Modding Is UNDEAD

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DayZ

Laying over Arma II in a minimalist, less is more, fashion comes a dreary hyper survivalist zombie mod that goes by the name of DayZ. Why it took so long for this idea to manifest and why it was a modding team that did it first is an indication of how screwed up AAA gaming development can be. DayZ is a no brainer. Instead of appealing to stats loving, pop, zombie killing sensibilities it goes right for the jugular. With that in mind it makes you survive using that base instinct to survive as the prime motivation to play.

What would you do in a Zombie Outbreak?

That primal daydream, if you will, has been the underlying theme with Zombies since the genre was first conceived. Arguably starting with Vincent Price’s The Last Man on Earth (1964) and taken up by George Romero in his Night of the Living Dead (1968) film. More recently the publications and college lectures of Max Brooks attest to the permanency of the subject. Yet gaming has failed to live up to the genre by ignoring the role playing aspect that movies and novels allow in their escapism.

How It Plays

Using persistent server data and the Arma real world clock as the framework the DayZ mod leaves all of it up to you to decide what you want to do and how you do it in relation to other players. Necessarily and realistically not everyone you meet will be as benevolent as you. As it would be considering human nature is a bit rough around the edges. Of course you will have to do it under the threat of the Zombie Apocalypse. This is for the most part the sum total of the mod.Of course you will have to eat when you are hungry and stay alive with first aid. Your inventory will have to be attended to to accomplish this as you scavenge the landscape for items.  Accentuating the experience in a very important way is Arma’s unique VOIP that is used open mic and simulates real world communication using distance as a variable. Incredibly and finally someone has responded to the prime in the equation of the zombie survival theorem.

The Next Best Thing to Being There

This series of YouTube videos and their popularity shows how a natural role playing event is created. It seems easy to have a lot of great fun.

 

Smart Team

Wisely the DayZ modders are not allowing just anyone to run a modded server. In the past we have seen other great mods instantly diluted by releasing them to the public. Of course with the persistence of character being controlled server side homogeneity is critical to player experience.

Weapons Vehicles and Items

I don’t want to spoil the mod and it’s the loot that matters in the game. So far I have heard of a bus that is available to fix and you can get it going with some items that you can find. Weapons include a crossbow for silent killing and a sniper rifle.Of course food is a requisite item. More than that and you will have to play to find out.

We are going to give the mod a go here at CROSSHAIRS and are thinking of forming a survival team. If you have any interest just add a comment.

Popularity

It’s clear that things are really popping as of this article. There are about 40 to 50 servers running the mod.

Characters:     357246
Alive Characters:     33415
Bandits:     4616
Unique Players:     39091
Zombie kills:     4972905
Murders:     65206
Bandits killed:     35960
Total Walked:     2150306km
Time Played:     6356d 12h
Average chars/player:     9.14

Mod Description

Welcome to Chernarus. A 225 km2 open world post-soviet state and one of the areas hit by a new and presently unknown infection which has wiped out most of the world’s population. You are one of the few who have survived and now you must search this new wasteland in order to fight for your life against what is left of the indigenous population, now infected with the disease.

Go Solo, team up with friends or take on the world as you choose your path in this brutal and chilling landscape using whatever means you stumble upon to survive.

This is Day Z – This is your story.

You will need ArmA II and ArmA II Operation Arrowhead, to play the mod, The mod is still technically in Alpha so I expect more great improvements. You can download the mod here

Use Our App On The Go

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So many of you have asked for different ways to take CROSSHAIRS with you on the go. The show is now available as an app that you can take with you.You can use our app on Android,Blackberry and iOS devices.

To use our app just install any of the free QRscanner apps that are readily available on your phone or pads.

Scan the QR code below and just follow the instructions given. Please be patient as we refine the app.

CROSSHAIRS 47 Black Ops 2 and More Stuff

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Welcome to our 47th podcast where we talk about the latest FPS gaming news.
Some of our topics include
Black Ops 2 and what we know so far.
Kicksarter and it’s first gaming scandal
Robotoki the new startup effort by Robert Bowling
A bit of Sniper Elite V2
Joining me on this cast is :
My cohost Joker
Whiterook
Hawke
Gareth
Pretoryan
And we got close to connecting with Toyed from a 300 ft amusement ride.

