DayZ (video game)

For the original mod, see DayZ (mod).
DayZ

DayZ logo
Developer(s) Bohemia Interactive
Publisher(s) Bohemia Interactive
Designer(s) Dean Hall
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 4
Release date(s) Microsoft Windows
December 16, 2013 (Early Alpha)
2016 (final release)
PlayStation 4
Q3 2015
Genre(s) Survival horror
Mode(s) Massively multiplayer online game

DayZ is a massively multiplayer online (MMO) open world survival horror video game in development by Bohemia Interactive and the stand-alone version of the award-winning mod of the same name. The game was test-released on December 16, 2013, for Microsoft Windows via digital distribution platform Steam, and is currently in early alpha testing.

The game places the player in the fictional 225km2 post-Soviet state of Chernarus, where an unknown virus has turned most of the population into violent zombies. As a survivor, the player must scavenge the world for food, water, weapons, and medicine, while killing or avoiding zombies, and killing, avoiding or cooperating with other players in an effort to survive the zombie apocalypse.

DayZ began development in 2012 when the mod's creator, Dean Hall, joined Bohemia Interactive to commence work on the standalone version of the game. The development has been focused on altering the engine to suit the game's needs, developing a working client-server architecture, and introducing new features like diseases and a better inventory system. The game has sold 3 million copies since its alpha release. At Gamescom 2014, it was announced that DayZ would be coming to the PlayStation 4.[1]

Gameplay

The goal of DayZ is to stay alive and healthy during the conditions of the zombie apocalypse that have befallen the in-game world. The player begins equipped with only simple clothes and a flashlight, and must begin exploring the large 225km2 landscape of fictional former Soviet Republic Chernarus to investigate locations such as houses, barns, and apartments to scavenge supplies.[2][3][4] These supplies include food and water, which are basic keys to prolonging the player's life.[5][6] Beyond the bare bones of survival, players can find various forms of clothing, which not only allow the player to customize their character, but can bring the benefit of extra storage space for supplies and warmth.[7] Also scattered around the map are a variety of weapons, allowing players to protect themselves from zombies or other players if necessary. Currently these are largely focused on a range of melee weapons, but a small number of firearms (more are to be implemented with future updates) are present, as well as various attachments such as bipods and telescopic sights. Player interaction is a major part of DayZ gameplay. Currently the game provides in-game voice chat which allows players to communicate with each other within a certain distance. Text chat is also provided for those players who lack any means of voice communication. DayZ also provides in game actions such as the ability wave to other players and allowing players to put their hands up in order to show that they surrender. [8]

While travelling around the game, players can also find various medical supplies as the environment poses a range of threats to their character. Planned features include diseases such as cholera, dysentery and hepatitis, which can be caught by ingesting dirty water or rotten food and must be cured with the appropriate medicine.[9][10] If a player is shot or otherwise hurt, items on their person may be damaged.[11] The player may also start bleeding and must be bandaged quickly to minimize blood loss; excessive damage or blood loss will result in serious deterioration of vision for the player and can render them unconscious. The game also includes hundreds of public domain books throughout the map for players to read, including titles such as War of the Worlds and Moby-Dick.[12]

Planned features of the game include being able to build bases in the world in which players can keep their items safe, with the possibility of security systems and programmable computers having been considered.[13] The standalone game will build on the text and close range voice chat of the mod version by including a new whisper channel, which will allow players to communicate over a very short distance without players nearby hearing, as well as radios (based off the "ACRE" mod for ARMA 2), which will allow longer range communication, including the possibility of encrypted two-way radios and player-run radio stations.[14][10][15] A number of features which have been recently added to the release are hunting animals and cooking. Other features such as vehicle transportation are confirmed to be in development pending future release.[16]

Development

Following the huge successes of the DayZ mod, Dean Hall announced in August 2012, via a new development blog, that DayZ would begin being developed as a standalone game with himself as project lead, in conjunction with Bohemia Interactive.[17] He said that the game needed to be released before the end of the year "in order to achieve what we have to do",[18] also stating that he wanted an initial release around November 2012.[19] The game will be running on a branch of the Take On Helicopters engine (part of the Real Virtuality engine), and the main areas of developmental focus were to be "critical issues", such as bug fixing, hacking, and security.[20]

"I hope I implement a lot of bad ideas... So that then, we know they are bad. Then we can remove them and move on... If we stick to safe ideas, this isn't going to become a great game over the next few months – it will just be a cool idea and I'll try and spend the next ten years going around conventions talking about how cool it was. I'd rather follow all the dead ends so I know what works and what doesn't."

