Ahead of its second beta test, Kakao Games subsidiary Ocean Drive Studio released patch notes for its open-world zombie survival game 'God Save Birmingham' via its official Steam page on the 2nd. The notes detail key changes made since the closed beta test (CBT) held last June.
The biggest change is the addition of multiplayer mode. Currently in an alpha stage, players may encounter issues where saved characters and objects take longer to load. Hosts must install a dedicated server, which can be set up using the "God Save Birmingham Playtest Dedicated Server" application on Steam. Unlike single-player, players in multiplayer can respawn after dying, and leaderboards track most kills and longest survival time.
Save and load functionality has also been implemented. One auto-save slot has been added, and single-player and multiplayer do not share save slots. In single-player, the game saves when sleeping, returning to the title screen via the Esc menu, or exiting the game. In multiplayer, progress saves when all players in the session go to sleep.
Character appearance customization has been introduced, alongside medicine to cure illnesses and a system where clothing gets dirty and can be washed. The crafting system now includes bags to increase carrying capacity for survival, as well as enhanced weapons with higher stats. Cooking methods such as pan-frying, a feature to slaughter chickens for meat, household tools usable as weapons like knives, frying pans, and rolling pins, as well as weapons like two-handed axes and two-handed swords have also been added.
Zombie behavior patterns now vary by type. Zombies can attack barred doors and windows, climb low ledges, or open windows. The types of doors and windows that can be barricaded or locked have been expanded, and clothing insulation effects now vary depending on the material. Additionally, an overhauled inventory UI, key rebinding options, DLSS, FSR, and XeSS upscaling options, and an in-game bug reporting feature have been added.
Following the second Core Group Test in October, adjustments were made to the aiming and hit detection of certain weapons, as well as zombie chase speed and detection range. In single-player, opening the journal now pauses the game. Known issues include potential frame rate drops during co-op play when there are numerous objects and zombies or when players are scattered.
The second beta test will run from 8:00 AM on November 3 to 3:00 AM on November 10 (KST). Anyone can participate by clicking the 'Request Access' button on the Steam store page.
