ZA-Z update, 13 September 2026: survivors restore the power grid at Rosewood South
The lights came back on in Knox County on 13 September 2026. The grid had failed the day before, and at 19:49 SAST (Day 51 in game) three survivors had a generator each running inside the fence of the Rosewood South substation. At that moment power returned across the whole map, and it has stayed on ever since. The full story is in the substation restart.
#What did it take?
- Three generators inside the substation fence, on the ground or one floor up.
- Each one connected, switched on and fuelled, all three running at the same time.
- A survivor close enough for the yard to be loaded.
No horde was planted and no loot was waiting: the yard held what the apocalypse had left in it. The server's notice read:
#Why didn't my lights come on?
Your game keeps the power settings it received when you joined, so everyone who was online during the blackout saw nothing change until they relogged. The same rule holds for any later grid change: relog, and see troubleshooting.
#What changed afterwards?
- Power stays on: the grid's shutoff now sits 9,999 days away. Lamps can still die when their bulb burns out, and bases you build yourself still need a generator.
- Mains water, due to fail on Day 65, was pushed to Day 100 that evening. It has since moved to Day 150; the current dates are on Power and Water.
- Slots: the same day ZA-Z moved to 32 player slots, with more memory behind them.
The Knox Water Authority's warnings go out on the emergency broadcast in the two days before the taps run dry.