- Do you see that? Here, take the binoculars and see for yourself. Something significant is emerging on the horizon; perhaps a crane? We absolutely must investigate; it could be an ancient construction site where we discover steel beams to fortify the bridge. Perhaps someone lives there, and together, we can lend each other a hand. Regardless, this world must not remain unexplored. -



Expeditions were the first feature added to Endzone 1 during Early Access. This time, we have chosen to integrate expeditions more prominently into the gameplay and incorporate them as a more relevant mechanic. For this reason, we have not only decided to make expeditions available from the start of Early Access but have also completely overhauled and expanded the entire system.



Expeditions in Endzone 1 served as a means for us to incorporate the expansive map as a playable area and to conceal various player progress elements, such as seeds or research materials. However, our primary focus was on a text-based experience. The difficulty of expeditions was already addressed by optimally meeting the requirements for the expedition.
In contrast, in Endzone 2, expeditions seamlessly integrate into the current gameplay and can now be played with a classic real-time strategy (RTS) control scheme. Ruins are explored with playable settlers, puzzles must be solved, and even backtracking to the city-builder part of the game by bringing essential resources from one's own settlements to further progress in ruins, is now possible and important.






With the new game mechanics introduced within expeditions, we enhance the experience and exploratory nature. Loot must be independently discovered, uncovered, and packed. Interaction with the ruin, its environment, and possibly even other encountered characters is intended to make expeditions more immersive.





Expeditions primarily provide players with the opportunity to explore the wastelands and gather essential resources. However, with Endzone 2, expeditions have become indispensable for ensuring progress in one's own settlements. As described in a previous blog post, the map is divided into three sectors, separated by a wide, impassable river. New sectors can only be travelled to and explored if the bridge dividing the two sectors is repaired. This repair can be achieved by completing and advancing in expeditions. New sectors offer access to resources that are not present within the initial sector, making the construction of new buildings impossible without exploration and progression through expeditions.





Resource mines are special ruins where expeditions can be conducted. Upon completion of the expedition, this ruin becomes a permanent resource mine. It is possible to gather resources at these mines at all times that cannot otherwise be extracted in a particular settlement or sector or may be entirely absent in some zones. Having access to these mines establishes a stable basic supply and is sometimes immediately relevant for progress.





As discussed in another blog post, traders make a return in Endzone 2. Interacting with traders is also possible through expeditions. Some traders have settled in the wastelands and require an expedition to their headquarters for subsequent trading. Exchanging resources with traders, whose inventory regularly changes, allows you to obtain rare items that are otherwise difficult or impossible to acquire.

• Expeditions can be initiated and started right at the beginning of the game. However, you have to be mindful to not have your settlers you’ll start with in your vehicle excessively consuming crucial resources like food and water, as this can make the starting conditions much more challenging.
  
• Ruins can be approached and entered at any time with a vehicle, and they can be exited and played from the ongoing game session.
  
• Different vehicles may be suitable for various expeditions, as resource slots differ depending on the size of the vehicle, for example.
  
• Upon completing an expedition, the discovered loot can be transferred to the available slots of the vehicle, and the player exits the "sandbox."
  
• Resources must be transported back to a zone with the vehicle and handed over to the zone's inventory via the landing stage.

Expeditions are currently being pushed forward most prominently. For the Early Access phase, our focus is on a few, but qualitatively and comprehensively designed expeditions that are essential to the core loop. The entire team is working on this feature in the current sprint, allowing us to assess the scope for Early Access at the end of the month.
Expectations for the Early Access

Currently, we anticipate enabling the three components of expeditions outlined in the "Streamlined progress in Endzone 2" section for Early Access. This means that some ruins available on the map at the start of Early Access will have their expedition feature only enabled as the Early Access progresses. Furthermore, we are keeping additional gameplay mechanics within the scope of expeditions open, which can still be added and expanded upon during the Early Access phase.



We want to ensure that the work already invested in the significant expansion of the expedition system is optimally utilized. While we can only develop a limited number of features and their scope until Early Access, we already have our sights set on the initial steps after completing our plan. Even though it's challenging to assess how expeditions feel without hands-on experience, we would like to invite you once again to provide feedback. Share your ideas, impressions, and also any wishes regarding the expedition system and its integration into the game. This is the only way we can ensure a proper assessment of the full potential of this feature. Experience has shown that among all the ideas, there are always some on which we can base the future game design.



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

We'd like to give a shoutout to 125.000 friends & fans who already wishlisted Endzone 2 and are following our journey since we announced the title in August. Thank you, you are awesome!




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- In our relentless journey for survival, innovation isn't a luxury but a lifeline, urging us to wholeheartedly embrace trial and error as the very essence of progress. It's in this uncharted territory that we learn—only by daring to try, refine, and try again can we hope to thrive amidst the unforgiving realities of this world. -

Prototyping is a vital step that nearly every system and feature we create must undergo. Creating a prototype allows for faster iteration and early testing. It's not confined solely to Gameplay; we've employed it numerous times for our Foliage system, Expeditions, Look Development for Endzone 2, and more.

Prototypes also aid in focusing on our vision. Sometimes, a concept appears better on paper but doesn't translate well when put into action. To avoid falling into this trap, we emphasize experimenting with fewer limits to see if a feature fits and can be executed. This approach, especially in the case of Expeditions, was among the earliest prototypes we developed alongside the rest of EZ2's development.

We recognized that overhauling and enhancing the expeditions represented our primary goal. Early on, we opted for direct control of settlers during expeditions to counteract the dialogue-heavy and text-adventure gameplay of EZ1. Since we weren't sure if directly controlling settlers and solving puzzles would be enjoyable, prototyping Expeditions at the start of development was crucial.

We began with "white boxing," a term for placing non-textured and non-game-ready blocks to outline low-level design and grasp dimensions and gameplay. Testing with these basic elements allowed our game and content designers to iterate on playability while our artists simultaneously worked on the visuals, gradually replacing them until the finished mesh made its way into the game.


Very early white box of the construction site

Mid-Development state of the construction site

Final Implementation in the game

In addition to gameplay, visual prototyping is always essential. Initially, we develop concepts, some of which we've already shared:

Early concepts of plateaus with fog in the valley to conceal the Badlands.

Early concept of the Badlands, previously referred to as the "Intermediate Area.

After conceptualizing, it was crucial to translate them into 3D to gauge scale, color, and materials in-engine. To accomplish this, we created a Look Development project specifically focused on refining the vision of the Badlands, keeping certain design principles in mind, such as the area once being flooded, a river dividing the environment, distinct foliage and colors compared to the plateaus, and displaying a dry version to prototype the drought visuals.



Another early prototype we tackled was a procedural overgrowth and destruction effect for our assets. We needed a highly performant solution for altering any mesh, and employing a shader offered the best control over the look and resources used, applicable to any mesh.



For a detailed breakdown of the vehicles in Endzone, check out our ⁠Developer Blog Post - The Badlands, Map Generation & Vehicles. However, as it was our first time introducing movable and controllable units, prototyping for the vehicles was necessary to facilitate early iteration.

Since realistic feedback on the suspension of the vehicles was crucial, we implemented the movement and animation of the wheels into a compute shader.



Addition to the Look Development Segment:

Badlands Look Development in the moist or default state

Badlands Look Development in the drought state

A special thanks to our intern Timo, whose remarkable work focused on developing the prototypes for the expedition, overgrowth, and destruction. Amazing work, Timo!

In conclusion, relying on prototypes isn't just beneficial for starting new systems, gameplay, and visuals; it's crucial for ongoing iteration and testing. Even in the advanced stages of development, we continue creating and iterating prototypes while transitioning existing ones into the final game. This often necessitates a complete refactor or rebuild, but basing it on a prototype accelerates the process and ensure all design decisions embed well into each other and complement the whole game.

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Survivors!

This year has been a wild ride so far. So many things happened. Especially the summer months came around the corner with lots of surprises. And today, the Steam Awards are kicking off and we'd be extremely happy if you vote for us in the Labor of Love category to show that Endzone is a lasting experience showing the love for the support and new stuff Endzone received over the years. We've put so much effort, sweat & heart into Endzone (1+2), thus your vote means a lot to us.

Just to do a quick recap of what happened throughout this year. Keeping a close eye on last summer.

Back then, we released an update which added new decorations for free and some fixes, just to celebrate your ongoing community support and admiration for Endzone. In the meantime, we've been cooking something new while also working on some Endzone 1 stuff for you.

Then, August came and with it our big announcement of Endzone 2 and an accompanying new update for Endzone 1.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/933820/view/3676678039679692216
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/933820/view/3676678039675815480

We're still super thrilled and excited about your support and discussions about Endzone 2 and how different it's gonna be compared to Endzone 1. We can't be more happy to have the whole Endzone community being with us on this wild bus ride up to release.

