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The year is 2011, and a terrible infection has spread across the United States.

The infection was airbourne as well as highly contagious. Symptoms were similar to the flu, including high fevers, vomiting, coughing, as well as a general weakening of the immune system. Due to this epidemic, the US began to collapse. Hospitals were overrun with infected patients, plants and livestock began to perish, which led to the economy's failure. All of the military bases were facing difficulties trying to quarantine the disease, even failing to stop the infection from spreading within their own ranks. There seemed to be no answer, and no cure...

But the worst was yet to come.

It was roughly a week before those who were unfortunate enough to become infected began to show enormous amounts of hostility to family, freinds, and strangers alike. This single infection brought down the entire USA from the inside, as its own citizens were murdering each other out of an unexplained rage.

It's been four weeks since the infection began. Those who were neither killed nor infected have held out and survived in shelters in cities, towns, and rural areas using any means necessary.

Now, follow the story of two survivors as they attempt to survive Hell on Earth.


Latest Blog

Featured! I can die happy now...

I can't believe it! I'm at a loss for words. This has been my dream since joining RMN.

Infection is featured! And on the day after Halloween, it's so perfect. Thank you so much!

To everyone that has made this game possible I'm so grateful. To everyone who has supported, reviewed or left a comment I thank you all very much. My dream has come true and I'm incredibly happy about this. :D

Happy Halloween!

Posts

InfectionFiles
the world ends in whatever my makerscore currently is
4622
@kumada- A short review is always nice, people seem to read that stuff more than trying the game out for themselves usually.
But, that's up to you!

I'm thinking about adding a tab on this gamepage which would sort of be a user's manual and I could cook up little pictures of what is searchable, just so players know for certain. (if they care to look)

I forgot to address this, but Jonathan's Strong Kick always seems to work for me as a way to fracture, maybe every now and then it doesn't work, but that's strange.
I'll look into this one too.
Sabin, I definitely meant boosting stats through equips. I did find one consumable that boosted a character's strength, but that was the only thing of its sort I found in the game. Sorry if I said that in a confusing way.

Also, once you get Jonathan a few levels, he learns adrenaline as well as Brutal Blow, which causes fracture.

The way the game is currently built, it's very hard to get to a level where you're self-sustaining, but once you do things become more okay.

InfectionFiles, did you mean you want me to write up a review, or just a quick guide? I could do either. Also, I don't think there's anything wrong with giving players hints about how to play the game effectively. Trial-and-error can be fun for some people, but it can also cause a lot of frustration. I definitely wouldn't use me as a baseline for other players.

Also, there is no real indication in-game of what is searchable and what isn't. It took me until the last five minutes or so to realize that dumpsters had items in them, so if you do write up a readme, you might want to mention something about that. I was item-starved the whole game.
InfectionFiles
the world ends in whatever my makerscore currently is
4622
I don't think he was talking about stat allocation, like Jonathan's wedding ring gives him 1 endurance, and it would be a no brainer to use the running shoes for the speed boost over the endurance boost. That's what I got from it anyways. :P

There are a lot of other weapons in the beginning area, some aren't as good as what you start with and some are, just have to find the better ones of the beaten path.
And I usually at some point trade off Michelle's two hander with a two one handers so she can attack multiple infected, if she delivers a killing blow to the first she attacks another.
Hmm, infected should be slower than you, but I'll look into their speed stats and see if I can make it more fair. As for the healing, at some points I think there is too much! Again, if you search all the areas and garbage cans, bottles, etc. you'll have more than enough for awhile. (also I'm going to be releasing a new update soon with less zombies and slower zombies, so it should be more fair to be able to search around the city)
And the experience given has also gone up, although slightly it will help I believe.

I don't think you're doing anything wrong, really. I wanted the game to be difficult and you and some others in the past have proven that it is going to be a challenge, and I'm glad about that in a way.
The reason why the infected are so strong in the beginning compared to you is because they stay around at the same stats while you get stronger, more weapons, etc. So to level them out and make them challenging for the beginning of the game, they start off strong, but slowly get weaker as you get stronger.

