What changed in Project Zomboid in 2018

Added new clothing outfits and improved clothing and animation modules with shader-driven effects.

Implemented a system for adjusting the update frequency and radius for zombie positions, reducing network traffic.

Animations now auto-reload when modified from the Editor, enhancing development workflow.

Introduced a new MP networking system that improves overall play experience with smoother performance.

Removed unnecessary data packets to improve multiplayer lag issues.

Introduced options for server owners to adjust zombie data visibility to improve performance.

Updated Gamepad Test beta with various fixes.

Upgraded Filewatcher mechanism for live texture reloading, improving iteration times for modders.

Experimenting with more realistic junk items and specific containers for better loot distribution.

Continued work on Sims-style cutaways and removal of dithered circle view stencil.

Addressed issues with stair teleportation.

Added a better range of skin tones for player characters.

Fixed rain appearing instead of snow in the 'Winter is Coming' event.

Improved appearance of weather effects when inside buildings.

Adjustments made to player actions related to injuries, sleeping, window-breaking, and bandages.

Moon calculations added back to govern night brightness.

Resolved issues with plumbed sinks not working in multiplayer.

Darker nights and less washed out night-time interiors, making car headlights and flashlights more necessary.

Disassemble ability extended to more items including fridges, ovens, and fitness equipment.

Resolved problems with whisper functionality in the new chatbox.

Looking into better control over loot spawn system and difficulty levels.

Introduced Turbo's new night shaders and improved interior lights, flashlights, and headlights.

Continuing work on creating the Louisville area, focusing on the seedier parts.

Addressed an issue where players would get wet in certain player constructions.

Improved code for calculating water movement direction in the game.

Implemented a system allowing players to layer clothing items for more variety.

Added functionality to test zombie spawns with different outfits.

Investigating ways to optimize multiplayer performance.

Improved visibility around the player inside buildings with the dither circle stencil.

Updated method for displaying building interiors, reducing wall height for better visibility.

Local text chat now audible/legible from a distance, and no longer obscured.

Added ripple effect to water and improved flow direction and speed realism.

Less getting wet in inappropriate places.

Improvements to shaders for night and storm lighting to enhance visibility.

Map mod renamed and updated with vehicle spawns, lootable maps, and new towns.

Car alarms now attract zeds again.

Running a beta for gamepad controller improvements with feedback from players.

Chat now logged on server (format will be improved later).

Weather period frequency throughout the whole year increased, and more heavy weather.

Characters can now equip custom clothing meshes and visible wearable bags.

Improvements to the AnimZed dev and modding tool, including the Clothing module.

Improvements to chat functionality and admin commands.

Development of a new water shader for localized flooding effects.

Fixed issues where players would get wet inside tents and when driving with a smashed windshield.

Fixes related to crate-stacking, car horn/alarm radius, MP door and tree shake, construction issues, and vehicle reflections.

More frequent changes in weather systems and more extreme weather events.

Added sandbox options for snow on the ground and rain/fog effects intensity.

Added effects for hits on doors, tree chops, and movement through vegetation.

Includes storms, fog, mist, and simulated wind speeds affecting foliage and precipitation.

Introduces challenges like 'A Storm is Coming' and 'The Descending Fog'.

Includes separate chat streams, customizable chat, and more intuitive commands.

New UI for quickly searching and spawning items in multiplayer.

Includes various balance changes and improvements.

New item added to the game.

New options that can be enabled in-game without a restart.

Improvements made to the overall sound system.

Gameplay change regarding vehicle operation.

Introduces true-to-life weather patterns through 365 days of the year with warm and cold front systems.

Optimizes zombie placement and movement for single-player and multiplayer.

More realistic ground impact for rain and improved snow effects.

Improved clarity on weight management in-game.

Reflective windows that change based on time of day and weather conditions.

New mechanic introduced in multiplayer mode.

Enhances visuals for different times of day and seasons.

Allows mappers to convert placed objects into functional game objects.

Tracks moodles and clothing types to manage extreme temperatures.

Allows for better management of animation states for various actions.

Includes shaking doors, trees, and other elements in response to actions.

Optional feature to indicate when players are banned.

Working on debugging and creating an Official PZ Challenge system.

New visual indicators for wind effects in the game.

