Endzone 2 News

Fellow Survivors,

We hope this message finds you well! Today we have an important update to share with you regarding the journey of Endzone 2, a project you're supporting with incredible enthusiasm - and we are still extremely thankful for that!

After much consideration and internal discussions, the teams at Gentlymad and Assemble Entertainment have together decided to move the release of the Early Access version of Endzone 2 from Spring 2024 to Summer 2024.

We are totally aware of and understand that this will disappoint some of you, but we assure you: This decision was not made lightly - and the reason for this decision was made with a singular goal in mind: to deliver the extraordinary gaming experience you, our players, both expect and deserve!

The additional development time will be used to ensure that Endzone 2 meets the high quality standards we set for ourselves right from the start of the Early Access phase. Our commitment to excellence and to your satisfaction remains our number one priority, so we hope you understand this decision.

To give you a glimpse of the development progress, we're excited to share some new screenshots showcasing the development journey so far. These images reflect the hard work and dedication of the whole development team and hint at the exciting world the awesome people working at Gentlymad are crafting for you.



If you want to follow the development process even further and maybe also get in touch with the developers, please feel free to join the official Endzone 2 Discord Server!

Thank you for your ongoing support!

The teams @
Gentlymad Studios & Assemble Entertainment

- Do you see that? Here, take the binoculars and see for yourself. Something significant is emerging on the horizon; perhaps a crane? We absolutely must investigate; it could be an ancient construction site where we discover steel beams to fortify the bridge. Perhaps someone lives there, and together, we can lend each other a hand. Regardless, this world must not remain unexplored. -



[h2]Expeditions in Endzone 2[/h2]
Expeditions were the first feature added to Endzone 1 during Early Access. This time, we have chosen to integrate expeditions more prominently into the gameplay and incorporate them as a more relevant mechanic. For this reason, we have not only decided to make expeditions available from the start of Early Access but have also completely overhauled and expanded the entire system.



Expeditions in Endzone 1 served as a means for us to incorporate the expansive map as a playable area and to conceal various player progress elements, such as seeds or research materials. However, our primary focus was on a text-based experience. The difficulty of expeditions was already addressed by optimally meeting the requirements for the expedition.
In contrast, in Endzone 2, expeditions seamlessly integrate into the current gameplay and can now be played with a classic real-time strategy (RTS) control scheme. Ruins are explored with playable settlers, puzzles must be solved, and even backtracking to the city-builder part of the game by bringing essential resources from one's own settlements to further progress in ruins, is now possible and important.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]DISCLAIMER: The shown footage is taken directly from our Sandbox testing environment and does not represent the final quality of the product. Everything you see is still Work in Progress and displays a lot of Debugging information for us Developers, as well as intentionally left out features such as fully fleshed out animations, pathfinding and much more.[/h3]



With the new game mechanics introduced within expeditions, we enhance the experience and exploratory nature. Loot must be independently discovered, uncovered, and packed. Interaction with the ruin, its environment, and possibly even other encountered characters is intended to make expeditions more immersive.





[h2]Streamlined progress in Endzone 2[/h2]
[h3]Sectors and new Zones[/h3]
Expeditions primarily provide players with the opportunity to explore the wastelands and gather essential resources. However, with Endzone 2, expeditions have become indispensable for ensuring progress in one's own settlements. As described in a previous blog post, the map is divided into three sectors, separated by a wide, impassable river. New sectors can only be travelled to and explored if the bridge dividing the two sectors is repaired. This repair can be achieved by completing and advancing in expeditions. New sectors offer access to resources that are not present within the initial sector, making the construction of new buildings impossible without exploration and progression through expeditions.





[h3]Resource Mines[/h3]
Resource mines are special ruins where expeditions can be conducted. Upon completion of the expedition, this ruin becomes a permanent resource mine. It is possible to gather resources at these mines at all times that cannot otherwise be extracted in a particular settlement or sector or may be entirely absent in some zones. Having access to these mines establishes a stable basic supply and is sometimes immediately relevant for progress.





