Development and release
Lead designer and artist Aaron Foster created small game projects and mods in his early years. [11] He studied at the University of Central Lancashire, where he met designer and artist Jemma Hughes. [12] : 1 [13] After graduating in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in game design, Foster taught 3D modeling and creative thinking at the university while also working as a 3D environment artist at Eurocom. [12] : 1, 2 In his spare time, he developed various prototypes and ideas using Unreal Engine, [8] with some eventually becoming the basis for Routine. [14] The game's inspiration stemmed from a desire to combine his childhood passions—science fiction, horror, and the Moon. He also sought to "start pushing the reasons why people interact with a game," believing that games "should mean something more than pressing the right buttons to trigger cutscenes." Routine was influenced by films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), The Andromeda Strain (1971), Silent Running (1972), Alien (1979), and The Thing (1982), and the television series Space: 1999 (1975–1977). [8] [12] : 2 [13] Video game influences included System Shock 2 (1999), White Day: A Labyrinth Named School (2001), and Doom 3 (2004). [15] [16]
In its early stages, Routine lacked enemies or interactive objects. Foster described this version as an atmospheric single-player experience similar to Dear Esther (2012). The project began to evolve with the addition of Hughes and programmer Pete Dissler, [8] whom Foster encountered through the Mod DB website. [13] Their collaboration led to the establishment of Lunar Software in September 2011. [14] Working from a flat in Preston, Lancashire, the team used the living room as their office [13] [17] and hired freelancers for the game's art. [2] The project was initially financed through the team's personal savings. [11] The game's design underwent several revisions throughout its development. [10] Following its re-announcement in June 2022, Lunar Software revealed that development had been previously suspended due to financial constraints and dissatisfaction with the project's direction. After a period of conceptual reassessment and securing a publishing deal with Raw Fury, development resumed. Raw Fury provided additional support for the game's art direction and narrative. [18] [19]
The selection of a lunar base as the setting for Routine stemmed not only from Foster's fascination with the Moon but also from its distance from Earth, its atmosphere of loneliness, and the in-game presence of enemies. The developers believed these aspects combined to make the Moon "a great setting for a horror experience." [9] During development, the base's size was halved as the studio strove for level uniqueness and brevity. [8] [11] The number of endings was also reduced to two, impacting the overall nonlinearity originally intended. [4] [10] The developers decided not to explore the protagonist's personality and backstory to heighten the immersiveness and focus the player's attention on the game's atmosphere and plot. [2]
The inclusion of permadeath was intended to heighten the impact of player actions. Foster explained that he "want[ed] to see if [... permadeath would] force people to care more about their actions rather than running around blindly thinking they can just reload the game." [20] This feature, combined with the first-person perspective and lack of a heads-up display, reflected the developers' aim of maximizing player immersion. [15] [21] Procedural generation was employed to introduce variability to environments and events across playthroughs. [9] [11] However, the team aimed to avoid excessive randomization to preserve the integrity of the storyline. Striking a balance between variety and crafting a tense atmosphere at specific moments presented a significant challenge, according to Foster. [11] Dissler designed the artificial intelligence of the game's enemies to adapt to and react unpredictably to the player's actions, cultivating a "fear of the unknown". [4] [8] The protagonist's primary device, a Cosmonaut Assistance Tool, was conceived early in development. [2] A weapon mode was later incorporated, allowing the player to choose between stealth and direct combat. [4] Foster characterized this as a risk–reward system, noting that its use did not always guarantee a favorable outcome. [6]
Lunar Software began developing Routine using Unreal Engine 3, but later transitioned to Unreal Engine 4. [22] [23] Peter Bottomley, founder and head of White Paper Games, provided support to the developers, including access to more powerful computers for working with the updated engine. [24] Subsequently, the studio opted to move development to Unreal Engine 5. [19] While Lunar Software initially considered PlayStation 4 and Oculus Rift versions of the game, these plans were ultimately abandoned. [4] [25] [26] Routine's visual style, inspired by 1980s retrofuturism, aimed to depict a realistically designed, abandoned lunar base. [27] Foster described it as a "really high-tech [and] sci-fi" environment reflecting decades of human habitation and subsequent decline. [17] The game's soundtrack, composed by Mick Gordon, known for his work on Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014) and Doom (2016), [3] took cues from the 1980s music, as suggested by Foster. However, Gordon wanted to avoid synthesizer clichés found in soundtracks like that of Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (2013). Citing the film The Shining (1980) as an influence, the developers sought to create a more "tangible and low-fi" sound. [4]
Routine was announced in August 2012 at Gamescom with a teaser trailer. [28] Later that year, the project was approved for release on Steam through the platform's Greenlight program. [17] [21] Initially scheduled for a spring 2013 release for Windows and OS X, [29] Routine saw several delays. [30] The studio released an alpha gameplay trailer in June 2013, [31] followed by another teaser in October 2016. [32] Lunar Software suspended development updates in 2017, but confirmed the project's continuation the following year, acknowledging some ongoing challenges. [30] At the Summer Game Fest event in June 2022, Routine was re-announced with another teaser, confirming its release for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The announcement also included the game's availability on Xbox Game Pass upon release. [3]
