We’re thrilled to finally reveal the first of four biomes in Nomad Drive — the Desert Biome!
This arid, desolate, and scorching environment hides a variety of mysterious locations and unexpected encounters. Even though the sunbaked roads seem to stretch into nothingness, curiosity is your best compass — keep moving forward, and you might be surprised by what you find.
We’re also excited to share the first three Points of Interest (POIs) that players will be able to explore. In Nomad Drive, POIs come in small and large variants, offering different levels of interaction and rewards.
Our first large POI — the Abandoned Factory — consists of three distinct buildings and a multi-level layout. It’s designed to be a high-reward area where players can spend a significant amount of time scavenging and exploring. Hidden surprises await those who dig deep.
The first of many modular Wooden Cabins, this structure will appear in different variations across the game world. It’s compact, story-rich, and crafted to spark exploration.
A scattered junk site featuring a derelict car. This is the first of many car wreckage variants players can encounter in the wastelands — perfect for quick looting and storytelling moments.
Let’s take a look at some of the systems powering Nomad Drive under the hood:
Nomad Drive uses an infinite, seed-based chunk system to generate its terrain procedurally. This means every seed gives players a unique world, while shared seeds offer identical experiences — perfect for community challenges or multiplayer consistency.
Currently, the system is focused on generating our first biome, the Desert. Future biomes — including snowy highlands and dense forests — will be integrated into this system over time.
We’re developing a custom procedural road system called DivisionRoads. This system creates biome-specific roads with elevation shifts, smooth curves, and dynamic layout logic. Roads are guaranteed to pass near key POIs to maintain meaningful world flow.
The terrain and vegetation auto-adjust to the road’s path, and we’ve developed modules that allow game objects — signs, power poles, debris, etc. — to be placed seamlessly along roads. The result: endless roads that feel handcrafted and immersive.
Each biome in Nomad Drive features its own procedural vegetation package, tailored to its environment. Our system ensures realistic placement, density, and variety — making every biome feel alive and visually distinct.
Still in early development, our POI spawning system analyzes terrain and player progression to dynamically place POIs throughout the world.
Rather than relying on static spawns, the system uses a weighted algorithm to decide which POI should appear next — making exploration feel organic and non-repetitive. Many POIs are modular, and all are procedurally populated with loot and interactive elements, ensuring a fresh experience every time.
We’re actively working to bring Nomad Drive’s entire gameplay experience into a multiplayer environment.
Our main character design is currently underway, and we can’t wait to introduce you to them — along with core co-op mechanics — in a future devlog.
All of the systems mentioned above are being built with multiplayer support in mind, which presents its own unique challenges. But we’re making steady progress and are excited about what’s to come.
Thanks so much for reading! If you’re as excited as we are, please share Nomad Drive with your friends and help spread the word.
We’ll see you in the next Dev Diary — until then, stay curious and keep exploring!
The Nomad Drive Team