Generation Zero - Companion Update

2023-07-17

Greetings, Resistance Member!

Many of you have been asking for it since the beginning of time and now it’s finally happening!
Tomorrow’s update adds a Machine Companion in the form of a Runner that you can build yourself, customize, deploy at any time and even pet!
Without further ado, let’s get right into the nitty gritty of the Companion Update.

THE COMPANION

This adorable Runner will support you in your fight against the Machines.
In the new mission “Making Friends”, which you can pick up at the Vesslan Bunker Warboard, you’ll venture out into the world to find out about the Companion.
After that, you’ll have your very own machine friend who will assist you in combat!
You can change its name, weapons, color scheme and even the voice it uses to communicate with you.
To deploy your Companion, simply make sure you aren't indoors and access it directly from your inventory. 

We’re so happy to fulfill this long-standing community wish. The first suggestion of a machine companion we could find was made all the way back in October 2018, during our game’s Closed Beta, by Forum user Crytical here. Since then, we’ve seen many players ask us to add a friendly machine and now it’s finally happening!

A HELPER IN COMBAT

You can equip the Runner with three different weapons: The Machine Gun, the Shotgun and the Rocket Launcher. When the Companion gets damaged, you can repair it using Repair Kits.

IT CAN CARRY IT FOR YOU, BUT IT CAN’T CARRY YOU

That’s right: It has an inventory you can store ammo, equipment or other weapons in!
It can carry up to a weight limit of 30, which is currently not upgradable, but it will take quite a … weight off your shoulders!

CUSTOMIZATION!

You can change the Companion to fit your personal preferences in multiple ways:

Renaming your Companion
A man needs a name. Give him one! You can assemble your friend’s name by choosing from three lists, each with many options for the ultimate callsign, including formal titles.

Paint Jobs
Four paint jobs are included in the free Companion Update. The latter three have to be earned from looting. The Paint Jobs are:

Resistance

Prototype

Military

FNIX

Voice Boxes
Modify the way your new friend communicates with you by switching out its Voice Box! Without the Companion Accessories DLC, you have access to:

  • “Modulator”: Beeps and boops its way straight into your heart.
  • “FNIX”: Makes the Companion sound like a FNIX runner for that familiar soundscape.

Light Kits

By default, your runner will have the normal machine light color scheme of a runner: White in neutral state, orange when it’s searching for enemies and red during combat. You’re not stuck with that, though! Feel free to switch it up with two more light kits:

  • “Hazard”
  • “Search”

AVAILABLE NOW AND FOR EVERYONE! We’re so happy to be able to offer this amazing new feature for you to play with. Please let us know what you think on our Social Media channels!

COMPANION ACCESSORIES PACK DLC

This paid DLC allows you to customize your Companion even further. We’ve made sure to pack plenty of awesome content into this one so you get enough bang - or in this case, flash - for your buck! Here’s what you can expect if you go the extra mile to support the continued development of Generation Zero:

5 EXTRA PAINT JOBS

Grand Prix

Bubblegum

Black Fire

Blue Thunder

Mecha Monster

3 EXTRA VOICE BOXES

  • Digi-dog
  • Speak & Learn
  • Astrid

3 EXTRA LIGHT KITS

  • Toxic Glow
  • Hazed
  • Neon

3 MODULES FOR A CUSTOM GAMEPLAY APPROACH

The Companion Accessories DLC also gives you access to an entirely new customization option: Modules. These give your Companion additional capabilities when equipped.

Scavenger Module
Allows your companion to collect items from defeated enemies into its inventory.

Medic Module 
Allows your companion to use medical supplies from its inventory to heal you when you’re injured.

Spotter Module
Allows your companion to mark enemies during combat, causing them to take extra damage.

3 TYPES OF ARMOR TO EQUIP

These extra platings will allow your friend to stay in combat without needing to be repaired for even longer!

Ballistic Plate Armor

Reduces damage taken from bullets

Concussive Plate Armor

Reduces damage taken from explosions

Fire Retardant Armor

Reduces damage taken from fire

MORE SOON!

Thank you for your continued support of Generation Zero. Our Community has been growing for the last 4 years and we’re so fortunate to be able to make a game we love for people who love it just as much.

We’re entering a period of Summer vacations now, so our Devs can get some well deserved rest before tackling the second half of the year.
As for our plans, we’ll be working on a public roadmap for the rest of the year, as well as writing a Dev Letter about how roadmaps are made and why it takes so much effort and time to craft one.
We hope you enjoy this summer and look forward to getting back to work as soon as we can! We have many more things to show you in the future, but for now, let’s leave it at that!

Stay hydrated and keep a lookout for evil machines,
The Generation Zero Dev Team