Thank you for taking the time, sabin1981! I hope you do enjoy it in some way, and if not yet, try it again in the near future and I think you'll have more fun! :D
To be perfectly honest, I tried everything kumuda said. That was exactly how I was playing in the first place -- apart from one thing; kumuda spoke of distributing stat points, which isn't possible in my copy of the game. Level ups are automated and I've found next to no equipment aside from the starting stuff. A couple of new weapons, but none as strong as the starter equip, as well as some running shoes (vastly improved speed) and a military jacket for Michelle.

Adrenaline is a skill that boosts your speed. Activate it at the start of every battle for every character that has it. Likewise, prioritize boosting athletics (which, as I understand it, is the speed stat,) although you should exercise common sense when it comes to major stat tradeoffs. 1 endurance for 10 athletics, definitely do it. 1 athletics for 5 strength, definitely don't.

I mean, this^^ What the heck is that? I've got none of that in my game! What on earth do you do to change 1 endurance for 10 athletics? Are we even playing the same game? :\ Level ups are automated and stat points allocation is automated. The adrenaline skill is only available to Michelle and I use that every so often to boost her attack/recovery speed. Jonathan has an utterly useless skill that does low damage and has *never* caused the Fracture status that it claims to do. Honestly, either I'm playing a copy of the game that doesn't exist -- or I really am the unluckiest jackass because I simply can't do anything right. Healing items are in uncomfortably short supply, infected do significantly more damage than I do, they move faster and what's this about learning a healing skill at level SIX? I'm barely level 3, getting my ass handed to me on a blood-stained silver platter and I'm out of all healing items -- how the hell do I last until lv6? :|

Since nobody else seems to be having a problem, then it's just me. Again. I'm just not cut out for this >_< Thanks anyway InfectedFiles.

~edit~

Sorry, my apologies.. both Jonathan and Michelle have Adrenaline.
InfectionFiles
the world ends in whatever my makerscore currently is
4622
I definitely wouldn't take out Tend Wounds, that's for sure. I like having a healing skill, although I might lower its heal rate or take your suggestion and make it a healing dot type deal. (would it make it too much better if I also made it relieve disease condition? or save that for another skill, but it doesn't seem worth it enough for that)

I'll make the infected give more exp probably, I just didn't want them giving too much because it might ruin the difficulty curve.
And I've been thinking about a readme, but I wouldn't want people thinking I'm trying to tell them there is only one correct way to play, otherwise you're screwed, which is true in a way...but you picked it up after all :P
Would you even be slightly interested in writing something up? All your views was pretty much what I was going for anywho.
I don't think Tend Wounds is necessarily broken, just a crutch needed to survive later sections of the game. My biggest gripe with it is that it messes with the game's difficulty curve. Things start off really hard, and then relax a little about half an hour into the game. If this is a design goal, then there's really nothing wrong here. If not, you might want to consider being more generous with scavenging and enemy difficulty in the starting area. I think slightly toning up exp gain from encounters and item placement on maps might do a lot to smooth out the difficulty if you do end up taking out Tend Wounds, but areas like the park and sewer tunnels are going to be balls difficult without some kind of a healing ability. Maybe, instead of straight up hp recovery, make it trigger a weak regen effect on the character targeted by it? That way it's not quite as abusable, but still provides a valuable edge in combat.

edit: also, a readme would not hurt at all. It might help cut down a little on the initial frustration and confusion of getting whomped by encounters if you give people some of the correct strategy to play the game with.
InfectionFiles
the world ends in whatever my makerscore currently is
4622
author=Marcus
Oh, well I got it some time last night, 3 in the morning ish....but then I'm in Australia so that might be 4 in the afternoon for you? I assume you're in America?
Yes, I am in America! :D

author=sabin1981
I've been trying it out and I'm not sure whether it's just me being unlucky, but man oh man this is a brutally difficult game. The infected are faster, stronger and more resilient which makes combat a chore and extremely costly ... right to the point where I just don't even bother. I'm forced to ignore pretty much all combat, thus keeping my characters extremely weak, because they simply take too much of a hammering during standard 2-enemy combat and trying to take on 3-enemy combat is downright suicidal.

