Fixed a bug where players who hadn’t previously created a custom deck would not be able to start a match or deck-build
Whoo! That was a scary one, but an easy fix. Good catch, everybody!
New Cards
New Fallen Horror: The Saint
General
Added unique ambience to all six locations
Added unique SFX to certain actions/equipment, such as the Chainsaw and Katana
Added audio feedback when interacting with the UI
Overhauled the Main Menu
Replaced the Early Access screen that appears upon startup
Update Notes: v0.9
Hello Kickstarter backers and Early Access players! Below you can find and discuss an exhaustive list of tweaks, changes, and additions from several months of intense development since the last update.
Announcements
Release Date: February 21st, 2017 We’re pretty confident and committed to hitting this date for a full release at this point so I’m changing the Store Page details.
Likewise, the game will temporarily be unavailable to purchase from now until the 21st.
Bug Hunt and x10 XP Event! To help us expedite final testing in preparation for launch, we’re resetting everyone’s XP to Level 1 but cranking the current XP rewards up by 1000%. That means you’ll level up every time you win a match. :)
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):
Note that there is no plan to do a second reset, so whatever level and however many booster packs you can earn are yours to keep going into the full release. Which is good, because...
In-Game Shop Removed I say “removed” but you guys never saw this in a public build. The reason I’m bringing it up now is because of why it won’t be in the final game.
Charging for things like booster packs is usually tied to a living game experience that intends to go on forever (or at least until being unceremoniously canceled by the developer/publisher out of nowhere). That’s not what Z. is. We’ve stuffed as much as we could into the game (including all of the expansion content from the Kickstarters), but any notable additions would likely come in the form of a sequel of some sort. The full release is the whole game.
Likewise, the consumable, finite nature of variants makes charging for boosters a risky experiment. I'm not against it, per se, but I think the current approach is the right one for Z.’s first outing. To be clear, any time I have expendable income (that’s supposed to be for food) I spend it on loot boxes, booster packs, skins, XP multipliers, special Kickstarter tiers, etc., so I really wouldn’t hesitate to embrace that model under different circumstances.
Lastly, with the removal of the shop, the price of the game will stay at $19.99. I think that’s a solid asking price for what’s on offer, and going F2P immediately changes the perception and expectation players will have for the game. I’d rather directly appeal to this game’s admittedly niche target audience than bend to please the lowest common denominator.
However, this isn’t a one-sided conversation. Feel free to reach out in the forums or email me with your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you guys!
Without further ado, the changelog:
New Difficulty: Hardcore
Hardcore difficulty is unlocked at level 10
All Standard modes (Arcade, Survival, etc.) can also be played on Hardcore
Variants are enabled in Hardcore
Variants are more powerful versions of Core cards that you find in Booster Packs
Variants have three rarities: Rare, Prime, and Elite
Gain a free Booster Pack every time you level up
Booster packs contain five random Variants
Variants are consumable -- meaning they’ll be removed from your collection when you use them in a match
Custom decks cannot be saved on Hardcore
All XP gains are tripled on Hardcore (stacks with Kickstarter Founder status)
This isn’t so much a single new feature as it is an entire second game. While Standard difficulty and all of the Core cards amount to roughly what most other DCGs launch with (a few hundred cards), the Variant system instantly quadruples the card count and gives purpose to the Booster Pack system.
New Mode: Arcade
Arcade Mode consists of four consecutive matches
Location/Objective/Enemy are chosen randomly
Choose 1 of 6 pre-set Decks, or make one of your own
New Cards
Added dozens of new Core cards (lots of Survivor Heroes and some new Equipment, including the Chainsaw, Suppressor/Silencer, and Rocket Launcher). Try them out!
General
Changed Card Frame
Added final card art for 99.9% of cards
Added unlock system for leveling up
Added Reward and Level Up notifications (appears at the end of the match)
Added unlock requirements to Deck-Builder (DB) and Main Menu (MM)
Added new Fallen Traits: Leech, Disintegrate V, Treacherous II
Added a Trap notification whenever a Trap is triggered
Erased all Custom Decks to account for card changes. Sorry!
