New Zombies, Run! missions are now available!

The hiatus is over! We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming: Zombies, Run! Season 2. We have another ten weeks worth of new missions (30 in total!) to deliver to you, dear fans, so we hope you’re all caught up with the story. And if you’ve enjoyed the first half of season 2, just wait and see how much more epically bombastic things get in the second half…

If you already own a Season Pass Plus, all of these story and side missions will come at no extra cost to you whatsoever. You will simply need to head on over to the mission list, download the new content and away you go!

Earlier today we had a slight problem with mission downloads. We’ve since fixed the problem on our end, but if you’ve had difficulties playing the new missions, please delete them from the mission manager, restart Zombies, Run! and then redownload.

Don’t forget to check out the new achievements system over at the ZombieLink beta site. Can you collect them all?

*Jack and Eugene / Pacific Rim crossover fanart by the wonderful TheWonderSmith

Achievements are here!

Zombies, Run! achievements are now LIVE over at the beta version of ZombieLink!

We now reward you for running certain distances or at certain speeds, as well as building your base in certain ways or even listening to the same song on ten consecutive runs — yes, we track all that and more! There are over 70 achievements to unlock, so getting all of them should take you quite a while, even if you’ve been playing Zombies, Run! from the start.

We designed these achievements not only to help you to explore everything Zombies, Run! has to offer, but also to motivate you to improve as a runner. Every achievement falls into an “early-game”, “mid-game” or “late-game” category so you can always feel you have a new task or milestone within your grasp.

A final category, “hardcore”, contains achievements for those who have done everything there is to do in Zombies, Run! but who don’t want to stop running. Things like running for a total of 1000 kilometers or collecting 500 supplies within a week.

The achievement list will not necessarily tell you how each one is unlocked. Some you’ll be able to guess from the name. Others you’ll unlock accidentally, but we have no doubt that the community will figure them out before very long…

Crucially, achievement unlock retroactively, so prolific Zombies, Run! players may have a bunch of achievements already – in fact, over 150,000 achievements have already been unlocked! If you don’t have any unlocked, you simply need to sync a new run in order for your achievements to be generated.

So head over to the Zombies, Run! Beta site and sign in to visit your Achievements page to see which, if any, you’ve already unlocked. And which you should work towards next…

Meet Runner 4 and Runner 10

We had some of the Zombies, Run! actors in the office recently, for nefarious reasons that may or may not be related to this piece over at Polygon. While they were here, we had a short chat about their Zombies, Run! characters and their experiences recording for the game.

Today we’re talking to Jennifer Tan, who plays Runner 4 as well as Nadia. Check out her interview below, including a sneaky snippet from an upcoming side mission. Don’t worry, we’ve kept clear of spoilers.

We’ve embedded the video that Jen mentions during her interview here, in case you want to see what it looks like when actors are trapped in a hot, dark box and told to come up with a tune to fit around a set of lyrics. On the spot.

Turns out they invent a frustratingly catchy earworm of a song, which spreads around the office like wildfire. Thanks guys.

Next up is Nick Kay, who played Runner 10. This interview is a little more spoilerific, so if you haven’t reached the end of Season 1 Mission 19, we recommend doing that before taking a listen…

We’ll be back at a later date with another pair of interviews. So look forward to hearing from Phil Nightingale (Sam Yao) and Olga Leon (Archie) in the near future…

Zombies, Run! 2.2 receives HUGE Living Base update!

Even though the paint isn’t even dry yet on ZombieLink Social, we have a lot more exciting Zombies, Run! updates for both iOS and Android users that we just can’t wait to show you. This new update to the app, which is available right now, is the biggest update we’ve released since the game was launched in April. Read on to find out how we’ve made the Zombies, Run! experience even better!

You have probably been wondering what those numbers at the top of the Zombies, Run! base screen mean. They’re your defence and morale ratings and you’re suddenly going to be paying them a lot more attention than you had before. That’s because we’ve just given Abel Township a shot of adrenaline and upgraded it to what we call a “living base”.

Players will receive gifts from people inside and outside of your base, giving you a small boost in supplies. However, Abel is also now under threat of zombie attack, so you may find that the undead have taken a bite out of your defence tower. Fixing this up will require spending a few supplies, so you’ll need to keep running to keep the people of Abel safe.

The Zombies, Run! news feed will alert you whenever these things take place, so check the app every morning to stay up to date with the comings and goings of your base.

Alongside the Living Base, we’ve also brought Radio Mode back to Zombies, Run! on iPhone and iPod Touch (Android users have had Radio Mode since April 26th).

We think you’ll be pretty pleased with the way we’ve implemented it, too. You can pick between starting your latest run by listening to either Season 1 radio mode (all Jack and Eugene, all the time) or Season 2 radio mode (Phil and Zoe). And if you manage to get to the end, simply hit “Restart mission” and you can start over from the beginning again.

But you won’t be running out of content any time soon, because we’ve just added a huge batch of new Radio dialogue. Jack and Eugene are back! Not only that, but we’ve been adding some context sensitive audio clips. So depending on the state of your base, or the happiness of the Township inhabitants, you may hear different snippets of dialogue. Keep an ear out for special clips that play only on certain days, too.

