Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
Extremely large worlds with a lot of life and movement, as well as massive constructions by players that are visible from miles away – all without fully taxing the servers. In addition, the charming graphics, plenty of survival elements, exploration, and dynamic AI factions.
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
More and more projects are being created in Unreal Engine 5, and Under A Rock has the potential to define this new graphics generation for the survival genre for the first time.
Developer and producer Thorbjørn Olsen is absolutely thrilled by the possibilities of the new technology.
Extremely large worlds with a lot of life and movement, as well as massive constructions by players that are visible from miles away – all without fully taxing the servers. In addition, the charming graphics, plenty of survival elements, exploration, and dynamic AI factions.
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
More and more projects are being created in Unreal Engine 5, and Under A Rock has the potential to define this new graphics generation for the survival genre for the first time.
Developer and producer Thorbjørn Olsen is absolutely thrilled by the possibilities of the new technology.
Extremely large worlds with a lot of life and movement, as well as massive constructions by players that are visible from miles away – all without fully taxing the servers. In addition, the charming graphics, plenty of survival elements, exploration, and dynamic AI factions.
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
More and more projects are being created in Unreal Engine 5, and Under A Rock has the potential to define this new graphics generation for the survival genre for the first time.
Developer and producer Thorbjørn Olsen is absolutely thrilled by the possibilities of the new technology.
Extremely large worlds with a lot of life and movement, as well as massive constructions by players that are visible from miles away – all without fully taxing the servers. In addition, the charming graphics, plenty of survival elements, exploration, and dynamic AI factions.
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
Extremely large worlds with a lot of life and movement, as well as massive constructions by players that are visible from miles away – all without fully taxing the servers. In addition, the charming graphics, plenty of survival elements, exploration, and dynamic AI factions.
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
More and more projects are being created in Unreal Engine 5, and Under A Rock has the potential to define this new graphics generation for the survival genre for the first time.
Developer and producer Thorbjørn Olsen is absolutely thrilled by the possibilities of the new technology.
Extremely large worlds with a lot of life and movement, as well as massive constructions by players that are visible from miles away – all without fully taxing the servers. In addition, the charming graphics, plenty of survival elements, exploration, and dynamic AI factions.
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
Extremely large worlds with a lot of life and movement, as well as massive constructions by players that are visible from miles away – all without fully taxing the servers. In addition, the charming graphics, plenty of survival elements, exploration, and dynamic AI factions.
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
More and more projects are being created in Unreal Engine 5, and Under A Rock has the potential to define this new graphics generation for the survival genre for the first time.
Developer and producer Thorbjørn Olsen is absolutely thrilled by the possibilities of the new technology.
Extremely large worlds with a lot of life and movement, as well as massive constructions by players that are visible from miles away – all without fully taxing the servers. In addition, the charming graphics, plenty of survival elements, exploration, and dynamic AI factions.
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
Extremely large worlds with a lot of life and movement, as well as massive constructions by players that are visible from miles away – all without fully taxing the servers. In addition, the charming graphics, plenty of survival elements, exploration, and dynamic AI factions.
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
More and more projects are being created in Unreal Engine 5, and Under A Rock has the potential to define this new graphics generation for the survival genre for the first time.
Developer and producer Thorbjørn Olsen is absolutely thrilled by the possibilities of the new technology.
Extremely large worlds with a lot of life and movement, as well as massive constructions by players that are visible from miles away – all without fully taxing the servers. In addition, the charming graphics, plenty of survival elements, exploration, and dynamic AI factions.
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
Extremely large worlds with a lot of life and movement, as well as massive constructions by players that are visible from miles away – all without fully taxing the servers. In addition, the charming graphics, plenty of survival elements, exploration, and dynamic AI factions.
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
More and more projects are being created in Unreal Engine 5, and Under A Rock has the potential to define this new graphics generation for the survival genre for the first time.
Developer and producer Thorbjørn Olsen is absolutely thrilled by the possibilities of the new technology.
Extremely large worlds with a lot of life and movement, as well as massive constructions by players that are visible from miles away – all without fully taxing the servers. In addition, the charming graphics, plenty of survival elements, exploration, and dynamic AI factions.
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
Under A Rock is a new survival game in Unreal Engine 5 and is set to be released on Steam and for PlayStation and Xbox. A release date is not yet foreseeable, but MeinMMO has already spoken to the developers about the title and sees a lot of potential. As part of our theme week “Find Your Next Game”, we want to introduce you to Under A Rock.
