Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs: Difference between revisions

Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs
Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs
Developer(s)	Blue Fang Games
Publisher(s)	Microsoft Game Studios
Series	Zoo Tycoon
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release	NA: 17 May 2002; UK: 19 July 2002;
Genre(s)	Simulation
Mode(s)	Single-player

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Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs is a 2002 expansion pack developed by Blue Fang Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the 2001 simulation video game Zoo Tycoon. Dinosaur Digs allows players to add dinosaurs into the game, introducing new challenges to contain and manage them in their zoo. Upon release, Dinosaur Digs received mixed to average reviews, with praise directed at the novelty and appeal of the game's premise but criticism of how dinosaurs were implemented and the lack of changes to core gameplay mechanics. The dinosaur-themed features in Dinosaur Digs were similarly introduced in the Dino Danger Pack and Extinct Animals DLC packs for Zoo Tycoon 2.

Gameplay

Dinosaur Digs adds a new category of animals containing twenty species of dinosaurs and other extinct animals to the game,^[1] which players can display at their park. Dinosaurs are managed with a new employee, the scientist, which plays a similar role to the zookeeper in the original game.^[2] Dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus rex, Allosaurus and Velociraptor, must be purchased as eggs, which are then incubated and hatched by a scientist, although the game adds a few additional extinct mammal species as well, including the woolly mammoth, which are instead added to the zoo like normal animals.^[3] Dinosaurs pose greater escape risks compared to other animals, as they are more capable of damaging fencing to escape when they are unhappy, and players must contain dinosaurs in special exhibits surrounded by dinosaur-specific fences, including electrified fences. Players can purchase and deploy a Dinosaur Recovery Team to capture dinosaurs that have escaped from their exhibits.^[2]

Dinosaur Digs also features six new scenarios, new decorative objects and buildings, and minor gameplay additions, including a building management tool allowing players to sort and compare buildings to see average profits, as well as a way to toggle the visibility of guests, foliage, and buildings.^[4]^[2]

Reception

Reviews

According to review aggregator Metacritic, Dinosaur Digs received "mixed or average" reviews from critics. Dan Adams of IGN praised the game for adding "plenty to the formula" with its features and items and said it was "well worth the time" for fans of the game.^[2] Elizabeth McAdams of Computer Gaming World considered the game a "refreshing twist" that integrated "seamlessly" into the original gameplay, whilst noting that the expansion did not "drastically revitalize" the core gameplay.^[6] Thomas Mahoney of Gameplanet praised the addition of dinosaurs for their "personality" and their "unique" animations and sounds, and considered the expansion to add to the "entertainment factor" and "longevity" of the core game.^[1] PC Zone wrote that the expansion added little other than dinosaurs to the game, and critiqued it as "more demanding" than the original due to the "painstaking" fine-tuning of enclosures, requiring "remarkable patience".^[9] Describing the premise as "contrived", Matthew Peckham of PC Gamer found the addition of dinosaurs to be "mildly amusing", but their inclusion amounted to "cheap thrill" that did not fundamentally change the core gameplay.^[8] Tom Chick of GameSpot found the handling of dinosaurs "disappointing" and not "as visually or audibly rewarding as it could have been", citing the uninteresting animation of the dinosaurs, the superficial damage done by dinosaurs upon escape, and the redundant purpose of the Dinosaur Recovery Team when players are able to manually move escaped dinosaurs and replace broken fencing.^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Mahoney, Thomas (26 July 2002). "Zoo Tycoon: Dino Digs". Gameplanet. Archived from the original on 25 October 2002. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Adams, Dan (8 July 2002). "Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs". IGN. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
^ ^a ^b Harker, Carla (1 June 2002). "Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs (PC)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 12 January 2005. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
^ "Zoo Tycoon Dinosaur Digs". Gamefreaks. No. 12. August 2002. p. 12.
^ "Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs". Metacritic. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
^ ^a ^b McAdams, Elizabeth (September 2002). "Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs". Computer Gaming World. No. 218. p. 85.
^ ^a ^b Chick, Tom (4 June 2002). "Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs Expansion Pack Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
^ ^a ^b Peckham, Matthew. "Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 15 March 2006. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs". PC Zone. No. 121. November 2002. p. 102.

External links

Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs at MobyGames

[GP-1] Mahoney, Thomas (26 July 2002). "Zoo Tycoon: Dino Digs". Gameplanet. Archived from the original on 25 October 2002. Retrieved 17 March 2024.

[IGN-2] Adams, Dan (8 July 2002). "Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs". IGN. Retrieved 17 March 2024.

[GSpy-3] Harker, Carla (1 June 2002). "Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs (PC)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 12 January 2005. Retrieved 17 March 2024.

