What is Day Z?
Day Z is a multiplayer online mod for ArmA2 (Armed Assault II) (a hyper-realistic military FPS) which has broken loose of the core ArmA fan-base and continues to spread like the zombie virus that lends the game its setting.
[/img]
The fictitious post-soviet nation of Chernarus is an unforgiving landscape besieged by hordes of infected zombies. Every minute is a struggle for survival in a world where every resource is scarce and death is always one careless step away. Your task is purely to survive by whatever means necessary. You will need stealth and caution to evade the infected and scavenge enough supplies to feed, medicate and defend yourself. However, your true test of character comes upon meeting other survivors: will you aid them and work together in this harsh world or will your greed, hunger or paranoia get the better of you? There are no rules here, who is to say what is right or wrong when survival is at stake?
Can you truly trust anyone?...
How Does it Play?
I've been watching the development of this mod for a while but I wanted to play it myself before writing about it. It's refreshing to experience such an unforgiving game and while it's still firmly in the alpha phase there is plenty of meat here to enjoy. I use the term "enjoy" loosely as this isn't a game you will have "fun" playing; it's very stressful, slow-moving and the day/night cycle runs on a twenty-four-hour clock so be prepared for very long and very dark nights.
Your life in Chernarus consists of nervously scuttling between buildings through many farms, towns and cities and over the vast forested hills in search of vital supplies. You begin with almost nothing and it may take a while to locate even the most basic weapon but there's an impressive arsenal to be found if you look in the right places; you may even find parts to repair road vehicles and helicopters to make travelling that little bit safer.
The ArmA2 engine is dedicated to providing realism, which Day Z takes full advantage of, requiring you to feed and hydrate yourself, bandage wounds to stem bleeding, and even seek warmth and shelter to avoid catching cold. All these levels to maintain and the scarcity of resources required to do so can be extremely frustrating to a new player, couple this with the already exhaustive controls of ArmA and it can be a daunting experience for many (I thoroughly recommend playing the un-modded ArmA2 first to get to grips with the controls) but if the challenge and atmosphere of the game has captured your imagination it doesn't take much effort to come to terms with it and see past the minor issues this mod still has; alpha is alpha after all.
http://dayzmod.com/
Shh... you're pretty.
