Infestation: The New Beginning
As most of you know, we have been preparing significant changes for our game, specifically the Survival Game Mode. However, in this case, instead of innovating, we will be returning to the basics—what has worked in the past and what the community has been clamoring for!
Why is Survival being rebooted?
After several attempts at introducing new elements to Survival, your feedback has shown us what should remain unchanged in order to preserve the feeling we had when we played The War Z and Survivor Stories back in the day, and what can be kept from the recent changes. With that in mind, we have decided to recreate the game as it was—ambiance, loot rarity, mechanics, etc.—while retaining only the well-known and unquestionable improvements we've made since then. This, however, will be our starting point.
Post changes to it
From that point on, any changes we decide to make will be based solely on suggestions and polls from active Survival players. These polls will not lead to direct or immediate changes. One key consideration is that a 51% approval in polls will not be considered a sufficient majority. We need to assess whom the changes will affect and how they will impact those people. Therefore, we will require a larger margin for approval. We also aim to structure the polls in a straightforward manner, including an option like 'doesn't matter to me' to minimize the potential for larger groups to manipulate the results.
The goal of the new Survival mode is to ensure FUN for EVERYONE. Changes that could negatively impact a significant portion of the community, or that are controversial and divisive, may be rejected.
Initial Plans for Survival
Our initial plans are based on the feedback we've received so far from the community, who are eager to experience a true Survival mode, reminiscent of what Infestation/The War Z once was.
Seasons
We will structure the game mode into seasons, following a classic seasonal system with wipes occurring at set intervals to keep the game fresh and the community engaged. Our initial plan is for seasons to last 6 to 9 months, but we need to assess whether that works for most players. To determine the ideal season length, we will run the first season without a fixed end date. This will allow us to observe how far players progress into the endgame and how long it takes before they no longer have anything left to do.
Maps
We will have only ONE map available at all times, and the same map will be used across both Official and Private Servers. There may be maps for specific TEMPORARY events with different rules, etc. Missions will also be available throughout the season, though at the beginning, they will be more limited. There will be fewer missions initially, as they can greatly impact player progression. To achieve the right balance, we need to observe how the game mode feels without excessive 'boosts' to progression and the economy.
Skins
Skins are a very controversial aspect of Survival. There are a few things we need to address, but we believe we’ve found a fair balance.
First, let’s talk about clan skins. Clans with existing clan skins can request to have them re-added to the new Survival mode. This can only be done by the current clan leader, who must have a character and clan created in the Game Mode.
Second, and most importantly: Skins are optional! While everyone knows you can choose not to use skins, that doesn’t stop others from using them. With that in mind, we’ve introduced a new system that allows you to disable all item skins in your game.
So, even if a player has a skin equipped, you won’t see it if you’ve enabled this option. However, if you enable the option and have a skin equipped yourself, even though you won’t see the skin, others who haven’t enabled this option will still be able to see it.
Loot
Another major change to the game mode will be the loot system. We’re going back to basics, removing many of the new gun additions (which we may reintroduce gradually later). The goal is to recreate the loot system as it was in the past, both in terms of rarity and placement, along with the quirky randomness we all remember. Who doesn’t recall finding a Mauser SP66 in a small-town supermarket?
However, on both Official and Private Servers, we’ve added a new system where the more players are connected to the server, the more loot will spawn. This system was introduced to ensure Private Servers don’t provide excessive advantages over Official Servers, while still making Private Servers appealing since you have the entire server to yourself.
Zombies
Zombies are going back to basics, with Super Zombies being the only 'supers' available. They will no longer spawn 24/7 as they do now, but will only appear at certain times of the day (in-game time).
Additionally, we’ve introduced zombie variations during nighttime, along with an increased number of zombies. These nighttime zombies will also grant players more EXP and XP.
General Changes
In addition to the option to disable skins, we are also removing the option to disable shadows. With today’s hardware, shadows have minimal impact on performance, and the only reason to disable them is to make the game easier. We're going against that, as we want to maintain the element of surprise and encourage furtive, stealthy gameplay, especially in cities.
Another small but important change we've made is that, even if you have physics disabled, dropped items will no longer float and obstruct players' view.
Additionally, the overgrowth on buildings has been fixed and redone in certain areas to prevent abusive behavior.
Official Dates and Times
We will provide more details, including dates, times, and in-depth information, soon, so stay tuned!
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