State of Decay

**Jon Dahl** · 06-06-2013, 01:17 AM

I started playing this new Zombie Survival game tonight. It's pretty damn good. My only crit is the clunky graphics and clipping errors.
But, it's a "Sandbox" style game, like GTA. It has missions, or you can just run around and kill zombies.

I haven't died yet, but I've come close a few times. From what I understand, if your character dies, the game just continues on, and you're a new character, but I could be wrong. I'm doing well, so I don't want to find out.

Here's the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8yvLrjnGdU

I don't know how they're doing all that rolling around and combat moves. I can't do any of that junk in the game!

**Jon Dahl** · 06-06-2013, 01:20 AM

Here's a review not written by me:

GET THE HELL OFF ME, YOU BRAIN-EATING ZOMBIE BASTARDS!

→ JUNE 5, 2013 I’m eight or so hours into State of Decay for Xbox Live Arcade. The framerate chugs regularly, zombies frequently clip through doors, walls, and floors, and Pastor Bill – whose church we’d holed up in and fortified as our base – succumbed to the Black Fever and turned undead in the night, killing Shayla, my primary player character I’d leveled up the highest, as well as another member of my community while they slept.
State of Decay is living up to its name in every sense of the word, and through it all I am absolutely in love with it.

It is not a game borne of this Golden Age of tutorials and hand-holding. You are no superhuman zombie slayer, armed to the teeth with a stockpile of firearms and a recharging health meter. Death is both imminent and permanent, and venturing away from the (relatively) safe confines of your home base at night is downright terrifying.
Yes, State of Decay is an open-world zombie survival game, but what’s not obvious right away – and glorious once you plumb its depths – is that it’s a full-blown role-playing game. A fantastic one at that. Switching back and forth between one of several player characters, you’ll travel across the multi-town desert region recruiting new survivors, searching vacated shops and houses for supplies, and managing relationships with the people you encounter – both those in your party as well as other humans you’re not aligned with.

Health is scarce, the zombies can move as fast as you once alerted, and most harrowingly, you can realistically only run for a short time before you’re gassed and have to stop for breath. And you’ll have to scrounge for whatever you can, both in terms of weapons (pipe wrenches, hatchets, and hockey sticks along with guns, too) and transportation. Both your offensive arsenal as well as your cars (which, of course, also double as formidable weapons themselves; Pro tip: speed by one just off to your left and press X to open the driver’s door. It’s a satisfying swat.) degrade over time, necessitating repair or replacement. Delightfully, it means you can never rely on one great sidearm or one useful truck the whole time. The more damage you do, the quicker you’ll need to find another way to deal it. This keeps your eyes open and the tension high, particularly when you’re searching a house for resources; make too loud a noise and all of a sudden a throng of zombies will barrel forth as you try anything and everything to escape alive without being enveloped by the horde.

“Harrowingly, you can realistically only run for a short time before you’re gassed and have to stop for breath."

Tying it all together brilliantly is Influence, which serve as the game’s currency. Every outpost you create, base upgrade you make, goodie you take from your Supply Locker, and item you bring back from the field have Influence points attached to them. Completing missions and storing found weapons and resources inside the Locker benefits the group and thus earns you Influence. Want to fill your backpack with as many guns as you can carry before becoming encumbered? Go ahead, but the Locker is like an Influence bank. In other words, a shotgun might be worth 90 Influence points, so removing it from your stash subtracts 90 Influence, preventing you from going full-on Rambo out there. It makes for a brilliantly balanced system where you’re constantly forced to make considered choices.

