BloodyHell

Thank you very much for the quick reply, that's good news and I'll be making sure to buy the game in the next batch of games then and if it really is true (not that I don't trust you) I'll recommend it to my friends as well which were also hesitant because of the JRE install requirement from a year or so ago. The official FAQ stickie post would need some updating then I'd say because it mentiones the JRE installation, but since it's been last updated in February things might've changed. If you want to hear it from a mod/tech support; yes, the game comes bundled with Java for OS X and Windows but not Linux. It's only referenced in the FAQ as needing to be installed for Linux if you read it correctly. Cheers! Most excellent, now the weekend can't come soon enough because I'm very much looking forward to finally buy and play this. Thanks again to both of you. I guess you're right about the FAQ, but at the Desura part and that it downloads and installs Java for me I assumed the Steam version would also do this at first launch of the game, especially with the information I had from a year ago so I felt it's better to just ask. I'd perhaps add a "a Java installation for the Steam version on PC is not required because it is included" to the FAQ to make it absolutely clear and avoid misconception.

Thank you very much for the quick reply, that's good news and I'll be making sure to buy the game in the next batch of games then and if it really is true (not that I don't trust you) I'll recommend it to my friends as well which were also hesitant because of the JRE install requirement from a year or so ago. The official FAQ stickie post would need some updating then I'd say because it mentiones the JRE installation, but since it's been last updated in February things might've changed.

Good day survivors. After 1 year of absence I'm back with the same question I had last time and I figured the "upcoming build" thread might be the best place to put my question since this game is still on my Steam wishlist. Q: Does the Steam version of Project Zomboid install the Java Runtime on the PC on its first run or does it come with a bundled Java Runtime in the game folder (no JRE install required) ? Last time I asked this the answer was that it does require Java to be installed on the system which is a no-buy criteria for me. I quickly checked the support forum here a bit and I can only find vague, contradicting information. Some mention it has Exe4J and comes with a bundled JRE in the install folder but then the official tech FAQ (http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/5832-tech-faq-feb-19-2014) mentions a Java Download and Install is required. Long story short, can a dev or mod please give me a definite answer about the current JRE status please ? Don't take it the wrong way, I have nothing against Java but I don't want it to be installed on the system.

I kind of feel EnigmaGrey staring at me while I ask this (again), but have the developers still no plans to bundle the JRE with the game and start the JVM from the launcher instead of insisting on having Java installed on the system (for the Steam build) ? My curiosity hasn't been sufficiently answered yet - That not understandable "why". The "workaround" of creating my own .bat "launcher" which I already knew about doesn't count (and may not be applicable for the Steam build) and Desura is out of the question for me.

English is not my native language, so I'm not quite sure if you're suggesting that I should do the developers' job or not. According to its features list, "exe4j" seems to be doing the trick just fine if the developers don't want to write their own launcher / wrapper : http://www.ej-technologies.com/products/exe4j/overview.html (just one time fee of 60 EUR for commercial use) My point was that the Steam version (according to the blog post) seems to be doing an automated, unskippable JRE install on the system, which is not what I want. Other Java games (my last example with "Starfarer" / "Starsector" being one of them) are using a bundled JRE that doesn't require Java to be installed on the system, so it's perfectly possible to do it that way (and not open a huge security backdoor by installing Java system-wide). The developers of this game will do "their thing" regardless and it's up to me whether I'm going to be dealing with it or not. Just as I can choose to ignore each and every UbiSoft, EA and Activision game because I dislike their DRM and business practices, I'll be choosing to (maybe) ignore Project Zomboid because I don't want a huge security hole in my PC.

So if I read "Important things #2" from the blog correctly, the Steam Early Access version (when it's released) will be auto-installing a Java Runtime on my system ? If that's the case, I'm sorry to say you definately won't win me as a customer after all that waiting. I have no problem with Java in itself, as long as it's not installed system-wide, for all virus and trojans free to use. Just distribute your EXE launcher and tested JRE binaries referenced by the EXE on Steam and everyone is happy, no ? The game would work just as good, without causing a huge security concern. Help me try to understand the reason for Java having to be installed system-wide otherwise, because it doesn't make any sense at all when it's perfectly possible to just start up the game by referencing the JRE binaries from a BAT file without having Java installed. Also, when the user is updating his Java runtime or modifying global JRE settings, because him being a developer, tester, whatever, then you'd have to deal with unnecessary, unrelated problem reports which too could be avoided by simply distributing your tested JRE binaries with the game and referencing them by the EXE launcher in the games install folder instead of installing Java on users PCs %programfiles%. By distributing tested JRE binaries in the install folder you also immediately get around the problem of x64 users having to explicitly install x86 JRE. I don't get it, is it a Java licensing issue to simply do that or ..? I want to buy your game as soon as it's finally available on Steam Early Access, but as I said, sadly not under these conditions. Should you insist on requiring Java installation in %programfiles%, I'll continue to wait for the GoG version if it's ever released there and play it on a separate offline PC or a virtual machine, but that's just nuts.