[GF-4] "Zoo Tycoon Dinosaur Digs". Gamefreaks. No. 12. August 2002. p. 12.

[5] "Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs". Metacritic. Retrieved 17 March 2024.

[CGW-6] McAdams, Elizabeth (September 2002). "Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs". Computer Gaming World. No. 218. p. 85.

[GSpot-7] Chick, Tom (4 June 2002). "Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs Expansion Pack Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 17 March 2024.

[PCG-8] Peckham, Matthew. "Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 15 March 2006. Retrieved 17 March 2024.

[PCZ-9] "Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs". PC Zone. No. 121. November 2002. p. 102.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Infobox video game
-{{Unreferenced|date=September 2009}}
+| title = Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs
-{{Infobox VG
-|title        = Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs
+| image = Zoo Tycoon Dinosaur Digs Cover.jpg
+| developer = [[Blue Fang Games]]
-|image        = [[Image:Zoo Tycoon - Dinosaur Digs Coverart.png]]
+| publisher = [[Microsoft Game Studios]]
-|caption      =
-|developer    = [[Blue Fang Games]]
+| series = ''[[Zoo Tycoon]]''
+| released = {{vgrelease|NA|17 May 2002|UK|19 July 2002}}
-|publisher    = [[Microsoft Game Studios]]
+| genre = [[Simulation video game|Simulation]]
-|designer     =
+| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
-|series       = ''[[Zoo Tycoon (series)|Zoo Tycoon]]''
+| platforms = [[Microsoft Windows]]
-|version      = 1.2
-|released     = May 19, 2002
-|genre        = [[Business simulation game]]
-|modes        = [[Single player]]
-|ratings      = [[Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB]]: E
-|platforms    = [[Microsoft Windows]]
-|media        = [[Compact Disc]]
-|requirements = [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] 95/98/ME/2000/XP, 233 [[MHz]] processor, (300 MHz recommended), 250 [[Megabyte|MB]] of hard drive space (600 MB recommended), 32 MB of [[RAM]] (64 MB for [[Windows Me]] or 128 MB for [[Windows XP]]), 4 MB [[SVGA]] 16-bit color video card, [[DirectX]] 8.0a
-|input        = [[Computer keyboard|Keyboard]], [[Computer mouse|mouse]]
 }}
+'''''Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs''''' is a 2002 [[expansion pack]] developed by [[Blue Fang Games]] and published by [[Microsoft Game Studios]] for the 2001 [[simulation video game]] ''[[Zoo Tycoon (video game)|Zoo Tycoon]]''. ''Dinosaur Digs'' allows players to add dinosaurs into the game, introducing new challenges to contain and manage them in their zoo. Upon release, ''Dinosaur Digs'' received mixed to average reviews, with praise directed at the novelty and appeal of the game's premise but criticism of how dinosaurs were implemented and the lack of changes to core gameplay mechanics. The dinosaur-themed features in ''Dinosaur Digs'' were similarly introduced in the ''Dino Danger Pack'' and ''Extinct Animals'' [[downloadable content|DLC]] packs for ''[[Zoo Tycoon 2]]''.
-'''''Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs''''' is an [[expansion pack]] released for the [[Personal computer game|PC game]] [[Zoo Tycoon]]. It included [[dinosaur]]s and [[ice age]] creatures, as well as prehistoric themed items.
 ==Gameplay==
+[[File:Zoo Tycoon Dinosaur Digs Screenshot.jpg|thumb|left|''Dinosaur Digs'' adds new dinosaurs for display and more secure enclosures to keep them contained.]]
-''Dinosaur Digs'' includes 20 new prehistoric animals to choose from, including mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and dinosaurs, as well as prehistoric-themed items and buildings. In addition, new types of electrical fences to accommodate the huge animals and prehistoric foliage have been introduced. In contrast to the regular animals, dinosaurs hatch from an egg and you need to employ a scientist to care for them. You also need to build a special building for dinosaur capture. Like in previous game, more extinct animals, foliage and better care for dinosaurs can be researched. Each of the animals comes as an egg, whereby a scientist is required to care for the egg, as well as the dinosaur once it hatches.
+{{main|Zoo Tycoon (video game)#Gameplay}}
-===Legend===
-* c- [[Cretaceous]] animal
-* j- [[Jurassic]] animal
-* t- [[Triassic]] animal
-* i.a. [[Ice Age]] animal
-* m.d. Modern Day animal
