Hello, Survivors! Today we are bringing you some news related to our localization process, along with a quick preview of the upcoming 42.19 Update! So throw some beef jerky into your fanny pack, fill up your canteen with whiskey, and let’s take a look:


Previously, TIS announced that Project Zomboid would be moving to external localization for Build 42 and beyond. However, after trying this process out and then mixing in many separate changes and recent improvements to our workflow, we believe that the extended future of both the game and community would be better served by returning to the community translation model that we had been so proud of up to and through Build 41. To explain our reasoning:

In hindsight, one reason we initially put a halt on community translation is simply because our pipeline was too unwieldy and our processes weren’t good enough backstage to manage the data flow. Now, with coders experienced in this field who have worked with a very similar set-up on the Minecraft Java Edition[minecraft.fandom.com], which provides support for 100 languages, we can supply a far more engaging, interactive and collaborative set-up to benefit the languages we intend to support – and those who were going to miss out on participating.

In switching to an external localization team we realized that we were putting a decade’s worth of known and loved phrases, titles and terminology (including some that even the PZ team themselves were ignorant of) at a degree of risk. Through the full gamut of the game, modding, and localization the new PZ team leaders view community as vital and something we want to dive deeper into on all fronts - and not ignoring its history and how things have formerly come to be is a big part of this.

Looking forward, the community translation model is a smoother and more organic way of supporting our style of development in terms of the way we run an Unstable beta, feature integration, and patching. For those working on the game, too, it’s less stop/start, allows for a constant dripfeed of edits, fixes and improvements in every update we make, and brings more flexibility in terms of not being hemmed in by looming localization deadlines. Above all, it fits in so much better with the collaborative mindset of many members of our team both new and old. It’s a ‘project’ model that just ‘feels’ more like the PZ Way.

If you would like to contribute to Project Zomboid’s localization efforts, whether by helping translate the game directly or by sharing an existing localization mod with us, we'd love to hear from you. Community translators and mod authors interested in taking part can sign up by emailing us with the subject "Localization", and be sure to include your Discord and SteamIDs, as well as which languages you are able to work on. Please ensure you send your emails to all 3 of the following email addresses:

• sasha.mihailova@theindiestone.com
  
• yana.md@theindiestone.com
  
• nasko@theindiestone.com

Due to current levels of interest, it may take some time for us to respond. Please note that only one application is required.

Moving on, let’s talk about the Build 42.19 Unstable update, which is planned for next week! Much like 42.18, this update is primarily focused on foundational work, with performance improvements, bug fixes, increased multiplayer stability, and some balance tweaks, along with new usability features for controller players.


Controller players know that the team has been hard at work to bring new functionality to controllers, first adapting the Build 42 Aiming System to gamepads, then following up with sensitivity and mapping adjustments based on player feedback.

Because we recognize that Project Zomboid is an interface-heavy game, and knowing that many controller players are coming from other styles of games and even other platforms, we made the decision that instead of continuing to adjust default button mapping configurations, it was more efficient to implement custom button mapping. This system allows players to remap the controller as they see fit

It’s important to note that the game will allow you to remap multiple inputs to a single button, so keep in mind that you may be able to set up some conflicting configurations, but we felt the risk of this is outweighed by players who may come up with cool contextual setups. Additionally, some controllers have more inputs than ‘traditional’ sets, so some extra buttons may not be mappable in the current iteration. We are actively seeking your feedback, and would also love to see YOUR favorite controller maps. You never know, your layout could end up being a default option!

Our thanks go out to our controller players for all their patience as we work to make this input system robust for folks with accessibility requirements or who just prefer controller inputs. Along with this new remapping system, there are TONS of bug fixes and tweaks to improve your gamepad experience.


Following up on the Occupation changes that were made in 42.18, we are narrowing down the window on Build 42 Occupation and Trait balancing. This update sees Trait tweaks related to the Tracking and Trapping Skills:

• The Hunter Trait now no longer gives a +1 Trapping, replacing it with +1 Tracking, better reflecting a hunter’s experience in identifying game trails on their ‘outings.’
  
• The Hiker Trait, which awards +1 to both Trapping and Foraging, is reduced in cost to be more accessible to a broader set of Occupations and wilderness-loving survivors.

As far as bug stomping, be prepared for a long list of fixes that affect both single and multiplayer. Here are some quick previews: Animals will now be properly allocated between male and female, characters can again hop over jersey barriers, vehicle trailers should not flip on hook-up, and there is a big SFX polishing pass to address sound volume and range inconsistencies. For multiplayer specific bugs, we’ve quashed ones related to firearm magazines disappearing when reloading, items duplicating with various actions, and weapon condition desync between clients and servers, along with many more.

