DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #25: Into Beta

Hello and welcome to the final DINODRIFTERS dev diary!

Soon, DINODRIFTERS will leave the in-development alpha and at long last, enter into private beta. At this stage of development, all major features are in the game and now it's a case of testing, improving, balancing and adding sounds.

Currently, as of writing this, DINODRIFTERS is at v986 and will reach beta at v1000. At the current development rate I predict beta entrance within the next week (around 6-10 June).

I have a whole portable hard drive full of builds of DINODRIFTERS at this point

I've decided to end this development dairy as it no longer helps in chronicling the work and features in DINODRIFTERS. I'm more in a 'do' mood than a 'plan' mood right now and with beta so close and the road beyond that on the horizon, it is not really fair to say that DINODRIFTERS is in early development anymore.

It's more developed than developing at this point.

I'll still post larger articles on this blog, of course, but for more regular updates and development bits be sure to check out the DINODRIFTERS twitter here.

Soon, my precious, soon...

So, yeah.

Soon enough, loads of gameplay, cutscenes and other footage will be available. So instead of talking about all the features and cool things in DINODRIFTERS, I shall show them.

For now, this will be the end of dev diaries, at least for the moment.

Until next time!

DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #24: Maps

Hello and welcome to another DINODRIFTERS dev diary!

Throughout prehistory, the world has changed as the continents and climate shifted. Various locations throughout the fossil record are particularly well understood enough to obtain a good view into how animals lived. This information is the background to which the worlds of DINODRIFTERS were created.

So today, I shall talk about the maps in DINODRIFTERS.

The time periods featured include the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Paleogene and the Quaternary

A bit of context first: the variety of life exploded during a time period called the Cambrian, around 540 Mya (million years ago). Before then, life was dominated by sponges, jellyfish and other simple lifeforms. The earliest fish evolved during this time, too. For this reason, the Cambrian will be the earliest time period visited during DINODRIFTERS. For now.

The maps go forward in time from the Cambrian to the present time period, the Quaternary. In addition, there are maps further than this, in the future, featuring fictional creatures and landscapes.

All others though, are based on real-life fossil sites. Or several.

There are over twenty regions to explore, here are the full maps to just a few

Maps are in most cases 30x30 grids (excluding skies, undersea regions and caves). This means that each map has 900 tiles in total. This is big enough to allow all animals in the game to has breathing room to run, have territory and, in general, live, yet not too large as to become needlessly empty.

Next diary, I will talk about the animations in the Story Mode of DINODRIFTERS!

Until next time!

DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #23: Cast of Characters

Hello and welcome to another DINODRIFTERS dev diary!

DINODRIFTERS has two core parts: Dinosaur Mode, a free mode where you play a dinosaur surviving in the prehistoric world, and Story Mode, where you play a ranger who travels to the past from the present to rescue, study and bring back animals from extinction.

Story Mode has many characters (mostly human), but today I'll introduce the entire main cast. The only exception will be Drifter Green, who is the player character, whose appearance is entirely up to the player.

Biall, the Prince, Lowarn, Aelwen, Susan, Gabriel, Rose, Korrel and Wei - the main characters of DINODRIFTERS

From left to right:

Biall: The ultimate villain of DINODRIFTERS. It is not truly human. It is a amalgamation of the many millions of people and animals that have died in the years after to the Great Cataclysm which destroyed the world. It wants to gather the Time Drift Cards and assimilate everyone it can touch. Beware!

Prince Jacob Aberfaw of Cymreen: The crown prince and heir apparent of the Kingdom of Cymreen, Jacob is the founder of the Blackhill Reserve and funds the whole Timegate Program and the Dinodrifters themselves. He's a philanthropist who works to better his kingdom through the accumulation of knowledge.

Lowarn: Lowarn is beyond human. She is a powerful entity who aids the Dinodrifters after they help her regain her powers. She is the one responsible for the rejuvenation of the world after it ended and is the accidental creator of Biall. She wants to redeem herself by destroying her worst creation and save as many lives as possible.

Aelwen ap Rhyds: Drifter Yellow of the Dinodrifters. Aelwen is a young woman with an uncertain past. She doesn't know who her parents are or where she's from. She works with animals because she's afraid of making people hate her. Though insecure, she's a bright lass who loves all life without judgement and hates fighting, but will do so if her friends are in danger.

