Definition

The Sway Modifier is a weapon property in DayZ that defines how much a firearm’s aim drifts on each axis while aiming.

  • It is stored as a vector (x y z) in the weapon’s config (swayModifier).
  • A value of 1.0 means no change (default sway).
  • Values above 1.0 increase sway (less control).
  • Values below 1.0 reduce sway (better stability).
  • When attachments are added (scopes, suppressors, handguards, etc.), their sway modifiers are multiplied per-axis with the weapon’s base sway.

This system allows each weapon + attachment setup to feel unique in terms of stability.

Formula

The final sway modifier applied in-game is the multiplicative product per axis:

\(Sway_{final}(x,y,z) = Sway_{weapon}(x,y,z) \times \prod_{i=1}^{n} Sway_{attachment_i}(x,y,z)\)
  • \(Sway_{weapon}(x,y,z)\) = base sway vector of the weapon
  • \(Sway_{attachment_i}(x,y,z)\) = sway modifier of the i-th attachment
  • Multiplication is done per axis (x, y, z)

Scalar Reduction (for UI/Stats)

To express sway as a single score instead of a 3D vector, a geometric mean is typically used:

\(Sway_{scalar} = \sqrt[3]{Sway_{x} \cdot Sway_{y} \cdot Sway_{z}}\)

Then the Sway Control (higher is better) can be defined as the inverse:

\(Control = \frac{1}{Sway_{scalar}} \times CameraFactor\)

Where:

  • CameraFactor = 1.0 in free look, ≈ 0.5 in iron sights (ADS).