Is Day Z (Arma 2) worth the purchase?

[afroebob]

I was just wondering what everyone's thoughts were on Day Z. Right now there's a nice Steam Sale going on where I can get Arma 2 and the Arrowhead for about $15 but I really don't care about playing another realistic FPS, even if it is the most realistic one ever made. That just doesn't mean shit to me anymore, but Day Z sounds like it could be fun. Is it as good as they say it is or should I spend my cash on something else (I'm a little tight in the wallet right now).

 

[distortedreality]

If you've got friends to play it with, grab it, you'll get hours of fun out of it.

If not, I wouldn't recommend it. It's not really designed to be a solitary experience imo.

 

[hazabaza1]

Be prepared for a slow ride if you do.
It looks boring as fuck to me so I didn't get it but I saw some gameplay and by god can it fucking drag.

 

[xDarc]

I uninstalled after about 6 weeks. A game needs to either have a point or be actual fun to just play, this game has neither.

 

[Octorok]

Depends really. DayZ is not worth the money. If you're really interested in it, get the standalone version when it's released.

On the other hand, ArmA2 and Operation Arrowhead are worth way more than £15. Excellent games, with tremendous fun and value. However, you have no real interest in it. It's your call - my recommendation is that ArmA2 rocks, and DayZ is ruined these days by absurd hacker prevalence (literally every server I played on during my last ditch effort to enjoy the game was hacked. Tanks and gunships and teleportation everywhere.) and wasn't worth *that* much to begin with.

 

[SlaveNumber23]

Its definitely only worth it if you're playing with a friend, otherwise just wait for it to be released as a standalone game or something. Its pretty damn boring when you're by yourself and the game is pretty frustrating. ArmA2 is pretty terrible in my opinion, controlling your character just feels really terrible, sluggish and jumpy, as if your character has a bunch of bricks chained to each of their limbs.

 

[wabbbit]

ARMA 2 is a total pile IMO, I can't believe so many like it!

Day-Z is a good concept but:
- the engine is a bit dodgy at times even on a high spec machine
- Getting into a game is hit and miss (sometimes you end up hanging for like 5mins in a lobby)
- Spawning at night in a forest is shit, then getting killed because you can't see anything, running towards the only humans and then getting sniped... not my idea of a fun game.

The game itself is dominated by people that play it religiously, they horde all the vehicles and camp a LOT. This would be fun if they weren't all massive asshats to new players.

If you own ARMA, give it a go. Otherwise my personal opinion is to leave it alone.

As for ARMA general, it may be classes as a "simulator" but it's terrible. I feel like my character is skating around with a gun movement operated by a puppet master above.

 

[cwmdulais]

i played it for 2 months with a group of friends and it was the most fun ive ever had in a game. sadly hackers have made playing it a bit of a nightmare, so unless you ca get on a private hive, i would wait until the standalone version comes out, which is what me and my mates are doing.

 

[SnowyGamester]

DayZ is one of the most unique games released in recent years (up there with the likes of Minecraft and Trouble in Terrorist Town). On the surface it's just collecting loot and shooting zombies with horrible controls and oodles of bugs (the ARMA II engine is great for a lot of things, but stability and controls aren't them), but until you get into an encounter with a hostile or potentially hostile player in an environment where getting decent gear can take hours and others can (and often do) just kill you and take it, there isn't really any way to understand what it's like to actually play without doing it. It's incredibly surreal to be in a situation where so much can be at stake-wracked nerves, hands shaking and all that; staring down the barrel of a gun, not knowing if someone is going to kill you and take everything you have, or carefully zeroing a sniper rifle on someone in the distance knowing someone could be doing the same to you-in what is just a computer game. It's an incredible experience, especially when teaming up with a few friends and trying to take on the world. GOTY 2012 in my opinion. But don't bother if you aren't prepared for some griefing and general frustration-it has more than a few problems for the time being.

 

[James Joseph Emerald]

I think DayZ is the first ever MMO stealth/survival game. Which is pretty cool. It's like a multiplayer MGS3.
You may think of it as a shooter, but if you're playing the game properly 90% of the time you aren't firing any guns.

However, if you're not very patient, it does turn into a big of a drag.
Having another person to play with you helps.

