City Defense Z News

[h2]THE CHALLENGE IS COMPLETE - BUT OUR JOURNEY NEVER ENDS![/h2]

Today's Final Challenge Updates:
• Huge FPS Boost with soldier vertex animation conversion
• Resource Collection Fixes for final building levels
• Major Performance Optimizations across music, particles, and machines
• Animation System Overhaul for soldiers and day/night cycles
• Critical Bug Fixes for merge indicators and gameplay mechanics
• Developer Challenge Complete - 10 days of intense development
• New Era Begins - Major 1-month roadmap announcement tomorrow!

FINAL CHALLENGE ACHIEVEMENTS:
1. Performance Revolution - Soldier animators converted to vertex animation for massive FPS improvement
2. Resource Collection Polish - Fixed visibility issues in final building levels
3. System-Wide Optimization - Music, particles, and machine performance dramatically improved
4. Animation Overhaul - Complete soldier and day/night animation system modernization
5. Challenge Completion - 10 days of non-stop development and community-driven improvements
6. Future Vision - Tomorrow we reveal our ambitious 1-month development roadmap

[h2]PERFORMANCE BREAKTHROUGH - VERTEX ANIMATION IMPLEMENTATION[/h2]

• Huge FPS Boost - Soldier animations now use vertex animation instead of traditional animators
• Smooth Gameplay - Significant performance improvement across all maps and scenarios
• Technical Achievement - Complex animation system optimization completed
• Future-Proof - New system provides foundation for even more complex animations

[h2]GAMEPLAY POLISH - RESOURCE COLLECTION PERFECTION[/h2]

• Resource Indicator Visibility - Fixed issue where resource collection indicators were hidden behind tall buildings
• Final Level Buildings - Players can now clearly see when resources are ready for collection
• Visual Clarity - No more guessing if resources are ready to collect
• User Experience - Seamless resource management across all building levels

[h2]SYSTEM-WIDE PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATIONS[/h2]

• Music & Sound Effects - General size updates and FPS drop prevention measures implemented
• Particle System Overhaul - Game loads reduced, visual elements optimized for better performance
• Machine Performance - General load reduction and day/night animation updates
• Smooth Machine Targeting - Machine rotations toward targets now smoother and more natural
• Animation System Modernization - All soldier animations updated to new system for reduced performance load
• Soldier Targeting Fix - Fixed issue where soldiers could fire without looking at targets

[h2]CRITICAL BUG FIXES & POLISH[/h2]

• Merge Level Sprite Fix - Fixed issue where level sprites remained visible during merge operations
• Pause Localization - Added localization support for "Paused" text
• Merge Indicator Fix - Fixed incorrect merge indicators for max-level objects and reorganized multi-merge rewards
• Dust Display Fix - Resolved issue where dust particles appeared unexpectedly on screen
• Toxic Boss AI Fix - Fixed bug where toxic boss could attack friendly soldiers
• Building Collection Height - Increased height for high-level building collection to prevent resources getting stuck inside

[h2]THE 10-DAY CHALLENGE JOURNEY - COMPLETE![/h2]

What We Accomplished Together:

Days 1-3: Core gameplay mechanics, bug fixes, and performance improvements
Days 4-6: UI/UX enhancements, community feedback implementation, and system refinements
Days 7-9: Leaderboard balance, major UI polish, and gameplay convenience features
Day 10: Performance breakthrough, system-wide optimizations, and final polish - Challenge Complete!

Total Improvements Delivered:
• 50+ bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements
• Major performance optimizations and FPS boosts across all systems
• Complete UI/UX overhaul and polish
• System-wide animation and performance modernization
• Community-driven feature implementations
• Leaderboard and scoring system balance
• Enhanced gameplay mechanics and convenience

[h2]TOMORROW: THE NEW ERA BEGINS - 1-MONTH ROADMAP REVEAL![/h2]

The Challenge is Complete, But We're Just Getting Started!

