I am here to watch this grow; I played it the first time a few updates back and quickly realized that they had put more focus into mechanics of function, usability of items, inventory use, and world building than they put into the zombies.
On the surface this appears to leave you with crowds of zombies who, for the most part, just stand there until engaged. Maybe they'll see/hear/smell you. Maybe they'll face you and stumble over your direction. But most times? They either fall to the ground (indicating they are a jump scare and won't 'animate' until you come near) or just stand in place. IF this is a deal breaker - wait for a couple more changes and see if you can catch it later on, or wait until a full 1.0 realease... If you can work with them being generally stupid (you *can* adjust their sensitivities,sight distance, health, damage output, etc to make them more challenging - but for the most part, They are Weenie Hut JR material.) there is a trade off you get for this dumb AI...
The trade of to this less fleshed out combat AI; Is cars with AC and heat to help maintain player body temp and dry you off in the rain. Active TV and radio, that you can upload your own media to. You have art work, furniture,window coverings like curtains and blinds(you can even use paper or cardboard to seal it yourself). There are full fledged video and electric wiring systems. There are so many tools, utilities, and resources. Nearly EVERYTHING can be a weapon. You get schools, city gov, homes,shops,camps,gas stations,stores,warehouses,shops,prisons,parks,forests... The sheer reach of where they ARE putting focus; tells me they want a full experience the zombies can be a threat in, and they won't touch THAT until they perfect everything else. AND I LOVE IT.
Everything AROUND the zombies is clearly more important than the zombies themselves - and these guys have put a lot of work and heart into those other systems. Those are what I want to see grow. That is what I want to see them do. And so far; This game delivers on that. WELL.
My method has been to play a new save for 2-3hr every time they update. And you can really see what the changes are and how they have been implemented. For me; I can only recommend this game. There is no viable reason to not at least give it a go. It's absolutely worth every bit of $20(USD), even more so if you catch it on sale. if you can appreciate everything outside of the actual zombies. 100% one to watch, if nothing else.
By 1.0, I suspect we'll see vastly improved combat and stealth factors added in to a deeper depth, as is in its current state - its worth it just to explore the world and gaming mechanics otherwise. A fantastic show of what an open and free world CAN be.