Fixed crowds of zombies launching cars like bottle rockets.

Spawns have been added for McCoy Logging and Fossoil vehicles, which weren’t appearing – alongside improved car spawns at gas stations in general.

Fixed various chatbox and admin issues, including a longstanding MP issue in which loot was respawning way too soon.

Weather periods can now also be fully modded, including a designated ‘modded’ stage which can be freely modified.

Weather patterns are now more random, generally shorter, less intense in terms of screen darkness and have more periods of clear sky.

Insulation properties of different clothing now more clearly shown in the UI.

Ground snow accumulation has been improved and updated, also working better when snow is turned on with admin/debug tools.

Fixed the weird tile visual effect with some zombie corpses.

Fixed players sometimes being trapped in their car and zombies getting confused by Yuri’s invisible anti-clip forcefield.

Cloud patterns seen on the ground have been updated, and have new textures – night has been improved.

Rain and snow now visibly hit the ground, enhancing the visual experience.

Various fixes including issues with in-game tiles and gun sounds not being heard far enough in multiplayer.

Fixed bugs that caused random zombies to spawn in barricaded bathrooms.

Turbo has added climate and weather MP admin panels for enhanced roleplay and gameplay opportunities.

Fixed the ability to learn from the TV and radio when the player is asleep.

New system accounts for hunger, thirst, clothing, wetness, and exercise.

New tracks incorporate familiar themes and motifs.

Event available for a limited time.

Community feedback requested on potential vehicle system revamps.

Includes an Items list viewer and functionality to change in-game settings without a restart.

Changes made to ensure new players face appropriate challenges.

Recreates true-to-life weather patterns through 365 days of the year with improved visuals and new SFX.

Many UI changes to handle different font sizes and added context-menu font-size option.

Modders can now override sounds in FMOD soundbanks and adjust volumes of specific sounds.

Can now be dismantled with propane torch and welding mask, with gathered materials depending on metalwork skill.

Allows mappers to convert placed objects into functional game objects like barricades and traps.

Includes new car-battery charger item and impacts of drunk moodle on steering input.

Features separate chat streams, customizable chat, and more intuitive usage and commands.

Now works with the new climate system, impacting temperatures and weather events.

Added option to disable new roof-hiding feature for low-spec users.

Added chevrons next to weight to indicate if weight is increasing or decreasing.

Metal items now spawn on the ground when dismantling a car wreck, and players can sleep in cars with the engine running.

A new MP Admin UI has been coded to help server owners search and spawn items quickly.

Turbo has hooked the Winter is Coming game mode to the new climate system, featuring a blizzard after three days of preparation.

Various bugs in the new chat system have been fixed, along with improved fade-in and fade-out for the input field.

Placeholder moodles for player temperature changes have been added, to be shown on the player health screen.

Various elements of the vehicle code have been exposed to modders, aiding in the addition of new cars.

Introduction of a new chat system that is more functional and resembles those in MMOs.

Provides better performance on low-end machines.

Looking into lower level networking code to address delayed or missing packets for players on busy servers.

New weather system improves simulation of player body temperature with interactions based on environment and health.

Added environment maps to vehicles for a more reflective appearance.

Reports of players not hearing other players' guns and inaccurate sound ranges are being investigated.

Improvements to multiplayer syncing and server performance based on observations from high player counts.

Adjusting difficulty levels of noob-friendly scenarios to provide a more challenging experience.

Addressing bugs related to foggy starting houses and visible black lines on some zoom levels.

Players can now dismantle car wrecks using a propane torch and welding mask.

New user-friendly 'Paper doll' interface for designing zombie and survivor outfits in AnimZed.

In-game fonts have been made bolder to improve legibility.

Public test version of Turbo’s new weather, climate, storms and fog system available for players.

New in-game Sandbox Options Editor allows server admins to change settings without a full restart.

Fixes for vehicle clipping and floating cars have been implemented.

Ongoing work on the AnimZed tool for animation integration.

Enhancements made to zombie reaction speeds.

Planned improvements to the loot system for better spawn control.

Driving while drunk will now have negative consequences.

Introduction of a new climate system with improved rain, snow, and fog effects.

Players can now use metalwork skills to dismantle car wrecks for construction materials.

System developed to ensure fog is visible through windows in player-made structures.

