Article by Becky Mullen
The Indie Stone have released the mapping tools for Project Zomboid, their indie zombie survival game. If you've ever felt the urge to see your home-town overrun with zombies - and who hasn't - your time has finally come.
The tools, which were used by developers for creating the in-game maps Muldraugh and West Point, will let players create their own sandbox maps in whatever sadistic or artistic manner they choose. The question is no longer just how you die, but where.
The game is still only available in its alpha stage, but already has incredible levels of customisation. By releasing the mapping tools to the community, The Indie Stone are hoping to create an “explosion” of user-created content. Already praised for it's replayability, Project Zomboid could give players the opportunity to experience the whole world (and beyond) as a zombie infested wasteland. Using the map tools, players are able to build individual houses, islands, and a lot more - but not change the existing maps themselves.
While this may become possible in the future, The Indie Stone want to keep the focus on creating brand new community content to expand the experience of Project Zomboid. Ambitious community projects are already in the works, including skyscrapers and a huge community map. Players are also hoping to recreate famous zombie films using the game's Last Stand mode.
The modding community have already had a strong influence on the game's development - after all, The Indie Stone hired one of their modders last year .
Although there are currently no tutorials available for using the map tools, a community wiki has already been put up at pzwiki.net , and developers are still on hand in The Indie Stone forum to help out. The tools are worth checking out - and could give you a tactical advantage when the real apocalypse hits!
