Build 25274997

Hi everyone,

Excited to share another set of updates with you. Most of these are improvements and bug fixes with a few new features. This will be the last major update to the demo so I can return to working on the full game. More to come on that! For now, here is what's new in the demo:

QoL

• Added information boards next to Camp Shops that display hours of operations.

Controls and Hotbar

• Expanded the hotbar to 20 assignable slots, split between two sets of ten.

• Press Tab on keyboard or R1/RB on controller to switch between sets.

• Fixed several menu and movement input issues, including issues on Steam Deck.

Menus and Dialogue

• Improved several menu layouts and item tooltips.

• Fixed doubled quotation marks in dialogue.

• Improved dialogue sound behavior.

• Fixed visual issues when accepting or rejecting quests.

• Fixed the player becoming invisible when skipping the introduction.

• Fixed an issue preventing Nora’s shop from becoming available properly.

• Corrected several item and crafting station descriptions.

Crafting and Automation

• Crafting batches of three or more items is now twice as fast.

• Automation machines now use cleaner interaction menus and indicators.

• Finished products are easier to identify and collect.

• Machines now behave more consistently when your Backpack is full.

Animals, Traps, and Fishing Nets

• Animals can now be moved between compatible coops and barns.

• Cancelling animal naming no longer purchases the animal.

• Improved animal name editing.

• Fixed several outdoor feeding issues.

• Traps and fishing nets now use simpler exclamation-mark indicators when something is ready to collect.

Farming and the Forest

• The camp farm now visually grows, harvests, and replants crops over time.

• Radishes and Turnips no longer deplete soil.

• Improved the appearance of depleted and contaminated soil.

• Watering while holding the action now slows you to walking speed for better control.

• Significantly increased the number of trees throughout the forest.

Loot and Ammunition

• Default loot respawn time has been reduced from 8 days to 5 days.

• Scavenging now has a 15% chance to make noise and attract nearby zombies.

• Bullets can now appear in city loot.

• Reduced ammunition dropped by zombies.

• Removed an unintended source of large amounts of ammunition.

• Fixed issues with receiving Colt’s weapon and ammunition gifts.

• Antidotes now show how much infection they remove when used.

Skill Progression

Higher skill levels now require more XP, with combat skills requiring substantially more progression than noncombat skills.

Existing saves keep their:

• Current skill levels

• Purchased perks

• Unspent perk points

• Progress toward the next level

Enemy Spawning and Difficulty

• Enemies should no longer spawn directly on top of one another.

• Hostile survivor groups now increase more gradually as Marksmanship improves.

• Difficulty scaling now responds more consistently to your actual skill progression.

• Existing enemy groups in current saves will not be removed.

Map Transitions

• Fixed several apartment and sewer transition issues.

• Sewer transitions should now more reliably take you to the correct floor.

Electricity and Audio

• Without solar panels, stored electricity now requires a running generator to power appliances and lights.

• Existing stored electricity is preserved.

• Zombie and explosion sounds now fade naturally with distance.

Performance and Stability

• Improved performance around large groups of animals.

• Improved performance during crowded combat.

• Improved Fog and Morning Mist performance, particularly on lower weather-quality settings.

• Fixed several collision and stability issues.

Existing Saves

Existing demo saves remain supported.

Your hotbar assignments, animals, machine contents, loot settings, skill progress, and previously obtained ammunition will remain intact.