Project Zomboid

[GrafvonMoltke]

Technically it's still in EA but there's a decent game in there. I'm certainly addicted to it.

When we getting a codex server going?

 

[thesecret1]

Though I originally wanted to reply to ask if you'd followed the team's blog at all.

Yeah, I know animal NPCs are next, meaning it'll be a couple years before we have human ones

 

[Theodora]

Is this a game yet? I've owned it since way back when you had to buy one of the shitty "complete" games in order to get it because regulations at the time didn't let them sell incomplete games.

Likely as not it'd take you quite a while to learn to survive to the point where you're self sufficient and don't need to go out to scavenge for things to survive. Getting through winter is currently the 'end game'.

A little out of date but a great series and shows you a lot of what the game has to offer.



It's a pretty masochistic game, but usually not that masochistic.

Yeah, I know animal NPCs are next, meaning it'll be a couple years before we have human ones

Very possibly... though they did suggest they wanted to ensure human NPCs are released very soon after animals so that their "vision" of NPCs is the first thing people experience rather than a less than ideal mod based on their code for animals.

 

[Theodora]

A lot more big updates coming!

MAPPAGE​

It’s been a big week for the map and art team, as the B42 map expansion has just gone into its first round of testing. It covers a pretty huge area, as is shown in this handily obscured image.

Clearly the Louisville expansion in 41 was very built up, and here there’s a lot of grass and wilderness, but that covered 56 cells – and what you’re looking at here is 430.

Our testers are having a wild old time checking out its many and varied secrets and hideaways, and logging all the map errors they find for future fixing.

As we’ve discussed previously, a lot of the existing map will be getting a spruce-up too – not least with buildings that make the most of the new height limit.

GRUNTING​

The first results of our recording sessions are now properly in-game: the grunts, groans and wheezes of your survivor are now in-game. What’s more they add a LOT to the experience, and we’ve got some really positive thoughts coming through from our internal testers.

We’ve made some videos for you to demonstrate but before viewing (and listening) please be advised of the following:

Currently the exertion noises play too much – especially during extended combat. We definitely need to tone things down or it’s going to get a little too ‘top tier ladies tennis match’. As such we will likely be tying exertion sounds to the exertion levels themselves, which will also be tied into our ‘heavy breathing’ noises after heavy periods of activity.

So, with that in mind…

Just going to emphasise again that they massively upped the intensity of the character noises for testing and display purposes, but it doesn't feel totally out of place.

They also started a "live feed" chronicling the events around the game in real-time, if anyone was interested in the story side of things. I know they want to significantly increase the amount of in-game media around this too.

 

[Yosharian]

Yes yes, call me when it releases and is bug-free

 

[thesecret1]

The map expansion is interesting, but not really especially needed for the game at this point (though updating the old areas with higher buildings is pretty cool, they were too flat). What the game needs the most is some sort of objectives to aim for (as simply "surviving" can be achieved fairly easily in a couple hours by scavenging). I'm hoping the addition of NPCs will fix that – looking forward to turning the game into a city builder.

 

[Perkel]

yeah it would be great if there were some unique endgame states, especially with coming NPCs.

- END OF HORROR - You must gather 7 unique researchers from map and secure and make into base hospital in louiville to search for cure. This would end game goal if you will manage to find one of them on map and as you talk they will talk about research starting in hospital. Each of those 7 researchers also have their own life/quests. One of them just lost his family and his psychotic you need somehow to shake him up from this state, another one is doctor is survivors camp and survivors aren't willing to let him go etc.
- NEW DAWN - your party establishes itself as dominant force after fall. Game requires you to either vassalize or conquer enemy bases in each city. Each enemy camp is different with different ideologies. One is just bandits who don't care about anything, other one is normal people trying to survive with whom you can negotiate etc.
- MASTER OF THE HORDE - As you explore you start to gather clues on patient 0 you search various government buildings looking for trail that can lead to him. Whole thing leads you to research facility in mountains that is clearly military compound and special forces who still occupy it. What is inside and what was the cause of outbreak ?
- I FOUGHT A WAR. Going through NEW DAWN goal you meet group that normally cedes their territory and moves out from map to somewhere else. IF player attacks them instead they will send message out to someone. In few weeks military force arrives and establishes outposts in cities as well as sending groups to attack your base.
- SAINT. You establish base that protests 100+ people for weeks without anyone dying. Kind of Dead State deal where you have few NPCs that will advice you and fight for power.

And then there are small npcs stories. Family running away in van camping in woods, police officer that is pretty much last guy in small town trying to do good.

This sandbox has plenty of possibility for good RPG. Especially if you combine it with time where some quests won't happen because it is too early in game or too late. NPC living their own lives and dying.

There is also a place for companions as well. Not full featured like in say BG2 but more like Kenshi where they will comment on things or talk to each other, having their own personalities, dislikes and people who they hate/like.

And unlike most of games time would be your enemy. IF you don't do anything at all world will pretty much end with people and groups gradually succumbing to zeds.