Base Building is a core game mechanic of DayZ Standalone. Though this part of the game is still in its infancy during the Alpha stage of development, its prominence in DayZ's future cannot be ignored and it is already possible to get a first-hand experience in how some of it will work. Additional technology changes that will bring about the Beta phase of the game are necessary in order to implement much of what is planned for this topic, primarily in how player's interact with objects and their environment.
Current Functionality
As of 0.61, players are able to assemble rudimentary camps in the wilderness. This satisfies the need for a dedicated place to stash gear, and players are able to make their established spots as large or small as they wish. Much of what is used in constructing these sites can be set up or created just about anywhere, and these items are also portable -- at least to a certain degree. This means that current player camps are, at their essence, temporary locations.
Given their temporary nature, camps are also easily ransacked and destroyed. Players do not currently have any means of defending personal property in their absence, and instead must rely on careful placement and luck. Despite the high level of risk involved, many players will invest significant amounts of time in building up a supply cache or hoarding rarer items.
Even in waiting for more sophisticated features to be added to this mechanic, there is quite a lot that players can do to make a home for themselves in Chernarus: they can establish shelter and store items using tents, process resources and create new items using a barrel, cook and warm themselves with a campfire, and store their vehicles.
Many players hide barrels in the trees to protect loot. However, sometimes the barrels are discovered and stolen.
In addition to building a camp from scratch, players also have rudimentary barricading in the form of lockpicks. Just about any functioning door on any existing structure in Chernarus can be locked for the purpose of impeding another person's ability to enter that building. This is only temporary however, since an axe can be used to quite easily break through the locked door. Given its current limitations, most people choose to use this ability as a distraction for creating a surprise attack or to alert them when another player may be trying to enter the building that they are currently occupying.
A spotlight that can connect via the generator to emit light during night time.
Future Possibilities
Most players of the game are far more interested in what the future holds, however. When hurdles are overcome in terms of the underlying technology, players will be free to create far more complex living areas and with a higher degree of customization than they are currently given thanks to concepts like precise object placement. It will be possible to build your own structures from scratch, outfit them with functional enhancements, and preserve the whole thing with fortifications like fences and bastions.
An example of such a functional upgrade would be a generator-powered electrical system for things like lights and a refrigerator. Defensive additions would be items like barbed wire, traps, and camouflage to drape over structures that would help throw off players who might be looking for bases to raid.
A improvised tower built using various resources.
