1.38 (Fixes | New Sewer System | New Tutorial++)
We’re pushing 1.38 to the stable branch! This patch is a big one and a preemptive strike on what’s to come. We’ve really focused on some of your concerns and long standing issues with the project and plan to really flesh things out in the next couple of updates. We’ve also begun to add (or re-add depending on how long you’ve been around) a sewer system. It will eventually make its way into every town but we’ve started in Old Town of course!
[h3]Fixes (Major)[/h3]
Survive the Nights is a beast, as such it sometimes has a nasty side. We’re a tiny team tackling a massive task and unfortunately (depending on how into early access you are) you all are our testers, even if some of you might not realize that. We’ve had our fair share of big time issues and bugs throughout the development process. Some of these issues are caught before you get your hands on builds but quite a few aren’t.
1.38 should be considered our first in a few major tune ups. This build along with the next couple that follow will have a hard core focus on getting this puppy polished up. We’ve created a pretty damn cool zombie survival game now it’s time to make sure it functions as it should. The core of development is in, our backbone is solid and we’re ready to polish and improve!
Zombies
Many of you have pointed out in recent videos, Discord chatter and reviews that there are zombie issues. The biggest of them being “zombie re-animation!”, chances are you’ve experienced this at some point, shooting a zombie only to have it pop right back up and continue to attack you. We’ve made some great progress in tracking what was causing that issue and think we’ve put a pin in it!
Storage Containers
We’ve had a few issues with storage containers and duplications/persistence. We’ve found a few issues and the backend/database methods have been adjusted. This should ensure a far more reliable system along with the removal of the duplication issue.
Single Player
Some players don’t have great internet service and we get that. Survive the nights was never intended to be a single player experience but we do have that option now. In the past builds players playing solo had to maintain an internet connection, making playing not fun if you’re not fortunate enough to have decent interwebs. 1.38 will only require a simple initial connection to verify the steam game, after that connection solo players shouldn’t have any issues continuing play.
Other major fixes include clearing up persistent issues with vehicle seats showing as occupied and a variety of single player problems that have now been resolved. These fixes bring more stability and reliability to your sessions, no matter how you choose to play.
[h3]Quality-of-Life Polishing[/h3]
We’ve taken the time to refine and polish the survival experience across the board. Fortification systems now work as intended, reaching full strength, behaving properly with locks, and no longer triggering just because you walked through an open doorway.
Other notable changes include fixing item persistence in stoves and machines, restoring functionality to work lamps, resolving strange fall damage from ladders, and ensuring locked doors stay locked after a restart. Even niche issues, like problems in “Night of the Living Dead” scenarios or with the /hordedifficulty command, have been addressed.
Core systems improvement harvesting is now a proper player skill, opening the door for future progression mechanics. We also overhauled the in-game tutorial, making it easier for new survivors to get their bearings.
[h3]Performance Improvements[/h3]
Performance tuning was a huge focus for this update. From faster startup times to reduced lag around vegetation and barricades, 1.38 makes the world run smoother. We also optimized the relevancy system for pickups (reducing server clutter), and made several backend improvements to our database and server processing — all of which should contribute to more stable gameplay, especially on populated servers.
We’ve also implemented a potential fix for lag around the power station when many players are online — a common pain point that should now be less noticeable.
[h3]New Tutorial[/h3]
A major step up from our previous tutorial the 1.38 new player tutorial is a self contained, fully voiced and far more immersive. It should really help new players wrap there minds around Survive the Nights and the voice over just adds a great touch.
[h3]Sewers, Graveyards, and Crypts (All Very Zombie-Conducive)[/h3]
If you’ve been here for a while you might remember the original stress tests. These tests featured a tiny chunk of island and a town that would eventually become oldtown. This small town featured a sewer system. There were a few above ground buildings (changed to public bathrooms) in town that allowed entrance to the system.
1.38 re-introduces the sewer system, bigger and better. This is just the begging of our underground adventure to! We plan on expanding sewer systems under all towns and using the same mechanics to introduced structure basements!
We’ve also re-introduced the graveyard behind the church in Oldtown. There’s a spooky crypt there that holds some secrets so be sure to check that out!
