DayZDev Blog

**enf** · 02-05-13, 01:28 AM

here

**FEED** · 02-05-13, 01:30 AM

Let’s see some DayZ video! A quiet start for us with a video blog, we’re only detailing a few areas of progress in this weeks update. We show a peek at the new UI, some detail on the new clothing functions available in the engine, and take a tour round a few of the many new areas inside the updated Chernarus map.
We’ve edited out our use of the Inventory system, which we’re keeping under wraps for the moment (covered out with hilarious images photoshopped by forum members on the official DayZ forums at dayzmod.com!)
So where are we at?
Development is continuing to progress in extremely positive ways for us. The architectural decisions we have taken are providing continued dividends with the development of our disease mechanics, and in the ability to create notes in the world.
Inventory is fully*synchronizing*with the central database, including inventory inside clothing items. Essentially your clothing is like many little backpacks.
We’re getting plenty of bugs coming in from our closed internal testing, and we haven’t moved to our closed external testing just yet. There is still no timeframe for when this will happen, but we’re committed to continuing with these development updates and blog posts.
What is next?
We’re working very hard on the inventory system even more, and it looks like the crafting system is close in next in our development. It would be fair to say that inventory and crafting are the key development objective currently, second only to the client/server architecture (makes DayZ more like an MMO), and new zombie AI mechanics (an ongoing task).
We look forward to giving even more information, new exciting areas, features, functions, and updates in the coming blogs! We’re all confident it won’t be too long before you’ll be able to join in the development yourself.

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**FEED** · 02-05-13, 01:30 AM

Comparison Screenshot between ArmA2 and DayZ using the same graphics settings

Player character wearing a hoodie, jeans, and baseball cap

The three current playable races (both male and female available)

Chernarus ain't what it used to be!

Sample of the volumetric clouds and lighting changes

New wrecks better designed to enable loot finding

Female zombie

One of the many new areas on the map

Hiking boots, probably one of the most important clothing items

This is the first update when I have sat down and thought “where do I start?” There has been so much going on with the development this month that it is hard to fit it all in a post here. Through the month we have steadily moved from working on our architectural changes, through to preparing for our first public test. The risks and gambles we took last year, are now beginning to pay serious dividends for us.
I’ll be covering the following in this update:

Lighting and material improvements
Volumetric Cloud system
New Server Architecture
Clothing/Inventory status
Closed Test Status
Art/World updates
Customizing your*character
Customizing your weapon

Lighting and material improvements
One of our Lead Artists, Mario Kurty, has been working with some of the ArmA3 artists to ensure that DayZ Standalone has the best visuals possible. The result is pretty striking when combined with some of the other improvements we have made in the engine. These improvements make the world really come to life, improving the visuals overall. A comparison screenshot is included and demonstrates the effect of this.
Volumetric Cloud system
This has now been fully configured for use within DayZ, used to great effect in Bohemia’s previous product Take on Helicopters (and coming in ArmA3 also). There are several pictures of this included in the screenshots for this blog update. Running around the world taking pictures, it was hard to resist really. It adds a real sense of realism when compared with the previous result.
New Server Architecture

Our lead programmer, Ond

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**FEED** · 02-05-13, 01:30 AM

New interior demonstrates some of the additional texture work for that post-apoc feel

More new texture work

Another interior

The "bloom-cloth" has been edited

New city building interior demo

Female version for the hoodie and jeans - all clothing is unisex

Male model (WIP) featuring the basic underwear (colors WIP)

Demonstration of the unrestricted view-distance ability. This screenshot was taken on my work laptop, demonstrating the awe-inspiring scale of the world

Early WIP of the hoodie and jeans, when on a male character

Where is the Standalone Release?
I suppose I should start with the question everyone wants to know… where is DayZ Standalone? Obviously, it’s not here. At Eurogamer I said that DayZ had to be out before the end of the year and that’s come and gone. I still stand by that comment, to achieve what we had originally wanted, we did have to be out by the end of the year - and we’ve failed to achieve that.
Put simply, DayZ Standalone isn’t here because we had the chance to go from making a game that was just the mod improved slightly, packaged simply, and sold - to actually redeveloping the engine and making the game the way we all dreamed it could be. This blew any initial plans we had dictated to pieces.
The plan going forward
The plan from here is straightforward. We will be releasing a closed test imminently, during which approximately 500-1000 people will assist in ensuring our architecture is correctly functioning. This closed test will be focused purely on architecture, not the game design. Once we have confirmed fixes for issues*arising*from the closed test, we will then reschedule an internal date for our public release.*
What has been done?
One of the most profound and major architectural changes has had its initial implementation completed, this is the overhaul of the inventory system. In fact, the inventory and item management system was completely removed and rewritten from the ground by Jirka, one of the original engine programmers. The work that has been completed on this groundbreaking, and it going to*fundamentally*change the DayZ experience.
You scavenge for items now, as individual parts, picking up pieces rather than piles, looking for cans on shelves or under beds. The new system opens the door for durability of items, disease tracking (cholera lingering on clothes a player wears…), batteries, addon components, and much more. If you shoot a player in the head to take his night vision, you will damage the night vision. The changes to this inventory system are huge.
An additional area of change has been to make the inventory system more*intuitive* along with a key focus on providing*visceral*feedback on your progress through what inventory you have. The use of drag-and-drop, 3D models rather than 2D pictures, and being able to add items/clothing to your character in 3D in the inventory screen - have all come out of months of design work and research. I’m extremely pleased with the results of Jirka and Hladas, two of the programmers who have been working on implementing the design ideas. I believe the changes to this inventory system will*fundamentally*change the nature of the DayZ experience.
We are not at the point where we can release meaningful videos or screenshots of the system, but we have now confirmed the base architecture is working in game. Likely, the first that will come out about the inventory system will be during the closed test when people are actually using it.
UI Changes
ArmA community legend kju has been part of the DayZ development for some time, and is now one of your key development members. He has been working with our CEO (Marek) and me to develop the DayZ UI. We have been greatly inspired by Minecraft to make the UI simple and effective, rather than flashy and complex. All our art and code efforts are going into the game, the UI is being designed to be straightforward and functional just like in Minecraft.
Art Progress
A huge amount of work is being completed on art. I’m including some more additional pictures taken from around Chernarus. We have some massive plans now that all interiors have been completed, as rather than moving them on to other projects we are now giving them exciting new things to create.
One of the new artists on the team is a texture artist, and has been working on revising the textures for our new building interiors so they look more post-apocalyptic. Some of these changes can be seen in the work-in-progress pictures I have included.
Map Progress
The lead architect of the revised (and original) Chernarus map, Ivan Buchta, is still imprisoned in Greece on charges of espionage - and is a great loss to the team. Luckily, through letters, Ivan is able to provide some input and insight into the development of the map. Regardless, the continued imprisonment of him and Martin Pezlar has a significant impact on our ability to redevelop Chernarus.

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