Hey guys, Schinder is having a well deserved break today and I'm posting in his place, in case you're wondering who this random new guy is. Anyway, without further ado, here's the patch notes for our recent hotfix, which is actually so much more than just a hotfix:

New Character in the store: Roy Becker

First of all, we’re super happy to introduce our new character: Roy Becker, the intrepid tourist who has yet to see it all. Roy has also stacked up many coupons for most of the fast food chains; in a moment of precognition he realized the apocalypse was upon us and made use of all coupons, stacking up on food. Roy's also a bit of a badass because let's face it - Any man with a fanny pack has nothing to fear.

We introduce Roy in the first of our Survivor Showdown videos here, come say hi:

http://youtu.be/3L9DyLJR11E

New Feature: Gadget System

This latest patch introduces the new Gadget System!

Gadgets are a new way to offer more options to customize your gear, and by extension: your style of play. Any player who reaches Tier 4 in Epidemic will find their first gadget blueprints by playing, or in the shop. We hope you’ll like this new system and we’re looking forward to seeing what new strategies you come up with, and of course: your feedback!

Nab your free Oktoberfest icon!

For those of you who don’t know - Deep Silver HQ is located in Munich, home of the legendary Oktoberfest which kicks off this weekend and to celebrate this annual beer-guzzling fest we’re going to give everyone who logs in between Saturday 20th September and Thursday the 2nd October an exclusive beer-themed icon. Prost!

General Fixes

• Accounts that were created before 2014-09-12 can now skip the Tutorial Step in the Starter Quest.

Scout Mission

• Elite Zombies Health and Damage reduced in Scout Missions.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug causing players to not be able to claim the Starter Quest reward.
• Fixed a bug with the steam overlay causing some players to not being able to open up the purchase cash menu.
• Fixed a bug where some players didn't receive the Anniversary Cake icon.
• Fixed a bug where some players could not see/equip the Anniversary icons
• The anniversary icon is handed out to all users that did not receive it and have logged in during the period when the anniversary icon should have been handed out.