Today we're launching our latest collaboration with the wonderful humans at Makeship. Here’s what’s on the menu:

• A Chef Spiffo plushie, with that cheeky raccoon looking as happy as can be in his adorable chef’s outfit!

Our Spiffo's Restaurant Pin Collection, featuring:

• A Spiffo’s logo pin ( © Spiffo’s Corporation, 1993) created with a special “layered” effect

• A ‘Happy Birthday Spiffo’ pin

• A ‘Spiffo gets his burger on’ pin

And last but not least, an official keychain with a delightful plushie version of the, uh, Spiffo part of Spiffo’s logo, seen here with all these other exciting official items!

Be the envy of your friends! Represent your corporate allegiance with pride! All hail Spiffo!

Once again (and thanks to the generous accountants at the Spiffo’s Corporation), all of our proceeds from this campaign will be donated to Mary’s Meals[www.marysmeals.org.uk], a charity dedicated to providing nutritious meals to hungry schoolchildren all around the world.

When we last launch, we raised more than $180,000 (USD) to support the amazing and important work of Médecins Sans Frontières[www.msf.org] with ‘Brawler Spiffo’. Can Chef Spiffo take us even higher? We hope so!

Visit Makeship for Spiffo's merch[www.makeship.com]

• Fixed percent symbol handling in files
  
  • Mods should use %% to display % characters
    
  • A temporary workaround was implemented to allow both methods of processing, however mod makers should update their mods to use %% to display % characters going forward as this workaround will be removed in a future unstable update
    
  • Error logs will be populated highlighting the error so mod makers can see what needs to be updated going forward
• Fixed quick tips displaying % as %%
  
• Added memory debug-information when showing fps debug info

• Improved Lua checksum validation for multiplayer anti-cheat
  
• Fixed an issue that caused significant performance problems with chunk unloading on multiplayer servers
  
  • This should fix most of the bugs players were getting on high-pop servers due to server lag
• Fixed errors and crashes that could occur when selecting Multiplayer while certain languages were selected
  
• Fixed an issue where vehicles could temporarily disappear for players after another player disconnected
  
• Fixed an issue that would allow broken B41 worlds to be hosted on B42 servers
  
• Fixed an issue where players switching from b41 to B42 could be met with a missing menu

• Improved memory usage by reusing discarded world data
  
• Fixed a memory leak that could lead to performance degradation and crashes over time
  
  • If you continue to encounter an out of memory error in a new save, please submit a bug report with your logs and profiler video from debug so the team can investigate
• Fixed a rare exception that could occur during exploration

• Added the ability for mods to write .json files
  
• Fixed percent symbol handling in translation files
  
  • Mod translations should use %% to display % characters

• Map Glowup:
  
  • Many area across the map have received a substantial overhaul from the mapping team
    
  • Added a plethora of new tiles, buildings, and locations for these areas and elsewhere
    
  • Implemented performance optimizations surrounding these new areas and features
    
  • Various new room definitions and containers have been added and adjusted across a wide range of locations
• Added "Extra Large" Tree Types:
  
  • XL and XXL trees and updated worldgen biomes to include them
    
  • "Wood" loot generated by cutting down trees increased for Extra Large trees
    
  • XL tree overhang can be hidden using right-click when driving or scouting ahead
• Challenge Mode Revamp:
  
  • Two New Challenge Modes replace "Cabin in the Woods" in rotation: "28 Minutes Later" and "Top of the World"
    
  • Adjusted spawn coordinates for "Winter is Coming" and "A Really CDDA" challenge modes
    
  • Removed the ability to respawn in "A Really CDDA" challenge
    
  • Challenge Modes menu UI videos and descriptions updated
• Updated the Main Menu artwork
  
  • Main menu SFX is temporarily disabled
• Added epilepsy warning screen on startup
  
• Removed Unstable warning message from the main menu
  
• Added filter search boxes to the Discovered Recipes and Media UI.
  
  • The UI now also sorts alphabetically with discovered recipes on top

• Increased the amount of meat cuts gained from large animals when using the butcher hook
  
• Rebalanced vehicle speed/towing to improve towing experience; trailers can now detach when turning sharpness/speed is too high
  
• Increased the max limit for "Zombie count before deletion" Sandbox option from 500 to 5000
  
• Adjusted WouldInfectionFactor from 1.0 to 2.0 in Extinction mode
  
• Minor adjustments to the sand biome adjusting sand/dirt/clay balance

• Changed gamepad preset default to "Original" which sets running/sprinting bound to buttons
  
• Added gamepad focus and button rendering support for PrintMedia
  
• Moved gamepadBinding.lua from /shared to /client to prevent client-side bindings from being overridden on server join
  
• Added controller support in the trading interface
  
• Improved campfire interaction reliability when using a controller
  
• Fixed errors occurring when accessing the vehicle seat menu with controller
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause random brandishing or interruptions while standing or running with controller
  
• Fixed a red checkerboard momentarily displaying when swapping between controller types in the config UI
  
• Fixed the cursor not disabling after casting a fishing rod while using a controller
  
• Fixed respawning during a challenge on controller giving a stack error
  
• Fixed a lua crash that could occur when reading a brochure a second time
  
• Fixed OpenMap button not closing brochures
  
• Fixed an issue where controller input could cause the Multiplayer server list screen to lose focus and allow unintended menu navigation
  
• Fixed being unable to interact with crops on controller

• Re-Worked and Re-Enabled anti-cheats
  
  • "antiCheatItem" removed as now server-side
    
  • NoClip and PacketException currently WIP
• Improved anti-cheat logging
  
• Added ServerOption "Show coordinates" to show/hide coordinates line on all connected clients
  
• Added ping values for each player in the Players and Users List tabs
  
• Improved load times between pressing "Click to Start" and the player spawning into the world
  
• Improved network performance during vehicle collisions with zombies
  
• Reworked transferring stackable items
  
  • This should significantly reduce the time required to transfer large stacks of items
• Added separate trading interfaces for each splitscreen player.
  
