LoFinosaurs: A Mesmerizing Nature Sim for Dinosaur lovers
Captivating Gameplay, Player Optional
LoFinosaurs is designed as a relaxing, no-pressure experience. There are no losing conditions, no lives, and no failure states. While moments of excitement exist—such as T-Rexes needing to eat—you can rest assured they won't be eating you.
This "game" can be enjoyed at your leisure and continues to function even when you put the controller down. I use quotes because I'm not entirely sure it qualifies as a traditional game. It's a blend of a coloring book, a video game, and a digital paludarium. Whatever it is, I think it's neat.
Ways to Play
From the most active to the most passive, here are the play modes:
I Wanna Do It: Take direct control using a mouse or gamepad and explore the world with simple point-and-click controls.
One Button Dopamine Hit: Tap the spacebar or right bumper to automatically move to and recolor new targets. Tap, tap, tap—new meadow, who this?
Look Ma, No Hands: After a few seconds of inactivity, Squishy the dragonfly will dutifully continue recoloring the landscape based on the colors you selected.
Inspiration
LoFinosaurs takes its inspiration from the relaxing, looping LoFi nature videos I often play on my living room TV. These videos bring ambient visuals and noise that create a calming atmosphere in my home. I frequently find myself captivated by these loops, wishing they extended beyond their brief duration. This longing inspired me to create a world that one could lazily explore—a world full of creatures going about their lives, with dynamic sunrises, sunsets, drizzly mornings, lightning bugs, and fluttering leaves. Every frame is designed to be as beautiful as the best LoFi loop you can find. And, of course, I added dinosaurs because they are awesome.
LoFi Dinos, HiFi Simulation
These aren't your typical "wander here and there and wait to be killed or tamed" background dinosaurs. (Looking at you, Ark.) These dinos have needs that influence their behavior. Here are some of the factors that influence behavior:
Hunger
Thirst
Energy
Age
Social
Antisocial
Territory
So, when you see a beautifully colored Brachiosaur ambling in the distance, it might be a tired, old, and thirsty Brachiosaur weighing the pros and cons of leaving its herd to get a drink and soak before heading back to its nest for the night.
Herds have alphas who generally dictate the group's location. If there are babies, the herd stays close to nesting grounds. When the babies are old enough, the alpha might lead a migration to a distant part of the island. Species have different herding behaviors; some prefer tight packs, others spread out but stay within sight of each other. Some herd only when they have young or eggs. Regardless, individuals have needs that may override their desire to be near their friends, leading them to venture alone or finish their nap and catch up later.
Life and Death
Being a nature sim, death is part of the cycle and dinosaurs can die of old age, predation, drowning, or battles for alpha status or territory. Death brings new life; when a herd member dies, an egg is laid at the nest. Every time an egg is laid, you have the opportunity to choose the color palette for your brand new baby dino. Change the aesthetics of your herd generation by generation.
Game Content
I plan to launch with at least 10 interactable species with full dynamic behaviors on a 6-kilometer island. So far, I've added:
T-Rex
Brachiosaurus
Ankylosaurus
Gallimimus
Utahraptor
Triceratops
For sure adding:
Stegosaurus
Parasaurolophus
I haven't decided on the others yet. Feel free to suggest some in the Discord linked on this page.
There are also various non-interactable creatures for ambiance, such as fish, small dinosaurs (compys), pterosaurs, and a few large, one-of-a-kind creatures you'll encounter occasionally. The island is a single biome (subtropical) with sub-biomes like marshes, meadows, jungle, bamboo forests, etc., complete with a day-night cycle and dynamic weather.
Future Content Plans
I'd love to add more species and a full underwater ecosystem at some point, but that depends on the interest in this game as it is. As a solo developer, I need to focus on projects that can support me financially. Nevertheless, you might catch glimpses of oceanic life beyond fish if you're lucky. If people enjoy this, I'll keep expanding it. It's a fun project.
