The wiki zombie guide has this to say about zombies:

"Zed do have a slight problem climbing stairs and ladders but this is only to buy you a little time... they WILL come up (or down) after you, eventually. The best bet is to run up or down a hill. Zed can usually be outran doing either of these for a long enough distance.

As a last ditch maneuver run like hell towards another survivor(s) and hopefully they will either help you shoot them."

I don't want to waste my time playing a game in which the best way to escape from enemies is to exploit a glitch in AI programming and engine mechanics. If that's the case, I'd like to know that now before I commit myself to really trying to overcome the learning curve.

It's alpha, AI is sloppy and unrealized at this stage. Come back in six months if you feel you're wasting your time man. Only those of us that truly enjoy the survival experience in a zombie apocalypse are digging it, and even when burnt out I still play as I realize I am helping to test an alpha stage mod to help improve the game. At this stage, the "game" has a long way to go, and certainly isn't going to be fun for everyone.

[ODoyleRulez 195]

the mod is currently running on another engine, if you are blaming dayz for having "houses without doors" you have come to the wrong place, and its not something that will be changed at all, so the point of whining about it is .000. best thing to do here is to recognize which buildings can be enterable, or is that to hard? there are also maps you can google, loot maps.

You know what?.. You don't have to be a dick to the guy. It takes us all a while to figure out what buildings we can go into just from looking at it from a distance. So why don't you keep you self righteous bull crap to yourself.

Also MR Knowitall.. FYI. Rocket actually did say later in the development they are going to be adjusting things and adding the ability to enter a wider range of buildings.

[osiriszoran 33]

yeah the game isnt for lazy people or those used to having their hand held.

[DifferentFrogs 0]

It's alpha, AI is sloppy and unrealized at this stage. Come back in six months if you feel you're wasting your time man. Only those of us that truly enjoy the survival experience in a zombie apocalypse are digging it, and even when burnt out I still play as I realize I am helping to test an alpha stage mod to help improve the game. At this stage, the "game" has a long way to go, and certainly isn't going to be fun for everyone.

I think you're absolutely correct here: I lack the patience necessary to play an alpha mod.

I think I'll give up for now and wait for a full release on a new engine, and when it does come out I'll throw my money at it :P

[Sgt Abraham Ford 82]

Sounds like a plan, Stan. Good luck, [obligatory GO PLAY L4D!!!!one1! here]

[DifferentFrogs 0]

yeah the game isnt for lazy people or those used to having their hand held.

Fair enough. That's the impression I'm getting from responses to this thread.

My general rule is if I can't figure out how to enjoy a game within the first day of playing it, then it's not worth continuing to try. I know others enjoy overcoming steep learning curves, and that games that have those types of curves can be very rewarding once you figure everything out, but I don't want to spend a week of my life learning how to overcome the quirks of the engine and AI before I can have fun.

I have school at the moment as well, and need a game that don't require the same of time commitment as one of my courses :)

Edited July 27, 2012 by DifferentFrogs

[DifferentFrogs 0]

read my guide in my sig.

Thanks, I will try that before I give up once and for all.