Apr 8, 2015
Community Spotlight - 08 Apr 15
DayZ - Hicks_206
Afternoon survivors,

Yet again, an exciting couple of weeks worth of lurking around streams and trawling through DayZ videos on Youtube has passed by. This week we have yet another streamer that a lot of you guys will most likely have come across.

His works include some awesome roleplay in which he time and again manages to grab hold of unsuspecting players and throw them down the deep, black pit that DayZ turns into, after he has molded the server world into his own helter skelter playground. Our DayZ content creator for this week is:



As mentioned, rp seems to be an overall element of Mr. Moon's videos/streams and depending on the roles he chooses to play, his creations sometimes seem a bit more serious in terms of acting and sometimes not so much. In the category of more, ehhh, “regular” goofing around (still with training in mind though), his video “Training Day” supplied me with plenty of laughs for a good half an hour or so! Also, at 12:56; well, old Bricktop said it best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GHBWhGpMOY
 

While watching Mr. Moon's streams and videos over time, it has been rather interesting and impressive to witness his ability to interact with and influence other players, and his skill at adapting to the dynamics of an ever changing group of random players is mighty empressive! For a good example of his player whisperer skills, you should have a look at his video “Maverick”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY8mOw7-RT8
 

In the more rp-heavy end of the scale, Mr. Moon's choice use of ingame elements/objects, character emotes, voice over, as well as camera work and great editing results in some of his creations taking on a more cinematic feel which makes for some quite enjoyable viewing. One example of such, is part 2 of his "Welcome to the Family" series. The intro sequence for this video is nothing short of excellent!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyAVmiYqKu8

Mr. Moon, if it wasn't for the constant fear of randomly falling victim to cannibalism, torture, or worse, I'm sure a lot of us would wish we could follow you around a server for a couple of hours and experience DayZ in a very different way.

 

As always, if interested in more, please feel free to follow Mr. Moon via the following social media accounts:

 

- Michael aka SMoss / Community Manager
Apr 8, 2015
Community Spotlight - 08 Apr 15
DayZ - Hicks_206
Afternoon survivors,

Yet again, an exciting couple of weeks worth of lurking around streams and trawling through DayZ videos on Youtube has passed by. This week we have yet another streamer that a lot of you guys will most likely have come across.

His works include some awesome roleplay in which he time and again manages to grab hold of unsuspecting players and throw them down the deep, black pit that DayZ turns into, after he has molded the server world into his own helter skelter playground. Our DayZ content creator for this week is:



As mentioned, rp seems to be an overall element of Mr. Moon's videos/streams and depending on the roles he chooses to play, his creations sometimes seem a bit more serious in terms of acting and sometimes not so much. In the category of more, ehhh, “regular” goofing around (still with training in mind though), his video “Training Day” supplied me with plenty of laughs for a good half an hour or so! Also, at 12:56; well, old Bricktop said it best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GHBWhGpMOY
 

While watching Mr. Moon's streams and videos over time, it has been rather interesting and impressive to witness his ability to interact with and influence other players, and his skill at adapting to the dynamics of an ever changing group of random players is mighty empressive! For a good example of his player whisperer skills, you should have a look at his video “Maverick”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY8mOw7-RT8
 

In the more rp-heavy end of the scale, Mr. Moon's choice use of ingame elements/objects, character emotes, voice over, as well as camera work and great editing results in some of his creations taking on a more cinematic feel which makes for some quite enjoyable viewing. One example of such, is part 2 of his "Welcome to the Family" series. The intro sequence for this video is nothing short of excellent!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyAVmiYqKu8

Mr. Moon, if it wasn't for the constant fear of randomly falling victim to cannibalism, torture, or worse, I'm sure a lot of us would wish we could follow you around a server for a couple of hours and experience DayZ in a very different way.

 

As always, if interested in more, please feel free to follow Mr. Moon via the following social media accounts:

 

- Michael aka SMoss / Community Manager
Apr 3, 2015
PC Gamer Show: Early Access pros and cons
DayZ

Last week's PC Gamer Show featured an Early Access game, which prompted a larger discussion around the PC Gamer office: how do we feel about the rise of paid pre-release? Since Minecraft made us more comfortable with the idea of selling incomplete games, we've seen dozens of PC games embrace paid alphas and betas as part of their development process—everything from MechWarrior Online to H1Z1 and Heroes of the Storm. But as studios benefit from early feedback and funding, are they giving back enough in return? Tom and Evan sat down to talk it over. 

