Hey everyone, here’s a quick update on where we are with the current IWBUMS beta process. We do hope you’re well, and wish all Americans a happy Thanksgiving today – even if many of the PZ team only really know of it via films and soft focus television comedies from the 1990s.

41.21 PATCH

We patched the current IWBUMS beta on Tuesday, which was a version that contained:

Visible bandages

A new ‘inspect clothing’ UI and improved tailoring

Randomized vehicle events to come across on the highways of the Knox Event

Improved Studio and Kingsmouth challenges

Insulation/temperature system changes

Loads of balance and bug squashes

Annoyingly this patch also came with its own measure of bugs, and we had to spend a day hotfixing players who couldn’t survive through winter due to INTENSE SUFFERING and also a savegame issue.

These issues should now be fixed, so if you’re still having problems with them then please double-check your system has the very latest version of the IWBUMS beta by verifying files or reinstalling. If problems remain then please let us know on the forums.

UP NEXT

We’re slightly behind schedule in our new weekly patch release schedule, what with the above issues, so the next patch probably won’t be quite as bumper as recent ones have been.

However it should contain the return of rusty cars, more and improved vehicle events on the roads and a QOL looting improvement that displays all containers in a 3×3 area around the player – which should also make corpse looting a lot less fiddly.

EP has also, meanwhile, been experimenting with a function that provides a radial menu for hot bar slots – that then lets you choose an item to equip in that slot.

UP SOON

Regular readers will recall that last week we were debating whether to put Zac’s work on the improved character fidelity and optimization into cold storage – which would then allow us to throw him into the mix on work on the much-awaited (but still not at all imminent, we’re afraid) Build 41 MP.

However, in the past week he’s slayed a whole bunch of rendering demons and the whole thing is looking a lot more positive. Here’s a video from his branch showing where he’s at right now. He’s really made some headway in the past week, and the seams and fuzz that were cropping up are increasingly in check.

https://youtu.be/0HdjDM0CkjA

Another big ticket item that’s on our list for the full version 41 release, meanwhile, are Yuri’s improved fire visuals. Working with assets made for us by a lovely effects specialist called Dan, this is the current look we have for in-game fire.

PLEASE remember this is still work in progress – and currently not tied to the actual PZ fire and firespread system.

https://youtu.be/ppKFDUI1pCg?t=36

Yuri is currently optimizing the fire for low-end systems, and is also implementing his fire effects in script, which will allow the community to easily upgrade and create their own visual effects.

That’s about it for now, but many thanks for all the enthusiasm we’re still (still!) seeing for Build 41. The last month has seen the highest average player count we’ve ever had for PZ – beating the full vehicles release by quite some way, and the animations build isn’t even fully released yet!

It’s great to see that people are digging it, and exciting to think what the MP scene and modding potential will be once it’s fully out in the open.

This week’s image from MrSopal on Reddit. A general list of stuff added to PZ, and vids of features being worked on, is kept here – so you don’t have to plough through endless dev blogs for info. The Centralized Block of Italicised Text would like to direct your attention to the PZ Wiki should you feel like editing or amending something, and the PZ Mailing List that can send blogs like this and patch notes direct to your mailbox. We also live on Twitter right here! Our Discord is open for chat and hijinks too!