>>> SiN: Retribution is in the works: technology research and content creation are in progress. >>>

 

 

January 11, 2010

Back on track!

 

 

 

It's been a while, but the project is moving again. In 2009 I could have finished a whole demo of the game if I had been given the right technology to do it, and if I had had more time. Often I would sit at home and think about the game, go out looking for other games and mods to find the stuff I needed to get started, but I never found it. I also had lots of other things to do and the holidays really gave me some dearly needed spare time, which I used to try out an older game many of you may know. The LithTech engine powering F.E.A.R. offers a unique SDK complete with source code and looks impressive even though it's from 2005. However, this also means that the game is practically free of bugs and runs well on most any PC, and you wouldn't believe how powerful the engine is... I've had F.E.A.R. for years and I always enjoyed its graphics, but I never would have thought that the game can be modded so easily and look so good even today! The fact remains that F.E.A.R. mods are very sparse and information about the tools is hard to come by - thankfully they are documented to some extent to get you started. However, the tools are so straightforward that it's easy to figure out stuff yourself if you know a bit about game design. Compared to all the other games I have modded for, this engine is the very first to be actual fun to develop content for.

 

While F.E.A.R. itself is very drab in color and features monochrome-looking and dark levels most of the time, the engine can be used for totally different effects too. Speaking of effects, the special effects like explosions, particles, smoke, shadows, water etc. look absolutely stunning and are easy to set up. Combined with a richer color palette, it gives Sin a unique look that really fits.

 

Some of you might wonder why I'm not using F.E.A.R. 2 as a base. Well, there is no SDK for that game or engine and plus, from what I can tell by playing F.E.A.R. 2, it would be much harder to develop this kind of hi-def content to give a game this "next-gen" look (actually current-gen by now).

 

So how far along am I, you ask? Well, the map you see on the shots is currently work in progress and it will still take a while before its done. Along the way I will be including more custom textures (and rework the current ones), swap the standard pistol for Blade's magnum, and come up with a way to change the look of the enemies. Then it's character modelling time... some of the side characters need to be constructed for the game, something that will probably take me a while too. When can you play it? I still plan to release the first map with all the content I just mentioned so you hungry Sin fans can get a fix for your long waiting time. Keep in mind though that the game is much more than one map; it's more like 15! But once the first step is done, everything else usually comes by itself... more or less ;-)

 

 

August 20, 2009

The project is on hold... for now

 

 

Someone named Martin wrote me a heads-up this morning, telling me that he and probably a few dozen other Sin fans are still waiting on this game. It made me realize how long it's been since I actually did something to this website. He asked me to let you guys know what's happening, or not happening, so I will.

 

At the moment I have to inform you that the project is on standby. I haven't been working on it in a while since I'm also a student and a musician and both things are getting pretty time-consuming right now. This is what I might be doing for a living later in life and sometimes this requires work to come before any fun activities, and this project is one. As I explained to Martin in my response, I can't just sit down for ten minutes and work on the game when I have my mind full with other things. But I do think about the game now and then and I'm still trying to figure out the quickest possible way to get it done technology-wise. The Unreal Engine idea wasn't so great as I later found out that UT3 doesn't have a single-player gametype, only multiplayer ones. That would mean rewriting loads of code and I can't do that. At the moment I'm looking into technologies to base the game on that will accomplish one thing (while looking good): getting the game out quickly, focusing on content production without having to code and redo everything from scratch. The newest version of the Source engine with all the HDR and motion blur stuff might be an alternative once again, but it's still an outdated model for a game that will come out 2010 or 2011.

 

But, as soon as something is happening, you'll know. As I said, I haven't forgotten a single piece of the work I spent on the game so far. What kind of Sin fan would I be?

 

 

March 11, 2008

Get ready to SiN again: website up!

 

 

You are looking at the official website of SiN: Retribution. Watch this space if you want to see how a fan project comes together that has been theorized for years and is now being put down in computer code. If you like SiN, and I know you do because you wouldn't be here otherwise ;-), then this site is for you. I hope you enjoy what you see here and I also very much hope to hear from you once you've played the first bit of this SiN expansion... although it will still be a while before that happens. I can't promise anything, but I do know that somehow this game will be something to play and enjoy for every SiN fan still out there, no matter how far I get with it.

 

Want more info about the project? See the FAQ. Want story? See Blade's journal. Want media? See media.

Enjoy your stay!

 

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SiN: Retribution is a fan project and not supported or initiated by Ritual Entertainment. SiN and related materials © 1998-2007 Ritual Entertainment / Mumbo Jumbo.