[h3]Trader[/h3]
As discussed in another blog post, traders make a return in Endzone 2. Interacting with traders is also possible through expeditions. Some traders have settled in the wastelands and require an expedition to their headquarters for subsequent trading. Exchanging resources with traders, whose inventory regularly changes, allows you to obtain rare items that are otherwise difficult or impossible to acquire.





[h2]Vehicles & Expeditions[/h2]

• Expeditions can be initiated and started right at the beginning of the game. However, you have to be mindful to not have your settlers you’ll start with in your vehicle excessively consuming crucial resources like food and water, as this can make the starting conditions much more challenging.
  
• Ruins can be approached and entered at any time with a vehicle, and they can be exited and played from the ongoing game session.
  
• Different vehicles may be suitable for various expeditions, as resource slots differ depending on the size of the vehicle, for example.
  
• Upon completing an expedition, the discovered loot can be transferred to the available slots of the vehicle, and the player exits the "sandbox."
  
• Resources must be transported back to a zone with the vehicle and handed over to the zone's inventory via the landing stage.
  

[h2]State of Development[/h2]
Expeditions are currently being pushed forward most prominently. For the Early Access phase, our focus is on a few, but qualitatively and comprehensively designed expeditions that are essential to the core loop. The entire team is working on this feature in the current sprint, allowing us to assess the scope for Early Access at the end of the month.
Expectations for the Early Access

Currently, we anticipate enabling the three components of expeditions outlined in the "Streamlined progress in Endzone 2" section for Early Access. This means that some ruins available on the map at the start of Early Access will have their expedition feature only enabled as the Early Access progresses. Furthermore, we are keeping additional gameplay mechanics within the scope of expeditions open, which can still be added and expanded upon during the Early Access phase.



[h2]A Look Ahead[/h2]
We want to ensure that the work already invested in the significant expansion of the expedition system is optimally utilized. While we can only develop a limited number of features and their scope until Early Access, we already have our sights set on the initial steps after completing our plan. Even though it's challenging to assess how expeditions feel without hands-on experience, we would like to invite you once again to provide feedback. Share your ideas, impressions, and also any wishes regarding the expedition system and its integration into the game. This is the only way we can ensure a proper assessment of the full potential of this feature. Experience has shown that among all the ideas, there are always some on which we can base the future game design.



https://store.steampowered.com/app/2144640/Endzone_2/

[h3]As Discord is our main platform for feedback and discussion within the community, we highly recommend joining us and sharing your feedback there.[/h3]

We'd like to give a shoutout to 125.000 friends & fans who already wishlisted Endzone 2 and are following our journey since we announced the title in August. Thank you, you are awesome!




https://store.steampowered.com/app/2144640/Endzone_2?snr=2_groups_partnerevents_


[h3]As Discord is our main platform for feedback and discussion within the community, we highly recommend joining us and sharing your feedback there.[/h3]

- In our relentless journey for survival, innovation isn't a luxury but a lifeline, urging us to wholeheartedly embrace trial and error as the very essence of progress. It's in this uncharted territory that we learn—only by daring to try, refine, and try again can we hope to thrive amidst the unforgiving realities of this world. -


Prototyping is a vital step that nearly every system and feature we create must undergo. Creating a prototype allows for faster iteration and early testing. It's not confined solely to Gameplay; we've employed it numerous times for our Foliage system, Expeditions, Look Development for Endzone 2, and more.

Prototypes also aid in focusing on our vision. Sometimes, a concept appears better on paper but doesn't translate well when put into action. To avoid falling into this trap, we emphasize experimenting with fewer limits to see if a feature fits and can be executed. This approach, especially in the case of Expeditions, was among the earliest prototypes we developed alongside the rest of EZ2's development.


