What's DayZ really like to play?

A little while back, I made a video about what DayZ is really like to play and I like to think it sums up the experience pretty accurately. There's an awful lot of running through forests and across fields only punctuated by brief moments of action. Sadly, the good people on YouTube don't agree and it's pretty much my least successful video yet.

But this is pretty much the reality of what DayZ gameplay is actually like.

DayZ single player on Taviana, Lingor, Namalsk, etc

A lot of people ask me about installing DaiZy (DayZ single player) for maps other than Chernarus. Well, the good news is that we've got a forum where there are lots of different versions of Daizy and they support pretty much every map. Whether you would like to play on Taviana, Lingor, Namalsk, Wasteland, Takistan, Isla Duala, Celle, Zargabad or any others, we've got you covered.

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 - 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?

DayZ - How to fix a helicopter, the easy way

If you've been playing DayZ for while now, you're probably keen to get your hands on a helicopter. It seems like a pretty daunting task as there's a huge number of parts you need. You need several panes of windscreen glass, scrap metal, a rotor assembly and about thirty(!) jerry cans of fuel. So when you find a helicopter, how on earth can you get all that stuff to the chopper before some toolboy pops up and shoots you in the head?

It was like that when I got here. Honest.

The first problem you have is actually finding a helicopter. It seems that some servers don't spawn vehicles, no matter what, due to some kind of bug. But if you can get on a server where vehicles do spawn, you can possibly find them in some of the locations listed on the wiki. Vehicles don't necessarily spawn at all those locations all the time, but you've maybe got a better chance of finding them there than just wandering around hoping to bump into one.

http://dayzwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Vehicles_and_Aircraft

There are two helicopter types that can be found and only one of them is fixable. Check the rotor blades. The grey helicopter in the picture above has bent rotors and can never be fixed. You need the green kind with intact rotor blades.




I found this video, made by a Cockney* zombie that explains the easy way of fixing a helicopter. You can actually fix a chopper with only a few parts that can all fit in a single backpack. This method won't restore a helicopter to full showroom condition, but it will get it patched up enough for you to fly it out of there to a safer location where you can then take your time completing it.

* Zombie only sounds Cockney if you're from America or have a serious head injury

My Day Z Story

Today's post was written by Lex, a long-time online game partner of mine and a jolly good chum too. And let me tell you, you do not want to be in his gunsights...

I hear gunshots.  I think to myself “fuck”.  I’m in a terrible place and am horribly exposed.  The shots come closer and closer and then I see him, a lone gunman being chased by a horde of zombies.  All he can do is fire wildly into them hoping to take as many of them down as he can.  As I’m looking at him through my sniper rifles’ scope I can see that he’s bleeding massively.  This brave Survivor sees me and turns to run for his life.  I pull the trigger.

DayZ single player / practice / training / (not really) cheating - DaiZy

Once upon a time there was a single player mod file for DayZ written by a chap named Kronzky. It was pretty good and added a whole new dimension to playing DayZ. Sadly, for various reasons Kronzky and Rocket (the DayZ developer) fell out and they both decided that the file should be discontinued.

There are videos out there on YouTube that explain how to get single player working with DayZ. Most of them are patched-up versions of the original Kronzky single player file (which only worked up to DayZ version 1.7.2.5). So most of those videos are concerned with downgrading your version of DayZ and will mess up your online DayZ folder. They also lack AI units, helicopter crashes and all kinds of stuff.

DaiZy works with any version of DayZ, but you're advised to use the most recent one. We also test against future versions of DayZ before they're released to make sure this keeps working.

DaiZy (yes, it's a stupid name) has been written from scratch and is completely different from those patched-up versions. It is designed to be a simulation of online play and includes vehicle spawns, helicopter crash sites and even has AI bandit units.

This is not the only version of DaiZy. We have a forum where we have many other versions with different features (better AI handling, bandit groups, extra weapons, base-building, built-in cheats, etc) and supporting different maps (Namalsk, Lingor, Taviana, etc). The version I'm detailing here is the default Chernarus one
http://kodabar-dayz-daizy-single-player-forum.1084782.n5.nabble.com/

This article was last updated on the 26th of September 2013

Changelog:
September 26th Updated for DayZ 1.8
July 22nd Added launcher utility information. Change Support Call installation to use modfolders
June 12th Complete rewrite of article
February 25th Updated information on Support Call
February 7th Changed the CBA installation process due to the updated version and took account of DayZ 1.7.5.1
January 21st Added a video and rewrote guide for new install location
January 3rd Added bit about DayZ base version
December 27th Added Loki's Lost Key installation instructions and a video
December 3rd Completely rewrote page to include changes to DaiZy

October 6th Added manual installation instructions, updated article for 043
September 29th added section on Lingor Island shortcut, removed section on Depositfiles
September 28th Completely rewrote the whole article
September 16th Added Chernarus single player file with dogs
September 20th Added DaiZy 0.38b links, Desposit Files guide and mirrors

DayZ - how to stay alive for more than five minutes

This is the last of the DayZ articles (for now). Regular blog posts resume next week. Today we're going to look at tips and strategies for staying alive.