Share your thoughts on Early Access with us in the comments.

The PC Gamer Show appears every Friday. Hit us with PC gaming questions in the comments, and we might answer them in next week's episode! Or tweet @pcgamer with a question using the hashtag #AskPCGamer.

Apr 3, 2015
Septic Falcon's 0.55 Showcase
DayZ - Hicks_206
In this showcase for DayZ Stable 0.55, we cover everything from explosive fireplaces to explosive diarrhea.

Thanks to those who helped, love you all!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zirVVBOIoss
Apr 3, 2015
Septic Falcon's 0.55 Showcase
DayZ - Hicks_206
In this showcase for DayZ Stable 0.55, we cover everything from explosive fireplaces to explosive diarrhea.

Thanks to those who helped, love you all!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zirVVBOIoss
Apr 1, 2015
Quarterly Status Report - Quarter 1 2015
DayZ - Hicks_206


NOTE: Steam Announcements enforce a character limit - the full document can be found at devhub.dayz.com

As we look forward to Q2 of 2015, well take a look at the goals and objectives internally for the first quarter of this year. From initial implementation of new A.I. for Infected and Animals, to the Central Economy and more. Q1 had the first appearance of some very important work on the road to 1.0 for DayZ.
  • Basic Vehicles
  • Central economy (advanced loot distribution)
  • New renderer
  • New Zombie AI
  • Basic stealth system (zombies, animals, ...)
  • Diseases
  • Improved Cooking & Horticulture
  • Advanced Anti-Cheat (Dynamic BattlEye)
 
Basic Vehicles: Praga V3S & Vehicle Simulation
               
    With the first implementation coming in very early on in Q1 - iteration followed throughout the rest of the quarter. Starting from scratch with the physical simulation, the engine and gameplay programming teams paired with the design team brought the first of our basic vehicles to stable branch, the Praga V3S. Looking forward into Quarter 2 - further iteration will allow us to expand into more vehicles, introduce vehicle inventories, and required vehicle maintenance/components.

     

      

     


    In addition to the creation of the new physical simulation for DayZ's land based vehicles moving towards a "DayZ" specific feel to handling, design and programming work progressed on manual transmission support. From both the technical engine side, and player controls and overall system design this will allow us much greater customization of vehicles, as well as a more in depth and immersive experience than with traditional "push W and go fast" vehicle control models.
    Apr 1, 2015
    Quarterly Status Report - Quarter 1 2015
    DayZ - Hicks_206


    NOTE: Steam Announcements enforce a character limit - the full document can be found at devhub.dayz.com

    As we look forward to Q2 of 2015, well take a look at the goals and objectives internally for the first quarter of this year. From initial implementation of new A.I. for Infected and Animals, to the Central Economy and more. Q1 had the first appearance of some very important work on the road to 1.0 for DayZ.
    • Basic Vehicles
    • Central economy (advanced loot distribution)
    • New renderer
    • New Zombie AI
    • Basic stealth system (zombies, animals, ...)
    • Diseases
    • Improved Cooking & Horticulture
    • Advanced Anti-Cheat (Dynamic BattlEye)
     
    Basic Vehicles: Praga V3S & Vehicle Simulation
                 
      With the first implementation coming in very early on in Q1 - iteration followed throughout the rest of the quarter. Starting from scratch with the physical simulation, the engine and gameplay programming teams paired with the design team brought the first of our basic vehicles to stable branch, the Praga V3S. Looking forward into Quarter 2 - further iteration will allow us to expand into more vehicles, introduce vehicle inventories, and required vehicle maintenance/components.

       

        

       


      In addition to the creation of the new physical simulation for DayZ's land based vehicles moving towards a "DayZ" specific feel to handling, design and programming work progressed on manual transmission support. From both the technical engine side, and player controls and overall system design this will allow us much greater customization of vehicles, as well as a more in depth and immersive experience than with traditional "push W and go fast" vehicle control models.
      Mar 25, 2015
      Community Spotlight - 25 Mar 15
      DayZ - Hicks_206
      Hey survivors,

      As the bi-weekly Community Spotlight starts rolling, it's been interesting sifting through the vast backlog of player creations across Youtube as well as jumping between the massive amounts of Live streams that popped up during the past two weeks.