Yuri from General Arcade has done a lot of work on MP networking.

New functionality to prevent zombies from appearing in enclosed player areas.

Improvements made to vehicle headlights and shadows.

Prevented drivers from entering areas of the map that haven’t been loaded in their passengers’ game.

Issue when someone else removes the key from the ignition.

Allows easy integration of new models and textures for items.

Upcoming tool to automate item appearance checks.

Upcoming feature for multiplayer.

Upcoming feature to enhance environmental effects.

Can be used to charge your car battery if you have electricity around you (generator included).

The map has been expanded with new areas including farmsteads and campsites.

Includes family cars, police sedans, and Spiffo restaurant vans.

Players can now craft double-doors and gates.

Added new options for sandbox mode.

General improvements to the user interface.

Various balance changes to loot and experience points.

New profession allowing for better part installation and repairs.

Improvements to map streaming performance, garbage collection, and UI framerate.

Adjustments made to multiplayer and co-op gameplay.

New gameplay feature allowing the use of external generators.

Survivors can now drive vehicles with real physics and various features.

New anims and models are being prepared for the PZ codebase, with character configuration tools being developed.

Improvements to faulty item spawn rates, especially for skill books, and other various bugs.

Exploration of screen masking to improve visibility of weather effects through windows.

The removed item transfer progress bar has been restored due to public demand.

The PZ map has been updated with countryside/vehicle exploration additions between Riverside and Rosewood.

Fixes aimed at improving gameplay on co-op and dedicated servers.

New additions to the soundtrack are being worked on.

Created sounds for forest zones, insect noise, rain effects, and more to enhance the climate system.

Added directional pointers to enhance vehicle parking experience.

Resolved issues causing crowds of zombies to ping vehicles off roads in MP.

Due to a necessary forum upgrade, the current Bug Tracker has been decommissioned.

Implemented changes to facilitate modding related to the new vehicles build.

Working on visibility of rain and fog when looking out of windows.

Addressed a bug on dedicated servers where zombies were attracted to a vehicle's last location.

Introduced extra options to tailor/toggle erosion in the game.

Finishing touches on the updated internal build system.

Addressed the issue of fog disappearing when entering buildings.

Adjusted loot in cars to match expectations based on nearby houses.

The mass of car wrecks has been reduced.

Increased chance of turning zombies into crawlers and tied speed to damage dealt.

XP gained from broadcasts has been increased.

Fixed a map streaming hitch in multiplayer, improving overall smoothness.

New animation system tool for developers and modders called AnimZed introduced.

Enhancements to gamepad functionality and setup options.

Outdoor generator use is now enabled by default in all game modes.

Implemented fixes to zombie pathfinding.

Enhanced weather system for realistic temperature and weather patterns.

Work on different sky color types based on weather conditions is ongoing.

Work is ongoing to implement different sky colors based on weather conditions.

Addressed issues impacting community translations, missing car spawn zones, and various player-crafter gate related bugs.

A new multiplayer chat system is being polished for inclusion in Build 40.

Players are encouraged to provide feedback on how vehicles are changing gameplay dynamics in early and late game.

Existing savegames will not be compatible with Build 39 due to extensive engine and gameplay changes.

Significant engine and gameplay changes that may affect savegame compatibility.

Addressed issues impacting community translations, missing car spawn zones, and various player-crafter gate related bugs.

Vehicles are changing the way players interact with the game in both early and late game scenarios.

Polishing of a new multiplayer chat system for inclusion in Build 40.

Vehicles including trucks, vans, and cars are now available in the IWBUMS beta branch.

Vehicles including trucks, vans, and cars are now available in the IWBUMS beta branch.

Zombies now respond faster to sound, reducing lag when lured by noise.

Zombies now respond faster to sound, reducing lag when lured by noise.

Passengers no longer get dumped by the roadside, and vehicle visibility issues improved.

Added a variety of gates to improve vehicle access to player bases.

Fixed issues with passengers being dropped and vehicle visibility in multiplayer.

Players can now choose preferred framerate levels for UI vs. game FPS.

In-car loot discovery issues have been fixed, increasing variety.

Added a variety of gates to facilitate vehicle access to player-made bases.

In-car loot discoveries have been fixed to provide more variety.

Working on resolving issues with cars juddering at high speeds in multiplayer.

