Status Update (March 2017) & Livestream Highlights
Hello all! I wanted to check in and keep everyone up to date on things!
Post your Builds/Strategies!
Someone made this thread and I think it's a great place for everyone to share their own decks and strategies. I also really like the variety on display here and how different it is from my own style of play.
I'm looking forward to seeing what the rest of you guys are playing with!
If you’d like to check out the rest of the highlights I’ve added an index to the YouTube archive so that you can easily jump to whichever moment you want, such as:
Melonie and Joey come back after the next excerpt and play several games. It actually makes up most of the stream and is a fairly detailed overview of most of the cards and some of the basic mechanics but probably not terribly interesting to experienced players.
Steven Dwyer did the heavy lifting on the makeup/prosthetics for The Broken, The Impaler, and KIller Instinct (the card, not the game), so this portion gives you a little insight into that process.
I don’t really remember what happened during the final hour of the stream. It was kind of a blur at that point. To be honest, I barely got any sleep over the course of this LA trip (where I livestreamed this) so I wasn’t at 100%, but I think there are some fun nuggets of trivia and what not throughout the 6.5-hour stream. I’ll do better on the next one!
A big thank you as always to the Satellite Santa Monica for hosting us, Grant, Melonie, Meagan, Bryan, Lance, and the rest of the cast/crew who popped in to celebrate v1.0’s launch, and also to anyone who stopped by to chat with us on Twitch!
Rule Localization
Thanks to the help of Google and some very generous players who have dedicated time to translating all the game rules, I’ll be posting the full How to Play guide here on Steam in various languages.
No solid ETA but definitely ASAP. It’s primarily a matter of finding time to format and post each one. I’m a stickler for presentation! :P
Future Updates
Since launch I’ve been taking in everyone’s feedback and also recording any bugs you guys have submitted. The two most pressing issues are:
Improving Survivor AI (and any related bugs)
An improved tutorial system or tools, especially for new players
And of course, there are a lot of little issues or rough edges that have made themselves known (again, thanks in large part to everyone’s feedback here on the forums and over email) and I want to smooth these all out as well.
Stay tuned for more on that soon and please don't hesitate to keep emailing/commenting if you encounter any issues or have any general feedback!
Hello everyone! Firstly, thank you so much for the onslaught of excitement, positivity, and feedback on the game. For Kickstarter backers especially this has been a long journey, and while it’s not over I’m glad to at least have something tangible to show for it. And while I didn’t do it with the intention of making you guys have to talk to me, it has been an extreme delight hearing from so many of you this past week.
Secondly, my current focus right now (besides wrapping the tabletop version) is taking in all the feedback on the game and deciding next steps for the digital version. While the game is sold “as is” on Steam, hence the price tag versus a F2P approach, I think not having a traditional tutorial has created a barrier to entry far higher than I ever expected. So that, along with some other tweaks and of course squashing any bugs is at the forefront of my mind.
Further details on all that will be forthcoming.
Now to the matter at hand! To celebrate this milestone I’ll be holding a cast and crew livestream this Saturday, March 4th (tomorrow!). It will run from 12-6pm PST and various people who appear in or helped make the game will be stopping, including Grant Imahara, Amie Lynn, Melonie Mac, and more.
I hope you all can find some time between playing Horizon and Zelda to pop in and say hello!
https://www.twitch.tv/downwardviral
Also, Z. can now be purchased for Steam via the Humble Store, if you’re so inclined. A portion of the proceeds go to charity when buying the game via this method.
https://www.humblebundle.com/store/z-year-one
Lastly, as always, if you’re experiencing any issues or have questions about the game (like how to not get slaughtered), please leave a comment or start a new thread. You’ll also get answers from the extended community in addition to me.
See you tomorrow!
Update Notes: v1.3
Hello everyone! This update is to address all the most pressing issues that have popped up since v1.0. Thank you for sending in the feedback, screenshots, and for your patience!
