Hey folks,

Today's Update:
This patch brings major improvements to early-game flow, loot balance, control quality-of-life, and sets the foundation for future story mode content. Many of these changes affect early systems and may only be noticeable with a fresh save.

Thank you to everyone who helped test and gave feedback during the beta cycle—we genuinely appreciate the support!

Coming Friday:
We’re opening a one-time community input thread to influence our next Beta Cycle. Everyone will be heard—your chance to give feedback, suggestions, or critiques about any part of the game. Think about the full experience: what works, what doesn’t, what still needs tuning. The more actionable, the better. Keep it focused, keep it clear—and keep an eye out Friday.

• Save file stats now display in both the main menu and in-game menu.
  
• New tutorial and quest systems implemented.
  
• New quest journal UI. (Story mode content will use this system in the future.)
  
• New keybind added for quest journal access.
  
• Sandbox vs. Story mode selection available in the settings. (Story mode content not yet active.)
  
• Added trader tech that allows crafting of Electrical and Mechanical Parts (25,000 coins).
  
• Added Take All shortcut when looting POI containers. (Default key: T)
  
• Full controller support added.
  
• New footstep sounds implemented.
  
• Corner Dirt Plots and Stone Path foundations added.
  
• New cave added to the map. (See image below.)
  
• Fish Ration added. Can be crafted on the Food Prep Table.
  
• Quarter Foundations with legs (long) added.
  
• Mirrored Ceiling (Ladder Access) pieces added.
  
• Wooden Double Door Frame added. Can be upgraded to Metal.
  
• Double Doors added. (Two variations.)
  
• Garage Door added for use with Double Door Frames.
  
• Arrow indicator added to show door orientation.

• Players now start in random spawn locations.
  
• The ATV no longer spawns at the lighthouse by default.
  
• ATV now spawns fully repaired at a random POI.
  
• Reduced number of Gas Barrels at POIs; they no longer respawn.
  
• Significantly reduced medical and bandage loot from POIs to promote crafting and survival gameplay.
  
• Bolts now auto-reload—no longer need to press R.
  
• Updated in-game UI icons (interact prompts, etc.) for clarity and controller support.
  
• Crocodiles now ignore swamp trees for smoother navigation.
  
• AI now has a chance to dodge player attacks.
  
• Some items now included in dead AI drops.
  
• Doors that were open when saving will now load in the open state.

• Fixed: Upgrading a ceiling ramp to cement would incorrectly become a foundation ramp.
  
• Fixed: Extractors could have multiple ore types toggled while powered off.
  
• Fixed: Moving the NPC Town Hall and House could cause door duplication.
  
• Fixed: Snapping vertical walls below another vertical wall wasn’t functioning.

Hey folks,

Welcome to another Beta Build Cycle!

This update brings big changes to early-game flow, loot balance, controls, and sets the foundation for future story mode content. While a new save isn’t strictly required, we’d really appreciate it if folks started a fresh playthrough for this cycle. A lot of the updates target the early experience, and feedback from clean saves helps us dial things in more effectively and get a better read on how the changes feel for players.

Thank you for all the feedback during the beta cycle—and as always, we appreciate your continued support.


Centralized Patch Notes:

• Every time we release a new Preview Build, we’ll edit this post to include the latest changes by day.
  
• You can track the progress of the update in one place.

Translations:

• Translations will only be added once the entire update is complete.

Feedback and Bug Reports:

• To keep things organized, we've set up a dedicated subforum on Steam specifically for the public beta branch.
  
• All feedback, suggestions, and bug reports should be posted in this subforum. This helps us and the community moderators keep track of everything in one place. Again, we will only intake issues, suggestions, and feedback when posted to the new subforum—so please head there to post!

How to Access the Steam Public Beta Branch for The Infected:

1. Open Steam
   Launch your Steam client and ensure you’re logged in.
   
2. Go to Your Library
   Locate The Infected in your game library.
   
3. Right-Click on the Game
   Right-click on The Infected and select Properties from the drop-down menu.
   
4. Navigate to the Betas Tab
   In the Properties window, click on the Betas tab on the left-hand side.
   
5. Choose the Beta Branch
   Under "Select the beta you want to opt into," choose beta- Beta Branch.
   Wait for the Update.
   Steam will now download the beta version of the game. Once the download is complete, you’re all set to launch the game!

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• Save file stats now appear in both the main and in-game menus.
  
• New tutorial system added.
  
• New quest journal system added.
  
• New quest journal UI added. (This is where quests will live for future story mode updates.)
  
• New keybind for opening the quest journal.
  
• Added Sandbox vs. Story mode option in the game settings. (Story mode not yet implemented.)
  
• Added trader tech that allows crafting of Electrical and Mechanical Parts. (25,000 coins)
  
• Added "Take All" shortcut when looting POI containers. (Default key: T)
  
• Full Controller support added.
  
• New footstep sounds added.

• Players now start at random locations.
  
• The ATV no longer spawns by default at the lighthouse.
  
• The ATV now spawns fully repaired at a random POI.
  
• Reduced number of Gas Barrels found at POIs. They no longer respawn.
  
• Significantly reduced number of bandages and medical items found at POIs.
  
• Bolts now reload automatically after each shot. No need to press R.
  
• In-game UI icons updated (i.e., interact prompts) to better support controllers.
  
• Crocodiles will now ignore swamp trees when moving.
  
• AI now has a chance to dodge incoming player attacks.

• Fixed issue where upgrading a ceiling ramp to cement would incorrectly turn it into a foundation ramp.
  
• Fixed issue where multiple ore types could be toggled on extractors while powered off.

• This patch includes foundational systems for future story integration.
  
• We’re still working on polishing controller support, UI elements, and some deeper balance tweaks—those will continue in upcoming betas.

• BUGFIX - Moving the NPC Town Hall and House would sometimes duplicate the doors.
  
• ADDED - Corner Dirt Plots and Stone Paths foundations.

• ADDED - New cave, see image below for location.
  
• ADDED - Fish Ration, crafted on the Food Prep Table, see image below for stats.
  
• CHANGE - Some items added to Dead AI drops.

• BUGFIX - Could not snap vertical walls below another vertical wall.
  
• ADDED - Quarter Foundations with legs (long).
  
• ADDED - Mirrored Ceiling (Ladder Access) pieces.

• CHANGE - Doors that are open when a file is saved will load open.
  
• ADDED - Wooden Double Door Frame, can be upgraded to Metal.
  
• ADDED - Double Doors. (2 variations)
  
• ADDED - Arrow to identify the direction of doors.

• ADDED - Garage Door that can be added to the new Double Door Frame.