We can't wait to show you more of Endzone 2 in the coming weeks and months.

Thank you for your support, everyone!
The Gentlymad Team


And don't forget to wishlist Endzone 2 (if you haven't already)!

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

- The days are growing brighter, thank the heavens. To know that at any moment, a new catastrophe could strike is truly harrowing, but, with time, it also numbs the soul. What's paramount is that we push forward, and when I gaze upon this settlement, we've indeed constructed something magnificent. -

Designing buildings for Endzone is a complex undertaking. Numerous factors must be considered in advance, and this requires careful planning. Our primary objectives when creating new buildings are:

• recognisable shapes
  
• effective colour coding
  
• seamless integration into the surrounding environment

This ensures that the buildings stand out at a distance without appearing detached.

To achieve this, we organise buildings by their subsequent use in our gameplay, categorising and visually sorting them. In Endzone 1, buildings involved in water mechanics were coloured blue and given the Tarpaulin texture. Similarly, structures linked to food production or processing had a reddish colour code.



We have implemented this method in Endzone 2, but with more attention paid to design principles as we learned the challenges of finding buildings in Endzone 1 as settlements grew. We followed the design principle that each building should be a self-contained system, visibly distinct from the surrounding street and neighbouring buildings. This approach minimises complexity in larger cities and logistics, which were significant factors in gameplay for Endzone 1. However, it also reinforces the grid-like appearance, which serves as the foundation of the technical aspect of Endzone.



Endzone 2 introduces progressive building stages, allowing for visual advancements upon upgrading to a higher tier. Unlike in Endzone 1, this mechanic is now incorporated beforehand in all buildings' technical and resource progression. An example of how this works can be seen below.



In the initial state, referred to as Tier 1, buildings adopt a patchwork appearance that is familiar to most of you from Endzone 1. The design principle dictates that people inhabiting the world after the nuclear fallout use all the materials they can possibly find. Scrap, loose parts, and a lot of wood are used to construct a building just sturdy enough to stand on its own and withstand the environmental conditions. The scrappy look can be found in any building at the Tier 1 stage. The second Tier upgrade for the Acre building introduces new resources available to the player at this stage of progression. Wood is replaced by stone and bricks, corrugated sheets are replaced by actual metal roof panels, and occasionally new walkable and accessible layers for settlers are introduced.



These design guidelines allow for a subtle but noticeable change in the structure and prosperity of your settlement as you naturally progress through the game. It also helps to distinguish more easily which materials or resources are processed in that building or what other uses it has. For example, the Wood Cutter only has a Tier 1 stage and, since it produces a very basic and early available resource, it will remain in that stage.



Another approach we took was to place the buildings off-grid, making their placement more organic. In Endzone 1, each building was designed to match the grid and sometimes even be relatively square or rectangular in shape, but we intentionally broke away from that look. This allows for a much more organic appearance and helps buildings blend better into their surroundings.

We also implemented a new colour-coding system for the roofing of all buildings to make it easier to organise and identify your settlement from a distance.

• Raw production buildings use dark blue.
  
• Food production buildings use orange.
  
• Housings use red.
  
• Water buildings use light blue.
  
• Industrial buildings use black.

Since we are still experimenting with the best layout and distribution, we implemented a workflow that allows us to adjust the colours of certain materials on the fly, enabling us to create unlimited variations of buildings if needed.



Another layer of readability is introduced by displaying the resource processed in each building. Our modular workflow also allows us to dynamically change the displayed resource, depending on what you choose to process. This is very convenient for farming buildings like the Acre or the Plantation but is ultimately helpful for any kind of building, telling a story and showcasing the work that is carried out there. This layer is also accompanied by the so-called "Set Dressing," which can be manually done in-engine with our very own library of assets. Using this approach, we can create a variety of the same building with a different layout and distribution of dynamic elements.



On top of that, we have created a custom tool that allows us to paint the texture and foliage that correspond to each building individually. Using this, we can incorporate the building much more smoothly into the existing world and ensure it blends well with the environment it is placed in.