+''Dinosaur Digs'' adds a new category of animals containing twenty species of dinosaurs and other extinct animals to the game,<ref name=GP/> which players can display at their park. Dinosaurs are managed with a new employee, the scientist, which plays a similar role to the zookeeper in the original game.<ref name=IGN/> Dinosaurs, including ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', ''Allosaurus'' and ''Velociraptor'', must be purchased as eggs, which are then incubated and hatched by a scientist, although the game adds a few additional extinct mammal species as well, including the [[woolly mammoth]], which are instead added to the zoo like normal animals.<ref name=GSpy/> Dinosaurs pose greater escape risks compared to other animals, as they are more capable of damaging fencing to escape when they are unhappy, and players must contain dinosaurs in special exhibits surrounded by dinosaur-specific fences, including electrified fences. Players can purchase and deploy a Dinosaur Recovery Team to capture dinosaurs that have escaped from their exhibits.<ref name=IGN/>
-==Animals==
-*c ''[[Tyrannosaurus Rex]]''- Grassland
-*c ''[[Tarbosaurus]]''- Savannah
-*c ''[[Spinosaurus]]''- Coniferous Forest
-*c ''[[Styracosaurus]]''- Deciduous Floor
-*j ''[[Apatosaurus]]''- Deciduous Floor
-*c ''[[Iguanodon]]''- Deciduous Floor
-*i.a. [[Meiolania|Giant Tortoise]]- Tundra
-*c ''[[Velociraptor]]''- Coniferous Forest
-*c ''[[Ankylosaurus]]''- Savannah
-*j ''[[Caudipteryx]]''- Tropical Rainforest
-*j ''[[Allosaurus]]''- Tropical Rainforest
-*t ''[[Coelophysis]]''- Tropical Rainforest
-*t ''[[Herrerasaurus]]''- Tropical Rainforest
-*j ''[[Plesiosaurus]]''- Aquatic
-*j ''[[Stegosaurus]]''- Coniferous Forest
-*j ''[[Parasaurolophus]]''- Savannah
-*j ''[[Kentrosaurus]]''- Coniferous Forest
-*j ''[[Camptosaurus]]''- Coniferous Forest
-*i.a. [[Woolly Mammoth]]- Tundra
-*i.a. [[Smilodon|Saber-toothed Cat]]- Tundra
-*i.a. [[Woolly Rhinoceros]]- Tundra
-*c [[Lambeosaurus]]- Coniferous Forest
+''Dinosaur Digs'' also features six new scenarios, new decorative objects and buildings, and minor gameplay additions, including a building management tool allowing players to sort and compare buildings to see average profits, as well as a way to toggle the visibility of guests, foliage, and buildings.<ref name=GF>{{cite magazine|magazine=Gamefreaks|title=Zoo Tycoon Dinosaur Digs|pages=12|date=August 2002|issue=12|url=https://archive.org/details/gamefreaks-12-august-2002/page/12}}</ref><ref name=IGN/>
-===Downloadable Animals===
-*i.a. [[Macrauchenia]]- Grassland
-*i.a. [[Megatherium|Giant Ground Sloth]]- Grassland
-* [[Mapinguari]]- Tropical Rainforest
-*c [[Gallimimus]]- Coniferous Forest
-*c [[Hypsilophodon]]- Coniferous Floor
-*t [[Plateosaurus]]- Deciduous Floor
-*c [[Loch Ness Monster]] or [[Elasmosaurus]] - Aquatic
+==Reception==
-===Easter Egg Animals===
-*c [[Triceratops]]- Savannah (rename an exhibit Cretaceous Corral for it to be available)
-*c [[Deinosuchus]]- Aquatic(rename a tank or exhibit Super Croc for it to be available)
-==Plants==
+===Reviews===
-* [[Dawn Redwood]] - Coniferous Forest
+{{video game reviews
-* [[Arctic Birch]] - Tundra
-* [[Silgaria]] tree - Savannah
+| MC = 67%<ref>{{cite web|website=Metacritic|title=Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs|accessdate=17 March 2024|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/zoo-tycoon-dinosaur-digs/}}</ref>
-* [[Monkey Puzzle Tree]] - Grassland
-* [[Gingko]] Tree - Deciduous Floor
+| CGW = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name=CGW>{{cite magazine|magazine=Computer Gaming World|issue=218|title=Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs|last=McAdams|first=Elizabeth|pages=85|date=September 2002|url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_218/page/n87}}</ref>
+| GSpot = 6.4<ref name=GSpot>{{cite web|website=GameSpot|title=Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs Expansion Pack Review|last=Chick|first=Tom|date=4 June 2002|accessdate=17 March 2024|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/zoo-tycoon-dinosaur-digs-expansion-pack/1900-2869209/}}</ref>
+| GSpy = 69%<ref name=GSpy>{{cite web|website=GameSpy|title=Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs (PC)|last=Harker|first=Carla|date=1 June 2002|url=http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/june02/dinodigs/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050112000019/http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/june02/dinodigs/|archivedate=12 January 2005|accessdate=17 March 2024}}</ref>
