Hi everyone! 

@ShockDev here with a Just Survive update. I appreciate that you enjoy reading these updates and keep asking for more! I have fun writing them! 

By the time you read this, the Live server should have been updated with the latest data direct from the Test Server. I really want to point out that we’re doing our best to provide you with the most stable updates possible. This is why we’re tightening up our publish rules a bit for Test server. With the exception of emergency hotfixes, updates should be available on Test server for roughly a week before going live. This gives us enough time to react to player discovered issues. 

We’re working on a handful of initiatives right now. Most of these revolve around tightening the core game play experience, identifying systems that need a “once over,” and going completely experimental with systems that are just not working out as we hoped.

This leads to my first topic… 

Experimental servers

Very soon, you will see a few experimental servers going live. These servers are specifically being put in place to test out things we would normally be hesitant to try on the live environment. During team discussion, features/fixes which seem like reasonable ideas on our side will be discussed, but no matter how we vet it on our end, after going live, said feature doesn’t always work out as imagined.  Hence, the experimental server! Here is how the experimental servers will play out:

• Experimental features/fixes/tests are scheduled for deployment on these servers.
• We publish and observe the change for some time. Usually a couple weeks.
• We then make a decision as to how we want to implement:
  • The feature graduates to official live status and is scheduled with a live update
  • We remove it, revise it or just straight burn it in a fire 

Typically, experimental servers will be focused on a single or related set of changes to insure accurate analysis on our end. 

No base building + more Zombies

This is our first experimental server test. We’re going to turn off the ability to build structures and crank up the zombie count.  We believe this experiment could lead to a very cool ruleset server in the future.  Let’s see how it plays out! Tell us what you think. 

Zombie AI

We’ve been talking about Zombie AI changes for some time now. The reality is, it’s a huge system which significantly affects the way zombies operate in our game. A lot of the code base has been released in smaller chunks over the last couple months.  Although we refer to it as Zombie AI, it’s really a system for all non-player controlled creatures. It’s currently only connected to the zombies though. At some point soon we’ll transition this system over to the wildlife. This may give you some insight as to why we’ve been holding back on making sweeping changes to the wolves, bears...etc. We really just want to quit tinkering with the old system and do it right with the new AI codebase. Zombies will be aware of bases and structures in the near future also. This should increase the threat level to your constructed safe havens. When there’s a zombie situation outside your base, you’ll actually need to deal with it

Spawn Points

We’ve been watching player patterns regarding respawning. Basically it goes something like this. “/respawn...did I get a good drop…No?.../respawn again.” Eventually, after some time, you end up with a spawn point you are happy with.  We’re making some changes to make this a more ideal experience for all players and we are instituting that all the spawn location manifest around POI regions.  So, your starting point will be within one of the following areas: 

• Villas
• Dam
• Radio Tower
• Wilderness Camp
• Desoto
• Wake Hills
• Bumjick
• Runamok
• LonePine
• Ranchito Taquito
• Cranberry
• Pleasant Valley
• Bubbas
• Hemingway
• Military Base
• Governor’s Mansion

I understand this doesn’t mean much for veteran players who know the map in precise detail, but the main goal here is to help new players as well as casual players to get their bearings faster. This change will go to the Test server fairly soon. 

But wait! There’s an additional component to this change which we’ll be testing on the “Experimental Servers”. Upon death (or character create), you’ll be presented with a map of the world. This map will have a handful of spawn regions based on the POI’s above. You will also see a marker representing your last death point.  With this interface, you can choose a respawn region and get back to the action at an accelerated pace. This should also help foster timelier group play sessions. Keep in mind; we’re not talking pin point accuracy respawning. It’s literally a random spot within a POI region. 

Z2 Map

I wanted to touch base regarding Z2 just to clarify a few things. I’m sure most of you read Chris’s KOTK Producer update last week. He mentioned that KOTK would be getting Z2 before Just Survive.  There is a very logical reason behind this. As you all are aware, our loot spawning and balance has been a challenge over the past year for survival. Without going into too much detail, we essentially over engineered the original system for Just Survive. We gave it so many tuning knobs, it became a beast to manage when we needed just a simple change. Often, the output would be completely contradictory to the result we had in mind! That being said, we’re reworking the way item spawns function in Just Survive. We want to be able to implement this new system on Z2 and completely avoid the legacy mechanic. This will put us in a much better position to react and tune the game going forward. This system has been in progress and should be available for our designers to use by the time Z2 is ready for population. So, although both teams (KOTK & JS) are populating Z2 around the same time, Just Survive is a significantly larger task and will naturally take longer to complete. AS we dive in, I will give you updates on progress. 

That sums it up for me this week! See you in game!

Steve George

Source: h1z1.com