Rootbound - News - Devlog January 2026 | eprison.de

[p]Hey everyone! 2026 is now almost a month old and has greeted us here in Germany with quite a lot of snow. And what could be better in weather like this than building a snowman, then snuggling into a blanket, and working on your dream game? ????[/p][p]What we can report on:[/p]

[p]Too linear… or too open?[/p][/*]
[p]Let it burn![/p][/*]
[p]How to optimize open levels?[/p][/*]
[p]Into the swamp[/p][/*]

???? Too linear… or too open?

[p]In the months leading up to Gamescom, we focused primarily on our demo. We wanted to use it to test how we can best introduce players to the concept of Rootbound. The positive feedback on-site and during playtests on our Discord showed us that we have found a good way to do this.[/p][p]Due to the relatively short playtime of the demo, however, we were not able to feature some systems to the extent we would have liked. These were primarily the effects of the day-night cycle and the dangers associated with the night. The many tutorials at the beginning also ensured that the demo was a rather linear experience. For the finished game, we plan to design the levels to be more open, giving players more freedom to discover the world and solve puzzles in their own unique way.[/p][p]We already tested the systems and open levels at the beginning of last year and found them to be good; however, these levels still lacked player guidance and interesting rewards for exploring the world. We therefore decided to build a new area that combines the player guidance and gameplay feel of the demo with the open world and a motivating day-night system.[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/45534013/404ff4f80b808f1b98707eb91d543b5efb2529f3.png"][/img][/p][p]This area showed us that our systems work without players losing track of the world. Additionally, we were able to set the day-night system so that the coming night is not frustrating, but the player is still tempted to explore the world at night as well. At the same time, we found ways to guide players through the world without the areas becoming too "tubular." We are now certain that we are on the right track![/p][p][/p]

???? Let it burn!

[p]But of course, we haven't just focused on old systems; we've also ventured into a topic we've had in mind for a long time: fire! We decided on dynamic fire, loosely based on the fire from good old Far Cry 2: the fire spreads dynamically without immediately triggering a major forest fire. Oh, and what beautiful forest fires we had until we got this system set up properly![/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/45534013/f8e526c8b796c03523a008d650d57e8ce50757aa.gif"][/img][/p][p]But of course, the fire shouldn't just cause chaos and destruction. It should also serve the player as a tool for puzzles, combat, and also for exploring the world![/p][p]Fire plays a central role in the new area. Protect your backpack Nimo from the fire (or take advantage of it to let him do what you want ????), set your enemies on fire, and burn your way through the thicket left behind by the mysterious cultists![/p][p][/p]

???? Optimizing open levels

[p]A completely open world, as we would like to have it, certainly presents a major technical challenge – especially in a game with so many physics objects like ours! One logical possibility is to divide the areas into separate levels and have loading zones between these levels. An option we will certainly use.[/p][p]Nevertheless, we want to offer the player large open areas to explore. Our new area showed, however, that performance can quickly suffer as a result. That's why we decided to divide the open world into different segments.[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/45534013/d6cdade3f89d195a152041432b757c660e847678.jpg"][/img][/p][p]The segmentation of the world allows us to load only the segments in the game that the player is near (green areas). In the red areas, the objects remain loaded, but physics is switched off here. All areas outside the red area are far enough away from the player that they can be unloaded.[/p][p]This segmentation ensures that significantly fewer objects are loaded in the game at the same time, which has a direct and strong impact on the performance of the game. An important step for the optimization of the game has thus been taken.[/p][p][/p]

???? Into the swamp

[p]To wrap things up, here’s a look at a new biome we’re currently working on. It will lead the player and their faithful backpack companion on their journey through the "Dread Marshes." Here is a first glimpse of what these could look like (Note that this is very much a work in progress).[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/45534013/71817dc2d27d949fbdba75ddc6bc9bafaa72bf9c.png"][/img] [/p]

???? Thanks!

[p]Thank you very much for your support and interest in what we are currently doing. Do you have any wishes for us? Would you like to learn more about us or specific parts of the development of Rootbound? Don't be shy and just write to us! You can reach us in many different ways:[/p][p][/p][p]???? Website:[/p][p]https://www.brainlag-games.com/[/p][p]???? Twitter: brainlaggames[/p][p]???? Threads: @brainlaggames[/p][p]???? Instagram: brainlaggames [/p][p]???? TikTok: brainlaggames[/p][p]???? Discord: Rootbound [/p][p][/p][p]And Yoshi wants to say thank you too! ????[/p][p][/p][p][img src="https://clan.akamai.steamstatic.com/images/45534013/bd707b2aa9f6339401599c9cce23681f82f178bc.jpg"][/img][/p][p]Thank you guys and until the next update![/p][p]Markus[/p]

News Liste Rootbound

???? Too linear… or too open?

???? Let it burn!

???? Optimizing open levels

???? Into the swamp

???? Thanks!

Aktuelle Steam News
Neue Steam News in der ePrison Datenbank

News Liste Rootbound

???? Too linear… or too open?

???? Let it burn!

???? Optimizing open levels

???? Into the swamp

???? Thanks!

Aktuelle Steam NewsNeue Steam News in der ePrison Datenbank

Aktuelle Steam News
Neue Steam News in der ePrison Datenbank