Dean “Rocket” Hall has put together a substantial update on the progress of the standalone version of DayZ, covering everything from weapon customisation to server architecture. “Where do I start?” he began. “There has been so much going on with the development this month that it is hard to fit it all in.”
While he can’t yet name a release date, he confirmed that the game will be launched with anti-hack systems already built in, and said that internal testing has already begun. “At no point in development have I been as excited as I am right now,” he added.
The update includes quite a bit of information about how the new version of DayZ looks, along with a few sample screenshots, and it certainly has that post-apocalyptic feel. There’s burned out cars, a crashed aeroplane and towns that are beginning to decay. “A huge quantity of changes are flowing into the world,” Rocket wrote. “New areas, a mass of new objects (such as wrecked vehicles, buses, etc…) that are all designed with DayZ in mind – such as having good areas for loot to spawn.” The result is something that’s starting to look markedly different to ArmA 2, the game that birthed it.
He also explained that “fundamental” changes to the server architecture means that the game now functions much more like any other MMO would, with servers controlling the behaviour and the sending of updates.
Character customisation sounds like it’s coming along rather nicely, too. A basic clothing and inventory system has now been implemented and the team are also working on weapon customisation and attachments, with even magazines being treated as individual attachments for weapons that Rocket says players will have to “look after.”
You can read the full update here on the DayZ blog.