• Added a list of all tradable items to the trading interface.
  
• Fixed zombie culling triggering incorrectly, causing severe drops in zombie populations
  
• Fixed an issue where special characters in server names could cause errors or prevent proper server file creation.
  
• Fixed an exploit that allowed item spawning via animal attachment commands.
  
• Fixed an exploit that could allow users to spawn arbitrary items in the world.
  
• Fixed an exploit that allowed arbitrary item spawning via modData
  
• Fixed an exploit that allowed users to gain XP illegitimately
  
• Fixed an exploit that allowed users to manipulate items spawned while foraging
  
• Fixed a map exploit that allowed copying dedicated server map data
  
• Fixed some anti-cheat false positives
  
• Fixed the no-Steam game client not obtaining the public server list if it was unreachable on launch
  
• Fixed zombies desyncing when not visible
  
• Fixed remote zombies appearing out of sync due to incorrect animation timing
  
• Fixed an issue where remote players would immediately appear to land while falling.
  
• Fixed server option HidePlayersBehindYou not correctly applying when disabled
  
• Fixed XP boost provided by skill books not being calculated properly in some cases
  
• Fixed timed actions not queuing properly when installing/uninstalling vehicle parts if tools are in the backpack
  
• Fixed a client-side issue causing knocked down players to appear rotated 180 degrees
  
• Fixed "Day/Night Zombie Speed Effect" only affecting zombies in your immediate area
  
• Fixed wet towels not drying
  
• Fixed Whiskey+Water mixed containers sometimes losing water after teleporting and dropping them
  
• Fixed the owner transfer confirmation button tooltip text being incorrect when attempting to transfer ownership to a non-faction member
  
• Fixed the "Create Faction" button tooltip text being incorrect if factions are disabled in server options
  
• Fixed the crafting queue not stopping if required tools break
  
• Fixed antique stoves not affecting core temperature
  
• Fixed an issue where dumbbells could become unusable after interrupting the bicep curls exercise.
  
• Fixed an issue where crafting multiple Molotov cocktails in quick succession could consume items incorrectly.
  
• Fixed an issue where local chat was not displayed over characters, radios, or walkie talkies.
  
• Fixed garage doors opening and then immediately closing on the first interaction
  
• Fixed hand craft actions not working
  
• Fixed building animations playing for the wrong player in split-screen co-op
  
• Fixed placing furniture failing for distant locations when the movables cheat is enabled
  
• Fixed an issue where remote players moving while crouched could appear frozen in place.
  
• Fixed map chunks failing to load while the player is driving a vehicle
  
• Fixed an issue where trading could remove items from the wrong player.
  
• Fixed trading interface layout issues when using different font sizes.
  
• Fixed issues with object selection when right-clicking on objects in splitscreen
  
• Fixed characters with "All Thumbs" perk being unable to transfer some items from one container to another
  
• Fixed the player's map visited data not saving after a server restart
  
• Fixed an issue where remote players could appear to vault or jump over low fences when simply walking near corners
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause servers to hang during chunk generation
  
• Fixed the vehicle's trunk taking damage when driving over zombie crawlers
  
• Fixed an issue where remote players could appear frozen while dragging corpses, despite continuing to move normally.
  
• Fixed an issue where corpses could appear to be dropped unexpectedly while being dragged by remote players outside of the vision cone
  
• Fixed being unable to bury corpses or drop them into a container while dragging
  
• Fixed players occasionally becoming stuck in Hit Reaction state during PvP interactions.
  
• Fixed a client side exception that could occur when the client fails to create a zombie
  
• Fixed the shoot animation not playing for remote characters when a gun has no bullets
  
• Fixed instances where players could detect the presence of an invisible player (admin) nearby
  
• Fixed hidden shared map symbols reappearing after relogin
  
• Fixed dyed clothes not changing colour for remote players
  
• Fixed being able to overwrite CombatSpeed mid-game
  
• Fixed bomb throwing animation not playing for remote players
  
• Fixed warnings being spammed in console when the player shoots zombies with a shotgun
  
• Fixed a client side exception when the remote player on another chunk renames a container
  
• Fixed an issue where corpses could incorrectly remain visible after being moved into containers.
  