+| IGN = 7/10<ref name=IGN>{{cite web|website=IGN|title=Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs|last=Adams|first=Dan|date=8 July 2002|accessdate=17 March 2024|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/07/08/zoo-tycoon-dinosaur-digs}}</ref>
+| PCGUS = 56%<ref name=PCG>{{cite web|website=PC Gamer|title=Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs|last=Peckham|first=Matthew|accessdate=17 March 2024|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/06/zoo_tycoon_dino.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060315141420/https://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/06/zoo_tycoon_dino.html|archivedate=15 March 2006}}</ref>
+| PCZone = 40%<ref name=PCZ>{{cite magazine|magazine=PC Zone|title=Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs|issue=121|date=November 2002|pages=102|url=https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_121_November_2002/page/n101}}</ref>
+| rev1= ''Gameplanet''
+| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name=GP>{{cite web|website=Gameplanet|date=26 July 2002|last=Mahoney|first=Thomas|title=Zoo Tycoon: Dino Digs|url=https://www.gameplanet.co.nz/mag.dyn/Reviews/2395.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20021025231210/https://www.gameplanet.co.nz/mag.dyn/Reviews/2395.html|archivedate=25 October 2002|accessdate=17 March 2024}}</ref>
+}}
+According to [[review aggregator]] [[Metacritic]], ''Dinosaur Digs'' received "mixed or average" reviews from critics. Dan Adams of ''IGN'' praised the game for adding "plenty to the formula" with its features and items and said it was "well worth the time" for fans of the game.<ref name=IGN/> Elizabeth McAdams of ''Computer Gaming World'' considered the game a "refreshing twist" that integrated "seamlessly" into the original gameplay, whilst noting that the expansion did not "drastically revitalize" the core gameplay.<ref name=CGW/> Thomas Mahoney of ''Gameplanet'' praised the addition of dinosaurs for their "personality" and their "unique" animations and sounds, and considered the expansion to add to the "entertainment factor" and "longevity" of the core game.<ref name=GP/> ''PC Zone'' wrote that the expansion added little other than dinosaurs to the game, and critiqued it as "more demanding" than the original due to the "painstaking" fine-tuning of enclosures, requiring "remarkable patience".<ref name=PCZ/> Describing the premise as "contrived", Matthew Peckham of ''PC Gamer'' found the addition of dinosaurs to be "mildly amusing", but their inclusion amounted to "cheap thrill" that did not fundamentally change the core gameplay.<ref name=PCG/> Tom Chick of ''GameSpot'' found the handling of dinosaurs "disappointing" and not "as visually or audibly rewarding as it could have been", citing the uninteresting animation of the dinosaurs, the superficial damage done by dinosaurs upon escape, and the redundant purpose of the Dinosaur Recovery Team when players are able to manually move escaped dinosaurs and replace broken fencing.<ref name=GSpot/>
+== References ==
+{{Reflist|3}}
+== External links ==
+*{{moby game|id=6425}}
 {{Zoo Tycoon}}
+{{Authority control}}
 [[Category:2002 video games]]
 [[Category:Blue Fang Games games]]
-[[Category:Dinosaurs in video games]]
+[[Category:MacOS games]]
-[[Category:Interactive Achievement Award winners]]
+[[Category:Microsoft games]]
-[[Category:Mac OS games]]
+[[Category:Single-player video games]]
-[[Category:Mac OS X games]]
+[[Category:Video games about dinosaurs]]
+[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]
+[[Category:Video games set in zoos]]
 [[Category:Video game expansion packs]]
 [[Category:Video games with isometric graphics]]
 [[Category:Windows games]]
 [[Category:Zoo Tycoon]]
-[[ca:Zoo Tycoon]]
-[[de:Zoo Tycoon]]
-[[es:Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs]]
-[[fr:Zoo Tycoon]]
-[[it:Zoo Tycoon]]
-[[nl:Zoo Tycoon]]
-[[pl:Zoo Tycoon]]
-[[simple:Zoo Tycoon]]
-[[fi:Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs]]
-[[sv:Zoo Tycoon]]
-[[th:ซูไทคูน]]

v t e Zoo Tycoon series
Main series	Zoo Tycoon (2001) Dinosaur Digs Marine Mania Zoo Tycoon 2 Zoo Tycoon (2013)
Other games	Zoo Tycoon DS Zoo Tycoon 2 DS
Related	Blue Fang Games Frontier Developments Xbox Game Studios Planet Zoo

Review scores
Publication	Score
Computer Gaming World	^[6]
GameSpot	6.4^[7]
GameSpy	69%^[3]
IGN	7/10^[2]
PC Gamer (US)	56%^[8]
PC Zone	40%^[9]
Gameplanet	^[1]