‘Project Zomboid’ Build 42 to focus on “extended survival” with animals and crafting revamp

Project Zomboid developer The Indie Stone has shared more details on what Build 42 will bring to the game, including animals with “basic AI brains” and a thorough revamp to crafting.

In a blog shared yesterday (July 21), The Indie Stone shared that “one of the focus points of Build 42 is on extended survival in the months and years beyond the initial Knox Event outbreak.”

To that end, the studio is “revamping” the post-apocalyptic game’s crafting system. This will allow crafted items to have “more RPG-like variable attributes based on the crafter’s skill”, meaning an item’s stats will be affected by the creator’s relevant skill.

Build 42 will also feature “domestic and wild animals, albeit with fairly basic AI brains”. This will include chickens, sheep, deer and cows – some of which The Indie Stone previewed back in April.

The animals will be introduced with a “fairly realistic take on poultry-keeping”, which the developer states is based on its own experience in raising chickens.

“If you have a henhouse you will have to close its door every night after your brood have gone in to roost. Otherwise there’s a very real chance of Fantastic Mister Fox paying a visit and stealing a few, and potentially leave others dead in their pen,” warns The Indie Stone.

These chickens will be able to produce fresh eggs for players, which will be a useful source of fresh food for players who survive long enough to eat through their stashes of tinned goods.

Build 42 will also include “all manner of other improvements to the game engine, MP systems and general zombie survival and early game stuff too,” as well as an in-depth rework to how liquids are stored – which means Project Zomboid will have “the most realistic bleach-drinking ever seen in gaming”.

However, it’s noted that Build 42 is “still some ways off” due to illness and continued work improving Build 41.

In other gaming news, Guerrilla is shutting down multiplayer servers for two Killzone games and Rigs.