There is much more we are working on to make each building stand out while still remaining homogeneous and fitting well into the world of Endzone. To give you a glimpse of what is still under production, we will shortly mention a dynamic shading system that allows buildings to have an overgrown appearance and also blend in with mud. In addition, we are exploring procedurally damaging and altering the appearance of buildings, depending on how much they were affected by sandstorms or general destruction. We also aim to implement effects like fire, smoke, and carefully designed settler animations that show interaction with the world and each other. If you are interested in that, I suggest you read our latest blog post: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2144640/view/5711185603040607420

Here you can see, how the Iron Caster Building has a fairly elongated but narrow Ground Plane. Showing the grid as visual guidance shows, how it only appears to carry the logical and technical components, while being visually independent and incorporating non-grid-like shapes.




Last but not least, we want to say thank you for already 10.000 followers for Endzone 2. I hope these detailed insights give you a good climpse of what we're cooking and what Endzone 2 will be about. Keep the comments, feedback and support coming - it's fantastic. Thank you!




https://store.steampowered.com/app/2144640/Endzone_2?snr=2_groups_partnerevents_

Survivors!

We are thrilled to announce that our Kickstarter campaign for Endzone 2 has come to a successful end! Thanks to your incredible support, we nearly doubled our initial goal of 30,000€, raising over 58,000€!



Thank you very much for your trust and your support!

We know you're excited to receive your rewards - and we're just as excited to deliver them to you. Currently we are in the process of setting up the PledgeManager, where you will be able to finalize your pledges, select add-ons and confirm your shipping details.

Please keep an eye on your inbox for an invitation to the PledgeManager, we aim to launch it in the upcoming weeks!

Once again, your overwhelming support and kind words are highly appreciated!

The Teams @
Gentlymad Studios & Assemble Entertainment


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

Fellow Survivors!

You made it!! The second Stretch Goal has just been unlocked and provides you with even more Expeditions! As you might already know, the Expeditions feature has been completely overhauled in Endzone 2!



The next Stretch Goal at 60k € extends the games soundtrack by adding even more tracks!



On top, the 75k € Stretch Goal has just been revealed. With this, the so-called Zone Items will be introduced in Endzone 2. These are collectible items that can be acquired through side missions or expeditions to enhance your settlements.



We can't thank you enough for your ongoing support for Endzone 2! And there are only 48h left for the campaign. Let's see where we'll end up.

So, stay tuned and keep spreading the word about our campaign!!

The Teams @ Gentlymad Studios & Assemble Entertainment



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

- In this unforgiving world, we - the people - are the backbone of our survival. Our unique strengths, from scavenging to farming, are what keep our settlement alive. But each of us confronts the ever-present threats of diseases, relentless radiation, and the unforgiving natural environment, as we strive to secure a future for our community. Only together will we prevail. -




The process of creating a settler involves meeting specific criteria, such as using a low-poly mesh and minimizing the number of bones for animation. Despite these constraints we try to enhance the details on a settler’s mesh. Unlike in Endzone 1, settlers will have fingers and even a nose tip this time. Well, it seems like now they even have to withstand the smells of a post-apocalyptic world.


- First version of our new mesh on the right and the old one from Endzone 1 on the left.

Later in the game a lot of your settlers will be visible at the same time when viewing your settlements from a distance. This is where Level of Detail (LOD) comes into play. We’ll create different versions of a settler model each with further reduced mesh resolution. We do this until we reach a very abstract version. It doesn’t really have to look like a settler anymore as the player won’t identify it from a distance.

- Increasing LOD-Levels from left to right, reducing the overall polycount with increasing distance of the camera

At one point we’ll bring the settler to life through initial animations like the walk cycle. These tests are made before putting a texture on the settler to check if the mesh deforms correctly when animated and to do small adjustments to the mesh. If we would change the mesh after it was already textured it might require recreating the texture.



To make our settler look nice, he gets a new coat of paint. To make sure that our artist can paint the model correctly, there is a first test. Step by step we’ll move towards the final result.



In order to make our settlers look more diverse, we give them different accessories, which we distribute as needed or randomly. For example, these can be different hair types, hats or tools.



Of course, all this only comes together once our settlers inhabit our city. Our settlers have to perform various tasks, such as transporting resources or fishing. From time to time they also hold a short chat in the settlement's center.



What do you think settlers should do in their leisure time? Should they visit a campfire to warm themselves up or would you prefer your settlers to have no leisure time at all? Let us know in the comments below!



https://store.steampowered.com/app/2144640/Endzone_2?snr=2_groups_partnerevents_

🚀 Next Stop: Stretch Goals!