Investigating and resolving issues with cars juddering at high speeds in multiplayer.

Fully charged batteries will now spawn regardless of difficulty or world age.

Fully charged batteries will now spawn regardless of difficulty or world age.

Players can now choose preferred framerate levels for UI vs. game FPS.

Insights from a study on loot in player’s starting houses, revealing which towns have the best loot.

A menu option has been added to allow players to choose their own level of sacrifice of game FPS for UI framerate, along with a slight increase in the default UI framerate.

A study on loot in player starting houses has been conducted, revealing statistics on loot quality in different towns.

Added a menu option to allow players to choose their own level of sacrifice of game FPS for UI framerate, and raised the default UI framerate.

Introduction of new weather systems with shader effects, including fog and ambient effects.

Significant optimizations made to zombies responding to sound and the way sounds are transmitted across the map, improving performance with large hordes.

Improvements have been made to the pathfinding of zombies, enhancing performance when navigating through hordes.

Significant optimizations have been made to zombies responding to sound and the way sounds are transmitted across the map, improving performance when handling large hordes.

Introduction of new weather systems with shader effects, including new shader driven fog and ambient effects.

Significant FPS optimizations have been introduced to improve overall game performance.

Resolved issues including checkerboard lighting updates, flickering UI windows, and invisible ground objects.

Fixed the bug causing self-duplicating cars on servers.

The default speed limit for map loading in multiplayer has been raised to 80mph.

UI FPS has been sacrificed for the sake of overall game FPS, with some windows appearing more transparent.

Resolved issues including checkerboard lighting updates, flickering UI windows, and invisible ground objects.

Enhancements to shaders and sound effects to better reflect seasonal changes.

Addressed the self-duplicating cars on servers and fixed reversed textures and backwards writing on some vehicles.

Optimized UI performance at the cost of UI FPS to enhance overall game FPS.

The speed limit for map loading in multiplayer has been raised to 80mph.

Car damage at low speeds has been reduced.

An improved dynamic weather system is being developed to enhance seasonal changes and weather effects.

Radio transmission ranges have been extended to accommodate the larger map.

Car spawn zones have been added to the small settlement south of Riverside.

New tutorial windows appear when players first boot the game to assist with vehicle mechanics.

Various background memory leaks have been resolved to improve game stability.

New car spawn zones have been established in the small settlement south of Riverside.

Significant FPS optimizations have been added to improve overall game performance.

Various background memory leaks have been fixed, improving overall game stability.

Reduced damage to vehicles when colliding at low speeds.

Fixed issues with miniature vehicle sizes, reversed textures, and backwards writing on vehicles.

Tutorial windows now appear when new players first boot the game.

Radio transmission ranges have been increased to accommodate the extended map.

Improvements to sound effects to better reflect seasonal changes are being worked on.

An improved dynamic weather system is being developed to enhance seasonal changes and weather effects.

Significant optimizations to improve frame rates, allowing up to 60fps in most areas.

Limited the threat posed by invisible trees in the game.

Fixed issues with vehicles clipping over characters and each other, enhancing zed/vehicle collisions in multiplayer.

Removed in-car 3D sound to reduce disorientation for players.

Introduction of a new chat window and functions for multiplayer gameplay.

Introduction of a new weather system with varied weather and temperature changes throughout the day.

Limited the threat posed by invisible trees in the game.

Significant optimizations to improve frame rates and overall performance in the vehicles beta.

Fixed issues with vehicle clipping over characters and each other, enhancing zed/vehicle collisions in multiplayer.

Removed in-car 3D sound to reduce disorientation for players.

New snog/fog system to enhance weather dynamics, including varied temperature and precipitation changes.

Implementation of a new chat window and functions for multiplayer gameplay.

Implemented fixes to lessen the occurrence of key loss in the game.

Reduced instances of key loss in the game.

Implemented player-requested improvements to the composting system.

Increased spawn chances for tire pumps, barbed wire, sandbags, and milk.

Admins can now spawn keys, gas, and repair cars for testing and MP admin purposes.

Fixed interactions when looting piles of crates.

Fixed various vehicle parts errors and UI screen issues for new vehicles.

Tracked down and patched a bug related to item and bag loss, providing relief to testers.