Speaking of options, you’re likely to gravitate towards one or two playable characters, mostly because you can level-up their core skills like Cardio (running), Wits (searching and sneaking), Fighting, Shooting, and others by doing them. That’s what made Shayla’s unexpected death all the more painful; I lost all of her accrued skill points and weapon specialty bonuses.
In fact, at one point shortly after Shayla died, I was down to just three survivors. Because two of them weren't designated as “Friends,” though, I couldn’t switch to them to allow my new avatar, Anderson, to rest. So I was forced to, well, survive, popping Codeine to heal my wounds and chugging coffee to replace the stamina I was continually losing from the fatigue. I endured all this while also struggling to make enough supply runs to keep everything at base running smoothly and building up enough Influence to spend on putting out radio calls in the hopes of recruiting new survivors.

Eventually, though, I recovered, keeping group morale high enough where nobody fled. And indeed there’s a bit of a learning curve to State of Decay. I lost two survivors in the first couple hours because I underestimated the speed and viciousness of a single zombie horde. You simply must take out the undead individually in order to successfully defeat them. A stealthy approach, thanks to insta-kill moves pulled off by maneuvering behind a Zed undetected, can be a powerful ally.
Like fellow brilliant zombie success The Walking Dead from Telltale, Decay’s technical shortcomings – its jankiness – are what hold it back from immortality. Besides the aforementioned frame rate and clipping problems, I also encountered constant texture pop-in issues as well as one stretch where none of my character’s weapons were visible in her hands - nothing that ever broke the game, but certainly annoying.

Decay’s only other missteps are minor. The plotline is engaging and sets up a great finale, but it falls a bit short due to a lack of tough choices, such as the ones you had to make in The Walking Dead. And while it may seem unfair to criticize a game for nonexistent features, you can't help but daydream about the fascinating possibilities and adventures that a cooperative mode could’ve laid bare – especially when State of Decay’s creators have publicly stated that they originally planned to included it and hope (not “plan,” hope) to still add it via a post-release patch.

THE VERDICT

State of Decay’s ambition reaches farther than most $60 titles, so its value is unquestionable as a $20 download – especially given how it manages to successfully meet so many of its lofty goals. I spent about 12 hours in this Zed-infested world, and while I saw most of what’s there, I could’ve spent a few more hours exploring. And since I focused on melee weapons the first time, I fully plan to start another game with a gun-centric character. Meanwhile, startup developer Undead Labs has already said that if State of Decay is successful, it hopes to follow it up with a massively multiplayer online sequel, codenamed “Class4.” But for now, Decay belongs in the pantheon of great modern zombie games alongside Valve’s Left 4 Dead series and Telltale’s Walking Dead episodes.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/...f-decay-review

Bishop · 06-06-2013, 03:06 AM

I saw you playing and hoped you'd write something up. I'm hearing positive things. I may have to check it out.

Duane Korslund · 06-06-2013, 08:57 AM

it'd be awesome as an mmo

cheeseisgood1918 · 06-06-2013, 10:40 AM

It sounds excellent! I hope they add some more content, but I'll probably download it this weekend and give it a try. You find all the best zombie entertainment. Damn you for tempting me to spend money.

**paul brian deberry** · 06-06-2013, 10:53 AM

The rumor is if it makes it sales number they add a co-op mode. if they surpass that goal they could possible make it some sorta of MMO -PC only.

so far within the few days it second behind Minecraft in sales.

**Jon Dahl** · 06-06-2013, 01:31 PM

Neat! I hope it sells well then. It's a fun game!

**Lovecraft13** · 06-06-2013, 03:34 PM

I'm gonna try the demo. You guys convinced me, but for 1600 points? I take it the game's worth the price? Historically speaking, for me, I haven't been really blown away by any XBLA games.

**Jon Dahl** · 06-06-2013, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul brian deberry

The rumor is if it makes it sales number they add a co-op mode. if they surpass that goal they could possible make it some sorta of MMO -PC only.

so far within the few days it second behind Minecraft in sales.

Hurry up and kill more zombies!

**Buckyrig** · 06-06-2013, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Dahl

Hurry up and kill more zombies!

Aren't they already dead?

