User Review : DayZ

Day Z Standalone - Alpha Impressions

History of DayZ

DayZ Standalone is what was supposed to be the final and finished product of the popular Arma 2 mod that goes by the same name. The mod was loved for creating a very engaging, long and personal experience that was built upon by other mods later released such as DayZ Epoch and Breaking Point. The Standalone version is the "official” game being published by Bohemia Interactive alongside the creator of the mod, Dean Hall. Even after setting off in creating a complete and polished game starting back in 2012 the release date was continuously pushed back to later dates and people became more and more worried that the standalone would just end up what they had known it to be, an idea forever stuck in development. Then the guys at Bohemia Interactive decided to become one with the current trend of releasing "early access” to their game which is still in the hard alpha stages of development.

What are my First Impressions

My first Impression with DayZ Standalone is actually pretty mellow. Between the crashes starting up the game and bugs that are in the game. Such as my Axe making gun shot noises as I swing it and my bullets magically not hitting it's mark knowing I was right on target with my sniper rifle. I looked up these things as well to make sure I was not the only one with these problems and I was not. There are countless people experiencing these problems with the game which should of been fixed or not there at all due to it's long life as a mod in Arma 2.

Besides that glaring issue the game actually runs pretty darn smoothly, although there are some minor hiccups here and there and graphical features that need optimising as there seems to be the typical issue of perfectly capable computers, not being able to run the game at the top end of the graphics spectrum.

Gameplay

For new players the Gameplay right when you start could be a think that can make you put your fist through your computer screen. No lie. When I first started and I didn't play the Mod for Arma 2 so yes I did go in the game kind of blind but I knew what it was and what it was about. The game put me into a server and it spawned me with no information at all. Again this is not a issue for people who are experienced or have played the mod in Arma 2 but for a new player this is a issue. You spawn in with nothing but the shirt on your back and your lucky or not so lucky pair of pants. A handy dandy flashlight and a few batteries. Nothing else. You could be spawning in a city or out in the wilderness. It could be daytime or nighttime. Whatever the case no matter where you spawn and what time of day it is the game will punish you for not knowing what you are doing and will challenge you even when you figure everything out and find out what to do, but that is just the beginning. Then you have to worry about uneasy survivors who will kill you when the time is right or just flat out and zombies who are around every corner. And when you die, and you WILL die. You go back to nothing, you old body is being picked apart for loot as you cry because you lost everything you had.

There is not set objective to this game other than; Find a weapon, protect yourself. Get a backpack and possibly bring a friend along and maybe hunt down other survivors for more, better loot.

However, with all that said. The Gameplay for the most part is fun. At times boring when it comes to traveling between towns and camps. From cities to military facilities, Yes you can make a car or steal one from another player and yes I know traveling is part of the game but if you are playing solo it comes a choir. With a group of people or friends, it just as fun as the rest of the game with all the silly stuff you can get into.

The shooting mechanics are okay, not great, not really bad but good. They get the job done for a game like this without to much hassel since it is the same engine that powers the Arma series, but on the oppisite side of the coin the Melee combat falls pretty flat. It is fine but with no dismemberment or no rewarding effects there is just no satisfaction when it comes to beating someone with a axe or a bat.

The only big let down for me is that the zombies only really feel like a distraction, rather than a threat. They will always be there and yet they strike no where near as much fear into the player as does stumbling across another potentially hostile player.

In the long run I’d imagine that many of the issues that I have mentioned will have been rectified, and by no means is the game in its current state “bad”. So if you are willing to put up with a few little niggles here and there, and bearing in mind that this is an alpha then I would definitely recommend that you pick up a copy.

Experiences I had in the game

Nothing is better than a in-game story to help you guys picture that stuff you can get into. This is from my personal experience with the game.

While searching for a gun running West of Kamyshovo along the railroad tracks I was stopped by a bandit holding a rifle. He told me to put my hands up in the air, to get off of the tracks and follow him into the woods. I told him because of his distance I couldn't hear what he wanted. He shot me in the leg for not moving after he counted to 3. So I walked a few paces towards the douchebag and he started back peddling not realizing there was a wall behind him. I told shit lips to watch out behind him as he tried sidestepping to swing behind me. This gave me enough time to pull out my fireman's ax and free the beast all over the back of his head. The last words he heard muttered as he bled out on the grass was, "you fucked up now didn't you?" I looted this bastard for everything he had. Guns, ammo, med kits, food."

Another Story is when I actually first started to play. I met up with this one dude, we were cool with each other for awhile but then the man tried to handcuff me and pretty much kill me. He failed, I took it upon myself to book it out of there, he shot a few times and got me good. I managed to find a place to hide, and the guy couldn't find me... Thank god I had med-pack. Anyways after that I log off for a bit (hour or so to get something to eat and drink and calm the nerves). When I log back on I am wary about the man who could still be around, so knowing where I am I book it to the nearest town. I go into the second story of a building, looks out the window, and I sees that same guy getting mauled by zombies. Pure Justice. So I run over and kill all the zombies, which wasn't much as he took down a few himself. As I look around the room I hear over my headset him asking for him. It would seem that he was bleeding out. I tell him okay. He thanks me. As I get closer I pull out my gun and pop a few

Yes I know both of these stories is me coming out on top, but that is the way of it in this game. Eat or be eaten.