ParaWorld

ParaWorld
Developer(s) SEK
Publisher(s) Sunflowers
Deep Silver
Aspyr
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release September 15, 2006
Genre(s) Real-time strategy
Mode(s) Single player
Multiplayer

ParaWorld is a real-time strategy PC game released on September 25, 2006. It was developed by the German company SEK (Spieleentwicklungskombinat), based in Berlin. The game features more than 50 prehistoric animals, especially dinosaurs and Pleistocene mammals. The game uses TAGES, and therefore installs a driver on the system for copy protection.

Gameplay

The game-concept is similar to "Age of Empires", which is a real-time strategy game. ParaWorld features food, wood, and stone as resources. Food can be picked from bushes, hunted from animals, fished from the sea, or farmed. Stone is located in limited deposits, and wood, cut from trees, is generally scattered throughout a map. Battles can occur on both land and sea.

The story takes place in a parallel dimension, where prehistoric life thrives alongside diverse human civilizations that are not technologically advanced. As a result, dinosaurs take the place of traditional wildlife and livestock, though some of the dinosaurs in-game are highly stylized and not necessarily scientifically accurate. Wild-living dinosaurs can be hunted for food, though some are of dangerous and aggressive species and will attack any player unit that wanders too close. Other prehistoric creatures make an appearance as well, for example woolly mammoths are used where other games might feature elephants.

Players advance through epochs in order to unlock new technologies and upgrades.

Plot summary

ParaWorld ("parallel world") is an alternate universe where dinosaurs and ice age creatures never became extinct. A group of 19th-century scientists, the SEAS (the Society of Exact Alternative Science) led by scientific genius Jarvis Babbit, discovered the parallel world where dinosaurs and primitive human tribes coexist. When they subsequently learned that people don't age in this dimension and that the concept of electricity is inexistant, they decided to remain there to rule. Later, three young scientists are led to Jarvis Babbit: the American geologist Anthony Cole, Swedish biologist Stina Holmlund, and Hungarian physics genius Béla András Benedek, all of whom having discovered elements in the "real" world that point toward the existence of a parallel world. Jarvis Babbit decides to send the three scientists into "Paraworld", seemingly for an expedition. However, when the three heroes discover the true intentions of the SEAS, they have to rally all the parallel world's warring inhabitants in order to defeat the SEAS.

The three scientists serve as the game's core "hero" units. Their main goal is to return to their home world, but to do this they will need to enlist the aid of enlightened natives and battle against the hostile creatures, tribes, and ultimately the masterminds trying to stop them. Along the way they'll meet several characters who are seemingly based on classical scientists such as Nicola Tesla or Charles Darwin ("Nikolaj Taslow" and "James Warden" in the game). They eventually discover that a man named David Leighton, who is one of Babbit's men, is orchestrating events on the parallel world, and pursue him. They also learn of a plot to permanently seal the world away by moving the planet out of orbit, which will also trigger a cataclysm.

In order to save the planet and secure their own escape from ParaWorld, they are forced to assault Babbit's fortifications. They manage to stop the countdown and Cole kills Leighton in battle. Babbit makes a last-ditch effort to stop the heroes by using a giant robot. Having failed, Babbit falls into lava and presumably dies. The heroes finally go back home. However, Cole is awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call of Béla telling him that the dinosaurs have come through as well. The chaos of ParaWorld now ensues on planet Earth.

Climatic Zones

In paraworld there are 5 different climatic zones (Jungle, Savannah, Northland, Icewaste, and Ashvalley). Different animal species live in each zone. Generally speaking, dinosaurs predominate in warmer climates and mammals in more temperate conditions. The maps tend to be islands or inland regions with rivers, lakes, or ponds.

Jungle: Tropical rainforest with mostly dinosaurs. The Dragon Clan lives here, and ruins of past civilizations lay scattered across the jungle thai temple.

Species: Apatosaurus, Deinonychus, Baryonyx, Allosaurus, Spinosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Corythosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Deinonychus, Pteranodon, Yangchuanosaurus, Gigantopithecus, Gallimimus, Muraenosaurus and Oviraptor..

Savannah: Dry, desert-like region with dinosaurs; the home territory of the nomadic Dustriders.

Species: Dilophosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Ankylosaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, Gallimimus, Baryonyx, Pteranodon, Iguanodon, Diplodocus, Tyrannosaurus, Muraenosaurus, Kronosaurus, Allosaurus, Achelousaurus, Velociraptor, Brachiosaurus, Triceratops and Oviraptor.

Northland: Temperate region with both dinosaurs and mammals. The Norsemen roam this autumny landscape.

