So, DayZ. The game that made me buy a PC.
I played the mod back in the summer of 2012. It was a mod of Arma 2 and it was free and it was awesome. The first time I spawned on the beach of Chernarus is my favourite and most memorable ever experience in a video game. It’s one of those experiences I have been looking for ever since. The mod was so good, and it spawned a number of offshoots, some on different maps, such as Navalsk, the snowy mountainous region and Taviana a map that was utilised into the DayZ Origins mod. I loved all the mods, though initially I only had a laptop which would overheat in less than 2 hours.
The mod had a lot of glitches, it was famous for it, and though it was being worked on all the time, we all demanded a standalone version. And we got a standalone, early access. The standalone has since taken on a life of itself, it’s been slow progress. But I think it has finally turned a corner.
I logged in last night to try out the latest patch.
New patch = character wipe = spawning for the first time with a new character
I logged in, spawned my new guy in at dusk in a mist covered field and - unusually for me - was unable to get my bearings straight off. I wandered to the edge of the field and found myself by a graveyard next to a church I have never seen before. I started to get that old DayZ feeling back. Atmospheric and strange noises all around me, a few zeds wandering around in the distance, twigs snapping and shit like that. I felt like I was really there.
The graphics are awesome, as are the sound effects. I love how the trees and grass sway with the wind. It was really really spooky. I think I’ve fallen back in love with the game.
And more is to come this year