Revisit the DZMS - Dynamic Zombie Mission Sandbox.

[benevolentdevil]

  While I've been playing Unturned, and waiting like most for Unturned 2 to come out, some things I've been going back and looking at now I have quite a few more "survival games" experience from several now, than from when I first started.

 In Unturned, on steam forums, or anywhere it's discussed, players are complaining it turned into "dayz" as in, a PvP fest "disguised" as a survival game.

 Players are complaining about PvP , and want more of a PvE co-op like game.

 Several of us playing Daizy SP mods do so for a number of reasons, but a good contributing factor is also not having to deal with straight up Kill on Sight PvP players as well.  

 Even in Dayz Standalone, it's more a glorified battle royale than it is actual survival.  

 Which brought be back around to DZM to take another hard look at it.

 What is DZM?  Well, it, unlike dayz is NOT a mod , it's a mission.  I'm not sure I'd call the "enemies" zombies, because they more like "infected" , from movies like 28 days , or a netflix series I was watching recently.
 Being a mission , means no huge downloads , only need the mission itself.  I believe it is also non-specific map dependent.  You can in theory play it on any map.

 In the mission, there's a set of parameters ( start up features) that offer various ways of playing it.
You can make it a timed "survival", have to find a rescue chopper , defend a base from a seemingly endless horde of infected ... or just free-roam/continuous non-stop "survival.

 Unlike Dayz though, the "infected" are a REAL threat. Not just a nuisance , or filler.  
You usually start off with just a few , but gun shots attract more.  Infected will also flank, path-find up ladders, into buildings, even open doors to do so.
 You can ( and i've died often doing it) get "cornered" into buildings, and have no escape route.

 Infected have a three hit system on you.  3 hits with-out medical attention, you are dead.  Most "medical" comes in the form of "bandages" which seem to be basically a healing script, attached to a variable , and accessed from your scroll down menu.  
 Bad part is, some seem a bit glitchy, and can seemingly nail you with a hit from what looks like "too far away".  
 But, these enemies are HARD!  Head-shots take em down fairly good, but they don't like staying still always.  
However, there are "extra" means of "healing" included as well. The medical tents , will heal you. I think you can heal at ambulances and medical choppers too.
Bandages aren't hard to come by.  You also have a parameter you can set the max number of bandages you can carry , I think it'll go up to 10 bandages. "Bandages" are commonly found on Infected after you kill them, as a option when you scroll over them to pick them up.  Remember, bandages are not represented by an Item in your inventory , but as a stored variable.  
 The downside to bandages, is you definitely need time to apply one. It goes through an animation and takes a bit to complete.
Sometimes, the infected just won't leave you enough time.  Expect to do a lot of running lol.
 Night time is a nightmare with no lights, fires, flares, or chemlights to use. NVGs would be good, but seem to be very rare spawns. A few guns in vanilla Arma2 ( or Arma2 co/oa) have flashlights attached to them.

But ... being a mission , you can play it multiplayer by default.  In fact, that's kinda how you play it single player too, set up a LAN game in multiplayer missions, and run it solo.
 But there's the option to play with friends , or even run a server to host the mission.
You don't have to jump through hoops to do this.

Base-building : DZM uses a "style" similar to the Arma2 "Wasteland" base building, where you can load parts into vehicles, like H barriers, sandbags, ect, and go find a location, to try and fortify to use as a "base" .  
Some of this can be "problematic" as some "infected" walk right through barriers and obstacles like they aren't there. Or sometimes will get a lucky hit on you, through a wall even.
While the "base building" is NOT as modular as Epoch base building , it's at least "something" , which is better than nothing usually.

The available player slots leave much to be desired , and many lack even a basic back-pack option. But, all you NEED to carry physically are your weapons and ammo.  DZM does not use a food/water system like dayz does.  I see this, both a "pro" and a "con" ... , as A "Pro" , you don't need lots of extra gear carried around.  Things like bandages , are variables stored on your character.  You don't really have a "need" to have loads of storage.  It makes it to where , all you really got to worry about is not getting hit, and having enough ammo to get by with.
 As a Con, weapons spawn everywhere , so while you discover a variety ( and sometimes hard choice what to use) , thats your only real "incentive" to venture out and deal with "infected".  Though, in most cases, infected will find you even if you are in remote wilderness.

 I believe the worst part about it, it has no real "save feature" , if the "server" you play on crashes, or has to reset, you lose all "progress" made, and gotta start over from scratch.  
That could be considered a pro in some cases, or a con in others.  Just depends on ones point of view.

