The Lighthouse Customer: DayZ (Experimental Branch)

Each Monday, Chris Livingston visits an early access game and reports back with stories about whatever he finds inside. This week, survival horror in DayZ's experimental branch. While nearly two million players have paid to act as DayZ's beta testers, there's a much smaller subset of lighthouse customers acting as beta testers to those beta testers. On a handful of DayZ experimental branch servers, changes are rolled out and played with weeks before being introduced to the early access game at large. This week I opted into the experimental branch, keen to inhale the future of DayZ before most players even get a whiff. Aaaand I'm immediately disappointed. I was hoping for a sneak peek at hunting, cooking, or ragdoll physics, but the four experimental servers running right now are all titled "Accelerated Time Test," an upcoming feature that will allow server admins to fiddle with the speed of the game's day/night cycle. Apart from watching the sun pass overhead while counting under my breath, that doesn't sound like something I can really participate in. Still, there may be hints at other new content, and if there is, I'm going to sniff it out. Plus, I'm expecting a different attitude among players on the experimental branch. After all, we're the most dedicated and curious of DayZ gamers! I bet there'll be a real feeling of community, excitement, and cooperation. As I spawn on the beach, I immediately spot another survivor running down the road. I put up my hand to greet thi...