I genuinely believe thatProject Zomboidis one of the best games I’ve ever played on PC. Its modding community is a huge reason why that is the case, and I’m sorry to report that the creator of the legendary Vanilla Firearms Expansion mod has sadly passed away.
As per a recent announcement from modder Vilespring over on theProject Zomboidsubreddit, the original creator of Vanilla Firearms Expansion has died at the young age of 26. Michael Shtudiner, more commonly known in theZomboidcommunity under his Stendo_Clip moniker, made a name for himself by massively expanding and improving upon the base game’s rather meager arsenal. Most impressively, Shtudiner did so by incorporating era-appropriate firearms, attachments, and other related doodads, which made his work almost universally acclaimed. I mean, Brita’s Firearms Pack is great and all, but Vanilla Firearms Expansion really is the golden standard as far as weapon mods go forProject Zomboid, and this is a major loss for the community, let alone Shtudiner’s family.
Work on Vanilla Firearms Expansion for Project Zomboid B42 continues
While the information on late Shtudiner’s passing is understandably scarce, his sister Katherine has organizeda GoFundMe campaign where members of the community can chip into help out with funeral expenses. According to Katherine Shtudiner, “Michael passed away on February 17 at 2:47pm after a tragic gun accident. He was only 26 years old & things were really looking up for him after a long history of life struggles.”
Michael was, according to people close to him, eager to continue working on Vanilla Firearms Expansion in light ofProject Zomboid‘s recent Build 42 release. The mod had as of yet not been updated to the game’s latest version, though Shtudiner’s fellow modder and the author of the Reddit announcement, Vilespring, aims to continue working on it.
“When it comes to VFE, the part more immediately relevant to the Project Zomboid community, I am still planning on making the B42 update. Especially recently I have gotten a better understanding of Stendo’s ultimate vision with the mod, and I will act within the best of my ability to continue that vision.” Vilespring stated.
For a community as long-lived as that ofProject Zomboid, creators such as Michael are the ones who keep things trucking when official development slows down. He will be sorely missed in the modding circles, but it’s his fellow creators such as Vilespring who will memorialize him for times to come. For example, Vilespring’s already got plans for this specifically:
If you’re fond of Michael’s work, consider chipping in on the family’s funeral service GoFundMe campaign. Otherwise, if you’re not familiar with his Vanilla Firearms Expansion mod, be sure to give it a whirl the next time you play B41. Or, perhaps, once Vilespring gets it up and running in B42. It’s well worth the effort, and I’m sure you, too, will find Michael’s vision for the game’s guns was definitely something special.
