I was showing a bud the tech demo vids of Infinity: Quest for Earth and he replied with this;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSOQGazo7Oo&feature=related

It's like Black and White on crack, and I think I just peed a little from watching it.

And to think, I'd already seen the Infinity videos. I never posted this here because I thought it'd already be known.

I can only dream of what the actual gameplay must be like. That video just showcases the engine.

Well, either way, you turned me onto some serious shit right m'here.

The game looks interesting... But I wonder how it's going to be played or if it's gonna be multiplayer.

GC> Interview Eric Chahi (From Dust)

(translate) Seems most up to date information. Basically just playing with the engine is clearly already HUGE fun!

Looks like they are trying to build some form of game progression through migrating your tribe(s) and discovering the

ancients' forgotten knowledge over nature.

A phenonmenal looking game, with so much potential for flow. Looks like they will take a while to fine-tune and polish the game mode of progression, however, but with distinct possibility for free mode and multiplayer modes, this game only the sky is the limit!

Edit: The true reference for this game would be Populous (1989) in terms of gameplay of terraforming ;)

Story Trailer of From Dust (working title: Project Dust)

Where i see it's strong point,is allowing the owner/user to recreate new maps for endless replay value.It is a step in the right direction,i would like to see MMORPG's put more tools in the hands of the players to recreate a better game.

How it is implemented in an actual game,could get quite goofy.

example....you want to kill off an enemy,just form an ocean over them and drown them all,it could really ruin the challenge of game play.

Ooh, I feel bad for all the people who will "never buy another Ubisoft product for PC" after the DRM of The Settlers VII and AC2. Knowing gamers, they'll break down if this turns out to be really fun and a huge hit; remember how successful the MW2 and L4D2 boycotts were?

Ubisoft's Digital Day shows off From Dust

Originally announced at E3 as Project Dust, From Dust is a visually stunning game that combines elements from classic games like Populous, Black & White and even Lemmings. Essentially a "God Simulator", From Dust has you playing as the diety of a tribal people who need your help to survive the brutal realities of their world. Using a large sphere shape to navigate around the map, you "pick up" textures, like sand, water, trees or even lava, and drop them around the world, changing the landscape as you go. Meanwhile a small village of Zeno Clash-esque tribesmen go about their business on the map.

The demo we saw forewarned that a tsunami was on the way, a small bar at the bottom of the screen providing a rough ETA. It was then up to the player to help guide one of the villagers get to a magical rock, imbued with powers that could help save the village. Of course the rock is located on the other end of the world, so you'll need to do some creative topiary restructuring if you want to get her there in one piece. After selecting the dirt texture, the sphere quickly sealed off the rushing river blocking the path, forming a makeshift bridge for the villager to travel across. A colored line indicates where the villager has to go and what parts of it remain impassable or dangerous. Upon touching the stone and gaining the power of water, the villager returned, transmitting the power into a large stone obelisk in their village. As the Tsunami approached, the charged obelisik protected the village, diverting the wave around the village.

Sales will dictate if From Dust gets multiplayer, level editor

30 Sept 2010.

Eric Chahi, designer of the action-adventure classic Out of This World and Ubisoft's upcoming downloadable god game From Dust, has told Joystiq that sales of his latest creation will determine if it receives additional modes and content. "For the first release, it will be a solo experience," Chahi told us, explaining that, "We plan to have a major release where we can enhance the experience by adding an editor and a multiplayer mode, if the success is there."

"Xbox Live Arcade, PSN and Steam are good for us because we can offer the solo experience priced around 15 Euros or so," he added. "Then if it works we can enhance it in those ways I mentioned."

Chahi confirmed that he has "many ideas" for how to expand From Dust, and that multiplayer and others already exist in some stage of development. It's good to know we weren't alone in thinking there's nothing wrong with a volcanic eruption or tsunami between friends. Chahi's latest game hits in 2011.

Well I heard it first here game looks great! 

I'm gonna pick this up on day 1 but seems I need to pick up some new hardware. Processor wise it looks hungry 

Originally posted by thecrap

Well I heard it first here game looks great! 

I'm gonna pick this up on day 1 but seems I need to pick up some new hardware. Processor wise it looks hungry 

Good news, spread the word!

Day 1 also.

My greatest fear is the stoicastic world interactions are toned down for the progression structure, but they have a lot of interesting ideas underneath this world-sim exterior, also, and the world editor and multiplayer options could be a whole new game, so hopefully they strike the right balance of letting the player experience flow of interaction with the elements.

Eric Chahi answers facebook fans' questions (11th Mar 2011): Video Interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV4xE4tFolo

...

Q&A PROJECT DUST (working title)
Eric Chahi – Creative Director at Ubisoft Montpellier

1. A lot of gamers are still today paying homage to “Out of this World” as their first great videogame memory. How did you create this masterpiece ?

I’ve almost created it on my own on Amiga. I handled programming, tools, gameplay, graphics and animation. The only aspect of the game that I did not directly take care of was music. The development lasted two years and I finished game in 1991.
All the experience that I accumulated since 1983 when I’ve started to create games, was concentrated in this concept. My ambition was to provide the player a unique experience, the feeling of being lonely in an unknown world where friendship has a strong and special place. I decided to break all the videogames traditional codes, such as score, lives, bonus etc. I wanted to remain focused on the essential: feeling, challenge and emotional pacing. Give the player a global experience is still part of my inner motivation.