[h3]Oldtown Sewer System[/h3]
[h3]Workshop (Arcade Game Project)[/h3]
We’ll be including the arcade github project in this update. Documentation will follow, just have to find some time for it. If you’re into this, and have an arcade in mind by all means go for it! We’ll introduce the actual workshop item in the following update, likely 1.39.
Github - Runelink2/STN-Workshop: STN Workshop
[h3]Patch Notes - 1.38[/h3]
Bug Fixes (Critical)
Bug Fixes (Quality‑of‑Life)
Performance Optimisations
New Features (Core Gameplay)
New Features (World & Exploration)
Audio Enhancements
UI Enhancements
Admin Commands
Workshop
Asset Imports
[h3]Links[/h3]
Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Changelog: https://changelog.survivethenights.net
X: https://x.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net
Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/a2zinteractive
[h3]Fixes (Major)[/h3]
Survive the Nights is a beast, as such it sometimes has a nasty side. We’re a tiny team tackling a massive task and unfortunately (depending on how into early access you are) you all are our testers, even if some of you might not realize that. We’ve had our fair share of big time issues and bugs throughout the development process. Some of these issues are caught before you get your hands on builds but quite a few aren’t.
1.38 should be considered our first in a few major tune ups. This build along with the next couple that follow will have a hard core focus on getting this puppy polished up. We’ve created a pretty damn cool zombie survival game now it’s time to make sure it functions as it should. The core of development is in, our backbone is solid and we’re ready to polish and improve!
Zombies
Many of you have pointed out in recent videos, Discord chatter and reviews that there are zombie issues. The biggest of them being “zombie re-animation!”, chances are you’ve experienced this at some point, shooting a zombie only to have it pop right back up and continue to attack you. We’ve made some great progress in tracking what was causing that issue and think we’ve put a pin in it!
Storage Containers
We’ve had a few issues with storage containers and duplications/persistence. We’ve found a few issues and the backend/database methods have been adjusted. This should ensure a far more reliable system along with the removal of the duplication issue.
Single Player
Some players don’t have great internet service and we get that. Survive the nights was never intended to be a single player experience but we do have that option now. In the past builds players playing solo had to maintain an internet connection, making playing not fun if you’re not fortunate enough to have decent interwebs. 1.38 will only require a simple initial connection to verify the steam game, after that connection solo players shouldn’t have any issues continuing play.
Other major fixes include clearing up persistent issues with vehicle seats showing as occupied and a variety of single player problems that have now been resolved. These fixes bring more stability and reliability to your sessions, no matter how you choose to play.
[h3]Quality-of-Life Polishing[/h3]
We’ve taken the time to refine and polish the survival experience across the board. Fortification systems now work as intended, reaching full strength, behaving properly with locks, and no longer triggering just because you walked through an open doorway.
Other notable changes include fixing item persistence in stoves and machines, restoring functionality to work lamps, resolving strange fall damage from ladders, and ensuring locked doors stay locked after a restart. Even niche issues, like problems in “Night of the Living Dead” scenarios or with the /hordedifficulty command, have been addressed.
Core systems improvement harvesting is now a proper player skill, opening the door for future progression mechanics. We also overhauled the in-game tutorial, making it easier for new survivors to get their bearings.
[h3]Performance Improvements[/h3]
Performance tuning was a huge focus for this update. From faster startup times to reduced lag around vegetation and barricades, 1.38 makes the world run smoother. We also optimized the relevancy system for pickups (reducing server clutter), and made several backend improvements to our database and server processing — all of which should contribute to more stable gameplay, especially on populated servers.
We’ve also implemented a potential fix for lag around the power station when many players are online — a common pain point that should now be less noticeable.
[h3]New Tutorial[/h3]
A major step up from our previous tutorial the 1.38 new player tutorial is a self contained, fully voiced and far more immersive. It should really help new players wrap there minds around Survive the Nights and the voice over just adds a great touch.
[h3]Sewers, Graveyards, and Crypts (All Very Zombie-Conducive)[/h3]
If you’ve been here for a while you might remember the original stress tests. These tests featured a tiny chunk of island and a town that would eventually become oldtown. This small town featured a sewer system. There were a few above ground buildings (changed to public bathrooms) in town that allowed entrance to the system.
