State of Decay - Upcoming zombie MMO for consoles & PC

[ProfessorChaos]

i think maybe our prayers have been answered. not much more than an announcement, but i'm keepin' this one on my radar.

sounds like a game made by people who actually enjoy zombie-related shit, not just cashin' in, like most game companies do these days.


Everyone who is involved in this endeavor is too excited to sleep at night. We’re up at 5:00 AM thinking about zombie MMOs, and we’re tossing and turing at midnight thinking about zombie MMOs. Our families, roommates, and SOs are being subjected to impassioned lectures on the relative merits and demerits of fast zombies versus slow zombies. Farmhouses versus apartment buildings. Supermarkets versus sporting goods stores. Crossbows versus crowbars. You just can’t take us anywhere these days.

http://undeadlabs.com/

never played any mmo's such as WoW, but this could be the one that i take the leap for. can you imagine how bad-ass it'd be to have our own hpod survival group?:hyper:

[Rancid Carcass]

If they can get this off the ground and not screw it up then I think this could be 'the one'.

How awesome would a pvp siege be? :D

[krakenslayer]

I call vapourware! :D

[MinionZombie]

I want Fallout 3 with shambler zombies, that's what I think would be seriously super awesome.

I've never personally been an MMO player at all, and usually prefer to play my games single player style - so having a game that gave you a Fallout 3 style story to play through with various side missions, main missions, areas to explore (and indeed defend and blockade), would be seriously awesome.

It would then also have to have the ability for online play, whereby you gang up together (e.g. five HPOTD'ers) and secure a shopping mall, or an apartment building, or whatever, and other such things.

[ProfessorChaos]

i'd almost totally forgot about this and haven't checked the site in ages. however, there seems to have been a lot of updating and posting lately, and things seem to be progressing on this title. here a link to a decent Q&A covering some game details. still not in development stage from what i can gather, but getting close.

http://undeadlabs.com/2010/12/news/qa-shooting-and-more/

[SymphonicX]

sounds promising!

[ProfessorChaos]

well, it seems it's just going to be an arcade title with no online play, but my interest is definitely still up for this game, now called "state of decay"

-yvUGEmj_MY

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/08/21/undead-labs-announces-state-of-decay

http://undeadlabs.com/about-state-of-decay/

[Sammich]

The last serious attempt at a zombie MMO that showed lots of promise was a game called Exanimus. It was going to be horror survival that had pve, pvp, a crafting system, even play as a zombie and most importantly a mature rating. I followed the game progress for over a year and couldn't wait to get into beta, but the plug got pulled before it got to public playtesting.

[MinionZombie]

Kind of strange how, with the sheer unabashed popularity of zombies at the moment, that we can't get a properly done and serious zombie MMORPG type deeley on the market.

The trailer looks okay ... except for all the running, jumping, bullshit "zombies" in it. :rolleyes:

[Rancid Carcass]

It comes across as an open-world Dead Rising style knockabout rather than DayZ, so it should be good for a giggle if nothing else. Though let's just be grateful they didn't rename it Dead StateZ, (yes, I've got my beady eye on you War Z!). ;)

[ProfessorChaos]

another video released this week showing the types of customizing available for your safe zones/living areas:
tYQB1YM0yKI

i'm trying not to get too pumped about this game yet, but i'm really digging what i've seen thus far....probably gonna be a full-blown "must-buy" before too long.

[AcesandEights]

Honestly, if it's an arcade release and the price is right, I'll give it a whirl with relative expectations and probably have a decent shot at enjoying it. If the price isn't right, I'll just wait till a sale.

I do agree the crazy running zeds looked a bit over the top and not the gameplay I'd like in a survival game, at least I wouldn't want runners all the time (Morningstar Strain approach could be fun, though). But this last vid really intrigued me, so, as said, if the $ isn't too much, I'll give t a go.

-- -------- Post added at 09:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:32 AM ----------

By the way...

Looks like there's support for friends and multiplayer, in some fashion, so we HPOTD players should represent and do some online action together for this one. Just sayin' :D

[Rancid Carcass]

New article on Eurogamer, it's starting to sound really quite promising:



Die as one character and you'll remain in the world as a zombie that can be killed by others.


You can make any structure an outpost, which is a temporary way-station that creates a safe area around the building and gives you a place where you can stop in and restock.


if you take a case of ammo you can use it immediately for combat purposes, or you can donate it to the community as a resource so it can raise morale, be used in construction projects, or resupplied to others at your base.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-09-19-state-of-decay-is-one-hugely-ambitious-open-world-zombie-game

U8yvLrjnGdU

[Neil]

Some more info here - http://uk.ign.com/videos/2012/08/31/recruiting-survivors-in-state-of-decay



I call vapourware! :D
Seems you called wrong :)

[Cykotic]

Hang on a moment folks... the same kind of hype was given to a game called "John Romero's Daikatana" and look what happened there It flopped like a fat guy on a diving board.

I'm just gonna wait for a demo and make a judgement there.

[ProfessorChaos]

recently released video showing a bit of strategy and scavenging...still looking very promising. really getting anxious about an official release date, but i've heard spring 2013. this will probably end up dropping within a month of gta5 and i'll be torn between which game to play for hours on end, as both are must-haves for me at this point.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukPTxJEsTRU

[Christopher Jon]

As an MMO, I don't see the long term appeal of the game. Just seems like it's going to get real boring real quick. Yes, call me Debbie Downer.

[AcesandEights]

Look in' good so far! The more options for interacting with the world the better.

[ProfessorChaos]

As an MMO, I don't see the long term appeal of the game. Just seems like it's going to get real boring real quick. Yes, call me Debbie Downer.

this is no longer an MMO, but rather a single-player XBLA game. last i heard, there will be a disc-based MMO for consoles coming down the road which this game is the basic foundation for.

i've been scouring youtube a lot today, and there's quite a few videos out there from PAX, many of which are quite good and offer a ton of stuff to digest. here's one, there are plenty more for those interested.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SunDPAIqAdo

[Neil]

^^ The fight towards the end of that clip shows you can be bitten over and over without concern... Guess that's required to make the gaem playable/fun though!?

[MinionZombie]

Not being an XBLA'er, I wonder if the on-disc version will have this apparent single player mode? That would be up my street.

[ProfessorChaos]

^^ The fight towards the end of that clip shows you can be bitten over and over without concern... Guess that's required to make the gaem playable/fun though!?

most zombie games i've played (the dead rising games, the left for dead games, plus quite a few others) always take this approach. it would be kinda cool to have the bite=death formula, but it would probably make the game pretty damn difficult. perhaps they could include an option like this, such as a "hardcore" mode...

[MinionZombie]

Looks like they need to improve the controls and character animations - iffy car controls, rigid animations, delayed control responses etc - those need refining, certainly.

[Neil]

Looks like they need to improve the controls and character animations - iffy car controls, rigid animations, delayed control responses etc - those need refining, certainly.
Looks like an XBox, so controls will be 'stiff' compared to a PC!?

[MinionZombie]

Looks like an XBox, so controls will be 'stiff' compared to a PC!?

Erm, not really no - my concerns are down to the coding and animating of the game itself (regardless of format, if they aren't fixed, you're going to look a tit climbing a ladder on PC or consoles, or your input on a joypad or keyboard will encounter delays in your game character doing something etc).

