Due to the surprise success and widening game scope, the team faced many challenges against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding company. Listen and take heed to some cautionary tales and an after action report on what it was like taking the art department from a team of 3 people to a team of 30 in one year. Successes and failures, highs and lows.

1. DayZ: Sur vi vi ng
Success
Chr i s Tor chi a
Associ at e Ar t Di r ect or
Bohemi a I nt er act i ve St udi os

2. Out l i ne

The backgr ound

The success

The ar t goal s

The chal l enges

The sol ut i ons

The concl usi on

Q&A

3. DayZ Background

Modi f i cat i on of Ar ma2 by Dean Hal l

Mul t i pl ayer onl y, open- wor l d sur vi val ant i - game
 per madeat h
 no dr i vi ng nar r at i ve
 no i nt er f er ence wi t h pl ayer ’ s chosen pl ayst yl e

I ni t i al l y concei ved as a way of t r ai ni ng sol di er s on an
emot i onal l evel
 Lat er added ‘ zombi es’

4. DayZ History According to Me

5. DayZ History According to Me

Fr om Ar ma2 t o VBS2 t o Ar ma3 t o DayZ ( 2nd hal f 2012) …

Oh gr eat . . . anot her zombi e mod

6. Until I was Infected

7. DayZ mod’ s Recept i on

DayZ had one or t wo ser ver s at ear l y st ages

CHKi l r oy “ The Days Ahead” on Apr i l 10t h, 2012

Apr i l 2012 - back on t he char t s

Twi t ch/ Yout ube/ Reddi t / 4Chan/ NeoGAF

Lot s of medi a at t ent i on

Li f el i ne f or BI S
 Ar ma3 devel opment mor e compl i cat ed t han expect ed
 4 year s bet ween A2 and A3, moder at e success f r om ot her t i t l es
 Key per sonnel ar r est ed 9/ 2012
 Tot al r eor g of t he pr oj ect mgt and cr eat i ve di r ect i on

8. A2 was 3 yr s ol d
300k A2 copi es sol d/ 330k
uni que user s af t er 2
mont hs
1 mi l l i on+ uni que pl ayer s
af t er 4 mont hs
Br i an Hi cks/ Sur vi vor GameZ
I - 6mo l at er
Obvi ous commer ci al
pot ent i al
Por t f ol i o di ver si f i cat i on
Apr i l 29t h 2012

9. Keys t o Success
Moddabi l i t y of Ar ma
Gi ve pl ayer s t ool s, not i nst r uct i ons
Cont ent cr eat or s

10. DayZ Mod

ver y buggy

scr i pt - hacked
t oget her

ver y vul ner abl e t o
cheat er s

dat ed/ unopt i mi zed
ar t / non- ent er abl e
bui l di ngs

opt i mi ze code

move f unct i ons t o engi ne

ant i - cheat f eat ur es

massi ve ar t over haul t o
sui t t he new i nt ended
pur pose
DayZ St and- al one

11. What wer e t he def i ned ar t goal s?

Cher nar us was bi g ( 180km2)
 ~800k obj ect s

Cher nar us + was t o be bi gger ( 220km2)
 1. 6m and gr owi ng

Cat er i ng t o a new set t i ng
 “ post - apoc”
 ent er abl e bui l di ngs
 f i l l ed wi t h l oot ( cl ot hes, weapons, f ood, wat er , equi pment )

Exceed qual i t y ar t wor k pr oduced i n t he st udi o pr evi ousl y
 vast amount s of ar t t o be r epl aced
 gener al r ul e AGAI NST r eusi ng ar t f r om pr evi ous pr oj ect s

Man year s wor t h of wor k

19. Avai l abl e Resour ces

1 i nt er nal , 1 ext er nal envi r onment desi gner s

I nt er nal Team of ~5 ar t i st s
 3 envi r onment
 1 char act er ar t i st s ( base char act er s, zombi es)
 1 gener al i st

Out sour ced t o Vi gi l ant e Desi gn
 Pl ayabl e cont ent desi gn ( char act er cl ot hi ng, l oot , weapons)
 Coor di nat ed 5 f r eel ance ar t i st s

Ever yone r epor t ed t o Dean…

E3 2013

Ar t Lead by November 2013

Cr unch! !

