DayZ Engine Coming

Oftentimes when a game series is getting a new engine it means a new franchise iteration is on the way. With post-apocalyptic zombie survival title DayZ, however, it means an admittedly clunky experience is getting a little better.

In a recent interview with VG 24/7, DayZ Designer Dean Hall — basically the face of the DayZ property and developer Bohemia Interactive — revealed what changes players can expect in this new engine, which the team is calling Infusion.

One of the key areas that Hall says is getting some much-needed attention is lighting. In the past, the game struggled to deliver real-time lighting effects, which made going out at night an even bigger risk than it already was. With Infusion, however, DayZ should be able to more realistically render dynamic lighting effects, especially those from the player's flashlight.

Unfortunately, Hall doesn’t go into too much detail in the interview regarding what might get improved with Infusion. Lighting is apparently high on Bohemia's list, and so that's where his team's focus is right now.

The best thing about Bohemia's implementation of Infusion is that it won't require a complete overhaul of DayZ. Rather, Hall reveals that these new graphical improvements will be rolled out in modules. That means presumably no downtime for those players who can't get enough of the survival title.

DayZ Standalone Mythbusters

As many know, DayZ got its start as a mod for Arma 2, before it blossomed into its own standalone game. Now that DayZ has moved away from its big brother, however, its needs have changed as well. Similarly, the problems that Bohemia encounters with DayZ aren't the same as those in Arma 3. What this all means is that the DayZ engine team, which is a separate entity from the gameplay team, can't simply grab ideas from the Arma 3 team, or even use their graphical improvements.

Hall says the end goal with Infusion is to create a new platform for the Bohemia team to build off of, which should make DayZ players happy. For as much as DayZ may be a fun experience, it's certainly a little rough around the edges. Such is the case with Early Access games, though, even those that charge $30-a-pop.

What do you hope to see improved in DayZ? What do you think of the visuals right now?

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Source: VG 24/7