User:Dotname2469/Dinosaur Zoo

Dinosaur Zoo Dinosaur Zoo is an educational app built as a collaboration between Swedish based Dotnamestudios and UK Thumbspark interactive was first released for Apple's iOS in May 2011 available exclusively through Apple's app store and only ported to the iPad console. It is an attempt to take the serious prehistoric digital reconstructions and 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.

Users tap, stroke and roar at the screen and the various animals display there 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 is no points, level based reward system or assets which can be unlocked.

Information
Current state of paleontological knowledge is shown in graphics and short sentences. A series of panels supplied maps where the fossils were discovered, the animals vital statistics and paleogeographical maps showing where and when the animal lived. 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 currently under development 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.

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

COLORATION The colouration 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

Dinosaur Zoo occasionally fails in the environments, noticeably the blue-bell flowers in the Kentrosaurus environment and the modern variety of banana tress in the muttaburrasaurus environment. In both cases there is little evidence that such species were around in the Cretaceous Period.

AUDIO In audio 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 althuogh the pin-point location is somewhat broad and critic might argue not specific enough.

SCALE On the “relative to an average human male” scale, Dinosaur Zoo has tended to err towards the maxium size of each animal rather than the median.

Reception
Reviews of Dinosaur Zoo have been positive. Casey Chan of Gizmodo for Gizmodo's app of the day 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?"

Awards
In June 2011, Dinosaur Zoo was a named "App of the day"