Hey everyone!
The 1.3 update for Terminus: Zombie Survivors is out of beta and live for everyone. The big addition is Steam Workshop mod support. It has been one of your most requested features for a long time, and we're glad it is finally part of the game.
1. Steam Workshop Mod Support
Over 50 mods are already up on the Workshop, made by players during the beta. Some retune the zombies and the balance of the game, others add new items, crafting recipes, and cooking recipes. Subscribe to as many as you like and mix and match them however you want.
2. What Mods Can Change
Mods can add new occupations, traits, survival perks, and occupation perks, or retune the ones already in the game. The same goes for weapons and tools, clothing, medicine, food and drink, crafting and cooking recipes, vehicles, furniture, NPCs, zombies and their drops, and placeable items like traps and tents.
They can also swap out the game's art, add a whole new language with its own font, and change global settings like trait points and the stat ceiling.
3. Making Mods
Mods are plain JSON files. The Workshop Uploader in your game folder checks a mod folder and publishes it to the Workshop, and there are example mods for crafting recipes, cooking recipes, traits, perks, occupations, and language packs to start from.
The modding guide covers everything you can patch, the rules for each field, and how to debug a mod. Read the modding guide
Thank you to everyone who made mods and reported issues during the beta! If you encounter any issues or have suggestions, please let us know through Discord, the Steam Discussions, or by email at [email protected].
Best,
In-geon
Longplay Studios
Full patch notes (V1.3.2):
Show details
MODDING
Added Steam Workshop support. Subscribed mods are detected on launch and can be enabled or disabled from the new Mod Manager, opened via the Mods button on the main menu.
Mods can modify or extend data across 19 categories: foods, beverages, seafood, liquids, vehicles, vehicle stats, boats, crafting recipes, cooking recipes, generic recipes, upgrades, NPCs, NPC stats, furniture, furniture stats, objects, zombies, zombie stats, and zombie drops. Both merge (override existing fields) and append (add new entries) modes are supported.
Mods can override or add in-game images by placing PNG files in the mod's images folder.
Mods can extend an existing language or add an entirely new language, including bundling their own .ttf or .otf font.
Added a standalone Workshop Uploader tool for mod authors, included with the game install. It packages a mod folder, validates the manifest, publishes to Steam Workshop with Public, Friends Only, or Private visibility, and remembers ownership so the same Workshop item can be re-uploaded with updates.
Bundled example mods covering crafting recipes, cooking recipes, and food data as starting points for mod authors.
Included Italian and Ukrainian language pack examples.
Added weapons, tools, clothing, medicines, and other items as moddable data categories. Mods can adjust the stats of existing items (such as damage, durability, weight, or effects) or add new entries to these categories.
Added a config data category that mods can patch to override the available trait points and the maximum number of selectable traits.
The Mod Manager now also lists mods that are turned off, so a disabled mod can be re-enabled, and each mod is toggled with a checkbox.
Mods no longer need to specify a patch mode (merge or append) in their manifest; the merge method is now determined automatically from the target's data type. Patches to list-based targets, which previously could fail to apply, now take effect.
Added a notice for when a mod change requires a restart to take effect.
Melee weapons now expose their starting condition range, starting durability range, and per-hit condition loss in combat to the weapons category.
Added a global floor for per-hit condition loss to the config category.
Added traits as a moddable category. Mods can add new traits or rebalance existing ones through data, with effects such as stat and HP/AP bonuses, condition changes, combat modifiers, and granted recipes, and can assign unique traits to an occupation.
An existing save now loads after a mod that added traits is removed or disabled; the traits it added are removed from the character.
The weapon condition loss multiplier for each body part, such as the 1.5x penalty for head hits, is now adjustable from the config category.
An invalid item range field in a mod, such as a malformed condition or durability range, is now caught when the mod loads instead of crashing the game during play.
Added stat_max to the config category, letting mods raise the maximum value for character stats (the default cap is 5).
Recipe patches now merge by result, so a mod can modify a built-in crafting or cooking recipe instead of only adding new ones (use mode: append to add an alternate recipe for the same result).
A mod can now set per-craft condition loss, charge use, or upgrade work requirement to 0 without crashing the game; 0 means no wear, unlimited uses, or instant completion respectively.
Added perks as a moddable category. Mods can add new perks or rebalance existing ones through data, including stacking normal perks and leveled unique perks assigned to an occupation.
Patches to dict-based targets (such as vehicle stats, food, and config) now deep-merge, updating only the fields a patch specifies and keeping the rest; previously a partial patch replaced the whole entry.
