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This page lists the version history of The Dead Linger, starting from the first publicly released build. The changelog lists added, removed, or modified features since the previous game version. Note that the wiki changelog may differ from the official changelog, as not every change is expected to be listed in the latter. The game is expected to go through an alpha stage, a beta stage, and then receive further updates after the "full" release.
Alpha
The alpha stage is the first phase of public testing, focusing on core game mechanics. The first alpha release was on October 31st, 2012. Though there is no definitive list of planned content for the alpha, extras such as driving cars, using maps, and other planned features are not likely to be included in the alpha stage. Access costs US$25. Until December 4th, 2012, those who purchased the game received the exclusive DOVRAC gas mask. (A retexture of the standard gas mask.)
Version
Release date
Changelog
Hotfix 003a – "Server List Improvements"
November 21st, 2012
General changes
Load screen now establishes instantly when running or joining a game. There is no longer a gray screen when joining, and there is no longer a "disconnect" icon when joining or starting a game.
The server list has a refresh button now.
Only servers that use the same version as the player's client will show up on server list now.
Bugfixes
Sounds (except music) do not play in the loading screen anymore.
Fixed a bug where the server list would sometimes not show any servers when there were servers.
Player count now shows on servers: instead of "0/0", Current/Max will now show properly.
Objects no longer jitter or wiggle around when they should be sitting still.
Fixed some sounds that weren’t playing.
Removed some sounds that weren’t intended to be there.
Fixed a few cases where the game would crash on disconnecting from a server.
Build 003 - "Feature Friendly"
November 20th, 2012
New features
Players are now required to log in to their Sandswept Legion accounts to play, once for offline play and every time for multiplayer.
The world now saves state and player position periodically.
Player inventory now saves on a per-server basis.
Zombies now steadily respawn in areas they have been cleared from.
New items
Weapons: there are a bunch of new melee weapons to be found.[which?]
General changes
The build watermark (i.e. “The Dead Linger Alpha Build 003”) now shows up on every screen, including the main menu.
All debug text (such as d_fps) has black drop shadow now.
There is now a hardware cursor in the game by default.
Flashlights no longer appear "flat" on a surface.
Improved sound system so more sound can be loaded, more variety in sounds added.
A pounding sound is now heard when a player kicks a door.
New sound when sprinting.
Sounds (such as gunshots) can now be heard by other players and grow quieter with distance.
A sound now plays when food is eaten.
The character now makes a noise when injured.
Doors now make noise when opened and closed.
Gameplay changes
Zombies can now only be killed by headshots, and not by damage to other parts of the body.
Zombies can now be alerted by sounds, such as gunshots, and will seek out the source.
At night, flashlights pointed in a zombie’s direction can now alert them.
Fast zombies now appear less often compared to other zombie types.
Slight reduction to intensity of the radial blur effect when injured.
A directional damage indicator now pops up when under attack.
Day/night are now 85/35 minutes long, from 60/60. 24 game hours remain 2 real-time hours long.
When a player has no weapon equipped, the next weapon they pick up will be auto-equipped.
Jumping now reduces ppstamina[[, and stamina is required to jump.
Resized a bunch of inventory items, and made inventory items fill out their region more accurately.
Double left-clicking no longer eats food in the inventory. Right-click instead.
In-game chat changes
If there is no chat message typed in, the chat box will now close upon pressing Enter.
When players type messages, it now shows on the server cmd window with their name.
World changes
New building: Swerts Convenience Store.
Rooftops of houses have been raised.
Items are more scarce.
Floor removed from garages on the sides of houses.
Stairs added to door leading from garage into houses.
Houses should no longer be found with two doors side by side.
Trash wheely bins have been slightly decreased in size.
Garbage cans now also come in black/brown, tan, blue, and green textures, with backer names.
Bugfixes
Fixed multiple crashes that occurred when disconnecting from a game.
Added a hint for NVIDIA Optimus driver so the game prefers the dedicated GPU. Requires NVIDIA driver 302 or higher.
Gaming mice freeze issues have been mostly fixed.
Zombies should get stuck on walls less, and react quicker to the presence of a player when stuck.
There is no longer a massive delay in chat and other network messages when first joining into a game.
Removed a subtle gap between doors.
Some furniture will float less.
Servers are generally more reliable now.
Fixed a bug where the cursor would disappear after moving inventory items or equipping them.
Fixed a crash when picking up more inventory items than the inventory can handle.
Fixed a bug where weapons without knockback would not deal any damage.
Build 002 - "Hotfix Alpha"
November 6th, 2012
New features
There is now a drop area in the inventory to help players understand how to drop items.
General changes
TDL.exe and TDLServer_Main.exe now have desktop icons.
Esc menu text now reads “ESCAPE MENU” instead of “GAME PAUSED” due to the fact that some players were confused. The game does not pause when in the escape menu in either single or multiplayer.
Console command “kill” can now be used. This will kill the player character and respawn them.
Removed console command “d_playerflip”.
There is now a popup indicating when the player has been disconnected from a server.
Improved error messages and error logging to help catch bugs and assist players with reporting issues.
Lowered kicks required to break doors. 3 to 4 kicks will now break a door, down from 7.
Couches, fridges, and some other large items can no longer be picked up, but they can still be pushed around.
Many items are now placed diagonally in their space to give better representation of how much space they require.
Bugfixes
The Print screen key will now properly create and save a screenshot while the inventory is open, as well as in other menus. Screenshots taken this way are saved to the %appdata%/Sandswept Studios/The Dead Linger folder.
Quite a few crashes, both on startup and during play have been fixed.
Players can now be able to disconnect from a server and reconnect to a new server without crashing all of the time.
Fixed crash on startup for certain GPUs.
Servers do not crash as often.
Fixed a bug on slower machines where the game would crash on startup and/or initial connection to a server.
A chat panel overlap bug on some resolutions is now fixed.
Zombies no longer slide or "skateboard" around.
Weapons and items no longer disappear when traveling long distances.
