A startling revelation

[warty goblin]

Here are some objective facts, verified by WG Research, a non-profit monopartisan thinktank consisting of me, and polling a wide variety of people consisting of me.

Fact 1) Dinosaurs are awesome.

Fact 2) Everybody, at some point in their life, has wanted to be a T-Rex.

Fact 3) 100% of people polled liked computer games.

Fact 4) Yet no respondants could name a single computer game that allowed you to actually be a dinosaur.

Fact 5) In the words of one respondant, "I think I speak for everybody when I say 'This sucks.'"

Fact 6) In fact, there are relatively few games containing dinosaurs at all.

Fact 7) This makes us want our teddy bear. Because it is proof that the universe is cold, heartless and depressingly dinosaur free.

And with modern physics and graphics, this could be done right. Picture playing as a T-Rex with a sort of over the shoulder camera in Cry Engine 3 or the Dunia Engine, trees bending aside as you passed, or shattering between your powerful jaws, the thrill of chasing down some big stupid sauropod, engaging it in a pitched battle that lays waste to all around you before bringing it down and feasting upon it its succulant flesh, then defending your kill from interlopers determined to steal from you.

For best possible results this should occur after a time travel accident, so you're actually running around a warped version of modern America, because again I think I speak for everybody when I say I wanna bite a car in half.

So what's your ideal dinosaur based game?

[chiasaur11]

Well, there was Nanosaur, which was a game where you play as a dinosaur with guns.

Sadly, it was all one level, under a strict time limit, in the past. And probably not that good a game.

[Tavar]

I agree, this is a sad state of affairs.

I do remember one game that let you be a Time Traveling, gun toting Raptor of some kind, try to find eggs before some sort of metor hit. Or something. It was on some Mac awhile back.

Also, there's at least one Jurassic Park game(based off the second movie, if I remember correctly) that allows you to control a T Rex for at least one level. I think it's based off the scene in the movie where the Mother T rex is tearing through a city.

[Artanis]

I demand a game where I get to play a T-Rex flying an F-14

[Cristo Meyers]

I agree, this is a sad state of affairs.

I do remember one game that let you be a Time Traveling, gun toting Raptor of some kind, try to find eggs before some sort of metor hit. Or something. It was on some Mac awhile back.

Also, there's at least one Jurassic Park game(based off the second movie, if I remember correctly) that allows you to control a T Rex for at least one level. I think it's based off the scene in the movie where the Mother T rex is tearing through a city.

The Sega version of the original Jurassic Park let you either play Grant or a Raptor.

But that's just not quite the same as playing a T-Rex. :smallfrown:

[Tavar]

Actually, I was thinking of Jurassic Park: Chaos Island. It's actually an RTS, but in the last level you only control the Mother T rex, and you basically just eat anything in your way. I remember it being pretty fun.

[chiasaur11]

The Sega version of the original Jurassic Park let you either play Grant or a Raptor.

But that's just not quite the same as playing a T-Rex. :smallfrown:

Well, there was one arcade game where you played as a T-Rex and stomped on people. Only played it once, and it's somewhat old and fairly obscure, though. Wish I could remember the name.

[KBF]

I um. I don't really want to be a T-Rex. They seem kind of boring compared to any other dinosaur like.. Raptors or triceratops or.. Really any of them..

..I'm going to shut up now..

[SurlySeraph]

Actually, I was thinking of Jurassic Park: Chaos Island. It's actually an RTS, but in the last level you only control the Mother T rex, and you basically just eat anything in your way. I remember it being pretty fun.

I remember that game! First RTS I ever played. A lot of fun, and sending tamed raptors to destroy your enemies was awesome.

[Tavar]

I remember that game! First RTS I ever played. A lot of fun, and sending tamed raptors to destroy your enemies was awesome.

Same. Wish I had it: the game was a friend and we played it at his house, and he moved away some time ago. Perhaps I should look into getting a copy...

