Neighbo(u)rhood Watch news - Project Zomboid

Chris is still wiring the brains of the survivors you’ll meet in Knox County – and specifically the way you’ll interact with both individuals and groups of survivors. They’ll happily be running around surviving in the map without your influence – teaming up, scavenging together and potentially tearfully executing each other when they’ve been bitten.

Should you get approached by a lone survivor, however, or a group of people want to speak to you, you’ll respond through your chosen ‘mood’ toggle. The options currently available will be friendly, neutral or hostile – so (depending on the outlook of the NPC you’re being faced by) you’ll have a potential new friend, uneasy alliance or an enemy. In updates further down the line, meanwhile, we will also have the system using a radial menu – then have the negative and positive moodles you’re encumbered with lock off (or open up) different dialogue options. So, for example, if you’re afflicted by negative moodles you won’t be able to respond in a friendly fashion.

Team Art, meanwhile, are still occupied with the time-consuming art assets that’ll be a part of PZ as it expands beyond the maps current borders – and gets some equality in terms of lady survivors. Female
anims are pretty much in Andy’s done-drawer now, with heads next on the menu – then clothing. In the mean-time we’re also introducing the ability to wield knives in the next update (pictured). The feeling of scrambling around trying to loot a decent weapon at the start of PZ is a good one, but we wanted to make it more realistic by having a common low-end weapon to feverishly clutch during the hunt for firearms.

Mash, meanwhile, is thinking about the rest of Knox County. Much of her content won’t be in the game until the ‘save’ update and beyond, but by then we should be sitting on a stock of ‘Nowheresville’ Americana imagery to make the new maps fun to explore.

Thanks everyone, and we hope that all you American-types enjoyed your Thanksgiving. Our tip: don’t eat the turkey if it’s gone green. And make sure you turned the oven off, come to think about it.