Different basins.
Different drilling decisions.
Mackenzie Delta unlocks after the Nevada geothermal project. The new world prospects appear after two producing wells are saved in the original offshore chapter. The game uses published regional geology; individual wells, depths, costs, reservoir tests and success thresholds are fictional. Current restrictions are identified separately from historical or counterfactual gameplay. All game budgets are CAD.
Québec: natural flow, with the actual restriction stated
Québec's restriction is broader than a frac ban. Section 6 of the current R-1.01 statute prohibits petroleum exploration and production; section 7 revokes the relevant licences. The government dates the prohibition to 23 August 2022. Consequently this campaign is explicitly historical/fictional, not a currently permitted exploration programme. A good reservoir does not override the real prohibition.
The no-frac challenge still matters geologically: find connected natural permeability and demonstrate sustained flow. Logs and an early hydrocarbon recovery do not guarantee a producer. Game appraisal results are retained, so repeating the same test cannot transform a tight or water-bearing interval into a better reservoir.
| Historical well / structure | Documented reservoir context | Game interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Galt no. 4 horizontal | Devonian Forillon limestone; natural fractures are important to reservoir behaviour. | Fractured-carbonate target. Verify connectivity, fluid and sustained rate. |
| Haldimand no. 4 horizontal | York River sandstone with low primary matrix permeability and natural fractures. The government-commissioned GTEC01 report describes use of natural fractures without hydraulic fracturing in this well. | Natural-flow sandstone challenge; a sand or oil show alone is insufficient. |
| Bourque nos. 1 and 2 | Forillon fractured limestone; the report describes gas and condensate recovery in no. 2. | Supporting analogue for fracture appraisal, not proof of a currently producing field. |
The government's inactive-well page, updated 29 April 2025, reports 907 wells/stratigraphic boreholes drilled since 1860, of which 779 are classified inactive. The remainder must not be described as 128 producing wells. The current research route is the Hydrocarbures map, inspection reports and closure/monitoring records; this release does not claim a new active petroleum drilling inventory.
- Official Québec statute R-1.01 — consolidated to 12 August 2026 when reviewed
- Government explanation of the prohibition, closure obligations and separate pilot provisions
- GTEC01 — geological analogues, Galt, Bourque and Haldimand
- Inactive-well inventory, 2021–2024 condition report and inspection access
- Hydrocarbures interactive well map
Deepwater Gulf of Mexico
BOEM resource assessments distinguish Miocene and Paleogene deepwater plays, including subsalt opportunities. The game adds a Miocene turbidite and a deeper Wilcox target. Salt-related depth uncertainty, creeping salt and increasing pressure/temperature drive different decisions from the original offshore chapter. The section is a synthetic regional composite, with depth measured below seabed; it is not an actual well prognosis.
North Sea: northern sandstone plays
Statfjord provides a documented analogue for Jurassic Brent and Statfjord sandstone reservoirs in fault blocks. These are the two playable targets. Depletion, pressure differences between compartments, water risk and storm interruptions shape the campaign. This is the northern sandstone province; it is not a claim that all North Sea reservoirs are alike. Southern North Sea chalk such as Ekofisk has different compaction and waterflood behaviour.
Beaufort Sea: offshore Arctic analogue
The onshore Mackenzie Delta and offshore Beaufort prospects are separate areas. The offshore campaign uses Kugmallit and Taglu sand targets, with ice encroachment, shallow sediment/gas hazards and seasonal suspension. It is explicitly historical/fictional. Canada's Arctic offshore activity prohibition is currently scheduled to be repealed on 31 December 2028; this is not a promise of future licensing or project approval. A game unlock changes no real-world restriction.
Northwest of Ireland: Slyne, Erris and Donegal
This is the Atlantic margin northwest of Ireland, geographically distinct from the North Sea. The regional petroleum-system atlas identifies Carboniferous, Triassic Sherwood and Middle Jurassic reservoir possibilities. Corrib is the proven Sherwood gas analogue; the game's separate Jurassic sand is a lower-confidence hypothetical prospect.
The EPA-hosted Corrib field report records discovery well 18/20-1 in 1996, appraisal 18/20-2z in 1998 and 18/25-1 in 1999, followed by further field wells. The government report to 30 June 2026 lists the Corrib petroleum lease and existing authorisations. Ireland ended new exploration licensing; this game uses a fictional legacy-authorisation setting, not an assertion that a new licence is available.
Argentina: unconventional Vaca Muerta
Vaca Muerta has multiple target levels rather than a single uniform shale layer. The game offers two synthetic benches with different landing depths. A horizontal lateral earns no automatic producer payout: players must fund staged stimulation, fluid handling and flowback diagnostics, then pass a sustained test. Offset pressure interference and poor bench selection carry costs.
Oman: conventional sandstone quality
Gharif oil sandstones and deeper Barik gas sandstones provide contrasting conventional targets. USGS describes differences among Gharif sand bodies, seals and reservoir quality; PDO reports identify Gharif and Haima plays in exploration work. The game emphasizes cemented stringers, facies changes and remote desert logistics. The composite column is not a stratigraphic forecast for any particular Oman field.
Australia: Cooper conventional and unconventional
South Australia's geological descriptions distinguish conventional Permian sandstone reservoirs from shale, coal and basin-centred resource targets. Patchawarra channel sandstone and a Murteree shale pilot are separate game objectives. Coal hazards are tied to appropriate coal-bearing units, while the shale pilot requires a completion and flow test. Success in a different shale basin is not evidence that every Cooper target will perform similarly.
Game thresholds are authored for playability, not engineering design limits. Historical well examples establish geological context; they do not imply current production, permits or commerciality.
Saskatchewan deep oil — Minton / Red River analogue
SGS Prospect Saskatchewan Issue 8 (April 2012) documents oil in dolomitized Yeoman and Lake Alma strata, small basement-influenced structural closures, complex dolomitization and Lake Alma anhydrite sealing. Its production figures are historical through January 2012. The game uses two separate carbonate targets, subtle closure/depth uncertainty, harder drilling and fixed fluid/mobility tests. It does not treat every porous dolomite as productive or use historical exceptional well output as a guaranteed payout.
Section thicknesses, depths, tests and budgets are fictional. Paid logs and fluid tests remain available when reviewing another zone; the sustained test cannot be re-rolled. A wet or tight interval can consume completion capital without producing oil.
Saskatchewan Geological Survey — Red River, April 2012