Hi!
I decided that now is a good time to talk about upcoming content and what’s next for Road to Vostok.
I have already discussed these topics in various places, but there hasn't been a single curated place for this information, so this post is going to be exactly that.
Next Steps
It has been a little over two weeks since the Early Access launch. So far, I have implemented one patch focusing on stability, but there are still multiple issues that need to be addressed before I can start working on the next major builds on the roadmap.
In a perfect scenario, I will release one more patch within a 2-3 weeks. This patch will include "missing content" that I didn’t manage to finish for the launch build, multiple bug fixes and specific stability improvements, since the last patch took "two steps forward, one step back" for certain hardware setups.
Once this second patch is live and if there are no major issues, I will be also taking that much needed development break. When it comes to this personal break, the goal is that I will return at the end of May. At that point, I can start making major moves with the project once Steam processes the April sales payments.
However before my break, I will initiate several development tasks that will be outsourced to contractors. This means that I will make sure the project keeps steaming forward even while I am away from my computer in early-to-mid May. These contractor tasks are linked to the game roadmap (available in the main menu / website) and a massive amount of work will be done in the upcoming months to make sure the roadmap stays on track.
Speaking of that roadmap, let’s dive into that next.
Roadmap & Resources
Road to Vostok has currently sold over 250,000 copies on Steam. In practice, this means the Early Access launch has secured the financial resources for the entire development roadmap.
With these resources, I can keep the project fully independent without external funding and implement a lot of content that previously was at "I'm not sure I can afford this" status.
How these financial resources are going to be spent? I'm approaching this with three "resource buckets":
Game Content (~85%)
Brand Building (~10%)
R&D / Investing (~5%)
Upcoming game content is obviously the most important category and the one most people are probably interested in. These percentages also represent the rough distribution of funds for each bucket. Even though I don’t consider myself a financial expert by any means, I believe I still have a healthy understanding of how to allocate these resources so that I don't "bite off more than I can chew".
Next, let’s focus on the first major target for these resources called Build 2.
Build 2: Nomads
Estimated Release: Q3 / 2026
Key Topic: AI / Factions
Build 2 is all about the AI and making the world feel like it doesn’t care about you. The goal is to create a feeling that you are just a random trespasser in a scenario that is beyond your control. Currently the game feels like you are the main character who just gathers loot and shoots AI, this will drastically change in Build 2.
The main addition will be a faction called Nomads. This is a friendly faction by default that roams the game world independently.
What this means in practice:
When you start a new game, you might see a group of Nomads sitting near your cabin campfire.
These Nomads might be frying sausages, talking to each other or heading out to fish.
You can interact with them, there's "mini-tasks" and "mini-bartering" for items they have found.
When you transition to another map, you might hear some combat in the distance. If you help Nomads fighting Bandits, your reputation increases and eventually you can start adding certain Nomads to your "friend list".
You can allow your Nomad friends to visit your shelter to sleep, eat or do certain behaviors like playing instruments with you or feeding your cat while you are away.
You can also join "Nomad Meetings" in the world or ask a Nomad to follow you to a specific map.
At these Nomad gatherings, you may encounter the Nomad Boss, a lore-based character with a trader like task system (and specific quests in the future).
If you decide to turn hostile and shoot Nomads, your reputation will sink and certain Nomads will also turn hostile against you until you stabilize your reputation over time.
You will also see Nomads using vehicles/mopeds, looting and there's random events like finding a wounded Nomad screaming for help or one who is simply lost in the woods and so on.
Another goal with Build 2 is also to introduce more randomness and chaos to the game world. Since Road to Vostok is a sandbox-like game, replayability requires a lot of randomness and "I have never seen this before" moments that day-based linear event calendar which is currently in the game cannot fully provide.
Related to Nomads, I have already started outsourcing these new character models. This outsourcing also focuses on AI / character variants, meaning there will be multiple unique models for Nomads, Bandits, Guards and the Military.
On top of the Nomads, there's also going to be this high-level AI overhaul which includes:
AI Progression: The Military faction will feel significantly harder than Bandits, which currently isn't the case. Goal is to have faction based unique behaviors, so fighting against each faction should feel different.
AI Behaviors: AI will patrol in groups and perform actions like weapon reloads. AI will investigate noises, meaning player actions will trigger non-combat behaviors. AI will pick up loot, light fires, use flashlights, throw grenades and so on.
AI Performance: The current AI is unnecessarily CPU-heavy. This overhaul will change the approach where the AI controller is no longer physics-driven. Removing these expensive calculations from the AI controller will allow for a much higher active AI count and support the new factions like Nomads.
Builds 3/4/5/6/7/8
It's a bit early to discuss these in detail, since Build 2 is my main focus at the moment. While some info is already on the roadmap, it is vague on purpose. You can expect a similar "what this means in practice" post for Build 3 once Build 2 is complete and so on.
Each build will also have a dedicated devlog on the Road to Vostok YT-channel, so for example you will see some gameplay related to Nomads in July or August before the actual build is shared on Steam.
Even though some of these builds are relatively far in the future, I can still share some behind-the-scenes details. For example, I have already initiated conversations for Build 4 - Gunslinger which will include 50 custom-made weapons for Road to Vostok. In Build 4, weapon customization will be deeper, there will be tertiary mechanics like folding stocks, visual wear linked to weapon condition, jamming animations and so on.
Closing Thoughts
Given the successful launch, the future is really bright for Road to Vostok. I'm pretty confident that by the end of this year, you will already be playing a game that is a "totally different beast" compared to the current version :)
Thanks,
Antti