Malformed or incomplete recipes in a mod (such as a bad ingredient group or a missing field) are now caught and normalized when the mod loads, instead of crashing the crafting or cooking window.
A mod's companion count effect can now add more companions than the vanilla limit without crashing at new game setup, and the companion panel arranges large groups across multiple rows.
Launching the game with the --debug option enables an in-game debug console, opened with the backtick (`) key, for testing mods. It can spawn items, zombies, and NPCs, adjust character stats and conditions, change the time, and reveal the whole map; using a cheat command permanently disables achievements for that save.
A mod tool with no condition value set can now be used for cooking, repairing, crafting, clearing debris, and other actions that wear a tool without crashing, and such tools are treated as never wearing out or breaking.
A mod perk's description now shows its bonus value to two decimal places; previously a small decimal bonus could display as 0 or be rounded to a different value.
Added 13 placeable items (animal traps, fish traps, rainwater collectors, tent, portable generator) as a moddable category (structures). Mods can adjust their stats or add new placeable items by specifying an existing type as a parent.
A save containing items or zombies added by a mod now loads even after that mod is removed or disabled; the content the mod added is removed from the save.
Fixed a crash that occurred when saving the game while a mod-added zombie was present.
A mod's required minimum game version can now be specified down to the 4-digit build version (for example, 1.3.1.43). Existing 3-digit version requirements still work.
Text containing special characters (control characters, invalid Unicode, etc.) in a mod description or language file no longer crashes the game when displayed, and newlines in a mod description now render as actual line breaks in tooltips.
Heavily raising a zombie's stats (difficulty, HP, etc.) or patching them with invalid values no longer crashes new game creation or the combat window, and mod zombie stats that are missing required data or hold invalid values are now filtered out when the mod loads.
Invalid vehicle data added by a mod (such as an unsuitable vehicle length) is now validated and filtered out when the mod loads, instead of crashing new game creation.
Raising the companion count above the vanilla limit with a mod no longer crashes the game when a large group disembarks from a vehicle.
Added occupations as a moddable category. Mods can add new occupations with starting stats, starting items, unique actions, unique perks, unique traits, and location identification, or rebalance existing ones.
Mod occupations are selectable from the start without unlocking and are not counted toward occupation unlocks or achievements.
With more than 15 occupations, the occupation list in the new game screen gains page buttons, and the list in the companion setup window scrolls.
The effects of all 15 occupation unique perks are now defined as data, so mods can adjust their values or create new unique perks the same way.
Added hooks for tool and occupation action results (first aid healing, repair, fishing, prayer, and more) and new effect conditions for location type, being indoors, and perk level.
Added an attack.morale hook that changes morale on each attack, and the attack block of the Pacifist and Frailty traits is now effects data that mods can replace.
A mod PNG at the same path as an existing sprite now replaces that sprite. Previously mod images were only used for paths the base game does not have.
The Mod Manager list now scrolls and supports controller navigation.
Mods are now applied in the same order on every launch. Previously the order was random each launch, so the result of two mods patching the same target could change between runs.
A mod with one broken JSON file now skips only that file and applies the rest.
Item rolls now have an attempt cap, so a mod patch that leaves no eligible item for a zombie's default drop or another random roll skips that roll instead of freezing the game; such combinations leave a warning in the log when mods load.
Invalid values in mod data are now validated when the mod loads, and only the invalid parts are dropped: item numeric fields and actions, medicine cure targets, zombie drops, cooking and crafting recipes, beverage and liquid entries, and occupation fields.
Fixed an issue where a zombie drops patch specifying only the drop list or only the exclusion list cleared the other one.
A save that still contains beverages from a mod now loads after that mod is removed or updated. Bottles from the missing mod are removed from the save.
Fixed a crash when opening a weapon or tool tooltip after removing a mod whose weapon had been used in that save. Proficiency earned with the mod weapon is kept and restored when the mod is enabled again.
The debug console now autocompletes commands and their arguments with the Tab key, including item, zombie, NPC, and ailment names added by mods.
Expanded the bundled modding guide with a data reference for every patch target (base data file, coverage, and validation rules) and a debugging section. The latest version is published on the developer website.
GAMEPLAY
Bag and ammunition belt durability no longer decreases while moving inside Terminus.
Character pathfinding now avoids walking through fire when an alternative route exists. The stronger the fire it would otherwise cross, the longer a detour it will take.
