Surviving in DayZ can be quite challenging. Especially when, like MeinMMO author Paul Kutzner, you completely forgo a part of the game.
DayZ is a game that has been with me for years and continually captivates me for a certain period. Even when it was not yet a standalone game, but merely an Arma2 mod, I embarked on the survival path of the game.
Yet, even with over 400 hours in the game, there’s one thing I just can’t bring myself to do. And this leads to me being punished time and again.
The enemy is called Zombie
Base building and full crates: For many players in DayZ, the course of the game is clearly outlined: start, minimal gear up, move into the mainland, and ideally find other players and secure their equipment. But not for me.
Even with more than 400 hours in the game, I remain pacifistic towards other players. While I have already taken an innumerable number of zombies down, not a single human teammate has died by my hand until today.
A large part of my playtime has been spent on modded servers. Here, they are usually servers that have some PvE areas, but also PvP areas where the really good loot awaits. Here, the appeal for me lies much more in building a base and exploring and looting in the atmospheric environment of the game.
Setting out and returning hours later with a full pack of weapons, useful items for base building, as well as food and medicine brings me immense joy. Especially when you can set out together and build an ever-growing base together.
The peaceful farmer and nature: But I have also spent many hours on the regular servers. Here, I always set myself goals with noble or peaceful intentions. The very nature of the game has a magical pull on me.
Just wandering through the game’s environment while the sun shines in my face and animal sounds can be heard from afar can have an incredibly calming and beautiful effect on me.
In one of my last outings, my goal in Cherno, one of the major cities at the start of the game, was to grow vegetables as a peaceful farmer and distribute them to new players.
But these peaceful intentions often lead to my downfall. While I am diligently sowing seeds and watering them, it is not uncommon for bullets to whiz past me shortly after or for me to receive an axe to the head.
And of course, this can be frustrating. So much so that eventually I have enough of the game and don’t touch it for months or years. But eventually, I hear the call of this shattered and broken world again, pulling me back in.
Despite all the deaths I have experienced with peaceful intentions, my attitude has not changed until today. After all, during all this time I have had nice interactions and great conversations with other players who continually show me that it is worth it. Following the quote by Arleen Lorrance: “Be the change you wish to see, rather than trying to change everyone else.”
What about you? How do you play DayZ? Feel free to let us know in the comments. The developer Dean Hall, who is responsible for DayZ, believes that players can primarily bring about better games: The creator of DayZ knows a cheat code for better games on Steam, but only fans can use it.
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