According to the studio, Silica is planned to run as an early access title for roughly one year, during which it will be taking into account player feedback as the game is further developed. The early access period will see Silica get new content, such as more combat units, as well as general polish to the gameplay.

At launch Silica features two playable game modes: Strategy and Arena. The Strategy mode is meant to be the flagship game mode of Silica, and will have players take on the role of Commander or Soldier. Commanders play the game mode as an RTS, while Soldiers are the players playing an FPS fighting on the frontlines. Arena mode is a pure FPS mode that will allow players to try out all of the game’s different combat units.

Some things that can be expected include Frostpunk developer 11 bit Studios’ unannounced title; a new project by Klei Entertainment of Don’t Starve fame; Sam Barlow’s Immortality; and an update on Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 courtesy of Saber Interactive’s Tim Willits. Bohemia Interactive will also be on hand for an interview about the recently announced Arma 4. Victoria 3 is also getting its first gameplay reveal.

If that weren’t enough, the mod project Half-Life: Alyx – Levitation is also getting some new gameplay. Of course, the PC Gaming Show isn’t the only event set for June 12th as the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase will broadcast at 10 PM PT. Stay tuned for more details on both in the coming weeks.

Set against the theatre of the Cold War, Arma Reforger will feature the mid-Atlantic map of Everon (the same from Arma: Cold Assault) which will be spanning a whopping 51 km2. The game is a showcase of the studio’s updated Enfusion Engine, and Arma Reforger is built as a creative platform for players where they can make different types of experiences, all while providing feedback for the purposes of the next numbered entry in the franchise. Arma Reforger will also be coming to Xbox platforms in the near future, a first for the series.

On that note, Arma 4 was also been confirmed to be in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S. Bohemia Interactive will be building upon the foundations of Arma Reforger for the numbered sequel. Other details on the matter, including but not limited to the release date, remain thin as of now, and it seems fair to assume that fans wouldn’t see the game in action anytime soon.

You can take a look at the recently released video for Arma 4 and the trailer for Arma Reforger down below.

The new patch, update 1.17, adds a significant amount of changes and fixes to the console port, such as new weapons like the CR-550 Savanna rifle, the Longhorn pistol, the P1 pistol, and more. QoL changes such as sensitivity settings for various scope options along with a new optional control scheme have also been added.

Additionally, tweaks and changes are also abound, such as a reworked Nizhnoye village on Chernarus, while audio fixes and rendering exploits have also been addressed through the update. Check out the update notes and the update’s new trailer below.

DayZ and its console versions are available to play on PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

DayZ Console Update 1.17

ADDED

• CR-550 Savanna rifle
• Longhorn pistol
• P1 pistol
• Craft-able Spear (Bone & Stone head variants)
• Pitchfork
• Craft-able Bone knife
• Cleaver
• Meat tenderizer
• Kitchen timer
• Craft-able Fireplace stand
• Brooms can be lit and used as a torch
• Improvised clothes from rags
• Improvised Rope Belt
• Improvised gas mask filter
• Gas mask filters can now be refilled with charcoal tablets
• Sensitivity settings for various scope options
• New optional control scheme
• Bark can be harvested with axes now
• Cookware is slowly getting damaged by being used
• Gas mask filters get damaged while in use
• Voice activation setting for voice chat
• Scroll through multiple actions can be now done via mouse wheel
• New point of interest on Livonia

FIXED

• Gear could not be added to other player’s inventories
  
• The sound of hitting an obstacle with a vehicle while reversing wasn’t played
• Dropped items were pushed upwards in certain situations
  
• During punching the player would turn sideways in some situations
• The sound of the Sarka 120 engine came from the front, whereas the engine is in the back
• Shelters weren’t build-able on some places
• A burned-out fireplace is no longer producing light
• Canceling activation of the bear trap and landmine caused errors
• The visual effect of the contaminated area partly persisted after it was despawned
• Focus zoom briefly reset during several actions in the 1st person
• Hair clipped with NVG head strap on female characters
• An incorrect texture of ruined wheels caused a server error on restart
• Fixed rendering exploits related to buildings
• Players could climb through closed windows on some buildings
• The Player was able to pick up the fire barrel while items were attached to it
• The sound of starting/stopping engine was not present for other players
• Sound of opening or closing attachments was not present for other players
  
