In October 2024, The Indie Stone dropped update 42.22 for Project Zomboid. The focus of this update is to allow the use of ladders and crowbars as expected. This is an important development, as it cuts out a lot of previous friction when playing the game, making it more natural for players to explore and get into buildings. No more frustrations over clunky mechanics and now players have full control over the essential tools that help them survive.
Update 42.22 adds crowbar prying and ladder climbing, replaces Unstable branch
With the latest update, they've added specific input controls for going vertically. Players can now press the 'E' key to climb up the ladder. This makes it easier for players to get around in the multi-story buildings.
Crowbars now have a use case where they can be used to pry open locked doors, windows, or gates. For reinforced doors though, that won't be possible and they will keep themselves safe against a crowbar attack.
On top of that, The Indie Stone has made a change to their game testing approach. They've dropped the 'Unstable' branch and replaced it with a new 'Pre-Release' branch that is meant to be used for testing. This change helps give the early adopters a more stable testing ground for new features that are being implemented. They make sure that updates will be in the Pre-Release stage for at least a week before it gets a promotion to the Stable branch.
This is another change that fits the theme that we discussed the last time we covered a Project Zomboid update. Balance and stability were a big part of that. Now, the players have a better idea of the timeline to test out these changes before they're set in stone. The Indie Stone is still working on getting the game into shape and this new predictable update schedule helps them do that.
Source: IXBT
Finally. The crowbar prying mechanic was the single biggest friction point in early access. Removing the clunkiness makes the game playable for the first time.