EPTHow to install DayZ on Steam (better versions are probably out there, just google it)
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1. Buy ARMA 2: Combined Operations from steam. (You get the original ARMA 2 and the expansion pack; Operation Arrowhead. Costs 24,99€.
2. Install both games.
2,5. Run both games and let them load to the main menu. (I'm not sure if this is really necessary, but just do it)
3. Go to http://dayzmod.com/downloads.php and select the mirror closest to you. (This only affects DL speed)
4. Save all the .rar files to a folder of your choice. (Don't unpack yet)
5. Find your steam folder, and from there go to; Steam->Steamapps->common->arma 2 operation arrowhead
6. Create a new folder in your OA folder, name it "@DayZ" without the quoation marks.
7. Create a new folder inside your "@DayZ" folder, name it "addons" without the quotation marks.
8. Drag all the .rar files into your "addons" folder.
9. Select them all and click "Extract Here" (This can be different for other .rar programs)
10. Once they are all exctracted, delete the .rar files them selves.
11. Go to http://www.arma2.com/beta-patch.php and download "Latest beta patch", it's in the top left corner.
12. Run the installer.
13. In your OA folder, there is a file called "arma2OA.exe", rename it and keep it as a backup.
14. Still in the OA folder, go to "expansions" and then "beta", copy the "arma2OA.exe" from the "beta" folder and put it in your OA folder.
15. Go to your steam library, find Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead, right click and go to "Properties".
16. In the "Set launch options" (find this in the "General" tab) copy and paste
"-beta=Expansion\beta;ca;Expansion\beta\Expansion -mod=@DayZ;ca"
without the quotation marks and click "Ok".
17. Run Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead, select the "Arma 2: Combined Operations" option.
18. Go to the multiplayer tab, to filter all the non DayZ servers you can go to "Filter" and type "DayZ" in the "Host" tab.
19. Find a suitable server, do expect some waiting time though, the game is still in Alpha.
2. Install both games.
2,5. Run both games and let them load to the main menu. (I'm not sure if this is really necessary, but just do it)
3. Go to http://dayzmod.com/downloads.php and select the mirror closest to you. (This only affects DL speed)
4. Save all the .rar files to a folder of your choice. (Don't unpack yet)
5. Find your steam folder, and from there go to; Steam->Steamapps->common->arma 2 operation arrowhead
6. Create a new folder in your OA folder, name it "@DayZ" without the quoation marks.
7. Create a new folder inside your "@DayZ" folder, name it "addons" without the quotation marks.
8. Drag all the .rar files into your "addons" folder.
9. Select them all and click "Extract Here" (This can be different for other .rar programs)
10. Once they are all exctracted, delete the .rar files them selves.
11. Go to http://www.arma2.com/beta-patch.php and download "Latest beta patch", it's in the top left corner.
12. Run the installer.
13. In your OA folder, there is a file called "arma2OA.exe", rename it and keep it as a backup.
14. Still in the OA folder, go to "expansions" and then "beta", copy the "arma2OA.exe" from the "beta" folder and put it in your OA folder.
15. Go to your steam library, find Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead, right click and go to "Properties".
16. In the "Set launch options" (find this in the "General" tab) copy and paste
"-beta=Expansion\beta;ca;Expansion\beta\Expansion -mod=@DayZ;ca"
without the quotation marks and click "Ok".
17. Run Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead, select the "Arma 2: Combined Operations" option.
18. Go to the multiplayer tab, to filter all the non DayZ servers you can go to "Filter" and type "DayZ" in the "Host" tab.
19. Find a suitable server, do expect some waiting time though, the game is still in Alpha.
Ok, now I got that out the way, let's talk about the game. As mentioned in the guide, DayZ is still in it's alpha stages (meaning bugs and glitches are plentiful), but as it stands now I'm loving it and I reccomend it to anyone who likes Zombie Survival FPSes.
The game is a huuuuuuge area, 255(?) square kilometers, and no loading time anywhere (except when you are joining a server, etc) and features other players, zombies, vehicles, guns, guns, guns, ghillie suits, guns and a lot more. This game takes "realistic FPS" to a new level, because you have to eat, drink, bandage yourself to not bleed out, take painkillers when you are hurt etc.
The only thing I don't really like is the controls (if you have ever played Arma 2 you know what I mean), but it's manageble. And then there's a weird problem that causes your FPS to drop when you stay in the same server for an extended period of time.
Even because of this I love the game. I'm pretty shitty at rewieving games, so I will just stop and tell a true story of what happened yesterday.
My friends had just logged off because they are pussies (not really, they don't have vacation yet), and I decided to go loot Elektro (one of the biggest cities along the coast). I have a "loot-route" I use everytime I loot Elektro, and when I went to the first stop (a fire and powerstation located right next to each other). I was just looting, doing standard stuff, when I noticed the sound of flies (which means that somebody died in your vicinity) and went off to look for their body so I could loot them too. And oh my god, they had everything I needed, compass, clock, M1014 shotgun, hunting knife, UZI secondary, food and medical supplies. I took everything I could off their bodies, and went off to the city, I obviously wasn't careful enough because a bandit (people who go around looking for players to kill) sniper shot me. I stopped the bleeding at 1200 (you start with 12k bloodpoints or bloodpressure, when you go to 0, you die) and got out of the city, towards the same location I looted earlier with the dead guy.
I kept passing out because I had little blood, but I managed to get into the lookout tower on the firestation. I had found a bloodpack (an item that restores your blood to 12k), but you can't use it on youself for some reason, so I would have to either wait for my friends to coma back online or ask a random stranger on the server. I've learned the hard way not to trust strangers in this game, so I decided to wait.
When my friends came back online at around 3PM I logged on with them, and waited for them to make their way over to me and heal me. Suddenly, a dude with an AK-47 pops out of the staircase. I panick. Scared as f*ck I empty 8 shotgun rounds into him, he obviously dies. He got so mad at me, he was raging at me in chat for about half an hour. It was a sad situation, I didn't know he was friendly (he probably lied about it anyway), and he didn't know I was there. But he kept blaming me for being a bandit ruining the game, etcetc.
After that my friends got to me and got me patched up. We went to the hospital to get more bloodbags, but on the way back we got some random aggro from all the zombies in the area (~15), but 3 dudes with pistols and rifles in an open area at night is a pretty easy picking for the zombies. I was killed, one of my friends died from bleeding because we ran out of bandages, and the last one got sniped by a bandit. Maybe it was the same that shot me earlier, who knows.
Perhaps a poorly told story, but these things happen all the time and it's just so godamn fun if you have friends to play with.
PROTIP: Trust no-one, except if they are real-life friends. Do not shoot on sight, but shoot if they approach you. Avoid other groups.
AND
BE AWARE OF YOUR SUROUNDINGS
Seriously, people are patient in this game, you could just be walking on a road on your way to Elektro and suddenly, without warning, get headshotted from 800meters away. And before you cry at imbalanced snipers, do take into consideration that there exists bullet drop and travel time in this game, which the sniper has to take into consideration.
Have fun playing! And sorry for a making such a long post.
TL;DR
Play this game, seriously, or else you're missing out on something awesome.
. Survival of the fittest for me
