Dino-Riders: The Video Game is a homemade first-person shooter video game for the PC. It is a very basic game that was created using a program called the 3D Game Maker, which in turn, runs on a version of

DARK BASIC. It’s 100% free but is no longer supported and the game will only work on Windows XP and earlier Windows operating systems.

FISHMEN

What Fishmen lack in size and strength is more than made up with their sheer aggression. Although not the most capable of Rulon soldiers, Fishmen are loyal and will fight to the death. They have a never say die attitude and are constantly on the attack.

Weapon: Machete

BUGMEN

Because Bugmen aren't very strong, they tend to hang around close to the other enemies. As entry-level soldiers in the Rulon army, Bugmen aren't very aggressive. In fact, after firing off a few rounds, they tend to retreat like cowards, exposing themselves to oncoming fire in the process.

Weapon: Flamethrower

ANTMEN

Antmen are strong Rulon soldiers with a straight forward worker-like mentality. Loyal to the Rulon cause, these soldiers show no fear and will stop at nothing to secure a Rulon victory.

Weapon: Assault Rifle

SHARKURRS

By far the biggest and strongest of the Rulon soldiers, Sharkurrs are extremely aggressive. Sharkurrs attack on sight and prefer to use their size and strength to melee attack in close range. When you see one, you better learn how to shoot backing up.

Weapon: Electric Shard

VIPERS

Although not the strongest faction in the Rulon army, Vipers are certainly the fastest and slickest. Vipers often hide behind trees in order to ambush and launch their powerful sneak attacks.  Extremely agile and fast, Vipers are arguably the toughest enemies in the game. Vipers are also capable of setting up decoys in the form of inanimate dummies that are indistinguishable from real Vipers.

Weapon: Poison Blaster

GATORMEN

Gatormen are just like their real-life alligator counterparts - large, fast, powerful, and deadly. Gatormen tend to travel alone and their speed and fighting ability make them one of the tougher foes in the game. Like Vipers, Gatormen are also capable of using fake duplicates of themselves to distract the Dino-Riders.

Weapon: Laser

CAVEMEN (TYPE 1)

Although not the brightest enemies in the world, these ape-like Neanderthals are very aggressive. Small and fast, these enemies attack first and then ask questions later.

Weapon: Boulders

CAVEMEN (TYPE 2)

Slightly stronger than their Type 1 cousins, these cavemen are savage-like and will attack on sight. Deadly with a spear, these enemies are always looking for a quick meal.

Weapon: Spear

FIRST AID KIT

Restores 25 life points.

POWER ORB

Restores player to full health.

HEART

Gives player another life (1-UP). These hearts are hidden throughout the levels.  Each level has at least one hidden heart to find - look everywhere!

S.T.E.P. CRYSTALS

These crystals make up part of the Space Time Energy Projector (S.T.E.P.). Collect all of them to warp through time.

Dino-Riders: The Video Game is a first person shooter (FPS) a la Halo and Goldeneye. You control Questar in the battle against the evil Rulons. As Questar, you are armed with a double-barrel laser pistol. You have full 360 degree movement and the ability to strafe left and right, look/aim up and down, and jump over obstacles.

The player begins with 9 lives and the game ends when there are no more lives left. Each level has at least one additional hidden life to collect. Your health begins at 99 and the damage you take depends on the strength of the particular enemy that hits you and the distance from where the attack comes from. There are a total of 9 levels in the game, each with its own specific objectives. The basic idea is to destroy all of the enemies and reach the end of the level. Some levels require you to locate and collect certain objects. At the beginning of every level, you will see a yellow sign than indicates what your objectives are.

For example:

You control Questar via the mouse and keypad. The mouse controls the character's turning, aiming, shooting, and jumping. The keypad controls the movement back and forth and the strafing.  Unfortunately, there are no alternative control schemes, which means that you cannot use a regular controller to play the game.

Up Arrow: Move Forward
Down Arrow: Move Backward
Left Arrow: Strafe Left
Right Arrow: Strafe Right

Mouse Up: Look/Aim Up
Mouse Down: Look/Aim Down
Mouse Left: Turn Left
Mouse Right: Turn Right

Mouse Left Click: Fire
Mouse Right Click: Jump

SPACE BAR: Begins Game
ESC: Exits Game

The game will only work on Windows XP and earlier Windows operating systems.  

In order to play, simply download the two files below and save both files in the same folder on your computer. Once you have downloaded the files, double click on the silver icon that says "Dino-Riders - The Video Game" and the game will start. Once you click on it, the screen will go black for several seconds and then the title screen will appear. Please remember that you should have Direct X installed on your computer. Direct X is available to download for free on Microsoft's website.

GAME FILE - Click to Download

SETUP FILE - Click to Download

PDF MANUAL - Click to Download

Troubleshooter:

Problem: The game does not load.

Solution(s):

• Make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements and that you have Direct X installed on your computer. As of this writing, Direct X Version 9.0 is available. You can download it for free at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/default.aspx.

• Open the setup.ini file and make the following changes:

• Where it says "vbcreate=4" change it to "=1"
• Where it says "vbusage=3” change it to "=1"
• You can also experiment with these values by replacing the numbers with 0 to 4 to see which will work best with your computer.

Problem: The screen is black after 30 seconds and the title screen has not appeared yet.

Solution(s):

• You can attempt to press the Space Bar a few times in order to load it up quicker.  If this doesn't work, make sure your computer meets the system requirements and try one of the above solutions.

• Another possible solution is to run the game in a window instead of in full screen mode (the default setting).  To do this, open the "setup.ini" file and change "windowmode=0" to "windowmode=1".

• To exit the game, press the 'ESC' key 3 times.

Processor: Pentium II 400 MHZ or higher

Operating System:  Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP

Direct X Version 7.0 or higher

RAM: 64 MB

Hard Drive Space:  600 MB

Graphics Card:  Direct X Compatible 3D Accelerator (8 MB+)

Sound Card:  Direct X Compatible Sound Card