Also, the music seems to have this "pop" every so often and it can get a bit irritating after a while.

Gameplay and style wise it looks like it could be a blast, once I'm strong enough to take on enemies without losing 50%++ health each time.

~edit~

Okay, I'm about done. Game is above the "challenging" threshold and way into "Yeah, delete" one since it's more than brutally difficult. It takes my two survivors and a dog *three* attack rounds (at the minimum....) to take out ONE infected and now infected are attacking in groups of 3 and 4. The math simply doesn't add up to a fun experience. Not to mention the infect are faster running than I am, so I can't even outrun them to escape.

Good concept though, so thanks anyway =)
I'll respond to you first, but kumada does make a lot of good points on how the game "should" be played.
Anyways, after this recent update to fix the game crashing errors I did a full playtest and messed around with removing several zombies from all areas as well as making some weaker.
I want the game to be difficult but at the same time I want it to be possible, which it is even if you aren't the developer.
Thanks for playing it and giving your opinions though, I hope I'll have addressed most of them in the next update. :)
(I'll also fix the invincible zombies that you and kumada mentioned!)

author=MarroScifo
author=sabin1981
I've been trying it out and I'm not sure whether it's just me being unlucky, but man oh man this is a brutally difficult game. The infected are faster, stronger and more resilient which makes combat a chore and extremely costly ... right to the point where I just don't even bother. I'm forced to ignore pretty much all combat, thus keeping my characters extremely weak, because they simply take too much of a hammering during standard 2-enemy combat and trying to take on 3-enemy combat is downright suicidal.

Also, the music seems to have this "pop" every so often and it can get a bit irritating after a while.

Gameplay and style wise it looks like it could be a blast, once I'm strong enough to take on enemies without losing 50%++ health each time.
I don't hear the popping sound but I did notice that the game is quite hard I wouldn't say brutal though. I got used to the ABS so now making quick decisions is a bit easier but sometimes I make a choice to fast then I get grappled which takes away my initial choice.

I tried out another zombie "adventure rpg" though before I had gotten to into this one and it seems that this one and the other play out as a pure survival game. To be honest though this one plays out more like a survival game than the other, but the concept seems to be revolving around that. It makes it interesting I think, so if you can't seem to find anything good while your going through the city/town then your kind of screwed in the long run.
Yeah, once you get the hang of the battles I wouldn't say they are overly brutal, but I did want them to be hard nonetheless.
And you're exactly right! Part of this game is to be slick and to try to find as many items possible, whether it be health or weapons. It's part of the game!

author=kumada
BUG

The trigger for the dialog "This is perfect. We can rest here. Let's go check out that building" that happens immediately after exiting the sewers remains on the map, and it is possible to trigger it multiple times.

-COMBAT EXPLANATION-

edit: finished the demo. Actually liked it a lot. I enjoy unreasonably difficult games, and this was just on the verge of being challenging enough without being too hard for me. The black-and-white worked really well in most areas, and I genuinely liked the combat system. I did feel like the difficulty fell off sharply after Tend Wounds showed up, but the alternative to having that skill is very careful pacing for item placement, and that would probably be a headache from a development perspective. There are a couple of zombies that do not die when their encounters are finished, but otherwise I found myself relatively immersed in the setting. You've done really good work here, InfectionFiles.
Thanks for the bug reporting, I'll definitely look into the battles as I mentioned and the recurring dialogue event. :)
And really thanks a lot for the break down of what you thought, I'm glad you enjoyed it overall and that really keeps me going as a developer of a survival horror game, in the end I want the game to be fun for those that can actually take it.
I'm going to/have been really trying to make it fair while still being a challenge, and I think Michelle's healing ability will go down in its "broken" state once I implement more of the game and the infected/enemies get harder.
(but the again, you'll probably have more skills to abuse by then!)