**Jon Dahl** · 06-07-2013, 12:28 AM

Rekill them!

**Jon Dahl** · 06-08-2013, 12:55 AM

I'm just 11 zombies shy of killing 1,000!

It's a fun game, but I've got to stop playing it before bedtime!

**Jon Dahl** · 06-08-2013, 01:40 AM

Also,

"State of Decay Breaks 250000 Copies in First 48 Hours"

State of Decay, the XBLA title from Undead Labs, was released just only two days ago on Xbox Live and it has already broke records. The open world zombie survival title has delivered over 250,000 copies to Xbox Live, becoming the second fastest selling XBLA game behind Minecraft.
“This was you. We did not have an ad budget,” a post says on Undead Labs’ blog. “We didn’t have a physical copy to load onto shelves, no worldwide multimedia push, no studio reputation with millions of followers. All we had was what we believed was a great game and a great community. And make no mistake, a solid game is not enough, not in 2013. Plenty of great games wither away in obscurity. This train got rolling because you got out and pushed.”
In comparison, Minecraft achieved more than 400,000 downloads in its first 24 hours and became profitable within the first hour of the game’s release.
State of Decay is currently out for XBLA for 1600 Microsoft Points ($20). It will be on PC, though no date has been confirmed as noted by a tweet from the developer.

http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mis...first-48-hours

**Buckyrig** · 06-09-2013, 11:32 AM

If you make your own character, just make them black. Game'll be much easier.

**Jon Dahl** · 06-09-2013, 02:07 PM

The main character is black.

06-06-2013, 01:17 AM	#1
Jon Dahl Dust in the wind, dude. Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Lawrence, Kansas Posts: 10,979	State of Decay I started playing this new Zombie Survival game tonight. It's pretty damn good. My only crit is the clunky graphics and clipping errors. But, it's a "Sandbox" style game, like GTA. It has missions, or you can just run around and kill zombies. I haven't died yet, but I've come close a few times. From what I understand, if your character dies, the game just continues on, and you're a new character, but I could be wrong. I'm doing well, so I don't want to find out. Here's the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8yvLrjnGdU I don't know how they're doing all that rolling around and combat moves. I can't do any of that junk in the game! __________________ My YouTube Junk Facebook

