Endnight Games hasn’t been handing out interviews very generously during the development of Sons Of The Forest, so it’s always exciting to hear them answering more of the community’s burning questions. This time around, it’s an interview conducted by r/TheForest team and their Discord moderators (you can join the server here!), and it touches on some interesting questions.
We will offer the highlights for you below, along with the link to the YouTube video featuring these questions and answers.
No Early Access, and DLC Content Planned Post-Launch
Now here’s an exciting bit of news for you: the developers have confirmed that “additional free DLC” will be released post-launch. We don’t know about any paid DLCs or further expansions, but that alone is pretty exciting to hear.
That bit comes with the developers stating that the game will not launch in Early Access — “it will be a complete game at launch, including multiplayer and the full story.” For a lot of players, this is a refreshing promise, since they can bee assured that the game will not release in October still missing some of its important features.
And yet, what will not be in the main game that will need to be released post-launch in the DLC? Something minor, or something the devs know they simply can’t finish in time for the launch?
(As for releasing Sons Of The Forest on other platforms, devs said that they don’t have anything to share about it at this time. While it’s a bit sad to hear for some of the fans, Endnight didn’t say that they don’t have anything in plans for it…)
Important Equipment, No Sanity Meter, New Food System
Hearing devs discuss varieties of clothing and armor, as well as accessories for weapons gives us a major clue about how these items will play into the survival aspect of the game:
Players will be able to choose between different clothing to stay warm or dry, armor to protect themselves, and weapons. If they want improved accuracy on their pistol, they can add a laser sight. Likewise for example, if players want more stealthy gameplay, they can wear hide armor and attach a silencer to their pistol.
Of course, all of this sounds more than familiar to the players of the survival genre, but it’s already telling that you will need clothing to maintain both your body temperature and to shield from rain — in contrast, the Outfits in The Forest did not seem to have had any affect other than changing the appearance of the player’s character. Likewise, guns seem to be a much more integral part of the sequel, along with a variety of accessories to enhance their functionality.
The Food needs and gameplay of the original have also been reworked. In fact, the devs have said that food and cooking “have been completely re-done and we hope to make eating and survival much more immersive.”
However, not all of the elements of The Forest have been improved upon — for example, Endnight decided to completely drop Sanity, since they couldn’t figure out how to make that part of the game interesting for the players.
Larger World, Larger Ambitions, and Upcoming Reveals
Finally, let’s end by discussing the scope of the game at release, as well as what the developers will be sharing with us in the months to come.
First of all, Endnight stated that the world of Sons Of The Forest is four time larger than that of The Forest, and devs have a lot of new tools in store (like the latest Unity Engine and the new Houdini pipeline) to “add a lot more interesting details to the environment,” and “a lot more interesting areas to discover.” It sounds like we also have a lot to look forward to with the new AI and the “building systems.”
Of course, it means that the scope of the development is much more ambitious: there is a reason players wanted to hear about the plans for full release. In the interview, the devs have reassured us that they haven’t had any considerable issues yet, but they also offered this: “we want to make sure we release the best version of the game possible.” For some folks in the community that triggered a worry of yet another delay, but Endnight didn’t sound like there is anything to warrant that with how things have been going.
Not to worry — the developers certainly have plans to keep in touch: they most definitely have plans for the launch trailer, but also “possibly a Multiplayer specific trailer and likely more small video clips and screenshots during the leadup to launch.” So, it sounds like we will hear more and more about the game prior to the October launch. There is hoping that these clips and screenshots will shed more light on the general gameplay and reveal a bit more about all of the exciting new areas in the game.
If you would like to check out the full Q&A, here is the Reddit post featuring the transcription and the link to the original video. What part of the game intrigues you the most so far? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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Mila Grish
Dedicated contributor at EIP Gaming and a part-time collector of books she will never have time to actually read. Jumps on the newest releases just as quickly as on the uncovered dusty collections from the basement. For her, shiny graphics can never be an excuse to not have a polished player experience or an immersive story.
