DayZ Frostline Dev Blog Week 34

⚠️Disclaimer⚠️

Please be aware: Information shared in this development blog represents a work in progress, not the final product. Contents and features discussed are subject to change before release. The aim is to provide insight and foster community engagement, but details may evolve as development continues. Thank you for joining on this journey, with the understanding that what you see here is a glimpse into the process.

Survivors!

In the latest Dev Blog, Bohemia Interactive offers an inside look at the ongoing development of the DayZ Frostline Expansion. This blog serves as a platform to share the ups and downs of the development journey with the community. The team’s progress wouldn’t be possible without the support of players, and they’re thrilled to keep everyone updated as they work on something truly special. This week’s focus is on the development of boats and sound design within the Frostline Expansion.

Boats!

The team began experimenting with boat prototypes late last year, and by the start of this year, boats were officially greenlit for full development, especially to enhance the islandic environment of Sakhal. The initial prototype was stable enough to proceed, although some shortcuts were taken, such as utilizing existing vehicle simulations like car engines and gearboxes. However, early testing revealed challenges, including instability in the vehicle system that caused boats to behave unpredictably at sea. Recognizing this, the developers concluded that a revamp of the networking system was necessary to ensure stable and realistic boat mechanics.

Buoyancy is a complex simulation designed for the possible inclusion of more realistic ocean waves in the future. It uses a shape – which the modders will know as the “Simple Geometry LOD” – to find the total displaced volume and find the buoyant force and does some additional simulation of drag.

In the DayZ Frostline Expansion, controlling boats is designed to be more straightforward compared to driving cars. Boats come with just three gears: Forward, Neutral, and Reverse. While they lack traditional brakes, players can control their speed by adjusting the throttle or shifting into reverse, which helps slow the boat down. The primary purpose of these boats is to transport players across large bodies of water, making them essential for navigating the game’s aquatic environments. However, they don’t offer any inventory space, so players can’t store items on them.

To operate a boat, you’ll need just two items: a spark plug and some gasoline. If you come across a boat stranded on a beach or in shallow water, you can push it into deeper water before starting your journey. The simplicity of boat mechanics ensures that players can quickly and effectively use them for their intended purpose.

Each boat can carry three passengers and one operator, with unique animations for sitting, dying, switching seats, rolling out of the boat even being dragged out.

Maintenance and Usage of Boats in DayZ Frostline Expansion

In the Frostline Expansion, maintaining your boat is crucial, though damage doesn’t instantly impair its performance. Over time, however, damage accelerates the boat’s deterioration, eventually leading to a ruined state. To prevent this, players can use a tire repair kit to fix the boat’s body. It’s important to note that while the boat’s body can be repaired, the engine cannot. Once the boat reaches a ruined state, it will begin to sink slowly, giving players a chance to exit before it fully submerges.

Additionally, players can stand on the boat while it moves at a slow pace. However, be careful—if the speed increases too much, you might fall off. The boats also offer a new gameplay mechanic: you can fish from them while they’re stationary. So, get ready to enjoy some peaceful fishing as you explore the waters.

For those eager to try out the boats, the experimental update for version 1.26 is now available on the experimental branches for both PC and Xbox. The community has already started sharing their experiences, showcasing the fun and challenges that boats bring to the game. Check out some community highlights like ROBL (Rolling off the Boat, Laughing) by Happybombs, Slexify’s intense boat fight, and Wobo’s detailed review and explainer video on the boats.

Sound Design on Sakhal

The sound design for Sakhal in the Frostline Expansion has been meticulously crafted to enhance the immersive experience. The development team has added 346 new short ambient sounds that are played around the player in 3D audio. These sounds include environmental noises like rustling vegetation, the clinking of metal objects in harbors, and the calls of various bird species. Although the team aimed to feature bird species native to the Kamchatka region, they had to include some birds from other northern regions, like Alaska, due to the limited availability of recordings.

These 3D sounds complement the existing 2D ambient layers, which include wind, snowfall, and area-specific sounds. Moreover, 19 new ambient loops have been introduced, dynamically mixing based on factors such as location, time of day, wind conditions, and snowfall. These enhancements make the world of DayZ feel even more alive and immersive, providing players with a richer auditory experience as they navigate the challenging environments of Sakhal

The development team for the DayZ Frostline Expansion aimed to create an environment that feels vibrant and dynamic, even in the icy conditions of Sakhal. A key aspect of this was balancing the liveliness of the environment with the oppressive power of nature. The sound design plays a crucial role in this, especially in how it handles wind effects. When the wind picks up, the contrast in the environment becomes stark—animal sounds fade away, leaving an overwhelming sense of isolation as the wind howls through the landscape. This silence in the face of strong winds intensifies the player’s feeling of vulnerability to the elements.

The team carefully controls both the 2D ambient loops and the 3D ambient sounds using the wind factor to achieve this effect. In areas far from trees or other structures, where animals might normally be found, a still wind creates an almost unsettling silence, making the world feel empty and eerie. This design choice enhances the immersion, making the player acutely aware of the harsh, unforgiving environment they’re navigating.

The team is proud to have reached their goal of creating a dynamic and immersive environment in the DayZ Frostline Expansion. However, they acknowledge that there is always room for improvement and already have plans to refine the sound design further in the future. Jan Knot, the Sound Designer, expressed satisfaction with their achievements so far but is eager to continue enhancing the audio experience in the game. This commitment to ongoing improvement ensures that the environment in DayZ will continue to evolve, offering players an even more engaging and realistic experience as they face the challenges of survival in Sakhal.