Aiming isn't as good on consoles - this is very true (it's best with a mouse) - however, walking is much smoother with much more control over variations of speed, whereas on PC it's either on-or-off movement (you're either stood still, walking slowly, walking, or running - whereas consoles, with their analogue sticks, allow for all the points in-between for better control in that respect).

However - that wasn't what I was talking about - regardless of platform, if the coders and animators haven't got their engine working properly for translating input into actions, or making jumps, punches, kicks, running, walking and so on look good enough (i.e. well animated), then that's going to have an impact on the gameplay. That's what I was on about. :)

[Neil]

^^ Fare enough. But surely game play is king, and the animation/graphics far down the scale of importance?

[MinionZombie]

^^ Fare enough. But surely game play is king, and the animation/graphics far down the scale of importance?

Animation can directly affect gameplay, as can unresponsive controls - that video seemed to suggest the game needs work in those areas - the graphics look fine, that's not a problem and is a separate thing entirely. Point being, you don't want to have solid gameplay marred by annoying controls or underwhelming animations/iffy control response. Such things can pull you out of the game too - you're invested in what's going on and then you encounter some zombies, but you end up trying to fight them like a rabble of drunk children whose arms are being controlled by their blindfolded friends. :p

It's merely a case of some extra polish that is required before release. It's even like comparing The Saboteur to Assassin's Creed in terms of scaling buildings - the former was a really enjoyable game, but having to take every stride up a building one-button-mash-at-a-time became distracting and slowed the flow of such an action right down. In the AC games you leap up them smoothly and just point yourself in the appropriate direction for easy movement (that's very well animated to boot) and away you go. Small details can have a large impact if they're left unfinished, is what it comes down to.

[ProfessorChaos]

recently posted to the undead labs site, "state of state of decay"....a great read to let us know where they started out and what they had in mind from the get-go, and most importantly, where they're at now. which, from what i can gather, is two or three months at most from a release date.

i was re-reading the dead island main thread (it's only 10 bucks this friday at wal-mart and i was reviewing the thread to see if it's worth bothering with) and it's funny, cuz many posts in that thread described everyone's dream game, and what it would be. this appears to be the closest thing we've seen to what many of us have been waiting for...fingers crossed, for sure. not long now, brothers...


Over the next two months, we’re going to explore the two main pillars holding up State of Decay in articles, images, and videos on this website. Richard Foge is going to take you into the world of the tactical game. Fighting, with weapons or without. With an assault rifle, or up close and personal with a hatchet. How vehicles can be your salvation in the apocalypse, and how they can quickly turn into a metal coffin. Stealth. Reaction time. Distraction and evasion. It’s all important to a game that isn’t just about running and gunning the undead, but instead requires you to think like a survivor. After that, James Phinney is going to dive into strategy and simulation. Base fortification and customization, along with outposts. Resource gathering and stockpiles. Survivor management, and the role morale plays in survival. Planning ahead, and long-term thinking.

Yesterday we delivered a massive Content Complete milestone to Microsoft, which means the focus from here is polish, bug fixing, tuning, and balancing. The end of the road is in sight. We’re incredibly excited to get State of Decay into your hands. Thanks for being with us so far.

main article: http://undeadlabs.com/2012/11/news/state-of-state-of-decay/

[kaushalsingh]

well, it seems it's just going to be an arcade title with no online play, but my interest is definitely still up for this game, now called "state of decay"

-yvUGEmj_MY

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/08/21/undead-labs-announces-state-of-decay

http://undeadlabs.com/about-state-of-decay/

nice work on animation zombies are good i like it......;)

[ProfessorChaos]

new video released today:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fXTQhJEwR1Q#!

looks like this could be headshots only....which is fucking awesome. i've had my ms points saved for this for like months now...i just wish we'd get a solid release date/price, etc.

[ProfessorChaos]

yesterday, undead labs announced that this game would be released in june, meaning it'll probably be one of the XBLA "summer of arcade" titles. a new trailer was also released highlighting some of the awesome-looking scenery and some amazing carnage/action sequences:

GWymrASLIYg

for an acrade title, this shit looks epic.

EDIT: long gameplay video from PAX east:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQzCQBT5Rr4

[Rancid Carcass]

That's looking pretty good, some nice ideas in there, can see myself losing quite a lot of time to this - just hope it's not another WarZ/Colonial Marines style clusterf**k!

Would be nice to have an ETA on the PC version though.

[AcesandEights]

for an acrade title, this shit looks epic.



I watched the short video and have to agree! I'll have to give it a shot when it hits live. I'll try and check the long video out this evening.

Thanks for the update and I hope all is well, Prof!

[kidgloves]

1200 MS points no doubt. Looks great though

[ProfessorChaos]

latest rumor, june 5th, 1600 ms points. http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/13/state-of-decay-tmnt-duck-tales-dates-revealed?abthid=5192d053b215c1f67f000030

pretty stoked that this game might be as close as three weeks away, given that i started tracking this game and started this thread three and a half years ago.

EDIT: and aces, thanks for the well wishes...all is good in my 'hood, hope you can say the same.

[shootemindehead]

Stupid looking eyes and run around zombies. But it does look good.

Considering I just bought Riptide yesterday, i'll be definitely getting this.

[ProfessorChaos]

as speculated, it's coming out june 5th.

who's ready?!?

[Rancid Carcass]

who's ready?!?

Well, according to the website:


We have a PC build of the game to finish and deliver.

So, not the PC version it would seem!

:(

[Neil]

$20 / 1600 Micro$oft Points - http://www.product-reviews.net/2013/06/04/state-of-decay-pc-release-date-remains-a-mystery/

PC version date unknown...


This preview video seems +ve...
_SxRCZS86nE

[Rancid Carcass]

Here's another that's well worth a watch, looks like bloody good fun...

pTiOT8ya8aA

:D

[Neil]

^^ I watched that earlier and wondered exactly where "a person gets torn apart?"

[Rancid Carcass]

IGN review is in - looks like we are go for launch! Awww yeah! 8.9/10


Decay belongs in the pantheon of great modern zombie games alongside Valve’s Left 4 Dead series and Telltale’s Walking Dead episodes.

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/06/05/state-of-decay-review

:D

[Neil]

Sounds good! But it also sounds like they need a patch to solve some of the graphics/video problems too!

[AcesandEights]

Will have to queue for download today :)

[LouCipherr]

I purchased it online and will download it to my 360 when I get home.

I'm anxious for this game. I played DayZ, and while somewhat entertaining, that game has some serious issues. :lol: I hope this one gets it right, although that remains to be seen.

For $20? I'm down to give it a shot. Had it been a typical $60 game? Doubtful I'd even bother unless the reviews were stellar.

[kidgloves]

The frame rate/jaggies (don't know the technical term) are absolutely horrible. They really really need to sort it out. Very distracting

[Neil]

^^ Worrying thing is they must have been aware of them, yet it's gone out like it? Maybe the problem is too hard to fix?

[Danny]

^^ Worrying thing is they must have been aware of them, yet it's gone out like it? Maybe the problem is too hard to fix?

MS makes it very expensive to fix bugs with xbla titles so most devs simply leave them in. In fact i think this thread quotes undead labs as saying they are working on fixes for the pc version post launch on xbla.