20. DayZ ( bar ebones) Dec. 2013
172k copi es i n 24hr s
400k sol d i n 1 week
1m i n 4 weeks
Cur r ent l y 3. 2m+

21. Shot s Fi r ed!
" . . . . we' r e j ust bl own away wi t h t he success of i t , " Hal l
t ol d Pol ygon i n an emai l t oday. " We obvi ousl y knew t hat
t her e was st r ong i nt er est i n t he concept , but wer en' t sur e
whet her t hat i nt er est was j ust ‘ hype' or whet her i t woul d
act ual l y t r ansl at e i nt o r eal sal es. I r emember when we
f i nal l y pushed t he but t on, I had t hi s moment of pani c when I
wonder ed i f many peopl e woul d r eal l y buy i t . "
Pi t cher , Jenna ( 14 Januar y 2014) . " DayZ r eaches 1M i n sal es,
' shot s f i r ed' agai nst t r adi t i onal publ i shi ng model " .
Pol ygon.

22. Keys t o Success
A smal l , ver y exper i enced, hi ghl y mot i vat ed t eam.
Capabl e of wor ki ng wi t hout much management and wi t hout
document at i on.
Abl e t o easi l y adapt t o changes.

23. Just Get t i ng St ar t ed

The success br ought i t s own pr obl ems

Dr eams got bi gger

Request ed cont ent expanded massi vel y
 Mor e base char act er s t o choose f r om
 l oads of new zombi es
 dozens of f ul l y- cust omi zabl e guns ( at t achment s, accessor i es, col or s)
 ever y bui l di ng ent er abl e
 advanced vehi cl es
 ani mal s t o hunt
 et c…

St ar t ed hi r i ng t o meet demand

24. The Ar t Team Ear l y 2014

25. Management was pr et t y smar t about t hi s.

Vi gi l ant e Desi gn ( 2013) = me + al l of my exper i enced
ar t i st s
 hi r ed one of t hem i nt er nal l y
 pr ovi ded t he capaci t y t o of f l oad wor k on backl og i t ems

Mar ch 2014 - Cal dr on - Br at i sl ava, Sl ovaki a
 ~25 devel oper s j oi ned DayZ
 ~10 ar t i st s

June 2014 - Bl ack El ement Sof t war e - Pat t aya, Thai l and
 12 ar t i st s ( spl i t t i me bet ween A3, DayZ)
Buy or Bui l d a Busi ness? Bot h! ?

26. The Ar t Team Ear l y 2014
 Par t i ci pat ed qui t e a
l ot i n desi gn
 Had publ i c- f aci ng
dut i es
 Was r esponsi bl e f or
bot h pr oduct i on and
ar t i st i c di r ect i on

27. The Ar t Team Lat e 2014 
Conf usi on about
dut i es ( many hat s
wer e wor n)
 desi gn
 PR
 pr oduct i on

No document ed
pr ocess

Had i nadequat e
t ool s

Per sonal l y Ar t
Di r ect i ng al l wor k

Gener al l y, t oo much
r esponsi bi l i t y.

28. Mi st akes wer e made. . .
Absol ut el y not pr epar ed t o i nt egr at e t hat much manpower
Need t o be f l exi bl e t o adapt t o changes, not f i ght t hem
Vi r t ual l y no r el evant document at i on f or desi gn, pr ocesses,
t ool s or pi pel i nes
Di f f i cul t i es wi t h maki ng peopl e f eel par t of t he t eam when
you r ar el y i nt er act

29. A t al e of t wo Pr obl ems
How do you si mul t aneousl y:
1. ~2x t he si ze of your t eam AND
2. Out sour ci ng t o a br and- new t eam of ar t i st s wi t hout
f unct i oni ng t ool s or document at i on?

30. The Odd Coupl e

Dean was t r ansi t i oni ng away as pr oj ect l ead

Davi d Dur čák began t o r eor g Sept ember 2014
 I nt r oduced me t o Lubos Lednar
 Lubos was named Ar t Di r ect or ( Ar t Pr oducer )
 I was pr omot ed t o Associ at e Ar t Di r ect or ( Ar t
Di r ect or )

Davi d al so st ar t ed r unni ng mont hl y l eads
meet i ngs bet ween Br at i sl ava and Pr ague

Had a gr eat wor ki ng r el at i onshi p ear l y on
 Qui ckl y began di vi di ng dut i es
 Wor ki ng on document at i on

31. The Ar t Team Lat e 2014  Conf usi on about
dut i es ( many hat s
wer e wor n)
 desi gn
 PR
 pr oduct i on
 No document ed
pr ocess
 Had i nadequat e
t ool s
 Per sonal l y Ar t
Di r ect i ng al l wor k
 Gener al l y, t oo much
r esponsi bi l i t y.

