View source for Game Modes

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{{header|The Game World|Gameplay|version=Version 41|incver=14}}
[[File:Title_Screen.png|400px|thumb|right|Title Screen]]
There are a number of different games modes available in [[Project Zomboid]]. The list of game modes below is correct prior to the release of  [[build 40]]. In all modes, death is final. There is no reloading from a saved game. Only creating a new survivor within the same game is possible.

__TOC__

==Tutorial==
[[File:SpiffoTeacher.png|120px|right]]
This is a short introduction on a small map to introduce new players to the [[controls]] and user interface. This is a preset scenario with no settings or options to choose. <br>
The tutorial covers the basics of: 
* Zooming In and Out 
* [[Health|Health status]] 
* [[Skills|Survival Skills]] 
* Movement 
* Looting 
* [[Moodles]] 
* Equipping 
* World Interaction 
* Attacking 

==Scenario==
Each scenario will give the player a new starting challenge they must adapt to.
===Survival===
[[File:SpiffoSurvivor.png|120px|right]]
Starting Date: 9th July 1993 <br> 
This is the recommended zomboid experience, the way the devs intended it to be played. [[Game Modes#Starting Conditions|Starting Conditions]] are locked on [[Game Modes#Hardcore|Hardcore]]. Doors are frequently locked and house alarms are common, forcing the player to keep on the move. Strong, tough and basic navigation make these zombies a serious threat, they're nothing like the previously encountered ones. Water and Electricity will shut off in under 30 days, requiring the player to quickly find some sustainability. This is the hardcore experience, survival is highly unlikely.
<br><small>
:• Horde Size: Huge <br>
:• Zombie Speed: Fast Shamblers <br>
:• Zombie Senses: Normal <br>
:• Utility shut-off: 0-30 days <br>
:• Resources: Rare <br>
</small>

<!--Removed from game: unsure if permanent or temporary
===Initial Infection===
[[File:404SpiffoMascotMap.png|120px|right]]
Starting Date: 9th July 1993 <br> 
This is a ''non-canon'' gamemode designed to act as a training scenario for new Survivors. This should be the next step for new players after completing the [[Game Modes#Tutorial|Tutorial]]. Zombies are recently infected with reduced senses and limited migration. Water and Electricity will shut off after 6-12 in-game months. Resources are in abundance. The player will get a hang of the game mechanics without being overrun or starved. 
<br><small>
:• Horde Size: Small <br>
:• Zombie Speed: Shamblers <br>
:• Zombie Senses: Poor <br>
:• Utility shut-off: 6-12 months <br>
:• Resources: Abundant <br>
</small>
-->
===One Week Later===
[[File:Spiffoskip.png|120px|right]]
Starting Date: 9th July 1993 <br> 
This game mode is intended for casual player, starting from a week after the infection began. There is a moderate horde size, since the zombies have had some time to turn. They will quickly shamble towards anything that catches their attention, however with reduced senses. Water and Electricity will shut off after 2-6 in-game months. Houses are unlooted. The player will experience what it was like in [[Knox Country]] from the early stages of the plague. 
<br><small>
:• Horde Size: Moderate <br>
:• Zombie Speed: Fast Shamblers <br>
:• Zombie Senses: Poor <br>
:• Utility shut-off: 2-6 months <br>
:• Resources: Common <br>
</small>

===Six Months Later===
[[File:Spiffo controlyourself.png|120px|right]]
Starting Date: 9th December 1993 <br> 
This game mode is not for the faint of heart - for experienced survivors only. After 6 months, very few survivors remain with a large horde of zombies scattered throughout the landscape - this is how it ends. They've had a lot of time to develop their senses and will hear, see or smell anything that gets too close. The Water and Electricity has been shut off for a while and the cities are all overgrown. All the houses have been picked clean, making it very difficult to find anything of any use. It'll be a real struggle to get any kind of foundation set up this late into the apocalypse. 
<br><small>
:• Horde Size: Large <br>
:• Zombie Speed: Fast Shamblers <br>
:• Zombie Senses: Normal <br>
:• Utility shut-off: Instant <br>
:• Resources: Rare <br>
</small>

===Starting Conditions===
Choosing the starting conditions will set a predefined [[Player|player]] setting, designed to raise or lower the difficulty. Each of these settings goes into more detail in the [[Game Modes#Custom Sandbox|custom sandbox]] section.
====Easy====
:XP Multiplier: x2
:Character Survival Needs: Very Low
:Inventory: [[Baseball Bat|Baseball bat]], [[Saw]], [[Schoolbag]], [[Hammer]], [[Water]] and [[Food]].
====Normal====
:XP Multiplier: x1.5
:Character Survival Needs: Low
:Inventory: [[Baseball Bat|Baseball bat]], [[Schoolbag]], [[Hammer]], [[Water]] and [[Food]].
====Hard====
:XP Multiplier: x1.2
:Character Survival Needs: Normal
:Inventory: [[Water]] and [[Food]].
====Hardcore====
:XP Multiplier: NONE
:Character Survival Needs: Normal
:Inventory: Nothing.

