Sons of the Forest base building makes me happy – but could be a problem for beginners
Sons of the Forest is about to be released on Steam and MeinMMO editor Maik Schneider has paid particular attention to base building. What is so special about it and why beginners don’t necessarily benefit from it, he tells you here.
Finally a new survival title with great potential. My first look at such announcements always goes to the construction system. In the last new survival hit, V Rising, the base construction was unfortunately kept simple – that was due to the iso perspective.
However, Sons of the Forest draws from the full, tries an innovative system and could thus have a great influence on how such games think about base building in the future.
Because I don’t just take 2 tons of wood out of my small fanny pack and throw it on a blueprint. I have to work and put up every wall, every floor, every barricade myself.
A dream for dedicated base builders like me – but maybe also a nightmare for newcomers to the genre who can only get together a square crate.
The Sons of the Forest multiplayer trailer gives a good first look at the build system:
What’s so great about the build system? I haven’t been allowed to lend a hand yet, but I already know the basics from The Forest 1. At that time there were still blueprints, but you had to carry the logs individually to the warehouse.
That was a strong system, also because the tribes didn’t immediately disappear in the event of a breakthrough. Components or smaller elements such as the trunk storage areas flew wildly around when a motivated mutant destroyed a wall.
Sons of the Forest goes one step further. Blueprints seem almost completely a thing of the past. When I want to build a floor, I cut down trees, chop them up vertically and place them next to each other. They connect “magnetically”, as is known from other construction systems.
This allows an unprecedented level of freedom when building a base, because I can tailor the trunks to how I need them. In my head, an imposing log cabin with a winter garden and water access is already being created.
The system will certainly not be quite as “open”. Logs cannot be hacked to any size.
But as soon as it comes to the next material – stones – things might get really exciting. If I can place every single brick as I want, the others are welcome to do the cave tours.
I am then busy building a medieval village complete with a castle and a busy marketplace.
You can find a brief overview of the game in our Sons of the Forest video:
Sons of the Forest is the most anticipated survival game on Steam – All information in 2 minutes
More videos
What are the disadvantages? I’ve been playing survival games for over 10 years and have built unnecessarily large bases in a wide variety of games – ARK, Conan, Rust, Grounded, Raft, 7 Days to Die. The list is really long now.
But before that, Minecraft showed me that it takes a certain amount of experience to not just hammer cuboid structures into the landscape.
Google and a touch of creativity will certainly help, too. But what could be nicer than taking a proud look at your own creation after hours of work?
Even if the building system makes a really good impression, it could pose a certain hurdle for newcomers to the genre.
My recommendation: If you play in co-op, choose a master builder, support him with resources and let him hammer away for a few hours. The first serious mutant attack will show whether it has become something.
Otherwise just start a new base and benefit from the experience gained. We’re also planning smaller build-themed guides once the game is out.
I’m also interested in your first impression of the construction system. What would your dream system look like if you were allowed to design something like this yourself? Is there perhaps already a game that fulfills all your building wishes? Leave me a comment on the topic.
If you are looking for more games with a good building system, then browse our list: 7 MMOs with base building to lose yourself in
Reference-mein-mmo.de
