For many, State of Decay is the zombie game they’ve always wanted. It’s janky, but that’s highly forgivable in the end.

State of Decay’s ambition reaches farther than most $60 titles, so its value is unquestionable as a $20 download – especially given how it manages to successfully meet so many of its lofty goals. I spent about 12 hours in this Zed-infested world, and while I saw most of what’s there, I could’ve spent a few more hours exploring. And since I focused on melee weapons the first time, I fully plan to start another game with a gun-centric character. Meanwhile, startup developer Undead Labs has already said that if State of Decay is successful, it hopes to follow it up with a massively multiplayer online sequel, codenamed “Class4.” But for now, Decay belongs in the pantheon of great modern zombie games alongside Valve’s Left 4 Dead series and Telltale’s Walking Dead episodes.

(If you keep seeing the same question floating around again and again, drop me a PM or an email, and I'll include the question and the answer here. Then you can just drop a link on the newbs.)
 
Q: My game did not save! Why did it not save?  
Q: How come I can't make it save when I want to?
 
A: State of Decay is a persistent world game. What that means is that time continues to pass when you are not online.  
 
If you left:
 
- your community in pretty good shape, morale wise, and  
- cars in parking spaces near your base and food in the kitchen,  
- weapons in need of repair in the lockers near your workbench,  
- and sufficient time has passed,
 
You will come back and find that people are happy, repaired cars and weapons, and possibly some new stuff from the things your survivors did while you weren't there. Their lives continue, as independently as you saw them living when you were online.
 
If you left:
 
- Morale sliding, and
- Too many infestations (please note, we're ACTIVELY working on a change where we reduce how much square footage is considered in this calculation to make it a little less...insane...), and  
- Vaguely ominous warnings about someone looking sick, and
- Not enough beds for people to sleep in,
 
You will come back to find the shit has hit the fan.
 
It continues on the path you set.
 
PLEASE NOTE: The pace of progression slows the longer you are offline. If you are offline for one day, you will see a pretty sizable chunk of change. If you are offline for two, you'll see a bit more than that. But the difference between a week and a month is minor. We expect that our players are adults, and adults sometimes need to be away from a game for months at a time.
 
 
Q: My car/weapon did not get repaired while I was logged out. What's up?

A: It's a combination of facilities, survivor ability, real world time (not game world), and logging out.
 
You will need a facility in your base (the workshop for weapons, upgraded to a machine shop if you also want to fix cars), and time. (A survivor with the skills necessary to make the repairs will give you a very nice bonus.) Here is how it works.
 
Let's say you log in on Monday at midnight. (00:00). If you place your damaged weapon in the supply locker in the workshop at any time between midnight and 2 PM (14:00), AND THEN LOG OUT, you can log back in and find the weapon fully repaired -- after 2 PM (14:00).
 
The time you log back in resets that fourteen hour clock. So, if on the second day you were to log in at noon, the fourteen hour clock would expire at 2 AM (02:00).  
 
This is also how it works for cars.
 
 
Q: When does the game launch?

A: If I even hint at a launch date, I will be the first one to succumb to the plague. Please don't ask. I want to liiiiiiiiiiiiiiive. (Also, read the other sticky posts in the forum, please.)
 
(Edit 8/31/12: We admitted that we are targeting early 2013. That means that at this time, we're excited at how well things are coming together, and we think we can make it. Things do happen in software. Hang on, gang.)
 
(Edit 3/1/13: Want to know what the process is, and why I do not have a release date to give you? Check out this handy and informative post! http://undeadlabs.com/forums/showthr...ll=1#post58873)
 
(Edit 3/11/13: I told everyone that we were in pre-certification: http://undeadlabs.com/forums/showthr...-certification)
 
(Edit 3/18/13: There was more to pre-cert than I knew! Here is more info: http://undeadlabs.com/forums/showthr...-duck-swimming)
 
(Edit 4/12/13: We have confirmed the month. June! We only wanted to change our estimate once )
 
(Edit 5/16/13: While I am aware that there is a date being widely circulated, the fact is that date is an INTERNAL target. We are now in certification (YAY) and will get a date when that process is complete. Hang in there!)
 
(Edit 6/3/13: JUNE 5!)
 
When there is more information, this is the page that will be updated first.
 
Q: What is Class3, and what is Class4?
 
A: Class3 was the code name for the single player XBLA/PC game we're building, where you must attempt to survive the zombie apocalypse. There's a storyline, but the main part of the game is a sandbox. It is now known as State of Decay. Class4 is way, way bigger - a massively multiplayer sandbox world. We will be using your feedback on State of Decay's mechanics and systems to make Class4.
 
 
Q: Will State of Decay have co-op gameplay?
 
A: Not at launch. Class4 is an online world, and our hope is to offer the multiplayer options (that we have to develop for Class4) for State of Decay at a later date.
 
 
Q: What happened to coop mode? Will this game have multiplayer?
 
