DayZ alpha build to drop in December
The standalone version of Arma 2 mod DayZ will launch before the end of the year, most likely in December, creator Dean Hall said at the Eurogamer Expo.
DayZ isn't just going to release in December – it has to. "It has to be out before the end of the year," Hall said. "Not just because we've committed to it, but in order to achieve what we have to do. It has to be. There's no 'we hope it is;' it has to be. And it's going to be cheap."
Hall continued, specifying that by February the DayZ team should have a solid foundation and can work on more intensive gameplay aspects. "I like to think we're taking cautious and sensible steps at the moment. I don't really like cautious and sensible. DayZ as a mod wasn't cautious and sensible. But our first few steps have to be that. And if we can achieve that in December, then in January and February we can start to do all the cool stuff, move to more ambitious features."
Hall expressed a sense urgency with DayZ largely because of potential clones, citing Hammerpoint Interactive's The War Z. "Maybe what they're doing is not cool to me, but the way I look at it is what are my options? What could I do? I could stand up here and be very critical of anyone who does a clone copy of the game. What would that actually achieve other than making me look like a dick? It's not going to result in a better game."
The DayZ team saw a setback with the imprisonment of two Bohemia Interactive developers in Greece: They were creating the Chernarus Plus map for DayZ. "I just want to see them home," Hall said. "Whatever I do to see them back is important."
