8 /10 1 Votes
Developer(s) Dotnamestudios Engine Thumbspark Initial release date 15 May 2011 Genre Education | Producer(s) Andrew Kerr Release date(s) May 15, 2011 Platform iOS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Designer(s) Andrew Kerr (lead designer) Similar Jurassic Park Builder, Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter, Carnivores Ice Age, Jurassic Park: The Game, Carnivores | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jurassic island dinosaur zoo early access
Dinosaur Zoo is an educational app built as a collaboration between Swedish-based Dotnamestudios and UK-based Thumbspark interactive and was first released for Apple's iOS. It is available exclusively through Apple's app store and ported to the iPad console and iPhone as a universal build, free additional dinosaurs are periodically added. It is an attempt to take the serious prehistoric digital reconstructions and information from leading paleontologists and expose them together with current knowledge on specific species in a more accessible medium. Dinosaur Zoo was released on iTunes May 2011.
Contents
- Jurassic island dinosaur zoo early access
- Gameplay
- Information
- Production
- Development
- Accuracy
- Reception
- Charts
- References
Users tap, stroke and roar at the screen and the various animals display their hunting and defensive techniques. Pop-up panels give a detailed account of the animal based on current palentological knowledge. Additional animals then become available in the form of extension packs for users to customise their menagerie.
Gameplay
Interaction
The users are provided with prehistoric animals in a suitable environment and the animals react to tapping, stroking and sound by demonstrating their defense strategies or hunting techniques. Gameplay is limited to simple interaction and there are no points, level-based reward system or assets which can be unlocked.
Information
The current state of paleontological knowledge is given in graphics and brief, accessible explanations. A series of panels supply maps where the fossils were discovered, paleogeographical maps showing where and when the animal lived, and the animal's vital statistics. Accurate rotating digital reconstructions with highlighted paleontological aspects show our current physiological understanding of the animal.
Production
Production began in 2010 and was completed and released in May 2011. Dinosaur Zoo was initially developed under the name Dinosaur Safari but later renamed in order to shorten the name for iTunes. The project was directed by Andrew Kerr and code development was provided by Thumbspark. Digital models and animation were provided by Dotnamestudios.
Development
An iPhone version is now available for Iphones and an android tablet version is currently under discussion but awaiting a clear market leader in the Android tablet market.
Distribution Dinosaur Zoo is currently solely distributed through iTunes and is available only for iPads and iPhones.
Accuracy
MODELS All the dinosaur models have been signed off as accurate by leading palentologists and many have appeared in several other publications such as Prehistoric Life: The definitive guide and Dinosaur World And Dinosaurs: A Visual Encyclopedia
COLORATION The coloration is still a matter of conjecture as solid evidence of particular dinosaur colouration is scant although recent clues from the recently discovered Hadrosaur and fossilized skin fragments from sinosauropteryx suggest both crytic patterns and bright colours are in evidence.
ENVIRONMENTS
Critics have suggested two errors in the background environments, the blue-bell flowers in the Kentrosaurus environment and the modern variety of banana trees in the Muttaburrasaurus environment were unlikely to be present during the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods.
AUDIO In the audio of some scenes, there are sounds of modern-day frogs, although it is again conjecture to assume prehistoric frogs sounded much different.
PALEOGEOGRAPHIC MAPS The maps are accurate in form, although the pin-point location is somewhat broad.
SCALE On the “relative to an average human male” scale, Dinosaur Zoo has tended towards the maximum size of each animal rather than the median.
TIME PERIODS The time periods are mostly accurate, except for the Ornithocheirus, which is said to live in the Middle Jurassic, when in reality it lived in the Early Cretaceous; this was most likely a mistake.
Reception
Reviews of Dinosaur Zoo have been positive. Casey Chan of Gizmodo wrote "Think of it as an encyclopedia for dinosaurs but instead of giving you monotonous info that bores you, it places you in an interactive Dinosaur Zoo - It's an app that lets you play with dinosaurs man, who's not going to love that?"
Charts
Highest iTunes App store ranking : Over all
United States: #34
Ireland: #21
Highest iTunes App store ranking : Education category
United States: #2
United Kingdom: #2
Ireland: #1
Singapore: #1
New Zealand: #1
Argentina: #1