DayZ is a free 2012 multiplayer open world survival horror mod designed by Dean Hall for the 2009 tactical shooter video game ARMA 2 and its 2010 expansion pack, ARMA 2: Operation Arrowhead. The mod places the player in the fictional post-Soviet state of Chernarus, where an unknown virus has turned the population into undead zombies. As a survivor with limited supplies, the player must scavenge the world for supplies such as food, water, weapons and medicine, while killing or avoiding both zombies and other players - in an effort to survive the zombie apocalypse.
DayZ has been widely praised in gaming media for its innovative design elements, with Kotaku and Eurogamer describing it as possibly the best zombie game ever made, and PC Gamer calling it one of the most important things to happen to PC gaming in 2012 as well as one of the five scariest games of all time. The mod reached one million players in its first four months on 6 August 2012, with hundreds of thousands purchasing ARMA 2 just to play it.
DayZ attempts to portray a realistic scenario, with the environment having many different effects on the player. A player may receive bone fractures from repeated damage to the legs, go into shock from unexpected ambushes, receive infections from both the zombies or diseased players, or even spontaneously faint due to a low blood pressure. Thirst and hunger must be regularly dealt with by finding sustenance in either cities or in the wilderness, with body temperature playing another key part in the character\'s survival.[2] The game focuses on survival and the human element of a zombie apocalypse by forcing the player to acknowledge basic human needs like thirst, hunger and shelter; elements that force the player to focus on immediate goals before they can consider longer term strategies
DayZ has been widely praised in gaming media for its innovative design elements, with Kotaku and Eurogamer describing it as possibly the best zombie game ever made, and PC Gamer calling it one of the most important things to happen to PC gaming in 2012 as well as one of the five scariest games of all time. The mod reached one million players in its first four months on 6 August 2012, with hundreds of thousands purchasing ARMA 2 just to play it.
DayZ attempts to portray a realistic scenario, with the environment having many different effects on the player. A player may receive bone fractures from repeated damage to the legs, go into shock from unexpected ambushes, receive infections from both the zombies or diseased players, or even spontaneously faint due to a low blood pressure. Thirst and hunger must be regularly dealt with by finding sustenance in either cities or in the wilderness, with body temperature playing another key part in the character\'s survival.[2] The game focuses on survival and the human element of a zombie apocalypse by forcing the player to acknowledge basic human needs like thirst, hunger and shelter; elements that force the player to focus on immediate goals before they can consider longer term strategies