Shoplifting

In this interactive installation, a group of characters  explore a supermarket with the specific mission of shoplifting different products, always running away from the security guards.
I used the Baldur's Gate II engine (infinity engine), making a mod of the original game.  The result is a playable new game with new rules: the game is not anymore about managing your own resources to get more goods while working or making some productive task. Now, you have to avoid buying or producing, and heroes become petty thiefs.

This project was presented at the Laboratorio de Arte Alameda in Mexico D.F., inside the exhibition 'Stand by, listos para actuar', curated by Martí Peran. February-May 2003. My participation in this exhibition was planned as a short residency at the Multimedia Center of the CENART.
I used the Baldur's Gate II engine because it allows to write scripts where the characters interact, negotiate, discuss. We can 'convince' the assistants of the supermarket to 'refund' us the money of an item that we just shoplifted... Or we can sell the shoplifted objects to others.
The protagonist group, formed by 5 characters, just landed in Simu-City from the Forgotten Realms. The fellowship is formed by:
-Contestant. He can 'guess' a lot of important information.
-A. to the teeth. A palladin that struggles for any lost cause.
-Invisible woman. The fact that she's there makes no difference.
-Terrorist. He's got a secret plan.
-Ecologist. He's in harmony with nature.

Full credits:
A total conversion of Baldur's Gate II, Shadows of Amn. ©Bioware Corp. (www.bioware.com)
Idea and development: Carme Romero.
Developed with the support of Centro Multimedia del Centro Nacional de las Artes (CENART), Mexico.
Support coordination: Cuauhtémoc Senties.
 
With the voices of:
 
A. to the teeth: César Calixto.
 
Invisible woman: Marcela Flores.
 
Contestant: Yurián Zerón.
 
Ecologist: Ernesto Romero.
 
Terrorist: Hugo Luis Barroso.
 
Animation support: Daniel Delgado.
 
Thanks to:
- The tema of the Virtual Reality Workshop at Centro Multimedia del CENART:
 
Cuauhtémoc Senties, Hugo Luis Barroso, Marco A. Montes de Oca, Marcela Flores and Florence Gouvrit.
 
-Eusebio Bañuelos.
 
The following software has been used:
Near Infinity v.1.29. Written by Jon Olav Hauglid
Infinity Explorer v.0.75. Written by Dmitry Jemerov
Infinity Editor Pro. Written by TL
Infinity Talker v. 0.95 Beta. Written by Blooddrinker
MOSworkshop. Written by Glenn Flansburg
BAMworkshop. Written by Glenn Flansburg
Infinity Engine Tileset Map Editor v.2.2.2. Written by Theo de Morée
Weidu. Written by Westley Weimer
Item Graphics converter v.1.0. Written by Alexander Beisig.
 
Carme Romero. February 2003. Mexico D.F.