Card Changes
Crossbow: Added “Non-Stealth or non-Marksman Survivors have a 50% chance to miss.”
Adrenaline and Tranquilizer (Visitor’s Center): Changed from Melee Weapons to Tactics
Amie Lynn: Will now spawn a new Tactic in your Hand (Knife Throw)
Lily: Her Seek ability will now only summon Heroes.
Scavenger: Ability description reworded.
Bug Fixes
Fixed a bug where low-cost cards could be reduced below 0
Fixed a bug where AI units that died would still have time to attack in certain scenarios
Fixed a bug where Barricades could be Murdered/Despaired/etc.
Fixed a bug where Initiative wasn’t triggering properly
Fixed an issue where “password reset” wasn’t working properly
Fixed a bug where Ammo Carrier wasn’t granting her bonus properly
Fixed several cards that had the wrong or missing tooltips
Removed Empty Assault Rifle from DB
Removed several instances causing game freezes
A bunch of other miscellaneous fixes
Locations
All six Locations and their unique decks are now available
Note: We’re working on some additional stuff for the backgrounds now, including unique ambience per Location, etc. Should be pretty cool!
Major Known Issues
How to Play screen is outdated (especially the rule about Survivors being able to attack each other, which is no longer a thing primarily due to the unintended Walkie Talkie/Scout exploit)
Upcoming Features
There’s a few notable surprises and additions still in store for the full release version, including one of the things I’m most excited to show off. Stay tuned!
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.
Hi all! We discovered an issue with the recent update (v0.9) that affects any previous player who did NOT make a custom deck.
Update Notes: v0.9
Hello Kickstarter backers and Early Access players! Below you can find and discuss an exhaustive list of tweaks, changes, and additions from several months of intense development since the last update.
IMPORTANT: If you did NOT make a custom deck in a previous build, you may experience an issue where the decks won't be available to start matches with. To fix, check out this easy workaround:
A proper fix will be included in the next game update. ETA TBD.
Announcements
Release Date: February 21st, 2017 We’re pretty confident and committed to hitting this date for a full release at this point so I’m changing the Store Page details.
Bug Hunt and x10 XP Event!
To help us expedite final testing in preparation for launch, we’re resetting everyone’s XP to Level 1 but cranking the current XP rewards up by 1000%. That means you’ll level up every time you win a match. :)
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):
Note that there is no plan to do a second reset, so whatever level and however many booster packs you can earn are yours to keep going into the full release.
Which is good, because...
In-Game Shop Removed
I say “removed” but you guys never saw this in a public build. The reason I’m bringing it up now is because of why it won’t be in the final game.
Charging for things like booster packs is usually tied to a living game experience that intends to go on forever (or at least until being unceremoniously canceled by the developer/publisher out of nowhere). That’s not what Z. is. We’ve stuffed as much as we could into the game (including all of the expansion content from the Kickstarters), but any notable additions would likely come in the form of a sequel of some sort. The full release is the whole game.
Likewise, the consumable, finite nature of variants makes charging for boosters a risky experiment. I'm not against it, per se, but I think the current approach is the right one for Z.’s first outing. To be clear, any time I have expendable income (that’s supposed to be for food) I spend it on loot boxes, booster packs, skins, XP multipliers, special Kickstarter tiers, etc., so I really wouldn’t hesitate to embrace that model under different circumstances.
Lastly, with the removal of the shop, the price of the game will stay at $19.99. I think that’s a solid asking price for what’s on offer, and going F2P immediately changes the perception and expectation players will have for the game. I’d rather directly appeal to this game’s admittedly niche target audience than bend to please the lowest common denominator.
However, this isn’t a one-sided conversation. Feel free to reach out in the forums or email me with your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you guys!