[ProfessorChaos]

minor technical issues aside, i'm quite impressed with this game. so far, it's lived up to the level of hype i'd allowed myself to build for it.

such a shame that i'm working like a madman lately and haven't got tons of time to really sink my teeth into it....but at the end of day one, i'm highly satsified.

so far, i've made it to the church and went on a few supply runs, mowed down dozens of hordes with pickup trucks, and probably recruited a half dozen survivors as well as encountered and bartered with a few others. working on expanding my base right now to accommodate the new additions. can't wait till after work tomorrow to drop back in.

[Neil]

MS makes it very expensive to fix bugs with xbla titles so most devs simply leave them in. In fact i think this thread quotes undead labs as saying they are working on fixes for the pc version post launch on xbla.

Mmmmm... The PC version :) Hopefully it'll on Steam and not too expensive!




Co-op in a DLC? - http://www.examiner.com/article/undead-labs-xbox-live-zombie-game-state-of-decay-releases-this-week?cid=rss


The zombie survival title could also receive future DLC which adds co-op to the game if sales are good enough.



They're also planning a bigger zombie MMO - http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-03-state-of-decay-due-this-week-on-xbla


State of Decay was initially called Class 3, a prelude to the Seattle-based studio's zombie MMO, Class 4. The idea was to test several of its diverse mechanics before setting up the MMO, which is still the plan.

[shootemindehead]

So when is this out on the correct platform? (That's a PC for you consolies)

[Neil]

So when is this out on the correct platform? (That's a PC for you consolies)

Going to be interesting to see what the dedicated DayZ game (rather than the Arma2 mod) brings to compete against this?!

[shootemindehead]

Oh there's going to be a proper DayZ? Never played the mod, but always heard +ive (as you say) things about it.

But people may have been easy on it because it was a mod?

[AcesandEights]

Downloaded and gave it a few minutes of play last night before heading to bed. Looks good so far! I need a new stick with which to bash in zed heads, though :(

Anyone know if the number of nodes open up as the game progresses? Don't want any spoilerish details, just a heads up. in a 'Sand box' style game about gathering resources, it's annoying not being able to pick a stick up off of the forest floor or break a tree limb off to replace my current club.


Oh there's going to be a proper DayZ?

But people may have been easy on it because it was a mod?


Wondering the same thing, myself.

[Neil]

Oh there's going to be a proper DayZ? Never played the mod, but always heard +ive (as you say) things about it.

But people may have been easy on it because it was a mod?

http://forum.homepageofthedead.com/showthread.php?21042

[shootemindehead]

Ha....I'm actually on that thread.

Need to pay more attention.....oh look, tea!

[Neil]

If they could add co-op that could be great fun. Hell I might even get it for the XBox then as my son and I could play togethor! However! If there's graphics issues with just single player, what on earth would it be like with two?

[ProfessorChaos]

wow.....gotta say, this may not be the prettiest or smoothest-running experience, but i'm thinking that it's hands-down the best zombie game i've ever played. so many things that i've wanted for so long in a game like this.

finally got a few hours to sit back and really dig in, and quickly started running across fellow survivors and ran across growing pains for my community, started establishing outposts, sending runners out for supplies, clearing out blocks in the small town nearby, then disaster strikes: decided to help my radio girl out by retrieving a memento from her late father. while i'm out, a supply runner gets in trouble and is killed before i can get back to him, and then i get over-ran deciding to at least go back after the item for the girl, but it's way north in a remote area near the state park you start out in, and i get abso-f*cking-lutely swamped by almost 20 ghouls, can't outrun them, can't find a place to climb and begin shooting them, and one of my main characters gets torn in half, rhodes-style. it was such a thrilling and tense sequence, and i seriously thought i had a chance to make it out, but man....i'm f*cking gutted right now.

but the show must go on....so i'm diving back in. loving this one so far. truly worth the long wait (almost 4 years) and every cent i paid for it.

[Neil]

^^ So you hate it then! :)

[Rancid Carcass]

one of my main characters gets torn in half, rhodes-style.

So, we're one electric golf cart and a "choke on 'em" emote away from perfect then? :D

Sounds pretty damn sweet - just a shame that the PC version is long way off:


we are still working on the PC version, and I don’t have a really good estimate for completion. It isn’t going to be soon by any meaningful use of the word ‘soon'.

http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/06/08/state-of-decay-the-state-of-the-delay-on-this-open-world-zombie-survival-game/

:(

[shootemindehead]

Balls.

:(

[MinionZombie]

Patch Released:
http://dailydead.com/patch-details-for-state-of-decay/


Here is what we’ve fixed:

NEW: Playable characters can no longer be killed by the simulation
Workshop now repairs weapons and vehicles at game dawn rather than the next real-world day.
Reduced cooldown times of commands in the Radio Menu, notably Words of Encouragement, Words of Inspiration, and Medical Advice.
NPCs no longer get stuck behind the counter or on the stairs at the gun shop in Spencer’s Mill.
The “Too many infestations!” event will now only occur when there are too many infestations within 500m of your Home, rather than anywhere in the world.
UPDATED: The “Too many infestations” to-do item is now cleared when there is only one remaining infestation within 500m of your Home, rather than anywhere in the world.
You must now be close to the ranger station for the Memento mission scene to play. Previously you would be teleported to the station if you left before the end of the mission.
Community members will properly interact with Facilities in your home. Previously they would stop after a period of time.
Feral zombie now properly dodges vehicles approaching at an angle.
NPCs will now reliably reach warehouse between Mt. Tanner and Spencer’s Mill when called to gather supplies.
You can now punch out through the windshield of a vehicle if both doors are blocked.
Zombies and NPCs no longer get stuck behind the grocery store in Marshall.
NPCs now properly move to the proper location during cinematic scenes.
Zombies no longer fall through floor in the Marshall courthouse.
Zombies can no longer get under porch or floor at the Wilkerson’s farmhouse.
Fixed a few rare crash bugs.
Fixed various translations bugs.”

[childofgilead]

I downloaded the demo Thursday night into Friday morning, as it was going along at a snails pace, booted it up around 7am, and knew that as soon as my bank posted my paycheck at 8, I was dropping the 20 down. For all the graphical jankiness, this is the best zombie survival game so far. I think The Walking Dead had a much stronger narrative, but it was an interactive story. This is a full on slow motion apocalypse.

I've restarted 3 times so far, because I have little interest in the endgame. It's the getting there where this game succeeds, and once the infestation bug gets sorted, I plan on clearing each and every house for supplies before seeing the ending and maybe starting another playthrough.

It definitely feels very isolated, with a finite amount of characters and resources.

I also love the fact that finding a military type weapon is rare, shooting in the heat of the moment is difficult, and running and sneaking are great way to survive. I just wish there were human antagonists and limited fuel, but for a 20 dollar XBLA title, what they've managed is flat out awesome.

[Neil]

OK! I want this on the PC!!!

[CoinReturn]

So yeah, this game came out of nowhere for me. Truly awesome experience. If you enjoyed Dead Rising, but were hoping for RTS-style camp building and scavenging, this is your game.

Probably the most ambitious XBLA game I've played, to have such a huge open world, lots of characters and voicework, relatively good graphics....high recommended if you have a 360.

[Neil]

* must resist * must wait for PC version *

[shootemindehead]

I know...if I get the xbox one, I'll only regret it when the PC version comes out and looks a million times better.


BTW, my wife thinks your avatar is disturbing.