• Fixed the same building showing different loot for different players
  
• Fixed another case of animal skeletons reappearing in the player's inventory after relogin
  
• Fixed killed zombies duplicating after relogin
  
• Fixed notes left by players not being saved correctly
  
• Fixed being unable to perform a medical check in split-screen
  
• Fixed remote players' flashlight appearing to remain active after the battery is empty/removed
  
• Fixed "Enable melee PVP in Factions" also enabling firearm PVP damage
  
• Fixed dice roll and card pick results not showing for other players
  
• Fixed players not gaining Tracking XP when sneaking near wild animals
  
• Fixed not being able to properly disassemble double door gates or garage doors
  
• Fixed dropping a corpse midway through the grab corpse animation on controller freezing the player
  
• Fixed multiple stack errors occurring when connecting a split screen player 2 to a MP session
  
• Fixed an error that would occur when queuing two of the same protective gear
  
• Fixed a server-side exception that could occur during dedicated server startup
  
• Fixed a server-side exception that could occur when synchronizing custom light settings
  
• Fixed a case of animals duplicating when picked up
  
• Fixed being unable to pick up fallen zombie hats/glasses
  
• Fixed being unable to pick up items dropped using Disassemble
  
• Fixed chickens in a hutch disappearing after relog
  
• Fixed chickens sometimes disappearing after being placed inside a hutch
  
• Fixed footwear condition not appropriately syncing with the server
  
• Fixed throwing a corpse onto basement stairs resulting in the body having an incorrect Z coordinate and not being interactable
  
• Fixed player names overlapping when multiple players enter a vehicle
  
• Fixed all players lagging/stuttering when a player builds or interacts with gates
  
• Fixed rare issue where interacting with drying racks could cause world objects to disappear
  
• Fixed the "Dry self" action not consuming all of a towel's remaining value
  
• Fixed world and inventory items disappearing in SP saves after a player gets kicked in MP
  
• Fixed a client-side exception that could occur when players were close together
  
• Fixed incorrect message being displayed when attempting to claim a safehouse from a distance
  
• Fixed an issue where certain cells within a chunk would not load for some clients
  
• Fixed player clothing not receiving damage when jogging through hedges/bushes/trees
  
• Fixed a performance issue related to puddle geometry
  
• Fixed removing mineral deposits not allowing items to be picked up
  
• Fixed holsters unequipping weapons and changing positions on the hotbar after relogging
  
• Fixed scratch ticket results not displaying until after moved from the inventory
  
• Fixed an issue where remote players could incorrectly appear to hop over low fences
  
• Fixed zombified players undressing after death
  
• Fixed "Reclaim Sling Bag" not working when the item is on the floor
  
• Fixed occasional graphical issues with the crafting animation for remote players
  
• Fixed water containers not updating correctly after watering plants
  
• Fixed a graphical issue where traits would duplicate momentarily in the Character Info panel after reading a book
  
• Fixed being able to fire weapons without ammo when the player has a high ping
  
• Fixed animals on a rope being unable to pass an open fence gate
  
• Fixed an issue where a player could become corrupted after attempting to pick up an animal that is playing the death animation

• Fix to Modding API to restore functionality that was lost following security patch in 42.14
  
  • Additional Modding API documentation is planned in the future
• Fixed a rare crash that would occur for users with certain AMD GPUs
  
• Fixed a crash on the MacOS build
  
• Fixed desktop icons on Linux/MacBook not appearing properly
  
• Fixed being unable to get up quickly while holding a weapon
  
• Fixed the loot transfer window closing when exiting the pause menu
  
• Fixed items not auto-transferring when attempting to enter a vehicle seat containing more than 5.0 encumbrance
  
• Fixed lights not properly consuming generator power
  
• Fixed hypothermia applying damage incorrectly and killing players too fast
  
• Fixed Animal Info panel not opening and throwing errors
  
• Fixed cases where point-blank shots could miss due to muzzle position being inside the target
  
• Fixed 2 tile wide/long zones appearing as a blue line on the ground
  
• Fixed high cupboards not becoming transparent when they block view of the player
  
• Fixed animal stress instantly jumping to 100 when in range of an active car engine
  
• Fixed ISDesignationZonePanel not displaying the full size of a multi-part zone
  
• Fixed Mechanics UI showing duplicate install options for vehicle parts in backpacks
  
• Fixed zombies freezing/walking away when being thrown over objects
  
• Fixed an issue where crafting tooltips would show each item individually when packing stacks like ammo or nails.
  
• Fixed placeholder text being displayed when viewing the Animal Info page of some animals
  
• Fixed the racking bolt action rifle animation being out of sync with the sound
  
• Fixed overlapping text occurring in the context menu for some font sizes
  
• Fixed some incorrect tooltip text formatting for barbecues
  
• Fixed "Drop Corpse Into" function ignoring Organized/Disorganized traits
  
• Fixed an issue where Inventory and Loot panels had to be manually opened after loading a save or starting a new game.
  
• Fixed sensor bombs ignoring timers and immediately exploding after placement
  
• Fixed an error that would occur when checking fuel in camp fires
  
• Fixed floating artifacts in crafted denim shirt models
  
• Fixed another case of zombies phasing through short fences/windows/railings if stunned during climbing animation
  
• Fixed players incorrectly being able to throw corpses from a distance when right-clicking a window
  
• Fixed screwdriver appearing twice in the Mechanics UI when uninstalling parts
  
• Fixed dyed clothes not updating colour when placing them on the ground
  
• Fixed an error that would sometimes occur when double clicking possible ingredients in the crafting menu
  
• Fixed crafting progress bar not showing for bulk crafts after the first has completed
  
• Fixed world generation not correctly applying all intended simplex noise layers
  
• Fixed multi-tile feeding troughs becoming unusable after being picked up and placed
  
• Fixed an issue where incorrect surface heights on tiles caused placed items to clip
  
• Fixed an issue causing zombies to deal excessive thump damage
  
• Fixed an issue where being too close to vehicles allowed bullets to incorrectly pass through them
  
• Fixed incorrect context menu text being displayed for Base.Shoulderpads_Football
  
• Fixed an issue where zones could be incorrectly removed when using multiple map mods
  
• Fixed vehicle engine power being incorrectly set to the maximum script value instead of its calculated value
  
• Fixed vehicles with active alarms, engines, or sirens not updating correctly outside loaded areas
  
  • When a vehicle is updating outside the loaded area of the map, the object is a VirtualVehicle, not a BaseVehicle
• Fixed attached sprites on translucent cutaway walls drawing on top of foreground objects
  
• Fixed the player briefly becoming highlighted when mousing over the inventory button
  
• Fixed some words/phrases not being translatable
  
  • Note that this is a WIP. Some words/phrases may still be non-translatable
• Fixed food names not updating to the decayed versions when placed in the world
  
• Fixed Crafting and Building UI Favourites tab not displaying or filtering correctly
  
• Fixed an issue where players could incorrectly grab corpses from trunks from in vehicles
  
• Fixed being unable to start the drying process if the drying rack is installed on a player built floor
  
• Fixed some cases of multi-tile boulders not spawning all of their tiles correctly
  
  • Other edge cases are still being addressed
• Fixed brick walls, door, and window frames that couldn't be plastered
  
• Fixed depth map issues for a wide variety of tiles
  
• Fixed various tile property issues such as vaulting through unopenable windows
  
• Fixed some elements of the UI disappearing when searching within workstations
  
  • If an invalid search string is entered "No Recipes Available" will display instead of empty ingredient inputs
• Fixed the world object context menu appearing and allowing interactions while map is open
  
• Fixed being able to butcher already butchered animals after placing it in a Livestock Trailer

• Added new SFX for metal saw crafting animation
  
• Added new SFX for FixWeapon, Welding, and Packing/Unpacking animations
  
• Added new SFX for Add/Remove bottles from water dispensers
  
• Fixed coughing after smoking not triggering SFX
  
• Fixed VOIP audio cutting out under heavy SFX load
  
• Fixed container corner pieces not having appropriate SFX
  
• Fixed repeated FMOD errors caused by 192 kHz audio devices
  
• Fixed some zombie bodyfalls not registering the correct surface and playing incorrect SFX
  
• Fixed occlusion parameter not working as expected on Remote Events for multiplayer
  
• Fixed incorrect SFX playing when vaulting over metal/glass fences
  
• Fixed Apply Alcohol to Bandages and Rags SFX not properly syncing to the animation
  
• Fixed the incorrect SFX being played when shooting another player during PVP

• Build 42 now correctly applies its default option settings when migrating from Build 41
  
• Re-added compatibility launch mode
  
• Removed extra debug info added for unstable
  
• Improved ZNet logging consistency and configuration for servers
  
• Improved reliability of packet logging for servers
  
• Added object pool statistics for improved monitoring and diagnostics for servers
  
• Fixed "SERVER STARTED" log message not printing properly
  
• Removed 225% default zoom option for Steam Deck
  
• Fixed certain exceptions not being reported when running Lua code
  
• Included XML files in the CheckSum verification

Tomorrow, Wednesday 29th July, we will be releasing Build 42 of Project Zomboid!

This is a quick post to ensure that those who want to continue playing Build 41 are aware of how they can do so with minimal disruption, and indeed to tick off a few other items to be aware of.

Apologies for the overall boring post! Hopefully yesterday’s map overhaul excitement[projectzomboid.com] counterbalances it a little.

THOSE WANTING TO STAY ON 41

Build 41 savegames clearly will not be compatible with Build 42.

If you are a Build 41 player who wants to minimise disruption on the 42 launch, or a server owner / online player who wants to continue on Build 41, then there is already a beta channel for you (and your players) to move over to before the event.

To reiterate: you can safely swap to the Build 41 beta now.

To do so:

1. Right-click PZ in your Steam library.

2. Select “Properties”.

3. Under “Game Versions & Betas” select “legacy41”.

THOSE WANTING TO FINISH AN UNSTABLE 42.19 GAME

Due to additional map content being added[projectzomboid.com], existing saves on Unstable 42.19 will not be compatible with 42.20.

To continue your Unstable game you can opt-in to the new “42.19” beta now also, again to minimise your disruption tomorrow. 

To do so:

1. Right-click PZ in your Steam library.

2. Select “Properties”.

3. Under “Game Versions & Betas” select “42.19”.

STREAMERS AND YOUTUBERS

Streamers and YouTubers who have been given slightly early access to the map overhaul in Build 42.20, and are being allowed to post and broadcast their content from 10AM BST / 5AM EDT / 11AM CEST / 12PM EEST on Wednesday for a few hours preceding the official launch.

So if you fancy spoiling it all for yourself, please keep watching relevant channels on YouTube, Twitch and wherever else you get your content creators from!

PRICE RISE

As with the launch of Build 41, there will be a rise in price for Project Zomboid alongside the release of Build 42 – although not one that many would consider a huge one.

