DayZ update adds hatchets, firewood, women

With the cold, wet slap of a slab of dead meat hitting the asphalt, another DayZ update landed yesterday. It adds hatchets, firewood and the missing half of the human race to this punishing and incredibly tense zombie survival mod for ARMA 2. In the latest version, every game key gets ONE SINGLE CHANCE to change their player gender. Once you've used it, that's it. Hatchets can now be used to chop firewood and heat packs have been added when you really need to heat up fast.

We've been enjoying DayZ a lot, if you hadn't guessed. Check out Evan's DayZ photo diary and Craig's DayZ account for some DayZ adventuring. If you fancy trying it, take a look at our DayZ installation guide , too. Here are this update's patch notes from the DayZ forums .

Developer's Note:

• To collect firewood, you can either find it in loot piles, or go into a forest and use the hatchet (gear > Right Click). I will expand this mechanic but its enough for now.

• You get a ONE TIME OFFER to change your player gender!

• Only two types of new skins are available in this update, "Camo" and "Ghillie Suit" in addition to normal survivor

• Skins a player is wearing are NOT lootable.

• When you change skin (right click on clothing package in inventory) your old skin will appear in inventory

• If you want a players skin, you will need to make them take it off first

Changelog:

• [FIXED] Bodies being deleted immediately (now will stay around for 15 minutes)

• [FIXED] Player profiles sometimes corrupting and causing stuck in loading issues (error handling by engine)

• [FIXED] Temperature listed in percent and not degrees (now displayed in degrees)

• [FIXED] Loosing temperature inside vehicles (now will slowly gain or be static in vehicles)

• [FIXED] ItemPainkillers popup error (no longer happens: thanks Norbert!)

• [FIXED] Spawning in Ocean when switching models (player morphing optimized by TeeTime)

• [FIXED] Loosing gear when switching models (player morphing optimized by TeeTime)

• [FIXED] Wrong M107 is spawning on occasion (Correct one spawns)

• [FIXED] Crashed heli uber-loot not spawning (does now thanks to GhostBear!)

• [FIXED] Wire Fencing Kit caused graphical glitches (new model)

• [FIXED] Tank Trap Kit caused graphical glitches (new model)

• [FIXED] Invisible character models occuring (No longer invisible models)

• [FIXED] Panic not being activated (Your character will sometimes panic)

• [FIXED] Blood washout sometimes not being displayed (now will always wash out color depending on blood level)

• [NEW] Hatchet for chopping wood in forests

• [NEW] Wire Fencing kit model by Artyom Troshin

• [NEW] Tank Trap kit model by Artyom Troshin

• [NEW] Construction options moved to items in gear menu (right click wire fencing kit to use etc...)

• [NEW] Hospital Loot Spawn probabilities changed

• [NEW] Players can choose to be a female survivor (once only per CD-Key)

• [NEW] Heat packs for increasing temperature in an emergency

• [NEW] Bandit Skin transition for low humanity is removed

• [NEW] Players will receive an error message if the server they are on is running an incorrect HIVE version