[Neil]

I know...if I get the xbox one...

He said it!! He's going to buy an "XBox One"!!!! Stone him!

Joking aside, I'm the same + the controls on the PC and 10x better!

[shootemindehead]

Damn you English!!!!!!!!

- - - Updated - - -

That's damn you English language...not, like, THE English....

I think I better shut up for the rest of the day.

[AcesandEights]

Joking aside, I'm the same + the controls on the PC and 10x better!


I only really like computer keyboard for it's depth of functionality/interface and ability to keybind. For roaming about, looking and any sort of FPS, I really prefer the intuitive feel of a well made, ergonomic controller.

[Neil]

^^ I just find controllers too inaccurate. To quickly move and aim, a mouse is so much more accurate and responsive IMHO.

[AcesandEights]

^^ I just find controllers too inaccurate. To quickly move and aim, a mouse is so much more accurate and responsive IMHO.

I agree they can be more accurate, but they are almost too accurate/simplistic for me when it comes to aiming in a shooter...if that makes sense.

[shootemindehead]

^^ I just find controllers too inaccurate. To quickly move and aim, a mouse is so much more accurate and responsive IMHO.

Aye. I've just finished 'Farcry 3' and I can only imagine how awful that would have been with an xbox controller and "aim assist" reduces a game by half.

[ProfessorChaos]

glad to see that many of you are enjoying this game as much as i am. i've came up with only a couple minor grievances so far, mainly not being able to switch characters in the middle of a mission to take control of your companions' inventories (maybe it's possible and i've just not figured it out yet), and there seems to be almost too much going on as far as hordes heading to the base, infestations, missing survivors, etc.

but those are minor complaints, that i can live with, along with minor performance/graphical issues from time-to-time. if it wasn't for all that, this game would be a 10/10 for me, but as it stands, it's about an 8.5 or 9 out of 10.

really hoping that they add co-op, that would be incredible. i'm also holding out hope that undead labs is going forward with their follow-up to this, and that it's on the current gen of console and not on the xbox one...

but seriously, folks, for 20 bucks, this game is a steal of a deal.

[childofgilead]

This is seriously the funnest and most in depth zombie game released so far. Anybody not buying it just because they're waiting for pc is doing themselves a serious disservice. If nothing else, try the demo. Its only going to improve once it's patched.

[ProfessorChaos]

http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/games-state-of-decay-fastest-selling

half a million copies in a little over a week, fastest-selling original XBLA game yet.

pc version next priority, 2nd update coming soon for 360, along with an added "sandbox" mode in the works, and hopefully co-op not too long after that.

[Neil]

^^


We're currently working on a PC version for release on Steam. Fortunately it's been in development alongside the Xbox 360 version since Day 1, so we just need to integrate with the Steam platform and add native support for keyboard and mouse control.

Sooner the better!

[Rottedfreak]

I hope that company gets picked up by a publisher and the sequel released on everything, it was great on Xbox 360 but everyone deserves to play this gem AND it deserves to be refined. It had a old school feel to it. I kept thinking of Body Harvest, the N64 game while playing it (though Dead Rising and Grand Theft Auto came to mind too) and the canned game Dead Rush from 2004.

[ProfessorChaos]

recently beat the game, finished the story, got all achievements, etc....and i will totally go back and play this all over again, really looking forward to just jamming out on "sandbox" mode which should be added in soon.

however, it looks like undeadlabs has decided that adding co-op isn't going to be feasible with this title, which is a major disappointment.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/03/state-of-decay-multiplayer-dlc-possibly-cancelled

i sincerely hope that they make the inevitable follow-up to this on the 360 and not the next-gen crap consoles....even if the "class 4" is only on next-gen, i still doubt i plan to upgrade to a ps4 or xbox180 just for this one game....but if it's on the 360, i'm there, day one.

[Neil]

Looking forward to this on PC :)

[Andy]

Im quite slow getting on the bandwagon with this one but i bought this game yesterday and i have to admit, i think im in love with it!.. im barely doing the missions im just really enjoying managing my post zombie apocolypse group. I love gathering supplies and building the base, i have my group in the truck depot you find near the judge and i havnt even gone to speak to the judge yet, ive been too busy doing my own thing.

But so far, am seriously impressed with this game, this one definitely gets a thumbs up from andy! :)

[Andy]

So who else spotted this nifty little nod to shaun and dawn?

1263

[Rottedfreak]

There's tons of references.
'Kirkman Residence', 'Savini Residence' are too obvious.
I love this game, I do hope for a few amendments to the next update though, there is a room in 'Snyder Trucking', left of the radio room with a spare bed, I think it should be freed for construction with the next update.

[Neil]

So who else spotted this nifty little nod to shaun and dawn?

1263

Huh? That's a Dawn nod surely?

[ProfessorChaos]

i've noticed tons of references to various romero films and other zombie flicks, such as "simon and nick's landscaping", "duane jones storage", the station wagon is called an "o'dea", there's "grimes for sherrif" signs in yards, "big daddy auto repair", "hinzman insurance".....the list goes on and on.

[Andy]

Huh? That's a Dawn nod surely?

Dawn and shaun both, the store that shaun works in is called foree electronics :)

Rotted, do you know when the next update is due? im camped in the snyder truckyard so that would be amazingly useful!

Also, what do you guys do when you start to run out of ammo supplies? im almost out at home and i cant find any, i keep asking lily to scout for it on the radio but she never comes back with any. What else can i do?

[Rancid Carcass]

I was intending to wait for the PC version but I caved-in and downloaded it last night! Turns out that this was a very good call, this is a whole heap of fun - nice to game devs are starting to 'get' the zombie apocalypse. One thing this game does very well, is giving you the feeling that your group is constantly heading towards disaster - I feel like I'm in a world of shit right now, lol, no melee weapons, two infested houses, my base is constantly under siege from hordes and morale is plummeting. It looks like it's going to take some crazy act of desperation to get through this rough patch. I'm not hopeful... Good times!

:D

[Andy]

I was intending to wait for the PC version but I caved-in and downloaded it last night! Turns out that this was a very good call, this is a whole heap of fun - nice to game devs are starting to 'get' the zombie apocalypse. One thing this game does very well, is giving you the feeling that your group is constantly heading towards disaster - I feel like I'm in a world of shit right now, lol, no melee weapons, two infested houses, my base is constantly under siege from hordes and morale is plummeting. It looks like it's going to take some crazy act of desperation to get through this rough patch. I'm not hopeful... Good times!

:D

Things have been going well for my group, they where choppy at first but now we are settled into the truck yard.. we have a greenhouse so food isnt a issue and no generators so we dont use fuel, the truck depot used to get attacked all the time but ive surrounded it with outposts so now most zombies dont get near the main base. Ive also lined up cars at all the junctions coming towards the depot and at points around the perimeter so even if a zombie does get close, theres a few extra obstacles to slow them down and give my sharpshooter time to pick them off from the platform.

The only issue i have it ammo is drying up very quickly! i have next to no ammo now and im really struggling to find more supplies. I really need some help with this one guys, what do you do when you run out of ammo and the radio operator isnt locating any? i make some ammo back by providing access to my library, shooting platform and dojo to other communities but it takes an hour and a half to generate like 5 ammo caches so its not sustainable!

Any help?

[Rancid Carcass]

The only issue i have it ammo is drying up very quickly!