• Major Roadmap Announcement - Tomorrow we reveal our ambitious 1-month development plan
• New Features - Exciting gameplay additions and system expansions
• Community Goals - Your feedback will continue to drive our development priorities
• Future Vision - Long-term plans for City Defense Z evolution

This isn't the end - it's the beginning of something even bigger!

[h2]COMMUNITY CELEBRATION - THANK YOU FOR THIS INCREDIBLE JOURNEY[/h2]

Special thanks to our incredible community:

Challenge Champions:
• Every player who provided feedback and bug reports
• Community members who tested features and reported issues
• Steam reviewers who highlighted areas for improvement
• Discord members who participated in discussions and suggestions
• All players who supported us during this intense development sprint

Your feedback, patience, and enthusiasm made this challenge possible. Together, we've created something amazing!

[h2]THE CHALLENGE COMPLETE - NEW ERA BEGINS[/h2]

Day 10 complete: The 10-day developer challenge is finished. We've delivered massive improvements, performance boosts, and gameplay polish.

Tomorrow: Major 1-month roadmap announcement - the next chapter of City Defense Z development begins!

Remember: This challenge may be complete, but our commitment to excellence never ends. Your feedback will always drive our development.

Join the Community

Official Website

City Defense Z Wiki

Challenge Complete. New Era Begins Tomorrow. The journey never ends.

Your feedback drives our development. Always.

[p][/p][h2]PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS & SYSTEM FIXES[/h2][p]
Today's Progress:
• Soldier Food Feedback System Removed after causing overall performance issues
• Zombie Horde Sound Optimized for better audio performance
• Zombie Horde Spawning Logic Reworked for smoother gameplay at low FPS and high zombie counts
• New Merge & Move Indicators for clarity during gameplay
• Critical Tutorial & Save Fixes across multiple devices

MAJOR UPDATES:

Soldier Food Feedback Removed – System rolled back due to performance degradation

Zombie Sound Optimization – Horde sounds now more efficient and less performance-heavy

Zombie Spawn Waves – Zombies now spawn in waves each second, fixing missing spawns at low FPS

Merge & Move Indicators – Clearer information for merge availability and unit actions

Cloud Tutorial Save – Tutorial progress now saved across devices to prevent repeat issues

[/p][h2]ZOMBIE HORDE SYSTEM ENHANCEMENTS[/h2][p]
• Optimized Horde Sounds – Zombie swarm audio optimized for lower CPU/GPU usage
• Wave-Based Spawning – Zombies now appear in timed waves each second, fixing situations where large hordes would fail to fully spawn on low FPS setups
• Gameplay Stability – Ensures every zombie always spawns regardless of performance issues

[/p][h2]MERGE & CARD SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS[/h2][p]
• Max-Level Merge Indicator Fix – Merge indicators no longer appear on max-level soldiers and buildings
• Merge Info Overlay – Buildings now display icon + name when merge is possible for clearer visibility
• Level-Up Card Resource Fix – Prevented double resource collection exploit (resources are now gathered instantly when using a level-up card)
• Move Card Indicator – Merge indicators now also correctly appear when using Move cards
• Special Card Fix – Reroll button no longer stays disabled after using a Special card

[/p][h2]TUTORIAL & SAVE SYSTEM FIXES[/h2][p]
• Tutorial Save Issue Fixed – If tutorial wasn’t completed, switching PCs could lock items and even delete saves; now resolved
• Cloud Tutorial Progress – Tutorial completion is now stored in the cloud to prevent restarts when starting a new save on different PCs
• Hidden Object Performance Fix – Certain disabled objects no longer run in the background, improving performance
• Range Display Fix – Soldier range indicators now display correctly for 1x1 and 3x3 units

[/p][h2]COMMUNITY FEEDBACK IMPLEMENTATION[/h2][p]
Special thanks to players who reported these issues:

Bug Report Champions:
• Players who highlighted performance issues from the food system
• Community members reporting missing zombies at high counts
• Testers who spotted merge indicator inconsistencies
• Players who flagged tutorial/save problems across multiple devices
• Feedback from Discord & Steam discussions that shaped today’s fixes

Your reports directly improved performance and clarity – thank you!