When crafting a skewer or wooden needle, sticks are now selected before planks and lumber.
The Starving Elder can now be rescued in the DLC. Offering supplies raises trust, and from trust 5 the elder can be recruited as a companion through the same rescue menu as survivors.
A rescued Starving Elder has the new unique trait Frailty, which prevents attacking, and a reduced maximum AP.
Added a conversation menu for the Starving Elder in the DLC that raises trust. Conversations also work across a fence.
The Starving Elder now has animation frames for all actions, such as eating, sleeping, searching, and crafting.
Giving the Starving Elder less than they ask for now also stops the begging for a number of turns based on the value given.
The Starving Elder now detects zombie threats by sight. The elder no longer flees from unseen zombies outside a blockaded house, and fleeing no longer unlocks doors along the way.
The Starving Elder no longer approaches sleeping or unconscious characters to beg.
UI
Reorganized the DLC main menu so that Patch Notes and Credits sit in a separate group below the other buttons, divided by a line, matching the base game layout.
While moving, you can now press the ESC key or the controller's B button to stop at the next tile instead of finishing the whole path.
Added a confirmation popup when a movement path passes through fire.
Added a Mods button to the DLC main menu, matching the base game main menu.
Loading a save now shows a loading screen instead of freezing the game, and an error while loading now shows a popup instead of closing the game.
The hold tooltip for repairing with all AP no longer appears when dragging a repair tool onto electronics or clothing, where holding has no effect.
During the zombie turn, the camera now switches floors to show fights on other floors of the location you are viewing, and returns to the selected character when the player turn starts.
SOUND
Replaced the main menu BGM with a commissioned track (The Disappearance by Emmett Cooke).
Replaced 7 background music tracks (Terminus, game clear, game over, survival history, Research Center, Marina, Military Base) with remastered versions.
BUG FIX
Fixed an issue where sound effects played at roughly 4x speed on systems with 7.1 surround audio output.
Fixed a crash that could occur when right-clicking a fire starter.
Fixed an issue where scrolling the list of traits in the character panel could prevent the companion buttons from being hovered or clicked.
Fixed a crash that could occur when saving in an area crowded with zombies.
Fixed a crash that could occur when repairing electronics or mending clothing while crafting speed was 0 (for example, set by a sandbox option).
Fixed a memory leak that could eventually crash the game during long sessions with the software cursor option enabled.
Fixed a crash that could occur when a survivor had no route to the exit during the Terminus escape in the DLC.
Fixed a crash that could occur when updating the supporter list failed due to a network error.
Fixed a crash that could occur when stopping movement with the ESC key or the controller's B button while moving.
Fixed a crash that could occur when an ongoing movement was finished immediately by another action.
When decompressing the background music data at startup fails (for example, from insufficient disk space), the game now continues with music disabled instead of crashing.
Fixed an issue where key bindings changed during the first launch after a new install were reset on the next launch.
Fixed an issue where the defense bar in the attack window could be drawn longer than its maximum on Hard and Apocalypse difficulty.
Fixed an issue where a character or NPC left behind after traveling by vehicle could be pushed onto an impassable tile (such as a burned car) and become stuck.
Fixed an issue where using an antibiotic on a companion eligible for zombification treatment (the Infection Resistance trait, etc.) did not cure zombification while another character was selected.
Fixed an issue where a medicine's strength was calculated from the currently selected character instead of the character being treated, so the Medicine Resistance trait could be applied to the wrong character.
Fixed a crash that could occur when confirming a medicine's fainting warning popup after the target's ailment had already ended.
Fixed an issue where a character with the Pacifist trait could attack humans through the right-click menu on an NPC.
Fixed an issue where bandits, pickpockets, and the Starving Elder that appeared during play received occupation starting items and trait HP/AP bonuses, unlike those created with the map.
Fixed an issue where an NPC's voice changed to the default voice for their gender when recruited as a companion or rescued.
Fixed an issue where a character could arrive on an NPC's tile when the movement path passed through two or more tiles occupied by NPCs.
Fixed an issue during the Terminus escape in the DLC where the platform zombie cap was compared only against the count at the start of the turn, so the cap could be exceeded within a single turn.
Fixed an issue in the DLC where the movement AP reduction icon inside Terminus was not shown for companions, who receive the same reduction.
Fixed an issue on macOS where an error during game startup could close the game without showing the launch error message.
BACKEND
Migrated the game runtime from 32-bit Python 3.7 to 64-bit Python 3.12.