In the upcoming update, which became known from recent message on the Steam blog, Project Zomboid is going to improve the mechanism of agriculture and introduce small animals into the game.
One of the most significant aspects of this update is the complete restructuring of the agricultural system. Currently, the game developers are working on improving the interface and interactions related to farming. The key aspect of this development is the introduction of new plants representing various plants of plants, which will significantly enrich the feedback mechanism with the player.
In previous versions of the game there was a limited number of plants for certain stages of growth and several general sprites for trampled plants. However, in this renewal of agriculture mechanics expands and covers a much wider range of plant conditions. This update will add about 600 sprites that will represent 15 different crops and 8 herbs in various conditions. These states include plants that are unhealthy due to illness or lack of water, dying or completely dead plants, as well as plants that have been trampled or crushed.
In addition, in the update of farming, growing seasons will be introduced, which can be switched in the settings of the sandbox. Most plants will now have a certain landing season, and certain months will give an additional crop. Plants planted not in the season, most likely, will be filled and perish. This new dynamics will give the agricultural system a greater realism, making game experience more exciting and complex. Knowledge about the seasons of growing plants can be obtained in different ways in the game: Fairyard characters will know them initially, the characters with the gardener’s line will know most of them, and the rest can be recognized by reading packages with seeds and special agricultural guidelines.
In addition to improvements in the farm, the introduction of small animals into the game will offer a more diverse game environment. This new function will bring a different level of realism and involvement to the game, and the behavior of animals such as rabbits will be regulated by unique rules. The inclusion of animals will also bring additional elements to the game, such as the waste of animal life that can be used for various purposes.
In addition, work continues to expand the card, which was facilitated by the recent adding of Dirk to the team of card developers. This new area may be released with the 42nd update or included in its beta version, providing players with a wider environment for research.