DZM was Arma2 "gold" , that went under for two reasons- Dayz's "popularity" as a mod, and of course Arma3 took the creator of DZM away. ( whom stopped workingon it in Arma3 and basically abandoned it ).
 But with a few "tweaks" , it could actually have been a better "zombie-survival simulator" than DayZ ever was.

 Now, circling back around to the upset Unturned community ... thier complaint that is not easily "fixed" in the Unturned game/community , that "survival games" are less about PvE ( surviving against the environment) ... DMZ definitely sets the tone of Humanity vrs Infected, ( against the unforgiving environment) , as opposed to Humanity vrs Humanity, with "zombies" as the back-drop.
I bring up the Unturned community, because those players are ones commonly discussing that aspect.

 However... you do have a parameter option to toggle or turn on, that allows for PvP in DZM.  
I honestly do not recommend it, nor really understand why anyone WOULD want to PvP in DZM, as it's friken HARD with-out it.  
The worst part of allowing PvP is friendly fire becomes very lethal , very fast. So, even a Co-Op group would need to be uber careful not to shoot each other, but i can attest DZM can be at times, chaotic in combating the infected, especially at night time when visibility is limited.

 Vehicles spawn all over , you can set this as low amount to lots and lots.  Just depends on your taste.  I generally had set it to low setting, helps with lag/fps.  In fact, quite a few "options" in parameters can be set to off and increase performance big time.  

 Yes the "Infected" are "glitchy" , they walk through walls, can hit through walls, walk through lots of obstacles ... they run as fast as you do, so you won't loose a horde chasing you easily.  They don't "give" up really once aggro'd ... the only "salvation" really, is they do "walk" in buildings , just like Dayz Zombies do.
 You can outrun them in a vehicle.  
Infected will attack and damage vehicles if you are in them though.  

Vehicles are/can be important to you in DZM , not only do most offer means of fast get-a-way from an over-ran area , many also spawn with weapons and ammo inside.
 Also, some are very Utility as well ... like an ambulance humvee for example, a mobile healing station.  Fuel Truck to refuel decent vehicles.  Vehicles with mounted guns to use against the hordes. Repair trucks, to repair damaged vehicles.
But, besides usually your best means of escaping a bad situation , many also hold weapon or ammo spawned in them as well.  

 Looting-  Loot spawns in buildings, in vehicles , and some crates spawn around too.  Almost every weapon in game is supported and can be used.  
 Makes sense that lots of arms/ammo would be had , because the POINT is not to horde up gear, and not starve to death, but to shoot as many infected as you can, before you die.  Keep "surviving".  Which is difficult ... the mission keeps spawning in "infected" as you set in the parameters.

 But there are things to do/accomplish too.  There's quite a few "sidemissions" that pop up while playing.

 Over-all , I think it's a better "mission" to play with at least one or two friends/buddies or something like that.
I can easily see it it as a partial "role-play" opportunity like that too.  I've not found alot of times playing it, you get much a "breather" to sit and just chat , but there could be some times. I think maybe depending how you set the parameters before playing it.  
 You could make any "story you wanted" , there's just Humanity vrs the Infected. Survivors vrs the Infected.  No In game tales or reasons behind it, so you can make what ever story/history you want.

 Solo play, I can say from personal experience is very hard/difficult to "survive" long periods of time.
Not impossible" but very, very difficult.  

 Pros-
1- light end mission only, no modification downloads needed.
2- SP or MP capable as is.
3- Offers a huge curve towards PvE in the case of Multi-player.  
4- Anyone can play it. ( There MIGHT even still be a completely "free version" that works on Arma2 free? ( I hadn't looked really.)
5- Sets up as a better "infected" simulation survival.
6- Lokis lost Key and MCC both work as it's a mission, not a modification.
7- Light end "medical system".
8- Has side missions, or many "game modes" that can be played.
9- Never plays the same way twice ( very randomized).
10- has some limited base building, vehicle towing, object loading.

Cons-
1- Lack of backpacks.
2- Limited light sources at night time.
3- Infected are glitchy ( but so are Dayz "zombies")
4- Lacks "survival elements" like need to eat/drink/sleep.
5- No real health-points or blood points to monitor. 3 hit system. ( 3rd hit death)
6- No persistent "saving" progress.
7- No crafting involved.
8- Infected are hard to take down.

DZM on Armaholic