An open world sci-fi adventure game with a prehistoric backdrop? Yes please! Welcome to our latest Community Spotlight, where we speak to Jonathan Faith from Crynosaurs about the tech and Tyrannosaurus rex you’ll encounter in the highly hostile ecosystem awaiting in Collision Course.

After travelling back in time 70 million years, it’s down to you to survive and escape a prehistoric world full of dangerous dinosaurs before catastrophe strikes. Collision Course is available in Early Access on Steam right now, and we found out more from Jonathan Faith.

Hi Jonathan! Why did you pick dinosaurs as a subject for your game?

As a kid growing up in the 90s dinosaurs were pretty big. I’d always imagine myself waking up in the Cretaceous period and exploring. It’s a very mysterious setting to find yourself in and it walks the line between horror and awe. I’ve never felt any dinosaur games were really able to capture that feeling.

What dinosaurs are gamers going to be getting up close and personal with in Collision Course?

Right now, Utahraptor, T. rex, Ceratosaurus, Stegosaurus, Xenoceratops, Brachiosaurus, Alligators, Compsognathus, Leaellynasaura and Baby Utahraptors with more creatures to come in the future. We’ll be dropping a Spinosaurus into the mix with our next update :)

What influences have gone into the game?

From a game standpoint the major influences have been the Crysis and Far Cry series, Jurassic Park: Trespasser, and realistic survival games like The Forest.

Why did you choose CRYENGINE for this project?

No other game engine can produce the level of real-time visual quality that CRYENGINE can at the same level of performance. It also fits really well with the type of game we set out to produce and many of the tools and systems we needed were already in place. The opening up of the source code sealed the deal for us.

How has the community helped in your development?

Over the last ten years the Crytek community has been a major source for us to learn the ins and outs of the engine. In addition to the official community channels there are additional resources like Slack which have also helped a great deal. Our Collision Course community has also given us some great feedback and has really kept us motivated by being positive and passionate about the game.

What CRYENGINE features have made the difference for you in development?

Full Source Code Access, the robust AI system, and the Game SDK with the tools you could ever need for a FPS game. Also SVOTI. There’s no light baking needed, so it can save you many hours.

What are the next steps for Collision Course?

Right now we’re focusing on building out the Sandbox/Survival mode of the game before moving on to the single-player story driven mode. Currently, we’re in the process of integrating Steam, expanding the map, and adding more content in general: dinosaurs, survival gameplay elements, items/buildables/weapons/gear, etc.

What advice would you give to other indie developers in developing their game?

Have a clear vision of your project, yet be adaptable. Be prepared to wear many different hats within the game development process as well as the business side of things.

Thanks Jonathan!

You can find out more about Collision Course on their website and Steam. Are you making something cool with CRYENGINE? Make sure you let us know on the forums, Facebook, and Twitter.

- Your CRYENGINE Team