Without further ado, the changelog:
New Difficulty: Hardcore
Hardcore difficulty is unlocked at level 10
All Standard modes (Arcade, Survival, etc.) can also be played on Hardcore
Variants are enabled in Hardcore
Variants are more powerful versions of Core cards that you find in Booster Packs
Variants have three rarities: Rare, Prime, and Elite
Gain a free Booster Pack every time you level up
Booster packs contain five random Variants
Variants are consumable -- meaning they’ll be removed from your collection when you use them in a match
Custom decks cannot be saved on Hardcore
All XP gains are tripled on Hardcore (stacks with Kickstarter Founder status)
This isn’t so much a single new feature as it is an entire second game. While Standard difficulty and all of the Core cards amount to roughly what most other DCGs launch with (a few hundred cards), the Variant system instantly quadruples the card count and gives purpose to the Booster Pack system.
New Mode: Arcade
Arcade Mode consists of four consecutive matches
Location/Objective/Enemy are chosen randomly
Choose 1 of 6 pre-set Decks, or make one of your own
New Cards
Added dozens of new Core cards (lots of Survivor Heroes and some new Equipment, including the Chainsaw, Suppressor/Silencer, and Rocket Launcher). Try them out!
General
Changed Card Frame
Added final card art for 99.9% of cards
Added unlock system for leveling up
Added Reward and Level Up notifications (appears at the end of the match)
Added unlock requirements to Deck-Builder (DB) and Main Menu (MM)
Added new Fallen Traits: Leech, Disintegrate V, Treacherous II
Added a Trap notification whenever a Trap is triggered
Erased all Custom Decks to account for card changes. Sorry!
Card Changes
Crossbow: Added “Non-Stealth or non-Marksman Survivors have a 50% chance to miss.”
Adrenaline and Tranquilizer (Visitor’s Center): Changed from Melee Weapons to Tactics
Amie Lynn: Will now spawn a new Tactic in your Hand (Knife Throw)
Lily: Her Seek ability will now only summon Heroes.
Scavenger: Ability description reworded.
Bug Fixes
Fixed a bug where low-cost cards could be reduced below 0
Fixed a bug where AI units that died would still have time to attack in certain scenarios
Fixed a bug where Barricades could be Murdered/Despaired/etc.
Fixed a bug where Initiative wasn’t triggering properly
Fixed an issue where “password reset” wasn’t working properly
Fixed a bug where Ammo Carrier wasn’t granting her bonus properly
Fixed several cards that had the wrong or missing tooltips
Removed Empty Assault Rifle from DB
Removed several instances causing game freezes
A bunch of other miscellaneous fixes
Locations
All six Locations and their unique decks are now available
Note: We’re working on some additional stuff for the backgrounds now, including unique ambience per Location, etc. Should be pretty cool!
Major Known Issues
How to Play screen is outdated (especially the rule about Survivors being able to attack each other, which is no longer a thing primarily due to the unintended Walkie Talkie/Scout exploit)
Upcoming Features
There’s a few notable surprises and additions still in store for the full release version, including one of the things I’m most excited to show off. Stay tuned!
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.
Holiday Swag and 2016 End of Year Progress Report!
Hello everyone and happy holidays to you all! :re0greenherb:
A quick bit of reflection on the project. Skip to the bottom for your holiday-exclusive swag if you'd like! :)
Development of Z. has been... an experience. This year was another really tough one (the toughest yet, in some aspects), but it also saw Z. get fleshed out into something genuinely tangible thanks to Anthony’s hard work and programming talents. As the project ramps up towards its full release in the next couple of months he deserves a massive shout-out for all he’s done, and the professionalism he’s done it with. I am extremely grateful to be working with him on this project. (He may not see this post but I like to think that somewhere a single Christmas tear is rolling down his cheek right now.)
