DayZ testing nears as The War Z controversy continues
DayZ testing is coming soon. With the help of imprisoned developers Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar, Bohemia Interactive‘s standalone version of the popular mod is quickly nearing pre-release testing.
In a blog post, Dean “Rocket” Hall explained why the standalone version of DayZ was not released at the end of 2012 like originally planned. He wrote the scope of the game has increased since the release date was originally given at Eurogamer, so the project now requires more development time to complete.
Fortunately, the features seem worth the wait. Much to the delight of many DayZ fans, the revamped standalone version will feature a more intuitive inventory system. The standalone will also include a simpler user interface (UI), item scavenging, improved art, and a reworked map.
Unfortunately, DayZ testing will be closed, so only a lucky 500 to 1,000 people will get to try out the new features in the near future. Hall noted DayZ testing will focus entirely on server architecture, not game design.
After closed DayZ testing is complete, the game will then get a new internal release date for public release.
Interestingly enough, DayZ testing may be near thanks in part to two imprisoned developers. Developers Ivan Buchta and Martin Pezlar have been held in Greece for months on espionage charges after they allegedly photographed a Greek military base. But that hasn’t stopped Buchta, the lead architect of the original Chernarus map, from sending letters back home with “some input and insight” for the standalone’s reworked map, according to Hall’s blog post.
The genre spawned by the original DayZ mod has been under the microscope recently due to problems surrounding The War Z, another zombie-themed survival game developed by Hammerpoint Interactive. The controversy really kicked off when The War Z went on sale on Steam with blatant false advertising. Soon after, it was revealed the title had its trademark suspended. Most recently, The War Z‘s servers were hacked and hit with a DDOS attack.
So a lot is riding on DayZ testing. If the standalone game doesn’t get it right, Bohemia Interactive could face similar scrutiny.
What do you think? Are the changes to DayZ standalone enough? Do you think they’ll eventually open up DayZ testing? And what about game developers working while imprisoned? Make sure to comment below.
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