The Carnivores games were a series of first-person shooting video games released by Action Forms: Carnivores, which was released in 1998, Carnivores 2, released in 1999, and Carnivores: Ice Age, released in 2001, all for the PC. In addition, Carnivores Cityscape (developed by a different company) was released in 2002.
Carnivores
| Carnivores | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Action Forms |
| Publisher(s) | Wizardworks, Inc. (now Atari) |
| Series | Carnivores series |
| Release date(s) | November 30, 1998 |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy First-Person Shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) |
| Platform(s) | Windows 95 Windows 98 |
| Media | CD (1) |
| System requirements | IBM PC or compatible Pentium 150mhz processor 16MB RAM 85MB HDD CD-ROM Drive 100% DirectX compatible video card 100% DirectX compatible sound card |
| Input | Keyboard and Mouse |
Carnivores is a Fantasy First-Person Shooter developed by Action Forms in 1998 for the PC. Carnivores, released shortly after WizardWork's successful Deer Hunter, "proves itself to be more than "just another Deer Hunter clone" by adding two major twists to the genre: allowing the hunter to hunt dinosaurs, and allowing the dinosaurs to hunt the hunter as well" as some critics say. The Carnivores 2 sequel gives slightly better graphics, a new format, more dinosaurs and weapons, brand new maps, and an improved AI. Carnivores Ice Age offers a whole new take on the series with animals from the Ice Age and levels to fit the theme.
Storyline
Carnivores, once one starts playing, doesn't really provide much in the way of a story line - the player picks a weapon, a dinosaur, and a hunting area, and they hunt. This basic formula of the absence of a storyline in gameplay is continued by Carnivores' two sequels. However, there is an 'official' storyline behind the game, as provided below:
- On a routine exploration mission in 2190 A.D., science vessel FMM UV discovered a planet with suitable climate for humankind. During the initial scouting expedition, this young planet, code-named FMM UV-32, was declared inhospitable for colony life, due to its unstable terrain and immense population of prehistoric reptiles. News of this amazing planet spread, and articles on the "Dinosaur Planet" lead an Earth corporation to purchase the rights to the planet and create DinoHunt Corp. DinoHunt creates the opportunity for paying customers to become dinosaur hunters for the first time in 50 million years. You are the newest client of DinoHunt Corp.[1]
Gameplay
The gameplay of the original Carnivores remains constant throughout the series, with few changes. The game opens with a login screen, where users can make a new account or load a previous one. If creating a new account, they will be asked to read and approve a "waiver", stating that the player releases DinoHunt Corp. of any responsibility in the case the player is injured or killed (an interesting sidenote is that the player can't really be injured in any of the games - the closest the player can come is staying underwater or walking through lava, in which cases a health bar pops up; when attacked by dinosaurs, however, any hit is an instant death).
If accepted, the game proceeds to the main menu. If declined, the program exits. From the main menu players can view their hunting statistics, enter a hunt, view their trophies in the trophy room, change game settings, view the developer credits, or exit the game. In the hunt screen, you must pick a location, animal(s) to hunt, weapon(s), and supplies. Choosing any supplies decreases the total amount of points you can get on any hunt by a set percentage, except for the tranquilizer, which increases the amount of points obtained. Information on each item is provided. In Carnivores, what dinosaurs, areas and weapons the user can choose depends on that user's rank.
After the player has selected their settings, they can hunt. During the hunt, the player is provided with an on-screen compass and a wind direction indicator, which can be activated or deactivated with the CAPS-LOCK key. Sometimes the player spawns near a huntable animal, which is bad if the animal is a carnivore. The player can also draw weapons (with the number keys), look at the island map (TAB), or use binoculars. When a kill is made, the player's trophy is picked up by a ship, unless tranquilizer mode is used. If the player is killed, all points and trophies earned in that session are lost. The player can choose to exit the map or respawn on the map anytime by pressing ESC-Y or ESC-R, respectively. If the player dies, he must choose to either exit or respawn. The player can be killed by drowning, burning in lava, or by being attacked. The player can't be killed by falling from any height, so climbing mountains is an often-used strategy when hunting carnivores.
Creatures
- Moschops
- Gallimimus
- Dimorphodon
- Parasaurolophus
- Stegosaurus
- Pachycephalosaurus
- Allosaurus
- Triceratops
- Velociraptor
- Tyrannosaurus Rex
Carnivores 2
| Carnivores 2 | |
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| Developer(s) | Action Forms |
| Publisher(s) | The Wizardworks Group, Inc. (now Atari) |
| Series | Carnivores series |
| Release date(s) | October 22, 1999 |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy First-Person Shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) |
| Platform(s) | Windows 95 Windows 98 |
| Media | CD (1) |
| System requirements | IBM PC or compatible Pentium 200mhz processor 24MB RAM 200MB HDD 2X CD-ROM Drive 100% DirectX compatible video card 100% DirectX compatible sound card |
| Input | Keyboard and Mouse |
The storyline of Carnivores 2 is almost identical to that of the first one, and the game gives the impression that the DinoHunt Corp. has found new dinosaurs and built new technology.
Gameplay
Gameplay in Carnivores 2 is very similar to that in the original Carnivores, except that Carnivores' ranking system has been replaced by a point system in Carnivores 2. Note that the point system isn't new to Carnivores 2, it was just hidden behind Carnivores' ranking system such that when a player accrued a certain number of points, they gained a rank. The player starts with 100 points, and the selection of a starting area, dinosaur(s) and weapon(s) use some of these points. In addition, the player may choose what time of day to hunt, from Dawn, Day, or Night. The only difference between each time of day is the atmosphere; carnivores, for instance, are just as active in the Day as at any other time.
Creatures
- Moschops
- Dimetrodon
- Gallimimus
- Dimorphodon
- Pteranodon
- Brachiosaurus
- Parasaurolophus
- Stegosaurus
- Ankylosaurus
- Allosaurus
- Chasmosaurus
- Velociraptor
- Spinosaurus
- Ceratosaurus
- Tyrannosaurus Rex
Carnivores Ice Age
| Carnivores Ice Age | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Action Forms |
| Publisher(s) | Wizardworks, Inc. (now Atari) |
| Series | Carnivores series |
| Release date(s) | January 12, 2001 |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy First-Person Shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) |
| Platform(s) | Windows 95 Windows 98 |
| Media | CD (1) |
| System requirements | IBM PC or compatible Pentium 200mhz processor 32MB RAM 200MB HDD 2X CD-ROM Drive 100% DirectX compatible video card 100% DirectX compatible sound card |
| Input | Keyboard and Mouse |
Gameplay
For the Ice Age sequel, the storyline is an addition to the original storyline. DinoHunt Corp. scientists discover Ice Age animals living in the Arctic regions of planet FMM UV-32, and they set up a separate hunting program for big game living there. It also features better gameplay and a new supply drop feature, which can be used once per hunt and refreshes the player's supplies. One more addition is the existence of a "secret animal" that can be unlocked by obtaining 1,000 points.
Carnivores: Cityscape
This game, as its name suggests, takes place in the city of a future world. The storyline is that a ship carrying dinosaurs (presumably from FFM UV-32) to a secret facility crashes in the city, after which the dinosaurs escape and cause pandemonium. Several levels exist, such as the Subway, the Sewers, and the City. Players have the opportunity to play as either a hunter or a carnivorous dinosaur. It did poorly compared to its namesakes, as the gameplay and storyline have the characteristics of a B-Movie.
References
External links
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