FPS General

There's a handful of DayZ applications available on the Google Play Store (formerly Android Market) but none quite so effective, in our use, as DayZ Central.

Features-wise, DayZ Central is a pretty meaty offering with the base app including a full HD map of Chernarus that features:

• Full database of items, equipment, vehicles, etc 
• The ability to add waypoint markers
• Building locations
• Vehicle locations
• Loot locations

Plus, for an added bonus, you get a handful of guides included in the app. What I've been doing (as nerdy as it might sound), is setting up my tablet in landscape view next to my main monitor when I'm playing DayZ. Doing this, I have an always-on loot, vehicle and building location guide at my fingertips.

This is especially handy as I pretty much spend 90% of my time in DayZ being killed by bandits, so finding loot becomes something of a necessity.

"I know that people get really frustrated because they want to play, but I just think this is the best option," revealed Dean Hall to Joystiq in a recent interview. This coming after the announcement that the standalone version of DayZ would not be launching until at least June, and that is being optimistic.

At this stage in the game, Hall and his team are focusing on making the standalone version of DayZ perfect. They are ready to go live with the alpha test but the number one focus is that the client-server architecture is going to be able to support the game. 2013 has had enough day one failures for DayZ to be added to that growing list of disappointments, so we're perfectly okay with an extra few months of wait time.

Speaking of the challenges facing his team, Hall said:

We want to release the keys in chunks of what we have servers available. The idea is to very, very quickly try to release something out there, because that allows us to start capacity testing. We've got one final thing we're waiting for with the release date, which is the completion of our client-server architecture.

It's basically making the game into an MMO, and pretty much the moment that's done, we'll release.

Also mentioned, albeit briefly, was the potential for DayZ to launch a sort of Kickstarter-like initiative that would allow players to essentially pay certain amounts of money for access to the alpha version of DayZ as well as other bonuses. This would use a tiered system, much like Kickstarter uses for potential financial backers.

Would you pay to play the DayZ standalone alpha or does that seem like a stretch to you? Let us know in the replies, we're curious how well that project would go with DayZ players.

If you're playing the DayZ mod, don't forget to check out the DayZ Wiki for everything you need to know about the game. This will also be our home for the wiki for the standalone version of DayZ so bookmark it and check back in with us as we get closer to release.

Source: Joystiq

Released this past weekend, we have here a developer blog from Dean 'Rocket' Hall and Matthew Lightfoot on the upcoming standalone version of DayZ.

The video, which you can watch above, features 20 minutes of footage from DayZ, giving us our first substantial look at the game.

The video is narrated by Rocket and Matt Lightfoot who provide some really awesome commentary over the gameplay. It's important to note in the video that the zombie animations are carried over from the DayZ mod but that will not be the case in the final game. As witnessed in a previous developer blog, zombies are getting some brand new animations and framework but that work hadn't been implemented at the time of the recording of this blog.

Check out the trailer above and for all of your DayZ needs, make sure to visit http://www.dayzwiki.com!

Earlier this month, the team working on the DayZ ArmA II mod (not the standalone version) released a patch for the game that introduced a whole slew of new models for cans in the game world. Soda cans, beer cans, beans, you name it.These new can models all had quirky, funny names dedicated to forum moderators and the community absolutely hated it to death. 

These new can names were put into the game in an effort to pay homage to the folks who work tireless hours to upkeep the community and message boards, but ultimately a large portion of the community didn't appreciate the gesture.

Threads began sprouting up on popular gaming communities like Reddit and 4chan denouncing the new cans, declaring that they 'ruin the immersion and atmosphere of the game' and that this was nothing short of a grab for glory by the moderators and development team.

At the end of the day, the players' voice was heard and hotfix 1.7.6.1 removed all of the can models that had been introduced just 24 hours prior. The backlash and outpouring of hate was successful, but was it necessary?

In a game like DayZ, immersion in the game world is a crucial factor, that is not up for debate. Losing yourself in Chernarus, creeping through the overgrown foliage trying to avoid the attention of zombies and, more importantly, the eye of ruthless bandits, is what makes DayZ so special. There have been attempts to emulate this feeling that DayZ gives us but, if we're honest, nobody has nailed it down yet.

But was the immersion really 'ruined' by the inclusion of a handful of off-the-wall can names? After all, they're just cans, right?

Keep reading for more on what Dean 'Rocket' Hall is calling The Notorious Can Incident.

Check out the latest developer diary from the guys at Bohemia Interactive as they visit the motion capture studio to do capture some brand new zombie animation. This 23 minute developer blog is a must-watch for anyone who is anticipating DayZ as much as we are.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect is that Dean Hall himself dons the motion capture suit. We would be hard pressed to find another lead developer who is willing to do his own motion capture, let alone someone who puts as much of himself into the performance as Rocket does in this developer video.

All of the motion capture artists are great and we can't wait to see how this translates into some amazing new zombie animations.

DayZ is rapidly becoming one of our most anticipated games of this year, so make sure you stick with us as we continue to follow development on the game! If you're currently playing the DayZ mod, make sure you stop by the DayZ Wiki at http://www.dayzwiki.com/ for all of your DayZ needs, from full maps of the game world to loot guides and everything in between.