• The sound of turning on/off the alarm clock wasn’t audible for other players
• A staircase handrail was missing a collision
• The attachment icon didn’t correctly reflect attached optics and rails on weapons
  
• Attaching more nails to the flag pole caused errors
• Sharpened wooden sticks caused errors when damaged
• Filtering server by favorited gives error: 9 in server browser
• Traps did not react to vehicles
• Light and heavy melee attack combinations would sometimes result in too much damage
• Fixed several environment issues on Chernarus and Livonia
• Certain gestures would make the character float above the ground when executed in prone
  
• Sound of ear ringing caused by the flash grenade could get stuck at some situations
• Ruined Zmijovka hat didn’t properly reflect its state
• Mouse cursor was invisible in the respawn menu

CHANGED

• Reworked Nizhnoye village on Chernarus
• Adding a favorite server when already at max (25) will throw an error instead of removing a random favorite
• VOIP (any) is not available while in inventory. If VA is active, the player can keep speaking though
• VOIP “push-to-talk” and “toggle voice activation” have been moved from DPAD-down to DPAD-left
• VOIP “volume range up/down” has been added as DPAD-left + RB/LB
• “Cycle fire mode” has been moved from DPAD-left to LT (I.E.  while in raised hands) + DPAD-right
• While in vehicle, “accelerate” now behaves as an axis and can be modulated (instead of being on/off)
• Heavy attack is now triggered by “Press Y” instead of “Hold Y”
• A new optional control scheme added
• Mic continues to listen to the player for 0.5 s after they let go of the push-to-talk button
• All heat sources are now emitting heat
• Drain and pour liquid actions are now properly separated
• Adjusted the wolf model to allow a more precise head-shot
• The burning duration of torches now correctly depends on the amount of fuel
• Cooking without lard/water now reduces the weight of the burned food
• Weapon sway increases while the character is rolling
• Fireplaces start heating up the player character faster now
• Position of the light source for Sarka 120 when only a single headlight is on was set to the proper position
• Players are no longer able to get into a vehicle while holding a heavy item
• Stone knifes can no longer be sharpened with a sharpening stone
• Action inputs will be prioritized over inventory actions (e.g. climbing a ladder before dropping your item in hands)
• Closing the inventory wasn’t possible with the view button after assigning an item to a quick slot
• Updated the game credits

Microsoft’s dual-console approach to next-gen one is an exciting one for consumers, seeing as it allows people to jump into next-gen with a console that costs just $299. That, of course, has come with some sacrifices, with the Xbox Series S being significantly weaker than the Xbox Series X, especially in terms of its RAM and GPU. And while there are many in the industry who have pointed out those issues and the problems they could lead to in the future, there are others who are more optimistic about the console.

Speaking in a recent interview with GamingBolt, Bohemia Interactive’s Petr Kolář and David Kolečkář – project leads on the online loot shooter Vigor – said that owing to the fact that the Xbox Series S’ CPU is roughly on par with the Series X’s processor, by and large the console won’t hold back next-gen and should be able to run all games, albeit on lower resolutions.

“The important thing is that the CPU hasn´t been downgraded, so the Series S will not limit the potential scope or features of games,” the developers said. “The Series S shouldn’t have any issues with the same games on lower resolutions. Maybe some adjusted graphic effects.”

As far as Microsoft are concerned, they seem very confident about the Xbox Series S’ prospects, with Xbox boss Phil Spencer even saying that Microsoft expects it to outsell the Xbox Series X in the long-term. Both next-gen Xbox consoles are launching globally on November 10, so we’ll be seeing at least what kind of a start they got off to very soon.

"We’re always on the lookout for new ideas and trends in the community to improve the game as much as possible."

Given Vigor’s free-to-play nature, what has your approach been to in-game monetization?

Free-to-play is a broad topic, and often a heated one, so we tried to approach it from a direction we felt was fair for players. There are two main things players can pay for in Vigor – self-expression in the form of outfits and skins, as well as various time savers. The special parts are the so-called “social boosters”, where Outlanders can choose to enhance the Encounter for everyone in it, like adding more loot to the level or increasing the quality of the airdrop crate. This tends to create more tension, bragging rights, and interesting decision-making moments for all players.