Species: Smilodon, Eusmilus, Dilophosaurus, Megaloceros, Coelodonta, Mammoth, Tyrannosaurus, Tsintaosaurus, Triceratops, Brachiosaurus, Baryonyx and Wild Boar

Icewaste: Frozen, wintry polar region with mostly mammals. You can find dinosaur nests in Icewaste maps. The only known dinosaurs to live there are Baryonyx, Allosaurus, Iguanodon, Kentrosaurus, and Triceratops. It was revealed that this is the home of the barbarians. It was only visited once in the story. The 3 heroes and the Dustriders drove them away. They ended up in the jungle and were most likely finished off by the Dragon clan.

Species: Wild Boar, Smilodon, Megaloceros, Baryonyx, Allosaurus, Coelodonta, Mammoth, Kentrosaurus, Triceratops and Iguanodon.

Ashvalley: Volcanism is extremely high in this gray world. Only a few hardy dinosaurs and plants can survive here. most of the dinosaurs here are armored. This place is obviously the SEAS main base of operations. In the ashvalley scene of the main menu you can see rifles were weapons are normally at. It's possible that Jarvis is responsible for the ashvalley being desolate, and it seems he can control it seeing how he managed to make a volcano in the desert erupt(Of course that area of the desert was probably close to the ashvalley). Jarvis must have a big plan that has something to do with the ashvalley.

Species: Polacanthus, Carnotaurus, Maiasaura, Panoplosaurus, Stygimoloch, Ankylosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Stegosaurus and Kentrosaurus.

Heroes

Villains

Tribes

In Paraworld, users can play as one of three human tribes. They are the Norsemen (a Viking-like culture), the Dustriders (nomads who resemble Earth's Africans), and the Dragon Clan (inspired by eastern Asian cultures such as China and Japan). Each one has their own special units, buildings, and strengths/weaknesses. When you have a hero on your team they add a special unit only usable by you. There is also a fourth unplayable tribe, the SEAS, a high tech tribe that is ruled by the 19th century scientists. Units can be upgraded, from level 1 to level 5. Units get bigger, get more weapons, and gain more hitpoints and attack strength. Heroes unlock abilities, buildings, and units.

Norsemen

Utilizing powerful and slow units, the Vikings can unlock some of the most high-tech units. They have more defensive buildings than the other tribes. They also have more generalized buildings. The Norsemen have excellent infantry, powerful machines, the strongest ships (including the awesome steam Battleship), the toughest buildings, and a cavalry force of Ice Age mammals to reckon with.

Units

Dustriders

Fast units; buildings can be torn down for resources; they're equipped with mobile command centers and a mobile harbour. They have less buildings than any other tribe, but they have more and better cavalry. The Dustriders are the only tribe requiring the Skulls resource to invent Epochs. They have versatile infantry, very good ships and sea beasts, and weak but quick-to-build buildings. Their strength, however, lies in the great amount of dinosaurs they utilize as cavalry and siege units. Also, certain dino units are capable of changing roles (e.g. a Stegosaurus can be turned into a Stego Transporter and vice versa).

Units

Dragon Clan

Have weak walls, but can use a lot of traps to kill or damage the enemy. They can use smoke screen to hide buildings and units. The most advanced of the 3 playable tribes. The Dragon Clan need certain buildings to upgrade to the next epoch and the demand for resources is high. The Dragon Clan has powerful infantry, moderately good cavalry, and a large variety of buildings. Their main strength is in the high-tech machines they create to hinder the enemy

Units:

SEAS

Established by the English scientist Jarvis Babbit and his gang of 19th century scientists, the SEAS buildings and units have high hitpoints, their harbors are mobile, and their transport ships can move on land and water. The SEAS have only one dinosaur, namely the Cyborg Triceratops, the CBT. This cyber-dinosaur comes in the carrier form, the CBT 1000, or the original form, the CBT 500. other forms of cavalry are steam-powered robots. Infantry weapons of choice are primarily guns. SEAS is the main enemy in the single-player campaign, along with the Barbarians (Norsemen), Pirates, Amazons, rouge Dustriders, and a supernatural army of undead warriors, statues, and golems.

Units:

Renegade Tribes

Playable factions

Reception

Upon release the game was met with fair reviews with an average critic score of 72% at GameRankings. The developing company SEK shut down due to insufficient sales, and Sunflowers ended their partnership with it. The previously announced expansion pack was cancelled. A German-only Booster Pack for the game was released with Gold GOTY Editions of Paraworld, containing new maps, heroes, and missions, and was only compatible with German copies of the game. However, members of the ParaWorld gaming community "Para-Welt" have created an unofficial downloadable version of the Booster Pack for all regions that incorporates updated community content (such as modifications enabling players to utilise the previously NPC 'SEAS' factions) alongside the official SEK Booster Pack content.

References

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