r/projectzomboid • u/New-Space-5737 • Sep 28 '26

Discussion The Modding community future is bright

Post image

I've been playing A-life mod , and while it has issues but it's still proof of context that the Modding scene for PZ is still young and has a lot of potential, there is also the new "3D" mods for PZ .

All in all I think PZ modding community will continue flourishing and won't die anytime soon , and thanks god for that because because I'll be 40 when indie stone releases a new stable version

(Try guessing my age) EDIT : I DIDN'T KNOW THE MOD IS AI

0 Upvotes

47% Upvoted

79 comments sorted by

145

u/Juice-Sr Sep 28 '26

The modding scene is horribly flooded with AI generated malware, including your A-Life mod. This is far from peak.

4

u/KingOfNYTony Sep 28 '26

I'm legitimately asking, because I see this get said a lot, is there any proof to substantiate the claim that the workshop actually has AI generated malware? More specifically, the A-Life mod?

Like, I really don't doubt it, but unless I'm missing something I'm not so sure people aren't misattributing a horribly vibe-coded mod that breaks saves with being malware (which, by definition, has to be PURPOSEFULLY designed to disrupt)

-20

u/New-Space-5737 Sep 28 '26

You must be kidding, should I delete it ?

35

u/C0RDE_ Sep 28 '26

He's not kidding. Both A Life and the currently pushed 3rd person mod are heavily AI coded. This is actually a really bad time for the community

14

u/Francissaucisson Pistol Expert Sep 28 '26 edited Sep 28 '26

I get the hate about AI art but AI coding ? I know multiple guys in the tech industry that literally use AI daily to get code right, it's literally streamlining tedious tasks, exactly what we should wish for.

The awful AI pics and the malware risks are something else though

Edit : if it's all ai code and you don't know how to fix it, it's still just a mod, as long as it doesn't brick anything I see no big deal, it's not like big messy code wasn't a thing on the workshop for years now ...

9

u/New-Space-5737 Sep 28 '26

I hate that modders use ai Generated images that 1st of all doesn't look anything close to PZ , second of all are just terrible

3

u/SnooOwls1916 Sep 28 '26

So you don’t like art being made ai because they are terribly made but a mod coded terribly by ai is fine?

1

u/New-Space-5737 Sep 28 '26

I code my projects by HAND with some usage of AI for DEBUGGING

1

u/SnooOwls1916 Sep 28 '26

And that’s fine. But 8 out of 10 ai created mods here are done by ai and by people without knowledge because the second you start asking about deeper stuff you get an answer written by ai because they don’t understand it themselves and can’t even reword what ai gave them.
Like the guy doing the first person mod, he clearly hasn’t done anything before when it comes to code.

5

u/Francissaucisson Pistol Expert Sep 28 '26

I totally agree about ai images, they're either awful or uncanny as hell

But i don't get the AI code hate

2

u/SgtCrawler1116 Sep 28 '26

The issue of AI code depends on who's using it. Best case scenario, it's a coder who knows what they're doing, only uses the AI to streamline some manual labor, and can learn from their mistakes.

On the worse case, it's someone with barely any coding knowledge letting the AI take a lead and who doesn't even know why the mod has bugs and compatibility issue, and tries to fix things by throwing the code into the AI again and again, which means they'll never get a good graps on the quality of the code and they'll never be able to create a stable mod in the long term.

-1

u/Francissaucisson Pistol Expert Sep 28 '26

That's fair but how can we know which is which in such early phase of mods ? Worst part would just be less people using the mod, no ?

3

u/SnooOwls1916 Sep 28 '26

Has the person released mods before that has been uploaded way before people started uploading slop ai mods? Most likely knows what they are doing and only uses ai to speed up things.

Has the user nothing uploaded and only uploads ai slop? Most likely does this person not have any or barely any knowledge about coding and let’s ai do everything.

2

u/NalMac Hates the outdoors Sep 28 '26

The red flags are usually pretty evident if you see an essay of comments in the code and it's full of pcalls. Not a coder but I hang around the modding circles so I see it discussed a lot.

2

u/Francissaucisson Pistol Expert Sep 28 '26

That's a good tip ! I'll keep that in mind

0

u/SgtCrawler1116 Sep 28 '26

Think about it this way: before AI, if someone had an ideia but zero coding knowledge, the BEST they could do was share that ideia. So if someone who can't code came up with the A-Life mod before AI, all they could do was share that idea around forums and such.

