A new heat map has been released to show the most heavily populated parts of the huge open world in DayZ , the zombie survival mod (and soon-to-be standalone game) built in the Arma 2 engine. The geography familiar to active players now glows blue to red for the most popular and dangerous places for players to explore.

Posted to r/DayZ by myDayZ.de , a German DayZ community site that operated a number of servers for the popular game, the map combines over 36 million data points recorded of players logged in between November 2, 2012, and June 10, 2013, based on all of myDayZ's servers.

It's common knowledge among DayZ players that new players won't survive if they wander alone along the southern coast, and the heat map shows exactly why. The twin cities of Elektrozavodsk and Chernogorsk, and the more sparsely constructed roads between, glow red with heavy player traffic. They may be densely stocked with loot and supplies, but unless you've got the strength to defend yourself, steer clear.

Also interesting are the far-flung heat spots created by camps in the wilderness. Even a relatively small base in the backwoods will be visited several times a day by multiple players, so small blue blips can be spotted along the edges of the map.

We love data, and like everything else in the hyper-realistic setting of Chernarus, this map will have tactical implications for players looking to keep their bases secure. Check out the full-size map for the whole picture of player activity on Chernarus. Use it wisely.

The standalone version of DayZ will have an alpha release later this year.