DayZ - Awesome Zombie Mod for Arma II

[kkortekaas]

Yesterday I was reading Kotaku and came across the post about DayZ (This Might be the Greatest Zombie Game Ever Made (http://kotaku.com/dayz/)) and was immediately intrigued.

Afterwork I went home and checked out YouTube to see some gameplay and I was definetly impressed, logged onto Steam and downloaded the Arma II: Combined Operations package, and the DayZ Mod, and while it was a bit of a pain to setup, I did enjoy some zombie killing last night.

The balance of realism, the setting, and the interaction with the other people on the persistant servers is pretty dang cool.

I highly encourage you all to check it out.

DayZ (http://www.dayzmod.com/) - Official Site

ARMA II: Combined Operations (http://store.steampowered.com/sub/4638/?snr=1_5_9__403) - Steam Link

[Ricky S]

I want this game so badly! I have watched every single video on youtube about it. It is awesome!

The realism is great and I love how the more you play the zombies become less of a threat and more of a nusance while humans become more of an enemy.

I watched this one guys playthrough and it was interesting to see how he changed his playstyle since starting the game. It was much the same I am sure a real person would evolve in that situation.

In the beginning he was gung hoe and trigger happy. By the end of the playthrough he was sneaking everywhere and thinking carefully about everything he did.

The only issue I have with it is the zombies run way too fast. Left for dead infected fast would be fine but in Day Z they seem over the top.

[Valaqil]

I've been watching "The Days Ahead" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRpPIyJDSEQ) on YouTube and really enjoying it. I _love_ what I'm reading / hearing about this game. RPS has a couple of decent articles about it too. I'm debating whether I really want to buy Arma just for this though. Maybe if it goes on sale on Steam?

I agree with Ricky. I haven't played it, but it looks like they are _really_ fast.

[kkortekaas]

The zombies are fast, they can full sprint just like the user. The most recent update has dramatically increased zombie count which has made things...interesting.

[Valaqil]

Interesting note: Arma II is currently the Top Seller on Steam. I assume because of this mod.

[psilontech]

Does one require the full version of the game to utilize this mod, or could one just download the free edition of the game?

I'm cautious of going ahead and getting the free version because of the size of the download coupled with my horrible internet.

[Maxios]

Meh. It looks alright, but the zombies seem to move way too fast. I think The Dead Linger will be a lot better once it comes out.

[Valaqil]

Does one require the full version of the game to utilize this mod, or could one just download the free edition of the game?

I'm cautious of going ahead and getting the free version because of the size of the download coupled with my horrible internet.

Apparently the free version of Arma II + buying Operation Arrowhead(?) works. However, I read somewhere (can't verify it off-hand) that he never intended it to work with the free version and it might not work at some point in the future. So you're definitely good for now based on what I've heard, but you might have to update one day if you still like it later.

[Scuzzball]

This is totally worth the 30USD for Combined Ops.
11 hours in, still want to play more really badly.
If anyone needs help setting this up, contact me on steam, link should be in my sig.

So we just had the best luck, then the worst luck.
We had lots of ammo, big backpacks, not terribly much to drink, but lots of food, and we were going across some country inland. Everything was going well, until we met another group. We had a quick talk, with no hostility, but as we were about to leave, two other people ambushed us, and killed both of us, and I got one of them.

Honestly, besides basic bugfixes, the only improvement I can see is a local chat, so there isn't confusion about who is close to you when you're trying to talk to the people you see to make sure they aren't about to shoot you.

Fun fact of the day: Expected bandwidth for a server is 2TB/month.

[Etcetera]

Apparently the free version of Arma II + buying Operation Arrowhead(?) works. However, I read somewhere (can't verify it off-hand) that he never intended it to work with the free version and it might not work at some point in the future. So you're definitely good for now based on what I've heard, but you might have to update one day if you still like it later.

It does. I got it to work, eventually, but I had to download a third-party launcher for CO.

[Scuzzball]

It does. I got it to work, eventually, but I had to download a third-party launcher for CO.

Where did you get the third party launcher? I'm getting annoyed at accidently launching OA instead of CO, and I have no idea how to make the steam popup options happen by default so getting that would be nice.

[Etcetera]

Where did you get the third party launcher? I'm getting annoyed at accidently launching OA instead of CO, and I have no idea how to make the steam popup options happen by default so getting that would be nice.

http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=8241

When it's installed you'll need to give it the install directories for ArmA II (free if you're using that version) and OA. To enable DayZ, go to the mods tab, drag it from the left hand side to the "Addons / Mods" thingie, and tick the box. Select ArmA II - CO from the drop-down menu on the right hand side and click start game.

[Scuzzball]

Okay, so I got a launch option that should allow you to just run Arma 2 Operation Arrowhead regularly, and not have to specifically launch Combined ops.

"-mod=E:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2;Expansion;ca;@dayz" -nosplash

Add that, quotes and all to the launch options in place of the current options. You will need to modify the path so it actually goes to your steam directory.

[Pie Guy]

I want to like this, but it's near impossible to play at night.

[psilontech]

A double-post separated by like 21 hours. Impressive, sir!

[Valaqil]

I want to like this, but it's near impossible to play at night.

Because it's hard to see, or because zombies and bandits chase down light sources?

[Imposter]

Because it's hard to see, or because zombies and bandits chase down light sources?

Both! It's that kind of game.

I wouldn't say it's impossible, but flares are deathtraps and you have to find chemlights before you can use those. If you don't want to bother with that you can always just find a server where you've got some daylight to die in.

[Scuzzball]

For non PC gamer readers: www.pcgamer.com/2012/05/25/reality-imitating-realism-day-z-irl-video/
It's usually not like that though.

[Volatar]

I've been watching a bunch of videos of this game and I really want it now. Why do I do this to myself I do not know.

[MLai]

For the current state of the game, this is an interesting read/debate:

http://dayzmod.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=23578

I don't even play this game and I read all 23 pages in 1 sitting. It's just such an interesting discussion.

[polity4life]

I picked this up. I ran around bumbling for quite some time and was assaulted by a zombie that sprinted at me from the ocean (I was in Elektro at the time). It took me about 3,000 blood to figure out how to use a bandage.

Then I ended up at the nearby dock and found a M1 Gerrand. :smallamused: Of course I did not want to use it as I've read that rifles are zombie magnets but at least I could defend myself. I found a nice little building to hole up in and logged off.

Later in the day I returned and found myself about an hour back in playtime, without my shiny gun. :smallmad: Eventually I found a crowbar. "Sweet!", I think. It takes me about a half hour to figure out that I have to reload the crowbar in order to swing it. The joys of playing a game in alpha.

All told, this is a fun game. I really like going into places with infrastructure and dodging zombies as I scavenge though I wish I could find food. I've found more windshields and rotors than food.