We recognized that overhauling and enhancing the expeditions represented our primary goal. Early on, we opted for direct control of settlers during expeditions to counteract the dialogue-heavy and text-adventure gameplay of EZ1. Since we weren't sure if directly controlling settlers and solving puzzles would be enjoyable, prototyping Expeditions at the start of development was crucial.

We began with "white boxing," a term for placing non-textured and non-game-ready blocks to outline low-level design and grasp dimensions and gameplay. Testing with these basic elements allowed our game and content designers to iterate on playability while our artists simultaneously worked on the visuals, gradually replacing them until the finished mesh made its way into the game.


Very early white box of the construction site

Mid-Development state of the construction site

Final Implementation in the game


In addition to gameplay, visual prototyping is always essential. Initially, we develop concepts, some of which we've already shared:

Early concepts of plateaus with fog in the valley to conceal the Badlands.

Early concept of the Badlands, previously referred to as the "Intermediate Area.

After conceptualizing, it was crucial to translate them into 3D to gauge scale, color, and materials in-engine. To accomplish this, we created a Look Development project specifically focused on refining the vision of the Badlands, keeping certain design principles in mind, such as the area once being flooded, a river dividing the environment, distinct foliage and colors compared to the plateaus, and displaying a dry version to prototype the drought visuals.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Another early prototype we tackled was a procedural overgrowth and destruction effect for our assets. We needed a highly performant solution for altering any mesh, and employing a shader offered the best control over the look and resources used, applicable to any mesh.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


For a detailed breakdown of the vehicles in Endzone, check out our ⁠Developer Blog Post - The Badlands, Map Generation & Vehicles. However, as it was our first time introducing movable and controllable units, prototyping for the vehicles was necessary to facilitate early iteration.

Since realistic feedback on the suspension of the vehicles was crucial, we implemented the movement and animation of the wheels into a compute shader.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Addition to the Look Development Segment:

Badlands Look Development in the moist or default state

Badlands Look Development in the drought state

A special thanks to our intern Timo, whose remarkable work focused on developing the prototypes for the expedition, overgrowth, and destruction. Amazing work, Timo!

In conclusion, relying on prototypes isn't just beneficial for starting new systems, gameplay, and visuals; it's crucial for ongoing iteration and testing. Even in the advanced stages of development, we continue creating and iterating prototypes while transitioning existing ones into the final game. This often necessitates a complete refactor or rebuild, but basing it on a prototype accelerates the process and ensure all design decisions embed well into each other and complement the whole game.

[h3]Note that not all features shown will eventually find their way into the game and are always subject to change! Some of the screenshots are very old and yet way more advanved. This Blog should mainly showcase our workflow and development decisions along the way! [/h3]



https://store.steampowered.com/app/2144640/Endzone_2?snr=2_groups_partnerevents_


[h3]As Discord is our main platform for feedback and discussion within the community, we highly recommend joining us and sharing your feedback there.[/h3]

- The days are growing brighter, thank the heavens. To know that at any moment, a new catastrophe could strike is truly harrowing, but, with time, it also numbs the soul. What's paramount is that we push forward, and when I gaze upon this settlement, we've indeed constructed something magnificent. -


Designing buildings for Endzone is a complex undertaking. Numerous factors must be considered in advance, and this requires careful planning. Our primary objectives when creating new buildings are:

• recognisable shapes
  
• effective colour coding
  
• seamless integration into the surrounding environment

This ensures that the buildings stand out at a distance without appearing detached.


To achieve this, we organise buildings by their subsequent use in our gameplay, categorising and visually sorting them. In Endzone 1, buildings involved in water mechanics were coloured blue and given the Tarpaulin texture. Similarly, structures linked to food production or processing had a reddish colour code.




We have implemented this method in Endzone 2, but with more attention paid to design principles as we learned the challenges of finding buildings in Endzone 1 as settlements grew. We followed the design principle that each building should be a self-contained system, visibly distinct from the surrounding street and neighbouring buildings. This approach minimises complexity in larger cities and logistics, which were significant factors in gameplay for Endzone 1. However, it also reinforces the grid-like appearance, which serves as the foundation of the technical aspect of Endzone.