—Dean Hall, lead developer of DayZ

One of the developmental focuses was making the world feel more realistic by increasing the number of enterable buildings.[21][22] Hall stated that he hopes to implement bad ideas into the game, in order to find what players enjoy, rather than taking no risks at all.[23] The game will be based on a client-server architecture, similar to that used in many massively multiplayer online games where functions such as item and NPC spawning are decided on the server rather than on the player's machine (the Arma 2 architecture had a large proportion of these tasks performed on the client). The main aims of this change are to reduce the number of hacks and exploits available, and to remove any unnecessary functions of the previous engine (such as AI flanking).[24] It was announced in November that the game would be released via digital distribution software Steam, allowing use of the Steam server browser and patching functionality.[25][26]

Following the troubled release of similar game The War Z, Hall stated in a post on Reddit that the "whole 'saga' of the development made me seriously question if I wanted to be involved in the industry" and that he had considered leaving the DayZ standalone project.[27] The game missed its original 2012 release date, with a development update coming in January 2013 saying that the game was not yet released because the developers "had the chance to go from making a game that was just the mod improved slightly... to actually redeveloping the engine and making the game the way we all dreamed it could be."[28] The release date was rescheduled and an internal closed test began on the game, with it being announced that public testing would not be taking place until the server architecture was finalized.[29][30]

Development screenshot showing items (axes and cans of beans), in locations the player would expect to find them inside an abandoned building

In June 2013, Hall commented that the alpha release of the game would be a "very bare-bones" alpha in which the development team want a relatively low number of players providing bug reports and feedback.[31] The secondary aim of the initial alpha release is to keep the project funded for further development until the full release.[13] Hall has stated that he expects the beta release to be at least a year after that of the alpha.[32] The last tasks prior to the alpha release were network optimizations, referred to as a 'network bubble', which would reduce network load on the player by only loading events which occur within their vicinity.[33][34] In October, Hall stated that the development team was on the final lap of development and that the team was "100 percent focused on getting the alpha out the door."[35] After release the developers are focusing on server performance and stability, adding extra features such as animals and vehicles, and improving the controls and animations, among other things.[36]

Throughout the game's development Hall has posted development blogs, attended video game conventions, and uploaded gameplay videos, keeping the community up to date with the development progress.[37][38][39] The second development video showed the animation team in a motion capture session recording new animations, as well as some interviews with the development team and the third contained a large amount of in-game footage, showing new clothing items and a new area of the map.[3][40]

Hall said that a console release of DayZ is "almost certain"[41] and that he had been in talks with both Sony and Microsoft about PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions. He commented that he was happy for DayZ to be released on any console that is "indie-friendly,"[42] but that he was put off by Microsoft's ban on self-publishing and their history of charging money for game updates though the development team was not counting the Xbox One out.[43] The development team will not be considering the console version further until the game has been released fully on PC.[44]

In March 2014, Dean Hall revealed that Bohemia Interactive had purchased a new development team, Cauldron Studios, whose 25 developers would be added to the DayZ development team.[45] At Gamescom 2014, DayZ was confirmed for the PS4 console with a release date to be determined.

Release

The game was released on 16 December 2013 during the alpha development stage through Steam's Early Access program at a cheaper price than when it is finally released.[46] The price will increase as development continues until reaching the full release price.[47] This alpha release is an early access build with a large amount of the features still in progress and the development team is targeting the release at an audience who want to be involved in what Hall called a "very barebones experience that is a platform for future development."[48]

In November 2014, it was announced that the final release version of the game would be released in 2016.[49]