The game will continue to be what we consider to be reasonably priced and good value for the gameplay available. This change will apply across storefronts and regions once 42.20 launches to Stable; if you want to pick up the game at the current price (or for a friend), act now.

LOCALIZATION

Community Localization work is an ongoing project, with an amazing response from players all over the world, and will continue to be patched in beyond launch.
Once the current iteration of Community Localization has been released we will be welcoming feedback on what’s working for our many different nationalities who play the game – and what isn’t.

Please provide feedback in the #localisation_feedback channel on The Official Project Zomboid Discord Server[discord.gg] when the time arises.

Other localization items of note:

• Thanks to our amazing community translators we are adding Czech, Indonesian, Spanish (Argentina) and Spanish (Mexico) to our list! More will come in future also.

• Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), and Catalan have font issues we are aware of and are actively working on. They will be addressed in a future update.

• Some available languages still require a lot of work, so please be aware that currently Catalan, Romanian and Spanish (Chile) still feature a lot of English vocabulary.

Gracias, Merci, Danke, Grazie, 谢谢, ありがとう, Obrigado, Спасибо and 감사합니다!

UNTIL TOMORROW!

That’s probably about it, here’s a few trailers and interviews with the team in case you’ve missed any of them.

Hi everyone, as previously mentioned Build 42.20 will be coming to the public stable branch this Wednesday, July 29th! For full details on this please check out this announcement blog[projectzomboid.com].

A big new part of this is a HUGE new upgrade to the Knox Event Exclusion Zone – that goes way beyond what you have already played during the Unstable beta.

Our aim? To create a heavily evolved Knox Country that expands and overhauls the game’s Kentucky setting with new and reworked areas, that feel more lived-in, more natural, and more believable as places that existed long before everything went wrong.

So what’s got us to this point? Let’s hand over to Art Director Ayrton Orio to explain:

“Since Build 41 the Art Department has been hard at work on expanding the map westward, establishing an ambitious target quality, and revamping many of the existing towns in-game – while also hiring and restructuring.”

“Overall Build 42 in the Knox Event Art Department saw four new map artists added to the team (Erika, Melo, Dylan and Alokin), one departure (Xeonyx), two ascensions to wider game management positions (Mash and Binky), and my own promotion to Art Director.“

“The first improvements made to the map itself are those that Build 42 Unstable players have already experienced. Myself and Jamie (Xeonyx) made a first leg of improvement that covered a whole new area furnishing the extreme West of the map with three new towns: Brandenburg, a new location on the banks of the Ohio river river; Ekron, a small agricultural town full of Southern charm; and Irvington, in the South West of the map, with its famous race track.”

"While we were working on the above, however, the South of Muldraugh became our proving ground to experiment on a much more detailed style of world building. If reception was positive, we thought, then this could eventually become the expected standard for the rest of the map.“

“As it turned out, the reaction from players when B42 hit Unstable was so overwhelmingly positive that it triggered the hiring of the new enlarged team mentioned above – which would then go on to achieve that vision we’re announcing today.”

A snowy night in Muldraugh

Following on from Ayrton’s thoughts above, when 42.20 hits stable Knox Event, survivors will find the following entirely reworked:

• Riverside

• West Point

• Rosewood

• Fallas Lake

• Muldraugh

• Ekron

• Dixie

The revamp, meanwhile, follows certain standards – while future versions of Project Zomboid will see the rest of the map overhauled to the same rigorous high level:

• An idiosyncratic style for each town

• All buildings and houses are now unique

• Consistent landscaping between buildings

• Unique tiles where necessary

For more details on this, and Ayrton’s vision for the future of the map and his oversight on the game as Art Director, he has been interviewed by MrAtomicDuck – in the same fashion as Christian Allen our new Design Director was recently quizzed.

In terms of the differences between Build 41 and Build 42, the surface area of the map has been doubled. In fact, when comparing builds, overall the Art Department has delivered 1,400 new unique buildings, and 20,000 new tiles – which brings the game’s tile total up to 35,000.
Build 42 contains 400 procedural basements, and 75 unique ones. Hundreds of posters and wall decorations. Light overlays for any source of light. Snow overlays. New burned tile variations, new 30 degree roofs, many more types of windows, all the crafting tiles, and much, much more.

Knox Country Map (Isometric) – from Build 41 to Build 42.

Knox Country Map (Top down) – from Build 41 to Build 42.There are many other locations to explore too, like an abandoned orphanage, a revamped logging compound, an entirely new Prison, a boy scout camp, and so on… but we will let you explore all these nooks and crannies, when Build 42 comes to stable later this week!

While some existing Challenge maps are being taken out of rotation for now in 42.20, the map update also means that classics like “A Really CD DA” and “Winter is Coming” are returning with improvements.

Meanwhile two new Challenges are available to conquer: whether starting at the top of a skyscraper in “Top of the World”, or battling a world full of sprinting zombies in “28 Seconds Later”.

When we released B42 Unstable, we initially changed the Main Menu illustration and added other art for loading screens. The artist for these pieces had previously worked with us and provided ‘human-created’ art. However on release, the community quickly saw what we didn’t: inconsistencies and typical AI generated artifacts.

In the intense period of work to get Build 42 Unstable out the door, we failed to notice the use of AI. As soon as we realized the mistake, the art was removed from the game. Since then, absolutely no AI has been used in our art processes.

