Happy Halloween, a little late. This one is part event post, part "here's what I'm working on", so grab a drink.
Halloween: the dead are walking
From 31 October to 2 November, zombies roam Rockford. They notice you, they chase you, they come in hordes, and they can be shot or fought off. They're out all day during the event, but after dark they get much faster, smarter and stronger, so think twice before you go for a night walk.
A few things worth knowing:
- Noise draws them. Gunshots, car horns and alarms carry a long way, and a horde that hears something will come to look.
- The police station, the hospital and Town Hall are safe zones. Zombies won't spawn there and they turn back if they wander in.
- It's a time-limited event, and I can switch it off at any time if it gets out of hand.
If you're playing, tell us how it goes. Press F3 in game to report a bug or send an idea, it sends a screenshot straight to us. The zombies are brand new, so I fully expect some of them to behave strangely.
What else is new
The latest build also brings a lot beyond the event: the world now shows small panels beside things you look at (doors, machines, shelves, people), people you talk to speak beside their head, business accounts and wages for organisations, player shops, CCTV, printing, a redesigned fishing system, an underwater reef and a better-looking sea. The full list is in the latest changelog.
What I'm busy with: a major building update
This is the big one. Right now I'm working on a major update to the building system, and it's the thing I'm most excited about.
The goal is simple: you should be able to buy a plot of land, build on it, and actually have a home in the game. Not a menu, not a prop you place and forget, but a place that's yours, that you walk around inside, that other players can visit and see.
Here's what the work looks like so far, and what I'm aiming for:
- Build mode that feels familiar. Press B on your plot and the camera lifts out of your character into a build view, where you drag walls, draw rooms, lay floors, add doors and windows, and then drop back into first person and walk through what you made. I'm basing the feel on the classic life-sim build modes, because that's what people already know how to use.
- Walls, floors, doors, windows and roofs that connect cleanly, with a catalogue you browse by icon and swatches for colours and materials.
- Save your designs and place them again later.
- Your home is part of the world. What you build is there for everyone, even while you're offline, and it keeps working: doors open and lock, lights and sockets work.
It's a big piece of work, and I want to get it right, so I won't promise a date. When it's ready you'll hear about it first on Discord, and I'll share some screenshots and more details before then.
What's next
I'll keep posting here as things land. Thank you to everyone who has played and sent reports so far, it genuinely shapes what I work on next.
Cheers, and see you in the city.