[/p][h2]THE CHALLENGE CONTINUES[/h2][p]
Day 9 complete: Performance optimized and zombie systems reworked.

Tomorrow: Final day of the 10-day challenge – more fixes, polish, and player-driven updates.

Remember: This challenge never truly ends. Your feedback will always drive our development.

Join the Community

Official Website

City Defense Z Wiki

Day 9 complete. Day 10 begins tomorrow. Let’s finish strong together.

Your feedback drives our development.
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[/p][h2]SCORING BALANCE & MAJOR UI POLISH - ENHANCED GAMEPLAY EXPERIENCE[/h2][p]
Today's Progress:
• Leaderboard Scoring Balanced between Standard and Timeless modes
• Major UI Polish Updates across multiple systems
• New Merge Indicators for soldiers and buildings
• Farm Collection System improved for convenience
• Critical Bug Fixes for better gameplay flow

MAJOR UPDATES:
1. Leaderboard Balance - Standard mode players now earn more points than Timeless mode
2. UI Polish Overhaul - Expedition and NPC panels completely refined
3. Merge Indicators - Visual indicators for soldier and building merging
4. Farm Collection System - Bulk collection like other buildings


[/p][h2]LEADERBOARD & GAMEPLAY BALANCE[/h2][p]
• Standard vs Timeless Mode Scoring - Standard mode players now earn significantly more points to maintain competitive balance
• Fair Competition System - Players who choose time pressure get rewarded with higher scoring potential
• Mode Choice Impact - Strategic decision between relaxed gameplay and competitive scoring

[/p][h2]UI POLISH & VISUAL IMPROVEMENTS[/h2][p]
• Expedition Ongoing Panel - Completely polished and updated for better visual appeal
• NPC Success Panel - Enhanced design and smoother animations
• NPC Fail Panel - Improved visual feedback and user experience
• Soldier Merge Indicators - New visual indicators show when soldiers can be merged


• Building Merge Indicators - Clear indicators for building upgrade opportunities


• Building Level Text Fix - Fixed issue where building level text sometimes remained visible during open/close animations

[/p][h2]GAMEPLAY MECHANICS & CONVENIENCE[/h2][p]
• Farm Collection System - Farms now work like other buildings with bulk collection - single click to collect from all farms

• End Day Button Freedom - Players can now end day even in the final 10 seconds for more strategic flexibility
• Map Unlocking Fix - Fixed issue where some maps would appear locked after unlocking the next map

[/p][h2]CRITICAL BUG FIXES[/h2][p]
• Pause Menu ESC Fix - Fixed critical bug where ESC key wouldn't pause the game during the final 10 seconds of night (Special thanks to darkseus and satans_favourite for reporting this!)
• ALT Toggle Cleanup - Removed fill visuals from single-day reward buildings when ALT key is pressed for cleaner UI
• Map Progression Bug - Fixed issue where maps would sometimes appear locked after unlocking the next one

[/p][h2]COMMUNITY FEEDBACK IMPLEMENTATION[/h2][p]
Special thanks to players who reported these issues:

Bug Report Champions:
• darkseus and satans_favourite - Reported the critical ESC pause bug during final night seconds
• Community members who highlighted UI polish opportunities
• Players who requested merge indicators for better gameplay clarity
• Steam reviewers who suggested scoring balance improvements
• Discord members who provided feedback on expedition and NPC panels
• Community testers who identified map progression issues

Your bug reports and feedback are invaluable - thank you for helping us create a more polished game!



[/p][h2]THE CHALLENGE CONTINUES[/h2][p]
Day 8 complete: Leaderboard balance and major UI polish implemented.

