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Early Access zombie survival hit DayZ tops 3 million sales
Publisher Bohemia Interactive has revealed that DayZ, the cult-hit, open-world zombie survival game, has attracted more than three million sales since its debut on Steam's Early Access platform. DayZ arrives at this milestone only a year after reaching Early Access. Despite pragmatic warnings from DayZ creator Dean "Rocket" Hall that the Early Access version of DayZ is incomplete, the game was an immediate hit, selling over a million copies in its first month, owing largely to the cult following it attracted in its original incarnation: a modification for Bohemia's ArmA 2 first-person military sim. "We would like to say thank you to every single one of the three million players, that have joined us on the journey of making DayZ," writes project lead David Durcak. "You all have helped make DayZ the best open world, zombie survival game. This is an amazing achievement, and we are really looking forward to start sharing with you all of our game design improvements, anti-hack solutions and other optimizations we have been working on for a majority of the last year." [Image: Bohemia Interactive]
DayZ has sold over 3 million early access copies
DayZ has been on Steam early access for over a year now, and what does the post-apocalyptic zombie sandbox have to show for it? Well, over 3 million customers, for starters. A new Bohemia Interactive press release touts the 24 updates the game has seen since its "launch," and it also mentions ongoing improvements including a core engine rewrite begun in 2014. The new engine is called Enfusion, and it includes renderer upgrades and corresponding performance upticks as well as "vastly improved" particle effect aesthetics. Bohemia also notes that the DayZ dev team now boasts over 80 people. [Source: Bohemia Interactive press release]
DayZ creator unveils new studio, RocketWerkz
Dean "Rocket" Hall has accomplished several great feats in his life; alongside creating the popular mod DayZ, which helped kickstart the survival genre of games, and conquering Earth's tallest boss (you may know it as Mount Everest), he can now add "starting his own studio" to his list of achievements. RocketWerkz is the name, and it'll be where Hall makes his games. Hall announced the news via Twitter, telling any prospective "programmers, artists, etc." to email him their information, noting that initial jobs would be on-site in Dunedin, New Zealand. Hall told Eurogamer in June that he wanted to create "a Valve in the South Pacific, if Valve focused on making games and not making Steam." Hall also said that he'll make himself available as work continues on the standalone version of DayZ, even after his departure from former employer Bohemia Interactive. [Image: Dean Hall]
DayZ PC beta due in Q4 2015, console prototype in Q3
DayZ has completed its first year in Early Access on Steam, and Bohemia Interactive is now sharing its plans for the game in 2015, including two important milestones: The beta version is due to launch in the fourth quarter of 2015, and the final version will launch in the first half of 2016. DayZ will retain its price of $30 during the Steam Fall Sale (starting today), but it will then increase to $35, and eventually $44 with the launch of the beta. The final version will cost $50. Bohemia Interactive breaks down the 2015 DayZ schedule by quarters, starting with the addition of new zombie AI, basic vehicles, diseases and more in Q1. The second quarter adds advanced vehicles, advanced animals, new UI, player stamina and more, and the third quarter adds traps, barricading, aerial transport and a console prototype. The final quarter includes the beta, alongside animal companions, base building and Steam community integration. See the list of expected updates below. Bohemia Interactive previously announced that a beta would be available by the end of 2014.
