                HEADLIGHT
                //
                ROOTED
                /
                what's next
                
            

Roadmap

— Road to Early Access —

What we're building next. In Progress, Planned, and Completed — vote on what matters most.

Page under rework

This page is still under construction — layout and content will evolve over the coming days.

Recent dev activity auto-updated

today
Started bringing power to Rooted. Soon you will scavenge energy to keep your base alive through the night, and wake things that have been still in the dark for a very long time.
today
Leveled up the weapon audio: dry-fire clicks on an empty mag, multi-stage reloads, and impact sounds that stay clean instead of piling up during sustained fire.
today
Modernized the footstep system onto our own data-driven foundation: footsteps now resolve the surface through the same shared layer as weapon impacts, ready to grow with the open world.
today
Built combat impact feedback to last at open-world scale: one shared surface layer feeds footsteps and hits alike, so new surfaces drop in from data without touching gameplay code.
yesterday
Crowd control arrived: grenades blow groups apart and molotovs carpet the ground in fire, both dealing damage that falls off from the center.

by Headlight Studio

UI/UX

Roadmap rework

Ongoing rework of the public roadmap to live natively on rootedthegame.com — clickable cards, in-page vote modal, and polished layout aligned with the rest of the site.

In Progress 11

Inventory and Medical Journal

Bringing two focused player screens — inventory for gear and weight, medical journal for wounds, diseases, and afflictions — kept separate so each one stays clean instead of becoming a god menu.

In Progress 3

Building & Crafting

Salvage and Scrap Recovery

Tearing apart everyday objects from before the collapse: dismantle items on the spot, recover their components, and watch your hands-on skills sharpen with every wrench turn.

In Progress 3

Strip and Reclaim Any Building

Tearing apart the furniture, clutter, and debris left inside any pre-collapse house or apartment, then refitting the cleared interior with your own crafting stations, storage, and defenses.

In Progress 5

Workbench Tiers and Guides

Leveling up workbenches with tier progression, salvage, repair, and exclusive blueprint guides — every craft a co-op partner runs contributes to the shared workshop level.

In Progress 3

Clothing & Equipment

Modular Backpacks and Patches

Bringing in swappable backpacks with their own capacity, weapon socket layouts, and cosmetic patches — drop one to switch loadouts, loot it off downed players in coop.

In Progress 4

Weapon Holstering and Stowage

Adding visible weapon holstering — rifles ride your pack, sidearms and melee sit on your body, and a quick toggle draws or stows each one so your loadout reads at a glance.

In Progress 0

Technical & Optimization

First-Class Mod Support

Layering in first-class mod support across the whole codebase rather than treating it as a bolted-on afterthought, so when the doors open at Early Access the foundation is already there for ambitious community projects.

In Progress 3

World, POIs & Assets

Procedural Building Generator

Standing up a procedural generator that scatters varied cabins, farmhouses, hangars, and outposts across the world - every structure uniquely shaped yet authored to feel hand-placed and worth approaching.

In Progress 5

Biome-Driven Open World

Standing up the biome framework that anchors every region of the open world, giving each zone its own resource mix, weather behavior, and enemy presence — the foundation for biome-specific content.

In Progress 4

Ultra Dynamic Sky Conversion

Porting Ultra Dynamic Sky to full C++ so the engine drives clouds, storms, and sunsets straight from the world clock — wildlife, ambient sound, and survival mechanics all read from one authoritative weather layer.

In Progress 1

Procedural City Streets

Laying down the road network that gives the ruined city its shape — generating streets, intersections, and the blocks between them procedurally, the groundwork the buildings and districts will fill in next.

In Progress 1

Hunting & Fishing

Wildlife Behavior Foundation

Standing up the core wildlife layer that hunting, fishing, and skinning all ride on — perception, awareness states, and reactive behaviors scaled per-player so the world stays lively at any range.

In Progress 3

Exploration & Travel

Drone Modular Components

Adding swappable hull, rotor, optics, and battery modules under the drone system so each player tailors their drone for recon, combat, or transport, with wear and tear tracked per component.

In Progress 0

Unified Vehicle Framework

Standing up a single tuning surface for every vehicle in the game — boats, ground transport, and future aircraft all share damage, fuel, and handling models, ready for new vehicle types as the world grows.