This update also includes a bunch of little tweaks and fixes for the iOS version, such as the ability to jump to the next unplayed mission straight from the app’s news screen. We’ve also expanded the distance estimation feature from the Race Missions so that they can be used in any mission. You’ll be able to choose a constant speed, as well as inputting your stride length so that, even without GPS, you’ll have a good idea of how far you’ve run.

If you’re using a treadmill, chances are you’ll already know how far you have run. So we’ve allowed you to input this distance into the app once the mission ends. Just click on the distance on the Mission End screen and you’ll be able to update the value manually. And, finally, you will now be told which buildings and upgrades you can now afford whenever you finish a mission.

Check out the App Store and Google Play Store for the full change logs for each version.

How awesome is your base? Prove it.

How cool is your base? We reckon there are some of you out there with some ridiculously great bases. Whether you’ve been reclaiming the zombie infested wilderness by expanding the walls of Abel Township or giving in to OCD and making everything perfectly symmetrical, we want to see it.

Just send a screenshot of your base, or a link to your ZombieLink profile, to support@zombiesrungame.com with a subject along the lines of “Cool base”. We’ll pick the best ones and showcase them here on the Zombies, Run! Blog. If we see anything really special, we may be able to come up with a prize or two.

July 2013 Community round-up

Time for another community round-up, where we take a look at the impressive and varied work of the prolific Zombies, Run! community.

If you have anything to submit for the next Zombies, Run! Community Round-up, feel free to send it over to press@zombiesrungame.com and we’ll be sure to include it in the next edition.

Delicious

If you’re looking for Zombies, Run! fan-fiction, the unofficial Zombies, Run! Delicious page should be your first port of call. Run by super-fan FacingTheNorthWind, it is a collection of pretty much every piece of fan-fiction and fan-art produced to date. Which is a huge amount. Definitely one to check out, if you’re into Zombies, Run! and alternate universes in which the inhabitants of Abel all go to the same university. And there are no zombies. For example.

Texts From Last Mission

The Texts From Last Night phenomenon enters the Zombies, Run! universe. With art by TheWonderSmith and texts chosen by FairyTalesAndFoolishness, this is a frequently updated blog showing what life could be like in Abel when there’s no-one in the comms shack.

Fan trailer and Radio Play

Conor Hughes sent in this excellent fan-made recreation of the first mission of Zombies, Run! There’s a radio play version, which features the first two chapters of the very first mission of the game, as well as a live-action video reconstruction of the second chapter. Both worth checking out!

Zombies, Run! Sydney Meetup

We received word of a real life, actual Zombies, Run! fan meetup that took place in Sydney, Australia. This has been documented on FacingTheNorthWind’s Tumblr Blog and, we believe, there are plans for more in the near future. So, if you’re interested in attending one of these unofficial meetups, it might be worth giving FacingTheNorthWind a follow.

Have you had a Zombies, Run! fan meetup? Are you planning one? Let us know by emailing us at press@zombiesrungame.com and we can help spread the word!

Fan competition winners

In case you missed the conclusion of our Zombies, Run! Fan Competition earlier this year, we created a page showcasing all of the winners, as well as a bunch of runner ups. We had so many amazing entries, we wanted to show off how creative our community is.

Testimonials

Finally, don’t forget that our Testimonials page is now open and shows the huge amount of feedback we’ve had from fans about Zombies, Run!

Six to Start at Nine Worlds GeekFest

Will you be attending Nine Worlds GeekFest in August? In case you’re unaware, it’s a London-based convention focused on all things geeky. From board games and video games to sci-fi and fantasy books, TV shows and movies. The best part? Some of the Zombies, Run! team will be speaking there!

There are three panels featuring Zombies, Run! team members and they all take place on Sunday, August 11. Firstly, Indie War Stories features the CEO of Six to Start, Adrian Hon, and centers around what life as an indie developer is like. Expect tips and tricks for budding indie devs from Adrian and his co-panelists.

Next up is our lead developer, Alex Macmillan, who will be speaking on the Disabilities In Games panel, during which he will discuss how disabilities are represented in the industry, as well as how developers can take measures to make sure their games are as accessible as possible.

Finally, Zombies, Run! co-writer Rebecca Levene will be on the Race In Games panel and will be discussing diversity within the medium, with a particular focus on how race is represented in games.

For more info on these panels, and the Nine Worlds GeekFest convention as a whole, make sure you check out the official website. We hope you’ll join us for what should be a great event! If you make it to any of the panels above, don’t be shy; come and say hello! We’d love to meet you.

Miss the live Zombies, Run! writers Q&A? Watch it here!

Did you miss our Zombies, Run! writers Q&A, featuring lead writer Naomi Alderman and co-writer Rebecca Levene? Fear not, you can watch the full, unedited video (yes, including the obligatory “how do I turn this thing off?” at the end) on YouTube. We’ve embedded it above, so you don’t even have to steer your browser to a new page. Aren’t we kind?

We had a great time running this live Q&A for you and we hope to have more in the future. Not just with the writing team, but other members of the Zombies, Run! team coming to talk to you about the future of the game and Six to Start. A big thanks to everyone who attended the live hangout and sent in questions. We hope you had as much fun with it as we did!