I've not played long enough to run out of ammo yet, but when I'm low on weapons in general I use a technique I like to call the Old Honker-roo, (based on the Old Okey Doke!). Basically it involves luring the zombies out by honking a car horn then running them over - apparently reversing over them does way less damage to the car. I'm using a very beat up sedan/station wagon or whatever it is, no doors, all smashed up to hell and smoke billowing out of the engine but it's still going! I manged to survive my infestation crisis, and intercept about five hordes headed for my base with that car - who needs Dead Reckoning!

Also, somebody please tell I'm not the only person that drove straight off that bridge and plunged into the ravine when abandoning the ranger station? lol.... anyone???... :shifty:

[ProfessorChaos]

^

nope, i did the same damn thing with that bridge.

as for the ammo, there are a few survivor groups that reward you with ammo for helping them, plus there are several houses that have ammo caches. also,once you get to fairfield, the military has tons of ammo lying around that is there for the taking.

[Andy]

^

nope, i did the same damn thing with that bridge.

as for the ammo, there are a few survivor groups that reward you with ammo for helping them, plus there are several houses that have ammo caches. also,once you get to fairfield, the military has tons of ammo lying around that is there for the taking.

Fairfield? is that the area thats all sealed off? how do you get in there?

I havnt heard from the army since the rescue mission when they start letting you use artillery strikes.

Also, yes i drove straight off that bridge too.

[ProfessorChaos]

yeah, fairfield is the town sealed off by a military barricade. you just gotta keep doing story missions to be able to access the town.

and like i said, there are plenty of random houses that have ammo stored in them. you'd be surprised at how many there are....it's all random, though, according to the developers, in regards to what houses hold what items. but it my game, i probably ran across two or three houses that had to have had major gun enthusiasts/collectors living there, scoring me at least two or three weapons and a couple of ammo caches plus numerous individual rounds and silencers from each house.

[Andy]

Yeah ive got loads of individual bullets but none of my characters really use guns, their next to useless unless you have time to get a clean headshot. Im talking about ammo supplies, my homebase gets through 9 per day somehow, i must have a really crap sniper who keeps missing or something.

Anyway, thanks for the tip about fairfield! ill check it out.. ive done the judge missions, i keep getting pestered by the radio girl to go speak to job wilkerson next so im guessing thats the next story mission?

[childofgilead]

If I remember correctly, there is one mandatory Wilkerson mission, but you can decline the rest..though you'll miss out on some guns and stuff..

[ProfessorChaos]

yeah, the story missions kinda bounce back and forth between the different factions such as "the law", the wilkersons, the army, etc.

and once you complete all wilkerson missions, (which i suggest you do), you earn enough trust from them that you are given a small ammo supply ration from them, though i can't recall off the top of my head how much or how often.

[Andy]

Im at the last mission now, endgame.. but i need to know, if i complete it can i still play as my characters and keep my game as if i didnt play it? i want to see how it ends and score some achievements but i dont want to give up on my group and start new :(

[ProfessorChaos]

you can reload your game/community after you beat the game, andy. it just takes you back as if you never began the final mission.

[Andy]

you can reload your game/community after you beat the game, andy. it just takes you back as if you never began the final mission.

If your lying to me, your so banned.

:shifty:

[ProfessorChaos]

wouldn't lie about that, buddy. and it works, trust me.

and from what i've read on undead labs's twitter page and main website, new achievements and sandbox mode aren't far off.

[Mr. Clean]

So, I just joined the State of Decay bandwagon....I have about 3 hours invested.....it is my understanding that the game still sorta plays even if it is off....is that right or no?

[Neil]

So, I just joined the State of Decay bandwagon....I have about 3 hours invested.....it is my understanding that the game still sorta plays even if it is off....is that right or no?

Scary! So you'll turn the XBox off, but still see the controller beavering away? :eek:

[ProfessorChaos]

yeah, your group carries on and consumes food, uses meds, etc from your stockpile even while you're away. once you're away for an extended period (longer than three days, i think), the rate they use resources slows dramatically.

but the crew at undead labs has taken care to ensure that it's fair, that is to say that if you leave your community in good shape, things will be okay when you return. more details than i can provide can likely be found on their website's FAQ.

[Mr. Clean]

Incredibly great game aside from some of the glitching zombies. Captures the survival instinct pretty well....I took a female that I had invested most of my time in to pick up the doctor....Well, the zombie rush happened...so midway through I was losing the barricade battle so what did I do? I ran outside to go grab a vehicle to run some of the douches over....well, I ran into one of those juggernaut zombies(not knowing he was a "special zombie" and so he grabbed me and ripped me in half. :( so I had to start the game all over.....I was so pissed. I had only invested 5 hours so it wasn't a complete loss but damn it! :shifty: Embarrassingly, I did make the attempt to turn the console off and reload to see if perhaps she didn't die after all but what a disappointment.

- - - Updated - - -



Also, somebody please tell I'm not the only person that drove straight off that bridge and plunged into the ravine when abandoning the ranger station? lol.... anyone???... :shifty: My first time....I jumped the bridge dukes of hazard style (successfully!)....the second time I experienced what you did....I was sorta wondering if my first experience was a fluke.

[Neil]

PC when????

[shootemindehead]

Everytime you post that, it drives me nuts.

I can't wait for this on the PC.

The mods will be epic!

[Rottedfreak]

Xbox One when?

[kidgloves]

So what are peoples overall opinions of this now the initial excitement has worn off? Just haven't had the time to play this or Last of Us since they came out.

[Mr. Clean]

So what are peoples overall opinions of this now the initial excitement has worn off? Just haven't had the time to play this or Last of Us since they came out.

Still a great game for only $20! Lots of surprises(Drama)....I just can't stand the huge fat tank zombies.....Put one down once with two shotgun blasts.....not sure if that was a fluke or legit since I run every time I see one.

[ProfessorChaos]

still an awesome game but i kinda got dissapointed when they axed the co-op plans. also got all achievements and finished the story so i'm just waiting for the upcoming sandbox mode....

[Neil]

Early access version due out on the PC in a couple of weeks. Full version by end of year - http://www.idigitaltimes.com/articles/19838/20130910/state-decay-pc-steam-early-access-september.htm


It's been more than four weeks since State of Decay Title Update 3 hit Xbox Live, delivering dozens of bug fixes alongside the game's new NPC companion system, but thousands of gamers have still yet to have a chance to experience Undead Labs' absolutely fantastic zombie-survival title. Thankfully, development of the State of Decay PC port is still progressing at the expected rate, and now it seems Undead Labs could release a completed version of the game before the end of 2013.

[Rancid Carcass]

PC footage in action!

http://uk.ign.com/videos/2013/09/19/state-of-decay-pc-commentary

[Neil]

^^ Cannot wait!

[ProfessorChaos]

any impressions from pc players on here yet?

and for those with the XBLA version, the sandbox DLC should be out shortly, though it's gonna be hard to tear myself away from gta5 for any amount of time to enjoy anything else right now....

[Eyebiter]

PC version runs well with the occasional bug. The Xbox360 controller makes melee weapons and combo moves easy to use.
Found driving with the controller very difficult to learn at the beginning, fine now after practice. Jump in the modern pickup and go to town!

Aiming firearms faster and more precise using mouse and keyboard. From what I've read some base and radio controls haven't been implemented there yet.