In Progress 1

Combat & Weapons

Adaptive Reticle

Standing up an adaptive reticle that morphs across every situation — bare hands, melee, firearm spread, build snap, drone optics — appearing exactly when it's useful and stepping aside the rest of the time.

In Progress 1

Shoulder Swap and Body Mirroring

Bringing in shoulder swapping that shifts the camera across and mirrors the upper body with it, sliding the support hand to the other side so peeking left or right always feels natural.

In Progress 0

Enemy Factions and AI

Standing up the hostile NPC layer — corporate enforcers, antidote-bound infected, and rival survivors, each with its own group behavior and threat response, filling the ruins with reasons to fight or flee.

In Progress 1

Audio & Music

Living Soundscape System

Deepening the ambient audio into a living, reactive layer — silence ripples after gunshots, bird chorus dawns at sunrise, low health dulls the high frequencies, and every biome breathes its own sound.

In Progress 1

Multiplayer & Communication

Broadcast Network

Wiring up a world-spanning radio layer where speakers carry the dead civilization's voice — tune frequencies to catch looping propaganda and automated alerts, or hijack the airwaves for private co-op comms.

In Progress 1

Character & Animation

Smart Adaptive Camera

Building a smart camera that reads its surroundings — pulling in close as you step indoors, tightening over the shoulder while you aim, and easing back out in the open so the view always frames the action.

In Progress 0

Survival Mechanics

Sleep and Rest System

Adding sleep and rest — bed down on the ground, in a vehicle, a tent, or a bed to skip the night, beat back fatigue, and set where the group respawns, with everyone agreeing before time skips in co-op.

In Progress 1

Hunting & Fishing

Hostile Animals with Attack Behavior

Hostile animals with attack behavior

Planned 8

Fishing Rod Mechanics

Fishing rod mechanics

Planned 5

Animal Skinning and Butchering

Animal skinning and butchering

Planned 7

Passive Animal with Fear Behavior

Passive animals with fear mechanics

Planned 7

Combat & Weapons

Firearm System Development

Development of the firearm system

Planned 8

Melee Combat System

Hand-to-hand combat system

Planned 7

World, POIs & Assets

Starter Island - Survivor House

Survivor house (starter island)

Planned 1

Lakes of Various Sizes

Lakes of different sizes with ecosystems

Planned 16

Aggressive Storm Events

Violent storm events

Planned 23

Survival Mechanics

Clothing Temperature Protection

Thermal protection of clothing

Planned 11

Flora Sustenance System

Flora-based sustenance system

Planned 15

Body Temperature Regulation

Body temperature regulation

Planned 5

Disease and Illness System

Disease system

Planned 4

Campfire Cooking Grill

Cooking grill for campfire

Planned 6

Multiplayer & Communication

Trade System

Trading system

Planned 10

Character & Animation

Locomotion System Rework

Complete overhaul of the movement system

Planned 47

Throw Items

Throw objects

Planned 23

Building & Crafting

Tier 1 Greenhouse

Planned 10

Blueprint Discovery System

Blueprint discovery system

Planned 8

Exploration & Travel

Rowboat for Lake Travel

Rowboat for lake navigation

Planned 4

World, POIs & Assets

Monastery POI

Point of Interest: Monastery

Completed 1

Military Modular Props

Modular military props

Completed 1

Modular Luxury Forest Cabin Pack

Luxury forest cabin pack

Completed 6

Military Hospital

Military hospital

Completed 1

Church Blocking

Church blockout

Completed 1

Military Tents

Military tents

Completed 1

Modular Rustic Haven Pack

Rustic shelter pack

Completed 6

Starter Island - Outdoor Environment

Outdoor environment of the starting island

Completed 2

Mechanic Room Props

Mechanic workshop props

Completed 1

Church Props

Church props

Completed 2

Communication Tower

Communication tower

Completed 2

Starter Island - Yoga Studio Garden

Yoga studio garden (starting island)

