I've done some brainstorming on ideas for a possible land before time computer game (during a university lecture which required this to prevent the brain from shutting down altogether
).
It may be a good idea to create a story line which plays in both the Great Valley and the Mysterious Beyond providing us with a greater variety of "stages" for the action. I have some basic suggestions, but I suppose it is way too early to discuss the plot before everyone has had some input on what he thinks could, should or must be done.
As for little games / tasks the player could do during the course of the game I have a few suggestions.
- the kind of fir cone bowling we have seen in LBT 7 could be included (e.g. the gang has to beat some other character at it for that character to give them some kind of information required to "unlock" new places to go to which hadn't been accessible to the player at that state of the game.
- There could be a game in which the gang has to follow a track which is quickly disappearing in a sand- / snowstorm. They need to keep up with the track. It would be kind of a racing game element. There is something like that in a computer game of Disney's Dinosaur, that's where I took the idea from.
- Petrie could end up with the task of laying a false track to possible pursuers of the gang. This could be made a kind of "drawing game". The player has to follow the outlines of a dinosaur footprint as quickly and accurately as possible with the cursor.
- Ducky might at some stage of the game end up with the task to find a safe crossing over a river for her friends (or else have to swim through such a river). This could be kind of an obstacle evading business with Ducky having to dive under or dodge around treetrunks or other debris floating in the river.
- Cera could be given the task to remove obstacles in the way of the gang (e.g. cracking rocks with her head). This could be a game where the player has to deceide which rock to crack as some lie in a position where there removal might cause another rockslide. She could also just push away boulders but has to be careful to push the right boulder in the right direction as not to create an obstacle that cannot be removed anymore (this is one of the oldest computergames ever I think).
- We could have something musical. One or several character may have to imitate melodies or sounds they heard elsewhere by picking out the right sequence of sounds from a number sounds provided (something similar to the melodies in Zelda Occarina of time). Maybe immitating of sounds (e.g. a sharptooth's roar) could be integrated into a plot.
- If it comes to music we are not too far from creating an own LBT song for the game. Another game could provide lyrics. The player would have to create a sensible poem from a large list of words or parts of sentences provided. Whenever the player picks one he will be provided with a list of rhyming (but not necessarily sensible) words or phrases from which the player has to pick the next one.
- There could be some kind of large maze to cross. Petrie might give occassional hints to the others on which direction to go next, there could be a few high points from where the maze could be overlooked and perhaps Littlefoot could get a short range overview by craning his neck.
- Finally there could be simple tasks such as getting some character something he is looking for in exchange for a favor (e.g. the gang provides Mr. Clubtail with some treestars (we know from LBT 5 that he rarely gets to eat these) and in exchange he tells them something important or else is distracted from guarding the exit of the Great Valley he had been blocking so far, or the like).
What do you think?
