Time for another feature covering one of our contenders for the CRYENGINE Indie Development Fund! Don't forget to vote for your favorite project by liking it on our dedicated page. This week we're talking to Alessandro Guzzo and his project 'Land of Pain'.

The Land of Pain is under development by one guy, Alessandro Guzzo. It takes you down the path of horror and adventure where you need to survive the night under constant watch from something hiding in the woods ready to strike.

What made you guys come up with the name The Land of Pain?

The Land of Pain reminds us of a mysterious place where something terrible has happened. Indeed, the player will have to explore an unknown place, which looks ordinary and peaceful at the first glance. But soon enough, they  will understand that it is not as it seems: why so many deaths? What happened? They will have to struggle to survive and find a way to get out of there. But, how can you escape from a place if you don't even know how got there in the first place?

What engine technology are you guys taking advantage of to drive the storytelling and game forward?

The land of pain's world recreates the forest environment of Northern Italy near the Alps. Indeed, much importance has been given to vegetation, which looks incredibly realistic thanks to CRYENGINE. There will be advanced particle effects like particles in the wind, rocks that falls down, fog in the grass, rain etc. The use of the Wwise Sound System allows us to obtain a sound of unbelievable realism and quality, with dynamic musics and reverbs created according to the environment. Thanks to CRYENGINE's AI system, it will be challenging to escape.

I noticed you guys are using Photogrammetry, how do you guys go about finding he assets? Do you bring the assets to a controlled environment like a studio for capturing?

The assets are from Northern Italy and have been photographed on their place of origin. That is because many of them are big (like buildings and rocks). It is not an easy task as, in this case, unlike a studio with fixed lights, it is important to wait for the right atmospheric and lights conditions to take the pictures. Once the pictures were taken, the next step is the creation of the model . However, if the pictures are not perfect, the model must be discarded and the whole process restarts.

Can you tell us some background info on who you guys are and how you got in contact with each other?

I’m Alessandro Guzzo and I am the sole developer behind the game. The translation is entrusted to a language expert, Francesca Domenegoni.

What platforms will the game be available on?

The game will be available on PC Windows.

How do you think the Indie Developer Funds will drive and help indies achieve their goals?

There are indies out there which has huge potential, but usually lack of money which prevents them from reaching their goal and to express themselves as they could. The Indie Developer Funds is an amazing opportunity for indies and I think that in the hands of the right people, it helps to create some awesome games.

That's it for todays feature, you can find out more info on The Land of Pain by visiting the Indie Development Page . Don't forget to vote.

- lavizh & Nic