Petrolia - A Trespasser Inspired Project

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s13n1
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Petrolia - A Trespasser Inspired Project

Post by s13n1 »

Hello everyone, this my first post after lurking here on and off for several years.

I'm prematurely announcing a project i'm working on, in the hope that i can get as much feedback and suggestions early in the development.
Where better to get advice for a Trespasser project then at TresCom?

My project is called Petrolia and it is being developed as a Mod for Crysis.

A lot of you have probably groaned at this point, cause its been tried before but never really gone anywhere.
I think the problem with a lot of projects though, is they shoot themselves in foot Anne-style, by trying to use copyrighted material.
History has proven that if you make an unofficial fan game and you even hint at using copyright material, you will be shut down.
Also, too often people come out guns blazing with really impressive art, levels, screenshots, concept art and flashy websites,
but they don't actually have a plan, just some ideas. I'm kind of the opposite and have a basic website, no flashy screenshots
and no concept art to show off. What i do have though is lots of written documentation, and a clear vision.

I spent a considerable amount of time writing nearly three different stories for the project, that would satisfy both Jurassic Park
fans and Trespasser fans. What was hard, was writing a story that would contain absolutely no references or obvious similarities to
Trespasser and the Jurassic Park franchise. One of the stories i wrote was an epic piece that started with a simple idea that quickly
blew out into a huge, almost over complicated novel. I had intentions to keep things simple, but it got out of hand fast. In the end
though, i wrote something very basic that i feel is the best of the bunch and sets the scene nicely, and it only took about an hour to
write.

I wanted a story that set the game up as simply as Trespasser's intro video did, but take it a little further and introduce a few new
elements to the game. I wanted a human presence on the island, to boost the action now and then, but i didn't want a complicated
reason for them being there. So i have used the idea that animal poachers have found the island, and they are there killing the
dinosaurs. Trespasser's strength has never been its story, there is almost no story and you're mission is simple, get off the island.
I wanted to retain that simplicity, so you're mission is still just to get off the island, but there are now some people with guns.
They're a hardcore African group who have makeshift camps scattered about, which you will encounter now and then. They can be
simply avoided, but you may find they have something you want or they're in an area you want to explore. There is no complicated
story involving them, they're just another obstacle.

I wrote a detailed back story for the island, to explain why there is an abandoned town and remnants of a logging company.
I feel that the environment will be a more interesting place to explore if you have more to discover, and where better then
an abandoned saw mill and a town? There will also be an old port that was used to transport the timber from the island, which
was later adapted and used by the company who are responsible for the dinoaurs on the island. There will also be the facilities
and structures left behind by the company, and the associated infrastructure.

So, whats the story for the dinosaurs and how they got on the island? Well its kind of already know isn't it? That's how i've written
it into the story anyway, that its a bit of an urban myth, that a company created dinosaurs on an island somewhere and the island
has never been found. You're friend receives information about where the island is, and he asks you to come with him to find it and
take photos.

Right now im building the island while i work on art assets. I have lots of art completed already, stuff i made years ago and new stuff
i'm making for the CryEngine.

I'm in the process of getting the Website updated, and transferring as much info as i can there, I recommend you read all you can as
it will paint a clearer picture of the project. Please bear in mind that the site is a work in progress and there could be some errors,
so feel free to point them out.

Anyway, the site is here: http://trespassingpetrolia.wordpress.com/
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Re: Petrolia - A Trespasser Inspired Project

Post by machf »

Interesting... keep it going.
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Re: Petrolia - A Trespasser Inspired Project

Post by LtSten »

Look forward to seeing exactly how this develops... If you complete it, I'm sure it'll be pretty cool.
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Re: Petrolia - A Trespasser Inspired Project

Post by awesome24712 »

Intriguing. Good luck with the poject.
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s13n1
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Re: Petrolia - A Trespasser Inspired Project

Post by s13n1 »

Hi, just a quick update.

I've uploaded some info regarding the island history. It explains why the logging company abandoned the island
and also what is known about the island in more recent times.

I recently changed a lot of this information to exclude any information that was even remotely similar to the story of
Jurassic Park, call me paranoid, but i'm not taking any risks! I would go as far as predicting that if my story made
mention of both genetic research and dinosaurs, it could be reason enough to be shut down.

It would be much appreciated if people could post their thoughts on Trespasser and what it is that makes the game
so special for them. Knowing what other people think the soul of the game is, will help paint a better picture of what
people want.

Thanks.
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Re: Petrolia - A Trespasser Inspired Project

Post by s13n1 »

Hello again.

I've just posted on the CryDev forums advertising for some help.
http://www.crydev.net/viewtopic.php?f=290&t=80585

I'm currently chasing a programmer to help with the project, someone who can implement all the movement and control features outlined on
the Movement & Control page: http://trespassingpetrolia.wordpress.co ... t-control/

Experience with the CryEngine is not a must, but it would obviously help.

It would be great to get some feedback regarding the info i have posted so far and also if people could share their thoughts on Trespasser.
Perhaps someone could point me in the direction of a thread along the lines of "Tell us why you love Trespasser".

Right now i have built about 85% of the islands major geographical features and i've already build areas that replicate scenes from the
movies and from Trespasser.

I have my own vision of what weapons, dino's and level design's to include, but i'd love to hear what you would like to see in a modern
version of Trespasser. What buildings or scenes form the original game or the movies would you like to see?

Thanks.
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Re: Petrolia - A Trespasser Inspired Project

Post by s13n1 »

Hi, just a quick one letting you know i have started a Flickr account to house all project images.

I have uploaded a few WIP shots, so that hopefully people will see this is actually being worked on
and isn't just a written idea.

Hopefully some images will inspire a little more activity and possibly raise the interest of a programmer.

Edit: might help if i post the link.. :D

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trespassingpetrolia/
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