Susan Warburten: Drifter Red of the Dinodrifters. Susan is a longtime soldier who hails from Inglia, across the Narrow Strait. She harbours great shame, as she was unable to prevent the silver plague from taking her daughter. Since then, she has a single-minded focus on her duty, providing security to Blackhill and the Dinodrifters' activities. She is tough, but her skin only does so deep, and when she's angry... Goddesses, help you.

Gabriel Ferro: Drifter Blue of the Dinodrifters. Gabriel is a mechanical genius who made the Drifter Gear and the Timegate from ancient technology. He is the heir to the Ferro Clan from the Alban island of Aran, but left his responsibilities to become a Dinodrifter. He is smart, but fickle and prone to terrible decisions to smooth his ego.

Dr Rose Hawksworth: Drifter Violet of the Roguedrifters. Rose was born before the Great Cataclysm and is partially responsible for it, being the inventor of silverdust and thus the destructor of the world. She seeks to control the silverdust and the mythical Drift to recreate the world in her own image. She's selfish and smart, but can't admit when she's wrong.

Korrel Akki: Drifter Navy of the Roguedrifters. Korrel is an Illuman, one of the people who originally created the Timegate. A renowned strategist, he follows Drifter Violet in exchange for her to resurrect his perished people and bring back his wife and son.

Wei Lin: Drifter Army of the Roguedrifters. Wei is from the other side of the world, recruited by Drifter Violet. Promised his entire family to be back for his service, Wei is a hands-on person who prefers to get his hands dirty when working and fight.

There are other characters, but these are the most important to the main story. There are many others you'll meet on your journey, but let's leave them to be a surprise, eh?


Next diary, I will talk about the maps and how they work in DINODRIFTERS!

Until next time!

DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #22: Events

Hello and welcome to another DINODRIFTERS dev diary!

A lot of what I've talked about lately is Story Mode, which is indeed the meat of DINODRIFTERS. However, the secondary mode, Dinosaur Mode, has a great feature that I'd like to reveal to you all. 

Note that the images in the events are placeholder and not complete yet.

As you travel the landscape, you will encounter events throughout the map. Different events can occur depending on your age, diet, sex, species and the landscape itself, with a bit of randomness mixed in. Some are small and some can change everything.

These events can do a variety of things. Some spawn unique instances of animals, plants and objects. An example above shows a near-death ornithopod being spawned at the player's location - an easy meal for a meat-eating dinosaur!

There will be dozens of events in the game and vary greatly in their scope. From small scale spawnings to meteors to freak and rare occurrences.

They'll spice up the gameplay for sure!

This is the event for the player's death, when health is at zero

Events can also have up to four choices to make, like the one for death seen above. Some of these choices can fundamentally change the course of a Dinosaur Mode playthrough. Perhaps some can even take you across time and space... or even grant wishes...

You'll see!

Each gatemark (or area) will have around 20 or so events. That's the number I've have planned anyway. Some will have more because of their scope, others less. We'll see how things go.


Next diary, as we near completion of Story Mode's gameplay, I will talk about the full cast of characters in DINODRIFTERS!

Until next time!

DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #21: Gatemarks

Hello and welcome to another DINODRIFTERS dev diary!

Gatemarks are co-ordinates in time and space that constitute a destination in prehistory. These are the maps in which you will explore, survive and discover, either as a dinosaur or a drifter.

Gatemarks are divided by their approximate time. These are, from oldest to most recent:

Cambrian
Ordovician
Silurian
Devonian
Carboniferous
Early Permian
Late Permian
Early Triassic
Late Triassic
Early Jurassic
Late Jurassic
Early Cretaceous
Mid Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
Early Paleogene
Late Paleogene
Neogene
Quaternary
Present Day
Far Future (more on this to come at a later date!)

Once you've selected a time, you click on a location button on the globe. Now, due to continental shift, the locations described do not correspond to their modern locations. Instead, they are linked to their geological position.

There are going to be, at least, around 26-28 gatemarks in the game, with each time listed above having at least one map. You can find a list of them in the WORLDS button on this blog.

Next diary, I will talk about events in Dinosaur Mode and how they work in DINODRIFTERS!

Until next time!

DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #20: Tracking, Calling and Maps

Hello and welcome to another DINODRIFTERS dev diary!

Animals in DINODRIFTERS have degrees of intelligence. Some simply spawn when certain conditions are met and exist only for a short while. Most through, are persistent. They have brains which they use to judge what they should do, where to move and what to do when they get there. They are adaptive and capable of being tracked.

This is the whole map of the Yixian Formation. However, this will not be completely visible at first during normal play.

In both Story and Dinosaur Modes, you can track animals by either smelling or tagging them. This does the same thing - it allows you to see where the target is on the map, should they be within a certain range. Smell can be captured via feces, but most commonly, it is captured via a direct contact with the target.

This way, you will not lose a special animal you want to eat/capture in the 900-square map, unless they're dead.

If the animal is dead for whatever reason, then the scent will fade and disappear.

In the natural world, this happens often, so do not wait too long to track down your quarry!

Smell is shown as a circle around the animal's location on the minimap and full map.

To force a conflict with an animal once you've tracked them, you can use the call feature. When you call, you get their attention. Whether or not they attack is dependent on their nature, your threat level and both party's health. If you see a Tyrannosaurus and call it - it almost certainly will forget whatever it was doing and make a meal out of you! However, a gentle Diplodocus will either run away or more than likely, ignore you. It depends on the situation.

Don't carelessly mess with mothering animals, though. They will often fight to the death to protect their young.

More specifics on how much of the map visible at certain times will come at a later point (after gameplay balancing is underway), so stay tuned.


Next diary, I will talk about the maps in DINODRIFTERS and give an overview of them.

Until next time!

DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #19: Mating, Pregnancy and Birthing

Hello and welcome to another DINODRIFTERS dev diary!

In Dinosaur Mode, the primary goal is to find a mate and have children, continuing your progeny. Today, I want to talk about these fundamental mechanics.

First of all, mating is only an option when:

- You and the target are the same species
- You and the target are of opposing sexes
- You and the target are of sexual maturity
- The female partner is not already pregnant

If all of these conditions are met, then the option will appear on the drop menu when you click on your target.

As you can see, the option here does not appear. This is because the player is female, and the target is female.

Now, the process for females is more involved than males, on average. While some select males do stay and care for young, in many species this is not the case. So for males, the mating occurs and then they move on. However, females have to carry the offspring to term and either:

- Lay a clutch of eggs
- Birth live young

Children can be either left to fend for themselves or defended, depending on species in an AI's case or player choice for the player. The traits and states of both parents are mixed and passed to the young.

This whole process awards progress points which advances the growth of the player, making them bigger and more powerful. So the more children and matings you secure, the more successful your animal avatar becomes.

Of course, death comes for all. So when you die, especially if it is natural causes (a rare feat for an animal to accomplish), then certain awards will unlock.

Some species will be harder to beat - for example, completing a Tyrannosaurus run is easy because it is an apex predator; a Edmontosaurus run would be medium because the largest predators would hunt you but you're large enough to avoid most of the smaller ones; a Struthiomimus run would be hard, due to the frailty of their bodies and their lack of defences.

If you have had any children during your run and they are alive, you will be able to play as them, continuing your game.

More details on this will come another time.


Next diary, I will talk about tracking, smells and calls in DINODRIFTERS and how they work.

Until next time!

DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #18: Underwater Life and Aquatic Animals

Hello and welcome to another DINODRIFTERS dev diary!

We've discussed the life of land and the sky, but not the eldest ecosystem of them all - the sea. Today, I will talk about how animals that live in the oceans differ from those above the ocean's surface in DINODRIFTERS.

Aquatic animals, classed here as animals that exclusively live in the ocean, share some of the mechanics that land-based animals do. However, they differ greatly in their movement.

Animals that are aquatic can swim between the surface, shallows and the seabed of a body of water. Each one is vastly different.

The surface is the same level of the map that the land animals live on. They can interact with any object directly near the water.

The shallows are the first few dozen metres of water beneath the surface. Here, algae is common and light shimmers down from above. Most of the animals will travel on this level.

The last level is the seabed. Here, sea plants can appear and there is very little light. Unique animals live here like trilobites and corals. Herbivorous aquatic animals will feed here often due to the unique life that present itself on this level of the ecosystem.

Due to the openness of the ocean, there are seldom any safe places to hide or nest in, so the only safety measure is to keep moving and keep your eyes open.

For monsters lurk in the gloom.


Next diary, I will talk about mating and how bearing offspring works in DINODRIFTERS!

Until next time!

DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #17: Flying and Aerial Animals

Hello and welcome to another DINODRIFTERS dev diary!

Most animals in DINODRIFTERS are intelligent and move on their own volition. In the past, I have talked about mechanics shared between all of these animals. Today I will talk about how flying animals like pterosaurs differ from other animals.

The button above the minimap is used to both ascend to the skies and land on the ground.

Firstly, flying animals when on the ground operate just as any other. They walk, drink, feed and mate all on the ground. However, unlike non-flying animals, they have the ability to take off and ascend to the skies above.

They can only do so when certain conditions relating to health and energy are met. So be careful and make sure your reserves are sufficient to make a quick getaway at all times.

When in the sky, objects below cannot harm you. However, you can only take off when you have enough health to do so. Injuries to a pterosaur can be fatal.

Once you're in the air, nothing on the ground can harm you. The only threat is the weather conditions present and other flying animals. However, these are not common, so you can use the sky as a highway to your destination, free from most predators.

Changes in elevation are ignored by flying animals. So they can fly over oceans, hills and mountains and get to places not accessible to other animals. Good places to build nests and roosts.

However, most flying animals are weak. Even the largest, Quetzalcoatlus, can be killed by most medium size animals. So evasion is key to winning as a pterosaur or other flying animal.


Next diary, I will talk about aquatic animals and how underwater gameplay works in DINODRIFTERS!

Until next time!

DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #16: Dinodriver Belt

Hello and welcome to another DINODRIFTERS dev diary!

During Chapter 1 of Story Mode, you will use the Tranqchanger as your primary Drifter Gear. However, once Chapter 2 rolls around, you shall gain access to the Dinodriver - the most powerful piece of technology that the Dinodrifters can employ. This is what I shall talk about today.

The Dinodriver is a belt worn around the waist. It is made of metal and has a clear glass window to the inside. When a button is pressed on top, two slots spring up from within, upright.

Up to two cards can be placed into these slots. All Drift Cards can be used - Technique, Time and Animal, the last of which are exclusively used with the Dinodriver. 

If a Technique Card is inserted, then the effects that would have in the Tranqchanger is bestowed onto the wearer (the player in this case). If two are placed, then both benefits will occur.

If a Time Card is inserted, then the player will henshin, like the Tranqchanger. If two Time Cards are inserted, in most cases, the Dinodriver will simply use the one placed in the left slot. However, if certain combinations are placed...

More on this to come later.

Finally, we come to Animal Cards. If an Animal Card is inserted, then the user will Drift into that animal's body. An animation will play, transforming the user. If two Animal Cards are inserted, the one on the right is used.

Work in progress!

Combinations of different cards work too. A Time Card and Animal Card will transform the user into a Drifter and then an animal. Likewise Technique cards will bestow their benefits.

The Dinodriver is not the last piece of Drifter Gear in Dinodrifters. There are more that come with the arrival of new Drifters and new villains as the story unfolds. More on those another day.


Next diary, I will talk about flying mechanics and aerial animals in DINODRIFTERS!

Until next time!

DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #15: Saving Progress

Hello and welcome to another DINODRIFTERS dev diary!

DINODRIFTERS is a big game. With 21 story episodes and at least 25 areas to explore, from the beginning I knew that a reliable save system would be needed. One I, as developer, would need complete control over. Let me briefly talk about this today.

The top-left button lets you save, load and restart the game. Saving is only allowed when not in battle or in an event.

Firstly, saving is as simple as it should be.

You press the button in the top-left corner and it opens up the file menu. Here you can save (if free in game), load and restart/go back to the main menu.

Save files are .ini files that can be easily edited (I might create a tutorial for such in the future) and are structured thusly:

- Core save data (stats, character details and story progress)
- Blackhill animal data [only for Story Mode files] (the details of all the saved animals the file has saved on Blackhill Reserve)
- Temporary save data (the animals, plants and objects in the game world that are not permanent)

In theory, there is no limit to how many save files the player can have at once, but I'll probably limit it to a number below 20 at a later date when I make a final UI for it. That way you can have multiple Story and Dinosaur files at once.


Next diary, I will talk about the Dinodriver - the most powerful piece of Drifter Gear in DINODRIFTERS!

Until next time!

DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #14: Transformation Mechanics

Hello and welcome to another DINODRIFTERS dev diary!

