My DayZ Experience

I began trying to write a short story based on my experience in DayZ, but was having a tough time putting something down that sat well with me. Because I was determined to make that post, and never was able to, I have not posted in a while. I figure I can scrap that Idea and just make due with a review.

When I first heard about DayZ, I think I might have teared up a little. Zombie fan/Gamers have been waiting for a game to come out that really did the genre justice since Resident Evil's hay day. As may have been apparent in my post about perma-death in an MMO, I have been itching for a game that would test my limits, DayZ filled this need perfectly. DayZ does feature permanent death, and has a very tough learning curve. 

I will start with the cons, because at this point, DayZ is not a game for everyone. DayZ is actually a mod for the military simulator ARMA II, and features a lot of the hyper realistic aspects of the ARMA II engine. I personally wouldn't have it any other way, zombie survival should be realistic! But I know plenty of gamers who don't like having to worry about scavenging for food, and water to stay alive, or falling and breaking a leg and having to crawl all the way to the hospital for morphine. At times the engine can be very frustrating, but for me, this is part of what made DayZ stand out as the gem that it is. I will warn you though, avoid going swimming! Not only will you get a cold after a while and need antibiotics, but the stuff in your bag will fall to the bottom of the ocean/lake (I know, that ones strange). Aside from the realism that may act as a deterrent, This game can be very glitchy, and requires a ton of patience at times. 

The reason that I wanted to make a creative piece about my time in DayZ is because this game plays out like a story. You start as a survivor, washed ashore in the heart of a zombie apocalypse with nothing but the clothes on your back, a flashlight, and some painkillers. At the beginning you are very vulnerable, unable to defend yourself from any threat that may prevent itself. Couple that with needing to find food and water before you starve, and you have yourself a very humbling experience. 

Most people will die a bunch in the beginning while they learn the tricks to survival, zombies can run just as fast as you can, so escaping them can be tricky if you don't know what you're doing. Don't think zombies are the only problem however, as any zombie fan knows, the biggest threat to a survivor in the world of zombies is another survivor(or a bandit). This adds an interesting dilemma when considering social interaction in DayZ. The other survivor you see held up in the church may be your greatest ally, if you approach and offer your help; however, he may also be more interested in the can of Frank n' Beans you have than a friendship (Which means he will shoot you). The PvP in DayZ is some of the most fulfilling of any game. A combination of having only one life, and the environment among other things, and this game has had my heart literally pounding after an encounter. You may go hours without meeting another player(depending on the server, and how you play), but when you do, it almost always makes for a great story. 

One thing I have noticed after all the time I have put into this game is that it plays out in phases. The first phase you will find yourself struggling to survive, you will need to find a weapon to defend yourself; the tools needed to make a fire to cook food; a canteen so you can have a drink while you are out in the wild; and of course a good backpack to carry all of the items you need. Once you have looted these things, you then enter phase two, where you will leave the coastal cities and move north. North you will find more cities, and military installations, where you can arm yourself with high tech weapons and other equipment(like night-vision goggles, gillie suits, vehicles, ext.). When you are armed to your satisfaction, its up to you what to do next, what you could call phase three. Maybe you could hunt other survivors as a bandit?  Build a camp and stock up? Ride around in a helicopter looking for people to rescue from perilous situations? the choice is yours! Whatever you do chose to do, you will eventually die, and then you start all over. This may sound like a bad thing, but in my opinion, the beginning is one of the most enjoyable times.

As a whole, DayZ is a dream for anyone who has been waiting for a realistic zombie survival game. If you have patience for the occasional hacker, and can look past a glitch here and there, this game has a lot to offer. Its a work in progress, and from the time I have played it, it has only gotten better with each patch as far as stability. DayZ may not be for everyone, its definitely not a game that will give you instant gratification; but for the people who do put the time into it, Dayz will leave you with some of those gaming memories that last.