As we moved past B42’s launch, we began developing the PZ “rendered style”, which you can see on flyers, newspapers, leaflets and so on. We are very happy with this approach, as it makes the world we build way more lively and consistent. So, it became clear that the way forward was to use that style to redo the Main Menu title screen which you will be welcomed by on the release of 42 Stable.

This will only be the first iteration of the Main Menu, seeing as we have lots of ideas to make it better and more interactive. Alongside 42’s spawn map and and front-end UI improvements, this is just one part of a more global effort to make the start of a game less austere and more immersive. We hope you’ll like it!

- The Art Department, The Indie Stone

These are just some of the new and revamped locations in Knox Country. Anywhere look familiar? Beware of spoilers!

The Block of Italicised Text would like to direct your attention to the PZ Wiki[pzwiki.net] should you feel like editing or amending something. You can also find us on Bluesky[bsky.app], on our Discord[discord.gg], Reddit and Forums[theindiestone.com]. If you fancy, sign up to receive PZ blogs like this in your email right here.

1. Right-click PZ in your Steam library.
   
2. Select "Properties".
   
3. Under "Game Versions & Betas" select "legacy41".

1. Right-click PZ in your Steam library.
   
2. Select "Properties".
   
3. Under "Game Versions & Betas" select "42.19".

• Character Spawns
  
• Controllers
  
• Meat yield from Butcher Hooks
  
• Vehicle Towing
  
• Zombie culling in MP

• After any necessary hot fixes are identified and released, we will begin working on a patch consisting of tweaks and adjustments based on player feedback – primarily aimed at the late game.
  
  
• Once hot fixing and such is over, we will be releasing both our latest mapping tools (WorldZed, TileZed, etc.) and our in-house animation editor and integration tool, AnimZed. We will also be publishing an extensive modding guide, and further looking into ways of improving the experience of the amazing Project Zomboid mod community.
  
  
• Community Localization work is an ongoing project, with an amazing response from players all over the world, and will continue to be patched in.
  
  Once the current iteration has been released we will be welcoming feedback on what's working for our many different nationalities who play the game, and what isn't. You will be able to provide feedback in the #localisation_feedback channel on The Official Project Zomboid Discord Server[discord.gg]
  
  
• Clearly there is plenty of work ahead on the road to our future major builds, but in addition through the rest of 2026 we will also be working on a Build 42 Support Update that focuses on optimization, additional modding support, and some player-requested features and polish that didn’t quite make the Build 42 Stable cutoff.
  
  
• There will also be continued multiplayer and controller improvement throughout the B42 patching and support process.

• Character Spawns
  
• Controllers
  
• Meat yield from Butcher Hooks
  
• Vehicle Towing
  
• Zombie culling in MP
  
• Map chunk loading when driving in MP
  
• And loads more..

1. After any necessary hot fixes are identified and released, we will begin working on a patch consisting of tweaks and adjustments based on player feedback – primarily aimed at the late game.
   
   
2. After we hit Stable, once hot fixing and such is over, we will be releasing both our latest mapping tools (WorldZed, TileZed, etc.) and our in-house animation editor and integration tool, AnimZed. We believe that having greater control over animations will be of huge benefit to modders looking to unleash their creativity.
   
   
3. Community Localization work is an ongoing project, with an amazing response from players all over the world, and will continue. Over 1.3 million words have so far been translated into twenty-nine different languages, just since June! We are still looking for volunteers for some under-represented languages, including Danish, Dutch, Korean, Greek, Norwegian, Polish, and Portuguese (PT-PT). If you are interested in contributing please see the details in our previous blog post.
   
   
4. Clearly there is plenty of work ahead on the road to our future major builds, but in addition through the rest of 2026 we will also be working on a Build 42 Support Update that focuses on optimization, additional modding support, and some player-requested features and polish that didn’t quite make the Build 42 Stable cutoff.
   
   This support update will benefit from many of our learnings from Build 42 and the recent process changes the team has implemented, as well as addressing technical debt that has built up over time, and is aimed at continuing to improve our development pipeline.

• Added Controller Re-Mapping
  
• Added extended idle animations when seated on the floor

• Added new Gamepad Customization UI
  
• Controller Input Fixes
  
  • Added the ability to press the X button to clear text entries
    
  • Fixed controller issues in MapSpawnSelect
    
  • Fixed controller issues in LoadGameScreen
    
  • Fixed GrabCorpse binding not also dropping corpses
    
  • Fixed the A button not toggling the ingredient inputs panel in the Build window
    
  • Fixed the X button not clearing the text in ISTextEntryBox in some cases
    
  • Fixed the controller focus not being set correctly after editing server settings causing Lua files to be reloaded
    
  • Fixed controllers not being able to smash windows from the Button Prompt with the default B / Circle button
    
  • Fixed being unable to interact with some crafting stations on controller
    
  • Fixed controllers not working in WorldMap
    
  • Fixed players toggling sprint after vaulting a fence if sprint is rebound to B button
    
  • Fixed navigating the add note menu on controller creating errors and locking the player
    
  • Fixed aiming left or right on controller also aiming slightly downwards
    
  • Fixed "Show the survival guide on startup" setting preventing players from performing several actions on controller
• Added vertical scrollbar to survival-guide text
  