[Phase]

Picture playing as a T-Rex with a sort of over the shoulder camera in Cry Engine 3 or the Dunia Engine, trees bending aside as you passed, or shattering between your powerful jaws, the thrill of chasing down some big stupid sauropod, engaging it in a pitched battle that lays waste to all around you before bringing it down and feasting upon it its succulant flesh, then defending your kill from interlopers determined to steal from you.

Objection!

Even though T. Rex was the top predator in the North America during the Maastrichtian, it would still be unable to take down any of the very few adult sauropods remaining (Sauropods were already going extinct.)

I think that a game based on T. Rex would actually be pretty boring. That's the problem when dealing with animals on the top of the food chain. Doubtless you would want to play as an adult, and let's face it, none of the contemporary animals would want to **** with an adult T. Rex.

What I think would be more interesting would be a series of smaller levels within one game. One each for several different species of Mesozoic fauna. Perhaps the following would be more interesting:


Velociraptor; Yes, it's cliche. Yes, Velociraptors have already been taken advantage of enough. My proposal here stands mainly on the basis of environment. Of course any game like this would NEED a Dromeosaur of some kind, not only so we could use some sort of team-work AI, but also so we could watch some gorgeously rendered feathers. Velociraptor lived in a very diverse area, the Gobi desert, where there would be larger predators such as T. Bataar to watch out for, and plenty of prey, such as Protoceratops, to hunt from the scrub. The beauty of the environment, thick underbrush, ageless desert, calm oases where Therizinosaurus and Tarbosaurus (Are they still calling it that?) can sit together and drink without tearing each other's throats out. Beautiful.
Istiodactylus (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1196/1347842920_e5942506fb.jpg); I admit, ever since I saw what great fun could be had in limitless flying games, such as Just Cause, I wanted to play a game as a Pterosaur. Flying through the air, dodging between the cliff-faces, floating on gusts of wind as the entirety of the verdant prehistoric world beckons to you from the ground, three-thousand feet below. You coast, and there, you smell it (or are rather alerted to the smell by some HUD or other UI element.) A corpse, something to eat, you pinpoint the position and dive. You slowly slow down and find several small theropods feasting on a dead Hadrosaur of some kind. Your menacing frame frightens them, and the back away slowly. One if them gets a random chance in their AI code, perhaps able to be explained by seeing your kind before, and lunges tentatively toward you. A small nip, not enough to kill, you aren't actually strong enough to fight these land-born off, but enough to say "**** off, it's mine now." You eat in peace, but see a larger theropod coming towards you, one you have no chance of fighting off. Is there enough wind to take off now? Or do you need a headstart that may cost you? Dear gods someone make this game.
Ceratosaurus; Yes. Yes. I know. Ceratosaurus? Why not just go with Allosaurus if you're desperate for a Jurassic Theropod? The answer is the same I gave for T. Rex. Being the top predator in the environment is BORING. Playing second-fiddle is fun if it means the game has some sort of challenge. It's a dog eat dog world, and sometimes you eat the Stegosaurid, sometimes the Allosaur eats you, that's life.
Triceratops; Ah, here we are. The obligatory Ornithischian. We need a herbivore so offset the three carnivores. What better Herbivore than big Tri himself? The name of the game is intimidate, you want that girly, and nothing'll stop you, not drought, famine, other males, or even that big mother-lover T. Rex himself.

[JeminiZero]

You could try Spore. Its not quite the same as playing a bona fide T-rex, but if you evolve enough size, speed, natural weapons and plating, you could make a predator that looks like a T-rex


I demand a game where I get to play a T-Rex flying an F-14

Plus when you bring your T-rex like species into the modern age you could equip them with F-14 like jets.

[blueblade]

Wow, this game is for all of you, especially the guy who wanted to play a dinosaur that flies an F14 (it's close enough IMO, with enough sugar on top). Where is that reference from anyway? Sounds familiar

Game here. The link kind of spoils the surprise (http://www.kongregate.com/games/I_smell/robot-dinosaurs-that-shoot-beams-when-they-roar)

[Belobog]

Wow, this game is for all of you, especially the guy who wanted to play a dinosaur that flies an F14 (it's close enough IMO, with enough sugar on top). Where is that reference from anyway? Sounds familiar

Game here. The link kind of spoils the surprise (http://www.kongregate.com/games/I_smell/robot-dinosaurs-that-shoot-beams-when-they-roar)

Calvin and Hobbes. I believe that was the point where Waterson actually stopped drawing T-Rexes in the strip.

