Headlight Studio has updated the development diary for "Rooted," an open-world survival crafting game currently in development.
Crafting Vehicles, City Blocks, and Vegetation with Meticulous Attention to Detail
Set in a future where civilization has collapsed due to a “bacterial war,” this is an open-world survival crafting game where players explore a desolate world. The newly released development diary provides details on the vehicle system, urban district generation, and vegetation.
Regarding vehicles, the developers discuss their custom-built system, in which each wheel is linked to the chassis to convey the feel of the road surface. They also highlight their attention to detail, such as calculating and rendering the compression of the forks and the movement of the swingarm in real time rather than using pre-rendered animations.
As for city generation, the developers have been working on creating tools to build the open world since January of this year; the dev diary details how, once blueprints are submitted, the engine now generates districts where players can actually move around.The developers, who did not want a situation where “every building looks the same,” are focusing on conveying the story of *Rooted* in each city block by incorporating elements such as “what happened to that building, its physical condition, whether someone lives there, whether someone has erected a barricade, and how far access extends.”
It appears they are approaching the design of buildings and locations with considerable attention to detail. For example, when designing a location like an airfield, they first study state-specific aviation regulations, federal directives governing runway markings, and road manuals outlining how to connect to public roads, ensuring the design complies with the laws and regulations of Oregon, the game’s setting.
They also mentioned that they are building their own plant library and continuously optimizing performance.
*Rooted* is scheduled for an early access release on PC (Steam) in 2027.