• Reworked the User List window UI
  
• Removed the obsolete "Choose Mods" button from the server-settings Mods panel
  
• Fixed some icons overflowing in the animal tracks info window
  
• Fixed Feeding Trough Info UI widening indefinitely after being pinned
  
• Fixed survival-guide text rendering outside the panel
  
• Fix tooltips for the Animal Breeding Season and Animal Info
  
• Fixed Blood Decals dropdown menu in options showing two percentage signs
  
• Fixed the foraging info button not linking to the Survival Guide
  
• Fixed equipped walkie-talkie RMC menu not having device options

• Updated the colour of the Discomfort moodle to better differentiate from Unhappy
  
• Hunter occupation no longer receives +1 Trapping, and now receives +1 Tracking
  
• Hiker occupation cost has been changed from -6 to -5
  
• Adjusted encumbrance values of several items and moveable objects
  
• Increased the amount of thread required to weave a fabric roll from 100 to 400
  
• Railroad Track and Railroad Track Piece have been removed until they are properly implemented as crafting ingredients

• Enabled command line arg, safehouse, XP, Permission, and Player anti-cheats
  
• Restored BanIP/UnBanIP and "Ban IP" UI on Steam servers for direct connections
  
• Fixed weapon magazines disappearing after reloading
  
• Fixed an exploit that allowed players to download server map data
  
• Fixed an exploit that allowed players to recover endurance constantly
  
• Fixed the consolidate action creating item duplicates
  
• Fixed an instance of killed zombies duplicating on server reconnect
  
• Fixed an instance of zombies disappearing
  
• Fixed local split-screen players not seeing each other in the game world
  
• Fixed being unable to enable FastMove cheat
  
• Fixed animals in the trailer disappearing after relogin
  
• Fixed some animals being visible to one player but invisible to another
  
• Fixed being unable to put a chicken in the trailer if it was taken from a hutch
  
• Fixed players having infinite endurance at high FPS
  
• Fixed players being able to sit together on the same furniture
  
• Fixed the Map Rempote Player Visibility settings not working properly
  
• Fixed fertilized eggs in a fridge continuing to show fertilized status
  
• Fixed an anti-cheat server-side exception
  
• Fixed a server-side exception while exercising
  
• Fixed a server-side exception when spawning an animal
  
• Fixed a server-side exception when attempting to add/remove an animal corpse to/from a trailer
  
• Fixed loot-window container buttons not updating when a padlock is added or removed
  
• Fixed fire sprites not rendering inside buildings
  
• Fixed Scrap Jewellery not adding gems to the player's inventory until after relogging
  
• Fixed sandbox option "All Known On Start" failing after the player leaves and rejoins the server
  
• Fixed being unable to shoot at wall lamps
  
• Fixed food items showing as frozen in the freezer, when they are still freezing
  
• Fixed zombie animations on stairs
  
• Fixed being unable to add ingredients to a drying rack from the ground
  
• Fixed towels not getting wet in the rain
  
• Fixed zombies not trampling crops
  
• Fixed player animation when getting up after bumping into a tree/zombie
  
• Fixed being unable to craft different items immediately after producing several identical items in a row
  
• Fixed zombie spawn being delayed after server connection
  
• Fixed non-pvp zones being removed after server restart
  
• Fixed players with wounded feet being able to accelerate when pressing Shift before WASD
  
• Fixed animal skeletons reappearing in the player's inventory after relogin
  
• Fixed fishing rod bait not syncing properly
  
• Fixed sleeping with high encumbrance causing critical damage or character death
  
• Fixed dish encumbrance changing after being moved from inventory
  
• Fixed inconsistent XP gain for Sneaking and Lightfooted skills during stealth movement
  
• Fixed weapon condition desync when an item is transferred
  
• Fixed safehouse removal time server option not working properly
  
• Fixed safehouse text channel not working properly
  
• Fixed debug-spawned corpse items not matching on client and server
  
• Fixed an issue with the timed action queue not working properly when ripping clothes from a container
  
• Fixed incorrect animal icons being displayed in the inventory
  
• Fixed performing a medical check several times breaking the medical check window UI in multiplayer
  
• Fixed a number of UI scaling issues at smaller resolutions in multiplayer
  
• Fixed being unable to access fireplace inv via LMC after adding fuel

• Fixed a rendering issue that could impact performance
  
  • This should improve performance while driving through towns
• Fixed all animals being female
  
• Fixed severe performance issues occurring when "Generator tile range" is set to a high value
  
• Fixed issue causing trailers to flip after attaching if the car is too close to it
  
• Fixed some media items teaching the wrong recipes
  
• Fixed being unable to hop over low concrete road blocks
  
• Fixed changing resolution in game causing crashes
  
• Fixed Autodrink so that it now only applies to 100% water
  
• Fixed Engineer & Farmer not granting all of their intended crafting recipes
  
• Fixed the inventive trait from the DIY Expert occuptation not autolearning the generator recipe
  
• Fixed zombies being unable to crawl under burned vehicles
  
• Fixed generator fuel consumption not being calculated correctly while outside loaded chunks
  
• Fixed generator fuel consumption not being updated when microwaves automatically shut off.
  
• Fixed generator "on" light overlays being displayed for any generator that was on a powered square, instead of only for switched-on generators.
  