[Oslecamo]

Banjo-Tooie had a level where you could indeed morph into a T-Rex. Good times.

EDIT: But indeed my dinossaur dream game would be an RTS where dinossaurs would be one of the factions. Their hero unit would be a big badass T-Rex and as they teched up they could enslave humanoids to build them fire weapons so we can have our velociraptors with machine guns strike team.

[Arcanoi]

Banjo-Tooie had a level where you could indeed morph into a T-Rex. Good times.

EDIT: But indeed my dinossaur dream game would be an RTS where dinossaurs would be one of the factions. Their hero unit would be a big badass T-Rex and as they teched up they could enslave humanoids to build them fire weapons so we can have our velociraptors with machine guns strike team.

There was an awful game called Paraworld with a... similar theme that came out a few years ago. But it was awful. Just awful.

[Thane of Fife]

I think that E.V.O: Search for Eden (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.V.O.:_Search_for_Eden) at least allowed temporary dinosaur-ness. You can see a Let's Play of it here (http://www.letsplayarchive.com/) (you'll have to scroll down to it).

[warty goblin]

Objection!

Even though T. Rex was the top predator in the North America during the Maastrichtian, it would still be unable to take down any of the very few adult sauropods remaining (Sauropods were already going extinct.)

I think that a game based on T. Rex would actually be pretty boring. That's the problem when dealing with animals on the top of the food chain. Doubtless you would want to play as an adult, and let's face it, none of the contemporary animals would want to **** with an adult T. Rex.

True enough, but with a reasonably punishing injury system, a need to actually eat, and appropriately durable foes the game could still present a challenge.


What I think would be more interesting would be a series of smaller levels within one game. One each for several different species of Mesozoic fauna. Perhaps the following would be more interesting:
I do like this idea.

[LIST]

Velociraptor; Yes, it's cliche. Yes, Velociraptors have already been taken advantage of enough. My proposal here stands mainly on the basis of environment. Of course any game like this would NEED a Dromeosaur of some kind, not only so we could use some sort of team-work AI, but also so we could watch some gorgeously rendered feathers. Velociraptor lived in a very diverse area, the Gobi desert, where there would be larger predators such as T. Bataar to watch out for, and plenty of prey, such as Protoceratops, to hunt from the scrub. The beauty of the environment, thick underbrush, ageless desert, calm oases where Therizinosaurus and Tarbosaurus (Are they still calling it that?) can sit together and drink without tearing each other's throats out. Beautiful.
Oh hell yes.



Istiodactylus (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1196/1347842920_e5942506fb.jpg); I admit, ever since I saw what great fun could be had in limitless flying games, such as Just Cause, I wanted to play a game as a Pterosaur. Flying through the air, dodging between the cliff-faces, floating on gusts of wind as the entirety of the verdant prehistoric world beckons to you from the ground, three-thousand feet below. You coast, and there, you smell it (or are rather alerted to the smell by some HUD or other UI element.) A corpse, something to eat, you pinpoint the position and dive. You slowly slow down and find several small theropods feasting on a dead Hadrosaur of some kind. Your menacing frame frightens them, and the back away slowly. One if them gets a random chance in their AI code, perhaps able to be explained by seeing your kind before, and lunges tentatively toward you. A small nip, not enough to kill, you aren't actually strong enough to fight these land-born off, but enough to say "**** off, it's mine now." You eat in peace, but see a larger theropod coming towards you, one you have no chance of fighting off. Is there enough wind to take off now? Or do you need a headstart that may cost you? Dear gods someone make this game.

This concept fills me with unlimited lust. I can just imagine the pleasure of flying around, taking in the sights, then noticing a fresh carcass, swooping lower only to be driven off by a theropod of some sort. With a good engine, this could be a game that causes eyeballs to melt.