We missed this last week but it's better late than never when it comes to talking about DayZ, especially the standalone version. Posted on the development blog, Dean Hall delivered a pretty lengthy update on the status of DayZ Standalone development, saying that things are going well as they move closer to getting something tangible out for public consumption.

In perhaps the most telling comment in the update, Dean said:

The experience will be entirely new. There is virtually nothing that has been directly ported from the mod, everything has been redone. This wasn’t our original intention (hence the December deadline) - but it has evolved this way.

We’re all glad it has!

So, the next time you look back at that December, 2012 projected deadline and shake your fist at the sky, remember that this is not the same game we were expecting six months ago. It's not even the same game that the developers were expecting.

It also looks like weapons and attachments are getting some focus in recent weeks:

Based on feedback and development, changes continue with this area. It’s starting to operate really well. Our programmer here, Jirka, will eventually move onto the crafting system. He has been wanting to move onto this for some time, as it is a personal area of interest for him.

As part of the inventory system, we have started detailed work on the attachment system. Like the customization of characters, we want to allow maximum ability for the customization and development of a players weapons. As part of this, all weapons being introduced into DayZ are being redeveloped from scratch at extremely high detail. The work being produced so far is outstanding!

This means that, on release, there will be less weapons in the standalone - but it allows us the ability to continue each week to release content updates with new weapons and items.

Check out some brand new screenshots from the standalone version of DayZ after the break and make sure you visit http://dayzdev.tumblr.com/ to read the full blog post!

The team working on the ArmA II mod DayZ has released a pretty major update for the mod, introducing new elements into the game and fixing existing ones. The update is, of course, free of charge to anyone who owns ArmA II, the expansion Operation Arrowhead and has installed DayZ.

Today's update, 1.7.5.1, introduces some new weapons and gameplay elements. As with any good update, the patch notes are pretty lengthy but here are some standouts:

• New weapons: Sa58 and the G36.
• Ability to flip ATV's.
• Zeds spawn while in vehicles.
• Zeds now have the ability to pull you from open vehicles.
• Chopper weapons can now be reloaded.
• 5 New types of food ("FoodmuttonCooked","FoodchickenCooked","FoodBaconCooked","HIDDEN","FooedRabbitCooked").
• Bloodbags can now give an infection.
• You can now eat raw meat (low hp add + possible infection), and Cooked meat (high hp add w/o infection).

These are just a few highlights from one section of the full changelog. The entire thing can be read online at http://dayzmod.com/.

Make sure you visit the DayZ Wiki at http://www.dayzwiki.com/ for more information on DayZ!

Corridor Digital is known for their amazing work on YouTube, putting together some amazing short films including today's release; After DayZ. The short film is incredible and manages to capture the bleak atmosphere that we've come to love in DayZ.

When you step foot into Chernarus for the first time, there's nothing quite like it. The world, so vibrantly realized thanks to the ArmA engine, is stark and desolate. It won't take long for you to realize that you are well and truly alone in this world...or so it seems. Make your way to the nearest town and you'll quickly come in contact with mobs of soulless undead, shambling aimlessly across the barren streets. But in Chernarus, zombies are the least of your concern. The true threat lies in other players and whether or not you can trust them. Choose to put your faith in them and you might find yourself betrayed a mile down the road, all your weapons and loot stolen from your lifeless corpse.

You just never know, and it is this suspense and mistrust that Corridor Digital has managed to capture on film. The video is awesome, and we definitely recommend giving it a view at the top of this page. For more on DayZ, you can always visit the DayZ Wiki at http://www.dayzwiki.com/.

The closed testing for the standalone version of DayZ has officially begun! Ever since we heard that Dean Hall was doing a standalone version of DayZ, we've been looking forward to the day when the game reaches a stage where we can finally get our hands on it and it looks like we're one step closer to that goal this morning.

Hall updated his DayZ Tumblr, announcing that the closed internal testing has begun (using Steam for server browsing, no less!) and that he is working on implementing the actual game/server client so that it can be released to the public in some form. Also in the update, he talks about a ton of other updates to the standalone version of DayZ including weapon customization (attachments!), character customization and so much more.

Something that caught our attention was Hall's note about how your character will originally look and how that may change over the course of playing DayZ:

This is an area of very active development, we’re exploring all sorts of ways to make your character change in the world as you play. When you first create your character, the options will be simple. As you go along in the world, your character will change as a result of their interactions with the environment and the decisions you make, through items such as clothing choices.

Social aspects are extremely important to us, and we’ve taken a number of idea’s and participated in the discussions on reddit and the forums about what we can do in this area. Expect more on these area’s in the next tumblr update. We want to support the organic development and operation of groups within the game, through the development of their own symbology in game (tattoo’s, markings on the world, on weapons, etc…).

We feel that these redeveloped social experiences told through the game will be a compelling part of the standalone.

Check out the entire blog update at http://dayzdev.tumblr.com/ and make sure you visit the DayZ Wiki for everything you will ever need to know about DayZ!