Likewise, a special thanks to J.R. and Shawn for all of the QA testing they’ve helped do, and a big congrats to J.R. for bringing Baby Reggie into the world! I don’t think that’s what he named it, but I tried... :/
I also added two of the most hardcore Steam players/feedback-givers to the QA team recently to really help hammer out all the rough edges, so thanks to Sam and Fabio for their continued contributions as well.
And thank you to everyone else who's played the game and submitted feedback thus far. I really appreciate it!
Lastly, and this won’t be the last time you hear this because she’s come to play an integral part in this game getting completed, but a sincere thank you to my girlfriend Meagan Marie. Like many of you, she has put up with five years of delays and endless frustrations, and she’s sacrificed so much to keep me going when times got really, really tough. I owe her everything (minus all the stuff I owe you guys, and what I owe my co-publisher, and what I owe the credit card companies... etc.). But you know what I mean. I owe her a LOT. :)
Steam Full Release Date
I will be making some actual concrete announcements in January, but the one I can comfortably say now is that the full release rollout for the Steam version of Z. is set for February 7th, with the slight possibility of being bumped to the 14th but certainly no further than that. In actuality we *could* launch sooner but there’s a little game called Resident Evil 7 that launches on January 24th and I feel like of all the games that could negatively impact our big launch for Z. it’s that one.
We have several months of work and content that isn’t in the current Steam build (look for that ASAP January), so the game has come a really long way since the huge Halloween update. Aside from testing for bugs and balance issues, I’m not fully happy with the visual polish and especially the audio just yet, so that’s something I intend to put a lot of focus on between now and launch.
The Saint
I also want to take a moment to point to the above image of The Saint, the holiday-themed Fallen Horror. We shot that image way back in December of 2012--four whole years ago. But it took us until just recently to finish the image. We tried on several occasions, and with several different artists, but the end result was never satisfactory for one reason or another. As a last ditch effort I turned to Hidrico Reubens and he provided what you’re seeing now, which is how The Saint will appear in the final game. I’m pretty happy with it, but it also kind of a metaphor for the game overall. A lot has gotten done each and every year, but this year and especially these last few months we’ve been going down the checklist and knocking off some massive milestones. Just yesterday I watched the booster pack opening animation for the first time and I was as excited as I’ve ever been; not because it’s the greatest animation of all time or anything like that, but because it’s progress. It’s one more thing that completes Z.
Also, it’s a big deal because Ross was a) such a great sport about being in a bloody Santa costume for an entire day, and b) was actually the one to push the 2015 Kickstarter over its goal in hopes of finally seeing his picture. So to both him and you guys I hope you like it, and Merry Christmas!
As a thanks for your continued support, The Saint and the Xmas alt for Kelly Jean (below) will be automatically granted to the account of all current Kickstarter backers and Early Access customers when the full version launches on Steam in 2017.
Cheers!
--Sebastian
Mid-November Progress Report
Hello everyone! Since our last major update on Halloween, Anthony and I have been working relentlessly on some big stuff for Z.
Given the holidays and a million things vying for everyone’s attention, we’re going to space updates out a little bit more, but make each one far more substantial. [Edit: See the 2016 End of Year Progress Report for details on the next major build.]
I’m excited to be checking off a lot of major, upcoming milestones on this project and look forward to hearing your feedback on everything.
Changed green targeting and unit placement color to blue
Switched “Rescue Units” back to “Location Units” since you can’t really rescue Fallen...
Modified card frames (the frame is complete but the images haven’t all been adjusted to fit properly so you may see some temporary weirdness such as the Ammo Carrier’s face getting blocked)
Card Changes
Removed “Marksman” from Police Officer, making them more balanced for a 3-cost unit
Bug Fixes
Heavy Weapons can no longer be stashed
Foreman will now attack properly when found on the Fallen AI’s turn
Stunned Survivors can no longer be used to activate Tactics/Instincts
Fixed a bug where the Leftover Hive wouldn’t trigger the Leftover CS if you only had 1 resource at the end of your turn
Campsite Location Deck Overhaul
Campsite was using a temporary set of cards but that is no longer the case. It now has its complete deck, including the murderous new Survivor Hero, Jackknife, and the Prison Bus Climax Event which provides four entirely new Equipment cards.