==Custom Sandbox==
{{main|Custom Sandbox}}
[[File:Spiffo rummage.png|120px|right]]
Custom sandbox allows the player to adjust the game settings to the way they like. After choosing a [[Knox Country|starting location]], the player can choose their own options, or choose a preset to customise. In the ''Saved Presets'' box at the bottom, each default option is the same settings used in the default game modes. 
:'''''<small>*NOTE: the [[Game Modes#Character|Character]] options have a set default 'difficulty' for each preset*</small>'''''
{{clear}}

==Challenges==
There are currently 8 challenges, particularly hard encounters set in their own maps.

===You Have One Day===
[[File:YouHaveOneDay.png|thumb|right|200px|1. You Have One Day]]
{{Main|You Have One Day (Challenge)}}
You're back in Knox County. You're back on the map where the Project Zomboid infection first began. 

You have one day of relative safety. Zombies will arrive in huge numbers, and they will find you. Where did you use to make your last stand again? Where did you make your last stand in the old days? Better find it quick. 

[Our thanks to Community mapper BobHeckling for recreating the old 0.1.5 map with the current PZ toolset.]
{{clear}}

===Opening Hours===
[[File:OpeningHours.png|thumb|right|200px|2. Opening Hours]]
{{Main|Opening Hours (Challenge)}}
The Mall is surrounded. Once upon a time, it was an important place in their lives. Instinct has led them to its doors. A memory of what they used to do... 

You are alone, but not for long. At 9AM the Mall will be ready for business: doors will open, and the hordes will enter. 

Be ready for them.
{{clear}}

===Winter Is Coming===
[[File:WinterIsComing.png|thumb|right|200px|3. Winter Is Coming]]
{{Main|Winter Is Coming (Challenge)}}
It's mid-July, but suddenly there's a chill on the breeze. In a mere three days' time a winter will set in like no other before it. 

You awake in an isolated location. You have meagre supplies, and the undead hordes might be slowed by the intense cold - but they are no less deadly. 

Wrap up warm, survivor...
{{clear}}

===House In The Woods - Last Stand===
[[File:Challenge1.png|thumb|right|200px|4. House In The Woods - Last Stand]]
{{Main|House In The Woods (Challenge)}}
You can hear them approaching. Hordes of deadheads, encroaching on your isolated cabin from every angle. Death is inevitable, but a shotgun is close-at-hand. 

Last Stand features endless waves of zombies in ever-increasing numbers. Survive for as long as possible against the overwhelming odds.
{{clear}}

===House In The Woods - Last Stand Accumulator===
[[File:Challenge2.png|thumb|right|200px|5. House In The Woods - Last Stand Accumulator]]
{{Main|House In The Woods (Challenge)}}
Another day, another cabin ready to be bloodied. The hordes are upon you, and your death will be as painful as it is gruesome. So go out fighting... 
Last Stand – Accumulator features endless waves of zombies in ever-increasing numbers. Use money earned by killing zeds to buy equipment, level up and repair your blood-soaked weaponry.
{{clear}}

===A Really CD DA===
[[File:AReallyCDDAy.png|thumb|right|200px|6. A Really CD DA]]
{{Main|A Really CD DA (Challenge)}}
You get out of the shower and fall badly. You're blind drunk, and have a nasty cold. 

On top of all this, the house is on fire! Today is definitely not your day. 

The name comes from a play on words referencing ''A Really Bad Day'' from the game ''Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead'', and is read as ''A Really Seedy Day''. 
{{clear}}

===A Storm Is Coming===
[[File:AStormIsComing.png|thumb|right|200px|7. A Storm Is Coming]]
{{Main|A Storm Is Coming (Challenge)}}
Clouds are gathering over Kentucky. The crackle of thunder can be heard in the distance.

As skies darken, the dead that stumble over the earth grow restless. 

This is a storm that will grow and fall back in its ferocity, but it will never end.
{{clear}}

===The Descending Fog===
[[File:TheDescendingFog.png|thumb|right|200px|8. The Descending Fog]]
{{Main|The Descending Fog (Challenge)}}
People first saw it on the water. A faint white blanket over the Ohio river. 

It began as a mist. Then it enveloped the town. The townsfolk died screaming in the gloom. Now they walk out there. 

Unseen, unheard and relentless in the pursuit of the living.
{{clear}}

==Build 41==
{{Testing|build=[[Build 41]]}}
===Apocalypse===
[[File:SpiffoSurvivor2.png|128px|right]]
"Stealth focus. Short lifespan. Combat best avoided."
Likes to be punished, with realistic and deadly combat often best avoided.
{{clear}}

===Survivor===
[[File:SpiffoBrawler.png|128px|right]]
"Powerful combat. Longer lifespan. A challenging playstyle based on PZ's previous Survival mode."
Likes a challenge, with more focus on combat familiar to players of earlier builds.
{{clear}}

===Builder===
[[File:SpiffoBuilder.png|128px|right]]
"Construction, Exploration and Farming focus. A more relaxed experience."
Likes a more chilled experience of building, looting and farming, and less zombie focus.
{{clear}}

===Challenges===
====Kingsmouth====
{{Main|Kingsmouth (challenge)}}
A 'paradise island' vacation resort in the Caribbean, which has unfortunately succumbed to the Knox Event infection.

====Studio====
{{Main|Studio (challenge)}}
A 'Hollywood Film Studio', which has unfortunately succumbed to the Knox Event infection.

[[Category:The Game World]]
[[Category:Gameplay]]