Implemented player-requested improvements to the composting system.

Tracked down and patched an item and bag loss bug.

Added a new keybind (Z) to switch seats inside vehicles.

Resolved issues with interactions when looting piles of crates.

Changes made to frame compensation and fixed framerate smoothing issues.

Mash’s map expansion fills in gaps between major towns and zombie trouble spots for vehicle exploration.

New keybind (V) to hide/show the radial menu along with other interface improvements.

Further optimizations to world streaming and tile-rendering processes.

Introduced a new switch-seat keybind (Z) and a 'V' keybind to hide/show the radial menu.

Increased spawn chances for tire pumps, barbed wire, sandbags, and milk.

Adjusted the impact of tire pressure on vehicle speed.

Mash’s map expansion fills in gaps between major towns and zombie trouble spots, allowing for vehicle exploration and new hideaways.

Changes made to how frame compensation is handled.

New vehicle sound effects are planned for the next build.

Improvements made to map/chunk streaming both online and offline.

Fixed various errors in the UI screens for new vehicles and issues when players switch seats or sound the horn.

Fixed issues with framerate smoothing that caused time slowing down during gameplay.

Admins can now spawn keys, gas, and repair cars for testing and multiplayer purposes.

Introduced new countryside, farms, and settlements between West Point and Riverside, including new town and foraging zones.

Resolved issues with vehicle textures, item transfer speeds, and zombies attacking the correct part of the vehicle.

Tracked down and fixed the occasional item loss problem.

Significantly reduced the impact of tire pressure on vehicle speed.

Addressed various bugs related to vehicle textures, item transfer speeds, and zombie interactions with vehicles.

Added new SFX for vans and higher performance vehicles, with plans for custom engine loops.

Improved visuals and SFX for clearer success/failure indications in the Mechanic UI.

Addressed MP lag by optimizing vehicle data handling and server saves.

Addressed MP lag by optimizing vehicle data handling and server saves.

Introduced new SFX for vans and higher performance vehicles, with plans for custom engine sounds.

Cleared up confusion caused by dual keybindings for on foot vs. in vehicle functions.

Significantly reduced the impact of tire pressure on vehicle speed.

Addressing small text on high resolution screens, with a temporary mod available for users.

Addressed small text issue on high resolution screens; introduced a mod for better visibility.

Introduced new countryside, farms, and smaller settlements between West Point and Riverside, including new town and foraging zones.

Enhanced visuals and SFX for clearer success/failure indications in the Mechanic UI.

Cleared up irritation caused by dual keybindings for on foot vs. in vehicle functions.

Improvements to the degradation mechanics of vehicle mufflers.

Introduced a new sound system for vehicles to improve audio experience.

Addressing issues related to safehouses and damaged vehicle textures in the upcoming beta.

Several multiplayer sync bugs have been hotfixed, with more fixes planned for the next beta.

Two new vehicles added to the game: the jeep-esque Dash Ranger and the luxurious Mercia Lang 400.

Two new cars added to the game, enhancing vehicle variety.

Resolved issues with unusual lighting effects on vehicles during night-time.

Improved performance when driving at speed by compressing item info.

Several multiplayer sync bugs have been addressed with hotfixes.

Introduction of a new sound system for vehicle engines and exhausts, reducing irritant noises.

Enhanced variety and color options for vehicles in the game.

Optimization to compress identical items to improve chunk-loading performance while driving.

Better interaction with new car overlays on the Mechanic skill UI.

Improved interaction with new car overlays on the Mechanic skill UI.

Addressed issues with damaged vehicle textures and odd night-time lighting.

Better variety and color options for vehicles in the game.

A new customizable communications window for multiplayer chat functions is being developed.

Improved UI for vehicle mechanics to provide clarity on vehicle issues based on the player's Mechanics skill.

New UI visualization for vehicle mechanics to clarify issues based on the player's skill level.

Completion of map expansion to fill gaps in the primary road loop around major settlements.

Spawn rates for certain hard-to-find loot have been increased.

Server admins gained more powers for organizing regular loot respawns.

Completion of map expansion filling gaps in the primary road loop around major settlements.

A multitude of fixes and general tidy-up work around issues from the public Spiffospace test server.

A multitude of fixes and general tidy-up work around issues reported from the public Spiffospace test server.

