DayZ Standalone Patch To Add Berry Picking, Shotguns

Bohemia Interactive plans to roll out a new patch for the standalone version of DayZ this week. This patch will expand the zombie survival game with new items as well as a new town.

"This build is being tested on experimental branch, and contains a number of fixes and changes that have been in preparation for the last two weeks," said designer Dean Hall. "Please note that we do not expect that this build will be quickly posted to stable branch as we anticipate at least one more update will occur to Experimental prior to being pushed to stable. Only a limited number of servers will be running this version, so be aware slots may be limited. Once we have confirmed this build is functioning correctly we will announce more information about the release to stable branch."

To access the experimental patch, right-click on DayZ in your Steam library and select "Properties." When a new table appears, go to the "Betas" tab and select "Experimental - Preview testing version" from the drop-down menu.

The update adds hacksaws, shotguns and hiking pants to the world. The saw can be used to make sawed-off shotguns or open cans of provisions. Hungry players can now pick berries from bushes throughout Chernarus, too.

Bohemia is also adding an entire town to the world map. Svetloyarsk is described as a coastal harbor. I assume it'll be up in the northeast corner of the map, where there's plenty of unused coastline.

As an alpha game, DayZ still has plenty of bugs. The patch doesn't solve everything but does make some needed changes, like removing infinite backpacks and fixing eating/drinking animations. Here are the full patch notes:

Fixed:

• Niosh mask (respirator) inventory size fixed to 1/1 slot.
• Missing strings for BE popup for alternate languages, set to English while translations are being done.
• Reduced dispersion of FNX45 (from 0.05 to 0.03)
• Balanced stomach capacity,
• Added stuffed notifier (instead of sickness when full up)
• Eating and drinking animations properly set for tablets/disinfectants
• Version number in server browser and details
• Saline transfusion doesn't refill full blood
• Charcoal and Tetracycline tablets won't give sick badge if you aren't actually sick
• Player aim run speed updated, weapon position changed and improved for first person view
• Glitches on right hand while moving and while giving taunt fixed
• Players can't pile backpacks inside of another backpacks, backpack-inception style. You can only put one backpack inside of another backpack if the backpack that is being put inside is empty.
• Magnum speedloader should be spawning now
• Number of backpacks spawning lowered
• Number of .357 Pythons spawning lowered.
• Number of M4A1s spawning lowered
• Dead character cleanup performed at 10 minutes past death
• Removed scripted server teleporting check as now managed by engine

New:

• Editable character name in main menu
• Hive, mode and time columns in server browser
• Database support for sub hives. (Sub-private, Hardcore/Regular public)
• DayZServer.exe support for sub hives.
• Signature verification against PBOs
• Added shotgun speedloader into loot spawns
• Added box of 20 pieces .357 rounds into loot spawns
• Added color variants of all shoes into loot spawns
• Added Hiking pants (both long and short ones) and Canvas pants including their color variants into loot spawns
• Added hacksaw into the loot spawns
• Added shotgun into loot spawns
• Berry picking
• Added Hacksaw into loot spawns
• Saw-off shotgun recipe
• Opening cans with saw
• Painting Mosin now supported w/ spraypaint
• Added spraypaint can into loot spawns
• Coastal harbor town of Svetloyarsk (and surrounding areas)

The experimental version of the patch will be available on Monday. The patch will be officially released on January 24th, Hall says.