Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis

thumb|300px|right Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis is a park-building game that is reminiscent of games like SimCity and Theme Park. The ultimate goal of the game is to "...create the most successful theme park in the history of the world," which pretty much means a five-star park. Your park can earn stars by entertaining visitors, hoping that they will leave with a satisfied attitude. If they do, your park will become more popular and your park will also gain stars. The more stars and popularity, the more visitors. And so on, and so on. Keeping your visitors happy is not as easy as plopping a few dinosaurs in the middle of a field and watching them walk around. Besides having dinosaurs and their enclosures in your park, you also need to make sure your visitors are comfortable by setting up food stands (kiosks), restrooms, and souvenir stands. You can also specify different types of food and gifts to cater to your visitor's tastes. Additionally, you can build attractions which will keep your visitors amused. Attractions such as Viewing Vents, Viewing Platforms and Safari Adventure Rides should prove popular with your visitors. But most importantly, you need to make sure your visitors are safe. No one wants to visit a park where they could be eaten. To assure the safety of your visitors, you need to set up the right types of fences, build ranger stations, and also set up other security measure such as cameras and avoidance beacons. If there is an emergency, you can take charge of a helicopter or car, and rescue visitors or take out ravaging dinosaurs that have broken free of their confines.

The actual building of your park is relatively easy thanks to the streamlined interface Blue Tongue has come up with. You must first determine four characteristics of your island: shape, trees, rivers, and mountains and decide how much of each you would want on your island. Mountains may make the island look more natural, but can take up space used for your park. Having more trees is definitely an advantage.

After creating your island, the building begins. You are given an initial amount of money ($60,000) from investors to build your park with, and you have to make sure you start small so that your resources can handle the park maintenance while you earn money. You can build your park from 35 different pieces, and populate it with an initial selection of 60 dinosaurs. You can eventually earn new dinosaurs by researching fossils and discovering new species.

Dinosaur List

 * Acrocanthosaurus - Large Carnivore, 4 Stars           Unlocked in 1 Game Setting
 * Albertosaurus - Small Carnivore, 3 Stars              Unlocked in 1 Game Setting with Pachycephalasaurus
 * Allosaurus - Large Carnivore, 4 Stars                 Must Be Unlocked/ Unlockable
 * Ankylosaurus - Large Herbivore, 4 Stars               Must Be Unlocked by Pachycephalasaurus or Albertosaurus
 * Brachiosaurus - Large Herbivore, 5 Stars              Must Be Unlocked/ Unlockable
 * Camarasaurus - Large Herbivore, 3 Stars               Must Be Unlocked/ Unlockable
 * Carcharodontosaurus - Large Carnivore, 4 Stars        Must Be Unlocked/ Unlockable
 * Ceratosaurus - Small Carnivore, 2 Stars               Unlocked in 1 Game Setting
 * Corythosaurus - Large Herbivore, 3 Stars              Must Be Unlocked once Star Rating increases
 * Dilophosaurus - Small Carnivore, 2 Stars              Must Be Unlocked/ Unlockable
 * Dryosaurus - Small Herbivore, 1 Star                  Unlocked with Ceratosaurus in same game setting.
 * Edmontosaurus - Large Herbivore, 3 Stars              Must Be Unlocked/ Unlockable
 * Gallimimus - Small Herbivore, 3 Stars                 Must Be Unlocked in Flaming Cliffs
 * Homalocephale - Small Herbivore, 3 Stars              Must Be Unlocked in Area Fossils are priced.
 * Kentrosaurus - Small Herbivore, 2 Stars               Must Be Unlocked and support Stegosaurus
 * Ouranosaurus - Large Herbivore, 2 Stars               Must Be Unlocked/ Unlockable
 * Pachycephalosaurus - Small Herbivore, 2 Stars         The Game's Primary Starting Dinosaur with Albertosaurus.
 * Parasaurolophus - Large Herbivore, 3 Stars            Unlocked in 1 Game Setting
 * Spinosaurus - Large Carnivore, 5 Stars                Must Be Unlocked/ Unlockable
 * Stegosaurus - Large Herbivore, 4 Stars                Must Be Unlocked with Corythosaurus
 * Styracosaurus - Small Herbivore, 2 Stars              Must Be Unlocked to support Triceratops
 * Torosaurus - Large Herbivore, 2 Stars                 Available with Parasauralophus without extraction.
 * Triceratops - Large Herbivore, 5 Stars                Must Be Unlocked by Star Increasing
 * Tyrannosaurus - Large Carnivore, 5 Stars              Unlockable on Site B in Judith River Group
 * Velociraptor - Small Carnivore, 5 Stars               Must Be Unlocked/ Unlockable in Flaming Cliffs