Actually, what really should be done is to take the ArmA approach, and simply give you an enormous sandbox to play around in as a wide variety of species. There could be a campaign or something like that, but really I suspect a story would mostly just get in the way of the rampant joy of running around a big old prehistoric jungle and eating things. Sort of like the creature stage of Spore, but much more challenging and without that stupid whackamole befriending dudes thing.

[Fri]

There was an awful game called Paraworld with a... similar theme that came out a few years ago. But it was awful. Just awful.

I thought paraworld got decent score in reviews. huh.

[Raroy]

There's a short little flash game called "Robot Dinosaurs that shoot beams when they roar". I've never wanted to be a T-Rex in my life. Having tiny arms and a peanut sized brain? Then again, I would play one.

[Johnny Blade]

I thought paraworld got decent score in reviews. huh.
Well, I liked it. But it didn't really have all that much depth. Good gameplay, though, from the army controller bar to the skulls mechanic (you need kills to upgrade your units).

[Jahkaivah]

Off-Road Velociraptor Safari (http://blurst.com/raptor-safari/)

Jetpack Brontosaurus (http://blurst.com/jetpack-brontosaurus/)

[Gamerlord]

I remember Nanosaur! I played that all the time on my mac! For the uneducated, the plot is this: In the future humanity is extinct, replaced by dinosaurs in very way possible (Yes, Dinosaur stock brokers, Dinosaur senators, Dinosaur terrorists, even) when the stockpile of eggs is destroyed by a terrorist dino group wielding pistols, forcing you to travel back in time with a laser gun to get some more eggs.

[Dogmantra]

This is why there needs to be a Dinosaur Comics video game, where you play as T-Rex, whilst trying to punch out turkeys, shoot those spooky raccoons and cephalopods and also get home in time to discuss philosophy with Utahraptor.

[hamishspence]

I thought there was a fighting game, way back, a la Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, that had dinosaurs as the options.

though it was a long time back- and I might be remembering wrongly.

[SolkaTruesilver]

I thought there was a fighting game, way back, a la Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, that had dinosaurs as the options.

though it was a long time back- and I might be remembering wrongly.

called... Rage? Primal Rage?

It was set in a post-apocalyptic world. there was many dinosaures available, but also 2 gigantic gorilla...

That was a weird game. I have to find the lore to read more about it...

Anyway. I want to ask something: Why settle for Dinosaure? You want some gigantic reptiles, why not have it fly and breath fire?

Somebody knows a REALLY good Dragon game? (I remember one that was A La Tomb Raider, with a sexy young woman riding an old red dragon... I had it when I was young...)

[chiasaur11]

This is why there needs to be a Dinosaur Comics video game, where you play as T-Rex, whilst trying to punch out turkeys, shoot those spooky raccoons and cephalopods and also get home in time to discuss philosophy with Utahraptor.

All while stomping on things.

I know. It would be awesome.

[warty goblin]

Somebody knows a REALLY good Dragon game? (I remember one that was A La Tomb Raider, with a sexy young woman riding an old red dragon... I had it when I was young...)

The game you are thinking of is Drakan: Order of the Flame, which was PC exclusive, came out back in 1999, or possibly its early 2000's sequel Drakan: The Ancient's Gates, which was PS2 exclusive. I've only ever played the demo of OotF, but it was by far the best depiction of a dragon in any game I've ever played except for Arokh's horrible muppetesque voice acting. There's used copies floating around Amazon for $12 or so (new ones seem to be commanding around $100), which I'd honestly go for but I've been unable to get the demo to run on my current rig.

As to why dinosaurs and not dragons, it's simple. Dragons come with all the trappings of fantasy 99.999999 times out of a hundred. There are a wide variety of ways to partake of this experience. Running around the Jurassic with glorious modern graphics would be a truly unique experience.

[Gamerlord]

What about dinosaurs AND dragons?

