A closed beta test of the standalone version of DayZ is "imminent," creator Dean "Rocket" Hall revealed in a long-awaited update on the project today, and when it finally ships, DayZ won't simply be a slightly improved version of the mod, it will be a vastly upgraded zombie survival sim experience and everything "we all dreamed it could be."Last we heard from Hall, The War Z was capturing all the headlines for its less than perfect launch and subsequent removal from Steam. At the time, Hall said he wasn't ready to talk DayZ, and said he found the entire War Z debacle depressing. Today, posting on the official DayZ blog , he changed his tune -- and his tone -- sounding confident and pleased with DayZ's progress."DayZ Standalone isn't here because we had the chance to go from making a game that was just the mod improved slightly, packaged simply, and sold - to actually redeveloping the engine and making the game the way we all dreamed it could be," Hall states. "This blew any initial plans we had dictated to pieces."What's been changed/improved from the mod? Hall says that items, the inventory system, and user interface have been completely overhauled. The changes to items, in particular, are dramatic, with individual items having their own durability and add-on components. As an example, Hall said that if you shoot a player with night-vision goggles in the head and take the goggles, they will be damaged and potentially unusable."The work that has been completed on this is groundbreaking, and it going to fundamentally change the DayZ experience," Hall said.The plan now, Hall said, is to run a closed beta test with 500 to 1,000 people to ensure DayZ's architecture is sound. Once that test is complete and the issues that arise are addressed, Bohemia Interactive will announce a revised schedule for DayZ's release.