Creating Dinosaurs
The dinosaurs must be created by fossil findings or amber extraction. The main creation for dinosaurs are the fossils that are the remains with large amounts of DNA. 50 percent is required at least to create dinosaurs, a minimum of six months. 100% is two years of dinosaur life, unless it is eaten by another dinosaur. Dinosaurs can fight each other, and death duels will then occur. The dinosaurs are created by hatcheries, and each cost at least more than $1,000, and the more bigger or carnivorous, the more expensive. Dinosaurs should not die early to save money for your park.

Fossil Market
Alan Grant is the chief paleontologist and the head of the Fossil Market in Jurassic Park. Henry Wu guides the purchased item fossils or bought items to the genetic lab. If you have enough money, a bright square will show you a item which you have a minimum or enough money to buy, unless it is too expensive, you cannot click on the square to purchase the fossil. Grant is the main paleontologist chief, and he sends mail to the player if anything new is found.

Genetic Lab
Henry Wu created the technology of Jurassic Park's cloning ideals. He has a research team who research and immunize dinosaurs in four ways including hatchery immunization. The Genetic Lab can extract or sell an item, unless you need to sell an item automatically if your park's money is decreasing low. Dinosaur fossils sold will increase money to your park investation. The extraction of dinosaurs does not cost money.

Fossil Hunt
Dinosaurs are created in the fossil hunt you have purchased. A fossil hunt team in single at one team dig site will cost you $5,000 and the opening of your park. The second fossil hunting team will cost you $10,000. The final fossil hunting team will cost $25,000 to purchase for traveling and digging. The content of your fossil hunt team are good, mediocore, poor, exhausted, and in progress. The park's global fossing hunt team has 9 sites, but you cannot unlock all sites(except on the PC version after anyone skilled with computer file editing changes certain values in the main file, that can unlock all the sites). In the Playstation2 Console Version, only three bcan be unlocked. 5 sites can be unlocked in the XBox and PC Version of the game. These sites are:
 * Judith River Group A
 * Judith River Group B
 * The Flaming Cliffs
 * Hell Creek Formation Group A
 * Hell Creek Formation Group B
 * Morrison Formation Group A
 * Morrison Formation Group B
 * Tendaguru Beds
 * Chenini Formation

Cut Dinosaurs
Several dinosaurs were cut from the game, leaving only their names on a file inside the game's files. Compsognathus is mostly absent due to being such a small dinosaur, it could have caused tremendous problems of biting guests and being impossible to be shot by helicopter. Also, the cold-embryo storaged DNAs in the first film Metricanthosaurus and Proceratosaurus were not in the game. Also, Mamenchisasaurus from The Lost World: Jurassic Park is absent because it could take up much more space and Brachiosaurus was the biggest dinosaur in the game. Pteranodon were not in the film as well because of their ability to fly and devour guests. These are the other cut dinosaurs:
 * Alioramus
 * Deinonychus
 * Baryonyx
 * Ornithomimus
 * Yangchuanosaurus
 * Diplodocus
 * Apatosaurus
 * Iguanodon
 * Maiasaura
 * Panoplosaurus
 * Thescelosaurus
 * Tenontosaurus
 * Wuerhosaurus
 * Chasmosaurus

Jurassic Park Operation Management Team

 * John Hammond is the founder of Jurassic Park and the C.E.O. of InGen. He is based on the appearance in Jurassic Park. He mentioned Sarah Harding in the exercise "The Lost World".


