Yet Another Zombie Survivors News

[h3]Welcome, Survivors![/h3]

Yesterday, we've updated the demo version of the game. Today, we'd like to fix some of the problems you've reported to us (thanks again!). Here, we list changes in both versions, in case you've missed our previous announcement in the "News" section:

[h2]Demo 2.1 Update (22 June 2023)[/h2]

• Item fixes (Bolts and Nuts, Duck Tape).
  
• Sound effect fixes (looking at you, Minigun!).
  
• Increased the number of healthpack drops from enemies.
  
• Fixed some incomplete progress elements being available by mistake.
  
• Potato removed. It shouldn't been there in the first place. Curse you, Potato!
  
• Other minor fixes & improvements.

[h2]Demo 2.0 Update (21 June 2023)[/h2]

• Better graphics, audio & optimization.
  
• New survivor recruitment system.
  
• Item & power-up game mechanics.
  
• Achievements & team stats interfaces.
  
• Visual cues for off-screen drops.
  
• Ability & weapon tweaks / reworks.
  
• More in-game settings.

[h2]About the new demo (& how to access the old one)[/h2]

There's still a lot of work-in-progress/placeholder stuff in there, so please be patient with us as we test & work things out to create a great experience for everyone!

This demo is much more advanced than the previous one, so the save file is not compatible with the previous one, sorry! Keep in mind that this is not the final demo, and the progress will not be transferred to the full version of the game just yet - we will try to make this possible in future demo builds!

PS if you'd like to return to the old Next Fest demo - no problem! We've added an old beta branch in the game's demo settings on Steam, you can switch it back there.

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Be sure to check out the demo & stay tuned as the
Early Access launches in a few weeks on July 13th!

  @AwesomeGamesStd   @AwesomeGamesStudio   @awesomegamesstudio   @awesomegamesstudio   https://discord.gg/m4JfXuS


[hr][/hr][h2]ㅤInterested in the game? ㅤRemember to Wishlist it:[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2163330
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[h3]Welcome, Survivors![/h3]

How have you been? We're pretty busy these days as we get closer to the Early Access release
date (only ~3 weeks to go!), but we wanted to give you some news about the project ːheart_meː

[h2]Demo Update![/h2]

We're updating the YAZS demo version to bring it closer to the current state of the development.

The new demo includes many visual & quality of life improvements, such as:

• Better graphics, audio & optimization.
  
• New survivor recruitment system.
  
• Item & power-up game mechanics.
  
• Achievements & team stats interfaces.
  
• Visual cues for off-screen drops.
  
• Ability & weapon tweaks / reworks.
  
• More in-game settings.

Be sure to give it a try! There's still a lot of work-in-progress/placeholder stuff in there, so please be patient with us as we test & work things out to create a great experience for everyone!

This demo is much more advanced than the previous one, so the save file is not compatible with the previous one, sorry! Keep in mind that this is not the final demo, and the progress will not be transferred to the full version of the game just yet - we will try to make this possible in future demo builds!

You can download it both on the [YAZS Store Page] or by pressing the "Play for Free!" button below:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2265230

PS if you'd like to return to the old Next Fest demo - no problem! We've added an old beta branch in the game's demo settings on Steam, you can switch it back there.


But wait! There's more![h2]Survivor Preview: The Medic 🍎[/h2]
An apple a day won't keep her away!



The Medic is our first support character.

She trades high damage for high healing. The Medic specializes in increasing the overall strength and survivability of her teammates in a variety of ways. For example, her Stimpak ability gives everyone a general stat buff, while her Acid Flasks throwing weapon poisons and weaken your enemies.

She'll be a great help to your team when you need some buffs and healing. Choosing her as your team leader should also be a nice added challenge for the more daring players!



[h2]Enemy Preview: The Charger 🚚[/h2]

The Charger is a new boss enemy that, well, charges a lot. It's best for your team to stay out of his way, but it wouldn't hurt to set him up to attack his brothers.



Yes, he can be used tactically to trample other zombies, much like the Butcher, who swings his weapon blindly at everything - friend or foe. Right now he's just charging a lot, but we'll see what we can do to spice his patterns up a bit. Got any ideas? Be sure to share them!

[h2]Until next time![/h2]

Be sure to check out the demo & stay tuned as Early Access launches in a few weeks on July 13th!

As always, thanks for reading. If you're interested in the game, don't forget to wishlist it & follow it on Steam, as it helps us and the other players who get to know it thanks to you!

A quick reminder, that you can find us on our social media and chat with us directly on our Discord server:

  @AwesomeGamesStd   @AwesomeGamesStudio   @awesomegamesstudio   @awesomegamesstudio   https://discord.gg/m4JfXuS


[hr][/hr][h2]ㅤInterested in the game? ㅤRemember to Wishlist it:[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2163330
[hr][/hr]

[h3]Welcome, Survivors![/h3]

How have you been? I'm happy to tell you that the development of YAZS is progressing well.

Today we'd like to show you some of the new systems we're implementing that we hope will make the game even more enjoyable for different playstyles.

[h2]New recruitment system![/h2]



We've talked about the separation of the leveling and character recruitment mechanics before, but here's some more detail. When you level up, you're choosing to upgrade one of the characters you already have on your team - we no longer include new character recruitment options in this screen.

In order to recruit new survivors, you'll need to respond to distress calls, which will occur frequently throughout the course of the game. When an SOS occurs, you'll be notified and can follow an arrow to the location of someone you can rescue.

When you interact with that person, you can either recruit a new character from the pool of survivors you've unlocked, or rescue them for a reward if you want to take on the zombies as a lone wolf or as a two-person team.

We're hoping this system will improve the experience by giving players much more control over which upgrades they want to focus on and when do they do that in the current run. It also gives you more incentive to explore the levels.

[h2]Items & Chests![/h2]


In our older builds, opening a chest resulted in a level-up screen. Sounds boring, right? We're changing that by introducing items to the game and making them drop from chests!

Most of the items will be easy-to-understand modifiers to all sorts of different team stats. Many of them can also be found and taken multiple times to increase their effect. There will also be rare, more powerful versions of each item to find!

Chests will continue to drop randomly as well as from boss enemies — which will now drop tons of experience gems as an additional reward! Overall, don't worry about leveling slower as a result of this change, as we will be balancing the level curve to make it feel at least as fast, if not faster!

Our plan is to make the item chest system another factor that adds depth and replayability to the game for everyone, as items are tied to the current run, and you'll find different ones each time you play!

[h2]Powerful Power-ups![/h2]



As well as adding new zombies, we're also improving what they drop. These new pickups will act as temporary bonuses to your team, drastically increasing some stats for a short period of time.

For example, Attack Frenzy reduces the cooldown between weapon attacks and Stone Skin multiplies your current armour value. Each of these buffs lasts for 10 seconds, and you can have several types of these active at once!

It'll also be easier to find dropped health and magnet pickups, as we've added guide arrows for the most important drops, each with a different color to make them easier to spot in a fight.

Oh, and there's a new enemy type and a new character abilities in the GIF above!

[h2]Until next time![/h2]

Thank you for reading! As a quick reminder, we plan to launch the Early Access version on July 13.

Make sure you follow the game to find out when we'll be sharing more information from the development process! Remember that you can find us on the various social media channels and chat with us directly on our Discord server:

  @AwesomeGamesStd   @AwesomeGamesStudio   @awesomegamesstudio   @awesomegamesstudio   https://discord.gg/m4JfXuS


PS on the topic of character class spoiler in the previous developer news: that item won't keep her away.

[h3]Welcome, Survivors![/h3]

How have you been? The past few weeks were busy for us. We've recently passed the 100,000 wishlists mark! Once again, we're thankful for all the support & feedback you give us ːheart_meː

We've wanted to update you on our status and bring you a few details from behind the scenes of the development process.

[h2]Early Access Release Date![/h2]

Firstly, due to some unforeseen circumstances, we've pushed back the Early Access release date by a few weeks to Q3 2023. To be completely transparent - one team member spent almost a month healing COVID-19, and another took some time off to help his family. You know how it is, sometimes life doesn't go exactly as planned.

But! We're increasingly confident that we'll be able to release the first Early Access version of the game in July, so mark your calendars with the date below:

• [h3]Thursday, July 13th, 2023[/h3]

Thankfully, it's not Friday 😉 We also want you to check out the new official promo art for the game:



How does it look? Hope you like it, but that's not everything we've got for you today!

[h2]Survivor Preview: Ghost 👻[/h2]

Cue the epic choir music!



You may have seen this character in the demo, sitting behind a padlock. Actually, there wasn't a character there - we're working on adding one, and we can show you a few things about it.

Ghost is a melee damage dealer that focuses on ninja-like techniques and an agile style of play. This character excels at covering the melee aspect of your team, but that doesn't mean they can't fight from a distance. There may also be some stealthy tricks they have yet to reveal, if not for the fact that we'd have to be killed for knowing their secrets 🤫



[h2]Enemy Preview: The Witch & The Flies 🧟‍♀️🦟[/h2]

We're working on adding several new enemies with new attack patterns and AI. One of which is the Witch (badum-tss!), a new boss monster that doesn't like to get its hands dirty.

Instead of attacking you directly, Witch uses an ability to summon infected insects, sending a cloud of mutated flies to spread the virus to you and your friends. Although mostly stationary and much less resistant to damage than a Butcher Zombie, this enemy remains dangerous if not dealt with.



These and other upcoming enemies should add to the variety of the game, but we're always willing to work with players to tweak and balance things in case something doesn't feel right in the future.

[h2]Thank You![/h2]

Thanks for reading! Be sure to follow the game to be informed when we'll share more information from the development process! Remember that you can find and follow us on the various social media channels and chat with us directly on our Discord server. Cheers!

  @AwesomeGamesStd   @AwesomeGamesStudio   @awesomegamesstudio   https://discord.gg/m4JfXuS


Also, here's a small emoji spoiler for the next character:

[h2]Welcome, Survivors![/h2]

Thank you for playing the demo and giving us so many positive comments & constructive feedback! We've wanted to use the occasion to present you another short trailer, this time dedicated to each and every one of our players ːheart_meː

[h2]This one's for you![/h2]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]Information regarding the demo's availability[/h2]

The Steam Next Fest has wrapped up, but the demo will still be available for an indefinite time while we work hard on the Early Access version. This way, you can still enjoy it in case, you've missed the main event!

A quick reminder, that if you like the game, please remember to wishlist and/or follow it, to be informed about its development & help us reach more people.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2265230
[h2]Thank you for your feedback![/h2]

We can't thank you enough for all the feedback and suggestions you've given us! We've already implemented some of it into the changes in the demo builds, but we'll continue to improve the game upon it where possible!

Some of the things we plan to add for the Early Access release, or soon after:

• 8 characters to choose from or add to your squad!
  
• More maps / levels to play on.
  
• Better weapon & class synergies.
  
• More unlocks & permanent upgrades / meta-progression.
  
• Full basic skill-tree & an option to redistribute the spend points.
  
• New way of recruiting survivors, so you can easily decide to play solo, duo, and as a full squad.
  
• More settings, especially in the accessibility department.
  
• Optimization fixes & improvements.
  
• Achievements!
  
• A dog!

But that'll be just the beginning, and we'll spend the Early Access period improving the game and making it bigger with you - our community!

[h3]Let's make it awesome, together![/h3]

  @AwesomeGamesStd   @AwesomeGamesStudio   @awesomegamesstudio   https://discord.gg/m4JfXuS

[h3]Awesome Games Studio Team[/h3]