Long have you been waiting for this. Trudging across the map, eyes peeled for zeds.. if only there were a quicker way! That way is on the horizon in your favourite isometric zombie survival game. We’re talking, of course, about in-game vehicles for Project Zomboid. A newly released developers video shows gameplay footage of four wheeled hijinks. Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!
Project Zomboid Devblog: Here In My Car
Vehicles in Project Zomboid have been in development for quite some time, alongside the usual animation and standard build branches. The recent work on melding car physics and framework done by EP with General Arcade’s “special sauce” has shown great promise. Project Zomboid’s developer, The Indie Stone, has already run successful multiplayer tests with the new vehicles.
Vehicle Controls: Enter the vehicle with the E button. Acceleration, brakes and steering are as you would expect: WASD. Also, when in the drivers seat you have access to a radial menu with a variety of “vehicley” options. But enough with the blather. Here’s the video!
In addition to general bug fixing and tidying up zombie collision visuals, The Indie Stone are also working on the following:
- Most importantly, there is a concern that vehicles are introduced in a balanced way. No Death Proof cars! (Sorry, Gary Numan!) They want to ensure that survival times aren’t greatly lengthened by cars and that they have positive and negative aspects to their use. However, they want you to have fun squishing zombies, but with that nod towards realism that PZ is known for.
- Currently, there is an issue with 3D models being drawn at the same time as the tiles they spawn on. This leads to weird bugs with zombies and grass in front of the vehicles and is being looked into.
- The sounds of the vehicles are currently placeholders for the actual sounds in development.
- More cars! This video highlights several speciality vehicles, but the developers are working on a more natural variety of vehicles.
- Balancing: Currently, every vehicle handles the same. Work is being done to make each vehicle feel different from the others in terms of handling and speed.
- Wrecks and pile-ups: One of the hallmarks of the zombie apocalypse is the large wrecks and pile-ups strewn about the landscape. Currently, all PZ cars spawn nicely in parking spots or outside homes. The Indie Stone realise how important wrecks, abandoned vehicles and pile-ups are to your post-apocalyptic backdrop and are working on it.
Community & Modding
- Scripter RingoD has repaired the faults in the community map Bedford Falls. The map should be fully playable on multiplayer servers once again. Download here.
- Turbo has updated his modding and dev tool ItemZed, providing a beginner-friendly tutorial and lots lots more.
- Mapper Cardenaglo’s huge map Gaia is out in its first form. Gaia is four times as large as the original Project Zomboid map. Do check it out!
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