How to install DayZ single player - DaiZy

DaiZy is a mod that allows you to play single player DayZ offline. It has all the same features as the regular online version, including friendly and bandit units (controlled by AI), loot, vehicles and everything else you could possibly want. It's also allows cheating through the additional installation of one or two other files.

How to install Loki's Lost Key for DaiZy

Article last updated 10th May 2013
May 10th Added warning about CBA and 104648 beta patch
February 7th Changed instructions after CBA was updated

Loki's Lost Key is an addon for the ArmA 2 series of games. When it's used in conjunction with DaiZy (the single player mod of DayZ), it adds a bucket-load of features and cheats.

If you haven't installed DaiZy, then I've no idea why you're reading this. Head on over to this article first:
http://kodabar.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/dayz-offline-single-player-practice.html

Before you install Loki's Lost Key, you're going to have to install the CBA addons. These are just a series of little addons that make it easier for other people to write other mods and addons. Loki's Lost Key uses them, so you're going to have to install them.

Warning: Beta patch 104648 is not compatible with the CBA addons. If you have 104648 installed, your game will crash. You can install a slightly older version or wait for an update. I will add further information to this page when it becomes available. (Friday May 10th)
http://www.arma2.com/beta-patch.php

Go here and download the file (download link at the bottom of the page):
http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=6231

Once you've downloaded the file (it's very small), open it in whatever you use to open 7zip files (I'm using WinRar). There's one folder inside. Extract it to wherever you like.

Take that folder and copy it into your Operation Arrowhead program folder.

If you're using Steam, this is probably in:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\arma 2 operation arrowhead

If you're not using Steam, it's probably in:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Bohemia Interactive\Arma 2 operation arrowhead 

Once you've pasted those folders, you need to tell the game to use them. This is done by modifying the game shortcut to include the following:

-mod=@CBA_CO

Okay, so that's the CBA addons installed. You're now going to install Loki's Lost Key and I promise it'll be easy.

First of all, you need to download the Lost Key file. Go here to get it (download link at the bottom)
http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=6010

Open the loki_lost_key.7z file in your favourite archiver (I'm still using WinRar). Extract the folder inside to anywhere you like.

Inside you'll find two folders: addons and holomap. Quite honestly, you can ignore the holomap. It's a fancy useless map that you'll never use; it creates a 3D object inside the game and (very slowly) renders a holographic map on top of it.

Go into the addons folder and grab the loki_lost_key.pbo file

Copy the loki_lost_key.pbo into the Addons folder in your Operation Arrowhead program folder.

You're done. Anything in the Addons folder gets loaded automatically when the game starts.

When you load DaiZy, you'll see in the centre of the screen some light blue text saying Lost Key. If you don't, that means you haven't installed it correctly. Now, assuming that you do, you can use the mousewheel menu to bring up the main Lost Key interface.

This is the main interface. Although there are a lot of headings on the left, the main ones you're going to want to use are under the section marked Work.

You'll be able to guess what a lot of the selections do just from the name. Note that the map shown is used for some of the features. You can drag the map around by holding down the right mouse button and zoom in and out with the mousewheel.

The Magick and Mischief sections contain settings related to god mode and healing. The way that DayZ and DaiZy handle health is different from most ArmA 2 mods, so many of them won't work or won't work in the way that you'd like.

This is the weapon selector. It will make available any weapon from ArmA 2 and Operation Arrowhead, not just the DayZ guns.

Loki's Lost Key has so many options and features that it's impossible to detail them all, so just explore and have fun.

DayZ: A simple way to install Lingor Island

The first thing to say is that this is not as comprehensive as my article about the installation of the main DayZ mod. This is just documenting one simple method of installing the Lingor Island variant without much hassle.

DayZ - Advanced playing tips FAQ

You've played a bit of DayZ, you've found a few weapons, you've killed a bunch of zombies and maybe even a player or two. But how can you get better at the game and how do you get hold of the best kit? Read on and I'll have you murdering bandits with the best of them. Well, maybe not, but I will share some hints and tips for being better at playing DayZ.

Olympics auction site confuses Korean flags (again)

After confusing the North and South Korean flags during a football match, you'd think the Olympics would have learned their lesson, but no.

Today on the official auction site (where you can buy items used during the Olympics) one can find both the North and South Korean flags from the opening ceremony for sale.

Click for full-size image

That's the North Korean flag, currently selling for a handsome £415 (not including delivery).
http://memorabilia.london2012.com/iSynApp/auctionDisplay.action?&auctionId=21672

Click for full-size

And here's the uh... South Korean flag. Only £1 so far.
http://memorabilia.london2012.com/iSynApp/auctionDisplay.action?&auctionId=21935

Just to remove any doubt (the official names of the Koreas can be confusing), the text refers to Yoon Kyung-Shin, the famous South Korean handball player.

So once again the Olympics have fucked up by confusing the Korean flags although it's the other way round this time, so maybe that balances it all out.

Update: They spotted the error (after I emailed them) and have now corrected it, but didn't acknowledge ever making the error in the first place. Hopefully the South Korean nationalist nutjobs will be all over them.

DayZ - Graphics comparison: ArmA 2 Free & ArmA 2 (full)

A lot of people ask me about the difference in graphics between using ArmA 2 Free and ArmA 2 (full) and it's hard to persuade people that there really isn't much difference. So I've taken some screenshots of the different versions in order to show the difference.

Now before I start, I should show you what my graphics settings are. I keep mine fairly low in order to keep a good framerate even on a dodgy server in the most heavily-populated, dense urban environments.

Now on to the screenshots. Note that I went out of my way to find the most stark examples that I could. For the most part, the differences aren't that marked. DayZ uses Operation Arrowhead for its game engine and most of its graphics, models and textures. ArmA 2 is mostly used for the level map (Chernarus) and a few models and textures. You can click each screenshot to see it at full size.

ArmA 2 (full)

ArmA 2 Free

Building textures look the same, roads look slightly better, wrecked (decorative) vehicles have better textures.

ArmA 2 (full)

ArmA 2 Free

Inside a red brick building. Wall textures slightly improved, debris texture much better, some (but not all) furniture has slightly better textures and the floor is a little nicer.

ArmA 2 (full)

ArmA 2 Free

Another interior from a red brick building. Wallpaper and door textures are much better, furniture and ceiling a bit better, outdoors largely unchanged.

ArmA 2 (full)

ArmA 2 Free

Inside a log cabin. Floor debris much better, furniture and fittings better, pictures on the wall oddly unchanged.

ArmA 2 (full)

ArmA 2 Free

Vegetation and barrier unaltered, road slightly better.

So there you have it. That's the difference between ArmA 2 Free and full. Most of the time you're going to be running through trees and undergrowth and won't see a bit of difference. The most obvious variance comes with the interiors of certain buildings and you're probably not going to be hanging around long enough to be admiring the décor.

The Addons folder from ArmA 2 Free is 1.54GB and the same folder from ArmA 2 (full) is 8.21GB. So that's six and a half gigabytes of extra disk space and fifteen pounds/dollars/euros of extra expense. Is it worth it?

Vi Hart explains the Higgs Boson

As regualr readers will know, I very much enjoy the work of Vi Hart. The recent discovery of the Higgs boson (probably) is something that has rather amused me. It's been quite hilarious listening to newsreaders desperately try to deal with the science despite clearly not having a clue what the frigging thing is.

So here to the rescue is Vi Hart with a rather clever little sonnet explaining the place of the Higgs in the whole scientific scheme of things.