A 60-second trailer without crazy content, actually just a short demonstration of the world – that was all it took to recognize the potential lying in Under A Rock.
What was seen was a paradise world, vivid colors of blooming flora, surrounded by the green of an endless jungle. Then an endless desert, burning hot, with mountains rising in the background – the urge to explore awakens.
Houses are recognizable, built from palm leaves and tropical woods. A whole village that also immediately sparks my imagination… initial blueprints are already forming in my mind.
The survival game Under A Rock immediately captivated me. I did not expect that when I saw the trailer for the first time with sleepy eyes at the start of my shift:
I spoke with one of the developers about the project, Thorbjørn Olsen, and he also said in the interview: “We didn’t expect this attention […] The feedback blew us away.” After all, at that time, there were only 2 videos with a total runtime of 2 minutes.
For our “FYNG” theme week, I talked with Thorbjørn about what vision the small 5-person team from Nordic Trolls has for the game, the enrichment the Unreal Engine 5 brings for open worlds, and why the survival hit Valheim is one of the role models for the game.
The worlds in Under A Rock are completely randomly generated.
Endless exploration, huge worlds and vibrant AI
What kind of game is Under A Rock? Here we can expect a pure survival title that offers coop and PvP, but also aims to make solo adventures enjoyable. Standard games allow for up to 10 players, but servers can also be created with many more players.
A main feature is the large, procedurally generated worlds. When you start a game, the world is created anew for you – with a size of about 64 km². Similar in size to 8,900 soccer fields, the world of Far Cry 5, or the Erangel and Miramar maps from PUBG (via youtube.com).
Also away from the large, unknown world, ready for expansive exploration tours, the game offers many survival elements:
Day-night cycle – It gets dangerous in the dark
Diseases – They exist, but Thorbjørn didn’t want to reveal anything yet
Base building – Unreal Engine 5 allows for unnecessarily large bases
Crafting – New resources provide better equipment
Food – Gives you buffs for faster progress
Action combat – Heavy and light strikes, dodges, blocking, parrying
A strange curse – Something is not right with this world
Death – You lose your backpack but not your toolbelt
PvP and PvE – The server admin decides
When is the release of Under A Rock? There is no concrete release plan for the new survival game yet. Alpha testing phases are planned as soon as the Nordic Trolls team is convinced that there is enough content in the game for a test. Early access on Steam is also planned.
If you want to participate in early test phases of Under A Rock, join the game’s Discord server and check regularly – you can sign up as soon as the developers announce an alpha test: Under A Rock Discord.
In addition to the huge worlds, there is also a focus on different AI factions that are meant to provide a lively atmosphere – apart from tasty game and intrusive monsters.
Thorbjørn explained to me what makes the world in Under A Rock unique and why the AI factions are so important for the game. By the way, on Twitter, he regularly shows what progress the team is making:
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Unreal Engine 5 allows for huge worlds and ridiculously large player bases
What is special about the world of Under A Rock? I want to start with the technical aspect because Under A Rock is being created in Unreal Engine 5. With the powerful tool “Nanite”, you can do almost revolutionary things.
Thorbjørn says you can build ridiculously large bases. The way the Nanite tool calculates the world allows for huge constructions without overloading the server’s performance too much.
The transition from Unreal Engine 4 to UE5 has greatly helped in this aspect, thanks to Nanite. […] You can build absolutely impressive bases, pack in tons of things – decorations, random items, whatever. As long as it’s based on Nanite, your performance won’t be compromised. That’s pretty amazing. Nanite gives you an initial performance hit, due to the way it renders things. But afterwards, everything runs smoothly. Just keep building.
Tree houses are also part of the plans for Under A Rock. Additionally, your constructions can already be seen from miles away on the horizon. The widespread “popping” of map elements when approaching bases should no longer be an issue:
Player bases can be seen from a great distance.
The inspiration for the large worlds with a random factor was Valheim: “Thank you Valheim for inspiring us to do it ourselves,” Thorbjørn praises the Viking adventure. Using “seed codes”, you can also share your worlds.
From a story perspective, we are explorers in the 18th century and our hot air balloon accidentally took us exactly where we wanted to go. A foreign world with strange beings, valuable artifacts, and a mystical secret.
In terms of story, that’s about it. There’s something going on with the Dodos, but Thorbjørn didn’t want to reveal more about it. Additionally, we can send artifacts and local creatures back home, a sort of collection and progress task.
Something is up with the Dodos, I sense something bad.