Mini DayZ is what DayZ would have been like in 1994
You can now play DayZ for free using a web browser ... kind of. Mini DayZ, a fan-made tribute to Bohemia Interactive's zombie apocalypse survival game, has been posted to the publisher's website and is now free to play via Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Opera. It's missing a few features - namely 3D graphics and multiplayer - but if you ever wondered to yourself, 'What if we gave DayZ a top-down camera and retro graphics," now is your chance to find out. Mini DayZ is the work of CannedBits, a Russian player of Dean "Rocket" Hall's DayZ (which, in case you need a history primer, is a standalone game that began life as a mod for Arma 2 and arguably boosted the multiplayer survival genre into prominence). In posting the news about the game's availability via Bohemia to Reddit, CannedBits even caught the attention of Hall himself: "I have to say, I absolutely love Mini DayZ," Hall wrote. "I think it's awesome, amazing, addictive, and brings something really new to the experience. I'm so glad you've been able to make it even better! Ignore the haters, the vast majority of people think it's fantastic and I am one of those people." [Image: Bohemia Interactive/CannedBits]
Arma 3 DLC makes it easier to get to da choppa
As the outdated meme in the headline suggests, developer Bohemia Interactive has just released a DLC pack for its cult-hit military simulator Arma 3 focused entirely on helicopters. The $16 DLC adds two new helicopters to the game, the CH-67 Huron and the Mi-290 Taru. Before you start imagining crazy aerial dogfights, know that these two are utility helicopters, most often used to transport troops and supplies. Sorry, Killer, but you're going to be using them like aerial cranes. Alongside these workhorses, Bohemia has also introduced sling-loading to the game, allowing pilots to carry heavy gear beneath their choppers - assuming they have the dexterity to pass the DLC's tests of skill. Alongside this DLC, all Arma 3 players will receive a game update that includes a new helicopter flight model and new VR training missions to help players learn to fly. A full rundown of both the DLC and the free update can be found on Steam. [Image: Bohemia Interactive]
DayZ Producer: 'You are playing development builds'
DayZ is a title in early access. That means that buying the game now will give you access to the full game when it goes live as well as the development versions along the way. Producer Brian Hicks recently took to the game's official forums to respond to player feedback by stating this rather bluntly: "You are not playing DayZ. You are playing development builds." Hicks went on to explain that the game's current development pace is entirely normal for a large project, with the main difference being that most of these early builds are not seen by the public at large. Players who are displeased by the earlier builds are encouraged to step back and check in again when release is closer, as the later beta versions or the release client will be far closer to the finished experience. Whether or not you've been enjoying the game, it's a useful look at the development process and what it can mean to be playing on early access.
The good and bad of early access from Arma 3 dev
Arma 3 was one of the first games to launch on Steam's Early Access program, releasing day-one with the service in March 2013, though the game had already been out in alpha form for a few weeks. For developer Bohemia Interactive, making something in the public eye, with most of its bugs and secrets on display, was a double-edged sword. Early access – on Steam and in general – allowed Bohemia to interact with its community, but the service altered the standard expectations of a new launch, turning a hype bubble into a months-long drizzle. Bohemia Interactive Creative Director Jay Crowe described the dark and light sides of early access development during a panel at GDC Europe. The following offers a lineup of Crowe's observations about the way early access affected Arma 3's classic development and launch cycles.
Arma 3 update sends troops to virtual bootcamp
Whether you're new to Bohemia Interactive's hardcore military simulation ArmA 3 or you just want to hone your virtual soldiering skills, the game's latest update should be right up your alley. Appropriately dubbed the "Bootcamp Update," the latest addition to the game delivers four new game modes: Singleplayer Bootcamp, Multiplayer Bootcamp, VR Training and Virtual Arsenal. Singleplayer Bootcamp functions as a computer-led tutorial of ArmA 3's various features, while its Multiplayer analogue allows experienced players to guide raw recruits through the rigors of virtual battle. VR Training closely mimics actual gameplay, allowing players to practice their skills in a battlefield environment where they will not be penalized for mistakes. By contrast, the Virtual Arsenal is less a gameplay mode, and more an equipment viewer that allows players to outfit their in-game avatars and export the results to ArmA 3's scenarios. Finally, this update enhances Steam Workshop functionality within ArmA 3. Where players were previously able to download community-created scenarios, the update allows fans to share "custom weapons, vehicles, gear and much more." More details are available at the ArmA 3 website. [Image: Bohemia Interactive]
DayZ switches over to DirectX 11 and reworked controls
The days of DayZ as we knew it are over; all hail the upcoming changes to everyone's favorite gankfest featuring the occasional zombie! In an interview this week, DayZ creator Dean Hall outlined six improvements that the team is working on for the standalone version of the game. Right out of the gate is the decision to add an option to toggle DirectX 11 to make everything look a lot better. "Implementing DirectX 10 or 11 will have a dramatic, instant visual difference and quite a significant performance difference," Hall said. Other changes include new 64-bit server architecture, better hunting mechanics, improved controls, a reworked loot system, and an early game experience fashioned specifically for new players.
