Developer - Ubisoft Montpellier
Publisher - Ubisoft
Designer - Eric Chahi (Out of this World)
Writer - Laurent Genefort (acclaimed Science Fiction writer, winner of the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire)
Platforms - PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Genre - God Game, Sandbox
Mode - Single-Player
Ratings - ESRB: E10+/PEGI: 12
Distribution - Steam, GamersGate, GreenManGaming, PSN, XBLA
Publisher - Ubisoft
Designer - Eric Chahi (Out of this World)
Writer - Laurent Genefort (acclaimed Science Fiction writer, winner of the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire)
Platforms - PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Genre - God Game, Sandbox
Mode - Single-Player
Ratings - ESRB: E10+/PEGI: 12
Distribution - Steam, GamersGate, GreenManGaming, PSN, XBLA
In From Dust, players assume a god-like first-person perspective from which they manipulate an archipelago environment in an effort to save, and enlighten, a nomadic tribe. With a spherical cursor, the user controls certain types of matter, namely soil, lava, water, and vegetation, in real time. Lava cools to form solid rock, vegetation propagates in soil, and moving water quickly erodes terrain. Physical changes to the world occur extremely rapidly, allowing players to restructure islands within minutes.
Campaigns in From Dust are structured as a sequence of missions, whereby completing certain objectives expedites the tribe's progress and bestows additional powers, such as the capacity to jellify water. Tribal shamans alert the player to natural disasters, notably tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, shortly before they occur. These disasters can be inhibited through creative, physical manipulation of the environment: a tsunami can be jellified, wildfires extinguished, and lava flows diverted. Although there is no 'explicit sandbox' mode, Chahi stated that each mission features a distinct map, which the player can return to and manipulate further.
Following the completion of Heart of Darkness in 1998, Chahi exited the video games industry to explore other interests, and subsequently developed a passion for volcanology. During an interview, he recalled the inspirational trip to an active volcano:
In 2006, Chahi presented the concept to Ubisoft, who accepted the proposal. Once the development was underway, Montpellier even recorded 'audio from a real volcano' for inclusion in the game.
An essential aspect of From Dust is the environment simulation, which underlies the player's interactions with the world. Developers intended that the world appear as a 'living thing', a dynamic and spontaneous entity, irrespective of the player's actions upon it. Chahi emphasised the difficulty of balancing this technical simulation with individual enjoyment, commenting that sometimes 'it would take days to find the right value for gameplay that's also aesthetically pleasing'. Montpellier accommodated this dynamism through a system of rules, which govern the elements of the simulation: flowing water and moving soil result in the emergence of rivers. Lakes at the base of a volcano accumulate sediment, which increases their viscosity, and similar rules govern volcanic eruptions, lava flow, and the spread of vegetation. With each rule, the layers accumulate to the point at which the developers are able to create an entire landscape.
A central aspect of the user interface is the large sphere, with which players interact with the world and manipulate events. When a user selects a material, such as water, the appearance of the sphere changes accordingly and the fluid can be placed directly onto the surface of the world. Chahi stated that the developers abandoned the traditional head-up display (HUD), and chose an abstract form instead, the sphere, which they then 'fully integrated in the storyline'. Elaborating further, he stated that a tribe's music would also affect the appearance of the sphere.
In September 2010, Chahi stated that From Dust was a 'solo experience', although if the game's sales were promising, he indicated that the team would consider 'adding an editor and a multiplayer mode'
Campaigns in From Dust are structured as a sequence of missions, whereby completing certain objectives expedites the tribe's progress and bestows additional powers, such as the capacity to jellify water. Tribal shamans alert the player to natural disasters, notably tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, shortly before they occur. These disasters can be inhibited through creative, physical manipulation of the environment: a tsunami can be jellified, wildfires extinguished, and lava flows diverted. Although there is no 'explicit sandbox' mode, Chahi stated that each mission features a distinct map, which the player can return to and manipulate further.
Following the completion of Heart of Darkness in 1998, Chahi exited the video games industry to explore other interests, and subsequently developed a passion for volcanology. During an interview, he recalled the inspirational trip to an active volcano:
In 2006, Chahi presented the concept to Ubisoft, who accepted the proposal. Once the development was underway, Montpellier even recorded 'audio from a real volcano' for inclusion in the game.
An essential aspect of From Dust is the environment simulation, which underlies the player's interactions with the world. Developers intended that the world appear as a 'living thing', a dynamic and spontaneous entity, irrespective of the player's actions upon it. Chahi emphasised the difficulty of balancing this technical simulation with individual enjoyment, commenting that sometimes 'it would take days to find the right value for gameplay that's also aesthetically pleasing'. Montpellier accommodated this dynamism through a system of rules, which govern the elements of the simulation: flowing water and moving soil result in the emergence of rivers. Lakes at the base of a volcano accumulate sediment, which increases their viscosity, and similar rules govern volcanic eruptions, lava flow, and the spread of vegetation. With each rule, the layers accumulate to the point at which the developers are able to create an entire landscape.
A central aspect of the user interface is the large sphere, with which players interact with the world and manipulate events. When a user selects a material, such as water, the appearance of the sphere changes accordingly and the fluid can be placed directly onto the surface of the world. Chahi stated that the developers abandoned the traditional head-up display (HUD), and chose an abstract form instead, the sphere, which they then 'fully integrated in the storyline'. Elaborating further, he stated that a tribe's music would also affect the appearance of the sphere.
In September 2010, Chahi stated that From Dust was a 'solo experience', although if the game's sales were promising, he indicated that the team would consider 'adding an editor and a multiplayer mode'
pending