General
Updated Survivor and Fallen card sleeves
Locked Doors and Events will now show their current SV when inspected
Backfire will now cause Monika to drop both of her Signature Weapons
Unlocked (reward) cards now can be inspected in the Match Results screen
Mules can no longer equip keys
Updated the sound made when opening the Inventory Deck
Bug Fixes
Fixed a bug where the Locked Case Event could enable Fallen to equip the Tranq Gun -_-
Fixed a bug where found Survivors such as Camper, Prisoner, and Ranger couldn’t attack
Fixed a bug where the Fallen Security Guard would cause the AI to lock up
Fixed several bugs related to the Explosive Roamer
Fixed a bug related to the Ricochet Trap when attacking the Hive
Fixed a bug where defeated units could initiate an action before they disappeared
Fixed a bug where the Fallen’s first turn would be displayed as “Turn 2”
Fixed a bug where the Nothing Hive was incorrectly preventing roaming from providing Burst
Fixed a bug where Locate combined with a Nothing Base would break the game
Fixed a bug related to Stealth Attacks (such as on Jordyn’s Scavenger/Machete build)
Fixed the Machine Gun to distribute DMG properly
Fixed a bug related to Fallen Deck Names in the Deck-Builder (DB)
Fixed a bug where a tiny Location Deck sleeve would show behind the Location Units
Fixed a mismatch between Lily’s card text and tooltip
Fixed a typo on the Damaged Radio Event
Fixed a typo on the Chainsaw
Fixed a display issue when opening the How to Play guide in the Booster Pack screen
Explosive Roamer will now actually explode
Most importantly: Several of these bugs were contributing to the AI locking up, so you should now encounter it FAR less, if at all.
PSA: From here, any bug fixes will be coming on a more regular schedule starting next month (actual schedule TBD).
I’m preparing the tabletop version for manufacturing and also seeking out additional team members/contractors to help out with Z. (like hopefully setting up Steam Achievements). So please keep the feedback coming; I just want to establish realistic expectations on how frequent updates will be beyond v1.3. :)
Lastly, thank you all for the kind words and excitement, and even the respectful criticisms. I know the game isn't perfect, but I'm happy to hear people are enjoying it, and so proud to have been supported via Kickstarter to be able to make something like this.
Hello everyone! First and foremost, I believe the Survivor AI bug has been squashed! Thank you to everyone who reported it. For your trouble and patience I’ve awarded you all 20 Fallen Booster Packs.
New Survivor Hero: LeeAnna
LeeAnna has some of my favorite images in the game, and is one of my favorite people in the world so I had to try and slip her in here. She comes with a Heavy Machine Gun and Initiative, so once you’ve reached Survivor level 35 she’ll be unlocked in your collection. LeeAnna’s Variants will also start showing up in Booster Packs now.
New Barbed Roamer Alt: Tim Schafer?!
As part of the original Kickstarter plan, Tim Schafer was going to be a zombie card in our game. And, now he is! I saw Tim at a local board game gathering recently and he didn’t believe me that his 4+ hours being wrapped in blood and barbed wire was ever going to make it into the final product, so everyone take a screenshot and Tweet at him how awesome he looks!
https://twitter.com/TimOfLegend
Note: As a reminder, there are no plans to add new cards or features to the game beyond where we’re at now. This is not a living card game with expansions planned beyond the horizon (though man, if I had the money we’d already be on Z. Year Four!).
These two additions were just special. :)
General
Updated the small card sleeves in the DB
Increased the size of the XP display on the Main Menu
Protector will now equip a Jacket instead of “1 Armor”
Added a solid black background behind the “game” to prevent issues when using an unsupported resolution
Updated the unlock alert text in the Main Menu and DB to better fit the rest of the game
Bug Fixes
Fixed a bug where Survivor AI would lock up when using multi-hit weapons like SMGs
Fixed a display bug when a match would end while the Inventory was open
Fixed a bug where The Shed would count down to -X but still not open
Steam store
One last note: We had an unfortunate glitch when transitioning from Early Access to Full Release where our release date did not update on the store backend, and therefore the game wasn’t featured on the front page/New Releases section. It was fixed a day and a half later, but it does feel like it kind of took some of the wind out of our sails.
So if you’re enjoying the game please help spread the word, share out your favorite images, etc. Any little bit helps, and is also greatly appreciated!
Hello everyone! I've got some reports that the Survivor AI will randomly stop playing in the middle of a match for no discernible reason.
The good(ish) news is that it sounds frequent enough to be reproducible, but is also thus far pretty vague in what's triggering it. I haven't seen it happen myself, but I will continue to test for it.