HTML5 Player below for iPad and iPhone. No support yet for Mozilla.

Kickstarter scandal time! Little Monster accused of scam -Destructoid

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Human nature being what it is, I don’t think it comes as any surprise that we have our first alleged Kickstarter scam. I was contacted by several listeners about the possibility of adding a topic for discussion covering ….well for lack of a better word, theft. I guess it’s a topic now !

Gamers have been so trusting and generous because of the growing popularity of indie developers resulting from the Shredded Wheat we are getting in games these days. Try eating Shredded Wheat with no sugar and no milk day in and day out. Eventually your going to spring for something a little tastier. I think it’s important that we make sure we don’t end up getting Ramen Noodles for our money.

MYTHIC: The Story Of Gods And Men Kickstarter Page

Here is the Destructoid article.

It was going to happen. The moment Double Fine made headlines with its Kickstarter project, an invisible timer had been set, counting down to the inevitable crowdfunding scandals. Little Monster Productions is up for the chopping block, Continue reading →

The Dead Linger, “But You Can’t Afford To”

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You wake up in a hospital room. White light bouncing off white walls. You squint while waiting for your pupils to adjust, all the while the lights flicker madly as if on whaning backup power.The window curtains are closed, yet you can see from the corner it’s dark outside. Too dark. You sit up and put one foot on the floor, then the other. As you walk over to the window you feel your fears begining to overwhelm you. Uncertainty swelling in your gut. You shutter to speculate on what has transpired. You’re almost too afraid to peer out into the city streets. You grab hold of yourself, strengthening your own resolve. You grab at the curtain, hastily open it and peer into complete darkness. Not a single street light is lit, but you can see walking figures in the darkness. As you stand there, motionless, trying to make sense of it all, a figure presses up against the window, its flesh rotted and peeling. It lets out an unholy sound that would terrify even the devil himself. It hammers at the glass and as it begins to crack you suddenly realize what it is. You know it hungers for flesh. Your flesh. You turn to run, the glass breaks and as a surge of adrenaline rushes through your body it all seems to slow down. You’re survival instincts take over. It’s fight or flight and it’s time to make a decision. What do you do first? What is priority number one? How will you survive the zombie apocalypse?

Continue reading →

First look Sniper Elite V2

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In this YouTube Vlog Toyed and Whiterook take a look at Sniper Elite V2.Synopsis: In the dark days of the end of World War Two amidst the ruins of Berlin, one bullet can change history… Sniper Elite V2 is the eagerly-awaited sequel to the highly-acclaimed Sniper Elite, giving gamers the most authentic World War II sniping experience available. You are elite US sniper Karl Fairburne.

CROSSHAIRS 46 A Geoff Keene Interview

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On our latest cast we meet with Geoff Keene the CEO and Design Director of Sandswept Studios.

Sandswept is fresh off a sucessful Kickstarter campaign and has plans to go Alpha with their new game The Dead Linger in the near future.

If Zombie Realism is what you feel has been lacking in the genre then you are going to want to get to know this game and it’s developer

The Dead Linger is an FPS (first person shooter) zombie survival game made and published by Sandswept Studios. It features a world size world and randomly generated worlds that can spawn structures such as forests, cities ranging from big to small, mountains, caves, grasslands, and any other biome you would find in the World. Also, the game will support an old-game mechanic that allows the player to interact with objects and NPCs or other characters in the game. The game can (will) be buy-able in the Alpha, which will allow you to buy it at a discounted price of 25$ with no DRM. It will be buyable on the TDL site (Thedeadlinger.com) and will not use Steam. The game will utilize the Ogre 3D engine to render and simulate the game and due to its rendering methods, the game can be released on Linux and Mac alongside Windows PC. NOTE: Buying the Alpha helps with bug testing and funding the final game, along with early and cheaper access to the game.

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