Tomorrow: More gameplay enhancements, additional polish updates, and community-driven improvements.

Remember: This challenge never truly ends. Your feedback will always drive our development.

Join the Community

Official Website

City Defense Z Wiki

Day 8 complete. Day 9 begins tomorrow. Let's keep building together.

Your feedback drives our development.
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[/p][h2]3 MAJOR SYSTEM OVERHAULS - STRATEGIC FREEDOM & RELAXED GAMEPLAY[/h2][p]
Today's Progress:
• 3 Major System Overhauls implemented
• Food System Redesigned for better strategy
• New Game Mode Added for different play styles
• UI Improvements for enhanced visibility

THREE MAJOR UPDATES:
1. Food System Overhaul - Non-human units no longer consume food, Added Visual Inducator for Food Consumption



2. Timeless Mode - New relaxed gameplay option without time pressure



3. Building Card Minimization - UI space optimization for better visibility



[h2]MAJOR SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS[/h2]

• Food System Redesign - Machine Gun, Turret, Rocket Launcher, and Mortar units now operate independently without food consumption
• Strategic Resource Management - Food only consumed by actual soldiers for more logical gameplay
• Visual Food Indicator - Food icon appears above soldiers when night begins, showing them eating (nom nom nom!)
• Timeless Mode Selection - Choose between Timeless and Standard modes before deploying missions
• Relaxed Gameplay Option - No time pressure for players who prefer methodical strategies
• Balanced Scoring System - Extra points for time-challenge players to maintain fairness
• Building Card Minimization - Minimize building cards during day for better action visibility
• Air Card Minimization - Minimize air cards during night for clearer UI
• Music Player Randomization Fix - Music now changes randomly each day instead of repeating the same track

[h2]BUG FIXES & PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS[/h2]

• Mouse Edge Scrolling Fixed - Screen scrolling now works properly in all directions (left, right, up, down)
• Grid Color System Enhanced - Red grid shows when placement is impossible, yellow when swap is available
• Performance Optimization - Cached type casting implemented for better game performance
• Airstrike Cost Reduction Fixed - Permanent upgrade that reduces airstrike cost by 20% now works correctly
• Airstrike Damage Buff - Increased airstrike damage to balance the price reduction from last patch, making it more effective in late game scenarios
• Resource Display System Fixed - K, M, B, T, Q notation system now properly displays large numbers (e.g., 1.000 ammo shows as 1K)
• Stonefist Boss Ultimate Fix - Fixed bug that occurred when Stonefist boss cast his ultimate rock throw ability
• Pause Menu Settings Fix - Fixed speed input error when returning from settings to pause screen
• Leaderboard Loading Improved - Further enhanced leaderboard loading speed for better performance
• Banger Boss Explosion Fix - Fixed incorrect explosion damage calculation for the big fat boss
• Level 5 Flamethrower Soldier Fix - Fixed bug that occurred with flamethrower soldier in level 5

[h2]UI & VISIBILITY ENHANCEMENTS[/h2]

• Farm Production Indicator - New visual indicator shows food production process when ALT (building info) is toggled on



• Lab Research UI Scaling - Research point production process UI now properly scaled for visibility when camera is zoomed out
• ALT Toggle Persistence Fixed - Building placement no longer turns off ALT toggle state, allowing continuous viewing of building levels without holding the key


[/p][h2]COMMUNITY FEEDBACK IMPLEMENTATION[/h2][p]
Special thanks to players who requested these improvements:

Feature Request Champions:
• Community members who suggested food system improvements
• Players who requested relaxed gameplay options
• Discord members who highlighted UI visibility issues
• Steam reviewers who suggested strategic gameplay enhancements
• Community testers who provided feedback on resource management
• Players who requested more flexible gameplay modes

Your feedback drives our development - thank you for helping us create a better game!



[/p][h2]THE CHALLENGE CONTINUES[/h2][p]
Day 7 complete: 3 major system overhauls implemented.

