...No, im far too impatient, went and got ARMA II anyway.
It was a bit of a pain in the bum to get the mod going but finally got there.
Looks like most people are playing a specific version of the mod called DAYZ Origins which elaborates on the mod allowing for structures to be built, more maps (as if the original isn't big enough...) so have just downloaded that too but have made a start of playing the initial DAYZ mod.
Well, it certainly delivers and the various glitches and performance issues I can actually look past.
I pick a server and get into my first game, I look around and, atmosphere. Good start. Good sounds, your average qwerky zombie horror flick scores of suspense and ambient eerie effects. Perfect. No zombies around in the local vicinity so first things first. Figure out the controls. I know this is ARMA II... And as I expect there are controls for just about anything on an army FPS simulator.
Right controls are done, tweaked.
Go, i run, just going anywhere really, first time in the game, no clue what is what where or when. Oh look, a dead body. Figure out how to search it, i grab the spare bandages off this carcass and move on towards the houses down the road.
First house, porch, I manage to find a hatchet to use as a weapon to fend off from any zombies who managed to see me and start chasing me (theyre like '28 days later' movie zombies, they run, and its blooming scarey! lol).
I later come across a gun as i've gone deeper into this town-ish area, oh and some bullets... Not that it was actually a good idea to use this gun right after finding it in a built up area. I shot a zombie in the head, next minute, boom 10+ zombies start coming round from all corners and start hitting me. Not knowing exactly how to evade zombies, nor do I even remember what buttons to press to be able to bandage myself up and stop bleeding out, i get knocked out, and while the egg timer is going down for when im able to get back up, the game is actually still in play, the zombies are munching away and kicking my spleen across the asphalt, i'm bleeding like crazy, and, I die.
I respawn, ask someone in the server how to patch myself up and then off i go again, running through fields towards a barn, no wait, go slow, i haven't got that hatchet anymore... this time while looking around, carefully and as quietly as i possibly can, I find a map!
Pressing the M key now brings up a map and not black screen, woo!
While looking at the map, it sinks in just how big the game is. Wow, Skyrim suddenly seems like a small island.
What also begins to sink in is how my orientation skills aint been exercised for quite a while... I dont know where i am!
I close the map and decide to go look for a gun again (aswell as a notable POI so i can get my bearings).
20 minutes of sprinting down a verge, beside a long stretch of country road (to keep footsteps quiet) a few buildings and a petrol/gas station comes into view. Wicked. But the fields just before the buildings are crawling with zombies...
...So another 10 minutes of prone crawling through long grass and hiding behind tree trunks trying to get passed the zombies. But hey, its all part of the zombie survival simulation right?!
Right! Im in the petrol station. I find a springfield. BANG! I fall over, screen goes black n white. I just got taken out by another player.END
Its a very challenging game, I don't think I have lasted more than 30 minutes alive yet. Could really do with meeting someone on there and teaming up with them. Apparently I will come across groups of players with camps set up in the middle of forests and well anywhere really. And not all of these groups are friendly players and will come after you if they see you. But again, its something i can imagine would happen in a real life scenario. It seems to me not only is this game an apocalyptic zombie survival, its an experiment. This is where i will find out to what extent people will go, and just how humane my fellow humans are. Considering my last experience in-game was getting shot in the back of head by another player, my hopes arn't too high lol.
The servers run DAY/NIGHT times. If you play at night you are far less likely to be spotted by zombies, but this isn't your average game. If its night time then you definitely, definitely need a torch to get around.
Still, will be looking forward to the stand alone release. Its being rebuilt on its own game engine, as from the official word and no doubt the game (ARMA II) wasn't designed for a zombie apocalypse.