With the initial funding goal achieved, we're looking at the first two Stretch Goals:

• At €40k, the Challenges feature will be unlocked for Endzone 2.

• At €50k, 10 additional ruins will be added to the overhauled Expedition feature for Endzone 2.

Keep the support coming - let's make Endzone 2 even bigger! Back us now and share the good news!

The thankful teams @
Gentlymad Studios
Assemble Entertainment

- I've seen my fair share of wrecked places, but this one is different. It reminds me of a book from when I was a kid – stories my grandpa told about the Grand Canyon, with its huge plateaus and cliffs. Even though we're nowhere near America, something big must've hit here. Lots of rainfall probably turned this area into a dangerous swamp over the last century.
The place feels strange, and I'm not ready to trust it. We need to reach higher ground, one of those plateaus in the distance. The surroundings seem like they're holding their breath, like something's about to happen. We've got to be smart about every step we take. Climbing up to a plateau should give us a better view and maybe some safety. The rocks and water know their own stories, but we're the ones who have to decide what happens next. -

The Badlands, characterized by toxic swamps, is a remnant of the massive flood and natural disasters depicted in Endzone - A World Apart. The Badlands, now consisting of only a few rivers, remains largely unexplored, inhospitable, and harbors numerous undiscovered dangers.



Conversely, the habitable territories boast untouched flora and fauna, providing an environment where life can flourish.



The Badlands constitute the region that lies between the habitable territories. We differentiate between these areas based on the fact that settlements can only be established on plateaus. Unlike habitable territories where structures like Watertowers or a Tree Nursery can be constructed, in the Badlands, you can re-establish certain ruins to function as Trading Post later on. Furthermore, settlers can embark on expeditions to explore diverse new ruins. A thoroughly revamped system enables you to engage with the world more deeply, as you directly assume control of your explorers during these expeditions. Certain structures might still be functional, offering resources to support your settlements.




The Badlands, and correspondingly, the habitable territories, are divided into three sectors. To gain access to these sectors, you need to restore the connection points that enable river crossings. Although you can actively choose where to initiate your first settlement by driving your bus across the Badlands within the first sector, the other sectors will become available as you progress in the game.



Similar to Endzone - A World Apart, the world is scattered with a multitude of ruins, many of which can now be discovered, looted, and utilized to generate resources beyond your settlement. While the Badlands present an expansive and perilous landscape, understanding your surroundings can prove extremely valuable and necessary. Initially shrouded in a dense fog, the Badlands gradually unveil themselves as you uncover certain locations.



Moreover, forging trading routes and discovering trading posts operated by familiar and cherished characters necessitates traversing the Badlands. To prepare for a variety of situations, a range of trusty vehicles like the iconic bus from Endzone - A World Apart will be at your disposal, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. We'll delve further into the topic of vehicles in the upcoming weeks, so be sure to keep an eye out.
Introducing the new Map Generation, you also have the freedom to establish a settlement on another habitable territory as your sphere of influence expands. Load your vehicles with the required resources and a group of settlers to kickstart the building process. Then, venture into the Badlands, cross the river, and begin a new settlement on a distinct plateau. This settlement will possess its own inventory, resources, and workforce.




- The sight is truly breathtaking. Mountains never really called my name, but living down there doesn't sit right with me either. It's hard to believe how the landscape changes as you follow the slope – a polluted, swampy, almost lifeless terrain giving way to paradise. Let's hope this plateau offers a better life than what we've known. From what I can tell, there are similar structures around here, and maybe other groups have gone through what we have. Let’s hope there are other settlements that found their way and made it through the Badlands unharmed. -

The zones in Endzone 2 constitute the inhabitable area where you can establish your settlements. A zone is defined as being situated on an elevated plateau, accessible from the Badlands via ramps. Zones differ from the rest of the map in that typical buildings like the Forester, the Watertower, or the Lead Caster be constructed. The Badlands, on the other hand, mostly retain the role of hosting expeditions and dangerous encounters. Each zone looks different from one another and may possess lakes, mountains, as well as various resource deposits. It's quite possible that a zone is not self-sustainable and needs to be supplied with basic resources from other sources.
But what determines the shape and composition of a zone? We have developed a dedicated terrain generation system that allows us to easily design and generate new zones. Just as straightforward as it sounds, it is also implemented in practice: We use a proprietary tool to define the boundaries and shape of a zone using color codes.

