ITR DEV DIARY #1

The Overview

Hello explorers!
In this first entry we’d like to share our general vision for Into the Radius 2, what we’re paying special attention to during development, and what our explorers can expect from their new adventures in the Radius.

Into the Radius had a long and arduous journey. The most important part during its development cycle was the refinement of the game’s concept and gameplay formula, and in a way that was achievable by our team. Into the Radius received many updates over the years. On the one hand, it moved away from its original overly ambitious ideas, but on the other - it became a lot more thought-out, detailed, and whole.

Into the Radius 2 is our next big step in this direction. A chance to significantly evolve what explorers liked about the first game, and to realize certain ideas we couldn’t before. Our main goals with the sequel are to preserve and maintain what made the original special, upgrade its most important gameplay aspects, and deliver a quality way you can enjoy it with your friends.

Now let’s talk about some of the bigger changes coming with Into the Radius 2 that we can already share with you today.

This will be an entirely separate story which unfolds sometime after the events of ITR1. Explorer #61 (the protagonist of the original), regardless of his final decision, had a significant impact on the UNPSC’s research of the Pechorsk anomaly. Our new hero - a different Explorer - will have to tread a similar path, however in brand new locations, and with far greater consequences.

The game will still focus on forays into the Radius, but our explorers can expect new places, dangers, and adventures.

We’re trying to develop ITR2’s locations on a whole new level for us. This includes not only image quality and visual consistency of said locations, but also staying as true as possible to the visuals and conditions of the Baltic city of Pechorsk and it’s surroundings as of 1987 (right before the unexpected appearance of the half-sphere of the Pechorsk anomaly, later named the Radius). The gameplay in these locations will remain the same for the most part, but it’ll be affected by various new factors which we’ll share another time.

The use and treatment of firearms is just as significant in the sequel if not more so. There will be fewer guns than before, however every single one is developed from scratch with high attention to detail, additional animations, sounds, and new customization options which can impact their feel and use.

Equipment management is getting an upgrade as well. Our updated loadout system includes new tactical vests and backpacks. This in turn will let you choose a configuration that better fits your play-style. At the base explorers can expect new options for storing and upgrading equipment, and of course, weapon cleaning.

ITR2 is meant to be a fully fledged single-player experience, but with the option of up to 4 player co-op if you so choose. Co-op mode will have a separate save from single-player, with no cross-progression between the two. It also won’t have any unique content unattainable in single-player. As a matter of fact, our initial internal play-tests show that by keeping the same mechanics and features, the game can play and feel very differently when experienced with someone alongside you, and yet still remain true to an adventure you’re familiar with in the Radius.

We’ve got a long road ahead of us, on which we’ll try our best to meet the expectations of our players and create a worthy sequel to ITR1. In future Dev Diary entries we intend to delve deeper into various aspects of the game. Thank you for your continued support.
See you in the Radius!