After a relatively short time, the survival simulation DayZ has already achieved its first successes. Currently, over 250,000 players have access to the post-apocalyptic MMO. Great sales numbers can be assumed, but there is even more to say.
UPDATE (01/06/2014): The number keeps growing. Now there are already over 800,000!
This is actually just an early access via Steam, which opened its doors a few days ago. On the gaming platform Steam, this is a relatively new form of service called Early Access, which is most comparable to crowdfunding (the parallels to Star Citizen or Minecraft are unmistakable). What does this concretely mean in this case?
Quite simply: For about €25 you are granted access to the alpha version, which is a fairly early version of the software that is far from being considered finished. The official release is therefore likely still a long way off.
In the so-called Early Access, participating players are now able to contribute to the ongoing development of the game. The funding naturally also benefits the developers, allowing them to gain further resources, which is beneficial for quality. The feedback from players is no less valuable, and a meaningful incorporation of critiques can immensely help in earning the goodwill of the target audience and meeting their interests in the final product.
However, only projects that attract significant interest can actually make use of this privilege. Due to the history of DayZ, this success was almost to be expected.
Meanwhile, project leader Dean Hall also addressed the question in the official forum about whether it was worth purchasing the game at this point.
The somewhat surprising yet honest answer is also a clever statement to prevent expectations from soaring to unmanageable heights at this early stage. It is made clear that this game is still at the beginning and programming errors are likely to be found at every corner. It is aimed at hardcore fans who want to be involved from the start.
I have already watched a few streams of DayZ on twitch.tv and had to notice that despite the inconsistencies, both streamers and viewers are having a lot of fun – even those who cannot be classified as hardcore fans. Maybe a bit too modest?
As we are likely to report on DayZ more frequently in the near future, perhaps we should clarify what kind of online game we are talking about here.
What is DayZ actually?
DayZ is a survival horror MMO that initially gained popularity as a modification of the game ArmA 2: Combined Operations and at times accommodated over a million players. This mod was developed under the leadership of Dean Hall, who originally processed his war experiences with this project.
Of course, Bohemia Interactive did not miss out on this success, and thus the creators of ArmA 2 engaged Dean Hall as project leader to release DayZ as an independent game in the future (in English: DayZ Standalone). Given the success figures, this step can already be considered a stroke of luck.
Enough now, let’s get to the point!
…an unknown virus has almost wiped out the entire humanity and there are only a few survivors left. Apocalypse pure, with stinking zombies and crazy humans. In the midst of this catastrophe, your adventure begins in the post-Soviet state of Chernarus. Sounds almost like The Walking Dead.
An exciting game concept that obviously works.
In simple terms, the goal is to survive. As we know, in extreme situations, humans will use almost any means necessary. Therefore, it seems only fitting to beat up other players in the hope of obtaining glorious canned food or a handy axe. Yum, yum. Who wants to starve, anyway? Those who die in DayZ lose everything and have to start from scratch! However, food can not only be obtained from people but also by hunting animals. Everyone to their liking 😉
Died? You get to start over.
In an open and persistent world, you search the areas for scarce goods, prove yourself against zombies, but also against humans who may not always want to join forces with you (these are real people, after all). This alone will create quite a few surprising moments.
What do you think about it? Do you find the whole ‘spectacle’ just as fascinating?
Sources: DayZ page and Wikipedia article
