DayZ standalone delay explained, closed beta on the way

Day Z Standalone clearly didn't make its 2012 release date, but is very near to closed beta testing, with developer lead Dean "Rocket" Hall explaining the delay with good news for fans.

At Eurogamer Expo 2012, Hall said the mod's commercial release happen before the end of the year, but has now explained that plans have now grown well beyond his modest ambitions.

"Put simply, Day Z Standalone isn’t here because we had the chance to go from making a game that was just the mod improved slightly, packaged simply, and sold - to actually redeveloping the engine and making the game the way we all dreamed it could be. This blew any initial plans we had dictated to pieces," he wrote in a new developer blog post.

But that doesn't mean things aren't progressing; Hall promised a closed test "imminently" which will call on 500 to 1000 players.

Unfortunately, this first test is about getting the game's new server architecture working properly and reliably, rather than a game design test, so participants won't be providing feedback on all the new features the mod version does not support.

On the bright side, Hall said Bohemia will be in a better position to discuss launch date after applying any fixes initiated by the testing phase.

On the subject of new features, Hall explained that the game's inventory system has been completely overhauled.

"You scavenge for items now, as individual parts, picking up pieces rather than piles, looking for cans on shelves or under beds. The new system opens the door for durability of items, disease tracking (cholera lingering on clothes a player wear), batteries, addon components, and much more," he said.

"If you shoot a player in the head to take his night vision, you will damage the night vision. The changes to this inventory system are huge."

The full blog goes into more detail, and also discussed art, UI and map improvements, so click through for the full rundown.

Thanks, EvilAvatar.