• Fixed gas station pumps not properly recognizing available electricity
  
• Fixed Assigning LCTRL to Run or Sprint blocking players from running/sprinting if the cursor is over the inventory panel
  
• Fixed being unable to drink directly from player constructed sinks
  
• Fixed remote trigger bombs failing to trigger below z=0 or above z=7
  
• Fixed being unable to drop items out of an open/smashed vehicle window via RMC > Drop
  
• Fixed player freezing until pressing ESC after firing Lever Action rifles from inside a vehicle
  
• Fixed collecting loose ground cover items creating the same amount of noise as chopping a tree
  
• Fixed Small Crucibles of Iron & Steel returning Large Crucibles on deplete
  
• Fixed animal leather items using the wrong item type.
  
• Fixed issues with some moveables caused by tile properties
  
• Fixed being unable to disassemble log gates
  
• Fixed visual bugs related to floor tile properties
  
• Fixed Swingset text being displayed as "Swingset Swingset". Now reads "Playground Swingset"
  
• Fixed multi-tile lamps not working as a single object
  
• Fixed item clipping caused by incorrect tile surface heights
  
• Fixed certain roof tiles preventing the creation of floor tiles
  
• Fixed exceptions occurring after paint runs out
  
• Fixed plunger spears being able to impale zombies on charge attacks, instead of knocking them over
  
• Fixed security doors remaining locked after using "Unlock Door" in the context menu
  
• Fixed radio presets randomising after picking up radio and place it back down
  
• Fixed padlocked crates losing their locked status, and being unable to be locked again when being picked up and put down
  
• Fixed being unable to change combo wash/dryer machine's mode
  
• Fixed walkie-talkies remaining on when returned to a belt hotbar slot
  
• Fixed animal weight changing after being placed on a butchering hook and removed
  
• Fixed being unable to move keyrings from bag to inventory/container through transfer all
  
• Fixed being unable to dismantle Makeshift Radios held in inventory
  
• Fixed missing spacing in AEBS weather reports.
  
• Fixed "Tainted" status still appearing in tooltip for Tainted Water when the sandbox option to display it was turned off
  
• Fixed "Attach Animal to Tree" not removing rope from the player's inventory
  
• Fixed animals being visible through walls and solid barriers
  
• Fixed Hydration Packs not gaining encumbrance when filled with water
  
• Fixed Scythed Grass being added to the player's inventory regardless of max carry weight
  
• Fixed being able to pick up moveables, sheets, & lightbulbs when the player wouldn't have room in their inventory
  
• Fixed a number of bags being unable to spawn with holes
  
• Fixed being unable to pick up an animal corpse
  
• Fixed tents not being completely destroyed by fire
  
• Fixed players being unable to climb up a rope over water tiles
  
• Fixed clicking on the context sub-menu of world objects preventing subsequent interaction with the context sub-menu of any inventory item
  
• Fixed washing machines having unlimited water even when plumbed to empty rain collectors
  
• Fixed animal stats not properly updating while outside loaded chunks
  
• Fixed zombies dying when impacted by vehicles at low speeds
  
• Fixed players being able to dig furrows and plant seeds on occupied tiles
  
• Fixed vegetable oil requiring 30 whole seed pastes instead of 30 uses
  
• Fixed missing textures on some bags when worn by female characters
  
• Fixed visual errors occurring when building near or on water
  
• Fixed water tiles sometimes being rendered twice, causing flickering along the shore
  
• Fixed a graphical issue on the loading screen after quitting the game while sleeping, and reloading save
  
• Fixed model for leather water bag breaking when worn with vests
  
• Fixed Bagel evolved repices text erroneously containing "Prepare Bagel"

• Adjusted SFX volumes to bring all audio levels into a more balanced state
  
• Added new SFX for Vehicle Containers
  
• Added new SFX for stepping on leaf tiles.
  
• Added Unique engine start failure SFX for each vehicle type.
  
• Added SFX for Vending Machines, Log Stacks, Mailboxes, Cash Registers, Washers/Dryers, Tents, and Laundry Carts.
  
• Added ambient SFX to large and small ventilation objects.
  
• Added ambient SFX for Water Tanks and Fluorescent Tube Lights
  
  • These are a work in progress and may not play in all circumstances.
• Popcorn Machine now has an appropriate on/off sound.
  
• Reworked System for Item Transfer SFX
  
• Zombie Trip SFX range has been increased to 70 tiles.
  
• Door-break, thumpable-break, and window glass-break SFX ranges have been increased to 70 tiles.
  
• Zombie vocal SFX range has been increased to 70 tiles.
  
• Fixed SFX for "Sit on Ground" action not syncing properly with its animation.
  
• Fixed slicing bread, cake, or pie not using the appropriate SFX.
  
• Fixed curtains not playing sounds when opening/closing in MP.
  
• Fixed vehicle-engine sound not being audible to remote clients in multiplayer at longer ranges
  
• Fixed audio from 3D-placed, powered-on walkie-talkies or radios not playing until after reloading the chunk
  
• Fixed sprinters playing shambler audio and vice versa
  
• Fixed remote clients playing transfer-completion sfx for every item

• Added ARF Recording Button in debug to assist with bug reports
  
• Removed unnecessary console output when reducing weapon head condition
  
• Fixed being unable to open doors with keys obtained through Debug -> Objects -> Get building key