Undead Labs has pushed out a major update to its new zombie survival game, bringing improvements to game performance, stability, and multiplayer interactions. State of Decay 2 Patch 1.2 weighs in at a massive 20GB, however, meaning owners will essentially be re-downloading the whole game from scratch.
The developer has stated that the update will work with already existing saved worlds without issues. Although a full changelog hasn"t been made available, there is a rather long list of highlighted changes and improvements that have arrived for the game:
Gameplay
- Grenades no longer get stuck and explode in front of client character’s face or behind their head while throwing
- Fixed instances of clients dealing damage to their host’s non-active community members with explosives
- Flashlight beams no longer cast shadows from the player’s character model (which had caused flickering shadows)
- Characters no longer “self-shadow” when using a flashlight in multiplayer
- Fixed issue with doors appearing the opposite of the state they are in
- Resolved situation where, when getting into vehicles, the camera could become detached from the player’s character
- Fixed issue where, when clients swap weapons while in vehicles, the weapons do not swap upon exit from vehicle
- Fixed rare bug that could prevent Warlord legacy arc from being completed
- Fixed rare bug that could block Sheriff legacy arc from starting
- Fixed issue where player’s loot sometimes becomes invisible until their entire backpack is deposited into a Supply Locker
Networking and Multiplayer
- Numerous networking bandwidth and CPU improvements
- Game now exits to main menu faster when a client loses their internet connection, so players will no longer hang after dismissing the pop-up
- Improved network vehicle interactions in multiplayer games to address weird “rubber-banding” and physics issues (including cars flying into the air).
- Host facilities no longer appear invisible to clients during multiplayer
Zombie and Character Behavior
- Zombies no longer become immune to the Assault Kick
- Reduction of step height to prevent survivors popping up onto props while moving
HUD
- Fixed issue with player HUD disappearing after NPCs are executed by zombies
- Community advice list no longer shows up under vignette on the map
Environment and Collision
- Fixed numerous collision spots across all 3 maps where players or vehicles were getting stuck
- Fixed numerous collision spots across all 3 maps where players were getting stuck in an infinite freefall animation loop
- Elimination of white line that appears when driving at night time
- Addressed a variety of spots in world where player was not able to climb over props they should’ve been able to
- Additional polish and reduction of LOD popping
- Additional lighting tuning passes, reduction in glowing props
Other Fixes
- Addressed a variety of general crash bugs
- Updated a number of strings that were previously hardcoded in English
- Audio mix optimizations
Fans of the title are sure to appreciate the focus on bug fixes, which was the main criticism of the game even in Neowin"s own review of State of Decay 2.
Moreover, in a statement, Undead Labs studio head Jeff Strain addressed the playerbase - which has already crossed the one million player mark -, saying there are "big plans" in motion for the game, with today"s patch being "just the beginning," adding that the studio is "humbled and appreciative to you for giving us the opportunity to make those big plans happen."
State of Decay 2 costs $29.99 and is available on the Xbox One family of consoles and Windows 10, arriving with Xbox Play Anywhere as well as cross-play functionalities. The game is also part of the Xbox Game Pass subscription program.