So if you encounter this, please provide any screenshots or details about the game state leading to up to the bug that may help identify the issue.
Did a Trap go off right before? Was the Location Deck completely empty? Which Survivor units hadn't acted yet? Stuff like that.
We recently overhauled the Survivor AI to make them more competitive and so it seems something slipped through the cracks, but I assure you this is the #1 priority for me right now.
Thank you for your understanding, and sorry for any frustration caused by this issue. I hope to have you back eating faces in no time! :tank:
Welcome new players! Here's a video guide to winning with the Survivors
Hello everyone! I recently recorded a video showing some ways to be victorious with just the Survivor Starter Decks. I think it's a good starting point for anyone less familiar with these types of games or who learn better by watching than reading (like I do).
That said, don’t forget that you can press TAB at any time to see the How to Play/Config screen!
The How to Play screen is your go-to spot for any and all rules in the game, so don't hesitate to check it often when you're just starting out. I'm working on getting these localized into additional languages ASAP!
If you have any questions, issues, or strategies/custom decks of your own, please share in the forums!
Today’s the day! Z. Year One v1.0 is live on Steam now and the game has left Early Access! This is just part of a five-year journey in bringing this stupidly ambitious zombie card game to life, so thank you all for taking this big step with me!
Before we start, the How to Play screen and rules have all been updated! You can access this from the How to Play button on the top of the Main Menu, or by pressing TAB in-game any time.
Learn this screen. Know it. Live it.
Early Access Booster Packs
All Early Access players have been granted 20 Survivor Booster Packs and 20 Fallen Booster Packs. This is twice as many as originally planned, but I figured I’d surprise you with a little something extra for all the feedback you provided and bugs you helped find!
Reminder about Hardcore Difficulty/Booster Packs/Variants
With your shiny new Booster Packs there’s a few things for returning and new players to keep in mind:
Booster Packs contain five Variants each
Variants are super-powered versions of Core cards
Variants come in three rarities: Rare, Prime, and Elite
Variants can only be used on Hardcore Difficulty, which unlocks at level 20
Variants are consumed upon use!
Booster Packs are earned by leveling up and playing Supply Run -- you cannot buy them
Hardcore and the consumable nature of Variants are sure to be a love-it-or-hate-it (but hopefully love-it-after-giving-it-a-chance) feature. However, the point of Variants are not to make you grind out levels until you have an all Elite deck that you can crush any enemy with, but rather to incentivize constant deck-building and experimentation.
Hardcore is for experienced players looking for an extra challenge, but if you don’t like it or Variants you can ignore it completely and hopefully still get your money’s worth with the hundreds of cards in the Core set. As always, I look forward to any feedback. :)
Final Pricing
I settled on $14.99 for the full release price. It does not include any bonus Booster Packs like the Early Access bundle did.
Honestly, you can thank The Behemoth for that -- I didn’t feel right charging more than they do for Pit People and Castle Crashers. I know that’s kind of an arbitrary deciding factor since there are games that charge $60+ that I wouldn’t pay $5 for, and F2P games that I’d happily spend hundreds on, but last week I took an hour to sit down and play Pit People to give my brain a rest and I thought if they only charged 15 bucks for something they put so much heart and hard work into, then that seems like a fair amount for Z. as well. Just some random insight into my crazy thought process this week. :)
And now, the update notes:
New Mode: Supply Run
Survivor-exclusive mode that unlocks at level 5
Up to five consecutive matches on Standard and six on Hardcore
If you continue after a match, you’ll gain even better rewards and XP but the Fallen will gain a random “Danger” (universal buff). Dangers stack, so after a few matches it will be quite difficult. Good luck!
Unlike Hardcore Arcade, you have to build a new deck for each match in Hardcore Supply Run
Includes a live-action Leader customization at the start of each run
Supply Run is the best source of Booster Packs and XP in the game. I’m particularly excited to reveal the Leader Select feature, which took a lot of work, but the stacking Dangers are also kind of cool.
If people like this mode it’s something I’d definitely like to expand upon in future games....
Known Issue: There’s a ghosting effect on one of Jordyn’s videos. A proper replacement will be uploaded this week.