Zombies, Run! Season Pass Summer Sale!

We’re celebrating the sunny British weather (as short-lived as it no doubt will be) with a Zombies, Run! Season Pass Summer Sale! All three Season Passes are available for half-price until Monday, July 15. Yes, even if the weather takes another turn for the rainy.

If you’re new to the game, this is the perfect opportunity to gain access to 30 already-released missions, plus another 30+ which we’ll be releasing on a weekly basis starting from Wednesday, July 30.

Season Pass: Now $1.99 (usually $3.99): Includes 40+ Season 2 Story Missions

Season Pass Plus: Now $3.99 (usually $7.99): Includes 60+ S2 Story Missions and Sidequests

Sidequest Pass: Now $2.99 (usually $5.99): Includes 20+ S2 Sidequests

So far, Season 2 has been packed full of great missions. From the profoundly epic, to the intimately daft. We’ve even had Margaret Atwood make a special guest appearance. As you need more incentive, completing certain missions will unlock new buildings and amenities for your Township. This will continue as we enter the second half of Season 2 in late July.

Just in case you haven’t bought Zombies, Run! yet, you can grab it from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store via the links below:

*Image via webdesignhot.com

Introducing the ZombieLink Social beta and Achievements

The Zombies, Run! website just got a whole lot better. We’ve added social features and redesigned your profile to improve your ZombieLink experience. At the moment all of this is available as part of an opt-in open beta. As a result, there may still be some bugs which we’re ironing out, but we wanted to get these features into your hands as quickly as possible.

In order to gain access to ZombieLink Social, simply head on over to the beta website (beta.zombiesrungame.com) and login as normal. As a beta tester, we would be very grateful if you could report any issues you find with the new website to us directly to us at support@zombiesrungame.com.

Social Features

Signing in to ZombieLink, you’ll notice a new sidebar on the left hand side. This is the News Bar and, as well as displaying the latest news from the Zombies, Run! Blog, will also be populated with the activity of other Zombies, Run! users who you follow. That’s right, interacting with your friends (and enemies) is no longer restricted to stalking their ZombieLink profile pages, now you can follow people and let their latest run records come directly to you.

To follow someone, you will need to visit their ZombieLink profile through the Zombies, Run! beta website. You will see a “Follow” button under their name, as shown above. Visiting another player’s ZombieLink profile through the normal Zombies, Run! website will not work, so if you’re having problems make sure you’re on the right version of the site!

The URL to the user’s profile should look like this: https://beta.zombiesrungame.com/adrian/

New Profile Page

We’ve also given your ZombieLink profile page a drastic makeover. We’ve managed to fit a lot more run information on your profile page, while simultaneously making everything clearer at a glance. At the top you’ll notice a spotlight view of your latest run, alongside a thumbnail of your actual base.

Top level stats are also shown here, displaying a total number of runs as well as the total distance, time and the number of supplies you have collected since you began playing the game. You’ll also notice horizontal bars underneath several of these stats, which indicate how they stack against your other runs.

The coloured arrows in the “Pace” column of your run table indicate which runs are above and below your average pace. Depending on the intensity of the colour, you can quickly see which of your runs feature your best and worst pace. A bright red arrow, for example, means this run is well below your average, while a light green arrow means it’s slightly above average.

The idea of this redesign is to make it easy to see at a glance which of your runs are interesting and out of the ordinary. We think this helps everyone and is an innovative way of displaying your information.

Click that “Edit” button at the top of your run table and you can edit distances, share preferences and visibility options right on the profile page, as well as deleting any superfluous run logs you may have accidentally created. We’ve improved the visibility options, too. It’s now much harder to accidentally hide runs, as well as easier to make them visible again if you need to.

This is all the first step towards our ZombieLink Social vision.

Achievements

The next step is something that we think you’ll all be very excited about. We’re introducing a full achievement system into ZombieLink. If you’re unfamiliar with such a thing, this means that by completing in-game tasks or reaching certain milestones, you’ll be rewarded with a badge for your profile which you can show off to your friends.

We have a huge array of achievements planned, ranging from the simple (collect 100 supplies) right through to some which are much more difficult (run more than 20k in one run). We’ll also have some properly hardcore achievements for the completionists out there, such as one which requires you to run for a total of 1000 miles.

Achievements will be available soon and we’ll be letting you guys know as soon as we have more information and/or a solid release date for that. Don’t worry, you’ll be receiving any achievements you’re due retroactively, so you won’t need to start from scratch again. We’re not masochists.

Your Zombies, Run! Stories

Finally, you may recall the Zombies, Run! Fan Survey which we set up recently. There were a frankly insane number of people who submitted their Zombies, Run! stories to us and we’ve managed to collate the majority into a ludicrously long testimonial page. Check it out and see what your fellow Zombies, Run! players are saying about the game!

To everyone who did submit something, thank you so much. We really appreciate the time you’ve taken to write to us about how the game has benefited you. We’re humbled and proud to have such a passionate fanbase and we’re working hard to bring you more of the content you deserve.