EDIT: I just realized something: Dinosaurs:D, Dragons:D, D&D!! AND IT IS TRUE! THE 3.5 MM HAS STATS FOR BOTH!

D&D= dinosaurs & dragons!

[Phase]

Actually, what really should be done is to take the ArmA approach, and simply give you an enormous sandbox to play around in as a wide variety of species. There could be a campaign or something like that, but really I suspect a story would mostly just get in the way of the rampant joy of running around a big old prehistoric jungle and eating things. Sort of like the creature stage of Spore, but much more challenging and without that stupid whackamole befriending dudes thing.

Yes. Very yes. Sandbox Dinosaur game is a terrific idea.

Some species would sound good on paper, but would be boring to play. Some of those ancient crocs like Sarchosuchus would be sitting around for an hour for a dinosaur to come near the water.

But Pterosaur concept is still making me breath heavily.

[hamishspence]

there was a Jaws game- but I'm told it was a bit awful.

The ide of roaming around as a big dino (or pterosaur, or marine prehistoric reptile) does seem like fun though.

[Dogmantra]

All while stomping on things.

I know. It would be awesome.

I just thought... Mr. Tusks would be an unlockable character! You'd get into a SMALL bit of trouble, and you'd have to play MINIgames to get out!

Oh, and Morris... He'd umm... I can't think of any jokes about Morris, actually. Only that maybe being Morris would be the "extra hard" difficulty.

[warty goblin]

Yes. Very yes. Sandbox Dinosaur game is a terrific idea.

Some species would sound good on paper, but would be boring to play. Some of those ancient crocs like Sarchosuchus would be sitting around for an hour for a dinosaur to come near the water.

Yeah, most of the time that would be dead boring. But by following the ArmA model, you could efficiently cut out the boring stuff. Just jump into the overlarge scaley, wait a minute or two at the ford for a convenient target, then dragging it into the water in a titanic struggle. Then boom, you're done.

Bottom line, there's going to be a lot of boring stuff, but good design could lead to some pretty awesome 'dinosaur vignates' where you play a species doing its best thing for a few minutes.

Of course there's also creatures that it would be fun to spend more time as, and have better developed. Some of the hadrosaurs, the pterosaur obviously, some sort of raptor, maybe a ceratopsian of some sort...


But Pterosaur concept is still making me breath heavily.
You and me both. That's without a doubt the most awesome idea I've read in quite a while.

[Drakyn]

Big, beautiful prehistoric environments + playing as one of several selectable dinosaurs is something that I'm amazed hasn't had a good hard shot taken at it. Plus, any wilderness sandbox is a good sandbox. Screw being penned in a city, let's get some huge canyons, dense jungles, tippy cliffs, and rugged hills in this here playground.

[Gamerlord]

A city might be nice, a park gone wrong has dinosaurs loose in the city, you're one of them, you explore this strange, unknown landscape, and a terrorist attacks turns it into a ruined city, perfect for jumping and leaping in, as well as hunting any survivors....

[Morrandir]

Good news, Warty.

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/9453/raptor3.png

There's a group working on that in light of the Unreal Development Kit being released for free.

[warty goblin]

A city might be nice, a park gone wrong has dinosaurs loose in the city, you're one of them, you explore this strange, unknown landscape, and a terrorist attacks turns it into a ruined city, perfect for jumping and leaping in, as well as hunting any survivors....

No, the more I think about it, the better this sounds being a completely human free experience. No people, no technology, nothing but the forests and savanahs and the need to survive.

And absolutely no morality system in any way shape or form.

[Drakyn]

A city might be nice, a park gone wrong has dinosaurs loose in the city, you're one of them, you explore this strange, unknown landscape, and a terrorist attacks turns it into a ruined city, perfect for jumping and leaping in, as well as hunting any survivors....
But we've got no shortage of man-made environments in games nowadays. Wouldn't it be novel to be able to run around without having to go through a single military base, sewer level, or secret underground lair? To have a sandbox that consists of a small continent's-worth of luscious extinct foliage and terrain to roam around on?

EDIT: Yeah, what the cheaty ninja jumpy guy above said.