Arma 3 sells 1 million copies, launches kart racing expansion
Developer Bohemia Interactive announced that its military-themed shooter Arma 3 has sold more than one million copies to date, revealing that it plans to support the game in the coming years with multiple DLC packs and expansions. To commemorate the sales milestone, Bohemia has released Arma Karts, a $1.99 DLC expansion that introduces a much-needed kart racing gameplay mode. Originally teased as an April Fool's joke, Arma Karts is now all too real, offering a number of track objectives and checkpoint races. Bohemia Interactive aims to launch a major gameplay expansion for Arma 3 by late 2015, and plans to introduce several new features, weapons, and gameplay mechanics in the interim. [Image: Bohemia Interactive]
Why do games prompt cruel behavior?
Games like DayZ and Rust have become a whole genre unto themselves: open-world survival sandboxes that quickly turn into simulations of human cruelty. But why is that, exactly? Why do people in a sandbox devote so much of their energy to tearing one another down with such vigor? A recent article on Wired asks exactly that question, exploring these open-world games and why they tend to provoke such abject cruelty in their participants. The piece comes to no hard and fast conclusions, speaking both from personal experiences and from interviews with other players. One player speculates that the core of it is that these games give you nothing but tools, so players invent their own fun by using other players as content. Another possible explanation is the very nature of catharsis, envisioning dark behaviors whilst knowing that you would never carry them out in the real world. Take a look at the full article if you'd like a deeper look at why players spend so much time in games where anything goes by clubbing others with rocks.
DayZ gives zombies a hand crossing the street
Poor zombies. All they want to do is eat a little brains and earn your respect, just like anyone else, but that's hard to do when they're walking into walls and clipping badly into a dumpster. Fortunately for our undead brothers and sisters, the devs on DayZ have figured out a good solution to problematic pathfinding. "Our problem was not unique, but our situation was: our world is very big yet it requires the same precision as a small one," the devs wrote in a blog post. "The team devoted to solving this decided to use navigation meshes. The serious problem it presented, though, was how to generate these meshes. With nearly two million objects on the map, doing it by hand would not be an option. So a method was devised to split the world up into grids, and then raycast at a precise interval and generate chunks of navmesh." The result? Zombies that can figure out how to cross a street and go into a building without embarassing themselves. The team also talked about some of the livestock it's creating for the game, including carp to be fished out of ponds by survivors.
DayZ servers hacked, Bohemia says user data is safe
Bohemia recently confirmed Reddit rumors of an attack on its DayZ servers. Speaking with Rock, Paper Shotgun, the studio downplayed concerns about user data security. "We have recently detected an attack on some of our servers, the precise nature and scope of this attack is currently being extensively investigated. There were no user data on any of the servers. Current development goals and schedules for our games will not be affected by this attack. More information will follow as our investigation continues," the firm explained. Initial reports claimed that DayZ's source code was stolen, which could lead to all manner of future exploits in the post-apocalyptic zombie survival sandbox. Bohemia has neither confirmed nor denied the source code rumor.
