Undead Labs

AUTHOR: Sanya DATE RECORDED: May 16, 2013 AT 19:04PM

Today, we announced to our community that State of Decay has gone into the final certification process. That means that we’re…done. It’s out of our hands, and that much closer to being in yours. There are still things to do, of course, and if our publisher finds a problem we’ll fix it, but basically, this is the last big step between development and launch. Once we finish this, we’ll be ready to talk about release dates. We are proud. We are excited.

We are maybe a little tired. Thank you all so much for your encouragement and support! It got us this far, and there’s not much farther to go.

If you’d like to help us celebrate this major milestone, we’re running a fun contest. If you’d like to join the fun, write “ALMOST” on your hand, take a picture, and post it in the comment thread by midnight your local time tonight. (That’s really all you have to do, though as usual for this community, we have people going wildly beyond the requirements just for the hell of it.) We’ll pick five winners at random to win preview codes for State of Decay.

Thanks again, everybody.

AUTHOR: Sanya DATE RECORDED: May 07, 2013 AT 10:08AM

Well, we are, too. The day draws ever nearer when we can get our baby into your hands. (New here? Not sure what I’m on about? You can catch up to date with our handy FAQ – and if that only whets your appetite, you can always scroll to the bottom of this page and learn all about our design and systems. Welcome!)

Did I say something about whetting your appetite? That’s a good segue into our first contest celebrating pre-launch month: What’s Cooking?

A month after the zombie apocalypse, there will be no more microwaves. No electric stoves. No propane. No convenient little charcoal briquettes for your grill. But you’ve still got to eat. Do you have what it takes to feed yourself? Are you hardcore enough to survive a real State of Decay?

Here’s a contest to prove it. The rules:

- No unsustainable cooking technology. Yes, I know many of us have generators, but a month into the zombie apocalypse, you’re not going to be flipping on that noisy zed attracting thing just to whip up some soup, even if you managed to hoard enough gas. And yes, I am aware that propane grills are quiet, but again, how long is that tank of yours going to hold out? No! Think wood fire. Think homemade solar oven. Some of our players have even suggested pickling and smoking. Be creative!

- Nothing frozen or refrigerated. Unless you have a real old fashioned ice house, in which case, pics or it didn’t happen.

- Minimal store-bought supplies. The stores have been looted and the delivery trucks are never coming back. You need to make do with what you have.

- Foraging/scavenging preferred. Bonus points if you caught the fish/snared the rabbit/harvested the eggs/correctly identified edible greens!

Take a picture of you with your prepared dish and email it to me at sanya at undeadlabs dot com. Tell me what it is you’re eating and how you cooked it in the email. I’ll post pictures to our Facebook page. Every entry that follows all four of the above rules will be entered into a drawing to win a preview code of State of Decay. We’ll grab a handful of our favorites for community voting as well, and the People’s Choice will also receive a code.

That’s right. If you could survive a state of decay, you’ll be one of the first to survive in State of Decay.

Entries must be received by 11:59 PM (2359) your local time zone, Monday, May 13, 2013.

* Cooking not your thing? There’s a Survivor Cell Challenge next week…

AUTHOR: Sanya DATE RECORDED: March 15, 2013 AT 15:18PM

Do you think you’re a pretty fair hand when it comes to image editing? Do you know what looks good? Want to be celebrated throughout the entire State of Decay community…and be one of the first to see the game? Keep reading!

I won’t lie. I need your help. Here’s the deal. I’ve had a bunch of people suggest we should give out a Facebook “cover photo” for our fans to use. It’s a great idea. Heck, it’s been on our “would like to do” list for weeks now. With PAX around the corner and the process of getting the game approved for sale underway, we are busier than one armed paperhangers. Our art director is busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. He may be winning that contest, but that doesn’t give him more hours in the day to make me a Facebook image when he has game related fish to fry.

That’s where you can help. I’ve seen the images you all have come up with just for fun. They’re awesome. I also haven’t done a contest in awhile. Two and two together equals… The Facebook Cover Image Contest.

