The latest in the ongoing stream of zombie themed apocalypse titles, Dying Light, has received an update which according to developer Techland will "block cheating by changing the game's data files". While at face value this may seem like a noble intention, it does have the side effect of preventing players from applying their own custom modifications to the single-player campaign – since in order to add such modifications, players will need to alter those same data files within the game.
At a glance one could be forgiven for giving Techland the benefit of doubt and assuming that this was an unintended outcome, though players posting on Reddit have reported that both Techland and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have utilised copyright laws in order to prevent users from creating and propagating single-player mods.
In addition, DMCA takedown notices have been applied to download links of such mods on numerous media sharing websites. Many fans of the game are displeased with this decision, as creative input plays a considerable role in the PC community.
Techland also reiterated the importance of installing a seperate initial day one patch that came with the launch of Dying Light, promoting players to apply the update, citing that it adds a number of various enhancements, gameplay and graphics updates which improve the quality of the game. On their official Facebook page, Techland cited:
With the release of Dying Light we're starting to see all your amazing playthroughs pop up and we couldn’t be happier! However, we’ve seen some players could be missing out on the full experience by playing the unpatched version despite a patch being available on launch.
The patch introduces various enhancements, changes and updates of various influence, affecting the gameplay, performance, and many other aspects of our game. In essence, when you are playing an unpatched version of Dying Light, you are playing a different game.
Dying Light has been well received by critics, with our own review praising the game for its innovative approach to an aging sub-genre. Will your own opinion change in response to these new changes and updates?