Trumble Valley map
(warning contains spoilers)

http://hydra-images.cursecdn.com/stateofdecay.gamepedia.com/7/79/Trumbull_valley.jpg

[Rancid Carcass]

Okay, just stumbled upon PC State of Decay Romero Mod!

http://www.incgamers.com/2013/10/state-of-decay-george-romero-mod-adds-more-features-for-zombie-fans


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eITLB-wio_I&feature=player_detailpage

Looks like I'll picking up this up again... :D

[shootemindehead]

wait...they aren't slow zombies in the original game?

[ProfessorChaos]

^

yes. the only "mod" i noticed in the video was the weapon never needed reloading. you'd never dare to be so liberal with ammo in the actual game......trust me.

[Neil]

Okay, just stumbled upon PC State of Decay Romero Mod!

http://www.incgamers.com/2013/10/state-of-decay-george-romero-mod-adds-more-features-for-zombie-fans


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eITLB-wio_I&feature=player_detailpage

Looks like I'll picking up this up again... :D

So what actually is modified about it? Loved the music mash up!

[Rancid Carcass]

So what actually is modified about it?

There's a few more videos at the link.

http://forums.undeadlabs.com/showthread.php?33990-George-Romero-Mod-%28Experiment%29

Current Features:

1. Slow Classic Romero Zombies and Modern Fast Zombies - you can now choose whether your game will be inhabited by slow Romero zombies or fast modern zombies!

2. Vehicles: Enable/Disable Zombie Collision Damage - if enabled, when running over zombies with a vehicle, it should not take damage. The vehicle will only take damage when you let the zombie hang on to your vehicle (because they'll keep hitting it or ripping it apart). Of course, the vehicle will also get damaged if you bump into walls, rocks, and other vehicles.

3. Increased Zombie Population - zombie population has increased. For best effect, try making a lot of noise in places without outposts, especially in towns! Firing your loud gun will really attract a lot of zombies!

4. Optional Extra Outposts - if you use the MoreOutposts18.zip file, even the warehouse homebase can have up to 18 outposts! Other home bases still require testing but I believe they also have an increased number of outposts. You won't see the extra outposts in your journal/stats book so you'll have to just keep making them.

5. Deadlight - do you want to attract lots of zombies but you've already run out of bullets and things that can make loud noises? No problem! Your flashlight has been converted into a "Deadlight"! Simply turn it on/off repeatedly and zombies will start shambling towards your location! It's fun to use to cause other survivors trouble as you hide in a safe place!

Apparently he's done one for Dead Island too - might be worth investigating.

[Neil]

Apparently he's done one for Dead Island too - might be worth investigating.
This? - http://www.moddb.com/games/dead-island-riptide/news/dead-island-riptide-scripting-comp-winners

[Andy]

There's a few more videos at the link.

http://forums.undeadlabs.com/showthread.php?33990-George-Romero-Mod-%28Experiment%29

Current Features:

1. Slow Classic Romero Zombies and Modern Fast Zombies - you can now choose whether your game will be inhabited by slow Romero zombies or fast modern zombies!

2. Vehicles: Enable/Disable Zombie Collision Damage - if enabled, when running over zombies with a vehicle, it should not take damage. The vehicle will only take damage when you let the zombie hang on to your vehicle (because they'll keep hitting it or ripping it apart). Of course, the vehicle will also get damaged if you bump into walls, rocks, and other vehicles.

3. Increased Zombie Population - zombie population has increased. For best effect, try making a lot of noise in places without outposts, especially in towns! Firing your loud gun will really attract a lot of zombies!

4. Optional Extra Outposts - if you use the MoreOutposts18.zip file, even the warehouse homebase can have up to 18 outposts! Other home bases still require testing but I believe they also have an increased number of outposts. You won't see the extra outposts in your journal/stats book so you'll have to just keep making them.

5. Deadlight - do you want to attract lots of zombies but you've already run out of bullets and things that can make loud noises? No problem! Your flashlight has been converted into a "Deadlight"! Simply turn it on/off repeatedly and zombies will start shambling towards your location! It's fun to use to cause other survivors trouble as you hide in a safe place!

Apparently he's done one for Dead Island too - might be worth investigating.

Id like to see a 1 bite and your doomed option personally, i understand why games never do it but i think it really takes something away from a zombie survival situation when your not condemned by a single bite :)

[Rancid Carcass]

Id like to see a 1 bite and your doomed option personally, i understand why games never do it but i think it really takes something away from a zombie survival situation when your not condemned by a single bite :)

Flying the flag a little here, but, The Dead Linger sort of does that. Well it has an infection risk system - prolonged exposure to things contaminated by the zombie virus like food, or clothing (or being damaged by zombies!), then your risk of infection goes up. If gets too high and a zombie bites you, you'll become infected - there's no cure and you will die from it sooner or later (screen goes fuzzy and you start to stagger around). If you die from infection your corpse will spawn a zombie - of course if you're in a multiplayer group and you don't say anything... :elol:

[Neil]

Out on PC - http://www.destructoid.com/review-state-of-decay-256152.phtml

[Rottedfreak]

I left for a while and returned to find
Ed had committed suicide.
Maya and Ezekiel had been mauled by a zombie
Daniel killed by a Feral.
Enclaves have crashed

Hell of a month I missed.

[Neil]

Feeling a bit lost at the moment.

Can't seem to find any melee weapons? Mine keep breaking so I end up with hands and feet?

Also, I think I'm missing the bigger picture. Do I need to be keeping an eye on my "base" and its supplies/up keep? And the other survivors?

And as regards finding supplies, I simply bring them back to "base" and dump them there?

[Neil]

OK, still enjoying it... But I do suspect once I've finished it that will be it, and it won't interest me enough for a second play through.

The DLC that's due out also doesn't interest me either.


Guess, I'll just be waiting for the sequel :)

[Tricky]

I bought this last night as it was cheap on steam, it's not bad but is there any explanation for why the zombies have light bulbs for eyes? And why are your characters barely even bothered by the fact there is blood and gore and zombies everywhere? the game opens with you caving 5 zombies heads in and the characters display no emotion whatsoever about it! I'm not really feeling any kind of empathy with any of the in game characters so far and the game world feels strangely empty & plastic, hopefully it'll improve further in.

[Neil]

I bought this last night as it was cheap on steam, it's not bad but is there any explanation for why the zombies have light bulbs for eyes? And why are your characters barely even bothered by the fact there is blood and gore and zombies everywhere? the game opens with you caving 5 zombies heads in and the characters display no emotion whatsoever about it! I'm not really feeling any kind of empathy with any of the in game characters so far and the game world feels strangely empty & plastic, hopefully it'll improve further in.

I'm really enjoying the game, BUT:-
1) You WILL need to look stuff up as the in game help/instructions do not nearly cover enough! eg: Skill tree? Yes your characters have one not that you're really told!
2) The game feels like it needed a final revisit/polish.

HOWEVER, for the price it great value for money and great fun IMHO!

[shootemindehead]

Got this for 12 euro last night.

I'm still in the eh? Camp. Don't really see what all the fuss is about and I am a bit lost on what I am supposed to be doing.

It also needs an anti-alias option in the Graphics setup and the controls are hell.

Also, can you create your own character? Or is the black lad the only oprion the player has?

[Andy]

Got this for 12 euro last night.