Completed 1

Catacombs Blockout

Catacombs blockout

Completed 1

Flyers Generator

Flyer generator

Completed 1

Generic Materials

Reusable generic materials

Completed 1

Starter Island

Starting island

Completed 1

Catacombs Props

Catacombs props

Completed 1

Monastery's Kitchen

Monastery kitchen

Completed 1

Library Props

Library props

Completed 1

Underground Bunker

Underground bunker

Completed 7

Monastery Secondary Rooms

Secondary rooms of the monastery

Completed 1

Dynamic Weather and Day/Night Cycle

Day/night cycle and dynamic weather

Completed 1

Lakeside Cabin

Cabin by the lake

Completed 6

Monastery Post Apocalyptic Layer

Post-apocalyptic layer of the monastery

Completed 1

Communication Tower Exterior

Communication tower exterior

Completed 1

Enviro. Design - Monastery Exterior

Environmental Design - Monastery Exterior

Completed 1

Communication Tower Interiors

Communication tower interiors

Completed 1

Military Hospital Structure

Military hospital structure

Completed 1

Design and Modeling of Tiers 1 A

Design and modeling of Tiers 1 A

Completed 1

Military Hospital Laboratory Props

Military hospital laboratory props

Completed 1

Tier 1.B Construction Creation

Creation of Tier 1.B constructions

Completed 1

The Mansion

Completed 6

Modular Gas Station Pack

Modular gas station pack

Completed 5

Character & Animation

Modular and Character Customization

Modular character customization system

Completed 1

Female Characters Integration

Integration of playable female characters

Completed 3

Character Locomotion Overhaul

Locomotion system overhaul

Completed 1

1st Motion Capture Recording Session

First motion capture session

Completed 2

2nd Motion Capture Recording Session

Second motion capture session

Completed 3

Mutable and Character Customization

Modular character customization system

Completed 1

Survival Mechanics

Character Rest/Sleep System

Rest and sleep system

Completed 1

Campfire with Cooking

Campfire with cooking system

Completed 2

Player Rest/Sleep System

Rest and sleep system

Completed 1

Building & Crafting

Tier 1 - Box Planter

Rectangular planting box

Completed 3

Barrel Planter

Planting barrel

Completed 7

Composter

Composting station

Completed 8

Irrigation System

Automatic irrigation system

Completed 7

Tier 1 - Monitoring System

Crop monitoring system

Completed 3

Procedural Wall Generator

Procedural wall generator

Completed 1

Rain Collector

Rainwater collector

Completed 7

Procedural Fence Generator

Procedural fence generator

Completed 1

Foundation Build System

Basic modular construction system

Completed 1

Mechanical Workbench

Advanced mechanical workbench

Completed 1

Salvaging System

Recovery and dismantling system

Completed 1

Natural Resource Farming System

Natural resource farming system

Completed 10

Combat & Weapons

Bolt Action Rifle with Scopes

Bolt action rifle with scopes

Completed 7

M4A1 Weapon Integration

M4A1 Integration

Completed 8

Scope x4 & x8

x4 and x8 rifle scopes

Completed 5

Multiplayer & Communication

Steam & Epic Online Services connection overhaul

Full rework of the platform sign-in flow, session handling, and account linking across Steam and Epic Online Services.

Completed 0

Core Multiplayer System - Steam

Basic Steam multiplayer architecture

Completed 4

UI/UX

Public roadmap on rootedthegame.com

A dedicated roadmap page is now part of the official site, giving full visibility on what's shipped, in progress, and planned for Early Access.

Completed 0

In-game patch notes browser

Patch notes UI fully reworked — readable history of what changed in each build, browsable inside the game and ready for the Early Access cadence.

Completed 0

In-game news feed

News feed inside the main menu reworked for the Early Access window so studio updates reach players without leaving the game.

Completed 0

In-game credits screen

Credits screen rebuilt from the ground up — full team credits browsable in-game, ready for the Early Access release.

Completed 0

Streamlined alpha NDA sign-in

NDA sign-in is now fully in-game — read, accept, and get into the Early Access build without leaving the title screen.

Completed 0

Notifications System

Notifications system

Completed 1

Full Controller Support

Complete controller support

Completed 1

Technical & Optimization

One-click in-game bug reports

Bug reporting flow fully reworked: one click submits screenshot, log and context straight to our triage dashboard. Ready for Early Access feedback at scale.

Completed 0