Campsite is also more dangerous on average than Lumber Yard, and I think feels better balanced when it comes to risk-vs-reward, so expect other locations to follow a similar pattern.
Note that some new Location cards use placeholder imagery (Jackknife and anything with the backpack image on it). These will be updated along in an upcoming patch.
NEW FALLEN CARDS
The Broken
Fallen Horror
Cost: 4
AP: 0
SV: 1
Broken: Put a random Trap into play at the end of each Fallen turn.
This Horror is best put down when you can protect her for several turns. If left unchecked she can easily disrupt the Survivors’ efforts to do pretty much anything, depending on which Traps you get.
Ricochet
Fallen Trap
Cost: 1
Trigger: A Survivor attacks with a Ranged Weapon.
Effect: Deal its DMG to a random nearby target in addition to its original target.
Gun Jam
Fallen Trap
Cost: 2
Trigger: A Survivor attacks with a Ranged Weapon.
Effect: Nullify the attack.
Graze
Fallen Trap
Cost: 2
Trigger: A Fallen sustains DMG from a Ranged Weapon.
Effect: Reduce the DMG to 1.
Gun Jam, Graze, and Ricochet are all meant to be alternatives (but not replacements) to Backfire. They’re not quite as devastating, but they cost less and can still have dire consequences for the Survivors.
Deathless
Fallen Trap
Cost: 3
Trigger: A Fallen is dealt fatal DMG.
Effect: Return it to your Hand.
No Hope
Fallen Trap
Cost: 5
Trigger: The Survivor player ends their turn with a single unit.
Effect: Discard the Survivor.
Rooftop Ambush
Fallen Trap
Cost: 3
Trigger: A Survivor with Rooftop enters play.
Effect: The Survivor is killed.
Scathed
Fallen Trap
Cost: 2
Trigger: A Survivor defeats a unit with a melee attack.
Effect: The Survivor suffers 1 DMG.
No Room
Fallen Trap
Cost: 1
Trigger: Equipment is added to the Inventory Deck from Searching.
Effect: Discard it instead.
Fatigue
Fallen Trap
Cost: 3
Trigger: A non-Hero Survivor with Rush enters play.
Effect: Nullify its abilities.
Doomed
Fallen Trap
Cost: 1
Trigger: The same Survivor would be saved from a fatal wound twice.
Effect: The Survivor dies anyway.
An example would be a Police Officer or Hero that is continuously kept alive by First Aid Kits and/or Medics. With Doomed, they’d only get that first save.
Wounded
Fallen Trap Cost: 2
Trigger: A Survivor enters play.
Effect: Reduce its SV to 1.
Is That... You?
Fallen Trap
Cost: 2
Trigger: A Survivor attempts to attack a Converted unit.
Effect: Nullify the attack and the Survivor is stunned.
Inhuman
Fallen Trap
Cost: 2
Trigger: A Survivor kills a Fallen with a melee attack.
Effect: The Fallen counterattacks before dying.
NEW SURVIVOR CARDS
Protector
Survivor Unit
Cost: 1
AP: 0
SV: 1
Equip: 1 Armor
Guardian
Sentinel
Survivor Unit
Cost: 4
AP: 0
SV: 2
Equip: Motorcycle Helmet, Motorcycle Jacket
Guardian
Protector and Sentinel add new Guardian types to the Survivor ranks, hopefully giving Survivor decks some alternatives to the Police Officer.
Ammo Carrier
Survivor Unit
Cost: 2
AP: 0
SV: 1
Ammo Carrier: Reduce the cost of Reloading by 1.
Suicide Mission
Survivor Tactic
Cost: 1
Description: Sacrifice an active Survivor to resolve target Event.