The prize is a review code. The same one I’ll be sending to gaming reporters all over the world, as soon as our publisher gives us authorization. (I still don’t know when that will be, and I do not have sufficient data to make an intelligent guess… but it seems to me that anyone excited enough to do an art contest won’t mind hanging on until the codes are released, right?)

You may use whatever images you find on this website, or you can check out this concept art from Doug. Everything you see here has been realized in the world of State of Decay.

Facebook’s rules say the cover image can’t have a URL, or a call to action of any kind (“like this page, go here, do this” etc). The game logo and the company logo are fair game, though.

The dimensions of a cover image are 851 pixels wide, by 315 pixels tall.

You may add effects, crop, use multiple images – whatever you think would look cool! Just remember that if someone uses your picture, some of the lower left corner will be covered by the user’s own profile picture.

The winner, as I said, will be the first non-media person to play the game, as a token of our appreciation for the help in getting the word out about the game.

Submissions must be sent to me at sanya at undeadlabs.com by 11:59 PM (or 2359, if you prefer) your own local time on Monday, March 18, 2013.

Ladies and gentlemen… start… your… photo editors!

Any questions? The comment button is there to your right.

AUTHOR: Sanya DATE RECORDED: January 01, 2013 AT 17:56PM

Ready to kick the year off? Here’s that second wallpaper we promised you, with a bit of wintry weather to it. It may be cold here in the northern hemisphere, but it would be a lot colder without electricity, so we’re counting our blessings. Just remember, after the outbreak, you can’t run a noisy-ass generator without attracting every zed in the area, so establish those defensible perimeters. And no matter how cold you get, huddling in your shelters, look on the bright side. At least you can still feel the cold, unlike this guy:

Hang onto your cold weather hats, everyone…because 2013 is going to be awesome.

AUTHOR: Sanya DATE RECORDED: December 24, 2012 AT 15:01PM

I don’t know, what noise DOES a zombie Santa make? This guy knows when you’ve been sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows that people who barricade their doors and windows never remember to block off the chimney. From the mind of Art Director Doug and the hearts of all of us here at Undead Labs, here is a little gift of wallpaper for you.

Oh, and that’s not all. Check back with us on New Year’s Day for the second wallpaper.

AUTHOR: Sanya DATE RECORDED: December 03, 2012 AT 13:50PM

In keeping with December’s “Tactics” theme, this month’s challenge is all about sharing one small bit of your game plan.  How will you defend your home/property/car/dorm room? If you show us, you’ll win a first look at a new gameplay video, and a chance to win gear for your group. Keep reading:

Pit trap? Snare? Perimeter defense? Maybe you’ll lurk in a doorway with an airhorn while another cell member stands just out of view with an axe. Or you might have stuffed dummies dressed like your cell sitting on lawnchairs while your team sits on the roof poised to drop heavy objects. Use your imagination, and points for MacGyvering something hilarious.

What we don’t want you to do is anything dangerous. No real landmines, please. (With this crowd, I have to spell that out. Which is awesome.)

Send your photo (required if you’re a cell, optional if you’re an individual), and a sketch or map of your plan (optional if you’re a cell, required if you’re an individual), no later than Sunday evening, 11:59 PM (23:59), December 16. You will get your video on Tuesday. You may share your exclusive video with the news source of your choice on Wednesday, December 19.

We’ll also have community voting on the best tactical plan, with State of Decay gear for the favorite individual submission and the favorite cell submission.

Any questions? Click the green tape and ask them in the forums.

AUTHOR: Sanya DATE RECORDED: November 12, 2012 AT 13:52PM

This month, we have been driving furiously to our next goal (a content milestone, this time). We’re also starting to talk about the day when we finally get you all into our world. One of the things that has us fired up is that each small element was designed and polished and fitted into a big picture. Trust me, you can’t just shove a feature into a game like State of Decay in order to tick off a box. Everything works together. Everything clicks, everything builds on everything else, until the result is greater than the sum of its parts.