      It seems like with other types of entertainment, there are several different categories of content. There are videos that explain the player's thought process behind actions, videos that showcase content / mechanics / features, and there are videos that feature entertainment in the form of roleplay for example.

      This week we'll have a look at the works created by: SepticFalcon!



      Among other things, such as videos showing pvp and other random goodness, SepticFalcon has created showcases of both Stable as well as Experimental updates for quite some time now. These videos serve as really nice informational sources for players that have just set foot on Chernarus soil, or players that return to DayZ after having missed previous updates for example. One such video is SepticFalcon's showcase of the current 0.54 Stable branch version wherein he highlights what has been introduced and/or reworked in this Stable branch update.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp7U04zmiOY

       

      As mentioned, SepticFalcon does also do creations other than showcases of Stable/Experimental branch updates. A nice example is the video called “A Bad Negotiation”. This video is from SepticFalcon's great locker of videos that show his DayZ pvp skills – as well as a bit of bad luck for his adversaries at “6:05”, heh. Fending off foes while moving around and chambering rounds for each successive shot is no small feat (especially when you manage to still be standing at the end of the encounter). SepticFalcon, the guys at the office salute you!

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdK8dNL4QXQ

       

      As always, if interested in more, please feel free to follow SepticFalcon via the following social media accounts:
      - Michael aka SMoss / Community Manager
      Mar 25, 2015
      Community Spotlight - 25 Mar 15
      DayZ - Hicks_206
      Hey survivors,

      As the bi-weekly Community Spotlight starts rolling, it's been interesting sifting through the vast backlog of player creations across Youtube as well as jumping between the massive amounts of Live streams that popped up during the past two weeks.

      It seems like with other types of entertainment, there are several different categories of content. There are videos that explain the player's thought process behind actions, videos that showcase content / mechanics / features, and there are videos that feature entertainment in the form of roleplay for example.

      This week we'll have a look at the works created by: SepticFalcon!



      Among other things, such as videos showing pvp and other random goodness, SepticFalcon has created showcases of both Stable as well as Experimental updates for quite some time now. These videos serve as really nice informational sources for players that have just set foot on Chernarus soil, or players that return to DayZ after having missed previous updates for example. One such video is SepticFalcon's showcase of the current 0.54 Stable branch version wherein he highlights what has been introduced and/or reworked in this Stable branch update.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp7U04zmiOY

       

      As mentioned, SepticFalcon does also do creations other than showcases of Stable/Experimental branch updates. A nice example is the video called “A Bad Negotiation”. This video is from SepticFalcon's great locker of videos that show his DayZ pvp skills – as well as a bit of bad luck for his adversaries at “6:05”, heh. Fending off foes while moving around and chambering rounds for each successive shot is no small feat (especially when you manage to still be standing at the end of the encounter). SepticFalcon, the guys at the office salute you!

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdK8dNL4QXQ

       

      As always, if interested in more, please feel free to follow SepticFalcon via the following social media accounts:
      - Michael aka SMoss / Community Manager
      Mar 24, 2015
      Status Report - 24 Mar 15
      DayZ - Hicks_206
      Greetings Survivors!

      Lets start out this week by recapping what was shared via the Official Forums, and Dev Hub.

      Andrej our Sound Designer shared some work in progress versions of the new infected sounds over on the development board. The ones shared are obviously only the male infected sounds, but are give a good representation of the direction the sound department is headed with their side of the new infected work. 

      Dev Hub - WIP Infected SFX

      As well, Andrej, Peter, and myself headed down south to Moravia to visit an open air shooting range with the Arma sound team. New sound effects for a wide array of weapons were recorded for both titles. Obviously a good deal of work will have to be done to prepare them for use within each title, but it is an important step towards driving the authenticity of the firearms within DayZ.

