Dev Diary: Island Exploration

Hello, survivors. We’re excited to share a new Developer Diary.

Last time, we talked about the basics of UV irradiation, and it seems our survivors have mastered the art of protecting themselves from the burning sun.

Today, we’re diving into the new Island Exploration system introduced in the latest update: why it’s needed, how it works, and what kinds of rewards it brings.

To break it all down, we invited our game designer ZeVS, whom you already know, to answer the team’s questions and shed some light on how this mechanic was created and where it’s headed next.

Hi, ZeVS. Tell us, where did the idea of adding island exploration even come from?

Hi. Honestly, we wanted players to feel a sense of completion, a reward for curiosity, for noticing things, for actually exploring a location instead of just following quest markers. Our game keeps growing and gaining new systems, so it was time to add another layer of depth.
And, of course, we couldn’t ignore the fact that it’s another way to earn important survival resources.

Okay, sounds great. So, how does this mechanic actually work in the game?

When a player selects an island on the map, the interface now shows two important sections.

The first is the Progress Panel, which displays how much of the island you’ve explored. You can scroll through all objectives from left to right.

The second is Exploration Rewards. Here we have resources, consumables, weapons, armor, doubloons, and other items. Basically, everything that might be useful to someone who lives in the ocean against their will.

We also added an overall exploration progress indicator to the world map. It works like an achievement that pushes dedicated players to reach that 100% mark.

You mentioned objectives. What kind of objectives are we talking about?

Each island is now its own small, unique location with its own challenges. Somewhere you’ll need to find a bunker, somewhere else defeat hostile creatures, collect rare resources, or complete a side quest.

Let’s talk about the fun part — the rewards. What do players get and why?

Yeah, we know our players. If the rewards are mediocre, the mechanic dies before it even gets a chance to shine.

That’s why we chose rewards that are actually valuable:

• important resources and consumables,
• weapons, armor, and equipment,
• doubloons (of course),
• decorative items for your raft.

And this is just the beginning. As the game grows, so will the pool of rewards.

Be honest, what was the hardest part of creating this system?

The hardest part was deciding how deep the mechanic should be. We didn’t want to overwhelm newcomers, but we also wanted something engaging for experienced players.

So the process looked like this: we studied player metrics → asked ourselves “what would be the most logical reward here?” → added objectives and rewards → tested → removed something → added something back → tested again.

What do you personally expect from the players’ reaction?

If players start returning to islands not only “because they have to,” but because “there’s still something to find and rewards to earn,” then we know it was worth the effort.

And the traditional final question: will this mechanic continue to evolve?

Absolutely. This is just the beginning. We’ve opened the door, and behind it is a pile of ideas that we’re not ready to reveal just yet.
But in short: there will be more islands, more objectives, and juicier rewards.

We want exploration to become part of the game’s DNA. So that every island feels like a small story, not just a chunk of land you visit for resources.