We use red to sketch how our zone should look. With blue, we define where water can be found. Using green, we control the distribution and generation of mountains. Furthermore, we establish the locations of forests and scrap, the types of soil present on the zone, as well as where and how the access to the plateaus, i.e., the ramp, appears.

The whole process looks something like this:





Once all the settings have been configured, we save the preset and set our terrain generator, which we've built in World Machine, to run automatically and generate the corresponding data for us. The zone is also automatically updated in our engine and can be further edited. This allows us to dynamically determine whether, where, and how many resource slots, such as those for copper or iron, should be placed, as well as ruin sets that you are already familiar with from Endzone 1. This can include power plants, small individual towns, and much more.



The best thing about this workflow and its simplicity, however, is that it is compatible with Modding. We are already planning and developing with the anticipation of possibly enabling every player to access our tools and create their own plateaus to be played in the game.




I wouldn't dare to traverse the Badlands on foot. Our mechanics truly outdid themselves with the Pathfinder. It now rumbles on the final drops of fuel salvaged from the depths of Endzone, offering us only a fleeting journey. We can only pray that we'll reach that distant Plateau, several kilometers to the north, before the last vestiges of gasoline vanish. The prospect of hauling all our precious cargo across this muddied expanse without a proper vehicle is a grim one, indeed.

In Endzone 2, we are bringing to life a feature that many of you have eagerly requested: vehicles! These vehicles will play a significant role in Endzone 2 right from the start of a new game.



Let's talk about the simulation of our vehicles. Our aim is to create an authentic look and feel. This involves ensuring that vehicles navigate terrain as realistically as possible, taking smooth turns, and accelerating and decelerating just as you would expect from a vehicle. However, we also understand that the simulation should not hinder gameplay, so we are continuously refining it. There will be some compromises along the way. Here, you can see early tests focused on achieving a satisfying driving experience.

For the first time in Endzone, vehicles will introduce actively controllable units. You can select one or more vehicles and send them to any location with a simple right-click. However, vehicles are designed to exclusively operate in the Badlands to avoid conflicting with the core gameplay of the Plateaus. After all, driving a fast and agile buggy through muddy, swampy wasteland is much more fun than being stuck in traffic within a settlement, right?



In Endzone 2, you'll have access to various vehicle types, each with unique characteristics. Currently, we are testing attributes like speed, inventory capacity, combat strength, and damage points.
For instance, the fast buggy is excellent for exploring new areas but is not well-equipped for defense and can't carry much. In a pinch, it can transport a bit of water or food from one place to another. We are planning additional vehicle types to enrich the gameplay further.

You'll be able to manufacture vehicles in specific production chains within Plateaus. To do this, you'll first need to find the necessary vehicle blueprints, which can be discovered on expeditions, purchased from traders, or obtained through missions.



The most important question of course is: What do I need vehicles for anyways?
A new session in Endzone 2 begins with the familiar bus from Endzone 1, also known as the "Pathfinder". There will be only one Pathfinder in a play session. Right at the beginning, you'll discover one of the most crucial uses of vehicles: transporting settlers and resources to unlock new zones.
An important note: When you load settlers into a vehicle, they consume water and food from its inventory. If none is available, the loaded settlers will die. Nonetheless, you'll need settlers to unlock zones and possibly transport them to those already unlocked. So, be mindful of your actions and routes for the well-being of your settlers. And don’t worry, a vehicle itself can always be controlled, even without settlers in its inventory.

Since you won't use them for this purpose regularly, you can employ vehicles for various other tasks. You can assign them to trade routes to automatically transport resources between zones, send them to traders to purchase new goods or overcome resource shortages, or send them to interesting locations on the map for expeditions.



Finally, they should also be able to defend against raider vehicles that may attack your trade routes and, potentially, your zones. We are approaching the design of this feature with utmost care, as raiders are expected to be significantly improved over Endzone 1. So everything regarding this feature is subject to change.



Last but not least…
To address a few specific questions:

What about the hot air balloons from Endzone 1?
We haven't forgotten about the fantastic hot air balloons you know from our DLC, Distance Places. Whether they will make an appearance in Endzone 2 is uncertain. We want to keep our options open and introduce them at the right moment for an improved gaming experience.

Can vehicles leave the map?
No, that is not currently planned. Vehicles will move around the Badlands, playing a vital role in the gameplay there.

Do vehicles need to be fueled?
We currently have no plans to introduce such a mechanic, as we believe it could lead to frustration and unnecessary complexity in gameplay





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