        

      Viktor, our Lead Animator shared a work in progress video of the new player controller, and some of the gestures/movements possible with it. Obviously it goes without saying that this is still very early, but as development on both DayZ and the core Enfusion engine progresses - more of this work gets merged into the stable branch. I for one cannot wait to see survivors interact with the new player controller.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ8Hv8wnmfQ

      Honza T, and Peter our Lead Designer have been over on the Official DayZ forums (and the Dev Hub) to discuss the potential evolution of the 3PP Camera - how it will effect gameplay, and gather feedback on the prototype work done so far.  As mentioned prior, this is all prototype work - and something we've wanted to address since long before the Early Access began. 3PP camera allowing you to see things that are outside your line of sight is a huge pain in the ass for us. I'm confident we'll be able to address this smoothly, without compromising the visual enjoyment many folks get out of 3PP camera perspective.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-gtNWvocd0

      Looking forward towards the 0.55 Stable release work continues on the Central Economy, Group AI, and the new player controller. For 0.55 though we do have a nice list of content, as well as the initial implementation of the new infected AI. This should allow us to greatly increase the amount of infected spawning per server. (Roughly triple) Now, this won't get us to where we want to be at 1.0, but it is a strong step forward. Obviously a more robust system for where, and how the infected spawn - as well as plugging it into systems such as the dynamic events to allow us to spawn hordes is the end goal here.

      The ongoing work with the Central Economy will (when pushed to stable) allow us far more granular control over what spawns, in what type of area, and in what quantity. This is a huge step forward for us in terms of pushing DayZ closer to the punishing struggle for survival that is intended to be. As well, when fully functional it should allow the environment team a much broader canvas to where they place structures, and free the economy from defining a broad scope per building type.

      Lastly, work on the security side is always ongoing. Several new ban waves have gone out addressing some new issues - and on the engine side, the bigger scope tasks of addressing legacy vulnerabilities continues. In April we hope to announce a few new initiatives that will allow us to fully take advantage of the valuable in-development time that DayZ Early Access provides us in order to have a more secure title at 1.0.

      On a personal note, I recently encountered an amazing fan made intro for a DayZ content creator's twitch stream that is -amazingly- well done, and really drives home the style of play this content creator produces. I strongly encourage you to take three minutes of your time and check it out!

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rRVO-1-1PA

      I hope to see you all in Chernarus, and don't worry - I have a mic.

      - Brian Hicks / Lead Producer

      "The animation team has recently finished some major tasks related to the new zombie implementation. Our next focus is improving these and adding some advanced behavior. We will look into improving hit reactions by adding directional hits. One of upcoming updates will also include crawling infected.

      Besides that we are working on the new player character, which is a huge task divided into many small parts. Currently, we have basic movement for unarmed, rifle, two handed and pistols working. That means we can walk and run around when holding this items. Unfortunately there is big load of work left. We are still missing attack animations, aiming, reloading, special moves, item usage and many other specific actions. On the other hand, we have already managed to bring some improvements in.

      The most notable one is synchronized animations when running and walking. That means when you switch from one move to another there is no glitch. New animation continues where previous left. Another important addition is using gestures while moving. Yes, finally you can wave and run around. On the same note is switching weapons. Player is able to take or hide gun while moving and any time you stop running the character will stop, but arming/disarming will continue. And last but not least, we have now falling and landing animations. It is a placeholder in current state, but the idea is to have different landing animations depending on the height of the fall."

      - Viktor Kostik / Lead Animator

       
      Standup Notes for the week of 24 Mar 15
      (Note: Standup notes are not a change log - they are a quick high level look at tasks the teams worked on throughout this week)
      Animation:
      • Support for new player character system
      • UMP 45 Reloading Animations 
      • New Mocap List WIP
      • SVD Reloading Animations
      • Bugfixing
      Design:
      • Central Economy
      • Barrel Crafting
      • Infected
      • Diseases
      • Triggers
      • Plant Pests
      • Fireplaces
      • 3PP Camera Prototyping
      • Vehicle Transmission
      Programming:
      • Inventory refactorization
      • Dynamic Events
      • Vehicle Transmission bugfixing
      • Infected/Animal AI
      • New Player Character controller
      • Advanced Loot Distro bugfixing
      • Network and Memory Optimizations
      • A.I. Lure prototyping
      • Additional Server.cfg variables
      • AI Noise modifiers for weapons
       

       

       
      ...