06-06-2013, 01:20 AM	#2
Jon Dahl Dust in the wind, dude. Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Lawrence, Kansas Posts: 10,979	Here's a review not written by me: GET THE HELL OFF ME, YOU BRAIN-EATING ZOMBIE BASTARDS! → JUNE 5, 2013 I’m eight or so hours into State of Decay for Xbox Live Arcade. The framerate chugs regularly, zombies frequently clip through doors, walls, and floors, and Pastor Bill – whose church we’d holed up in and fortified as our base – succumbed to the Black Fever and turned undead in the night, killing Shayla, my primary player character I’d leveled up the highest, as well as another member of my community while they slept. State of Decay is living up to its name in every sense of the word, and through it all I am absolutely in love with it. It is not a game borne of this Golden Age of tutorials and hand-holding. You are no superhuman zombie slayer, armed to the teeth with a stockpile of firearms and a recharging health meter. Death is both imminent and permanent, and venturing away from the (relatively) safe confines of your home base at night is downright terrifying. Yes, State of Decay is an open-world zombie survival game, but what’s not obvious right away – and glorious once you plumb its depths – is that it’s a full-blown role-playing game. A fantastic one at that. Switching back and forth between one of several player characters, you’ll travel across the multi-town desert region recruiting new survivors, searching vacated shops and houses for supplies, and managing relationships with the people you encounter – both those in your party as well as other humans you’re not aligned with. Health is scarce, the zombies can move as fast as you once alerted, and most harrowingly, you can realistically only run for a short time before you’re gassed and have to stop for breath. And you’ll have to scrounge for whatever you can, both in terms of weapons (pipe wrenches, hatchets, and hockey sticks along with guns, too) and transportation. Both your offensive arsenal as well as your cars (which, of course, also double as formidable weapons themselves; Pro tip: speed by one just off to your left and press X to open the driver’s door. It’s a satisfying swat.) degrade over time, necessitating repair or replacement. Delightfully, it means you can never rely on one great sidearm or one useful truck the whole time. The more damage you do, the quicker you’ll need to find another way to deal it. This keeps your eyes open and the tension high, particularly when you’re searching a house for resources; make too loud a noise and all of a sudden a throng of zombies will barrel forth as you try anything and everything to escape alive without being enveloped by the horde. “Harrowingly, you can realistically only run for a short time before you’re gassed and have to stop for breath." Tying it all together brilliantly is Influence, which serve as the game’s currency. Every outpost you create, base upgrade you make, goodie you take from your Supply Locker, and item you bring back from the field have Influence points attached to them. Completing missions and storing found weapons and resources inside the Locker benefits the group and thus earns you Influence. Want to fill your backpack with as many guns as you can carry before becoming encumbered? Go ahead, but the Locker is like an Influence bank. In other words, a shotgun might be worth 90 Influence points, so removing it from your stash subtracts 90 Influence, preventing you from going full-on Rambo out there. It makes for a brilliantly balanced system where you’re constantly forced to make considered choices. Speaking of options, you’re likely to gravitate towards one or two playable characters, mostly because you can level-up their core skills like Cardio (running), Wits (searching and sneaking), Fighting, Shooting, and others by doing them. That’s what made Shayla’s unexpected death all the more painful; I lost all of her accrued skill points and weapon specialty bonuses. In fact, at one point shortly after Shayla died, I was down to just three survivors. Because two of them weren't designated as “Friends,” though, I couldn’t switch to them to allow my new avatar, Anderson, to rest. So I was forced to, well, survive, popping Codeine to heal my wounds and chugging coffee to replace the stamina I was continually losing from the fatigue. I endured all this while also struggling to make enough supply runs to keep everything at base running smoothly and building up enough Influence to spend on putting out radio calls in the hopes of recruiting new survivors. Eventually, though, I recovered, keeping group morale high enough where nobody fled. And indeed there’s a bit of a learning curve to State of Decay. I lost two survivors in the first couple hours because I underestimated the speed and viciousness of a single zombie horde. You simply must take out the undead individually in order to successfully defeat them. A stealthy approach, thanks to insta-kill moves pulled off by maneuvering behind a Zed undetected, can be a powerful ally. Like fellow brilliant zombie success The Walking Dead from Telltale, Decay’s technical shortcomings – its jankiness – are what hold it back from immortality. Besides the aforementioned frame rate and clipping problems, I also encountered constant texture pop-in issues as well as one stretch where none of my character’s weapons were visible in her hands - nothing that ever broke the game, but certainly annoying. Decay’s only other missteps are minor. The plotline is engaging and sets up a great finale, but it falls a bit short due to a lack of tough choices, such as the ones you had to make in The Walking Dead. And while it may seem unfair to criticize a game for nonexistent features, you can't help but daydream about the fascinating possibilities and adventures that a cooperative mode could’ve laid bare – especially when State of Decay’s creators have publicly stated that they originally planned to included it and hope (not “plan,” hope) to still add it via a post-release patch. THE VERDICT State of Decay’s ambition reaches farther than most $60 titles, so its value is unquestionable as a $20 download – especially given how it manages to successfully meet so many of its lofty goals. I spent about 12 hours in this Zed-infested world, and while I saw most of what’s there, I could’ve spent a few more hours exploring. And since I focused on melee weapons the first time, I fully plan to start another game with a gun-centric character. Meanwhile, startup developer Undead Labs has already said that if State of Decay is successful, it hopes to follow it up with a massively multiplayer online sequel, codenamed “Class4.” But for now, Decay belongs in the pantheon of great modern zombie games alongside Valve’s Left 4 Dead series and Telltale’s Walking Dead episodes. http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/...f-decay-review __________________ My YouTube Junk Facebook