[Phase]

Human environments are standardized, boring. I would also much prefer to be in a completely alien environment. There would be marsh-like areas, plains, underbrush, mountain ranges, a cliff face overlooking the death that is the ocean.

I would be most enamored with some sort of extra-sensory dealie. Sure, sight and sound are fine, but the Mesozoic ran on smell, first and foremost. That would need to be taken into account.

EDIT: D'oh.

[Gamerlord]

How about a combo? You can wander into human turf if you feel like it, but you can also be on a unmolested island.

[Phase]

I still think that ruins the purity. Would you really feel that wave of joy as you survey your kingdom from four-thousand feet in the air if between forested growth you saw a city skyline? Would you actually feel secure when with your herd as a Hadrosaur if you knew that over the next ridge were a species that could kill you instantly with the wave of a hand?

Nah.

EDIT: Oh man, what if this used the DIRT engine? Hundreds of thousands of kilometers at our beck and call? Hell yes.

[Gamerlord]

No, what I mean is like, two different modes to pick from:

"RAMPAGE!!!!" The aforementioned city rampaging

"Survival" explore the dino lands.

[Phase]

If you want to rampage in a city, go play Rampage, the actual game. No need to drag these creatures into it. D:

[Gamerlord]

That's an arcade game!

[warty goblin]

I still think that ruins the purity. Would you really feel that wave of joy as you survey your kingdom from four-thousand feet in the air if between forested growth you saw a city skyline? Would you actually feel secure when with your herd as a Hadrosaur if you knew that over the next ridge were a species that could kill you instantly with the wave of a hand?

Nah.

EDIT: Oh man, what if this used the DIRT engine? Hundreds of thousands of kilometers at our beck and call? Hell yes.

I was thinking the engine that runs ArmA II, which looks amazingly good if you've got the hardware, and can already sort of handle lots of complex AIs, but the Ego Engine would do fine too.

Then you just need the people at GSC Gameworld to write the animal AI code. Anybody else would make it gimmicky, or instanced somehow, which would defeat the whole point.

[Phase]

Precisely. This is a sandbox game. You seem to want an arcade game.

[Gamerlord]

Wandering a ruined city is not a arcade game.

[Drakyn]

Agreed. However, cities, ruined or otherwise, are pretty prevelant in sandbox games, and massive mesozoic environments less so. Let's split the difference and say that's totally sequel material.

[Gamerlord]

Or expansion pack material.

[Inhuman Bot]

Well, there was Nanosaur, which was a game where you play as a dinosaur with guns.

Sadly, it was all one level, under a strict time limit, in the past. And probably not that good a game.

I loved Nanosaur! :<

There's also Dino run: Escape extinction (http://www.miniclip.com/games/dino-run/en/).

[Stormthorn]

Velociraptor
Utahraptor.
When something that is essentialy a flightless bird weighs in at 700 pounds, you know its big. Also, nine in long claws.

[Myrmex]

There was a game for xBox where you got to play as the great white shark in Jaws. You swam around some islands, completing missions. It was like GTA, except with a giant shark instead of a criminal.

You could pull off different combos for sinking ships, and optional missions that would unlock new combos or upgrade your chomp. Or something like that.


there was a Jaws game- but I'm told it was a bit awful.

LIES! HERESY!
IT'S GTA WITH A SHARK INSTEAD OF A JERK!

[warty goblin]

Just ran across this on RPS: Dino D Day (http://www.dinodday.com/home.htm).

Cons: Still not playing as dinosaurs.

Pros: Get to shoot Nazi dinosaurs. I repeat, Nazi Dinosaurs. Dare I call them Uberlizards?

[chiasaur11]

Just ran across this on RPS: Dino D Day (http://www.dinodday.com/home.htm).

Cons: Still not playing as dinosaurs.

Pros: Get to shoot Nazi dinosaurs. I repeat, Nazi Dinosaurs. Dare I call them Uberlizards?

Time Gentlemen Please had some Nazi dinos too.

It was rather silly, all told.