A young, standalone birch tree overlooks the Finnish uplands and a lookout tower in the distance.

Developer Diary: Choosing Reserve Locations

June 13, 2022


Howdy Hunters,

It’s me again: Troy Schram, Lead Designer on theHunter: Call of the Wild.

Today we are going to talk about the upcoming reserve, Revontuli Coast, and what went into the decision-making when choosing Finland as a Reserve location.

The generic PR response of ‘there are many reasons and considerations when determining what reserve location we choose’ is very likely not what you want to hear, despite how true it may be. With that said, let’s see if we can dig a little deeper into the specifics of choosing Finland and how we got there.

 

No hat-trick this time

“Yay, not another North American map!”. It’s true, we lean heavily on North American locations. Our two most recent reserves are located there. We are conscious of this, so when it became time to look at candidates for a ‘bird-focused’ reserve that would make use of the highly requested waterfowl rework, we immediately scratched all such candidates from the list despite their ideal regions.

 

Near and dear to the team

Knowing we would very likely be doing a reserve located in Europe, we dipped into our folder of previous candidates; anytime we create a reserve, there is always a decision between multiple locations. This usually leaves us with a surplus of pitches for locations that we would like to do, but don’t. All the way back in 2020, someone had seeded the idea for Finland. Dusting that pitch off, we started researching the animal roster further with an eye toward the bird selection.

 

So many feathers

We knew with the waterfowl rework being a key attraction that we wanted the roster to be heavily weighted for waterfowl, like upwards of 40%. With that in mind, we looked at Finland and generated a long list of 22 bird species that are hunted in that region – 15 of which were ducks and geese. To maximize the sheer amount of content we wanted to include in this release, we had to get creative and work as efficiently as possible. Out of the total 19 species chosen, 12 are birds.

 

Don’t get too wet

When it came to the overall design of Revontuli Coast, we wanted to capture the archipelago feel of Finland with lots of interconnected islands on coastal shores. Knowing that we launched Mississippi Acres Preserve without enough water-crossing opportunities, we made sure it would not be an issue this time around. Players can utilize boats and shallow water-crossings to easily get to their preferred hunting spots on this reserve. Speaking of which, there are multiple opportunities where several bird species occupy the same area or island throughout Revontuli Coast. Bird hunters are going to be able to set up and have a variety of prey without needing to move constantly. Utilizing the new water layout blind, callers, and decoys, players can get out into the water and hunt waterfowl like never before.

We look forward to players meeting the new warden and exploring all the unique landmarks that are inspired by Finnish culture, history, and geography.

 

Welcome to Revontuli Coast!