I'm still in the eh? Camp. Don't really see what all the fuss is about and I am a bit lost on what I am supposed to be doing.

It also needs an anti-alias option in the Graphics setup and the controls are hell.

Also, can you create your own character? Or is the black lad the only oprion the player has?

The first part in the woods is kinda like a tutorial.. i would say the game dosnt start properly until you reach the church in town.

Once you get there, you can swap characters around. In fact you have to as yours will get tired.

[shootemindehead]

OK.

I'll persist in any case, but it needs to pick up some steam.

Having a look at some mods too.

[Tricky]

The thing that's annoying me is how many missions it spams you with, you're on your way to one and it keeps radioing you to go check out this, that & the other before you've had chance to do what you originally set out to do! The clipping is awful too and on the whole the graphics feel about 8 years out of date. It's not all bad though, I'm enjoying a lot of it, it's just not brilliant.

[Neil]

Got this for 12 euro last night.

I'm still in the eh? Camp. Don't really see what all the fuss is about and I am a bit lost on what I am supposed to be doing.

It also needs an anti-alias option in the Graphics setup and the controls are hell.

Also, can you create your own character? Or is the black lad the only oprion the player has?

It can be confusing to start with. Here's something I emailed to a friend (PC version). See if it helps you?:-


OK, some basics; Enough to smooth it out without spoiling it I hope... Hope you enjoy the game after all this! It has some big flaws/problems, but there's a lot of good stuff in there!

Remember this isn't a big full blown title, just a small budget development from a small independent (I believe).


Time
Time passes while you are playing (1hr day / 1hr night I think?) and also when you are not. Leave the game for a few days, and time will have passed!

Characters
You can play as any character you're friends with. To become friends you basically just need to earn their trust. To change character press TAB, select the character and press Q (if you're allowed).

You can view a character's skills by pressing the star symbol on the menu tab. You can then drill down in their skills further if you wish. Note: The scrolling up/down is a bit painful I find!

Cooks are important. Mechanics are important.

Make sure you arm your characters. eg: Weapons, a bit of ammo, and some pills if you can. Make sure you are characters you don't even play (melee/gun) as they will go out on their own, or you might be asking them to help you!

As characters progress they'll improve in areas (eg: fighting). At certain levels you can specialise in areas. Keep an eye on these by clicking on a category (eg: combat) and see if you can choose a specialisation. As a hint, to build an epic combat character, ensure they have the Powerhouse skill with the survivor, and then:-
Heavy Weapons Speciality.
Pro Wrest Defensive Skill
Rage Special Skill
Shove Utilitiy Skill
Spin or Sweep special Technique
Have Heavy Weapon (eg: sledge hammer)

Try to use 3-4 different characters regularly to build them all up. Temptation is to stick to 2, but this is risky if you lose 1 of them!

Try to equip them with large rucksacks instead of small ones.

Combat controls can be seen against skill etc. As your character(s) progress they'll get new moves (eg: SHIFT left mouse button, or SHIFT C).

Ctrl to roll is your friend!

C (stealth) is your friend (early on at least)!

Later, I've purposefully killed a couple of characters. Their skills weren't good and I had too many mouths to feed. So I put all their stuff back in the locker and ran off to get them killed. Hey! It's a tough world!

Weapons
Weapons wear out. If they turn yellow in your inventory, swap them out before they break. If you home has a workshop, damaged weapons will get repaired.

Using items in your inventory
If you have molotovs, pills or other such things in your inventory, you can use them by selecting them with your middle mouse button and then pressing F. eg: Your health is damaged, select pills and press F.

Homes
You can look at your resources (food, medicine, ammo, materials, gas). Under them are some figures, these show how much you have, your storage limit and then below that your daily gain/loss (usage). If you over stock something it will go red and you'll lose some everyday simply because you are overstocked. eg: If you have 80/60 medicine you will lose some medicine everyday simply because your storage limit is 60.

You can upgrade your homes if they have free slots, or upgrade "rooms" there. To upgrade you'll need the appropriate resources (eg: X influence and Y materials). eg: Upgrade a bedroom have more beds.

You can ask the radio room to find certain resources.

If you have a workshop it can be upgraded to a motor workshop so cars left in parking spaces will be completely repaired overnight! This is VERY important. You will most likely need a mechanic for this.

Workshops can produce silencers, molotovs and crackers. Not very useful unless you find you're short of them.

Homes can have a number of outposts (eg: more with bigger homes). You can get a regular income of resources from these. eg: Find a house with food, call in on the radio (ALT) and request an outpost. Assuming you have enough influence the house will be made into an outpost and you'll get a small amount of food daily from it. You can also set traps on outposts which will kill "hordes". This is useful later as you can make outposts around your home's area and these will kill hordes and provide protection. I believe outposts never run out, even if you later go in and take everything from them. Note: Your storage locker is shared between your home and all outposts.

You can work out which outpost is which by noting the outpost number mentioned on the map, and it will be in that slot number in your home diagram (slots under it) - Sometimes you want to get rid of a specific outpost in preference to another!

You can move to bigger homes. Find an alternative place to live, and as long as you have the appropriate resources/no. people you can radio in (ALT) to move home.

Missions/tasks
All active/available missions are shown on your map. Just click on it and you'll see a green or blue arrow on your minimap to show you the direction.

Clear out infestations in your local area/town. These are annoying at first, but later when you're surrounded by outposts, these infestations will reduce/stop.

If you get a "mission" someone is unhappy etc, just go and talk to them to initiate the mission.

Scavenging
When searching in houses, your mini map will show you where places are to search (press E) in the property (small blue dots). You can SHIFT E to search quick, but this risks making noise!

If you find a major resouces (eg: food/ammo) you can either setup an outpost to get a regular income. Take it back yourself (you can only carry one), break it up into smaller individual parts, or call in a scavenger on the radio (ALT) to get it. I'd never break it up if I were you, as it's wasteful!

Remember you can ask your radio operator to find specific resources.

Misc
When going out you can ask fellow survivors at home to come with you to cover you, as long as they are available and you have enough influence to "pay". Handy for more risky missions.

Cars are useful. Cars are dangerous - If they get too damaged they will blow up!

Death is permanent! You'll reappear as another of your survivors, but the dead character is gone for good!

You can climb faster by using SHIFT.

Resources
Loads of stuff on youtube.
http://stateofdecay.wikia.com/wiki/State_of_Decay_Wiki

[shootemindehead]

Cheers for the tips Neil.

I'm gradually getting the hang of things, although I swear I was a flippin hour trying to figure out how to build a sleeping area.

It's difficult to figure out how to do stuff.

It's not a bad game and I've stuck a good few hours into it already. But it just feels like a work in progress still. Very unfinished.

It looks awful too. I wish I could force anti-alias on it and get rid of all those nasty edges. ugh. I know the 360 is lame when it comes to anti-aliasing and most things look crap, but you'd think they'd up the ante for the PC version.

Anyway, onwards and upwards.

[Neil]

Looks aweful? I think it looks pretty damn good at times (on PC)! Especially for a budget title!

And yes, it a shame you have to learn things by attrition rather than clear instructions!


Even though I've finished the game now, I've got a core of 16 survivors which I'm buffing up. I'm going to take 3 of them on a hike across as much the map as I can.... Which brings me to a pair of wishes:-
1) Character you don't control are pretty much all the same skill I believe. So even if you buff one up, it won't play much better than a rookie?
2) There's huge areas of the map that have nothing.

I'd love the idea of having a few missions that are difficult and you know you need to go as a team, so you have to get a group of characters up to scratch, equip them well and then risk going on a long on foot based mission somewhere to achieve something.

As it is, as I said, AI characters are pretty much the same no matter what the characters skills (I believe). You can drive pretty much anywhere meaning little risk, and there's no buildings/locations tucked away worth the risk of hiking off to :(

But none-the-less, before I call it quits I will do a long old hike around as much of the region as I can in the hope I find something of interest...

[shootemindehead]

It's decent enough for a tenner. But there's so many jaggies on the screen. It's irritating, given the ability to eliminate it, you know.

I'm enjoying it despite the criticism and I hope the lads do well, make a few bob and can make more for it.

[Rottedfreak]

That area in the North East, the one with the gas station, mart, a dinosaur and two houses behind them would have been a good location for a base.

[slickwilly13]

The game is currently on sale for 1/2 off on XBL and so is another game called, How to Survive.

[ProfessorChaos]

ya beat me to it, slick.

10 dollars for this gem is a f*cking steal, folks.

i've not really heard much about "how to survive", but reviews aren't too positive and my back catalog is getting nuts with all these free games and games on sale lately, so i'm gonna pass on that one.

[Tricky]

I got a new graphics card for Christmas (HD 7870) and it's certainly sharpened up the visuals on this game! It's still a generation behind graphically but it looks far better on my rig now than it did before, mainly down to anti-aliasing etc been turned right up.

[Neil]

I got a new graphics card for Christmas (HD 7870) and it's certainly sharpened up the visuals on this game! It's still a generation behind graphically but it looks far better on my rig now than it did before, mainly down to anti-aliasing etc been turned right up.

Same card as I bought earlier this year... Well a 7870xt (tahiti)...

[ProfessorChaos]

new dlc coming soon, will include a new area to explore!

http://undeadlabs.com/2014/02/news/throw-me-a-lifeline/

still haven't got around to really messing with the breakdown dlc that much yet, gta 5 has really taken all of my gaming attention this winter and fall. i do plan to put some time into it eventually, looks like i'll have to get around to that sooner rather than later in order to be ready for more SoD goodness once this new content is released.

a new area to explore sounds great! really excited about this....

http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/adam/39af18c8f3dbb9b5a68462dfd5bca95f/state%20of%20decay.jpg

[shootemindehead]

Cool.

It's been a couple of months since I fired up the game. I suppose everyone is probably brown bread...

[Neil]

new dlc coming soon, will include a new area to explore!

http://undeadlabs.com/2014/02/news/throw-me-a-lifeline/

still haven't got around to really messing with the breakdown dlc that much yet, gta 5 has really taken all of my gaming attention this winter and fall. i do plan to put some time into it eventually, looks like i'll have to get around to that sooner rather than later in order to be ready for more SoD goodness once this new content is released.

a new area to explore sounds great! really excited about this....

Yeh, the breakdown DLC just didn't appeal to me. But a whole new map does! Just as long as it has lots of simple things to find/explore! The original map was spoiled a bit by the fact it was huge, but if you went off the roads into the wilderness, there was nothing really there to find/explore!

The new map needs lots of small simple things to find/explorer to make the map/world more interesting!

[ProfessorChaos]

Cool.

It's been a couple of months since I fired up the game. I suppose everyone is probably brown bread...

yeah, that's a real bitch that things progress when you're away. they say that after 2 or 3 days away it really slows down, but things still do happen when you're offline....which is total bullshit. i had a community started recently and had 4 playable characters, one of who was sick when i shut the game off. i come back a handful of days later and the sick dude has died, another guy is missing, essentially cutting my manpower down by 50%....and i didn't do a f*cking thing to warrant it (other than not play the game round the clock.) total crap.

[Neil]

yeah, that's a real bitch that things progress when you're away. they say that after 2 or 3 days away it really slows down, but things still do happen when you're offline....which is total bullshit. i had a community started recently and had 4 playable characters, one of who was sick when i shut the game off. i come back a handful of days later and the sick dude has died, another guy is missing, essentially cutting my manpower down by 50%....and i didn't do a f*cking thing to warrant it (other than not play the game round the clock.) total crap.

Yeh, don't understand this approach? Why should it be different if I next play the game later the same day, or next year? Why penalise me?

[shootemindehead]

It's fine if you play every day and when I was, I liked having to restock.

But I've not fired up the game since I "beat" it before Christmas. In situations like that, it would be good if you could turn that "feature" off.

[Rottedfreak]

So west of the church is a house, and in my latest game it was a enclave for three survivors.
It was night time, I went in and grabbed a few bullets, I then ran two meters from the storage cabinet when I was swarmed by zombies and the two survivors I saw just seconds earlier in the house didn't help, they couldn't because the call came in that my group had spotted a survivor, a scavenger...
Sods law.

[ProfessorChaos]

new dlc coming out this week, looks like a ton of fun!

NRCk7-DMAkE

[shootemindehead]

I'm in.

[shootemindehead]

Anyone try Lifeline yet?

[Neil]

Anyone try Lifeline yet?Not yet... On my wish list!

[shootemindehead]

Lifeline is 3 euro on Steam at the mo.

[ProfessorChaos]

i have both the lifeline and breakdown dlc's, but have had very little free time for gaming lately so it's on the back burner.

on a related note, i read that state of decay will be coming to the xbox one soon....however, i am still leaning towards a ps4 when i decide to switch to the new consoles.

[kidgloves]

Just preloaded this on the Xbone. Nice 1/3 off cause I bought it on the 360. Loads of content. :D

[Tricky]

I really enjoyed it, gameplay wise it's great even if the character dialogue is a bit naff at times. I bought the "Lifeline" DLC a while ago but it hasn't held my attention like the main game did, especially with Dying Light giving me a great zombie fix since its release!

[kidgloves]

/nG-ARTvKfkI

[kidgloves]

Launch trailer

DLqkjQEZf6E

[kidgloves]

Finally had some time to sit down and play this over a sustained period and what a game.
it really is a genre lovers wet dream. Could have been designed by one of the members here it's so comprehensive.

Great game ������

[Neil]

^^ For all its issues, it's still great fun isn't it!

[kidgloves]

^^ For all its issues, it's still great fun isn't it!

Yup. Quite hard as well.
I've found myself worrying about what's going on with the survivors when I'm NOT playing it.
Its still very buggy with frame rate drops and clipping in the environment but the story makes up for all that.

[kidgloves]

Yup. Quite hard as well.
I've found myself worrying about what's going on with the survivors when I'm NOT playing it.
Its still very buggy with frame rate drops and clipping in the environment but the story makes up for all that.

Loving this. Got 90+ hours on it across the 3 modes.
The Lifeline dlc is outstanding. It's from the militarys pov from the outbreak.
Good, refined version of all the great ideas in the original game

[Neil]

Loving this. Got 90+ hours on it across the 3 modes.
The Lifeline dlc is outstanding. It's from the militarys pov from the outbreak.
Good, refined version of all the great ideas in the original game

Lifeline is on my list to get...

[kidgloves]

Lifeline is on my list to get...

Go for it Neil.
It really is a step up from the original game.