Stealth
Survivor Tactic
Cost: 2
Description: Target Survivor gains Stealth.
Cunning
Survivor Tactic
Cost: 2
Description: Target Survivor gains Cunning.
Halloween dev stream & giveaways - Oct. 31st, 4pm PST
Hey everyone, tomorrow we'll be dropping a big game update just in time for Halloween. To cover all the new changes and updates I'll be doing a dev stream at 4pm PST.
https://www.twitch.tv/downwardviral
To make up for not streaming the past couple weekends (I've been sick, surprise move, bla bla bla), EVERYONE who tunes in to the stream will be getting some in-game goodies.
I know 4pm PST on a Monday is pretty late/early for some of you across the pond but I'll try to make it worth the missed zzzs.
See you tomorrow!
--Sebastian
https://www.twitch.tv/downwardviral
Update Notes: v0.16.1
Hello Kickstarter backers and Early Access players! Below you can find and discuss the latest changes to the game. Z. Year One is currently under heavy development and will continue to be tweaked and improved throughout the Early Access period.
This week's update includes an improvement to targeting/highlighting valid targets, and various fixes and tweaks in preparation for our big Halloween update. :ZombieFace:
When using certain actions or Instants, only valid targets will be highlighted (instead of all or none)
Fallen only: If there's a face-up Survivor(s), only they are highlighted as valid targets
Fallen only: If there's no face-up Survivors then ALL Survivors (and the Hideout) are highlighted red
Fallen only: If a Guardian is Grabbed/Stunned, it will refresh and show all previously protected Survivors as valid targets
General
Switched “Rescue Units” back to “Location Units” (since you can’t really rescue Fallen...)
Added “Heavily Armored” to Fallen Trait pool
Added “Unpredictable” to Fallen Trait pool
Cards can now be inspected during Locate and other similar Card Selector (CS) overlays
Card Changes
All Sabotage cards have an additional tooltip saying that Survivors do not receive Supplies for searching a Sabotage card
Fallen with Phantom will now avoid ranged splash DMG
Dodge & Counter can now trigger on a counterattack, meaning a Survivor can attack, get countered, trigger D&C, and attack a SECOND time, all as a single action
Bug Fixes
Stunned Survivors can no longer be used to activate Tactics/Instincts
Heavy Weapons can no longer be stashed
Foreman will now attack properly when found on the Fallen AI’s turn
Fixed a bug where Extermination would give infinite XP
Plague Instinct now has correct tooltip
Fixed a variety of UI overlay issues
Major Known Issues
AI is still in need of a major overhaul
Various UI improvements being worked on
AI attack speed may cause issues when counterattacks or Traps are triggered
Upcoming Features
There’s a lot on its way; so much so that we’ll be skipping next week and doing the next major update on October 31st. Seems appropriate given the theme of the game, and we’re aiming to make the Halloween update the biggest one yet!
I’ll also do a livestream that day (Monday, October 31st) to go over all the new stuff. Hopefully I will have my voice back by then! :re0greenherb:
Soooo my Internet went out a short while ago and I don't think I can livestream Z. on my phone (yet!), so I'll have to postpone today's dev stream.
Next week's stream will have extra giveaways to make up for the bait-and-switch. I was looking forward to showing off all the cool new stuff that's coming up but you'll see it all in-game soon enough!
Sorry about that! :urdead:
Dev Stream today! Giveaways, phlegm, and sneak previews!
Hello all! Quick reminder that the next dev stream is later today!
I'll be going over the latest updates and features, as well as previewing some of next week's new cards and probably more. However, this stream may be somewhat shorter than normal since my girlfriend corrupted me with her plague virus and I don't have much time..... until my voice is gone. :argh:
Dev Livestream - v0.15+
https://www.twitch.tv/downwardviral @ 3pm PST (Saturday, October 15th)
Three random viewers will win 10 booster packs each!
And here's the latest update notes for v0.15 in case you missed them!
