The day one patch does cause save games to be incompatible with the old version. Deep Silver plans to ‘make it up’ to fans, and DLC will get fixed next patch.
Yes it’s been quite the snafu for PC Dead Island gamers on Steam as they were accidentally given a developer debug version of the game and not the full retail release. This has been corrected however the process has left saved games incompatible, sadly.
”…this update may cause incompatibilities between the incorrect version of Dead Island that was released and the fixed version and cause a wipe on saved games. We tried every avenue possible in order to avoid fans having to wipe their saved games and it’s important that fans are made aware of this ASAP,” a Deep Silver rep told us.
They do have a solution to keep your overall chapter progress:
”When the game opens, select New Game -> Select the same character as you were using before, and then there will be an option for “Chapter Select” which will allow the player to jump to the last chapter they were playing in.”
Right now ”internal discussions are ongoing” at Deep Silver as they decide what will constitute the ”make up” announcement for affected fans. Hopefully something like the next DLC package being given free or at least heavily discounted.
Speaking of DLC, ”the Bloodbath DLC is still on schedule as planned – fans who preordered the title will still receive the Bloodbath DLC when it launches (date TBA shortly!) as stated previously.” This adds an arena which earns XP and loot.
Unfortunately the patch has caused a problem with the pre-order DLC The Ripper to not function. The studio ”are aware of The Ripper activation bug which will not load as a result of the version update and this will be fixed in the next game update, coming soon.”
”Again, we are deeply sorry for the inconvenience caused to fans who wanted to spend their day crushing some zombie skulls. We are right there with you.”
Dead Island releases on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this Friday in Europe. Below is a full account of the day one patch changelog from Deep Silver.
Multiplayer and Matchmaking improvements
• Maps are now correctly synchronized when player joins during
map loading
• Games now filter correctly in lobby
• After joining a coop game enemies now spawn correctly
User guidance improved. (Quest guidance, UI, shop) Additional
Interface polishing
• Map tracking now works correctly after loading checkpoints
• Health and stamina bars of enemies now display correctly in
coop.
• Locations of invisible NPCs are no longer shown
• More than one player can now use the same ladder simultaneously
• Focus on items in shops is not changing after operation
(sell, buy)
• Additional Interface polishing
• Fixed displaying gather rings near some door
Player death behavior improved
• Respawn position now saved when playing in cooperative mode
• If player dies whilst inside vehicle, menu will now be hidden
Save game mechanics extended
• Added distinction between quest checkpoints and other saves
Minor animation fixes
• AI animation now displays correctly after fast travel or
travel through portals
AI improvements
• Improved enemy awareness (zombies)
• Enemies reaction to fire adapted
• Enemies are now able to successfully reach player on some arenas
• Shooting enemies no longer spawn infinitely
Balancing changes in difficulty
• Item level will be calculated correctly when playing in
second playthrough
• Kick interrupting reload now adapted; after clip is inserted
reload is treated as successful
• Health regeneration is now disabled during grab.
• More HP for all escorted NPCs
• Removed all instances of Butcher during escorts
• Purna can gain bonus rage from both “Grim Inspiration” and
“Inspiring Kick”
• Only “Walker” type enemies increase the extra XP of the
“Combo” skill from Xian’s Survival skill tree
Pause Option added
• Added information about players requesting pause (Co-op)
Looting rules improved
• Thrown items now cannot be picked up by another player for 5
minutes.
• Items from just-opened containers cannot be picked up by
another player for 5 seconds.
Minor graphical glitches fixed.
• Rectified occasional graphical glitch with NPC’s hands
bending awkwardly
• Animations now display correctly when trading
• Stomper animation now displays correctly when same target is
hit by another player
Sound bugs fixed
• Volume of pickup’s engine has been increased
Quest bugs removed
• All side quests in Laboratory can now be successfully completed
• Potential walkthrough blocker removed when quest “Knockin’ on
Heaven’s Door” is completed before talking to Dominik during “On the
air” quest