Developer Blog Post - Changes & Reworks based on YOUR Feedback

Survivors,

The demo for Endzone 2 has been out for a while now, and the amount of feedback we’ve received has been incredible. Many of you pointed out various aspects of the game that did not live up to your expectations and needed improvement. Some changes however we made transitioning from Endzone - A World Apart were welcomed and received positive feedback, which is why we conducted a survey a few weeks ago, based on that very feedback.

We have evaluated the results, discussed them in our team, and made many changes based on your input. Before we dive into how Endzone 2 has developed since the demo version, we want to thank you for your massive support, interest, and care for the game. We carefully read every report and incorporate your feedback as much as possible.

So, let’s jump into what we’ve addressed so far:

Settlers & Immersion:

One of the most frequent feedback points was the lack of simulation in Endzone 2, making the game feel lifeless as settlers were not well integrated into the world. We enhanced this by adding new animations, such as carrying tools, moving cartwheels, working in and on buildings, and even loafing around and sitting on benches. The “Wuselfaktor” has been increased, making the settlement buzz with life.

Carry visuals for the settlers

Settlers are now clickable again, showing their unique portrait and current activities. Additionally they reflect the state of the settlement regarding health, confidence and radiation.

We are continuously improving the settlers' interactions and adding more features. Our goal is to create an organic, living settlement that you can follow and get immersed in.

Research System:

The interface and mechanics of the Research System have been redesigned. Reports indicated that many of you did not like how it was set up. Some users had issues understanding what could be researched, while others were unhappy with how easy and instant research could be conducted. We saw the issues and made changes. Progressing in the Tech Tree still requires Knowledge Points, which can only be obtained by progressing in expeditions. Now, every expedition can yield a new Knowledge Point, making it unnecessary to search for specific expeditions. Once a point is obtained, new buildings can be unlocked for research in the research window. Technologies then can be researched by spending certain resources. After choosing a new technology, a timer shows the progress of the research.
You can also skip layers in the research tree, allowing you to research at your own pace depending on your needs.

Settlement Branches & Housing

Settlement Branches now only categorize buildings by their respective areas in the Tech Tree. We removed the different Housing Types and the boost in productivity from houses placed close to production buildings. This system frustrated most of you and made no sense, as placing buildings close to a production chain and far away would be both beneficial and bad at the same time. This is why we simply removed it for now.

Confidence System:

The confidence system has been reworked, tying the confidence of your settlement to each individual house. Your settlement starts with a base value of 50 out of 100 confidence, which can be influenced positively or negatively by certain conditions. Community buildings near housing districts improve settlers' mood, while living close to production facilities lowers it due to noise and pollution. All houses contribute to a global confidence value for your zone. High confidence can trigger positive events, such as festivals or new settlers joining, while low confidence can lead to negative events, such as people leaving or stealing supplies.

Tier 1 buildings of your early settlement can only reach a value up to 70. Upgraded houses and advancing technology and prosperity will allow for higher values. Maintaining a constant supply of food, water, and medicine is also crucial. A lack of these resources, high radiation levels, and unattended corpses will negatively impact confidence.

Health System:

The health system works similarly to the confidence system and can be affected by the same factors. If people are supplied with medicine and not exposed to radiation, overall resistance to diseases is high. The lower your health value drops, the higher the chance of a disease outbreak. The severity and duration of a disease depends on the overall health condition of your settlers at outbreak.

Wells:

The survey showed that many players were unhappy with the requirement of placing a well in a swamp. Therefore we decided that wells can be placed anywhere. On top we also added a "Water Purifying Facility" that instead can only be placed in swamp areas, which works more effectively than a regular well and also fits the realism aspect.

Zone Establishment:

Feedback indicated that starting a new settlement was too complex and poorly communicated. Many players struggled to even get started, so we reworked the system. Now, when approaching a new zone, the Landing Stage, essential for Transport Routes and logistics, will automatically snap to a viable position. The Blueprint will dynamically change based on your vehicle's position, allowing for easy placement with a simple click. The camera then moves to the center of the zone with the Town Center already selected. This process is more readable and faster.

Expeditions:

The survey showed that most of you wanted more variety and complexity in expeditions. We introduced a new Item System that interconnects expeditions through key items needed for progression. Some places may require a lock-pick, a ladder, or a generator to progress. These items can now be carried separately from resources and taken to another expedition where they are needed.

This increases the need for and reward from exploring each expedition carefully. We also created more unique expedition locations to reduce repetitiveness. You can now visit locations like the famous Nuclear Power Plant from Endzone - A World Apart, the largest expedition we’ve designed so far.

Decorations:

Many of you asked for decoration options to enhance your settlement's visuals. With Early Access, we are introducing an initial batch of decoration buildings, which we will continue to add to. Here is a collection of the buildings you will be able to place:

These include:

• Birch
• Larch
• Flag
• Statue
• Garden
• Small Flowerbed
• Medium Flowerbed
• Large Flowerbed
• Bench

Community Buiildings:

In conjunction with the new decorations, there is also a new type of buildings, that has decorative elements to it, but directly impact the confidence systems. Community Buildings are a place for your settlers to hang out, meet and relax.

Those include:

• Campfire
  
  
• Wishtree
  
• Bathhouse
• Pavillon
• Memorial
• Park

Readability of Buildings:

Many reports indicated that some buildings looked too similar or were not distinguishable from afar. We reworked all buildings mentioned in this feedback, also tweaking their colors and shapes to make them unique and recognizable from any camera distance. In addition, a few new buildings have been introduced. With these changes we came closer to how we want buildings to look in general, fitting the post-apocalyptic setting they are placed in.

• Woodcutter
  
• Upgraded Woodcutter
  
• Recycling Center
  
• Weaver
  
• Tree Nursery
  
• Tailor
  
• Upgraded Tailor
  
• Pharmacy
  
• Gathering Hut
  
• Scrapyard
  

General Quality Of Life Improvements:

• Blueprint-Mode that can be toggled and automatically activates, if the needed resources are not available.
• Dynamic Cloud Shadow to increase immersion.
• Improved foliage distribution for a more organic environment.
• Added Vignette for the camera
• Resources can be deleted from inventory

Conclusion:

Although all systems have been touched and partially reworked, everything is still a work in progress. A few examples of what we are currently working on include children, builders at construction sites, and the general interactions of settlers as we can still improve on the overall “Fluff”.
Throughout Early Access, we will keep our eyes and ears open to your feedback, constantly adjusting systems and mechanics as we did with the demo.

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

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