Reception

The alpha release sold over 172,500 copies in the first 24 hours, totaling over US $5 million in sales.[50][51] During peak sales, over 200 copies were being purchased per minute and after one week over 400,000 copies had been sold.[52][53] The game reached a total of more than 1 million sales while remaining at the top of Steam's sales charts for two weeks in a row during their Winter sale despite it not being reduced in price.[54][55] In an alpha review of DayZ, Rick Lane of Eurogamer commented positively on the new additions but said that the game may not be worth the current price until more features have been added.[56] On the other hand, Craig Pearson of PC Gamer said that he had good experiences in DayZ and that it was already worth the price.[57]

By May 2014, the game had sold 2 million copies.[58] By January 2015, the game had sold 3 million copies.[59]

Awards

DayZ won the MMORPG.com award for Best Hybrid MMO at PAX East 2013,[60] and in August 2013 it was announced as the winner of IGN's People's Choice Award of gamescom 2013, beating 49 other games with 15% of the votes.[61] At the 2014 Golden Joystick Awards DayZ won the Best Indie Game and Best Original Game awards.[62]

References

  1. ↑ "Gamescom 2014: DayZ Confirmed for PS4 - GameSpot". 12 August 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Lahti, Evan (May 30, 2012). "Buy a paper map of Day Z’s horrifying world, Chernarus". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sykes, Tom (March 10, 2013). "DayZ dev video shows us 20 minutes of footage from the standalone". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  4. ↑ Senior, Tom (25 December 2013). "Diary: one hour in DayZ's Christmas ceasefire". PC Gamer. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  5. ↑ Haas, Pete (20 December 2013). "DayZ Standalone Alpha: The Newbie Guide". Cinema Blend. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  6. ↑ Craft, Scott (29 December 2013). "DayZ Standalone First Impressions: Seven Hours In Chernarus And I'm Hooked". International Digital Times. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  7. ↑ Usher, William (16 December 2013). "DayZ Standalone Now Available". Cinema Blend. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "DayZ Diaries: the one where Andy decides never to trust anyone ever again". PC Gamer. Jan 27, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Rocket2guns on Twitter". November 20, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "DayZ: mo-capped dysentery and other horrible diseases teased". PC Gamer. Future plc. June 15, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  11. ↑ Prell, Sophie (7 September 2013). "DayZ September dev blog teases new zombie AI and item degradation". Joystiq. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  12. ↑ Davis, Joshua (August 28, 2013). "How a Near-Death Experience in the Jungle Inspired a Blockbuster Zombie Game". Wired. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "How Rocket Plans To Follow EVE’s Lead With DayZ". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. June 25, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  14. ↑ Bitton, Michael (March 29, 2013). "DayZ Previews: The Standalone Makes a Splash at PAX East". Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  15. ↑ "DayZ standalone alpha release: "We've set a date now"". Eurogamer.net. Gamer Network Ltd. June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  16. ↑ Hall, Dean (20 December 2013). "Confirmed Upcoming Features for DayZ". Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  17. ↑ "The end of the beginning – Day Z Development Blog". August 14, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  18. ↑ Senior, Tom (September 28, 2012). "DayZ standalone will be out this year, "and it’s going to be cheap"". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  19. ↑ Petitte, Omri (October 8, 2012). "DayZ’s Rocket wants standalone alpha in November". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  20. ↑ "The Integration Begins". Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  21. ↑ Petitte, Omri (October 15, 2012). "DayZ standalone screenshots show interior building decor, loud tablecloth". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Work-in-progress interiors continued". Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  23. ↑ Wilde, Tyler (November 28, 2012). "DayZ creator Dean Hall hopes he implements "a lot of bad ideas" in the standalone version". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Whatever you say it is, it isn’t". Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  25. ↑ Cook, Dave (November 29, 2012). "DayZ Standalone: Hall outlines Steam release, features". VG247. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Dev Report: November 2012". Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  27. ↑ Petitte, Omri (December 20, 2012). "DayZ creator Dean Hall on The War Z fiasco". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  28. ↑ Savage, Phil (January 7, 2013). "DayZ Standalone delay explained, engine improvements detailed". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  29. ↑ Gallegos, Anthony (January 7, 2013). "DayZ Standalone Still Progressing – Closed test coming "imminently."". IGN. Ziff Davis Media. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  30. ↑ Savage, Phil. "DayZ Standalone update: improved lighting, anti-hack measures, and closed testing". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  31. ↑ "Interview: Dean Hall on his next game, and when he’ll stop working on DayZ". PC Gamer. Future plc. June 21, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  32. ↑ Devore, Jordan (16 December 2013). "DayZ Standalone alpha released on Steam Early Access". Destructoid. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  33. ↑ Reahard, Jef (9 September 2013). "Latest DayZ video blog touches on usability, optimization". Joystiq. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  34. ↑ DayZ Devblog 7 September 2013. 7 September 2013. 19 minutes in. Retrieved 11 September 2013. The idea of this is that at the moment, in ARMA, you receive all updates for everything that happens around you... it's a great problem... we want to release with this network bubble and it's the last task remaining.
  35. ↑ Sliwinski, Alexander (23 October 2013). "DayZ standalone in Steam database, Hall says progress 'very good'". Joystiq. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  36. ↑ Savage, Phil (7 January 2014). "DayZ sells 875,000 copies in three weeks, new development post outlines priority features". PC Gamer. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  37. ↑ "Where is the Standalone Release?". Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  38. ↑ Savage, Phil (February 5, 2013). "DayZ Standalone’s latest dev blog gives 15 minute video tour of new features". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  39. ↑ Savage, Phil (26 April 2013). "DayZ Standalone: Rocket's hour and a half PAX East Q&A, team float shipwreck screenshots". PC Gamer. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  40. ↑ Savage, Phil (February 22, 2013). "DayZ Standalone’s latest development update shows the finest in zombie acting". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  41. ↑ "A console version of DayZ "is almost certain" and talks with Sony have already happened". Gamer Network Ltd. April 2, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  42. ↑ "Xbox One's digital strategy overlooks popular games like DayZ". Gamasutra. UBM TechWeb. June 25, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  43. ↑ "DayZ creator considering PS4, Xbox One after PC, has an early favorite". Joystiq. AOL. June 16, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  44. ↑ Pitcher, Jenna (June 14, 2013). "DayZ on the Xbox One? Ball is in Microsoft's court". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  45. ↑ Phillips, Tom (28 March 2014). "DayZ sales figures, new studio acquisition revealed". Eurogamer. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  46. ↑ Schreier, Jason (16 December 2013). "DayZ Alpha Released". Kotaku. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  47. ↑ "DayZ alpha key release date set". Polygon. Vox Media. June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  48. ↑ Farokhmanesh, Megan (4 December 2013). "Hall: DayZ alpha 'recipe for disappointment' for all but core audience". Polygon. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  49. ↑ Matulef, Jeffrey (26 November 2014). "DayZ standalone now due in 2016 for €40". Eurogamer. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  50. ↑ Sharkey, Mike (18 December 2013). "Standalone DayZ Rings Up $5 Million in Sales in 24 Hours". GameFront. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  51. ↑ Senior, Tom (18 December 2013). "Day Z Early Access has 200,000 survivors already". PC Gamer. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  52. ↑ Rose, Mike (18 December 2013). "Standalone DayZ release sees remarkable day-one sales". Gamasutra.
  53. ↑ van der Byl, Tarryn (24 December 2013). "DayZ alpha downloaded over 400,000 times". IGN Africa. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  54. ↑ Pitcher, Jenna (14 January 2014). "DayZ reaches 1M in sales, 'shots fired' against traditional publishing model". Polygon. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  55. ↑ Usher, William (2 January 2014). "DayZ Standalone Sells 730,000 Copies". Cinema Blend. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  56. ↑ Lane, Rick (23 December 2013). "DayZ alpha review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  57. ↑ Pearson, Craig (15 January 2014). "The Early Access report: DayZ, Rust and 7 Days to Die". PC Gamer. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  58. ↑ Wawro, Alex (May 1, 2014). "DayZ sales remain strong, surpass 2 million in 4 months". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  59. ↑ Nutt, Christian (January 23, 2015). "DayZ hits 3 million sales after 13 months in Early Access". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  60. ↑ Fuller, Garrett (March 25, 2013). "The PAX East 2013 Awards". Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  61. ↑ Butler, Tom (27 August 2013). "The Winner of IGN's People's Choice Award of Gamescom 2013 is...". IGN. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  62. ↑ "Golden Joysticks: Dark Souls II named game of the year". BBC Radio 1. BBC. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014.

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