More on that later, though. Right now, I want to get you all rolling on this month’s Survivor Cell Challenge.  You are all part of the big picture.

No one stands alone. Survival is about being part of something bigger than yourself, about a community of like-minded people coming together. You alone are awesome, but standing with your crew, you’re unstoppable. This month, send a photo of your cell contributing to your community. Some ideas:

– Gather your extra canned food and take a picture of you all dropping it off at the collection bin.

– Pick up the trash along the side of a local road. Show us how much you got in an hour.

– Swarm an elderly neighbor’s house and trim shrubs/clean out gutters.

– Organize your basement to better serve as a disaster shelter for your crew, plus one extra survivor.

– Donate zombie movies to a veteran’s hospital.

– Participate in a charity run/walk as a team in full survivor gear.

– Send a picture of yourself in your uniform, whether you serve your community as part of the military, police, firefighters, EMTs, or similar.

The only limit is you. Send the picture by 11:59 PM (23:59) on Sunday, November 25th. The prize for participating cells: Exclusive screenshots! We’re not giving these babies to the press. The first post-milestone images are for you. If you feel so inclined, you may share the images with news outlets or websites of your choice on November 27th. We’ll put them up here for everyone to see on the 30th.

(Individuals without a cell may enter, but are not eligible to receive the screenshots. I’ll randomly select one participating individual to win a t-shirt.)

Help keep us here at Undead inspired, and show us how you’re part of the big picture. If you’ve got any questions, hit me up in the forum by clicking the green button down to your right.

AUTHOR: Sanya DATE RECORDED: October 19, 2012 AT 13:59PM

Easy one… or is it? You COULD just shrug on a camo jacket and some boots, and call it a survivor costume. You could slap on some makeup and a shredded sweatshirt and tell me you’re a zombie. If you’re in a Cell that goes that far and send me a picture by 11:59 PM your time on Sunday, October 28th, you will be guaranteed to win this month’s prize: Another exclusive gameplay video. Heck, if you don’t participate at all, you’ll still win – participating cells are welcome to post the video themselves on October 30th, and we’ll add it to our official YouTube channel on Halloween.

But you can do more. So can those of you without a cell.

We’re going to pick our favorite costumed Cell pictures, and from that group, ask the community to vote for the Survivor’s Choice. In addition to the video, the Survivor’s Choice cell will receive State of Decay shirts and bragging rights.

If you have no Cell, fear not! Please send me a picture of you in your best survivor or zombie costume. While you aren’t eligible for the video prize, you have a chance to win the Lone Wolf Survivor’s Choice contest. Again, we’ll pick our favorites and ask the community to vote for the best.

Style points awarded for clever use of setting. What’s more frightening, a zombie in a brightly lit bedroom with a One Direction poster in the background… or a zombie lurking in a dark closet? What’s more awesome, a zombie in dark alley, or a zombie in an alley with a survivor standing behind the zombie with a raised crowbar? I’m saying think about the game footage you’ve seen, and try to make a screenshot come to life!

Rules:

- Your Cell must be registered with me before you send in your picture.

- Everyone in your Cell should be in the picture, unless you arrange it with me in advance.

- You must send the picture to sanya at undeadlabs dot com no later than 11:59 PM (or 23:59, I guess), your local time, on Sunday, October 28th, 2012.

- Please, no storebought anything (except makeup for those of you going zombie). As with everything related to survival, you make do with what you’ve got. Ingenuity counts for more than your bank account.

If you’ve got any questions, hit that green comment button down on the right here and ask ‘em in the forum. Good luck, Survivors!

AUTHOR: Sanya DATE RECORDED: October 12, 2012 AT 12:35PM

Once again, we’re doing a shirt/hoodie run for our awesome community. (Also, posters!) For the next two weeks and change (until 9:00 AM PDT/noon EDT/1800 CEST October 29, 2012), you can order an Undead Labs shirt or hoodie. The price to you is what it will cost us to print and ship these babies. After the 29th, we won’t we taking any more orders until…well, I don’t know when. I’m guessing not until after launch.

