DayZ, released in 2012, is a mod to the popular ARMA 2 game. The mod reached one-million players in the first four months of its release, prompting hundreds of thousands to buy ARMA 2 simply to play the mod itself. It was conceived and published at the perfect time, as 2012 was really a stellar year for anything zombie-related. With so many great releases this year utilizing the scare tactics brought on by these walking dead, it's an easy argument that the same zombie craze is still at work among the gaming populace.
One of the more amazing things concerning DayZ is the amazing development and support behind it. While the mod was originally the brainchild of Dean Hall, he's busy working on a standalone version of the game with Bohemia Interactive. This has left the community to change and add to the game, one of the great perks of being a mod rather than a full-fledged title. This quirky style of development has offered millions of players ways to interact with each other and the game world.
The latest of these installments comes in the form of weapon upgrades and stashes. With the release of upcoming DayZ MOD 1.7.7, players will be able to utilize these features in full.
These "stashes" will allow players to hide items and such around the game world. They'll be able to come back for them later, tell another player where they are, or – though this is simply conjecture – make traps out of them.
The weapon modifications come in two forms, and both apply to the baseball bat. The first of these will allow you to wrap barbed-wire around your wooden weapon, whereas the second involves the application of some very sordid looking nails.
These should prove to be very interesting gameplay elements. New ways to dispose of your enemies and a brand new way to interact with the game world – this is why DayZ remains so popular with both gamers and the development community.