It feels like an eternity has passed since the first time the developers of Project Zomboid started talking about Build 42 and the addition of animals, but it’s finally here.
The unstable version of the build is the first public iteration of the patch meant to help developers polish it, but the folks at The Indie Stone know that there is a lot of anticipation built up for it, so they have done their best to make it enjoyable out of the box. That being said we should keep in mind that it isn’t final. Bugs are expected.
In order to play this version, you need to select the Unstable Build in the Betas tabs of the Properties of Project Zomboid on the Steam client.
Below you can check out what made it into this patch and what you can expect to come in the semi-near future as it’s finalized.
Animals are certainly the most anticipated feature. For the first time (unless we use mods) we’re not alone on the map with the Zombies. We’ll have other living beings to interact with and even take care of via the animal husbandry feature.
The map has been expanded with new towns and locations to explore, and crafting has been overhauled, even if this is not yet complete and we’re just getting the first part of the changes.
There is certainly a lot to enjoy but keep in mind that the Mac version isn’t available yet and will come later, possibly in the new year. The GOG.com version will also come ASAP.
Multiplayer is disabled, so if you want to play with your friends, you’ll need to stick with build 41 for now, and save games are not compatible, so you’ll need to restart from scratch.
Initial patches after this one will focus on the following:
- Polishing of Craft and Building UIs
- Ingredients tuning
- XP gain adjustments
- More icons, better tooltips
- Various collision issues
There are also known issues which you can read in the original post from the developers.
This is a pretty large milestone for Project Zomboid, which many consider the most advanced and immersive zombie apocalypse simulation on the market. That being said, that kind of complexity has a price, and the game has been in early access since its original release in 2013, albeit it has been very enjoyable and feature-rich for years.
If you’re interested in a similar concept but in first-person, you can also check out Vein.