Thanks guys, I really appreciate all the support, criticism and you taking the time to play and actually type and send your opinions, it's really helpful!
I'll try my best to address all bugs and by the next release hopefully have a slightly less hard game experience. I'll even look into a "Normal" "Hard" mode when all is said and done for those that want the challenge or don't.

-wipes away tear- makes me all warm and fuzzy inside, and I hope to one day finish this game for everyone to enjoy, or well...hate!

:D

EDIT: Oh! and it might be obvious to people but don't forget to equip your weapons and gear before getting into battles, same goes for when you find new ones, switch immediately to do better in combat!
BUG

The trigger for the dialog "This is perfect. We can rest here. Let's go check out that building" that happens immediately after exiting the sewers remains on the map, and it is possible to trigger it multiple times.

COMBAT EXPLANATION

If you're having trouble with the fights in this game, read on. There is a solution.

Combat uses an ATB, but does have a few structured waits built into it. If you go into the survival menu, you're safe. Use this to your advantage.

Adrenaline is a skill that boosts your speed. Activate it at the start of every battle for every character that has it. Likewise, prioritize boosting athletics (which, as I understand it, is the speed stat,) although you should exercise common sense when it comes to major stat tradeoffs. 1 endurance for 10 athletics, definitely do it. 1 athletics for 5 strength, definitely don't.

Because damage amounts in this system are so small, and because there are so many different poison-type effects, the effectiveness of fracture/bleed/burn/disease/grapple strategies is pretty profound. This works both ways, so always cure diseases after combat, and always break grapples immediately. You actually recover hp breaking grapples, so there is no reason not to do this.

Avoid combat entirely until you get the dog. Once you have the dog, risk combat only if there is a chance it will help you get access to new supplies. Search dumpsters, piles of bottles, and trash cans. Your items are your only lifeline until Michelle reaches around level 6.

Jonathan will get an ability called Brutal Blow. This allows him to tag enemies with fracture, and drop their defenses. After his first turn adrenaline, Jonathan should use this every following turn until he's tagged everyone on the map with it.

If you manage to hold out until Michelle hits level six, she gets a combat-only ability called Tend Wounds. Tend Wounds is a heal. Michelle should use it every turn after the first. Once you have Tend Wounds, you can actually exit combat with more hp than you went into it with. The Bloat Flies in the sewer are especially good for this purpose.

Once you have Tend Wounds, the rest of the game is manageable.

edit: finished the demo. Actually liked it a lot. I enjoy unreasonably difficult games, and this was just on the verge of being challenging enough without being too hard for me. The black-and-white worked really well in most areas, and I genuinely liked the combat system. I did feel like the difficulty fell off sharply after Tend Wounds showed up, but the alternative to having that skill is very careful pacing for item placement, and that would probably be a headache from a development perspective. There are a couple of zombies that do not die when their encounters are finished, but otherwise I found myself relatively immersed in the setting. You've done really good work here, InfectionFiles.
Further testing has established that it definitely has nothing to do with my movements vis a vis the zombie. The zombie at the top of the infected apartment complex (the one with the generator) is infinite.
Bug found.

At the top of the infected apartment complex (the one you're told not to enter), I ended up in a recurring battle loop.