One of the most technically demanding parts of Story Mode is the ability to transform from human form to animal (usually dinosaur) form and back again. Today I will talk about how this works.

The red button to the right is used to transform back into a human. It replaces the inventory button.

Humans are not very physically strong, nor are their senses that good. Sometimes the best way to travel across a prehistoric environment is through the eyes and body of one of its inhabitants.

In Chapter 2 of Story Mode (which starts after episode 7), the Dinodrifters gain access to the Dinodrivers - powerful belts that enable them to transform using Animal Drift Cards into dinosaurs, large mammals, amphibians and many other useful forms. Some strong, some fast, some to fly, some to swim and some for very special situations.

Humans are classed as animals in the code, much the same way as any other animal, from bugs to Tyrannosaurus. So, when the human drifts into another animal, all of their stats are recast using the biological template of the target animal. Some things carry over to the new body, like colour and sex, but most do not.

The core stats of the human do not change, so when they drift back, they lose none of their identity.

Animal Drift Cards are powerful and require a full three quarter-charge to use, so you cannot drift over and over without thinking it through. In addition, Drift Charge does not increase when in an animal's body.

Animal Drift Cards only work when placed in the Dinodriver's second input slot (more to come another time).

The animal's brain is different than a human's so if the animal needs something (like food, water and even a mate), it pushes against the controlling human mind. If this push is too high, the animal can wrestle control from the human. If it gets too bad, it results in death, so be careful.

Transforming from human to drifter to animal is a core component of DINODRIFTERS. It widens the possibilities of the player. Want to fly? Become a Quetzalcoatlus. Explore the oceans? Become a Liopleurodon. Want to fight? A Giganotosaurus will do the job.

Who will you become during your time as a Dinodrifter?

Time shall see.


Next diary, I will talk about saving and loading in DINODRIFTERS!

Until next time!

DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #13: Creating a Character

Hello and welcome to another DINODRIFTERS dev diary!

In Story Mode, you don't play a pre-made character. Rather, you will create your own avatar that will appear in both gameplay and cutscenes. You are Drifter Green, and Drifter Green is you. Who they are, what they do and what they look like is entirely in your hands.

You can choose between pre-made colours or mix your own for hair, skin and eye colours using the colour sliders!

Firstly, you name your character and give them a birthday (this is to be used for in-game events only). Then you move on to the physical, where you customise your human avatar.

Colour is purely for visual distinctiveness, same with eye and hair colours alike. Almost all the options are entirely visual, save for sex. Some characters in the later portion of the game will speak differently and give you different options based on your character's sex and your relationship with them. More on this will come at a later date when I talk about relationships with characters and how they work. For now, understand that you can't romance every person under the sun without considering their preferences.

After this, you will pick what background your avatar has. Are they military? A scientist? Perhaps a criminal? Each path offers unique game dialogues and options based on what you pick. In addition, starting relationship status will be based on what selection you make.

After this, the game starts.

When you become Drifter Green proper, you will gain access to Blackhill. There you can find a barber and style your hair (with some secret selections later on), after starting the game.

Clothes can be changed at anytime using your dresser in your room in Blackhill. New clothes can be acquired in several ways in the story. More on this to come later.

A few other things can be changed after creating your character... but you'll have to find these out for yourself.


Next diary, I will talk about transformation in DINODRIFTERS. Not just from human to drifter, but with the power of the Dinodriver, from human to animal!

Until next time!

DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #12: Cutscene Mechanics

Hello and welcome to another DINODRIFTERS dev diary!

Story Mode tells the tale of the eponymous Dinodrifters - a team of time-travellers with a mandate to rescue dinosaurs and study the past. To aid in that, cutscenes play inbetween important sections of gameplay. Today, I shall go over how they work.

From the opening sequence to Blackhill Reserve (all these animations are not necessarily final and are work-in-progress)

These cutscenes are animations that trigger based on certain conditions, like location, time, mission progress and potentially many others and play over the game. 

Each episode generally will have around 70-80 shots in their cutscenes. In addition to this, characters can communicate to the player via the sliding comm system to the top, outside of cutscenes.

Characters can communicate via dialogue boxes like this, with text-to-speech and facial animations allowing them to talk!

Some cutscenes are not episode-specific and are played under special conditions like a high relationship level with a certain character or owning a certain item. These are less numerous but should they occur, it means something special will happen!