Improved Survivor AI
Survivor AI goes first
Survivor AI decks now feature Variants, even on Standard difficulty
Survivor AI gains increasing Supplies each turn, similar to Aggro
The Survivor AI has been lackluster for quite some time, but no longer! We buffed them in several different ways to ensure they’d put up a fight but not so much that they seemed unfair.
Canonically, the changes can be tied to the fact that when you’re playing as the Fallen, you’re attacking a Location that the Survivors have already established as a hideout of sorts. So they have the initiative and also a greater stock of resources.
I hope you all feel this makes playing as the Fallen much more enjoyable and challenging!
Bases
New Base selection screen added to Deck-Building
30 Bases total (16 Survivors, 14 Fallen)
Some Bases need to be unlocked
New Base graphics
Bases are back! Bases are a fundamental part of customizing your Decks and strategies for each mode/objective.
Of particular note is the Traits Base, which unlocks for both factions at level 10.
The Traits Base provides one random ability to each non-Hero/Horror unit that enters play, some of which can only be granted from these Bases (like the Fallen ability, “Apex Predator”)!
If you really want to randomize each match and character, try out the Traits Base! But remember, not all Traits are good ones....
General
Completely overhauled and updated the How to Play screen
Hardcore Difficulty now unlocks at level 20
XP gains increased for all modes and difficulties!
Added a “Welcome” message to the Main Menu the first time you start the game
Revised a few Hero/Horror unlock requirements
Added a Promo Code Entry feature to the Boosters screen
Bug Fixes
Fixed tooltip/card text mismatches for Scrounger, Lookout, and Ladee
Fixed a bug where a Trap card would stay on screen when two Traps triggered simultaneously
Fixed a bug that required the Survivors to be level 2 before players could open a Fallen Booster Pack
Localization Help Needed!
I’ll make a dedicated post about this later, but I’m looking to get the Rules for the game translated into as many languages as possible. I’ve seen a lot of non-English-speaking players trying to get into the game and I don’t want anyone to feel left out or discouraged, so if you are able to help translate the official How to Play guide into Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, or anything, really, please let me know.
You’ll be given a hefty bundle of booster packs and a permanent x3 XP bonus in-game as compensation!
Alright, I'll be online today until I literally pass out so if you have any questions, feedback, or issues don't hesitate to pop in the forums!
Hello Kickstarter backers and Early Access players. Behold, shiny new stuff to play with!
Alts
Dozens of new card images have been added! These are called “Alts” and unlike Variants do not impact gameplay. They are primarily for Survivor Heroes and Units.
For Heroes they act as a sort of “skin” similar to what you’d see in a MOBA, fighting game, or--the original inspiration for this feature--unlockable costumes in Resident Evil.
For Units, they are mostly completely different characters:
Since there’s a limit of three of the same Unit per deck, you can now have each Unit look completely different. Or you can mix and match however you want.
Lastly, all available Alts are unlocked when the Core card is unlocked, so if you have the card, you have the Alts!
Enjoy! :boomer:
Bug Hunt and x10 XP Event!
To help us expedite final testing in preparation for launch you’ll now level up every time you win a match! This is an excellent opportunity to unlock Core cards and lots of Booster Packs/Variants!
Please help us by testing the following things:
Level Unlocks: Is everything unlocking and working as intended?
Hardcore Mode and Variants! See below (this is the most important thing to test!)
General bugs: Please report any issues you encounter, big or small
You can report technical issues here (includes details on how to send screenshots and/or crash logs):
Video: v0.9.1 Dev Tour -- New modes, features, and cards!
Hi all! Below is a relatively brief video going over all the new features added to Z. Year One in v0.9.1, including tips and tricks on making the most out of all the new cards.
Video: Let’s Play Z. Year One! Winning with the Survivors (v0.9.1)
Hello everyone! Playing as the Survivors can be challenging at first so I whipped up a video showing how to make the most out of the Starter Decks.
Like all games, once most players get a grasp on their cards and the overall mechanics (as well as getting familiar with the Location Decks), managing the Fallen becomes much more doable, so this hopefully helps expedite that process for anyone just starting out. :)
Note: Don’t forget that you can press TAB at any time to see the How to Play/Config screen!
If you have any questions, issues, or strategies/custom decks of your own, please share below in the comments!