The two key things to remember:

When crawling, you're practically invisible to zombies.
If you do get chased by zombies, sprint uphill. Zombies hate gradual vertical inclines.

 

[Thoric485]

DayZ in its current form is not really a game, it's an alpha for a mod. It has a lot of issues, the biggest one being hacking.

Seeing as you're not big on military sims, I'd recommend you just wait for the standalone. It should be out before the end of the year.

 

[Wolfhowl the shadow lurker]

im still waiting on the standalone i don't care much for a arma 2 but i like the look of dayz apart from the aiming which looks way off

if i were you i would wait

 

[Occams_Razor]

DayZ can be fun if you're able to get into it. I on the other hand wasn't, it was amusing enough while I was playing it, but I didn't really have any urge to go back. I think it has potential though, it certainly feels like a 'work in progress'. Its almost worth playing for the sheer spectacle, but don't be surprised if you find it a little less than engaging.

 

[BeerTent]

Yes and no...

DayZ is not for the weak. Which is why it's very difficult to get into it. The ARMAII engine is not designed to undergo such a modification, and thus, the game can be extremely dodgy. Strange bugs occur, and the game can punish you for seemingly no reason. (A door breaking your legs, for example.) Another thing about DayZ is that you need a friend. There's no ifs, ands or butts about it. You can try going t it alone, but it won't be as fun. Get a buddy to watch you over, or even 3. You'll find it a lot more enjoyable if you use Steam's VOIP to talk to each-other when engagements happen.

Another thing... While zombies can fuck you up, they're not the main attraction of DayZ. It's people. You can always run from a zombie, and zombies can be predictable... But people? You can't run, you can try to hide, it probably won't work, and in a lot of cases, your caught in a fight, and in some rare cases, you'll find someone who'll pat you on the back if you do the same for them. (Trading blood bags.)

As someone already mentioned though, the standalone is coming in December. Wait for the standalone if you want it. If your into a milsim like ARMAII, go for it... If not, well... ARMA is kinda boring as fuck.

It's also a good place for some stories too...

 

[goose4291]

ArmA II is worth buying even without DayZ expansion, the community that has been nurtured, the constant advances in the game mechanics and additional campaigns/missions/equipment that are made to a professional level make it one of the most replayable games of all time.

Look at it this way, Operation Flashpoint (ArmA's precursor) is ten years old and still has a solid fanbase

 

[lRookiel]

I was just wondering what everyone's thoughts were on Day Z. Right now there's a nice Steam Sale going on where I can get Arma 2 and the Arrowhead for about $15 but I really don't care about playing another realistic FPS, even if it is the most realistic one ever made. That just doesn't mean shit to me anymore, but Day Z sounds like it could be fun. Is it as good as they say it is or should I spend my cash on something else (I'm a little tight in the wallet right now).

Standalone DayZ will be out in a month or 2 so I'd wait for that. I've had over 400 hours out of DayZ, so I'd say it's worth it ^^

 

[Muspelheim]

That depends. But there's an easy answer to this question.

Right, mission begins. You're in a base camp at the coast, and you're in command of three other blokes and you've got a jeep. Your task is to track down a war criminal person, last seen an hour ago in a blue car. His probable destination is about half an hour drive away. He could be anywhere within a 8 or so kilometer radius. In a camp in a forest, or driving down some deserted logging road, or hiding in a different forest... He could be anywhere. As could groups of insurgent gunmen
Of you go, then! Have fun!

Does that bore you right off the bat? It won't get any better after driving about, asking the locals and taking care of sidequests. It requires a particular kind of mindset, and a lot of patience. If long intermissions of driving around or crawling in hedges between taking heavy fire from some specks at the horizon sounds boring to you, then the game proper probably isn't worth it for you.

But remember this; while hard to believe from just looking at it, ArmA 2 is about as removed from SGWW-games that you can get. If you let yourself adjust and sink into the experience, it's an organic, tactical and honestly rather tense experience that waits. There's really nothing else like it. Lots of games likes to include something that looks like realism so they can stamp it on the box, but this is one of the few games that really commit to it and centres the gameplay around it. In short; you might want to give it a chance, but if you know what you like and know that you're easily bored or don't really care for milsims, pass it up and get the official zombie game.