Why the foundations snap the way they do

Box foundations, ramps and the rules that keep a base from floating in midair.

Every survival game eventually has to answer one big question: what happens when a player tries to build a mansion on a cliff, held up by a single fence post?

Our answer: nope. Here's why, and how.

First, a small disclaimer

Base building in Ashes of Eden works, but right now it mostly works under the hood. The systems that decide what snaps where, what holds up what, and what falls down are built and running. The menus and buttons to make it feel good are next. So if you imagine us testing it by squinting at debug text and shouting "it SNAPPED," you're not far off.

Why boxes?

We're big fans of the old-school box foundation. Instead of a hundred small pieces you fiddle into place, you start with a solid foundation and build up from there. It's simple to learn and easy to plan, and when your base gets raided, you know exactly which wall let you down.

Every foundation sits on a grid. That grid is your friend: put a foundation next to another and it snaps into line, so your base looks built rather than dropped.

The rules of not floating

1. Everything needs something under it. Walls stand on foundations. Floors sit on walls. A shelter on top of nothing isn't a shelter. It's a magic trick.
2. Ramps connect, they don't levitate. Ramps have to attach to the edge of something real. You can build up a hillside; you can't build a staircase to the moon.
3. Remove the support, lose what's on it. Take out a key piece and anything that depended on it comes down too. This matters a lot when somebody else is doing the removing.
4. The ground gets a vote. Foundations check the slope and terrain below them. Some hills are buildable, and some are just very good at being hills.

Why it matters

Rules like these are what make raiding and defending interesting. If a base can't float, then it has weak points. If it has weak points, you have to think about where you build and how you protect them. That's where the good stories come from.

What's next

Next up is building the interface: placement previews, the "you can't put that there" warnings, and the satisfying little clunk when a piece snaps in. Then the real test: letting playtesters loose on it to find every creative way to break it. We fully expect someone to build something we said was impossible within the first hour.

We can't wait to see what you build. We're a little scared, too.