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=== What is an "alpha release" and what is my role in the development? ===
 
=== What is an "alpha release" and what is my role in the development? ===
 
An alpha release is designed to allow the development team to interact with a game's community during development in the form of discussion and feedback based on pre-release gameplay. Those who participate in this process are providing valuable statistics, crash reports, and other data to the developers; this allows for a larger scope than what would normally be possible with only an internal testing group. Early access builds will be plagued with bugs and half-finished progress, so it is critical for players to keep this in mind when considering feedback for the game. Those who chose to help make the game better will need to create tickets in a feedback tracker that the developers can then take into consideration. Tickets can be bug related, feature related, animation related, performance related, etc.
 
An alpha release is designed to allow the development team to interact with a game's community during development in the form of discussion and feedback based on pre-release gameplay. Those who participate in this process are providing valuable statistics, crash reports, and other data to the developers; this allows for a larger scope than what would normally be possible with only an internal testing group. Early access builds will be plagued with bugs and half-finished progress, so it is critical for players to keep this in mind when considering feedback for the game. Those who chose to help make the game better will need to create tickets in a feedback tracker that the developers can then take into consideration. Tickets can be bug related, feature related, animation related, performance related, etc.
 
=== How do I switch between Stable and Experimental builds? ===
 
* Go to your Games library in Steam and find DayZ.
 
* Right click on it and select ''Properties'' from the menu.
 
* A window will pop up with several tabs at the top; select the ''Betas'' tab.
 
* You will need to select an option from the drop-down menu you find here. Choosing "NONE - opt out of all beta programs" will put you on the Stable branch; choosing "Experimental" will similarly put you on the Experimental branch.
 
 
To switch back and forth, simply change which option you have selected in that menu at any time. The game may need to download new files before you play in order to switch between builds so be patient. You also have separate character sets between the two branches as well which do not overlap.
 
   
 
=== When is in the next update and what will be in it? ===
 
=== When is in the next update and what will be in it? ===
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See also: [[Changelog]] and [[DayZ Standalone#Roadmap|Roadmap]].
 
See also: [[Changelog]] and [[DayZ Standalone#Roadmap|Roadmap]].
   
===Dayz isn't working for me! How do I fix it? ===
+
===DayZ isn't working for me! How do I fix it? ===
 
First of all: search the official forums and take a look in the troubleshooting section here. Most issues are already known about and some have temporary or known fixes. Also check the Feedback Tracker and if your particular issue has not already been submitted, please add it there. Often simply verifying your cache in Steam will fix some issues, but for additional help you will want to seek out one of those outlets.
 
First of all: search the official forums and take a look in the troubleshooting section here. Most issues are already known about and some have temporary or known fixes. Also check the Feedback Tracker and if your particular issue has not already been submitted, please add it there. Often simply verifying your cache in Steam will fix some issues, but for additional help you will want to seek out one of those outlets.
   

Revision as of 17:15, 18 January 2017

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This article contains outdated information. Some or all of the information present may not be reliable until this page is updated - please help improve this article if you can. The Discussion page may contain suggestions.


This article contains outdated information. Some or all of the information present may not be reliable until this page is updated.
Please help improve this article if you can. The Discussion page may contain suggestions.

General

What is DayZ Standalone (SA)?

What has become known as simply DayZ, this game is the continuation of creator Dean Hall's vision for his popular add-on for Arma 2, now referred to as DayZ Mod. Taken from the game's official description on the Steam store:

Welcome to the world of DayZ, hit by a new and presently unknown infection which has wiped out most of the world's population. You are one of the few that have survived and now you must search this new wasteland in order to fight for your life against what is left of the indigenous population now infected with the disease. Go solo, team up with friends or take on the world, as you choose your path in this brutal and chilling landscape using whatever means you stumble upon to survive.
This is DayZ, this is your story.
DayZ is a gritty, authentic, open-world survival horror hybrid-MMO game, in which players follow a single goal: to survive in the harsh post-apocalyptic landscape as long as they can. Players can experience powerful events and emotions arising from the ever-evolving emergent gameplay. There are no superficial tips, waypoints, built in tutorials or help given to players. Every decision matters, there are no save games, no extra lives, every mistake can be lethal. If you fail, you lose everything and you need to play again from the beginning with nothing but your wits, and your two hands. Fight the hostile environment, where every other player can be friend or foe and nothing can be taken for granted.

Development of the DayZ Mod could not progress as desired without affecting other Arma 2 mods (ACE, ACRE, etc). Eventually, Arma parent company Bohemia Interactive and DayZ Mod creator Dean Hall formed a partnership to do the game "properly" and make it a standalone title that wouldn't be dependent upon Arma. Originally the intent was to be a "tidied up" version of the Mod with a scheduled release date of "the end of 2012." Once December hit, the team revealed that internally they decided to go big or go home; they chose to completely rebuild the architecture of the game engine.

What is the difference between the DayZ Mod and DayZ Standalone?

DayZ Standalone will be a game on its own and no longer requires ArmA 2 (and its expansion Operation Arrowhead) to run. It will use a more advanced graphics and physics engine not limited by the constraints of its ArmA foundations, a new server architecture, and an extensively reworked Chernarus map.

When will DayZ Standalone be available and will I have to purchase it again after release?

There is no confirmed release date as of yet. This will not likely be known until after the game hits the Beta phase of development, because unforeseen issues can cause timelines to shift dramatically.

If you purchase DayZ as an Early Access title, you will not need to purchase it again when it is released as a completed game. The cost of the game through Steam will start out low early in the game's development, and progressively increase to an average price as it nears completion.

Is it worth buying DayZ yet?

Simply put: no one can answer that for you. For many people, even in its alpha stage of development, DayZ is an incredible experience and jumping in right away means getting in on the fun early. However, if you require a fully polished title and aren't prepared to deal with the consequences of playing a game that's still undergoing heavy and complicated changes, then DayZ may not be right for you.

How will I get this game and on what platform(s)?

DayZ Standalone is intended to be a multi-platform title. Currently, the game is available only for Windows PC via digital distribution on Steam and will remain so until the game is closer to a state that is acceptable for mass consumption on additional platforms. The game is already confirmed for eventual release on both PlayStation 4 and XBox One.

What are the system requirements for DayZ Standalone?

MINIMUM RECOMMENDED
OS: Windows 7 32-bit Windows 7 / 8 / 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel Dual-Core 2.4 GHz or AMD Dual-Core Athlon 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5-2300 or AMD Phenom II X4 940 or better
Memory: 2 GB RAM 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 440 or AMD Radeon HD 5850 or Intel HD Graphics 4000 with 512 MB VRAM NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 or AMD Radeon HD 7750 with 1 GB VRAM or better
DirectX: Version 11.0 Version 11.0
Hard Drive: 10 GB available space 14 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX®-compatible DirectX®-compatible
Internet: A High Speed Internet Connection A High Speed Internet Connection

Development

For a list of development-related resources including the sites referenced below, please see our Current Events page.

What is an "alpha release" and what is my role in the development?

An alpha release is designed to allow the development team to interact with a game's community during development in the form of discussion and feedback based on pre-release gameplay. Those who participate in this process are providing valuable statistics, crash reports, and other data to the developers; this allows for a larger scope than what would normally be possible with only an internal testing group. Early access builds will be plagued with bugs and half-finished progress, so it is critical for players to keep this in mind when considering feedback for the game. Those who chose to help make the game better will need to create tickets in a feedback tracker that the developers can then take into consideration. Tickets can be bug related, feature related, animation related, performance related, etc.

When is in the next update and what will be in it?

The Stable branch is generally updated once a month, usually towards the end of the month. This usually follows a month-long period of testing the new version as a series of weekly builds on the Experimental branch. Most updates to either branch are released on Wednesdays during the scheduled maintenance period, but this is not a hard rule and updates can occur at any time without notice. All updates will automatically download and be installed via steam.

Experimental builds are usually new each week leading up to the release of a new version to the Stable branch and serve as a de facto preview of upcoming items, mechanics, map changes, etc. What they contain will vary over time. Stable updates are a cumulative update that aims to release all content from previous Experimental builds to the Stable branch without game-breaking bugs, but this cannot always be achieved.

See also: Changelog and Roadmap.

DayZ isn't working for me! How do I fix it?

First of all: search the official forums and take a look in the troubleshooting section here. Most issues are already known about and some have temporary or known fixes. Also check the Feedback Tracker and if your particular issue has not already been submitted, please add it there. Often simply verifying your cache in Steam will fix some issues, but for additional help you will want to seek out one of those outlets.

I found a bug! What do I do?

Report it on the official Feedback Tracker. Make sure to read the how-to guide first. You can also post your issue on the official DayZ forums. In either case be detailed and give as much information as possible.

Gameplay

What is the difference between 1st Person and 1st/3rd Person servers?

1st person is first person view only, 1st/3rd person has both first person view and third person view enabled. They use separate hives (databases) on public servers, so there is a character save for each of these.

How do I change my in-game name?

Your default name will be the name you use for your computer (i.e. "Christopher"). To change this, click the username in the lower right hand corner of DayZ Standalone welcome screen and modify as required.

What's the difference between Stable and Experimental?

DayZ has two "branches" available to the public on PC during its primary development period. These are different versions of the game, with one being intended for mass consumption and the other used for testing changes to the game that are not yet ready for prime time but need a larger audience than the company's internal testing team.

The Stable branch is seen as the default, and the Experimental branch must be opted-into intentionally by players who wish to use it. By opting-in, users acknowledge that their experience may be heavily compromised in the pursuit of collecting data for development purposes, and its strongly recommended (even more so than usual) that these users file tickets to the Feedback Tracker for issues they encounter to help avoid those problems persisting into a Stable branch release.

You can opt in to the Experimental branch by doing the following:

  1. Go to your Steam library.
  2. Right click on DayZ's name on your list of titles, and select "Properties."
  3. Go to the "Betas" tab of the Properties window.
  4. On the drop-down menu there, select "Experimental."

To revert back to the Stable branch, perform the same steps as above but select "NONE - opt out of all beta programs" on the drop-down menu.