On the performance side of things, a change to the way that chunk textures are loaded should limit the possibility of them being recreated every frame when off-screen, which should improve performance specifically when driving at high speeds through areas with a lot of texture variety (like, say…towns).

While there are no known broad save-invalidating issues in this update, please remember that this is Unstable, and we always recommend starting a fresh save and resetting servers for a new version release, along with backing up any saves you plan on converting to 42.19.

Thank you again for your continued support as we work to shore up the foundations and thin the horde as we move closer to the Stable version of Build 42.

The Indie Stone


The Block of Italicised Text would like to direct your attention to the PZ Wiki[pzwiki.net] should you feel like editing or amending something. You can also find us on Bluesky[bsky.app], or on our Discord[discord.com] and Reddit here! If you fancy you can sign up to receive PZ blogs in your emails right here[1294d622.sibforms.com].

As always, discussions regarding this update can be found pinned to the Project Zomboid Discussions Forums here.

As always it is recommended that you create a new save with no mods after updates. Updates fix bugs and introduce new changes that may not be compatible with any older saves, especially ones older than the last patch.


Right-click PZ in your Steam library.
Select "Properties".
Under "Game Version & Betas" select "Unstable".

• Added new Weapon Reload animations for lever action rifles and shotguns
  
• Added Option to Accessibility section to automatically pause the game when reading maps. If enabled the game will unpause when a map is closed.
  
  • Important: this setting is known to freeze the map screen on controllers. A fix will be included in an upcoming patch, but it's recommended that controller users disable this feature for the time being.
• Added keybind for "Sit on Ground" action
  
• Updated assets for propane tanks to reflect US standards
  
• Added some new garbage bins to Spiffos and PizzaWhirled

• Park Ranger occupation now has +1 Carving, and no longer has +1 Tracking
  
• Rancher occupation now has +1 Fitness, and no longer has +1 Agriculture
  
• Improvised Gas Mask has been rebalanced
  
  • Clean rags can be used as Rag Filters in Improvised Gas Masks
    
  • Not as powerful as commercial gas masks / respirators, but more powerful than wearing a bandana
    
  • Rag Filters with <= 30% used Delta are returned as dirty rags
• Adjusted encumbrance values for metal drums and several barrel moveable inventory items
  
• Adjusted a number of fluid container capacities
  
  • base.JerryCan - 10L -> 20L
    
  • base.Canteen, base.CanteenMilitary - 500ml -> 900mL
    
  • base.CanteenCowboy - 1L -> 1.8L
    
  • base.HydrationBackpack - 1L -> 2L
    
  • base.HydrationBackpack_Camo - 1L -> 3L
    
  • base.BeerEmpty - 1L -> 300mL

• Non-base Module Recipes now work in MP
  
• Fixed "Game Crash with Missing Recipe Items"
  
• Improved Craft History (added cleanup)
  
• Added "getModTags()", "setTags()" for CraftRecipe. Added "getItems()" for InputScript
  
• Fixed File writers bug. Now it return null, when initialized incorrectly.
  
• Returned Tag "FITS_CLOTHING_RACK" for items for clothing rack.
  
• Added Event "SyncFactionServer(factionName, isRemove)).
  
  • It triggers on any change in faction.
• Added Texture field for Trait Script.
  
  • Now you can set path to texture for Trait.
• Fixed Mod Foraging Icon bug.
  
  • Now it possible to collect mod items by Foraging.
• Added public methods for zombie: "doCrawlerSpeed(zombieSpeed)", "doSprinter()", "doFastShambler()", "doFakeShambler()", "doShambler()", "getSpeedType()"

• Fixed RakNet DoS vulnerability. Big thank you to Cat for all of the hard work identifying the issue.
  
• Player can refuse Medical Check now
  
  • AFK players won't die anymore if somebody tries to remove their bandages
• Fixed a crash to the main menu when a remote vehicle with an attached trailer collides with other vehicles
  
• Added hearing "distant vehicle" sounds in multiplayer.
  
  • Player can hear approaching vehicles from afar again
• Restored IP logging to a specific text file with exclusion from logs.zip
  
• Added optimisations for VisitedMap saves
  
• Map visited area resets after relog.
  
• Fixed non-PVP player and vehicle interactions
  
  • Non-PVP players no longer receive damage when struck by a vehicle.
    
  • PVP players receive damage if the Player Damage From Vehicle Impact is not set to None.
    
  • PVP players can be knocked down by a vehicle if KnockedDownAllowed is set to true
    
  • Non-PVP players are no longer staggered or knocked down when struck by a vehicle
    
  • Non-PVP players no longer damage vehicles.
    
  • Vehicle damage no longer applies for persistent pedestrian contacts.
    
