Like so many other gamers, there are few words that could accurately describe how excited we are for the debut of State of Decay: Lifeline, the second official expansion for Undead Labs' critically-acclaimed PC and Xbox 360 zombie-survival title.
Officially revealed earlier this month, State of Decay: Lifeline will act as a prequel (of sorts) to the events portrayed in the original State of Decay campaign, offering fans a chance to watch the complete collapse of civilized society (albeit in a new location). Rather than continuing to explore Trumbull Valley, State of Decay: Lifeline will transport players to the town of Danforth, dropping you into the collective boots of U.S. Army squad Greyhound One, as they look to rescue a number of scientists who could be vital in the government's attempts to combat the zombie menace.
When State of Decay: Lifeline begins, Greyhound One will only be comprised of four soldiers, but proper squad management will allow your crew to grow in much the same way as your group of survivors did in the "vanilla" State of Decay campaign. Of course, while strategic use of personnel/resources might facilitate squad growth, Undead Labs says we can definitely expect the team's material support to dwindle over the course of the expansion. That shouldn't prove too problematic though, as Greyhound One contains four of what might very well be the most-prepared people on the planet for a scenario like the one portrayed in State of Decay: Lifeline.
Sadly, outside of some character details, that's the vast majority of the information Undead Labs has revealed up to this point, attributing the relative secrecy to the studio's continuing work on the Lifeline expansion.
So we reached out to Undead Labs community manager Sanya Weathers, who passed along a few of our questions to State of Decay: Lifeline lead designer Geoffrey Card, and we managed to wring a few more tidbits of information out of the industry veteran before Lifeline heads to Steam and Xbox Live later this year.
According to Card, players will be forced into making tougher decisions in State of Decay: Lifeline than they were in the previous State of Decay campaign, thanks to new time constraints that add some extra weight to many of the game's decision-making moments. Sure, you'll occasionally have the opportunity to rescue the lone survivor of another unit, increasing the size of your own squad in the process. But will you still be so quick to send out a search party if it means you're guaranteed to lose one of the scientists that must be tracked down to complete the expansion's primary objective?
Probably not.
Similarly, the two Undead Labs representatives say players will have complete freedom to roam the town of Dansforth in State of Decay: Lifeline, but those hoping for the best possible outcome won't want to spend much time wandering aimlessly around their new digs. Each of your missions will come with a palpable sense of urgency, just as they probably would if you'd really been sent to fight off zombies in suburban America, but the rigidity of military life will occasionally have its perks too.
Just as is (usually) the case in real life, the military personnel in State of Decay: Lifeline will tend to have more stamina and other survival-oriented abilities than your standard civilian, and some new skills are likely to appear in the expansion to reflect that training. Card says you won't be forced to protect scientists for very long either, as each will receive a relatively timely evacuation from military command soon after returning to the drop zone.
Those hoping to see a wide variety of new military-spec equipment in State of Decay: Lifeline will be happy to hear that Greyhound One will also have a few weapons at their disposal that didn't appear in previous State of Decay releases. However, Card was quick to dismiss the idea that we might see loads of new gun parts/modifications included in the Lifeline expansion.
"This is the military," said Card, "If you're attaching a bunch of crazy mods to your weapons, they make fun of you."
Both Card and Weathers were a bit more evasive when I asked about the possibility of desertion, which we suspected might replace the depression/frustration that occasionally left survivors ready to ditch camp, though neither ruled out the possibility entirely. We also couldn't get a specific answer on one of the most intriguing aspects of the Lifeline expansion: the scientists.
In previous State of Decay: Lifeline disclosures, Undead Labs has confirmed that you'll have to keep a specific number of scientists out of the hands of the zombies overrunning Danforth, but the studio isn't quite ready to talk about what happens if you fail that particular objective.
When asked whether losing too many scientists would immediately bring up a Game Over screen, or set you up for a "bad" ending of some kind, the only thing Undead Labs would tell us is that Greyhound One would have authorization to operate "for as long as you're keeping the people of Danforth alive."
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for more on State of Decay: Lifeline as we continue to bring you the latest on the second expansion for Undead Labs' bestselling zombie-survival game during the countdown to the State of Decay: Lifeline release date.
What do you think of all the State of Decay: Lifeline information we've been given thus far? Looking forward to getting a drastically different perspective on the zombie apocalypse in the upcoming State of Decay expansion? Disappointed that a particular character won't be making an appearance in State of Decay: Lifeline?
Let us know in the comments section!
More State Of Decay News:
State Of Decay: Lifeline Characters Introduced By Undead Labs; Cameo Possibilities Shot Down By Community Manager
State Of Decay: Lifeline Plot Details, Setting And New Features Outlined By Undead Labs
State Of Decay Title Update 5 Features Outlined By Undead Labs; Still No Word On A Release Date