32. The Ar t Team Ear l y 2015

33. Cl ar i f i ed r ol es and r esponsi bi l i t i es
Document at i on
Of f l oaded ar t pr oduct i on t o Lubos
Al l owed me t o concent r at e on ar t i st i c di r ect i on, desi gni ng
wi t h Pet er , PR
Sol ut i on

34. The Ar t Team Ear l y 2015

35. Out sour ci ng 101

Out sour ci ng can be gr eat i f i t s done r i ght .
 al l ows mor e cont ent t o be cr eat ed
 mor e t i me f or key f eat ur es and pol i sh
 l ess cr unch
 i sn’ t cheap, but can hel p save money i n t he l ong t er m

Can be a ni ght mar e i f i t i s not car ef ul l y pl anned
 Tr ai ni ng i n- house i s har d

36. Embr aci ng t he Suck
Bl ack El ement 2013

oper at i onal by spr i ng 2014 - Ar ma3

Ar ma3 had good document at i on

r ecei ved most l y t echni cal t r ai ni ng
Ar ma3 and DayZ have di f f er ent ar t i st i c st yl es,
r equi r ement s, and pi pel i nes

wor ki ng on DayZ by summer 2014

DayZ document at i on f ol kl or e

ar t i st s woul d need ar t i st i c di r ect i on AND t echni cal t r ai ni ng

shi f t i ng f ocus t o Thai l and meant i gnor i ng Br at i sl ava

38. No Pl an Sur vi ves Cont act . . .
Two weeks of hands- on ar t i st i c di r ect i on compl et e

Remot e management of Thai l and was ver y t i me consumi ng

Of t en much sl ower t han est i mat es
 t i mezone
 my i t er at i ons
 l anguage bar r i er
 shar i ng wi t h Ar ma3

Li mi t ed i n what t ypes of asset s coul d be t asked
 new ki nds of asset s r equi r es new t r ai ni ng

Became pai nf ul l y obvi ous, i t coul dn’ t be me doi ng i t

39. Thai - Lor d Vespa

That s act ual l y what t hey cal l hi m i n Thai l and

He was i nst r ument al i n my own ar t i st i c devel opment

Tr ai ned and suppor t ed t he t eam i n Br at i sl ava

Wasn’ t af r ai d t o go t o Thai l and

40. Thai - Lor d Vespa

41. Thai - Lor d Vespa

Hel ped wi t h document at i on

Di r ect suppor t of t he t eam

On- si t e t r ai ni ng

Rel at i onshi p bui l di ng

42. Out sour ci ng 101
Fi r st st eps

Def i ne needs: do you need t o expl or e or qui ckl y pr oduce?

Assess r i sks, t hi nk of measur es t hat can pr event bad t hi ngs,
buf f er gener ousl y as mi st akes WI LL happen

St ar t wi t h somet hi ng smal l and easy t o cont r ol , unt i l you
f eel synced wi t h t he out sour cer

43. Out sour ci ng 101
Al l ocat e dedi cat ed st af f

Don' t r el y on on t hem gr abbi ng t he br i ef i ng and del i ver i ng
per f ect asset s. Never happens.

Out sour cer s NEED suppor t , communi cat i on and gui dance.
Pr ovi di ng t hose i s t i me- consumi ng and r equi r es dedi cat ed
st af f .

Common set - up:

Good t o have one poi nt of cont act on each end

Pr oceed t hr ough t he ar t i n a st ep- wi se f ashi on wi t h checkpoi nt s f or each

44. Out sour ci ng 101
Pr epar e br i ef i ng

Per haps t he most i mpor t ant st ep t o avoi d wast ed i t er at i ons

Document ever yt hi ng needed as i f t he r eader was a new
i nt er nal hi r e f or j uni or posi t i on.

Document EVERYTHI NG ( pr ocess, t ool s, expect at i ons,
sampl es, st yl e gui des…)

Def i ne si gn- of f st ages and what cr i t er i a t hey wi l l be appr oved upon.

I deal l y pr ovi de a sampl e per st age.

45. Out sour ci ng 101
Pl anni ng

Buf f er bi g ( e. g. 2x mor e t i me t han an i nt er nal devel oper
woul d need) .

The f ur t her f r om your t i mezone i s t he par t ner , t he mor e t i me he wi l l need
t o compl et e t he asset .

Pr epar e br i ef i ng f or asset bat ches ahead of t i me.

They al l ow seaml ess wor k f or out sour cer s wai t i ng r evi ews

The i ni t i al pl an can and shoul d be i mpr oved on. Lear n and
adapt .

46. Ti me t o Thai i t of f . . .
St ar t smal l and expand f r om t her e
Buf f er . . . mi st akes wi l l happen
Have dedi cat ed st af f
Pr epar e det ai l ed desi gn br i ef s ahead of t i me
DO vi si t s and on- si t e t r ai ni ng

47. Quest i ons?
Chris Torchia
Twitter: @ctorchia