2. What happened since the release of your latest game "Heart of Darkness?" in 1998

Heart of Darkness was a long and exhausting experience which lasted six year. After that, I made the decision to step back from videogames and spend time on other passions such as travels, music, painting… and… finally I start developing a new idea about a game !
In 2005 this idea became more concrete, so I started to give structure to my ideas and built a real universe. At the end of 2006, I proposed Dust to Ubisoft and they considered it promising and very original.


3. When did you start working for Ubisoft ?

I started 2 years ago. I’m now working in Montpellier Studios with a small team of people really talented and committed. At the beginning there were only 3 of us, by February 2008, we are at 17 people. That is at the same time a complicated and exciting experience since we are creating something new from scratch.


4. What is your new project about ?

Project Dust is based on a technological breakthrough which allows us to have a world that’s entirely dynamic. You’ve probably noticed the ground crumbling down in the video we presented at E3 Ubisoft’s conference; well that’s in the game. Players will be able to manipulate ground, water, vegetation, lava as if playing sandcastles on the beach. Breaching a lake open, digging craters, flooding valleys… And all this is simulation, not just graphics visualization.
The technology behind the game is at the top of what can be done on today’s computer architecture. The team did some impressive work, way beyond my expectations when I conceived the design.

Can you describe your project in a few words ?

Project dust is the spiritual heir to Populous. The game is set in an extreme version of Planet Earth where nature unleashes her power in a much more violent way than what we are used to. Tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, wildfires, volcanic eruptions are what the days are made of for the people of Dust. In this kind of God game, users will play with powers to manipulate the world around them. Ground, water, lava, fire, plants and trees -model the world like a child playing sand castles on the beach. With such powers, players will help their people resist, expand and migrate so they can accomplish their quest to find a safe place.


5. What are your ambitions?

With Project Dust, we want to be the most spectacular XBLA/PSN game to date by
players a deep experience, in a believable world. Make them live an epic human adventure.


6. What are your main source of inspiration for this game in term of others games / movies ?

Specifically for this game, inspiration came first from life experience! I decided to create Project Dust during a trip in Vanuatu in 1999, I was near the Yasur crater and it was strongly active. I could see its explosion; the sound was incredibly loud, like an air plane breaking the soundwall. Bombs were falling everywhere and sometimes really close to us. I was at the same time fascinated by this breathtaking beauty and really scared. I remember I had two thoughts at this very moment: “I want to create another game before I die” and “in the game I want to convey this ambivalence of Nature, beautiful and potentially violent at the same time”.

Populous had also a big influence for sure, as well as games like Rez because music is an important part the universe of the game.


7. On which platforms will your project be available and when ?

It’ll be available on Playstation Network, Xbox Live Arcade & downloadable for PC on Spring 2011

8. Why that choice?

We’ve chosen these platforms as we feel that they allow us a freedom and rapidity which match the tone of the game. We’re able to be just that little bit more daring and creative. We also know that there are a lot of players out there today on XBLA and PSN – just look at the top ten on XBLA. It’s full of really diverse genres like classic platformers and cool strategy games like Toy Soldiers. We think that Project Dust will find a good niche there.


9. What are your artistic / creative influences ?

Paper like Real-Time Fluid Dynamics For Games from Joe Stam and Evasion team at INRIA. Conway’s Games of Life, for all propagative elements like plants. Painter Zdzis?aw Beksinski has always been for me a very important reference for his incredible and surrealistic ambiance. And, last but not least, Koyaanisqatsi, the movie from Godfrey Reggio.

Definitely worth watching:

From Dust - Dev Diary 2 - The Art of From Dust

New E3: 2011 Trailer for FROM DUST: Rockpapershotgun:

The most arresting E3 trailer for me so far is the new’un for From Dust, the Populous-esque game from Another World/Out Of This World creator Eric Chahi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZIxecMxuJs&feature=player_embedded

Interview with Eric Chahi with Machinima:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpqEPVTY8kk

Actual GAMEPLAY video from E3: 2011:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y8l8kEI354

&

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjKpMrW6u0Y&feature=related

Some beautiful water/lava technology there. First time I've seen water that dynamically and realistically follows the contours of the landscape. That type of thing usually needs to be "faked" with pre-determined UV mapping.

Not crazy about god games, personally. But I'd love to get my hands on that world editor :-p

Looking like a good digital title... a mix of populous & lemmings from the looks of the gameplay. A bit worried it's too engineered and does not let the simulation side of the game pan out as eg populous does so well. But with the engine much future possibility also eg sandbox/multiplayer etc..

Lot has passed since I played sims,time to play it again! :)

<<<<<good graphics by the way>>>>>>>>>>>

Originally posted by MumboJumbo

Actual GAMEPLAY video from E3: 2011:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y8l8kEI354

&

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjKpMrW6u0Y&feature=related

Looks like an advance version of Lemmings from that first gameplay vid.

Originally posted by Torgrim

Originally posted by MumboJumbo

Actual GAMEPLAY video from E3: 2011:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y8l8kEI354

&

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjKpMrW6u0Y&feature=related

Looks like an advance version of Lemmings from that first gameplay vid.

It certainly does look like that: Populous/Lemmings mix... hope the sandbox interactions with the envionment is FLEXIBLE and the success criteria is not OVER-WORKED into the game...

Another interview from Gamereactortv: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjUyPZNzRSE