I just got this work-in-progress of Fern and her wolf from my artist for Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven and had to share it. It's not finished yet, but I'm really loving how it's coming together.

As you may know, I am working on a free update for Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven. This will be a substantial update, and I’ve already started coding it. I’m hoping to have everything finished this year and published sometime early next year (though it’s obviously dependent on the Hosted Games queue). So far I have written over 60,000 words for this update. It will impact all parts of the game. I am currently posting the first demo, which includes all the new prologues and age customization. cogdemos.ink/play/jimd/zombi… This is a completely free update (though you obviously have to own the game). If you would like to support development or help with the latest demo, consider subscribing to me on Patreon. patreon.com/c/jimdattilo

Please take this poll about DLC and extra customization options for Safe Haven. patreon.com/posts/new-charac…

I posted a very important poll about realism in Safe Haven. It's for members of my Patreon. Feel free to subscribe (it's free) to cast your vote. patreon.com/posts/how-much-s…

I picked these up at a yard sale today. All are from The Walking Dead. - #100: the first appearance of Negan - #143: the last appearance of Rosita and Ezekiel - #150: The Jason Latour variant - #192: the death of Rick Grimes

I have submitted a new patch to fix many issues for Safe Haven. Here is the change log: buff.ly/sxhlIkj

Announcing Zombie Exodus: Soft Haven, a zombie dating simulator. Navigate romance and relationships during the apocalypse. Demo available now: buff.ly/HPNdbiv

Why do we enjoy zombie fiction? Is it the breakdown in society? Fighting monsters that have no motivation other than to kill? Freedom to do what we want? Pure survival?

Part 4 of Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven is out now, and I've been reading messages from people who've followed the series for years. It's crazy when people say they were in grade school when they started the series, and they are now finishing high school or even college.

Do you care about group size in Safe Haven? More people means more food, more noise, more personalities that have to function under conditions nobody was designed for.

Character spotlight: Reilly from Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven. He is one of the most loyal people you meet, but his short fuse has to be managed.

Writing the free update for Safe Haven means constantly asking whether a scene is doing something or just filling space. In a series this long, every scene has to earn its word count. If it only moves plot without revealing character or shifting a relationship, it doesn't belong.

Something I think about designing choices for Safe Haven: how do you handle it when someone made a decision that hurt the group but had genuinely good intentions? The outcome was bad. The intent wasn't. How much does the reason behind a bad call matter when you're deciding what to do?

Here's a general survival question. Will you risk your life when others are relying on you? You want to run a dangerous supply run. The rest of your group is against it. The supplies would help everyone. Do you go anyway, or does the group's fear outweigh your freedom?

I'm currently writing three new prologues for Zombie Exodus: Safe Haven. All three are for teenage characters: con artist, laborer, and bank robber. I am working on teenage movie star next, and then I will write a general one for any character in which you attend a funeral.

Writing Zombie Exodus long enough that the community around it feels like part of the project itself. Readers who've followed four parts catch things I put in without realizing. I thank everyone who's followed me from the start.

One of the things I try to do with every character in Safe Haven is figure out what the apocalypse specifically reveals about them that normal life was covering up. For some characters, the collapse sets them free. For others, it removes the structures they were dependent on.

Kelly in Zombie Exodus is one of the characters I find hardest to write because she's genuinely self-aware, and that doesn't protect her from anything. She knows exactly how she comes across to people, and she spends real energy managing that impression.

Do you like this idea as a Zombie Exodus scenario? You find out someone in your group has been making small, unauthorized trades with an outside faction. You get to decide how to handle it: give them a warning, punish them, kick them out, etc. What do you think?

What other IF games are you playing? I'm reading Hunter: The Reckoning — A Time of Monsters by Paul Wang buff.ly/Hiwqisg