Z.O.N.A: Origin News

[h2]New Features:[/h2]

• A new location has been added — "Palace of Culture", located in the vicinity of Pripyat.
  
• A new quest has been added to clear out the Palace of Culture. It becomes available in Alex’s questline, where he previously asked for your help. You could either accept or refuse. If you refused, this questline will remain unavailable to you. The quest can be obtained at the Free Stalkers’ base after completing a series of missions in Bunker 746, followed by Bunker 345.
  
• A new anomaly, "Hellfire", has been added. It can currently be encountered in the Palace of Culture area, near Pripyat.
  
• A new anomaly, "Polar Star", has also been added. It is located in the Palace of Culture area, near the city of Pripyat.
  

[h2]Changes and Improvements:[/h2]

• Ambient sound has been updated on the quest level "Swamp. Zimovishche Village".
  
• Ambient sound has been updated on the quest level "Underground Collector".
  
• Flashlight effect has been fixed. Previously, strange light streaks could appear on the left side of walls — this has now been resolved.
  
• The dirty glass texture on the flashlight effect has been updated.
  
• The same effect has also been fixed on both the handheld and tactical flashlights — the textures have been replaced.
  
• Brightness has been increased for both handheld and tactical flashlights.
  
• A critical bug related to loading/unloading shotgun shells while the weapon is in the backpack socket has been fixed. Previously, transitioning between levels or loading a save could result in losing all items in the backpack. Huge thanks to user QT𝝅 — not only for discovering the bug, but also for demonstrating how to reproduce it.
  
• Fixed an issue on the "Industrial Zone" level that allowed players to leave the boundaries of the map.
  
• Fixed a bug on the "Collector" level where radio messages could overlap.
  
• Various game optimizations and improvements aimed at reducing minor stutters and freezes. Optimization work is ongoing.
  
• Improved lightning effects on several levels.
  
• Some textures have been optimized, which should help reduce video memory usage.
  

Additionally, I’d like to remind those who missed it: the Support Pack was recently released — for those who want to support the development of the project and receive a small but atmospheric starter gear set for their journey into the Zone.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3721130/ZONA_Origin__Supporters_Pack/

Greetings, stalkers! I'd like to share some fresh news about the upcoming update.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The main focus of this update is project optimization. That doesn't mean the game will run a hundred times faster, but the work already done shows up to a 30% increase in performance and stability — which, in my opinion, is quite good, especially for a project developed by a solo developer.

Additionally, on lower-end PCs, the number of micro-stutters should noticeably decrease. On my own test PC, which is far from high-end, they’ve practically disappeared — and most of the remaining ones are barely noticeable to the eye. However, since I use special tools to monitor performance, I can confirm that CPU load has stabilized in several areas. Many believe the GPU is what matters most, but in VR, that's not always the case. It's the CPU that handles physics, and VR games demand more from it. So, a powerful processor is often essential for a smooth experience.

This update will also include a new location and a brand-new soundtrack, composed specifically for our game and added to several levels to enhance the atmosphere.

And for those who may have missed it: the Support Pack was recently released — a way to support the project and receive a small but atmospheric gear set to start your journey in the Zone.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3721130/ZONA_Origin__Supporters_Pack/

Thank you all for your support!
And thank you for staying with me for almost a whole year and helping make this game better!

[h2]Changes and Improvements:[/h2]

• Fixed several bugs on the “Dnipro-1” location.
  
• Updated the quest description for finding the hidden stash — it now specifies that the location is the Industrial Zone.
  
• Replaced the radio track in the main menu with a new one composed specifically for our game.
  
• Optimized several textures.
  

[h2]New Features:[/h2]

• Added two new types of "Charmed Ones". Their behavior is similar to regular civilian zombies but significantly slower. Despite their sluggishness, they can stealthily approach the player. Don't let their slow movement lull you into a false sense of security—they deal heavy damage and can kill with just two or three hits, especially if the character isn't equipped with health-enhancing artifacts. They appear both in the Zone and during Raids, possess high durability, and, like other monsters, are often vulnerable to headshots.
  
• Added a new side quest available from Klyk at the Dawn base after obtaining the main quest from Iskra.
  
• Added another side quest available from Sukhov at the Dawn base after completing the quest from Klyk.
  
• Added new loot—the Prima cigarette pack. It can be found throughout the Zone, in Raids, and in backpacks of fallen soldiers from various factions.
  
• Added new loot—three types of gramophone records. These can also be found in the Zone, in Raids, and in backpacks of defeated enemies.
  

[h2]Changes and Improvements:[/h2]

• Improved tactical laser pointers: the beam now dynamically shortens upon collision with objects and no longer passes through walls.
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed detectors, grenades, or flashlights placed in the quick wrist slots to be accidentally sold on the Black Market if they fell into the sale area.
  
• Desert Eagle pistol durability increased by three times—it now requires repairs far less frequently.
  
• Night Hawk pistol durability doubled.
  
• PL-14 pistol durability increased by three times.
  
• Makarov pistol durability doubled.
  
• Glock 19zo pistol durability increased by three times.
  
• Partially reworked lighting and shadows at the Free Stalkers base.
  
• Fixed textures of sniper rifles used by the Doomsday faction.
  
• Fixed errors in artifact descriptions.
  
• Updated and improved descriptions for several items.
  
• Clarified descriptions for several locations.