Feathers?

[thesporkman]

So... It's pretty much the consensus of the modern paleontological community that theropod dinosaurs like Velociraptor and possibly even Tyrannosaurus had feathers. Should Telltale incorporate the most up-to-date paleontological knowledge in their design of dinosaurs for the game, or should they stick to the more reptilian design aesthetic precedented by the movies? Of course, the idea that modern birds evolved from dinosaurs is a pretty big theme in the movies, particularly the first one. Perhaps it would actually be truer to the spirit of the movies to change the design and give the raptors bird-like feathers?

Which would you prefer:

reptilian, like in the movies?


or more bird-like, as modern science suggests?

[Irishmile]

While it may be scientifically inaccurate I think they should stick with what was in the movies.... its entertainment... not the discovery channel... if it was accurate from the beginning that would be one thing.

[Hayden]

I agree with Irishmile. Forget the accuracy, and just focus on entertaining. The velociraptor just isn't quite as fierce with feathers. Having feathers on the raptors in Jurassic Park is like putting feathers on the rancors in Star Wars.

[Icedhope]

While it's only a theory that all dromeasaurids had feathers, it's not exactly truthful and well in JP3 that had quils, but I honestly think they should go with the classic look and not the new OMG DINO's WERE RELATED TO BIRDS FEATHERS LOOK!

and that is all I have to say about that.

[Irishmile]

Not to mention it would be a ton easier for TTG not to have them..

[Icedhope]

Originally Posted by Irishmile

Not to mention it would be a ton easier for TTG not to have them..

True that. Plus the movie versions look cooler :P

[Irishmile]

But I would like to say while I do want the classic JP dino look... I think that feathered dino is just as cool looking... but it just isn't a JP dino.

[Javi-Wan Kenobi]

I think that Telltale dinosaurs shouldn't have feathers. Or, at least, not be COVERED by feathers. It could be a nice idea having different dinosaurs with different feather crests, as if they have different "haircuts", and then we could distinguish one dinosaur "character" from another.
Or just the "boss raptor" has a crest, just like the "boss gremlin" in the Gremlins movies.
A Gremlins adventure game should be great, by the way...

[Icedhope]

I will even accept this version from three even though, I think they're ugly, but it looks like the best of Both Worlds.

[nikasaur]

I've heard it said that the "feathers" were actually quite small and downy, more like some fuzz than real feathers as seen in the first picture there. I think it would look a little more textured than the scaled dinosaurs, and not nearly as severe as the mutant chicken example, but I am a fan of the classic Terrifyin' Lizardy Thing with smooth skin.

[Icedhope]

Originally Posted by nikasaur

I've heard it said that the "feathers" were actually quite small and downy, more like some fuzz than real feathers as seen in the first picture there. I think it would look a little more textured than the scaled dinosaurs, and not nearly as severe as the mutant chicken example, but I am a fan of the classic Terrifyin' Lizardy Thing with smooth skin.

See I am too, but then again I'm 24 and those were the Dinosaurs I was shown in books when I was in 8th grade, so those are what I envision dinosaurs to look like and well there is no actual proof that they had feathers.

[thesporkman]

Originally Posted by Icedhope

See I am too, but then again I'm 24 and those were the Dinosaurs I was shown in books when I was in 8th grade, so those are what I envision dinosaurs to look like and well there is no actual proof that they had feathers.

There's pretty convincing evidence that at least SOME genera of dromaeosaurs had feathers because we've found what are apparently fossilized impressions of them. Sinornithosaurus seems to have had the fuzzy, downy sorts of feathers that Niki mentioned, while Microraptor apparently had the true pennaceous feathers of modern birds. But you're right; there's no definitive proof that Velociraptors or Tyrannosaurs had feathers, and their hypothetical existence is based mainly on their relationship to these other species.

[thesporkman]

Also: Nikasaur! Where've you been? People have been asking about you!

[LuigiHann]

I'd probably use the traditional lizard look for any returning dinosaur species from the movies, but I might implement feathers on "new" dinosaur types if they look right.

[GuybrushWilco]

I think that they should stick to their depictions in the movies for consistency. I would also like to add that in JP, the dinosaurs were re-created by creating clones by crossing preserved DNA with other supposedly related species, so you aren't really getting the dinosaurs as they really would have been, just new never before seen creatures that have dinosaur DNA.

[ATMachine]

I personally am in favor of putting feathers on the JP game's dinosaurs. Sure, it wouldn't match up with the movies' depictions of the various species, but greater scientific accuracy is always a plus in this sort of franchise. Michael Crichton would have approved, I think.

Also... Let's face it, 50 years from now, the dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park films are going to seem utterly unrealistic and laughably misconceived, much as people today think of Godzilla. I wouldn't want the game's dinosaurs to share a similar fate.

Plus, the "lumbering reptilian dinosaur" is really an outworn cliche that's hung around in popular perception despite being long debunked scientifically. I think it'd be good for the game to break the stereotype's mold, and do something totally new, fresh, exciting, and up-to-date with the dinosaurs' look, franchise consistency be damned.

And finally, I think the idea of feathered dinosaurs is really cool, plain and simple. Nothing beats Rule of Cool.

Although I will concede that the feathered dinosaurs would be much harder to model in 3D than the old-fashioned scaly variety of dino. You're up to the challenge, Telltale, I know it!

[jp-30]

Seems that the larger dinos probably didn't have feathers, and those smaller ones that did were more like shafts than the feathers of modern-day birds. That's according to this article (which may well be superseded by now);

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...a-feather.html

Actually, the wiki article is really good reading;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feathered_dinosaurs

[Trenchfoot]

I always thought that if they were really able to bring Dinosaurs back to life, most of us would be dissapointed, because they probably wouldn't look as I imagine them... JP styled, that is.
The Raptors look incredibly cool in the first two films, because they look menacing and reptilian, and they size is completely innacurate. That's awesome in my opinion, even if it's incorrect.

Classic Raptors, please.

[guitarsareboring]

This thread has blown my mind (and altered my childhood slightly).

[Irishmile]

has the Utahraptor been debunked its so hard to keep track of what paleontologists decide.

I remember reading the Velociraptor from the movies are actually more like like Utahraptor