Road To Vostok: Hardcore Survival, Dedicated Efforts Towards Development

At first sight, Road to Vostok appears to be the perfect video game for those who enjoy the “hardcore survival” subgenre. The game is currently in production and will feature a day-night cycle, weather mechanisms, vehicles, looting, lore, and trading. It will also have a semi-open environment. It will be a difficult but rewarding game, packed to the gills with possibilities to explore real-world locales, wield a broad array of weaponry, and battle to survive in a post-apocalyptic setting where every step is laden with danger. The game will be developed by a company known for creating games that are difficult but rewarding.

It is the product of a single creator whose sole objective is to create “the best hardcore survival game out there.” The construction of the game has been painstakingly and masterfully done. The inventor of Road to Vostok is pouring enthusiasm into this project and sharing every step of the journey with an audience eagerly expecting each new development. The creator has been teaching a series of indie developer masterclasses and has years of experience in the industry.

And I was given the chance to quiz him on a couple of aspects of his performance in the game.

The Road to Vostok Was Already Well-Known Before Production Began

Road to Vostok is consistently ranked among Steam’s most-wanted titles, and it has done so for a significant amount of time. The developer, who goes by the name ‘Antti,’ has gathered a considerable following on social media outlets such as Twitter and YouTube simply by being so honest with what is growing up to be a great undertaking.

I was curious about Antti’s experience as a sole software developer, so I asked him about it. I was met with a response that was both intriguing and informative.

He wrote that “Road to Vostok, and me, as a developer, spent almost a full year in pre-production, which is kind of unusual for indie games since everybody nowadays wants to jump straight into production and doesn’t have the discipline to test and plan things out before actually trying to implement them.” This is because everybody wants to jump straight into production and needs more discipline to test and plan things before trying to implement them.

“This project is indeed ambitious, and it is not “indie-friendly” in the sense that there is no quick or easy way to pull something like this into an enjoyable and replayable early-access state,” He explained that many titles within this sector would fail before completing their promises, which is something that he has promised he will never do.

Antti detailed how he had created over twenty engine tools and production processes specifically for the project. He was a lone developer. Therefore, he established crystal-clear goals and guidelines to oversee his development path properly and used sophisticated project management tools.

He breaks down his procedures in a series of in-depth and well-produced development logs, including the following:

Becoming Someone or Something Different

Antti explained to me that his past experiences put him in a position that was already favorable for the creation of Road to Vostok. Not only is he a fan of survival games, but he also served in the military and is currently teaching visual game design. He has “over ten years of experience” in the game development industry. According to his statements, he has instructed over two hundred pupils to successfully navigate the challenging path of becoming an independent software developers.

He is well aware of the difficulties and potential hazards. He is completely aware of the importance of coming up with something original to be successful in today’s market, which is very competitive. I inquired what measures he was taking to ensure that Road to Vostok could distinguish itself from its rivals because there is a great deal of it.

In recent years, little ingenuity or passion has been put into producing high-quality, realistic survival shooter games. Most independent video games that claim to “bring that to the genre” either fail or go on to other projects. After that, he described how seriously committed he is to making something remarkable with Road to Vostok by basing his entire firm around the game’s production.

“I’m not planning to do any other projects in my career any longer, and my focus and passion are directed towards this one mission and goal: to make the best hardcore survival game,” said the game designer.

I also inquired how Antti thinks about the parallels that have been made that place his game in the same category as games such as Escape from Tarkov. He agreed that fundamental components are common to both games and were developed using Unity. The habitats are comparable on a continental scale, and there is a sufficient basis for drawing parallels to the surface.

On the other hand, he detailed how Road to Vostok will be distinct from Escape from Tarkov.

Road to Vostok aspires to be more like STALKER Anomaly, in which the progression is tied more towards the game setting, and there are elements of permadeath and survival similar to those seen in DayZ. I also want to emphasize player agency through narrative and traditional survival game aspects, such as the ability to build a campfire, prepare food and fish, and manufacture makeshift equipment for yourself.

Antti has made it obvious that there is still a current focus on basic mechanics like shooting and weapon handling, which is the primary reason why comparisons are being drawn aggressively between the two games. There are just no elements necessary for living available at this time.

The Test Will Be in the Playthrough.

I made the most of the opportunity to question Antti on the soon-to-be-released public demo for Road to Vostok, which will deliver “that first gameplay loop experience.” According to Antti, the demo, which is expected to be released in the third quarter of the year 2023, will include the following:

• +100 items
• Weapon modding
• Shelters
• Looting mechanics
• Survival and medical mechanics
• Trading
• 4 – 5 new maps to explore

Again, these maps accurately represent the real world; Antti visited these places to acquire as in-depth an understanding of the geography as possible. He then used components from the real world to flesh out his digital creations. This is one of the ways that Antti differentiates himself from other developers, and his back-to-basics, boots-on-the-ground approach to location scouting is a callback to the fundamental way he approaches software development.

The Way to the Future Via the Road to Vostok

Antti noted that he had plenty of time to learn how to balance his life while running a business and working as a sole developer on such an important project. He said that he had learned how to do this while working on such projects in the past. He was responsible for managing the budget, the programming, the artwork, the design of the studio, and on occasion, the administration of some independent contractors. He must still collaborate with publishers, business partners, or financial backers. The road to Vostok is being constructed solely based on his back and the knowledge gained over the years.

After discussing various topics, I asked Antti about the future of Road to Vostok and what he was most excited to provide.

The atmosphere, environmental narrative, and engaging mechanics are much more important than the tale. Therefore once I get over this core mechanics phase, I will focus on those aspects. The game has yet to develop to the point where it can become engrossed in the setting and gameplay. Despite this, it will get there in the end, and I can’t wait until the game reaches that stage.

You can add Road to Vostok to your wishlist on Steam right now, and you can keep up with Antti’s progress on the game through his YouTube account.