  • Pushing pedestrians no longer applies max damage.
• Redundant Fire and Smoke anti-cheats are removed
  
• Fixed Server option “Show First And Last Name”
  
• Renamed DisableSafehouseWhenPlayerConnected to DisableSafehouseWhenOwnerConnected
  
• Removed AutoCreateUserInWhiteList setting. This fixes an issue where in some instances another user could log in to a character by only knowing the username.
  
• "Wars" setting is now disabled by default
  
• Redundant XP and XPPlayer anti-cheats and unused AddXP packet are removed
  
• Fixed Mannequin clothing disappearing visually after relog
  
• Fixed Debug feature Add water to a feeding through
  
• Fixed renaming a faction name creates a new faction
  
• Fixed incorrect tooltip text in Faction renaming window
  
• Fixed an exploit that allowed backpacks and their contents to be duplicated
  
• Fixed an exploit that allowed item duplication via forging
  
• Fixed an issue that allowed unathorised item spawning by clients
  
• Fixed bombs only doing damage to players with PVP enabled status
  
• Fixed server hangs on world save creation
  
• Fixed a false positive triggering of the anti-cheat
  
• Fixed barricades not syncing properly for some players
  
• Fixed fire burning time desync
  
• Fixed vehicles sometimes clipping through one another
  
• Fixed towed trailer having choppy movement for remote players
  
• Fixed vehicles taking too much damage on collision
  
• Fixed the character's body and clothes not becoming dirty
  
• Fixed burned drying racks causing server-side exceptions spam
  
• Fixed transferring a large stack of items being interrupted on its own
  
• Fixed a player state desync issue where the walk animation plays before turning 180 degrees
  
• Fixed weapon bloody condition not syncing
  
• Fixed error on server side CellLoader.DoTileObjectCreation
  
• Fixed the amount of water in a rain collector barrel not changing if the water is consumed through a plumbed sink
  
• Fixed Client side exception: IsoGameCharacter.getCurrentState()" is null at StatePacket.apply
  
• Fixed dyed clothing only changing colour when dropped on the ground/into a container
  
• Fixed items dropped from a trailer not syncing properly
  
• Fixed calorie burn rate applying incorrectly when sitting in a vehicle
  
• Fixed custom spawns breaking the ability to claim safehouses
  
• Fixed players being able to ghost through vehicles
  
• Fixed GodMode players not being able to deal damage to non-GodMode players
  
• Fixed an issue where characters would be crushed by vehicles instead of pushed away
  
• Fixed the server connection screen info not displaying properly
  
• Fixed fishing rods continuing to be shown in a remote player's hands after breaking
  
• Fixed carved handles showing the wrong condition
  
• Fixed fishing rods being duplicated after the line breaks
  
• Fixed a server side exception when giving animals water
  
• Fixed being unable to loot from zombies who are killed when a timer or sensor bomb explodes
  
• Fixed removing food from a trough not updating the sprite
  
• Fixed multiple zombies dying on the same tile at roughly the same time causes their loot to become bugged
  
• Fixed puddle visibility not being synced properly
  
• Fixed not being able to see other players while the vehicle moves in reverse.
  
• Fixed an error from transferring items from one container by two players simultaneously.
  
• Fixed Liquid containers placed on the ground become bugged after server restart.
  
• Fixed another case of The character’s body and clothes not becoming dirty in MP
  
• Fixed Crucible showing the wrong remaining value after smelting metal
  
• Fixed being unable to inspect some animal tracks
  
• Fixed animal tracks not generating on the world map (debug feature)
  
• Fixed disappearance of Low memory zombies right behind the player (zombie culling mechanic)
  
• Fixed new ticket popup notification is not appearing if a user has the capability "Answer Tickets" only
  
• Fixed welding torch that always shows the max propane amount after refiling
  
• Fixed campfire temperature
  
  • Drying racks are drying faster again
• Fixed Body Damage & Muscle Strain from overencumbrance accumulating more than 4x faster on MP.
  
• Fixed grass remaining on the furrowed tile
  
• Fixed items remaining dirty/bloody after washing in the washing machine
  
• Fixed towels not getting wet in the rain
  
• Fixed "players" command through RCON protocol causing "java.nio.BufferOverflowException"
  
• Fixed more server and client sided errors:
  
  • SyncVisualsPacket.parse error
    
  • this.deadCharacterPacket.square is null at NetworkCharacterAI.onDied

• Removed invisible wall between wide staircases
  
• Fixed being unable to manually target the ground on controller
  
• Updated existing firearm models and firearm attachment placement
  
• Fixed some sprinters being silent
  
• Fixed being unable to aim with RMB if Aim keybind set to "None"
  
• Fixed sandbox spawn points for March Ridge, Brandenburg, and Irvington being in undesired circumstances
  
• Fixed point-blank calculations for ranged weapons
  
• Fixed character body heat generation being too high after exercising
  
• Fixed "Smash Window" not appearing in vehicle radial menu at certain angles
  
• Fixed an issue where characters could become trapped in some circumstances when placing or building multi-tile objects
  
• Fixed Vehicle name text overflowing its container in the Vehicle Mechanics panel
  
• Fixed "Success" or "Failure" text not flashing in the mechanics UI when installing or uninstalling a part
  
• Fixed item outline on eyeglasses icon
  
• Fixed ParameterFenceTypeHigh defining METAL_BARS instead of METAL_GATE.
  
