By Andrew Dodson on May 16, 2014 at 4:00pm
Everyone knows that humans and dinosaurs were separated on this planet by millions and millions of years, and that fact is really lame.
At least, that is what I assume was going through the heads of the developers at SuperCrit when they first started tossing around the idea for "The Stomping Land."
In "The Stomping Land," the player takes control of a primitive native - a simple caveman guy, and you basically go camping on a nice little island. Also, there are dinosaurs. The game is an action-packed survival game where, in order to survive on this island, you must hunt the only game available - dinosaurs. Of course, being the caveman that you are, that hunting-game is a two-way street, and a lot of dinosaurs will see the player as their next meal. The humans must work together, build traps, and learn from their experiences in order to make it to the top of the food chain.
The game has some definitely RPG-like elements - the longer your character stays alive, the more skills and "expertise" they can develop to help themselves and their tribe survive. As a tribe grows, their camps can become more complex which provides other benefits. Oh, and a point that a lot of people may deem the most important factor of the game: You can ride the dinosaurs. Get enough expertise, use the carrot instead of the stick and you may find yourself riding around on a gallimimus, lassoing other dinosaurs...or poor saps that don't have their dinosaur mount yet.
After a very successful Kickstarter campaign and about a year of development, "The Stomping Land" is due on on Steam at the end of May. Player Theory managed to get a hold of Lee Fisk, the "public relationsaurus" for SuperCrit and ask him a few questions about the game.
Player Theory: First of all, lets talk about the Kickstarter. You achieved your goal last summer, blasting by your original $20k goal and hitting almost $115k. That is an awesome turnout. Is that something you were expecting? Looking back now, is there anything you would have done differently with the Kickstarter? Anything that didn't work or worked better than expected? With Kickstarter becoming more and more a respected medium for indie developers to get their games made, do you have any advice for them before they start their own Kickstarter?
Lee Fisk: I wish I could elaborate more on this, but I joined the team after the Kickstarter, so I can't offer much I'm afraid. I do know that the Kickstarter making it to the front page of reddit on day one was huge for it. I'm still not quite sure who the OP was.
PT: Cooperation is obviously a big part of the game, but human nature is tricky. Do you think player vs. player skirmishes will end up being a big thing in the game? Should players be as afraid of other players as they are of the T-rex?
LF: Yes, skirmishes should be a big thing unless the island is filled with altruistic pacifist vegetarians. Players will be competing for the dinosaurs that yield heavy meat, as well as for the healing herbs found in caves. There are other secrets found in the caves as well. With high risk comes high reward.
PT: How big is the island (how long would it take to walk from one side to the other)? Will the island be something that changes from game to game?
LF: I wish I had an exact square miles/kilometers to give you, because I'm not sure exactly. It certainly feels big. There is a lot to explore. The map is not procedural though. For now, it's one island, Capa Island, with plans to have multiple map choices further down the line. There are plans for a map editor so players can make their own maps, as well.
PT: The dinosaurs I've seen so far are gorgeous and sound wonderful. Are there going to be any more additions to the current dino-roster that you can hint at? Recently, you've revealed that players will be able to swim in the ocean and spear fish. Should we expect to find anything lurking in the deep?
LF: In addition to the 15 confirmed? No. We haven't revealed the 15th dinosaur, and we're still leaving it as a surprise for now. Down the line, the option of adding additional dinos is always an option. We'll see. Oh, the Parahelicoprion will ruin your day if you're not careful underwater.
PT: On the topic of the dino-roster, it must have been hard choosing which dinosaurs to add to the game. What were the criteria you had when making your selection?
LF: Each dinosaur covers a "type" of dinosaur. For example, the Quetzalcoatlus is our flying dinosaur, the Parahelicoprion is our water threat, the Ankylosaurus the armored one, etc.
PT: Will there be dinosaurs in different life-stages? Could a player come toe-to-toe with a juvenile T-rex that might be able to maneuver easier? Will there be babies or eggs that the dinosaurs will be more aggressively-defensive over?
LF: Baby dinosaurs are not planned.
PT: Will characters remain in the game when players log off (like in Rust when character are "asleep" when the player is offline)?
LF: Currently, no "sleepers on" in The Stomping Land. When players log off, they log off. They can't server jump though. So, their expertise will not transverse between servers.
PT: As far as a the weather goes, will players mostly see temperature-tropical kind of weather? Or will there be areas with snowfall? Do you foresee any weather being particularly dangerous to the players or, on the flip side, give them an edge while hunting?
LF: Capa Island is a deciduous forest island with a couple of rivers, a volcano and some caves. When it rains, vision is reduced. Other effects of weather like, for example exposure/hypothermia, are not currently planned.
PT: What is the best dinosaur?
LF: I've always been partial to the Ankylosaurus. Even as a kid.
"The Stomping Land" is coming out on May 30 on Steam at the price of $24.99. For more information about "The Stomping Land," check out their website or their Twitter. They also have a very active forum community which is a great way to see what may be coming for "The Stomping Land."
Tyrannosaurus burgers, anyone?
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