DayZ 1.17 Experimental Release

Greetings Survivors!

We are happy to announce that the experimental phase of upcoming game update 1.17 has started and is now available on Steam and Xbox. The update is focused on accessibility and crafting themes, though we’ll mostly discuss the improvements made to accessibility in this article, and let you discover the update’s new items and features on your own. If you’d like a complete list of additions, changes, and fixes, head on over to our forums for the official change notes. (PC, Xbox).

One of the key parts of this update is the addition of a new control scheme for the controller on consoles. To be clear, the new scheme is optional, as players are able to toggle between the new and old schemes through the controls screen. This gives us room to tweak the current control scheme without forcing large changes within the existing one. As well as introducing a new scheme, we’ve also revised the tutorial and controls screens to provide more straightforward information. We will be collecting feedback on the new scheme during the experimental and stable periods and evaluate the need for any further adjustments as we move forward.

Continuing with the subject of controls, we’ve changed the way sensitivity works (now exponential instead of linear) and added new sensitivity settings, which allow users to tweak the input sensitivity under different scenarios such as aiming, movement, and steering. We also looked into the VOIP and added some quality of life improvements to the UI, such as icons being shown only when transmitting (while having the new voice-activation mode enabled), a release delay for the push to talk mode, and the ability to change the VOIP distance on a controller.

We also made changes within the action system and unified the way a user can switch between actions with the same initial conditions. This is now done by tapping up/down on your mouse wheel or up/down on your controller’s D-pad, which makes cycling through different options much faster and more straightforward. Speaking of crafting, several new craftable items have been added, including a new type of improvised knife, additional ways to craft the stone variant, and an overall reduction in the number of knives available in the world.

There are a few more changes of note. Cookware (including cookware stands) can now receive damage when used over time, and lard is no longer required when preparing food. Gas mask filters are no longer ruined when depleted and can be refilled using charcoal tablets. We’ve also implemented a new system of universal temperature sources, which allow us, for example, to have torches increase a character’s heat comfort. Last, but certainly not least, we’ve added 3 new civilian firearms, as well as a pitchfork and craftable spear.

We hope you’re going to enjoy this experimental branch and look forward to meeting you all during our regular Friday play tests. If you have any feedback or encounter a bug, please report it to our feedback tracker.

On behalf of the DayZ team,
Adam