Once you've read this article, there's also:

How to install DayZ (with ArmA 2 Free, Operation Arrowhead or Combined Ops)

DayZ - How to get on a server

How to play

DayZ offline single player / practice / training / (not really) cheating

This is displayed on the homepage of the DayZ mod. It's not kidding either. It was running a bit higher until the recent influx of new players. And people like me who've survived for much longer periods through out that average quite a bit. You really are going to die soon. So what can you do to improve your chances? Read on after the jump...

DayZ - How to play

Okay, so you've got the mod installed, you've managed to connect to a server. So just how do you play DayZ?

DayZ is a mod for ArmA 2 which is a complex military simulator with a horrible control system because it's trying to cater to every eventuality. There is a PDF manual in the Operation Arrowhead folder, but that'll only take you so far. Read on to find out a bit more.

Once you've read this article, there's also:

How to install DayZ (with ArmA 2 Free, Operation Arrowhead or Combined Ops)

DayZ - How to get on a server

DayZ - how to stay alive for more than five minutes

DayZ offline single player / practice / training / (not really) cheating

DayZ - How to get on a server

DayZ has gone from unknown to massively popular in a very short time and there aren't many servers, so it can be quite tricky to get on one and it's hard to know exactly what to do to ensure success.

Once you've read this article, there's also:

How to install DayZ (with ArmA 2 Free, Operation Arrowhead or Combined Ops)

How to play

How to stay alive for more than five minutes

DayZ offline single player / practice / training / (not really) cheating

The developers of DayZ have to approve all new servers and they've been inundated with offers recently, but have still only approved a few. The servers all communicate with a central database which means that your inventory and location remain consistent across servers - switch to another and you'll have the same kit and be in the same place. The lack of servers can mean it takes a long time to find one that you can actually join, so be patient - it is worth it.

It may seem a little odd to have all the game servers need approval but this is in order to prevent abuse. There's already been one server where the admins hacked in weapons that aren't supposed to be in DayZ and there was a case of another where players were being kicked just for killing the admin or any of his friends. So a tight rein is being kept on all servers to make sure they're fair and consistent for all. Servers are required to have SQL installed as, in the future, they will be running their own localised databases.

So how do you get on a server? More after the jump...

How to install DayZ (with ArmA 2 Free, Operation Arrowhead or Combined Ops)

Updated for 1.8.0.3 Article last updated 30th April 2014

30th April: Changes to ArmA 2 Free information and DayZ standalone
21st February: DayZ now available on Steam
16th February: Updated everything for 1.7.5.1
27th December: General article tidy-up
30th November: Steam sale over
23rd November: Updated article for 1.7.4.4
15th September: Updated article for 1.7.2.6 and added note about beta patch mirrors
7th September: Added holiday notice

If the comments go above 200, then things get a little messy, so I regularly remove older comments. I won't delete any with outstanding questions and I try to preserve any that I think are helpful to other players. I'm sorry if I remove your comment, but I only do so to make this more manageable.

Okay so you want to play DayZ. Good for you. But it's not easy to get set up.

Once you've read this article, there's also:

How to get on a server

How to play

How to stay alive for more than five minutes

DayZ offline single player / practice / training / (not really) cheating

DayZ - Our story

DayZ is not an easy game. That little image below is from its homepage. Despite being a sandbox game set on a very large map, your average life expectancy is 29 minutes. Some players survive for days, so that 29 minutes is a bit on the generous side when it comes to new players.

Once you've read this article, there's also:

How to install DayZ (with ArmA 2 Free, Operation Arrowhead or Combined Ops)

DayZ - How to get on a server

How to play

How to stay alive for more than five minutes

The first thing to point out is that it's not a standalone game at all - it's a mod. You need to have ArmA 2 Operation Arrowhead and another ArmA 2 game in order to get it. This is why ArmA 2 has suddenly shot to the top of the Steam charts despite being three years old. I'll post an article on how to get it and install it tomorrow.