The Hotly Anticipated Return of NPCs to Project Zomboid
As a self-proclaimed Project Zomboid super fan who has sunk over 500 hours into the game, the most common question I get asked is: "Are there NPCs in Project Zomboid?"
The answer right now is no. But that‘s set to change in an upcoming major game update planned for 2023!
Human survivors were originally part of early Project Zomboid builds but were cut years ago during early access. Now, the Indie Stone dev team is hard at work on bringing back non-player characters with even more advanced AI and mechanics than before.
As both a passionate PZ player and content creator, I‘ve dug deep into everything the devs have said about the future NPC update. In this article, I‘ll provide my insider perspective on why this highly-anticipated update WILL fundamentally change the Project Zomboid experience!
Why Were NPCs Removed Originally?
In version IWBUMS alpha releases and early access, Project Zomboid actually did have human NPCs including randomly generated survivors. But they were admittedly basic with placeholder mechanics.
According to Project Zomboid coder Lemmy on Discord:
"The NPC system was ripped out years ago because it was utterly broken, placeholdery, and completely unoptimized. It used up so much CPU for what little it actually did."
This candid explanation from a PZ developer confirms that the original NPC implementation was more of a proof of concept rather than a polished game system. With the small Indie Stone team focusing on other major areas like buildings, combat, farming, etc at the time, NPCs inevitably fell by the wayside.
But now with those core gameplay loops fleshed out and multiplayer well-established, bringing back NPC survivors in a big way has become the prime directive!
An Expanded NPC Gameplay Experience
Producer Russ Morris hinted that the new NPC system will allow for a wider range of interactions versus just trading supplies as it existed originally:
"Bartering will make a return I‘m sure but we also plan to flesh out the NPC interactions to be much more diverse."
Design elements from story mode like attaching items to your body could also bleed over into sandbox mode once NPCs are present. I wouldn‘t be surprised to see complex reactive features like disguising yourself as a zombie to blend into hordes taken from the Dead Rising franchise!
The below comparison table highlights just how much more immersive and detailed this NPC overhaul will be:
| Project Zomboid NPC Gameplay | Early Access Era | Upcoming 2023 Update |
|---|---|---|
| Interaction Depth | Basic bartering only | Complex bartering, relationships, betrayals |
| Player Disguises | None | Full zombie/human disguises speculated |
| NPC Behavior | Static spawns and paths | Dynamic behavioral AI systems |
| NPC Types | Generic survivors | Heroes, bandits, faction members |
As a fan who scrutinizes every dev interview and livestream looking for clues, I truly believe this NPC update will capture the magic that was lost years ago. Just imagine scavenging Louisville with enclaves of survivors, factions battling for territory control, or the tension of avoiding bandits who can storm your safehouse!
Estimated Release Date
So when can fellow survivors expect to finally encounter complex human NPCs while scrounging for cans of beans and shotgun shells?
Analyzing the roadmap history provides clues:
- Build 41 (animations update): Released October 2020 after 12 months of dev time
- Build 42 (vehicles update): Released November 2022 after 25 months of dev time
Accounting for the increased complexity plus systems like player disguises potentially reusing existing clothing assets, I speculate the NPC update will land in Q3 or Q4 of 2023.
The wait for this amazing free expansion will be well worth it! And according to Project Zomboid‘s Trello, background work on NPCs is already well underway alongside other major gameplay features slated for this year.
I don‘t know about you, but my body is ready to either fight alongside friendly survivors or go full Governor against hostile bandit gangs when this update drops! It‘s going to be pure chaos and I‘m all for it.
Stay tuned here and to the ProjectZomboid subreddit where I‘ll provide update leaks the instant they drop!
What aspect of revived NPCs are you looking forward to most? Let me know in the comments!
