T-Rex Time Machine — Face the world’s fiercest dinosaurs—on their turf!

[RETowers]

We’re proud to announce that T-Rex Time Machine, the latest in our popular “Choice of Games” line of multiple-choice interactive-fiction games, is now available for Steam, iOS, and Android. It’s 25% off until December 14th!

Face the world’s fiercest dinosaurs and make it back to the future in one piece! You’re a physics student with a dream: travel back in time and document the world of dinosaurs. Can you survive the terrors of the Tyrannosaurus rex?

T-Rex Time Machine is a 170,000 word interactive adventure novel by Rosemary Claire Smith, where your choices control the story. It’s entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.

When you successfully convert your Land Rover into a working time machine, you set your sights on traveling to the age of the Tyrannosaurus rex, triceratops, and pterosaur where you’ll study dinosaurs and film a thrilling documentary. The only problem is the competition: your rival and enemy Darien Vance has claimed your work for his own, accused you of plagiarism, and had you kicked out of graduate school. When you travel back in time, you’ll have to prove you got there first, redeem your good name, and make it home safely.

• Play as male or female, gay or straight.
• Dodge stampeding triceratopses and sickle-clawed troodontids.
• Find love with your best friend or one of your time-traveling classmates.
• Feed a baby duckbilled dinosaur and let it imprint on you.
• Film and debut your dinosaur documentary—as a scientific masterpiece or a heartwarming nature film.
• Master time travel as you repair your Land Rover on the fly.
• Prove your rival stole your time machine plans, or forge a new partnership with him.

Explore the Age of Dinosaurs–if you dare!

We hope you enjoy playing T-Rex Time Machine. We encourage you to tell your friends about it, and recommend the game on StumbleUpon, Facebook, Twitter, and other sites. Don’t forget: our initial download rate determines our ranking on the App Store. The more times you download in the first week, the better our games will rank.

[mjhuntley]

Just checked out the demo on the CoG site and it looks like there might be an issue with the stats page as far as the way variables are displaying (First_aid as opposed to First Aid or Movie_science as opposed to Science Movie or however the author phrases it). Unless that’s the way it’s supposed to look?

[cottage14]

This looks like it is going to be a great game! I have purchased it, so my comments in this thread will be on the published version.

1. At the top of the Stats screen there is “tm_name: NAME THIS VEHICLE”. This should appear in a more game-friendly way; in particular, “tm_name” needs a reader-friendly alias.

2. On the Stats screen, under the stats, there is “Evidence_against_Vance 0”. Whatever this is, it should have a reader-friendly name, without underscores, to avoid breaking the illusion of the game.

Also since I am early in the game and have not met anybody named Vance yet, I think this should be hidden under an *if (met_vance) statement.

[TheMeek]

To be fair on the Vance front, it says who he is in the description.

[cottage14]

Fair enough. I still feel the reference, especially when the MC has zero evidence, is a little distracting.

[cottage14]

As I am moving through the game, I get to what I presume are *page_break entries. The one I just passed was labeled “The Garage Disappears”. When I click it, I get to the next part of the story. However, I was looking for, and do not see, a header on the new page with the same text as what was on the button on the previous page. I find those titles help me keep pace with the game, especially when replaying.

I make a habit of doing both lines at the same time when writing in a game:

*page_break A Pterosaur!
[b]A Pterosaur![/b]

[Embrisi]

So far… some issues. At the beginning of the game, Casey is described as a plump young woman. Later, when Vance shows up in the prehistoric scenes, you can choose Casey’s gender. Super confusing. Also I wish the stats were organized in a better way like “Movie” and “Relationships”. They’re all jumbled together now

[cottage14]

3. Inaccuracy: After the MC has shot at the pterosaur and missed, Brett suggests it was different “than that rattler last year”. But in my play-through, the MC did not try to shoot the rattlesnake.

4. The text would read more clearly if there were a paragraph break after this period: “…twenty-foot wingspan. A dozen yards from the nest…”

5. Typo: “IClimb a tree…” in a choice option. Two of the other options in this set need to start with “I…” to match CoG guidelines.

[Embrisi]

I also had this issue.

[jasonstevanhill]

FWIW: I know #5 has already been fixed.

[Chris_W]

after I had Skylar ride with me to help repair triceratops damage, the flare went up for the tar pit scene and I think they’ll be surprised I’m in the area? Continuity lol

I’m thoroughly enjoying this, I love dinos

[cottage14]

6. When the MC prepares to go closer to the hadrosaurs, I had her put on her helmet, not her hadrosaurus hat. However, when she needs to distract the new-born hadrosaur, she has the option of tossing the hat onto a bush as a distraction.

[Gower]

Usually I like to read the “About the Author” section in the “About” link, but this one doesn’t have that–don’t know if that’s on purpose or not.

[idonotlikeusernames]

Maybe it’s a pseudonym? If so any author background would likely be a made up story anyway.

[achtungnight]

Dinosaurs! Awesome. Is Stegosaurus (my favorite) in the game?

[Chris_W]

Alas, if so I havent seen it. Other goodies though

[achtungnight]

Ah rats. Oh well, I can always look myself. I like other dinos too.

[bananawanker]

I found a typo. Should be inconspicuous

[cottage14]

The MC and Brett go to camp by the waterfall. “You’ve got freshwater and semiopen terrain.” This is not the biggest pair of issues in the world, but I believe that should be “You’ve got fresh water and semi-open terrain.”

[Jacic]

I’m usually completely in for anything involving dinosaurs, but the demo isn’t grabbing me. Trying to make a decision whether to get it before it goes off sale (tomorrow?) It’s not that it’s bad, because it isn’t, it’s more that it kind of seems to be more of a try and get back at someone for framing you and make a movie that has dinosaurs in it, rather than a jurassic park or walking with monsters type story I was thinking it would be. Anyone who’s read it like to comment? Does it change much after the demo, or continue with a similar vibe/depth?