ZAM talked with Dean Hall about what we can expect from DayZ standalone

The impact that the original mod had is evident not only in the fervent amount of interest from the fans but also in the concerns they have expressed that the standalone version will not be the game they love. What have been their main concerns and how do you go about addressing them?

I think the concerns are really broad. Some people are concerned that the standalone isn’t going to have what the mod has in it currently and that’s a concern that will be realised because the DayZ standalone is going back to the roots of the mod. Rather than going in the direction of lots of vehicles and lots of weapons, DayZ standalone is actually going to where my vision of the mod would have been if we could have done it. I think you get some fans concerned that they’re not going to be able to do vehicles on release, there’s not going to be modding on release and that kind of stuff. They’re valid concerns but we have to get the basics, the foundation right before we move onto other things.

As June will be when the big review takes place to decide where the game is at and how the alpha and so on will be released, what are the key components that have to be ready by then in order for you to move forward?

There is only one thing we have to do by June in order to release the alpha and that’s the server client architecture. Once that’s done, bam, we’ll just turn it on. Now it might not be super done and super fun and playable, but at that point we’re ready to take our next step and for that we need the players, or at least some players, in there playing it.

With DayZ standalone undoubtedly opening the game up to a broader audience, what facets of this version are going to be the standout elements for players, even in comparison to the original mod?

I think it’s going to provide a more robust and polished experience. Everything is an extended version of what we did in the mod. If you look at the inventory system and the items you found in the mod, really DayZ standalone is just going to be that but better, it’s what we want to do.

I know people wanted a lot more complex inventory system with this and that and the next thing, but we wanted to leave it straightforward because I think a good design is actually quite simple.

When I look at games like Ultima they were simple and elegant. That’s what we’re looking to do. Every time you introduce UI and this box and that box we start to ask ourselves if there’s a way to do it in the world, and that’s the approach we’re taking.

As we concluded the interview, I wished Dean the best of luck on his trip to Nepal and his assault on the south ridge of Everest. While he is pushing himself through that daunting task, we can await June to find out when we might see our first full look at the DayZ standalone alpha.

Be sure to keep your browser here at ZAM for more on DayZ and visit DayZDB for all your zombie survival needs.

Scott "Jarimor" Hawkes, Editor in Chief