Different Sizes for Dinosaurs

[Kevinosaurus]

What I thought about the other day was to have dinosaurs grow to different sizes (same species). For example let's say a T. Rex can grow up to 20/40 ft. height/length, but an adult is at minimum 15/30 ft. There should be a chance that it could be anything in between those two parameters once it's fully grown. I think that could bring much more variety to the game. Can't be that difficult to implement as you would only need to scale the dinos.

What do you think? Do you want them all to be the same size (i.e. maximum)?

 

[Winterwalker]

I've been thinking about this too a bit.

I do think some (small) randomness in sizes would make herds look extra interesting. +/- 2.5%? (a 5% range).

Too much size change from the standard model could look odd though, there are possible risks to interaction animations too but mostly I think would need some care as, if you hatched your one and only T-Rex, which turns out to be a titch, that could annoy people. Maybe it would be possible to look at gene splicing .. giving the choice .. slightly big, slightly small or random. That gives some player agency to it?

 

[Dino droppings? Droppings?]

I love this idea. The best part is that it would be a fairly simple algorithm and the designers don't have to design any more models!

That's the issue with having juveniles in the game; the devs would have to make (at minimum) twice the amount of dinosaur models than they already have. I'd rather them just add twice the number of dinosaurs haha

 

[Kevinosaurus]

Too much size change from the standard model could look odd though, there are possible risks to interaction animations too but mostly I think would need some care as, if you hatched your one and only T-Rex, which turns out to be a titch, that could annoy people. Maybe it would be possible to look at gene splicing .. giving the choice .. slightly big, slightly small or random. That gives some player agency to it?

Good point, I didn't think about the animation thing. That could make it a bit more difficult and not as straight forward depending on how they programmed this in the first place. And yeah, I also thought about adding this to the genes to give people a better choice/control over this. But as you said having herds with different sizes would look so much more natural.

 

[Kevinosaurus]

That's the issue with having juveniles in the game; the devs would have to make (at minimum) twice the amount of dinosaur models than they already have. I'd rather them just add twice the number of dinosaurs haha

Agreed. More different species rather than this. But adding different life stages and potentially males could be part of a future DLC. It could be called the ''Dino Variety DLC''. I know that's a lame name, but I'm sure they can come up with something better.

 

[Andrew2018]

It is a good idea but a lot of work would need to go into making sure every different sized worked well with any possible combination. There is much better use of their resources.

 

[Lora Craft69]

I see so many great ideas on this forum and I'm 100% sure that the devs had also many ideas they had to cut from development, maybe this was one of them.
If you make animations for let's say a T-Rex and you resize it to a certain size you will probably have to redo all the animations.
Another thing they have to take in mind is the stats will have to be lowered for a smaller T-Rex.
It's probably to much work for one species if you can use that time to make another species.

 

[PCMR4Life]

Don't know about sizes. But I was watching a YouTube video where someone was talking about the Dinosaurs having different colors and they said you could breed one Dinosaur to be really aggressive and make it a different color so it would distinguishable from the rest as the alpha. That would be good.

 

[Andrew2018]

Don't know about sizes. But I was watching a YouTube video where someone was talking about the Dinosaurs having different colors and they said you could breed one Dinosaur to be really aggressive and make it a different color so it would distinguishable from the rest as the alpha. That would be good.

I never thought of doing that, that is a really good idea actually.

 

[Kevinosaurus]

That was one of the plans I had for my park as soon as I knew there are different colors. As for the other comments. Sure, if it's difficult to implement then they should prioritize other things first. Doesn't mean it can't be added down the line if the game is successful.

 

[Dino droppings? Droppings?]

That was one of the plans I had for my park as soon as I knew there are different colors. As for the other comments. Sure, if it's difficult to implement then they should prioritize other things first. Doesn't mean it can't be added down the line if the game is successful.

I would love if we had male and female dinosaurs and they were sexually dimorphic. But having animals of the same species and same sex with wildly different skin coloration isn't really what we observe in the nature and therefore as a biologist I simply couldn't allow it in my park haha.

Your original idea for variation in the size of animals is fantastic and I imagine it wouldn't be too difficult to implement. It would just have to follow a normal distribution which is exactly what we see in the wild. Although, as Malcom says in the book, a normal distribution is not what we would expect of a population of animals inside a zoo if they are all genetically identical (which clones are by definition).

 

[UnseatedDonkey]

I'd love some difference in visual variation if the colour is increasing as the gene structure imporves.

I love the idead of dinosaurs being sexually dimorphic if we get males.

 

[Heradon]

I would love if we had male and female dinosaurs and they were sexually dimorphic. But having animals of the same species and same sex with wildly different skin coloration isn't really what we observe in the nature and therefore as a biologist I simply couldn't allow it in my park haha.

Your original idea for variation in the size of animals is fantastic and I imagine it wouldn't be too difficult to implement. It would just have to follow a normal distribution which is exactly what we see in the wild. Although, as Malcom says in the book, a normal distribution is not what we would expect of a population of animals inside a zoo if they are all genetically identical (which clones are by definition).

Then that also applies to color patterns and colors too...

 

[DARGAN]

maybe two different size .. with a system of growth .. young size and adult size.

the passage to adulthood this fact instantly after a while not to pose a problem of animation.

if it is well nourished and treated, the transition to adulthood is faster.

this principle is used in other population management game, although in this one there will be no natural reproduction since his animals are normally sterilized .. normally lol

a carnivorous adult attacks herbivores.. but a young carnivore can be attacking (and easily kill) by an adult herbivore.. and others to differentiate them.

I'm rather Elite Dangerous but I admit that this game attracts me

 

[Dino droppings? Droppings?]

Then that also applies to color patterns and colors too...

What are you referring to?