Tomorrow: More strategic improvements, enhanced gameplay mechanics, and community-driven features.

Remember: This challenge never truly ends. Your feedback will always drive our development.

Join the Community

Official Website

City Defense Z Wiki

Day 7 complete. Day 8 begins tomorrow. Let's keep building together.

Your feedback drives our development.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]10 CRITICAL FIXES & SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS - ENHANCED GAMEPLAY EXPERIENCE[/h2][p]
Today's Progress:
• 11 Critical Fixes implemented
• 3 Major System Improvements completed
• UI/UX Polish applied

THREE MAJOR UPDATES:
1. Soldier Grid Swap System - Drag and drop soldier positioning in army grid
2. Map 4 Wall Turret Positioning - Fixed strategic placement issues
3. Camera & Control Improvements - Better user interaction

[/p][h2]MAJOR SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS[/h2][p]
• Soldier Grid Swap System - Hold and drag soldiers to swap positions in the army grid area
• Wall Turret Positioning Fix - Turrets now spawn in correct strategic positions on Map 4
• Mouse Scroll Camera Control - Added smooth camera movement with mouse scroll
• Mouse Edge Camera Movement - Move camera by placing mouse at screen edges (like WASD/arrow keys)
• Building Merge System - Fixed issue where new buildings weren't appearing after merge
• Trade Panel Audio & Visual Feedback - Added sound effects and cursor changes to trade buttons
• Pause Panel Audio Fix - Resolved triple sound playback issue on hover
• Pause Panel Cursor Fix - Fixed cursor not changing on "Give Up" button
• Minigun Weapon Emission - Smoothed out emission reduction for better visual feedback
• Expedition Slot Management - Fixed error when trying to send NPCs on missions with full slots
• Building Outline System - Restored building outline functionality after recent updates
• Permanent Upgrade Screen Fix - Fixed bug where permanent upgrade screen sometimes didn't appear

[/p][h2]CRITICAL BUG FIXES[/h2][p]
• Soldier Grid Swap Mechanics - Implemented drag and drop soldier positioning in army grid
• Map 4 Wall Turret Spawning - Fixed incorrect positioning of defensive structures
• Camera Movement - Added mouse scroll and edge movement functionality for better navigation
• Building Merge Bug - Resolved issue where merged buildings didn't appear
• Trade Panel Interaction - Enhanced button feedback with audio and visual cues
• Pause Panel Audio Glitch - Fixed multiple sound triggers on button hover
• Pause Panel Cursor Issue - Corrected cursor behavior on "Give Up" button
• Minigun Visual Polish - Improved emission system for better weapon feedback
• Expedition System Error - Fixed crash when attempting to send NPCs with full slots
• Building Outline Restoration - Brought back building outline system after update
• Permanent Upgrade Screen Bug - Resolved issue where permanent upgrade screen failed to display

[/p][h2]COMMUNITY HEROES[/h2][p]
Special thanks to players who helped identify these issues:

Bug Report Champions:
• Community members who requested soldier grid swap functionality
• Discord members who highlighted Map 4 turret positioning issues
• Steam reviewers who identified camera control limitations
• Smudge and jamiebeds9 for suggesting mouse edge camera movement
• JonesyLax91 for permanent upgrade screen bug
• Community testers who found trade panel interaction issues
• Players who discovered pause panel audio glitches
• Community members who reported expedition system errors

Thanks Everyone who made us realize our mistakes or better designs..

[/p][h2]THE CHALLENGE CONTINUES[/h2][p]
Day 6 complete: 11 critical improvements implemented.

Tomorrow: More fixes, more improvements, more community-driven development.

Remember: This challenge never truly ends. Your feedback will always drive our development.

Join the Community

Official Website

City Defense Z Wiki

Day 6 complete. Day 7 begins tomorrow. Let's keep building together.

Your feedback drives our development.

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