The text to the top-left is debug information and not viewed normally in-game

Next diary, I will talk about the character creation in DINODRIFTERS and how you will customise your avatar in Story Mode!

Until next time!

DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #11: 2019, the Year of Dinodrifters

Well, hello there! Welcome to the last DINODRIFTERS dev diary and blog post of 2018!

Today, I'd just like to talk about the past and future of DINODRIFTERS. With the new year almost here, I'd just like to take stock of what is to come to DINODRIFTERS in the coming months, including how I got here.


Development of the first prototype of what I'd later call DINODRIFTERS began in late 2017. The scope of it was simple: a remake of an old flash game once hosted on a certain website called the Big Al Game. You played an Allosaurus and progressed from a baby to adulthood, surviving hazards and eating to grow. I remember it being very difficult (I don't remember if I ever beat it), but growing up with computers in school, it was one of a few games we could play as most websites were blocked by the school censors. So many good hours were spent playing that game and hiding it before the teachers could see...

Anyway, I wanted to recreate it, as the original is now gone and impossible to play. I could only find 4 or 5 screenshots of the game across the whole internet that prove its existence, but I managed to recreate it within a month. However, I added improvements to the formula - sprites, animations, multiple playable dinosaurs, more dinosaurs, until finally, I decided to add a story mode and additional areas outside of the Morrison Formation. I added more and more until it evolved into a sandbox of prehistory.

That is how DINODRIFTERS come to be.

The two modes in the game, Story and Dinosaur Mode, are basically two different games that use the same assets, but under different rules. I plan to have an scenario in Dinosaur Mode that sets everything to be like the Big Al Game - play as Allosaurus, as a hatchling, with unique events to match those in the inspired game (remember those poor injured pterosaurs anyone?).

For DINODRIFTERS, 2017 was the year of birth, 2018 was the year of evolution, and now at the end of 2018, I can say that 2019 will be the year of release. The year of DINODRIFTERS.

By the end of February, I hope to have Chapter 1 of Story Mode and at least 10 game areas complete. Enough for a playable release of some kind. More will be announced in the coming weeks. Chapter 2 will follow in April-May and Chapter 3 and the game as a whole will be complete by August-September. That is my tentative plan as long as nothing nasty happens. Delays may happen, but the game will release in 2019 no matter what. 

Beyond that, I have additional plans for DINODRIFTERS - new areas and additional content to come after release, free to anyone who purchases the game - none of that DLC nonsense. I even have a massive plan for a third game mode that would be incredible to do. I'll be updating DINODRIFTERS beyond 2019 for sure - you can count on it!

But first, we must get to release! The road goes ever on and on after all!


Be ready to drift into the past and beyond in 2019 and of course have a 
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

See you later!

DINODRIFTERS Dev Diary #10: Drift Cards

Hello and welcome to the last DINODRIFTERS dev diary for 2018!

Last diary, I talked about Drifter Gear, but to truly understand the scope of what items like the Tranqchanger can be used for in-game, we need to discuss Drift Cards.

Choosing what cards to take with you on a mission is one of the most important choices you will make in-game

Drift Cards are cards that can be inserted into Drifter Gear to bequeath effects onto their actions. There are various types and each have wildly varying uses. 

They are stored in the Dinodeck (which can hold up to 5 at any single time) and can be called out when interacting with slots in Drifter Gear.

Time and Technique cards are the only cards
the Tranqchanger can accept

I shall now talk about Drift Card types and their uses.

Time Drift Cards
Containing all the data of one of earth's time periods, Time Drift Cards are used to transform into a Drifter via the Tranqchanger's Changer Mode. Examples include Paleogene, Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic.

Technique Drift Cards
These are utilitarian cards that program shots with effects in Tranquiliser Mode. Examples include Heal, Blast, Fill Up, Quench, Energise and Lax.

Animal Drift Cards
These cards contain all the biological data of a certain species of animal. These cannot be used in the Tranqchanger, but are used in the Dinodriver later in Story Mode to morph into dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals (more on that to come in future dev diaries!). 

At a later point, I shall discuss the Dinodriver and how it uses Drift Cards differently than the Tranqchanger.


Until then, enjoy the holidays and I'll see you all in 2019, for 2019 will be the year of DINODRIFTERS!

Until next time! Happy new year!