Project Zomboid Developer Details Complex New NPC Systems, Update 41.66 Goes Live

2013’s Indie zombie survival sandbox game Project Zomboid has been in Steam Early Access for the last nine years, but over the years, the game has progressed and developed into one with a lot of features and options for players to pour their time into. While the game received its multiplayer update a few months back, the developer now seems to be adding more features to the experience to make it feel lively.

Through a series of tweets, Chris Simpson, the developer of Project Zomboid and MD at The Indie Stones, recently outlined his plans on how the upcoming NPC system for the game will function, and reading through the Twitter thread, it sounds like a complex system, which will randomly generate a whole family tree and simulate how they live. Simpson is trying to have realistic ties between NPCs in the game, and this in turn will factor into the NPC stories. Simpson also said that every NPC will have a story from the start of the game.

Apart from the above, the developers at The Indie Stones have also released a new patch for the game. Update 41.66 adds in more tweaks to the multiplayer, along with changing and overhauling how foraging works in the game, on top of various other changes. You can check out the entirety of the patch notes on the official blog post. For now, you can read all the new changes getting added to Project Zomboid down below.

Then I'm remarrying, marrying or making single people partners, then giving them potentially more kids. We'll do some kind of modelling for same sex relationships before release, but just getting the basics to create familial connections thus far.

— Chris Simpson (@lemmy101) February 23, 2022

Then, I assign each household a random house on the map to live with sufficient bedrooms. That becomes their start safehouse.

— Chris Simpson (@lemmy101) February 23, 2022

The people away from their home are given the goal of getting back to their loved ones. The people at home will be hiding in their home, perhaps considering fleeing if they are all together.

— Chris Simpson (@lemmy101) February 23, 2022

The idea here is for realistic ties between characters to exist. Stepmothers, half brothers, uncles, brother in laws and so on. This will factor into the NPCs stories, giving them existing relationships. We'll mix in out of towners and whatnot to mix it up further.

— Chris Simpson (@lemmy101) February 23, 2022

Every character will have a story from the start of the game. Sure we'll probably spawn in new out of towners or randoms when needed, but the survivors of these core families will persist and have events (that they'll hopefully be able to recount to the player) since game start.

— Chris Simpson (@lemmy101) February 23, 2022

PROJECT ZOMBOID UPDATE 41.66

NEW CHANGES

• Added back the “Toggle Music” key binding, bound to nothing by default. It appears under the new “Audio” category near the bottom of the key-binding UI.
• Players can now dismantle several player-built structures (floors, etc)
• Corner pillars will now be built automatically when placing walls/fences etc.
• Updated Kingsmouth and Studio maps. Room definitions, bed and foundation fixes, added video cameras, military equipment, and more.
• Added tooltip information on what mod an item is from. Can be turned off in main options.
• Added “Inventory Container Button Size” Display option to change the size of the buttons on the right-hand side of the inventory and loot windows.
• Updated Survival Guide. Merged into a single window and also made to work with a controller.
• Increased speed of mouse-wheel scrolling in the Survival Guide.
• Added trait reset button to character creation screen.
• Implemented the blue combination washer/dryer appliance. Use the context menu to switch between washer and dryer mode.
• Context Menu is now usable in the loot panel backpack list.
• Added more CDs and VHS tapes, including Dog Goblin sequels.
• Updated ISCraftingUI and CraftTooltip to display multiple choice item counts, as well as heat requirements for recipe ingredients
• Added AllowFrozenItem parameter to recipes and evolved recipes
• Added several new items, mostly flavour. Plushies (friends of Spiffo), Boardgames, Poker Chips, Peppermint, Potato Pancakes. Some of them do not have 3D models attached to them yet.
• Also added Beans. And Perogies.
• Added OnCreate item script property.
• Updated max values for HoursForWorldItemRemoval and HoursForCorpseRemoval sandbox settings.