Feedback on Build 42 - Realism vs. Fun Balance

[Lost Storm]

Hi Devs,

First off, thank you for letting us experience Build 42 early. It’s clear a lot of effort has gone into this update, and I’m genuinely impressed by the new mechanics, animations, and the overall expansion of survival options. That said, I wanted to share some thoughts based on my experience so far.

While I appreciate the realism, the current fatigue, strain, and endurance systems feel overly punishing. Exhaustion spirals too quickly, leaving players unable to fight, escape, or explore effectively. A minor fight with 6 zombies can leave me completely depleted, forcing me to sleep by noon. The stacked penalties make it nearly impossible to survive larger encounters or recover momentum. The tighter clustering of zombies is terrifying, which I love. However, pairing that with extreme stamina penalties makes it feel like an unwinnable fight if you get caught out of breath.

The new durability and decay systems add depth, but some mechanics feel too aggressive. Cars break down almost daily, and even flashlights lose battery life unrealistically fast when not in use. Weapons jamming nearly every magazine—despite being in good condition—adds frustration, especially on top of the already RNG-based gunplay. Introduce gun cleaning kits to reduce jamming and condition loss, especially for clean weapons.

I’m excited about the new aiming system, but currently, it feels like a step backward. The tighter hitboxes and higher chance to miss make guns unreliable even when zombies are right in front of me. Combined with the jamming, it’s often safer to stick with melee—which is already challenging due to fatigue. Lower the frequency of gun jamming, especially for guns in good condition.
Allow players to craft primitive gun-cleaning tools for long-term maintenance.

The additions for remote play, like animals, pottery, smithing and brick/stone building parts, are fantastic. However, some mechanics could use more player feedback or options:

Animals need clearer visual and audio cues for their status. Like pacing, stress, droopiness and so on.
Add customization settings to toggle or adjust some of the new mechanics, offering flexibility for players who prefer a pre-update experience with the new features.

Overall, I love the direction you’re taking Project Zomboid, and I understand this is an unstable branch. I’m grateful for the chance to test it and provide feedback, and I hope some of these points are helpful. Keep up the great work—this update has the potential to be your best yet.

Thank you for letting us experience PZ B42 early. It's a fine gift and I hope we can help make the next build better as a team of player and dev.

[xAlphaStarOmegax]

Originally posted by Allegorical Death:

Hi Devs,
While I appreciate the realism, the current fatigue, strain, and endurance systems feel overly punishing. Exhaustion spirals too quickly, leaving players unable to fight, escape, or explore effectively. A minor fight with 6 zombies can leave me completely depleted, forcing me to sleep by noon. The stacked penalties make it nearly impossible to survive larger encounters or recover momentum. The tighter clustering of zombies is terrifying, which I love. However, pairing that with extreme stamina penalties makes it feel like an unwinnable fight if you get caught out of breath.

No need to worry about it... it's already been nerfed.

[Lost Storm]

Originally posted by xAlphaStarOmegax:

Originally posted by Allegorical Death:

Hi Devs,
While I appreciate the realism, the current fatigue, strain, and endurance systems feel overly punishing. Exhaustion spirals too quickly, leaving players unable to fight, escape, or explore effectively. A minor fight with 6 zombies can leave me completely depleted, forcing me to sleep by noon. The stacked penalties make it nearly impossible to survive larger encounters or recover momentum. The tighter clustering of zombies is terrifying, which I love. However, pairing that with extreme stamina penalties makes it feel like an unwinnable fight if you get caught out of breath.

No need to worry about it... it's already been nerfed.

Nerfing is fine and all. But some players like the challenge... even if it's a bit too realistic. Maybe add some settings to adjust it personally. This would give everyone agency over their gameplay. This is why we have custom presets and things like the Apocalypse difficulty. You get a lot of people crying over nonsense, so just give players the ability to pick and choose, especially if the system isn't outright hated.

[Lokaror]

Originally posted by Allegorical Death:

Originally posted by xAlphaStarOmegax:

No need to worry about it... it's already been nerfed.

Nerfing is fine and all. But some players like the challenge... even if it's a bit too realistic. Maybe add some settings to adjust it personally. This would give everyone agency over their gameplay. This is why we have custom presets and things like the Apocalypse difficulty. You get a lot of people crying over nonsense, so just give players the ability to pick and choose, especially if the system isn't outright hated.

Muscle strain thankfully already has a sandbox slider, so if say for instance you want it how it was at the start of the patch you can buff it by 60%. I personally felt the system as it was was a bit much but that that 60% number is a bit too much so im going to raise mine a bit next time i start a new save.