06-06-2013, 03:06 AM	#3
Bishop Registered User Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Eastward Posts: 6,278	I saw you playing and hoped you'd write something up. I'm hearing positive things. I may have to check it out. __________________ "I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous." -Anonymous

06-06-2013, 08:57 AM	#4
Duane Korslund F!@* Symmetry!! Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: San Antonio TX Posts: 2,757	it'd be awesome as an mmo __________________ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Twist...35341496592343 http://korslund.deviantart.com/

06-06-2013, 10:53 AM	#6
paul brian deberry is a MASShole Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: just out of reach Posts: 3,783	The rumor is if it makes it sales number they add a co-op mode. if they surpass that goal they could possible make it some sorta of MMO -PC only. so far within the few days it second behind Minecraft in sales. __________________ scientists believe that dinosaurs went extinct because they ate pineapple on pizza

06-06-2013, 10:40 AM	#5
cheeseisgood1918 cheeseisgood1981 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Up in ya Posts: 1,935	It sounds excellent! I hope they add some more content, but I'll probably download it this weekend and give it a try. You find all the best zombie entertainment. Damn you for tempting me to spend money.

06-06-2013, 01:31 PM	#7
Jon Dahl Dust in the wind, dude. Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Lawrence, Kansas Posts: 10,979	Neat! I hope it sells well then. It's a fun game! __________________ My YouTube Junk Facebook

06-06-2013, 03:34 PM	#8
Lovecraft13 Mac the Knife Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 6,790	I'm gonna try the demo. You guys convinced me, but for 1600 points? I take it the game's worth the price? Historically speaking, for me, I haven't been really blown away by any XBLA games. __________________ My website

06-07-2013, 12:28 AM	#11
Jon Dahl Dust in the wind, dude. Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Lawrence, Kansas Posts: 10,979	Rekill them! __________________ My YouTube Junk Facebook

06-08-2013, 12:55 AM	#12
Jon Dahl Dust in the wind, dude. Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Lawrence, Kansas Posts: 10,979	I'm just 11 zombies shy of killing 1,000! It's a fun game, but I've got to stop playing it before bedtime! __________________ My YouTube Junk Facebook

06-08-2013, 01:40 AM	#13
Jon Dahl Dust in the wind, dude. Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Lawrence, Kansas Posts: 10,979	Also, "State of Decay Breaks 250000 Copies in First 48 Hours" State of Decay, the XBLA title from Undead Labs, was released just only two days ago on Xbox Live and it has already broke records. The open world zombie survival title has delivered over 250,000 copies to Xbox Live, becoming the second fastest selling XBLA game behind Minecraft. “This was you. We did not have an ad budget,” a post says on Undead Labs’ blog. “We didn’t have a physical copy to load onto shelves, no worldwide multimedia push, no studio reputation with millions of followers. All we had was what we believed was a great game and a great community. And make no mistake, a solid game is not enough, not in 2013. Plenty of great games wither away in obscurity. This train got rolling because you got out and pushed.” In comparison, Minecraft achieved more than 400,000 downloads in its first 24 hours and became profitable within the first hour of the game’s release. State of Decay is currently out for XBLA for 1600 Microsoft Points ($20). It will be on PC, though no date has been confirmed as noted by a tweet from the developer. http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mis...first-48-hours __________________ My YouTube Junk Facebook

06-09-2013, 11:32 AM	#14
Buckyrig I Know Super Karate! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Steve Buscemi's Couch Posts: 11,175	If you make your own character, just make them black. Game'll be much easier.

06-09-2013, 02:07 PM	#15
Jon Dahl Dust in the wind, dude. Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Lawrence, Kansas Posts: 10,979	The main character is black. __________________ My YouTube Junk Facebook

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