The Indie Stone, the creator of Project Zomboid's Build 42, has been receiving a lot of flak from the community due to what seems to be a sluggish production pipeline. It might be effortless to overlook the duration of Project Zomboid, but is the glacial pace appropriate?
Of course, nothing could possible excuse some of the ugliest and most pointless "criticism" that has been leveled at The Indie Stone lately. At some moments, things have gotten so bad that one of the main developers has even thought about selling Project Zomboid to the highest bidder in order to get out from under the development load.
It is understandable that discussions over Zomboid's massive new construction would get heated on both sides of the issue given the extreme level of stress that characterizes that development. For the record, I don't really have a horse in this race; all I want is for The Indie Stone to be able to continue doing what they've been doing for years. It is true that big new build releases for Zomboid essentially flip the whole experience inside out and rejuvenate it for years to come, yet waiting for new versions may become tedious at times.
To further explain my perspective, let me share with you what we know for sure is included in Build 42:
- Animals and animal husbandry
- Herd movement of wild animals
- Massive rendering and performance improvements, including a new lighting system
- Post-apocalyptic blacksmithing, stoneworking, brewing features with new crafting stations
- Dozens of new items (clothing, weapons, containers, etc.)
- Farming systems and an assortment of crops to care for
- Fishing overhaul
- Comprehensive overworld improvements, both functional and otherwise
- Procedurally generated wilderness
- Discord integration
- Fluid system
- Weapon parts
- Cleaning system
- Newspapers, flyers, and other UI elements
According to the Project Zomboid Wiki, that is all. Remember that this is completely nonsensical, and you can accurately gauge the significance of B42 even if you only follow Ontario Online Casino's news coverage for Zomboid. All in all, it will be a better zombie survival experience, and it will unavoidably affect everything for everyone playing the game. Therefore, the issue is whether the years-long wait will be worthwhile.
Project Zomboid's protracted manufacturing pipeline
When I opened a new gaming magazine in 2012 (the demo disk, specifically), I was surprised to find one of the first builds of Project Zomboid within. Sincerely speaking, it didn't look excellent. Furthermore, it didn't play well for many of the same reasons why some would find it Zomboid. remains a mediocre game. Project Zomboid has always had a significant early adoption barrier that immediately eliminates the majority of players due to its slowness, jankiness, and extreme lack of polish.
The trouble is, however, when I understood how deep the game's realism is, I was hooked. Remember, it was far before any of the really significant changes and content additions appeared. Just the essence and essence of it: The most raw Zomboid form.
Project Zomboid has the potential to develop into almost any kind of zombie survival game by 2024. A plod à la Romero? A fear akin to Resident Evil? A After 28 Days Fear? Indeed, make a few little adjustments and you'll be golden regardless of your zombie fantasies. The gameplay mechanisms of Project Zomboid are as complex as they are janky, which results in an incredibly satisfying cycle of, well, sheer survival. There's still a full lot of stuff in Zomboid to go through, even if zombies are eliminated.Why does this matter? Since it, in my opinion, highlights the significance of The Indie Stone's Project Zomboid production pipeline's zigzag style. Zomboid contains loops and gameplay mechanics from several games. Build 42 will expand upon this much more when it eventually releases. Had the creators not begun development on several unrelated features more than a year earlier, Zomboid would have been a far worse survival game.
Instead, we presently have what is without a doubt the most complete zombie survival game available. Undoubtedly, this has its limits and is most definitely an acquired taste, yet there's something unique about it. I can't help but believe that Zomboid would not be where it is now if The Indie Stone had been more focused.
What length of time is too long?
Conversely, Project Zomboid is undoubtedly taking its sweet time to reach the finish line. It has to pass through several checkpoints before the finish line is even in sight. Not even the finish line, at that. Considering that the project is in its fourteenth year of active development, we're not that far off. It's a certainty that some players aren't satisfied with the Indie Stone's present development system, which requires years of labor before each major new Build is released.
Of course, it's OK to be dissatisfied, but The Indie Stone is a tiny crew operating on their own timetable and working on an enormous project. I can attest to the team's "slow and steady wins the race" approach having played Zomboid intermittently for over half of my life. This is because the product quality is there.
Ultimately, if The Indie Stone had desired to, they could have made Build 41 the 1.0 version of Project Zomboid. I believe that the fact that they didn't shows a certain level of candor. The Indie Stone makes it apparent that Project Zomboid isn't supposedly complete on the outside. It's certain that the team will keep adding features to the mix—items that weren't even on the schedule during the Build 40 production phase, for example. And the fact that Zomboid is not expected to exit Early Access anytime soon is enough evidence that this is the case.
To be honest, I doubt that Project Zomboid will see a complete 1.0 release until 2030, if at all. Taking into account the project's scale and breadth, it simply seems improbable. Does it really matter, however, when every significant new build continues to add a full game's worth of gameplay on top of what's already there?
Much like its melancholy, plodding monstrosities, Zomboid plods on. It was here when I was a child, and I'm betting it will still be going strong when I'm in my 40s. After all, whether you're Dwarf Fortress or Project Zomboid, what's another ten years of intense development?