New sound system for vehicle motors to enhance realism, with plans for further improvements.

New sound system for vehicle motors to enhance realism and reduce abrasiveness.

Work on a new communications window for multiplayer chat functions, allowing customizable chat levels.

Boosted spawn rates for certain hard-to-find loot reported by the community.

Server admins now have more powers to organize regular loot respawns.

Improved range of car conditions found on the streets.

Saplings in the erosion system no longer cause damage.

Most item synchronization issues have been addressed.

Resolved issues with zombies getting stuck in specific animation states.

Increased appearances of certain items like antibiotics and canning apparatus.

Experiments in zombie pathfinding to reduce performance issues in high-density areas.

General server stability improvements in Vehicle Builds 32 and 33.

Map gap filling work south of Rosewood and along the Ohio river.

Added debug info to show character animation states.

Physics collisions at the highest speeds are now registering correctly.

Improvements to zombie pathfinding to reduce performance issues.

New vehicle sounds are being developed to enhance the audio experience.

Collisions at highest speeds now register correctly.

Work continues on a new multiplayer chat system with visual communication methods.

Addressed a segmentation fault in the PZBullet physics system.

Vehicles bring a fresh dynamic to the multiplayer experience, allowing players to find friends and rare items more easily.

Added debug info to track character animation states for easier bug hunting.

Crashes related to fire have been fixed.

The spammy game console has been cleared out.

Loot spawn rates for certain items like antibiotics and canning apparatus have been boosted.

Saplings no longer cause damage.

Changes to experience points have been made, with more adjustments planned.

Visual improvements and customization options for MP chat.

Fixed issue where zombies appeared curled up when loaded from a savegame.

Addressed the issue of zombies sliding along the floor.

Introduced new RNG for more reliable probability calculations in crafting and Mechanics skill.

New map additions being worked on south of Rosewood and along the Ohio River.

New audio system for vehicle sounds to improve quality and realism.

Guide provided for updating maps to handle the new roof occlusion system.

Guidelines have been released for mappers to add car spawn zones in preparation for the vehicles build.

RJ is working on bugs and XP balance for the vehicles build.

Ongoing work on XP balance related to vehicle mechanics.

A fix has been committed to address loot that could be lost or duplicated when two players were in the same inventory space.

Fixes to mesh rendering to improve animation visibility alongside vehicles.

A guide has been provided for map-makers to update maps for the new roof occlusion system.

Experimenting with a C++ navigation mesh to improve zombie pathfinding and performance.

A dedicated server for testing multiplayer vehicles has been revived, allowing players to drive cars and report bugs.

New audio support for vehicle sounds is being implemented to enhance the driving experience.

A dedicated server for testing multiplayer vehicle mechanics has been revived.

Fix for loot that could be lost/duplicated when two players were in the same inventory space.

Guidelines for adding car spawn zones to maps in preparation for vehicle build.

Experimentation with a C++ navigation mesh to improve zombie pathfinding and reduce FPS issues.

Fixed mesh rendering to allow anim models to be viewed alongside vehicles for better size comparison.

Investigating visual issues on tiles where players are building or destroying.

Investigating visual issues on tiles where players are building/destroying.

Work done to improve some of the multiplayer sync issues.

Next public build will primarily focus on balance and bugs.

Focus on reducing the impact of zombie attraction from noisy/speedy vehicles.

Enhancements to farmland, river banks, and country tracks to feel more lived-in.

Work on allowing modders to easily add settings for their mods in the Options menu.

Fixing kinks in the unified animation build to ensure proper functionality.

Development of a more intuitive and functional chat experience for multiplayer.

Development of a more intuitive and functional chat experience for multiplayer.

Experimenting with a new general pathfinding library using a navigation mesh.

Fixing kinks in the unified animation build to ensure everything works properly.

Fixed the roof-rendering bug that had crept back into recent versions.

Developing a way for modders to easily add settings for their mods in the Options menu.

Focus on reducing the impact of zombie attraction due to noisy/speedy vehicles.

Work towards getting fog and snow into an upcoming vehicles build.

Fixed the roof-rendering bug that had crept back into recent versions.

Work done to hopefully improve some of the multiplayer sync issues.

Fleshing out the map to make farmland, river banks, and country tracks feel more real.