The recent Renegades update was a meaty one, adding the ability to play trios, booby traps, new weapons, and more. What has your approach been to new updates in terms of what to add, what to remove, and what to change?

Bohemia is well known for closely cooperating with its community, and Vigor is no exception. We gather feedback from community members, as well as from our Vigor Partners, and implement it into new features. It’s always difficult to do it right, because we usually need to strike the right balance between what they want and what’s actually beneficial for players and the game in general. Having said that, we’re always on the lookout for new ideas and trends in the community to improve the game as much as possible.

Can you talk about what you have planned for Vigor in the coming months as far as new content is concerned? For instance, can fans expect more maps to be added to the game?

We plan to keep the regular bi-monthly major updates going with new seasons of Battle Pass. Added to that, we already mentioned that there’s going to be the Islands map released for Encounters in the near future, and we have a handful of maps that we are finishing as well. As for other new content, we are currently working on an original way to access customizations from previous Battle Pass seasons, as well as improving the Encounter dynamic so it’s more variable.

"We plan to keep the regular bi-monthly major updates going with new seasons of Battle Pass. Added to that, we already mentioned that there’s going to be the Islands map released for Encounters in the near future, and we have a handful of maps that we are finishing as well."

Reception to some of the changes, such as map rotation, has been quite positive. Is this something you’re going to stick with in future updates?

Thanks a lot! When we cooperate with the community, we’re always trying to design things they would enjoy. We have a long list of ideas, and it’s mainly a matter of prototyping them and testing if they actually work in Vigor. That means we can’t promise each update is going to be as packed as the Renegades season release was, but we definitely want to maintain a steady flow of interesting updates.

Vigor’s performance on the Switch is something that some players have had issues with, though there have certainly been some notable improvements recently. Has improving the Switch version’s performance been a priority for the team? Did the hardware and its capability present any initial hurdles in development?

Performance on the Switch was always a thing we had to take into consideration. It’s the weakest of the current-gen consoles, but it provides a ton of interesting options for players, like the possibility to play on the go. We focused on optimizing the game while keeping the overall experience as good as possible. As a result, we even had optimizations that help the Xbox version of the game as well. Given the art style of Vigor, there is hardly any space left for improvements now, thanks to the dedication of the whole Vigor team.

How has the general reception to Season 5 been? Can you tell us about any specific thing you’re working on as a direct result of that feedback?

As you already mentioned, the addition of map rotation in Season 5 was well received. There are features in Season 5 that are highly praised by our players, be it the addition of trios in Encounters, five-men teams in Elimination, the Lone Wolf option, bullet penetration, and improved hit detection. Feedback is always a mixed bag, like the addition of a second crate to the airdrop, even for solos. Based on the community’s feedback, we are adding one more crate to the airdrop in case there’s a trio in the Encounter. At the moment, we’re keeping a close eye on feedback regarding the Sawmill map and adjusting some spots where Outlanders may get stuck.

Do you have any plans to enable cross-progression in Vigor?

No.

"When we cooperate with the community, we’re always trying to design things they would enjoy. We have a long list of ideas, and it’s mainly a matter of prototyping them and testing if they actually work in Vigor."

The PS5 features an incredibly fast SSD with 5.5GB/s raw bandwidth. This is faster than anything that is available out there. How can developers take advantage of this, what will it result in, and how does this compare to Series X’s 2.4GB/s raw bandwidth?

These SSDs have the potential to allow games to travel at high speed across huge dense worlds containing tons of entities without any slowdowns and/or loadings. But that can’t be achieved on the Xbox Series SSD yet and it’s still a bit early to determine what’s possible on the PS5 SSD.

There is a difference in the Zen 2 CPUs of the two next-gen consoles. The Xbox Series X features 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.8GHz, whereas the PS5 features 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.5GHz. Your thoughts on this difference?

The processor performance of both devices is in the same league. The Xbox will probably be able to achieve more stable FPS in CPU-intensive games, but I don’t think that the lower CPU performance of the PS5 will limit developers.

The Xbox Series S features less powerful hardware compared to the Xbox Series X, and Microsoft is pushing it as a 1440p/60 FPS console. Do you think it will be able to handle graphically intensive next-gen games?

The important thing is that the CPU hasn´t been downgraded, so the Series S will not limit the potential scope or features of games. The Series S shouldn’t have any issues with the same games on lower resolutions. Maybe some adjusted graphic effects.