• Fixed being unable to place heavy items that are in the character's hand
  
• Fixed not being able to cut Base.Gloves_LeatherGloves into fingerless gloves
  
• Fixed zombies on fire not providing illumination
  
• Fixed wooden trough not being completely destroyed when a single tile is burned
  
• Fixed chicken hutch not being completely destroyed when a single tile is burned
  
• Fixed zombies with the ability to open doors not being able to open doors
  
• Fixed opening frozen packs returning defrosted food
  
• Fixed IsoZombie.spottedNew() exception when otherPlayer=null.
  
• Fixed some cooked food items increasing in encumberance and hunger reduction when used as lure
  
• Fixed animals being visible through walls and solid barriers
  
• Fixed foraging Darkness Malus contunuously disappearing and reappearing when foraging at night with a flashlight
  
• Fixed being unable to enter driver's seat of vehicle in specific positions
  
• Fixed an error when changing Display Mode / Resolution
  
• Fixed disabling the "Enable Zoom" option in UI Options causing all screen effects to be removed
  
• Fixed the player not learning recipes from VHS even though they are announced as being learned
  
• Fixed a number of transparency/clipping outfit issues
  
• Fixed smoke from cigarette packs not showing the cigarette texture
  
• Fixed an issue where the player would get burned when lighting pre-placed campfires
  
• Fixed characters being unable to pet animals that were past a certain size threshold
  
• Fixed "Broken Glass" appearing in the right-click context menu as "Escape Rope"
  
• Fixed being unable to place fishing nets if they are in a backpack
  
• Fixed SCBA and SCBA (No Tank) icons being swapped
  
• Fixed SCBA and Improvised Gas Mask inventory icons not updating when tank/filters are added or removed
  
• Fixed RecipeCodeOnCreate::pickAramidThread checking if clothing items had ItemTag.Bucket instead of ItemTag.Buckle
  
• Fixed "Make_Improvised_Gas_Mask" returning the deprecated "No Filter" version.
  
• Fixed non-standard fridges failing to apply refrigeration modifier to chilled food
  
• Fixed RBTSElectronics never spawning CD Players
  
• Fixed challenge modes not randomizing world seeds
  
• Fixed vehicle radial menus not closing when exiting / entering vehicles.
  
• Fixed Gardening Interactions from displaying incorrect growth phase for crops
  
• Fixed aerosol and smoke bombs detonating faster at higher framerate settings
  
• Fixed game not responding when aiming from a car’s back seat
  
• Fixed an error when picking up and then placing down coffee machines or toasters on controller
  
• Fixed holding RMB during Walk-To makes player stand still, instead of strafing
  
• Removed Wooden Crucible Molds
  
• Removed the ability to use Leather Strips when crafting Improvised Briefs
  
• Fixed the ability to add cheese to Omelettes

• Added new sounds for Garbage Bins
  
• Added new sounds for Wooden Doors
  
• Added new sounds for Crates
  
• Increased the distance zombies play a thump sound from 20 to 70
  
• Fixed toilet seats playing incorrect sfx when sat on
  
• Fixed Smoke Bomb sfx playing endlessly
  
• Fixed Ambient Sound stopping on player death
  
• Fixed player characters not having a bodyfall sound on death
  
• Fixed zombies thumping on military chainlink fences playing incorrect sfx
  
• Fixed disassembling metal/chainlink fences playing incorrect sfx
  
• Fixed zombies thumping on wooden tall fence playing incorrect sfx
  
• Fixed vehicles playing the engine ignition attempt sfx without a key if the engine is at 0%
  
• Fixed bullet impact sfx playing in MP when shots didn't hit anything
  
• Fixed bullet impact sfx from other players playing twice, and with incorrect surface parameter

• Wind Sprite Effects option is now turned off by default
  
• Added new functions to the Lua debugger's source window
  
• Increased the Lua debugger's framerate from 30 to 60
  
• Restore SP debug cheats to save locally instead of player profile

Thanks to everyone for all the feedback you have been providing. It has been invaluable. We would also like to encourage the multiplayer and modding communities to give us their thoughts on the latest modding and MP fixes/functionalities if you could please.

If you haven't seen it yet, check out the interview between our Design Director, Christian, and MrAtomicDuck!

As always, discussions regarding this update can be found pinned to the Project Zomboid Discussions Forums here.