WWZ version 1.12 is now rolling out on PS4 and Xbox One. According to the official WWZ update 1.12 patch notes, the latest update added new Horde Mode and the quality of life improvements. Apart from this, World War Z patch 1.12 also includes performance improvements.
Previously, a big Proving Grounds update was released with the new “The Undead Sea” Tokyo mission and the six-skulls extreme difficulty setting for all chapters. Unfortunately, since the last update, some players are still experiencing a number of issues when trying to play the game. Today’s WWZ version 1.12 is expected to fix these issues. Check out more details below.
WWZ update 1.12 patch notes
New
The Horde Mode Z –
World War Z throws a crazy number of zombies at players. Up to 500 on-screen at a time, sprinting full speed at you. The game was created from the ground up with this goal in mind, and having our own Swarm Engine was a big reason why we succeeded, since it allowed us to adapt and tailor it to what we needed.
We had one very simple and effective rule: The more screen space the swarm fills, the more impressive it looks.
The hordes needed to be huge and dangerous, while maintaining excellent performance and graphical quality. When we started testing the game, players often didn’t shoot at the swarms because they thought they were decorative background scenery until it was too late. The pyramids that zombies create – climbing over each other to create a growing pile-up of undead flesh – are also not there because it looks cool; if you don’t topple them, they’ll pile high enough to reach any high ground you’ve managed to secure.
The main technical challenge of having so many zombies was making the game perform smoothly over a typical internet connection. When the swarms are distant their AI is simplified but, as they get close, each individual zombie can emerge from the swarm to become independent in its actions. It took a lot of work to make this transition as seamless and unnoticeable as possible.
To combat the zombie hordes, players are given extremely powerful tools: heavy weapons, explosives, and environmental features such as cars that can be blown up. Many of these defenses will be accentuated in the upcoming Horde Mode, since there is a more distinct preparation phase in between each increasingly more difficult wave. Players will make use of mortars, electrified fences, barbed wire, claymores, and more.
The six classes allow players to split into roles with different strengths. The Exterminator excels at killing swarms, but is weak to special zombies, the stand-out enemies with special behaviors. The Slasher is good at covering teammates, especially from up-close special zombies. We originally had doubts about the Slasher, since the melee combat isn’t a focus of the game, but it turns out the class is fun and viable due in part to its other complementary features, such as the Stun Gun. With Horde Mode Z, these roles will be pushed to their limits, and we’re excited to see which combinations come out on top.
In terms of the stories we wanted to tell, we were excited to create original character stories within the World War Z lore and worked with our writers from the start of the process. We decided to be closer to the original book by telling the story of regular people caught in these extreme situations. For this reason we tried to limit the amount of military characters.
Since we would be telling stories from various corners of the earth, we got a diverse cast of characters with completely different backgrounds. In the game, we show their personalities in two ways: how they look (the way they dress, their expressions and features), and what they say during missions (what we call “battle chatter”).
Having a unique universe like World War Z definitely helped in setting us apart from other zombie shooters, but we believe our dedication to create compelling stories with a diverse cast of characters has gone a long way. The huge swarms and technology that went into creating World War Z’s massive swarms made us visually stand out, and we can’t wait to show off how well this translates into tomorrow’s Horde Mode Z.
New Features
- Added a new game mode: Horde Mode
- Added new Bomber special zombie that will spawn in all modes and levels
- Added Special Operations Forces skin pack (included for Season Pass owners)
- Activating certain mutators in private lobby will result in reduced currency and XP rewards
AI
- Fixed Screamer not moving to attack player in some cases
- Bots will not attempt to finish off Spitter in melee if he is very far away from them
Perks
- Fixed issue with Hellraiser’s Technician perk not increasing the maximum number of targets.
- Fixed issue with prestige perks reducing max ammo instead of increasing it.
UI
- Minor UI and localization fixes
Stability
- Fixed several gameplay crashes
Levels
- Fixed some gameplay bugs that were causing inability to progress in levels
General fixes
- Fixed issue with all ammo affecting mutators, that would result in giving players wrong amount of ammo
- Fixed issue with flamethrower continuing to fire even if player swapped to a different weapon
- Fixed another issue with prestige levels not saving correctly in some cases
- Reduced volume of Sniper Rifle firing sound
- Adjusted hit marker sound, now it is more subtle and will be affected by SFX slider in audio settings
WWZ update 1.12 is now available for download on for PS4 and Xbox One.
