As expected, the DayZ standalone from Bohemia Interactive has launched on Steam as an Early Access game. As such, this is "your chance to experience DayZ as it evolves throughout its development process."
DayZ standalone is a full-fledged retail version of an Arma II mod created by Dean Hall. It's an open-world survival horror hybrid-MMO game in which players must fight to survive in a harsh post-apocalytpic world for as long as they can. If — well, when — you die, you lose everything and must start from the beginning again with absolutely no items.
"Be aware that our Early Access offer is a representation of our core pillars, and the framework we have created around them," a developer post on the Steam page reads. "It is a work in progress and therefore contains a variety of bugs. We strongly advise you not to buy and play the game at this stage unless you clearly understand what Early Access means and are interested in participating in the ongoing development cycle.”
The statement echoes the words of Dean "Rocket" Hall, lead developer of the DayZ standalone game, who earlier this month urged gamers to take a "skeptical approach" towards game's early access.
For those unfamiliar, Early Access is a separate channel for Steam Games that are not completely finished. They offer gamers a chance to purchase access to the game still in development and play along as the studio continues to improve the game with updates. Typically, games go up in price as they enter beta and eventually final release, but Early Access also gives gamers an opportunity to buy into the game before the price hike. Just treat the Early Access like any other rough beta and you should be good. Currently, DayZ is listed for $29.99.