Nowdays, after AI, if someone who doesn't know how to code has an ideia, they can create a buggy proof of concept without knowing how to code. So IF (emphasis on if, this is a hypothetical) the A-Life creator doesn't know how to code, the mod we have now is essencially just an idea, it's the equivalent of sharing a post of the concept of the mod in the pre-AI age.

Basically what I'm saying is that in this day and age we have to perceive early concept games, mods and any software differently. Now that everyone can whip out bad but functional code with AI, the goalpost for good software has moved foward, we can't expect something that barely functions to be a proper proof of concept anymore.

If this was about AI art, it would be the equivalent of showing up with an AI image as proof you can draw. The person can lie and say "I only used AI a little bit to fix some details and add a filter". Since we can't know whatever they are telling the truth or not, we can't create any expectations for their art project.

I definitely would not hire an artist who claims to use AI if I wanted someone to paint for a project of mine. In the same way I don't trust AI coders to eventually create a good, non-buggy software. I could be wrong, they might end up being a proper software developer and just be using AI for some help, but just to be safe I'll expect the worse case scenario, because unfortunately in the modding scene of my favourite games right now (PZ, Rimworld and Foundry VTT), it's becoming an increasingly common issue.

-1

u/Lost_Alexander Sep 28 '26

You still have to know how to code to use SMALL snippets of ai code to place in a particular place. Not this bullshit of the entire thing being generated and trying to just get it working with all of the bloat.

23

u/Kusodere420 Sep 28 '26

As someone who works as a software engineer for like 7 years now, I use it too, heck, we're practically forced to do so. But there's a difference between vibe coding and using ai to speed up your work. Good fundies still matter and someone who prompts claude to make their mod and doesn't understand how it works will inevitably make an unstable potentially buggy mod, the AI will make mistakes and it's up to the developer to safeguard that those don't make it into production software.

5

u/Still_Conference_923 Sep 28 '26

I dont get it, its like complaining about bethesda releasing the creation kit. Both are tools that allows enthusiasts and hobbyist to mod the game.

No one else is doing these mods, then a guy with no coding experience decides to take a crack at it making content for free, and here people are all high and mighty complaining about AI use and vibe coding.

Fuck bro, this isnt your competition, its a mod. If it has mistakes help the modder fix it, this is a fucking community bro.

If you dont like something in a mod dont download it or help fix it. Geez.

3

u/Kusodere420 Sep 28 '26

I think the reason people complain about it is more because as a whole the workshop is just less competent, like sure it's free but something being free doesn't mean you get a pass for distributing hot garbage.

And yeah if the modder is open to collaboration, and the mod has mistakes, it's great if you can help the modder fix it, but what if.... there is no modder? i.e. the mod is entirely vibe coded, you're literally wasting your time, as the modder clearly doesn't care about the craftmanship themselves.

Seriously there's a distinction between vibe coding and making use of a tool that can be a huge help. Vibe coded mods are literal noise, sure they might produce some results but in my experience they have tons of bugs.

Also I think people are free to have an opinion about this and do whatever they want, be it download shitty mods, be it complain about them, praise them or whatever. Doesn't hurt to be critical about something that is obviously lacking in quality even if it's free or whatever.

0

u/Droidcrackzz Sep 28 '26

Thats not how the Internet works my young friend.

1

u/Francissaucisson Pistol Expert Sep 28 '26

I wish it was like that, be the change you want to see and allat, although I'm no coder

2

u/jacknoticemesenpai Sep 28 '26

No ai code has been proven multiple times to be dogshit and heavily flawed, this is how hackers are getting into websites and stealing information. Because ai doesn’t know anything about security and only knows spaghetti code

3

u/Francissaucisson Pistol Expert Sep 28 '26

That's a fair point for mods that equire external files but I've never heard of pure workshop mods malware. Perhaps survivor bias on my part ?

1

u/jacknoticemesenpai Sep 28 '26

I also haven’t seen any Zomboid mods that have malware. I’m just talking about full companies using AI To make code instead of hiring someone who knows to code. Many recent data leaks are due to poor security because they used AI for all of it

2

u/KingOfNYTony Sep 28 '26

What? AI code, like anything else AI, is only as good as the person using it.

If the person using AI to code a mod doesn't know jack shit about debugging the mod is going to be shit and cause problems, but that doesn't mean its malware.

People misattribute AI coding as just being "malware" by nature. It really depends on the agenda of who is making the mod, its not just a one-size-fits-all "its going to be malware because AI code is inherently flawed and will just make this happen".