All of these lovely items are made in the USA, and I speak from experience when I say they don’t run or shrink.

American Apparel runs on the small side. If you’re in between sizes, I strongly recommend going with the bigger one. We’re taking plastic and PayPal, and we’ll ship anywhere in the world. Prices are:

Hoodie: 40 (+15 to ship to the US/CAN)(+32 everywhere else)

Shirt: 18 (+4 US/CAN)(+8 everywhere else)

Poster: 10 (+4 US/CAN)(+8 everywhere else)

Note: The hoodie is only bite-proof if the zombie trying to eat you has lost his teeth. If that’s not an argument for carrying a bat, I don’t know what is.

If you get some gear, you know what they say. Pics or it didn’t happen. Tweet ‘em to me  (@undeadlabs) or email them to sanya AT undeadlabs DOT com.

Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful. Hate me because I’m going to eat your brain.

AUTHOR: Sanya DATE RECORDED: September 20, 2012 AT 13:03PM

The September challenge is only available to Cells that register by the end of today. (That’s 11:59 PM 9/20/2012, by your watch.) Check out the original Survivor Cell post for more information, newcomers, it’s a lot of fun!

This month’s challenge:  The zombie apocalypse is kicking off TODAY! Right now. No time to go to the store, no time to buy anything online. Assemble a “go-bag” for each member of your cell. Take a picture of the items, along with all the members of your cell. Write up a list of what you’ve chosen to include, and send me an email with the photo and the list by 11:59 PM on Monday, September 24 (in your time zone). Pictures will be posted to our Facebook page unless you ask me not to do so.

This month’s prize is a State of Decay poster, autographed by our team. We’ll mail you Cell Leaders a poster for each member of your team that appears in the photo.

For more rules and guidelines, read on!

Bags:

* Put together these go bags from things you/your cell members already own. No running off to the sporting goods store to grab that one thing you’ve been meaning to get. The apocalypse has started! All you have to pack is what you have on hand. Make it or fake it, y’all, because this challenge is about doing the best you can with what you’ve got…kind of like State of Decay.

* Each member of the cell must be able to carry his or her own bag.

* Consider individual needs. Anyone wear glasses? Diabetic? Pregnant? On crutches? Don’t think of the ideal you, the one planning to lose ten pounds and learn gun safety. Look at yourself as you are right now, and think about what you need.

* Consider group needs. You are a Cell. You’re a team. You’re banding together. What might serve a group that would be pointless for a single person’s go bag? Who will carry it? Can it be broken down into parts?

* Consider your goals. Do you want to survive through the coming winter? Do you need just enough stuff to get the group to a cabin in the mountains? Are you more worried about food or zombies or other survivors? It’s totally up to you.

* Bonus consideration: What natural disaster might strike your town? Will your go bags help you in that scenario?

Rules:

* Nothing illegal, please.

* Your Cell must be registered by 11:59 PM tonight, 9/20/2012. That is 11:59 (or 23:59) YOUR time. Look, when I wake up tomorrow morning, everything that is in my inbox will sneak in under the wire. No exceptions for anyone who creeps in after that. The prize is too cool.

* Your Cell must follow the original rules: Three or more people living near each other in the physical world.

* Leaders, if you want to add eligible people to your Cell, you must do it by 11:59 PM tonight, 9/20/2012.

* In order to win the posters, the Cell Leader must submit the photo of the bags/cell members and the list of items (and the Cell Leader’s mailing address) by 11:59 PM your time on Monday, September 24.

sanya AT undeadlabs DOT com

Notes:

* I will not be posting the pictures all at once. Doling them out gives every participating cell a moment in the Facebook sun, instead of being just another snapshot in the album.

* I do not yet know exactly when we will mail the posters to the winners. It rather depends on how many Cells participate. It could take us a bit of time to autograph them all! But they’ll be out the door before the October challenge goes up.

Any other questions? Hit that green comment button down and to the right and head to the forums.

GO!