Hello all! I wanted to check in and keep everyone up to date on things!


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!


In case you missed the livestream, I think this was the moment that best sums up Z. Year One.

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:

BTS w/ Melonie Mac

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.

BTS w/ Rachel, Keikei, and Steven (horror FX)

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.

BTS w/ Joe Rubinstein and a look at how the card images are made

Joe and his tiny vaginas cover a little bit about how he Photoshops some of the more horrific images in the game!

Chat w/ Prof. Imahara, Lawnmower Man, and Reggie!

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!


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


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!

Twitch -- YouTube -- Facebook -- Instagram

Hello all! I wanted to check in and keep everyone up to date on things!


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!


In case you missed the livestream, I think this was the moment that best sums up Z. Year One.

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:

BTS w/ Melonie Mac

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.

BTS w/ Rachel, Keikei, and Steven (horror FX)

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.

BTS w/ Joe Rubinstein and a look at how the card images are made

Joe and his tiny vaginas cover a little bit about how he Photoshops some of the more horrific images in the game!

Chat w/ Prof. Imahara, Lawnmower Man, and Reggie!

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!


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


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!

Twitch -- YouTube -- Facebook -- Instagram

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!

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!

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!

• 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

• 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.

Cheers!

Twitch -- YouTube -- Facebook -- Instagram

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!

• 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

• 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.

Cheers!

Twitch -- YouTube -- Facebook -- Instagram

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.

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.



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. :)

• 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

• 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

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!

Thanks!

Twitch -- YouTube -- Facebook -- Instagram

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.

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.



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. :)

• 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

• 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

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!

Thanks!

Twitch -- YouTube -- Facebook -- Instagram

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! ːtankː

Technical Issues Forum

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:

Technical Issues Forum