DayZ 1.30 Experimental brings motorbikes and Badlands testing

Update 1.30 is now in the Experimental phase on Steam, marking the start of the DayZ Badlands release. Normally, all expansion assets would be included in Experimental, but some are being held until release. Motorbikes are a key exception because they need rigorous testing; the full change log is in the patch notes. DayZ Badlands is coming out in four weeks on October 15.

The biggest additions are motorbikes and their physics. Experimental introduces two motorbikes: the moped and the enduro, plus color variants. The moped comes in three fixed colors—blue, red, and yellow. The enduro comes in four base colors, with additional swappable plates in those colors that can be mixed and matched. Both use a new two-wheeled simulation with leaning characteristics not previously available in DayZ, plus ragdoll physics for crashes. You won’t see the ragdoll from your own point of view if you crash because you fall unconscious, but all clients see the character in the same position.

Test them on the “Many Motorbikes” servers coming to Experimental, which work like the “Many Cars” servers used to monitor game and vehicle performance in past updates. Feedback goes to the Feedback Tracker. The team has also updated animation systems and warns the modding community that animation-related mods may encounter problems. Dev Blog 7 has more on the motorbike details, and a 1.30 Experimental stream ran yesterday.

All inventory icons have been upgraded. More than 150 icons were revised for recognizability and consistency, following a unified capture angle, consistent outline weight, and enough contrast against the slot background for items to be recognized at a glance, even at small sizes. DayZ’s HUD style has evolved across many artists and designers, causing issues such as the same item looking different across icons (firewood) and a mix of pixel art, polygonal visuals, and realistic shading. The goal is better accessibility for newcomers and veterans while balancing familiarity and improvement with minimal compromise. Some veterans who tried DayZ Badlands this summer took a few minutes to notice the change.

Infected attack animations now better reflect the position of their target. Previously, infected consistently used downward-facing attacks regardless of the player’s stance or relative position. They can now select between upward, centered, and downward attacks based on the height of the player’s head relative to the attacking infected. Attacks should respond more naturally when standing, crouching, or prone, and when fighting across stairs, slopes, and uneven terrain. An infected chasing a player downhill may aim lower, while one attacking a target above it can direct its attack upward. Infected also have a new running heavy attack.

Continuing efforts to tailor firearm aesthetics and colors to each terrain, select firearms are getting color variants that were available during the alpha days, now with upgraded visuals and textures. Some are in Experimental, and players will discover them on their own.

DayZ is again partnering with Lurkit to bring back the Creator Program for the DayZ Badlands release. Like the DayZ Frostline program, it gives DayZ creators, press, and other content creators an exclusive first look at Nasdara. The program is designed to give more creators exposure through exclusive access to DayZ Badlands while helping introduce the expansion to more players. Exact dates will be announced soon; it will run for approximately one week, compared with two weeks for Frostline. More dev blog content is planned before launch.