DayZ sadism extends to real life as servers are hacked
It's generally expected that within the confines of the game, DayZ players will be jerks whenever possible. However, such attitudes aren't limited to online: Developer Bohemia Interactive is currently investigating an attack on their servers, as reported by Rock Paper Shotgun. While a Reddit report of the hack claims that the entire DayZ source code was stolen, Bohemia only told RPS that no user data was affected. "We have recently detected an attack on some of our servers," Bohemia told RPS. "The precise nature and scope of this attack is currently being extensively investigated. There were no user data on any of the servers. Current development goals and schedules for our games will not be affected by this attack. More information will follow as our investigation continues." The news, much like a zombie outbreak, comes at with unfortunate timing: DayZ passed 2 million in sales less than two weeks ago. No good deed goes unpunished, it seems. [Image: Bohemia Interactive]
DayZ standalone racks up two million sales
The last time we checked in on Dean Hall's zombie apocalypse simulation, DayZ, the game's standalone incarnation had sold over 1.7 million copies. Now, a month later, that figure has grown to two million. Hall broke the news on Twitter, noting that these two million sales come less than six months after the standalone version of DayZ first debuted on Steam Early Access. It had previously been available as a wildly popular ArmA 2 modification, which no doubt bolstered the success of its standalone, retail incarnation. Still, if we learn anything here, it's that modern affection for zombies is as undying as those decrepit, ravenous bags of flesh themselves. [Image: Bohemia Interactive]
DayZ's Dean Hall says Steam removes the need for publishers
Steam's ubiquitous nature as a digital distribution platform has really changed the landscape of PC gaming. It's changed it so much that according to DayZ creator Dean Hall, companies don't really need to worry about a publisher any longer. Hall went on the record recently saying that the Early Access service offered via Steam essentially lets players take over the role of publisher, paying to finish development and providing marketing via word-of-mouth. The strategy has obviously worked quite well for DayZ, which has sold an impressive number of copies even in its very early and unfinished state. Hall also pontificates that it remains up to publishers to see where they fit into the new paradigm, since Early Access gives smaller studios an option that they wouldn't have otherwise.
Incoming DayZ update to include fire, tweaks to physics, player control
If you've been wishing campfires would help give away the position of DayZ's, uh ... "spirited" brand of survivors at night, this might be your month! Developer Bohemia Interactive is planning on implementing a patch that gifts the destructive element to players, both for building campfires and igniting flammable objects. Reworked physics and player control are also planned, as is a fix to address messaging spam. Citing strong fan feedback as an inspiration, Bohemia's patch will implement 1:1 movement between mouse controls and the head of a player's avatar. Weapons are planned to act differently, though - the more cumbersome a player's equipped bargaining tool is, the longer it will take to swing in a different direction and fire. A system will also be added to let players charge projectiles, be it an item or the arrow they're aiming from a bow. Lastly, Bohemia hopes to fix a messaging problem where the "client and server 'spam' messages at each other, hoping that some of the messages get through." The studio believes this is the major hurdle in surpassing the 100-player limit per server. The fix is expected to appear on experimental servers sometime next week before appearing in this month's update. No word yet on a patch to make the rest of DayZ's player base as awesome as (NSFW language) fire extinguisher guy. [Image: Bohemia Interactive]
Arma 3 takes us all for a ride with Kart DLC [April Fools!]
The first official (and totally not real) bit of premium DLC for open-world shooter Arma 3 is kart racing. Arma 3 Karts includes (well, it would, if it existed) time-trial races and open-world kart battles, with seven versions of vehicles to choose from. "Since we're already in the zombie business with DayZ, we felt the next logical expansion would be to take on karting," (real) Creative Director Jay Crowe writes on the Bohemia Interactive blog. "Our sandbox could not be called complete without karts, and thus we set ourselves the goal to recreate this pure form of racing. Welcome to Arma 3's World of Karts: drive / overtake / win." Arma 3 Karts is due out in the second quarter of 2014 (no, it isn't). [Image: Bohemia Interactive]
Bohemia Interactive acquires a new team for DayZ and assembles a roadmap
Are you ready to kill your fellow survivors and take their stuff in DayZ? If so, you've got plenty of company; according to creator Dean Hall, the game has sold 1.7 million copies on Steam thus far. It's given the team good reason to expand, at that. Bohemia Interactive has acquired Cauldron Studios, now renamed Bohemia Interactive Slovakia, and will be putting that team to work developing more content and systems for the zombie sandbox experience. Hall also outlined a roadmap of the game's coming updates, stating that the end of April should see the inclusion of fireplaces, loot respawns, and crossbows. New pistols and AI pathfinding are next on the list, followed by a 64-bit upgrade and the inclusion of animals for players to hunt and cook. Whether you're looking forward to what comes next or just like the current state of beating up players and taking what they've found, if you're a fan of the game you should take a look at the full rundown.
