Dino Diary #5!

[Imran Siddiqui]

http://www.firaxis.com/dinosaurs/diary/page.cfm

Some exerpts:

quote: Another gameplay element we're playing with is resources that adapt to your actions. As your dinos munch away at delicate plants, perhaps the plants evolve tougher plant skin, requiring your dinos to adapt in turn. We want the world around you to be alive, and not just a static backdrop.

quote: The game is shaping up toward the latter. Dinos will clash and die, but it will be in the context of a larger strategic system driven by player choices. It seems the most appropriate, the most fun, and we still get to have the cool dino "fight and die" art that will give the game more visual flair.

Interesting free-flowing game. I guess it'll be different every time. Also some non-player involved combat. And this is the first info that looks like the game might be a big-world game rather than scenarios.

quote: There are other game systems that we didn't discuss above and will save for later diaries. The environment, multiplayer, special events, landmarks, territories, and more are all areas waiting for discussion.

[connorkimbro]

I have to say, it's getting more and more intriguing. . Hopefully they do the "evolving" part right, so that things evolve differently every time, so you don't go through the same game every time.

Cue the volcano, oh!, now my dinosaurs have fire resistant skin. Cool!
(take 2)
Cue the flood, oh!, now my dinosaurs can swim. Cool!
(take 3)
Cue the drought, oh!, now my dinosaurs can survive on much less water. Cool!

etc. .

[MidKnight Lament]

i've gotta say, dinos is starting to sound really cool! i'm loving the way that evolution is sounding. and it looks like the watering whole thing is going to be their combatant to ics. great to hear that they're leaning towards more tactical as well.
perhaps i'm only so disheartened with RTS because so far they've all been relatively the same...

ok, so i'm starting to get a little hooked on dino info.

[Imran Siddiqui]

A little?

I think Dinos looks really, really good. It could end up to be better and more innovative than Civ3 (imagine that!). Simply because the evolution system looks to be amazing!

[LordStone1]

It looks very interesting, but the problem is that it is sounding more and more like a RTS game to me. The watering hole defense sounds a lot like a RTS. If it was a TBS, then it would be way easy to defend them - just post some raptors at Waterhole #1 if you see some T-Rexes coming up. Howerver, with RTS, it's more fluid.

Yep, this sounds like a RTS game. Oh well.

[Atahualpa]

I am not opposed to RTS. If they could do it like in Baldur's Gate, where you can pause anytime, set your actions and then unpause the game. Now your actions are carried out.

Ata

[Adm.Naismith]

Hmmm, Imram I'm not sure about your:

quote: this is the first info that looks like the game might be a big-world game rather than scenarios

IMO, looking at their statement:

quote: We want to make this a game more about a smaller group of multi-talented dino beasts (with perhaps a pack or two of hungry raptors) than about cranking out faceless units and sending them out in waves to die.

we can suppose the numbers of "units" will be small, really not fitting with the "big world" (i.e. Pangea and geological evolution) we wonder some weeks ago.

In fact, it really looks like a scenario game, or a "regional area" game if you prefer, where you have some strategic choice about how to develop and maintain your herd (gaining enough control of water and food resources), how to "assemble" dinos to fit better ("player as human "master" building and tweaking their dinos for maximum survival", really like SMAC workshop), how cooperate with different species of Dino (look at that "with perhaps a pack or two of hungry raptors").

The environment react evolving, so we have now discovered the substitute of CIV pollution / global warming to cope with. IMHO it could really be the winning idea of all the game, if properly implemented.

"Mammals, Lizards and Rodents" (hey, aren't Rodents mammals too? ) are the new CIV Barbarians / SMAC Mindworms.

Combat are definitely on the path of some detailed animation ("we still get to have the cool dino "fight and die" art that will give the game more visual flair"), but they speak about art, not real time control of fight.

Ok, this is my "intelligence" about Diary #5, I just want to add how horrible must be writing down the diaries, pondering every word, knowing we are here on the dark ready to rip off every once of info, real or not!

Mike Ely, I sympathize with you!

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Adm.Naismith AKA mcostant

[Imran Siddiqui]

Adm., point well taken but:

quote: Dinos will clash and die, but it will be in the context of a larger strategic system driven by player choices.

That larger strategic system seems like big world to me. I really can't see this game of major evolution turn into a scenario game. It seems much too complex for that, IMHO.

And of course, if it were a Starcraft clone than BR's comments wouldn't make much sence that they were leaving Firaxis to make RTS scenario-based games.

[Adm.Naismith]

Hugo, I'm thinking about MLRs eating dino's eggs: bad enough for you?

That's right Imran, me too saw that part, I think its not so relevant, but your idea is as good as mine, if not better so I'll wait for some months more to see the true,
(BTW, I'm playing SMAC as Miriam today, so the last sentence slip out of my finger, eh eh )


Oh, about Tim leaving because of not involved in RTS, well a RTS Dino is the little pet of Sid, so may be he can't touch it with a stick, and CIV III will definitely be a TBS, will not?

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Adm.Naismith AKA mcostant

[Hugo Rune]

I'm not all sure that the MLRs are just barbarians or mindworms... sounds worse to me...

They'll probably steal your water and eat your food.

[NoviceCEO]

IMHO, the most important information on the Diary was when we can read that the game will be based on small number units. This doesn't mean a game based on scenarios. It also doesn't mean a game based in "big world".

We're all thinking too much of those too words. The game can be based in huge "maps" (the word map doesn't fit well in the sentence), larger than scenarios but not as big as "big worlds". On big worlds, our dino's should like ants, and I don't think that's going to happen.

novice
(sorry if I missed any post, I just took a quick look over it)

[Joseph]

Question
Are you going to stay with the time line that we (man) belive the way it happen.
That is some dino live and dieded long before other dino started?

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