Hey there. If you want to know my opinion, your project is more than welcome from my side as a fan of TSL...But. You have right...there are 2 ways you can make this happen.
a.) You make everything illegally, I mean you can use models from other games, textures, everything you desire and release this game for free to everyone on the internet trough a pirate like site or link.
b.) You can create a totally new game just like you mentioned before (We already saw that most likely you have the skills for that).
While the Isle guys are arrogant and they are really afraid from your project indeed, and they become ridiculous sometimes, you have to think of yourself.
If you want to work in gaming industry in the future you will need a portfolio. You can be the most talented developer, but they just won't accept a project (even if it was the greatest) if is not made legally.
From the other hand if you make this project to make your child-hood game come true, and you don't really care your online reputation (both positives and negatives) you can actually do what you want.
But why would you do this if you actually can do everything legally and get money after the release of the game? Is also deoes not make any sense to create the exact same copy of the currently trash TSL what everyone hates right now anyways and which never delivered what promised.
My opinion is: While TSL was a great game, the models are one of the bests of the genre. But did you ever wonder where this game was from the original idea? Like light years away.
Almost every main aspect of the game was missing. I remember that they wrote in the description that the meat of the small dinosaurs which you can hunt yourslef won't provide enough food for everyone. So you will often fight with other hunters or tribes over the food sources in order to stay alive or dominate a region on the island.
Now this never ever happened. There was always more food than ever needed. Death bodies and carcasses never attracted any, I mean Any predatory creatures Ever in that game.
Okey I just highlighted a few, never implemented features that the game promised. Now I will try to create a list from a fan standpoint which were the good features the game did well even in that broken state we know now, what are the stuffs they did not work and what should work well.
Positive (+)
A.) So what was working in-game:
1*
You was playing as a huner or human. - I know is allways gives to the immerson that you are jsut an insignificant creature which has to use it's brain in order to survive. This can give you nice adrenaline bombs in-game time which is one of the best thing you can experience in a survival game.
2*
You was unable to kill large dinosaurs. - Just like I mentioned at the previous point. It gives Huuuge amount to the immersion.
Being the strongest creature doesn't really offer satisfaction. It can in the first minutes, but if you manage to survive long enough, and hardwork to actually achieve this goal is the satisfaction and fun we are all playing for.
3*
Lack of modern guns. - If something does destroy the immersion, this one definitely does.
4*
Physical interaction with resources. - I find really awesome that you actually bloody see what you was gathering, you could keep it in your hand. The roped storage box stuff was also fun (even doe it was buggy). But it should require to craft a box before, not just magically hop out of nowhere and again, magically expand as you drop more and more materials inside. A craftable backpack could also give an alternative to those are slightly more advanced than the fresh spawns (I can imagine a craftable platform made of branches to transport goodies for fresh spawns).
5*
The stars on the sky which represented large dinos. This was a brilliant idea and surprisingly did work.
6*
The very dense foliage in previous versions like the v0.5.3 and before. - Basically you was unable to see further than your nose sometimes in the forest, which offered you as a player a very vulnerable feeling which is just how i supposed to be in a place where super large animals just roaming around. There were also 2 places on the map (
postimg.org/image/4mrtesd6n/ ) with super dense foliage which gave a good opportunity to the most experienced players to hide the buildings, resources and himself from other players. Even doe this could be solved with better map design with more canyons, gaps more dense foliage in different parts, and my small cave suggestions of course like these :
postimg.org/image/xg17gqcfz/postimg.org/image/7hxlap6yn/7*
The almost pitch-black nights. - Boy...those were the times when you could sneak right behind others with torches in hands...that experience... Or just hide in your teepee (if you could find it in that dark) and pray that you won't get destroyed by wristling giants.
8*
Dinosaur mounts worked actually surprisingly well but it wasn't polished enough.
B,)
What did not work (-);
1*
Some aspect of the combat system. Like the axe or bolas.
2*
Crafting system. - It was really cheaply made. It could work doe in further development.
3*
Caves. Good idea again cheaply executed.
4*
Scavenge system of dino bodies, carcasses. - 2 axe chops and 2 piece of meat. While this could be fun with small adjustments, it was way too simplified.
5*
While I did like the original experience system, I did not really like the exp cyrcle ideas. I mean it was perfect for a boost, but what the hell was that?
C.) What could and would work in this world.
1*
Different biomes.
2*
Some kind of smell system of dinos.
3*
Camuflage and character costumization, stealth.
4*
Traps. I mean real traps not those joke ones the coward Jig split out.
...and of course most of the originally planned and not planned features (like making mounts to be able to pick up or drag dinosaur carcasses, or resources, maybe other roped dinos?
Of course I could not get all of my thoughts in a few minutes but if you ask me, you should create your own game and create what TSL is supposed to be and not what it actually was.
