Z.O.N.A: Origin News

[h2]New Features:[/h2]

• [p]A new location leading to "Perimeter-2" has been added. The Perimeter-2 location itself will be introduced in an upcoming update.[/p]
• [p]The storyline related to decoding Iskra’s PDA at the Dawn base has been completed.[/p]
• [p]A new type of zombie has been added — not your typical kind: it has high durability and deals powerful melee damage. It's essentially a tank among regular zombies. Avoid letting it get too close. You may encounter it in certain locations and raids.[/p]
• [p]New campfire tales have been added at the Free Stalkers’ base. You can listen to them in the building where Sivy is located.[/p]
• [p]A short dialogue between stalkers has been added at the Free Stalkers’ base. You can hear it in the post office building where Mikhalych is sitting.[/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h2]Changes and Improvements:[/h2]

• [p]The quest for finding the Sova detector has been improved. Now, when you enter the bunker during this mission, an additional objective will appear in the PDA, showing where to deliver the detector. If you've already completed this quest, your progress will not be affected.[/p]
• [p]The health of the soldiers guarding the helicopter in Pripyat has been reduced, as this is one of the first encounters with hostile factions. The difficulty has been slightly lowered intentionally.[/p]
• [p]Heavy weapon handling has been improved across all slots. Placing weapons in shoulder slots or the backpack is now easier and more convenient.[/p]
• [p]Improved interaction with the left shoulder socket of the backpack — retrieving and storing items there should now be even smoother.[/p]
• [p]Similarly, the right shoulder socket used for storing heavy weapons has been improved for easier access and placement.[/p]
• [p]Additional random encounters have been added in some locations — both with faction fighters and monsters.[/p]
• [p]Minor fixes and improvements on several levels.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

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[h2]Changes and Improvements:[/h2]

• Fixed a bug with the quest in "Bunker 88". It occurred if the player saved and loaded the game during the task — objectives would reset. As a result, the quest could only be completed without loading a save.
  
• Optimized some textures across levels.
  
• Optimized textures on certain weapons.
  
• Fixed bugs in faction AI scripts.
  
• Adjusted headlamp brightness on all levels.
  

[h2]Changes and Improvements:[/h2]

• You can now receive a radio message from the AFU squad commander at the Free Stalkers’ base — he has a mission for you. Previously, many players missed this quest, as it required revisiting the "Outpost" location after clearing it. This quest unlocks a storyline branch leading to secret bunkers in Alex’s questline.
  
• Fixed an issue with the leaderboard display at the "Dawn" base. Thanks to user VenousPillow95 for reporting it.
  
• Fixed a bug in the stash hunt quest from Stryzh — the item could fall into the bottom drawer.
  
• Fixed a critical error in the "Outpost" clearing quest.
  
• Improved lighting at the "Dawn" base — corner lens shading has been removed.
  
• Improved lighting at the Free Stalkers’ base — corner lens shading has been removed.
  

The leaderboard has been reset. Be the first to claim the top spot!

[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!