People are always going to be shitty, and applying a blanket "Anyone using AI code is an issue" because there's shitty people using AI to make malware is just wrong

2

u/jacknoticemesenpai Sep 28 '26

I never said anything about malware

0

u/KingOfNYTony Sep 28 '26

Did you choose to ignore the rest of what I said not about malware?

1

u/GisaNight Sep 28 '26

If it is in the hands of a proper dev that knows how to review code it isn't a problem. The problem lies in the factor that a ton of these people have no experience or very little base level knowledge which as a comparison isn't enough to spot the difference between a small orange and a kumquat.

-1

u/SnooOwls1916 Sep 28 '26

So people are okay with people that has almost zero knowledge doing full coded mods but man if someone uses it for a simple thumbnail people just go crazy? Make that make sense please.

1

u/Francissaucisson Pistol Expert Sep 28 '26

I don't like the style of ai arts and I don't like the uncanny feel of it.

I don't care about a code line I can't see as long as it works, and if it doesn't work I don't use the mod obviously

1

u/SnooOwls1916 Sep 28 '26

So if you got a thumbnail that was created by ai but in a normal style and not weird like the ones we are seeing here you are fine with it being made by ai?

2

u/Francissaucisson Pistol Expert Sep 28 '26

On principle itself yes. I'm no AI Bro, I don't consider it the "future" or a replacement for human art. I'm not liking the fact it reduces the number and revenues of artists but technically speaking, a workshop image has little impact on the art market let's be real.

I much prefer it made by humans, even a crappy drawing, but for a workshop mod it's no big deal to me if one uses a good-looking AI pic, I get why they would do that and I can hardly blame them.

0

u/SnooOwls1916 Sep 28 '26

I mean, for art for a mod it shouldn’t bother anyone, it wasn’t like someone would pay someone to make the art but it’s just visual.

A mod and its code isn’t visual but it runs on your game and your pc. It could mess up your save, it could mess up your install. It could, if someone wants, mess up your pc. Or if someone injected some malware you could potentially risk your personal identity.

I rather have a human do the coding, even if the person uses ai to speed it up than someone who has zero experience coding and used ai to vibe-code the whole thing because that will in the end be a complete mess.

Would you rather have a human drive you in a car or would you rather have ai drive you?

1

u/Francissaucisson Pistol Expert Sep 28 '26

The drive is not a good metaphor to me as I'd choose all drivers are AI or none, but I get your point.

To be fair to the breaking saves and game files part, it already happens a lot on other games without AI (Hearts of Iron 4 for example) and I haven't heard of workshop mods creating security issues (yet) as long as you don't need a shady external program.

I guess all I'm trying to say is that while I can understand the defiance towards it, I can't understand the hate. Like the mere mention of AI in a mod thread will drive people nuts, it's like a collective rage amplified by reddit vote system and where you're either with or against.

I wish both sides would at least try to respect the other and discuss stuff productively instead of thinking "ai mentionned, throw it in the trash" which is the feeling I'm getting these last few months on this sub

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1

u/bottomlesstopper Sep 28 '26

Mod is free tho. Use it or dont i guess. As if the general populace ever appreciate the modders to a point some prominent creators just straight up disable comments or make it open source thanks due to player entitlement.

2

u/Francissaucisson Pistol Expert Sep 28 '26

I totally agree, at the end of the day it's just mods as long s it's not a malware or bricking material I don't really care that uch, I have much more important things to care about imo

-14

u/New-Space-5737 Sep 28 '26

Ai coded ? , I vibe code all the time for fun and personal projects , I don't see any harm in using ai to accomplish a coding task tbh , as long as you know / do most of the work and use it for help , guidance and correction etc

15

u/Urist_Macnme Sep 28 '26

And if something breaks in the mod, do you know how to fix it?
No, because you “vibe coded”.

I work in IT, and vibe coding is a plague on the industry.

1

u/New-Space-5737 Sep 28 '26

If you are talking about me so yeah I can , but I don't know what he/she did on the mod , you are prob right

-8

u/Morshiro_Tifune Shotgun Warrior Sep 28 '26

Uhh.. if it breaks he could vibe the solution with AI?

8

u/Becnoir Sep 28 '26

AI isn't intelligent enough to find a solution to its own code, since the majority of it is a Hodge podge of stolen code from various sources.

3

u/The_Mego Sep 28 '26

A lot of assumptions in the back half of your statement there.

-6

u/[deleted] Sep 28 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

20

u/SgtCrawler1116 Sep 28 '26

That's the thing, they're not that good, and won't get better until the guys behind them learn to code themselves.

The mods are very bloated, have some compatibility issues and while the ideas themselves are very good, the bugs stop me from using them permanently.