A: Those of you who are new to the community and just want to know if State of Decay will have multiplayer: Not at launch. Please stick around, though  
 
Those of you who followed us during the design phase of the game remember that we really wanted a co-op mode. If you read the original design article, you will see that Class4 (our original idea) will be a massive online world, where co-op is... rather the point. However, for State of Decay (formerly known as Class3), we had to make the difficult decision to put off co-op mode and focus on things like base building, dynamic content, and more.
 
If you would like to discuss the multiplayer topic, I would like you to first read this thread (particularly the posts from red named people). If your viewpoint is not expressed, feel free to post in this thread: http://undeadlabs.com/forums/showthr...Class3-6-29-12
 
 
Q: Will this be available on the PC?
 
A: Yes, though it will launch on XBLA before it will launch on the PC. The content is identical in both versions.
 
(Edit 5/30/2013: We do not yet have a launch date for the PC version. We're working on it.)
 
 
Q: How big is the Class3 map?
 
A: (Thanks, William4, for suggesting I include this.) It is a square, four KM to a side:
 
XXXX
XXXX
XXXX
XXXX
 
 
Q: Is there weather?
 
A: Not in State of Decay. We opted to throw our development resources into making sure the day/night cycle was realistic. Light level has a huge effect on zombies, so that was a higher priority.
 
 
Q: First or third person?
 
A: Third.
 
 
Q: Fast or slow zombies?
 
A: A mixture. We are not going for ideological purity. Our first priority is making a fun game, with lots of variety and room for many different playstyles.
 
 
Q: Will there be bows/crossbows?
 
A: Not at launch, no. We chose to focus on guns and melee weapons and make them extremely varied and awesome.
 
 
Q: How do I reach Sanya? Her in box on the forum is always full.
 
A: It fills up in an hour. If you miss that window, please use sanya AT undeadlabs DOT com.
 
 
Q: How much will it cost?
 
A: We at UL do not set the price. I expect it will cost whatever the bigger XBLA games cost at the time of launch.
 
(Edit 6/3/13: 1600 points.)
 
 
Q: Will I be able to customize my character?
 
A: State of Decay is not a typical game. You aren't a single person - you are a community. You switch viewpoints between the survivors in your group, depending on what you need to do. Are you doing recon? You'll want to choose the character who sneaks well. Do you need to get through territory that's overrun with hordes? Your best melee fighter is called for. Each survivor has his own skillset and personality (and he'll act independently when you're not him) that grows and develops as you act.
 
So, you customize individuals based on what you have the character do as you're playing him, and you customize your community based on who you choose to rescue.
 
This is one of the biggest elements of State of Decay, and it's tough to answer in a FAQ. Please check out these links for more information:
 
http://undeadlabs.com/2012/08/news/w...think-you-are/
 
http://undeadlabs.com/2012/08/news/f...customization/
 
http://undeadlabs.com/2013/02/news/a...-of-character/
 
http://undeadlabs.com/2013/02/news/f...-of-character/
 
 
Q: How big is the game?
 
A: We will be within a few bytes of the XBLA limit of 2 GB.
 
 
 

Mouse

Left mouse button – Attack/Fire
Right mouse button – Aim weapon mode
Right mouse button and keep hiting SPACE - Shake off zombie
Middle mouse button – Change Weapon / Map zoom / inventory cycle
Keyboard

ESC  - Menu
TAB – Inventory and character sheet
W – Forward
A – Back
S – Left
D – Right
E – Interact / Open / Search (hold key and LEFT Shift for faster search)
SHIFT E while crouching – Silent Kill
F – Use item / Throw / Add silencer to fun from inventory
M – Map
R – Reload
T – Torch On/Off
Left SHIFT- Sprint / Move faster
Left CNTRL – Sneak/Crouch
Left CNTRL while running – Slide
SPACE – Jump
Q – Car horn
Emotes

Disagree – Left mouse (hold down) + Left CNTRL
Agree – Left mouse  (hold down) + Space
Taunt – Left mouse  (hold down) + Q
Cheer- Left mouse  (hold down) + E

We want to see a multiplayer State of Decay as badly as you do, but it’s not feasible to retrofit it into the existing game. That said, I can say definitively that multiplayer will be the absolute heart of any future State of Decay games. As many of you know, we've always had ambitious plans for the future of State of Decay, and those plans have not changed.

New Stuff
-Keybinding!
-There is now a smoother frame rate, and reduced stalls when driving
-Breakdown UI is hooked up
-Added more inputs for keyboard and mouse to shake zombies off (used to be 'c' key, now it's 'c' or 'e' or 'left click' or 'space')
-The resolution changes when you release (rather than when you drag) the sliders
-The mouse moves the camera during cutscenes
-We now block emotes/execute/roll/drop during cutscenes
 
Fixes
-Fix for crash when trying to complete certain missions
-Fixed bug that caused unintentional overwriting of saves when you clicked Start New Game
-Fix for cycling visible items when using the mousewheel
-Fixed placeholder text on expertise screen  
-Fixed several strings in non-English languages