The zombie was one step down and one step to the left of me. I attempted to move to the left, and it attempted to move up at the same time. I ended up in a series of endless fights with it.
Your comments have piqued my interest, Sabin. I'm gonna give this a try and see if it's as brutal as it sounds.
author=sabin1981
I've been trying it out and I'm not sure whether it's just me being unlucky, but man oh man this is a brutally difficult game. The infected are faster, stronger and more resilient which makes combat a chore and extremely costly ... right to the point where I just don't even bother. I'm forced to ignore pretty much all combat, thus keeping my characters extremely weak, because they simply take too much of a hammering during standard 2-enemy combat and trying to take on 3-enemy combat is downright suicidal.

Also, the music seems to have this "pop" every so often and it can get a bit irritating after a while.

Gameplay and style wise it looks like it could be a blast, once I'm strong enough to take on enemies without losing 50%++ health each time.


I don't hear the popping sound but I did notice that the game is quite hard I wouldn't say brutal though. I got used to the ABS so now making quick decisions is a bit easier but sometimes I make a choice to fast then I get grappled which takes away my initial choice.

I tried out another zombie "adventure rpg" though before I had gotten to into this one and it seems that this one and the other play out as a pure survival game. To be honest though this one plays out more like a survival game than the other, but the concept seems to be revolving around that. It makes it interesting I think, so if you can't seem to find anything good while your going through the city/town then your kind of screwed in the long run.

As of right now I'm kind of in an alley by some storage houses, I'm not doing so great since I have to figure out how I'm going to get inside the "office" area which means I have to do more fighting but Jonathan and Michelle can't take much more. I kind of got ambushed while trying to get away from the apt. building so I figure maybe they have 3 more good fights in them before I have to actually make an effort on avoiding battle.
I've been trying it out and I'm not sure whether it's just me being unlucky, but man oh man this is a brutally difficult game. The infected are faster, stronger and more resilient which makes combat a chore and extremely costly ... right to the point where I just don't even bother. I'm forced to ignore pretty much all combat, thus keeping my characters extremely weak, because they simply take too much of a hammering during standard 2-enemy combat and trying to take on 3-enemy combat is downright suicidal.

Also, the music seems to have this "pop" every so often and it can get a bit irritating after a while.

Gameplay and style wise it looks like it could be a blast, once I'm strong enough to take on enemies without losing 50%++ health each time.

~edit~

Okay, I'm about done. Game is above the "challenging" threshold and way into "Yeah, delete" one since it's more than brutally difficult. It takes my two survivors and a dog *three* attack rounds (at the minimum....) to take out ONE infected and now infected are attacking in groups of 3 and 4. The math simply doesn't add up to a fun experience. Not to mention the infect are faster running than I am, so I can't even outrun them to escape.

Good concept though, so thanks anyway =)
Great, well I downloaded the latest version yesterday. i can give it another go now...
Well I would like to say that the error for cit2 is no longer there.

*reenacts the old man from Hunchback of Nortredom*
I'm free! I'm free!
....
*gets attacked by quick moving zombies*
Dang it...!
Oh, well I got it some time last night, 3 in the morning ish....but then I'm in Australia so that might be 4 in the afternoon for you? I assume you're in America?
InfectionFiles
the world ends in whatever my makerscore currently is
4622
author=Marcus
It seems that no one else is having this problem, but when I play I can only get as far as the sky scraper. When I get to the hall with the infected guy in and I walk past him and go to the stairs it crashes and says: "Could not find Cit2"

When did you download the game? Cause I just recently updated it and thought I fixed it, so please let me know!
It seems that no one else is having this problem, but when I play I can only get as far as the sky scraper. When I get to the hall with the infected guy in and I walk past him and go to the stairs it crashes and says: "Could not find Cit2"
Then I guess I'll do just that, thanks for the heads up =)
InfectionFiles
the world ends in whatever my makerscore currently is
4622
author=sabin1981
Oh yes, definitely need more Zombie RPGs. Of all the zombie titles... RPGs seem to be the fewer numbers, so thanks -- subbed <3

Thank you so much!

If you want to wait a couple hours to play, I'm going to be releasing an update today when some bug fixes and some mapping errors, etc.

Appreciate the support! :)