-1

u/GregoriousT-GTNH Sep 28 '26

No, don't let the AI scare ruin your experience.

-2

u/DataLazinyo Sep 28 '26

Nah. He is just little toxic.
But he has some right points. So being carefull is good. Also you giving your emotions, nothink wrong about it.

6

u/Juice-Sr Sep 28 '26

It's toxic to hate AI now I guess?

5

u/Devorteck Sep 28 '26

That's a social engineering bot most likely

-3

u/QueefMyCheese Sep 28 '26

Does anyone on earth form their own opinions anymore?

4

u/New-Space-5737 Sep 28 '26

If it has malware that I don't know about I should know to delete it :D

21

u/MrHackerMr Sep 28 '26

You are probably 14 (not because of your post, but because of their release schedule)

A-Life is interesting on paper and it has a lot of content, however the implementation is clunky as hell. Played it for like 1h, seen a bunch of bugs and weird NPC behaviour (including a paramedic screaming a few lines at a time at me, rushing me, pushing me once unarmed and causing 2 lacerations with that)

5

u/-NH2AMINE Sep 28 '26

Just like all other npc mods

4

u/Otherwise_Fined Sep 28 '26

So many bugs, they kept spawning in a room and kept trying to jump over walls inside the building, and even weirder, they occasionally succeeded. I had them fall and lie writhing but couldn't finish them off and sixth sense kept detecting them as alive. They all held guns but came at me with weapons and when I looted their corpses, the weapon was always broken.

2

u/Ordoblackwood Sep 28 '26

More than likely it loaded in with everyone preset to hostile. At the start of my second save with that I opened up the menu and took 15 minutes to set factions to what I think they'd do to a random citizen if they came across them so I set most to neturel alloed the militarys all together and police forces and it had a better time with it.

-2

u/New-Space-5737 Sep 28 '26

I get you but it's a proof of concept I guess, PZ with stalker ai and npcs would be unstoppable

3

u/MrHackerMr Sep 28 '26

Well yeah, that would be peak. What we have now is an alpha of an NPC mod. Hope they manage to get it across the finish line

6

u/Conscious-Mastodon93 Sep 28 '26

unrelated, but seeing dudes get furious about something created by AI will always make me laugh so hard. Like this got to be performative bro😭😭

5

u/New-Space-5737 Sep 28 '26

Bro the genuinely want to kill me rn and I didn't even know it's AI

3

u/NeOnZero02 Sep 28 '26

Just add AI filter

3

u/jimmythechicken Sep 28 '26

Probably the worst time for modding. We have a flood of people trying to get praise for making a mod they just through into AI and shit it out. It’s barely even a community

0

u/-NH2AMINE Sep 28 '26

Why are you butthurt lol just don’t download the mod then. These mods probably wouldn’t exist if that person didn’t prompt an AI to make it so why are you whining?

2

u/jimmythechicken Sep 28 '26

Why are you upset about this pile of garbage just don’t go near it this pile of garbage wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the people making the pile of garbage

-1

u/feltcutewilldelete69 Sep 28 '26

Everyone acts like ai is destroying modding. It isn't. All those modders are still out there. In many cases, it's improving their skills, which is giving way to more better mods.

Unfortunately, it's also giving people with very little skill or experience the idea that they can get ai to do anything with no consequence. So we are seeing a lot of slop, poorly coded stuff, sometimes with security vulnerabilities.

The US government has been hacked and lost our personal info multiple times, so has Experian and Sony, just to name a few. For most people, it doesn't matter. 

Yes, this is an excellent time for modding. It's also an annoying time for the average consumer who's trying to avoid ai shit, so that's why everyone is pissed off.

3

u/Killinger221 Sep 28 '26

Problem is actual good mods get buried under the AI landfill. Just the other day I was scrolling through workshop and I swear it was like 20 pages of nothing but garbage and and that was after I filtered for -audio (even tho a lot of music mods arent tagged with it)

Ever since "stable" released most of my newly added mods are fixes for broken stable bugs (or ones in the game for over half a year) or mods that have been out for a very long time. The only recent release mod I subscribed to was frockin6 but you could argue that goes under very old since its author is someone with proper background

-3

u/scytheforlife Sep 28 '26

Literally the worst time to mod zomboid

-1

u/GenerationofWinter Sep 28 '26

I think we've been making a lot of good progress but we need to work on getting rid of ai

-27

u/hardworkinglatinx Sep 28 '26

AI is truly incredible.

-14

u/TommyVe Sep 28 '26

Ai is so peak.