Byte Ranch
THE FALLEN
SWITCH SIDES.
Villagers and soldiers can turn. A turned unit inherits its former HP—so your toughest troops can become your toughest problem.
AN AGE OF EMPIRES IV MOD
COMING SOONBUILD BY DAY.
SURVIVE
BY NIGHT.
Your rivals aren’t the only threat anymore.
A relentless outbreak is coming to your empire—and the dead don’t leave at dawn.
YOUR EMPIRE. THEIR NIGHT.
CHANGE THE HOUR
05:00UNTIL THE FIRST OUTBREAK
NO SAFE SIDETHE HORDE IS HOSTILE TO EVERYONE
ONE MORE NIGHTEACH WAVE GROWS. SURVIVORS REMAIN.
01 / KNOW YOUR ENEMY
DAYLIGHT IS A HEAD START.
NOT A RESET.
A normal match. An abnormal enemy.
Explore the planned outbreak cycle.
NIGHT FALLS
The gates won’t hold forever.
A virus has broken out. Equal zombie waves arrive for every player, fast and hostile to everyone. Clear your assigned horde—or hold out until dawn.
Ranged units are your best friends. Melee contact risks infection.
OUTBREAK FIELD NOTES02 / 04
≤ 3:00MAXIMUM NIGHT LENGTH
- MOVEMENT
- Fast after dark
- THE THREAT
- Everyone is a target
Night ends early when every player clears their assigned zombies.
Design preview. Timing uses the proposed night + full day cycle; all balance values are subject to play-testing.
THE FALLEN
WALLS BUY TIME.
NOT SAFETY.
Garrison your people and zombies hunt for the weakest occupied building. A tower may draw them before your Town Center does.
THE HORDE CAN BE
YOUR WEAPON.
Lead slow daytime zombies toward an enemy base. Every wandering survivor can become someone else’s outbreak.
WHEN A ZOMBIE STRIKES50%
Proposed chance to turn.
Otherwise, the target dies.
LISTEN FOR THE COUGH.
THE DANGER MIGHT
ALREADY BE INSIDE.
After Night 1, a villager may become infected. A cough. A subtle tell. A short window before they turn—and you lose control.
02 / ARM THE LIVING
RESEARCH ONCE.
LIVE WITH THE CHOICE.
Your villagers start with weak knives.
The age you arm them decides what they carry.
TOWN CENTER / VILLAGER WEAPONS
Hold the line.
Turn a vulnerable village into a more capable defense against the horde.
Waiting gives you a different weapon at a higher price. Once researched, that weapon is locked in—even if you age up.
Choose an age to explore the tradeoff.
RESEARCH CONCEPT
RANGED
CROSSBOW
A stronger response. A steeper price.
800FOOD
800WOOD
800GOLD
800STONE
Illustrative costs · not final balance
One shared villager design across civilizations. Armed villagers can fight zombies, but they’re still civilians against a real army.
03 / TURN THE TIDE · AGE IV
THEY CAME FOR
YOUR VILLAGERS.
MAKE THEM YOURS.
A late-game cure can save the infected—and turn zombies into your own villagers. Research it at the Monastery, secure a relic, and choose your moment.
Slow daytime stragglers are one thing.
A fast night horde is another.
UP TO15HEALED PER USE
More relics increase healing capacity and reach. Lead the infected into the circle, then use Heal.
Requires a cooldown between uses. Counts are proposed tuning values.
04 / WIN THE WAR. SURVIVE WHAT FOLLOWS.
LAST VILLAGE STANDING.
Your enemy runs out of villagers.
You don’t. You win.
Standard victory conditions still matter. But the outbreak offers another path: outlast an enemy who has lost every villager while keeping some of your own alive.
Teammates yesterday.
Survival rivals tonight.
Your team wins the war. Then the winning teammates keep facing waves to see who lasts longest. The victory stays yours; the bragging rights are still up for grabs.
MORE FROM THE OUTBREAK
THE COMPANION PROJECTS.
KNOW BEFORE NIGHTFALL
THE FIELD GUIDE.
Learn the outbreak cycle, infection rules, weapon upgrades, and the paths to victory.
Read how the game mode worksCONTACT BYTE RANCH
NEED A HAND?
Questions about Zombie Nights, feedback, or an issue to report? Get in touch.
[email protected]THE OUTBREAK IS IN DEVELOPMENT.
PREPARE FOR NIGHTFALL.
COMING SOONAn unofficial Age of Empires IV mod. Game required to play.
Features and balance may change during development.