1.38 re-introduces the sewer system, bigger and better. This is just the begging of our underground adventure to! We plan on expanding sewer systems under all towns and using the same mechanics to introduced structure basements!
We’ve also re-introduced the graveyard behind the church in Oldtown. There’s a spooky crypt there that holds some secrets so be sure to check that out!
[h3]Oldtown Sewer System[/h3]
[h3]Workshop (Arcade Game Project)[/h3]
We’ll be including the arcade github project in this update. Documentation will follow, just have to find some time for it. If you’re into this, and have an arcade in mind by all means go for it! We’ll introduce the actual workshop item in the following update, likely 1.39.
Github - Runelink2/STN-Workshop: STN Workshop
[h3]Patch Notes - 1.38[/h3]
Bug Fixes (Critical)
- Major fix: Resolved issue causing zombies to occasionally pop back to life
- Major fix: Storage container duplication issues resolved
- Major fix: Single player mode no longer requires a constant internet connection
- Fixed scenario where vehicle seats incorrectly remained occupied
- Fixed problems affecting single player mode functionality
Bug Fixes (Quality‑of‑Life)
- Corrected an error that prevented fortifications from reaching full strength
- Fixed issue preventing interaction with certain locks while in fortification mode
- Fortification mode no longer triggers when walking through open doorways
- Addressed a persistence bug with fixed machines (e.g., wood stoves) that caused items to reappear
- Fixed fall damage occurring when dismounting ladders
- Worklamps now function correctly again
- Resolved issues with Nazi zombies and Night of the Living Dead scenarios
- Doors with locks now default to the locked state after a server restart
- Fixed the /hordedifficulty admin command
- Fixed scenario preventing connection to a server after using Steam relays
Performance Optimisations
- Reduced startup lag spikes
- Vegetation performance improvements
- Fixed low FPS caused by barricades
- Reduced relevancy time for pickups to decrease non‑essential overhead
- Server performance optimisations
- Fixes and optimisations to database processes to improve performance and concurrency
- Potential fix for lag caused by the power station when many players are online
New Features (Core Gameplay)
- Full tutorial overhaul with many improvements
- Harvesting has been upgraded to function as a player skill
- Players can now sit only in chairs that have been placed in the environment
- Reintroduced hand warming by fire
- Improved tree‑chopping — players can continue chopping from any interaction point
New Features (World & Exploration)
- Established a new sewer network beneath Oldtown, featuring multiple ground‑level access points
- Added a graveyard area in Oldtown complete with a crypt entrance leading to the sewers
- Added manhole functionality to serve as entry points into the underground sewer system
Audio Enhancements
- Added an improved audio reverb system with strong effects in sewers and military tunnels, plus reverb in tall buildings; weapon sounds now respond to environmental acoustics
- Smooth reverb transitions between different acoustic types
UI Enhancements
- Updated waypoint system: larger icons, improved off‑screen indicators, fading when targets are obscured, and pulsing effect on yellow waypoints
- Crosshair now appears early when targeting interactable objects for easier aiming
- Crosshair instantly appears (no fade‑in) on interactables and smoothly fades out when no longer targeting
- Increased crosshair size for better visibility
- Added glow effect to crosshair when hovering over interactable objects
Admin Commands
- Introduced a command for smoothly zooming to a designated time, reducing visual jarring
Workshop
- Developed a foundational workshop project that supports the creation of arcade games for in‑game machines
Asset Imports
- Imported sewer‑related assets
[h3]Links[/h3]
Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Changelog: https://changelog.survivethenights.net
X: https://x.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net
Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/a2zinteractive
Arcade in the rain
Pong, Snake and Meteors! 
Something comforting about the neon-glow of a retro-arcade!
Fitting name?
Even zombies like arcades!
Police station lighting 
More town lighting
Power plant glowing!
In-game changelog and updates! 
Plant pot with percentage
Extra points if you recognize that logo!
Batcave entrance exterior
We’ve tested here for years, now you can have a go!
Staff room