The PS5 and the Xbox Series X are both going to be impressive pieces of machinery, and with the former’s SSD and the latter’s GPU, it seems both have a leg up over the other in different areas. When it comes to the CPU, the two are far more evenly matched- though there’s still a bit of a gap there. The PS5’s custom Zen 2 CPU runs at a frequency of 3.5 GHz, while the Xbox Series X’s runs at a frequency of 3.8 GHz (or 3.6 with SMT).

That difference, however, won’t end up making too much of a difference, according to Bohemia Interactive’s Petr Kolář and David Kolečkář, both of whom are project leads on the free to play online looter shooter Vigor. We recently spoke with the duo, and when asked about the minor gap between the CPUs of the two next-gen consoles, they said that while more CPU-intensive games would enjoy better frame rates on the Xbox Series X, the PS5’s CPU will by no means hold back developers.

“The processor performance of both devices is in the same league,” the developers said. “The Xbox will probably be able to achieve more stable FPS in CPU-intensive games, but I don’t think that the lower CPU performance of the PS5 will limit developers.”

Vigor is currently available on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, and free to play on both. It launches on the PS4 on November 25, while a PS5 release has also been confirmed for later in the year.

Our full interview with the developers will be live soon, so stay tuned for that.

Update: Bohemia Interactive remains independent according to the company’s head of marketing Petr Poláček. Speaking to Hospodářské Noviny, he said that, “It’s not true. Tencent didn’t buy us. Bohemia Interactive remains an independent studio. We don’t know where this information came from.”

Original Story:

Bohemia Interactive is apparently the latest studio to have a majority stake acquired by Chinese conglomerate Tencent. According to a report by The Information, which spoke to a source with knowledge of the deal, a 70 to 80 percent stake in the DayZ studio was acquired for about $260 million. Tencent and Bohemia didn’t comment on the deal.

The two have worked together before – Tencent publishes Bohemia’s Ylands on its WeGame platform. Niko Partners senior analyst Daniel Ahmad noted that this was part of the company’s plan to cater to players of PC sandbox titles in China. “Tencent is filling a gap in PC sandbox games as they don’t have their own self-published titles,” said Ahmad. NetEase is currently distributing Mojang’s Minecraft in China so this could be seen as means of competing.

In the bigger picture, this is another significant acquisition for Tencent. The company owns a majority stake in Path of Exile developer Grinding Gear Games. It also acquired a stake in Fatshark which develops Warhammer: Vermintide 2 along with investing in PlatinumGames as it looks more towards self-publishing its titles. How this affects long-term plans for DayZ and Ylands remains to be seen so stay tuned.

Microsoft has revealed the newest slate of titles coming to Xbox Game Pass for consoles in May, starting with today’s releases of Bohemia Interactive’s DayZ and Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2. The former is known for its long development cycle and survival sandbox mechanics. The latter is considered as one of the best games of the generation, with 29 million units shipped till date.

Old school Final Fantasy fans can look forward to the release of Final Fantasy 9 on May 14th. Then there’s Fractured Minds, an indie title that looks at mental health issues by providing challenges that affected invidiuals will experience. It’s out on May 19th for Game Pass.

Of course, there will be quite a few titles exiting this month as well. Rockstar’s own Grand Theft Auto 5 will be gone today, while May 15th sees games like Metal Gear Survive, DOOM, Black Desert, The Banner Saga, and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, among others. Enjoy them while they’re still around and stay tuned for more releases to be announced for Xbox Game Pass this month.

Bohemia Interactive has announced that a new map Livonia is coming to its survival title DayZ. It’s interesting because this is the second map ever for the game which has been stuck in Chernarus till now. Though no release date was provided, it will be out “soon” for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Check out the trailer below.

Livonia measures 163 KM2 and is based off of ARMA 3’s recent Contact expansion map. Lush forested zones and rivers belie a relatively ruined world where you have to scrounge for resources. A new predator is also introduced in the form of Bears. Good luck figuring out how to fight them.

On top of all this, Livonia has rainfall and thunderstorms due to its season. How this will affect one’s chance of survival remains to be seen but you’re going to want to find some friends. Stay tuned for more details on Livonia’s release in the coming weeks/months.