Endzone 2 introduces progressive building stages, allowing for visual advancements upon upgrading to a higher tier. Unlike in Endzone 1, this mechanic is now incorporated beforehand in all buildings' technical and resource progression. An example of how this works can be seen below.



In the initial state, referred to as Tier 1, buildings adopt a patchwork appearance that is familiar to most of you from Endzone 1. The design principle dictates that people inhabiting the world after the nuclear fallout use all the materials they can possibly find. Scrap, loose parts, and a lot of wood are used to construct a building just sturdy enough to stand on its own and withstand the environmental conditions. The scrappy look can be found in any building at the Tier 1 stage. The second Tier upgrade for the Acre building introduces new resources available to the player at this stage of progression. Wood is replaced by stone and bricks, corrugated sheets are replaced by actual metal roof panels, and occasionally new walkable and accessible layers for settlers are introduced.



These design guidelines allow for a subtle but noticeable change in the structure and prosperity of your settlement as you naturally progress through the game. It also helps to distinguish more easily which materials or resources are processed in that building or what other uses it has. For example, the Wood Cutter only has a Tier 1 stage and, since it produces a very basic and early available resource, it will remain in that stage.




Another approach we took was to place the buildings off-grid, making their placement more organic. In Endzone 1, each building was designed to match the grid and sometimes even be relatively square or rectangular in shape, but we intentionally broke away from that look. This allows for a much more organic appearance and helps buildings blend better into their surroundings.


We also implemented a new colour-coding system for the roofing of all buildings to make it easier to organise and identify your settlement from a distance.

• Raw production buildings use dark blue.
  
• Food production buildings use orange.
  
• Housings use red.
  
• Water buildings use light blue.
  
• Industrial buildings use black.

Since we are still experimenting with the best layout and distribution, we implemented a workflow that allows us to adjust the colours of certain materials on the fly, enabling us to create unlimited variations of buildings if needed.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Another layer of readability is introduced by displaying the resource processed in each building. Our modular workflow also allows us to dynamically change the displayed resource, depending on what you choose to process. This is very convenient for farming buildings like the Acre or the Plantation but is ultimately helpful for any kind of building, telling a story and showcasing the work that is carried out there. This layer is also accompanied by the so-called "Set Dressing," which can be manually done in-engine with our very own library of assets. Using this approach, we can create a variety of the same building with a different layout and distribution of dynamic elements.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


On top of that, we have created a custom tool that allows us to paint the texture and foliage that correspond to each building individually. Using this, we can incorporate the building much more smoothly into the existing world and ensure it blends well with the environment it is placed in.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


There is much more we are working on to make each building stand out while still remaining homogeneous and fitting well into the world of Endzone. To give you a glimpse of what is still under production, we will shortly mention a dynamic shading system that allows buildings to have an overgrown appearance and also blend in with mud. In addition, we are exploring procedurally damaging and altering the appearance of buildings, depending on how much they were affected by sandstorms or general destruction. We also aim to implement effects like fire, smoke, and carefully designed settler animations that show interaction with the world and each other. If you are interested in that, I suggest you read our latest blog post: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2144640/view/5711185603040607420


Here you can see, how the Iron Caster Building has a fairly elongated but narrow Ground Plane. Showing the grid as visual guidance shows, how it only appears to carry the logical and technical components, while being visually independent and incorporating non-grid-like shapes.


Last but not least, we want to say thank you for already 10.000 followers for Endzone 2. I hope these detailed insights give you a good climpse of what we're cooking and what Endzone 2 will be about. Keep the comments, feedback and support coming - it's fantastic. Thank you!




https://store.steampowered.com/app/2144640/Endzone_2?snr=2_groups_partnerevents_


[h3]As Discord is our main platform for feedback and discussion within the community, we highly recommend joining us and sharing your feedback there.[/h3]