The world is set to feature many biomes – from dense jungles to peculiar mushroom landscapes to scorching deserts and underwater biomes. Different types of caves will also vie for your attention.
Exploration is paramount, and the procedurally generated worlds ensure that no world is like another. 64 km² of undiscovered land.
There’s always something new to discover, a fresh view of the world that never presents the same perspective and aims to surprise you again and again – be it with a fantastic view or huge crab creatures.
Tonight we have seafood!
AI factions bring life to the large world
How will AI factions provide variety? Another unpredictability factor is brought into play by the factions. So far, Thorbjørn only wanted to tell me about the Neanderthals, but there are expected to be more “intelligent” factions later on.
The factions do their own thing on the map, generally acting independently of you.
You can interact with the factions, making them your friends and nice neighbors. Or you can directly distribute slaps and spear thrusts to take their resources. Of course, not without provoking a counterattack.
For a “raid”, however, the factions must first discover you. The AI is not supposed to cheat – if they don’t know where your base is, they cannot initiate a raid.
If you’re not careful, the Neanderthals may follow you after a visit and check how you’ve set up on the island.
Artwork of the Neanderthals in Under A Rock.
Even if you behaved nicely towards them, a raid can still occur. Thorbjørn briefly brought the Neanderthal out for this:
Uhhh, you live here in a beautiful spot, have all these cool things, so many resources – let’s take that, it’s now ours.
Thus, there can always be attacks, and Neanderthals are not exactly known for their diplomatic approach.
There isn’t a real diplomacy system for complicated negotiation rounds over territorial disputes, but certain interaction options like gifts – or simply war.
If a destructive attack on your base occurs, which destroys large parts, Under A Rock offers an innovative rebuilding system. Your base remains as a sort of blueprint, and you only need to gather resources for the reconstruction.
The Dodos are not a faction of their own, but they can also cause stress if you steal too many of their eggs. Although I don’t know much about the birds yet, I already have a healthy respect for them. And a bit of hunger.
More pictures of the randomly generated worlds.
Complex combat system rounds it all off
Does PvP fit into the concept? Player versus player combat also has its place in Under A Rock.
Self-created player servers are primarily designed for 10 players, already a decent number for PvP. However, with an “experimental mode,” unlimited players can be added – if the hardware allows. Additionally, rent-able servers are planned through external providers.
Larger servers are therefore conceivable and desired by the developers, animated by many players who can deliver exciting skirmishes.
At night, nasty monsters come out – optimal for an attack?
The combat system definitely has the potential for this and relies on an endurance mechanic.
When attacking, you have access to light and heavy attacks, which can be charged for more damage. Different weapons provide variety in attack patterns. Currently planned are:
Sword
Axe
Knife
Hammer
Spear
Unarmed combat
Bow
For defense, blocking or parrying is possible – both actions can be executed “perfectly”, which costs less stamina. However, if you take too many hits while blocking, it can knock you out – “stability” is also a factor.
In addition, there is a dodge roll that allows you to gain some distance and become invulnerable for a moment.
The day before our interview, Thorbjørn and his team tried their PvP system for the first time and “had a lot of fun with it”.
In PvP, it remains to be seen whether Under A Rock can create lasting motivation, but the combat system is unlikely to be a shortcoming.
Conclusion: A (potential) dream for builders and explorers
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
Extremely large worlds with a lot of life and movement, as well as massive constructions by players that are visible from miles away – all without fully taxing the servers. In addition, the charming graphics, plenty of survival elements, exploration, and dynamic AI factions.
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
Maik Schneider Freelance author at MeinMMO
More and more projects are being created in Unreal Engine 5, and Under A Rock has the potential to define this new graphics generation for the survival genre for the first time.
Developer and producer Thorbjørn Olsen is absolutely thrilled by the possibilities of the new technology.
Extremely large worlds with a lot of life and movement, as well as massive constructions by players that are visible from miles away – all without fully taxing the servers. In addition, the charming graphics, plenty of survival elements, exploration, and dynamic AI factions.
Under A Rock is still in early development. Much will change, and some ambitious plans may not come to fruition. But currently, I am very excited about the game and will keep an eye on the development.
The team from the indie studio Nordic Trolls has already proven that they can finish games. With Karnage Chronicles, there is an action RPG from the small studio for VR fans on Steam.
Leave me your opinion on Under A Rock and discuss the potential with me. Do you also see a rough diamond or rather a piece of old coal? Write it in the comments.
