The Project Zomboid B41 Multiplayer Test has arrived, but don't get too excited just yet -- there's a lot of work that needs to be done.
The last few weeks have been great for fans of zombie games and survival games alike. Dean Hall's new survival game Icarus launched last week and the long-running games 7 Days to Die and The Long Dark both got hefty updates. Now, another Steam Early Access darling has new content for players to enjoy.
What You Need to Know About the Project Zomboid B41 Multiplayer Test
The Project Zomboid B41 Multiplayer Test finally brings multiplayer support to Build 41 of the game, but there are several caveats you need to be aware of before you dive right in.
As explained in today's announcement (via Reddit), The Indie Stone has managed to get multiplayer working again just in time for the holidays. However, this doesn't have the usual level of polish that they like to have, so it's being released as a testing build.
One key point highlighted by the devs is that it's probably a bad idea to run a public server -- this new build will likely have exploits and hack vulnerabilities which means that ne'er do wells can mess up your game. There could be other issues, too; if you'd prefer to wait for things to be a little more stable, it's probably best to wait for the full release in January 2022.
With those caveats out of the way, here's what the Project Zomboid B41 Multiplayer Test adds to the game: a map expansion, 16-player multiplayer, an in-game mapping system, and a search mode and foraging system. These are some pretty great improvements to the game, although multiplayer implementation is far from finished -- for exmaple, the devs note that they haven't yet managed to hit their ideal goal of 32-player servers.
As for that map expansion, players can look forward to exploring Louisville (to the north of Westpoint) and Valley station; this map expansion is described as "silly huge" in today's announcement. If you have a hankering to play a new zombie survival game (and you don't mind a bit of Early Access jank), you can buy Project Zomboid for PC via Steam at the price of $14.99 or your regional equivalent.
What do you think of the Project Zomboid B41 Multiplayer Test? What's your favorite strategy for surviving in zombie games? Let us know in the comments below!
