In the previous post, I covered what Drone Sector includes at its Early Access launch. This time, I want to look further ahead and share my current plans for the game.
This roadmap is not a fixed production schedule. Priorities may change based on player feedback, technical challenges and what the game needs most. Some of the longer-term features are still early ideas, and their exact design may change substantially before development begins.
Immediately after launch, the main priority will be fixing bugs, improving balance and performance, and addressing the most important issues raised by players. Alongside that work, I want to begin expanding the game with new units, maps and ways to play.
Since drafting this roadmap, a lot of Early Access feedback has already come in. I have released two quick hotfixes addressing balance issues and bugs, and that kind of work will continue to take priority where necessary. Pathfinding and ground-unit movement improvements are also among the clearest early requests.
The biggest change to the roadmap is vehicle mounting and dismounting. It has been one of the most requested features so far, so I currently expect to pull it forward ahead of the other major additions listed here. The roadmap image was prepared before this change, which is why the feature still appears under mid-term. The exact design still needs more work, but I intend to start tackling it much earlier than originally planned.
I want to expand the vehicle selection in two directions: adding entirely new vehicles and creating more weapon variants for the vehicles already in the game.
For example, the current APC lineup could be expanded with grenade launchers, anti-tank or anti-air missile tubes, and perhaps even a minigun variant.
Beyond variants, I also want to add new vehicle types. A main battle tank is the one I am most looking forward to. Tanks introduce an interesting technical and gameplay challenge because they can carry several independently aimed weapons. The main cannon should prioritize enemy vehicles, while smaller machine guns or launchers on top could engage infantry or other nearby threats at the same time.
An earlier version of the Drone Sector Demo included a leaderboard, but it quickly became stale. The top positions were established early, and new players had little chance of competing with them.
The structure of the game has also changed since then. Career mode allows players to build up their strength over time, while sandbox mode lets them create missions with widely different settings. Neither mode provides a fair foundation for a global leaderboard.
The solution I am considering is a rotating challenge mission in which everyone receives the same map, objectives, randomization seed, weapons and squad loadouts. It would work similarly to the latest demo missions: start the challenge and enter the battlefield immediately, with everyone competing under the same conditions.
The goal is to rotate the challenge every week, although some challenges may remain active for longer while the system is being established. Each challenge could have its own leaderboard, with previous results stored in a challenge history.
Some parts still need to be worked out, particularly how to distribute new challenges reliably and how past leaderboards should be displayed. The simplest initial approach may be to include a new challenge with regular game updates.
I also want to add several new maps in the nearer future.
I do not plan to rush into mass-producing maps immediately after launch. Improvements to the game’s core systems, balance and usability will usually have a greater effect than simply increasing the map count. However, new environments and battlefield layouts are still an important part of keeping missions varied.
Community feedback will help determine what kinds of maps are added next.
Right now, player-controlled squads are expendable and completely free to replace. Protecting them does not feel as important as it should.
I want squad damage and losses to have consequences between missions. Repairing damaged vehicles, treating wounded soldiers and replacing lost personnel should consume resources. A full squad wipe should be a meaningful setback rather than something that is automatically undone after returning to the career screen.
Games such as XCOM: Enemy Unknown are an obvious source of inspiration, although I am not planning to turn Drone Sector into a full character-management game. The main goal is to make the survival of your squads matter and give players a stronger reason to extract them safely.
A possible additional layer is ammunition management for ground squads. They might require their own ammunition supplies or even compete for some of the same ammunition used by the gunship. That idea still needs more thought.
Squad stances are a fairly standard feature in most RTS games, but I need to think more about how they should work in Drone Sector. Sometimes I want squads to prioritize cover and survival. In other situations, I may want them to hold fire.
This would be similar to the squad stance system, and I may even merge the two. Sometimes you know a path is safe and want your squads to move as quickly as possible, even if it leaves them more vulnerable. In a more dangerous area, you would want them to advance carefully.
This has been one of the most frequently requested features, and it is something I have wanted to add for a long time. It is also more complicated than it initially appears, both in terms of code and game design.
One possible direction is for each squad to have its own assigned vehicle. A standard infantry squad could arrive with a truck, while a smaller specialist team might use a light and fast vehicle. Mounting and dismounting could then behave almost like switching between two states of the same squad.
Another option is to allow infantry squads to enter separate transport vehicles on the battlefield. This is more flexible, but it creates additional questions. How should the player clearly order a squad to enter a vehicle rather than move beside it? What happens if only part of the squad fits? Would a transport vehicle occupy one of the limited squad slots?
I have not committed to either design yet. The feature needs to be useful enough to justify its complexity and clear enough that it does not make squad controls frustrating.
The game currently has rifle squads and anti-tank soldiers. I want to expand that list considerably and give infantry more distinct battlefield roles.
Possible additions include:
• Grenadiers, fairly straightforward. Maybe I would add a system where they fire at enemies they cannot directly see, allowing them to attack targets behind cover and partly suppress them.
• Medics could heal infantry squads. They might also boost nearby defenses or improve troop effectiveness with some form of futuristic medicine.
• Engineers, basically medics for vehicle squads. Demolition charges would make sense for them too, although I would have to figure out how to make their use work well.
• Marksmen, better for long-range engagements.
• CQB troops, better for close-range engagements.
• Snipers need more planning. Overall, I am thinking they could have practically unlimited range, making it useful to drop them off on top of a distant hill.
• Spotters also need more planning. Some players have requested the ability for ground troops to laser-designate enemy vehicles. Spotters could fill that role: basically a sniper-like support unit against vehicles, paired with you dropping missiles onto their targets. They could also improve the accuracy of your ground troops, especially the anti-tank ones.
And I'd also want to improve the overall infantry behavior code.
Many Drone Sector maps take place around industrial facilities, fuel infrastructure and other potentially dangerous environments. I would like destruction in those areas to sometimes change the battlefield itself.
Destroying a chemical container could release toxic gas and temporarily block an area unless troops have suitable protection. Radiation, intense heat and open fires could create other dangerous zones that infantry and vehicles must avoid.
Environmental conditions could also affect the gunship. On an extremely hot battlefield, the terrain and structures might appear almost as warm as the soldiers moving across them, making thermal vision less reliable. Smoke, fire and industrial emissions could interfere with visibility in other ways.
The main development challenge is making ground units understand these hazards, react to them correctly and find safe routes without walking into them.
I see helicopters as fast, low-altitude battlefield units rather than conventional high-flying aircraft.
Scout helicopters could give enemy troops information about your ground movements. Transport helicopters could deploy reinforcements or quick-reaction forces. Attack helicopters could move around the battlefield and engage ground units while remaining difficult for your gunship to hit.
Their low altitude and speed would create a very different type of threat. Direct-fire weapons might struggle to track them, while airburst ammunition or other specialized weapons could become useful counters.
Ingmar