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[whoarmongar]

I have played OFP/ARMA/OA for years now, its my main game played exclusivly online with my clan mates.

DayZ has been rather divisive, some love playing it, some hate the idea of corrupting a wonderfull military sim with "stupid zombies" and will not have anything to do with it.
Im in the former camp, Im lovin it.
This is what I said on the LOL clan webpage nakedsquid a few days ago. I think after playing DayZ a lot more since it still holds true.


Played dayZ all day yesterday, longest Arma2 session I have had for ages.
The reason, well it was THE most intense tension filled coop session I have ever had.
"Coopperative server" well there was more coopperation in yesterdays game than I have ever seen in Arma ( excepting perhaps that rabid rabbit mission). The reason for this coopperation was simply survival, you need friends.
At the end of yesterdays play I was in a real bad way, passing out through blood loss, down to 8 rifle bullets, holed up in a barn with zombies all around and an enemy sniper in the vicinity we could hear his shots as the death messages were appearing and he was racking up a respectfull series of kills.
We were well north on the map and death would have been a crushing defeat, respawning on the south coast without my accumulated stuff, my rifle my big backpack my watch and my most prized possesion a MAP.
So there I was passing out, shaking with poor vision and deaf,my food and blood flashing, facing imminent death.
To be honest I was resigned to dieing.
Mantel, a murderous asset to our group who holds a great BBQ.
Nikiller, who saved my ass in electro, thank God I didnt kill him when he unsuspectingly stumbled across my path, one of my better decisions.
Muerte, who showed an unhealthy preoccupation with collecting spawned stuff, my guess is he has a really full attic at home, but he is a great team player and a good friend to have.
And Bluester a really helpful guy who gave me stuff when I asked or needed it, a true team player.
This list of heroes had disconected, it was just me and Goobs now. and I was effectively dead. It was all down to Goobs`s forraging skills now.
In the meantime Bluester had connected and with a forced march was approaching our position.
Just as I was contemplating death, Goobs returned with three cans of food, which I consumed never has virtual food tasted so good, I was alive tho still in a bad way. Bluester then arrived and bless him gave me some more food, now I could move. Game on !
We bugged out north mindful of the sniper and now Goobs hunting skills came to the fore, A goat ! Lord bless us a damn goat, quickly killed and eaten.
A sheep, really tasty, we made kebabs over an open fire and feasted. Finally a cow oh boy think of all that meat, some to eat some to save for later, we gorged ourselves on steaks. Burp.
Finally, appitites sated, with darkness coming on, we warmed ourselves by the fire (its true with blood loss your body temp falls a fire warms you)
then crawled under the cover of a conifer tree to sleep.
I slept the sleep of the saved.

DayZ is really innovative, I have played OFP/ Arma for years, but DayZ alters your perceptions.
I thought I knew the Cherno map. I didnt.
I thought I could navigate, I couldnt.
I thought Arma2 was old and stale, it isnt.
The food, water health system has transformed the game.
In Arma2 your a superman, not needing sustinance wonderfully equiped multiskilled.
In DayZ your not, your just a survivor.
True it doesnt have AN objective, it has multiple objectives and THE ultimate object, survival.
As you become equiped and accumulate stuff, life becomes sweeter, more precious. You become more fearfull of death.
The zombies are not the most feared enemy, other players are. All that stuff you have collected is coveted by other players. They are all armed and prepared to kill you for a tin of beans, you must protect whats yours. To the death.
And yet coopperation is neccesary for survival. Need a blood transfusion ? Well some other player must do it for you. Need an epi injection ? Well someone must do it to you. Do you really trust him ? He may be rifling through you backpack whilst you back is turned. Who can you really trust ?
Want to stay safe from Zombies ? Crawl.
Want to stay safe from other players ? Run.
The game save system is just so right. Feel safe? Wanna save the game now you have THAT gun ? Sure fine, disconnect, whatever server you go on next you will spawn in exactly the same place with all the same stuff. but in the next heartbeat you may be dead, shot or eaten, some enemy will be feasting on your flesh or triumphantly rifling your corpse. You are never safe, there is no safe zone,you can never be truly comfortable. Your living on the edge.
DayZ has altered my horizons, survive until tomorow, pehaps I will get a better gun, perhaps some medical supplies, we always need food. Most of all I need friends, clanmates, people I can trust thru comradeship forged in the heat of battle over many years. Together we can survive, perhaps oven prosper in this nihilistic new world.