 * Alan Grant is the Park's chief paleontologist. He aids you of evidence of the Fossil Market and dinosaur fossil findings. He is based on his appearance in Jurassic Park III.


 * Peter Ludlow is the financial director of InGen. He keeps a summary chart of the financial changes of your park. He is based on his appearance in The Lost World: Jurassic Park.


 * Dr. Henry Wu is the Labratory Manager and creator of Jurassic Park's Genetic Lab. He aids you in the extraction of dinosaurs. He is based on his appearence in Jurassic Park and is renamed Harry Wu.


 * Dr. Ellie Sattler is the Park's dinosaur manager. She monitors dinosaur deaths and sicknesses similar to Gerry Harding. She is based on her Jurassic Park appearence.


 * Robert Muldoon is the Park's Warden who aids you in helicopter packing and warns of dinosaur rampages by urgent messages. He is based on his Jurassic Park appearence.

She is an original character due to her not being based on anyone from the movies or novels.
 * Jane Powers is the Public Relations Manager. She sends the player mail of attraction problems & tourist anger problems.


 * Ray Arnold is the Chief Administrator. If an object is damaged in a storm, or a disaster forcomes, he will inform you. He is based on his Jurassic Park appearence.

Absense of Employees from Jurassic Park
main computer-technician in the game. is replaced by Elite Sattler who is the dinosaur manager. Jane Powers aids your services, prices, and food menus in the Kiosks. The Lost World in a interview instruction box for the player to read. Malcolm however is not mentioned.
 * Dennis Nedry: The computer supervisor. He was absent since the player controls the dinosaur montiory and Ray Arnold is the
 * Gerry Harding: The Park's veternarian. He is absent because the player must fix the dinosaur's poor health condition, and he
 * Ed Regis: The public relations manager. He did not appear in the film, and replaced by Jane Powers.
 * Ian Malcolm: Although not a employee, he is absent because he would not fit as a supporting character in the game.
 * Alain Richard: The chef and waiter of the Les Gigantes in the novel and film. Kiosks(fast-food stands) replace his career, &
 * Sarah Harding: A dinosaur-behavior paleontologist and expert camera-photographer. She was mentioned by Hammond in the exercise

Dialogue

 * Harry Wu:
 * I'd like your thoughts on this.
 * Great!


 * Robert Muldoon:
 * I was afraid something like this would happen. We simply have no choice now. They must all be destroyed!
 * Oh? So you're taking control? Okay, just don't do anything dangerous.


 * John Hammond: The most-frequent speaking character of the game.
 * Hello, my name is John Hammond, and I'm in charge of InGen, the company that you now work for. Your job is simple, really, collect dinosaurs, accompany your guests, and open your park.
 * Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great honor to declare the new wonder of the modern world, Jurassic Park. Now open!
 * Jurassic Park, it's yours.
 * Oh, don't forget the T-Rex is a hunter!
 * These stories are ruining our reputation! We can't let that happen! Could you help us?


 * Peter Ludlow:
 * Hello again, maybe the last time?
 * Let's discuss some things, shall we?
 * I warned you about this. You brought this company to the ground!


 * Jane Powers:
 * Hello there.
 * Great to see you.


 * Ray Arnold:
 * Could you look at this while I get a soda?
 * Oh my God! What are we gonna do?!!
 * This is not good!

Game Cast

 * Richard Attenbourgh as John Hammond
 * Laura Dern as Jane Powers and Elite Sattler
 * Sam Neil as Alan Grant
 * Arliss Howard as Peter Ludlow
 * Bob Peck as Robert Muldoon
 * B.D.Wong as Harry Wu
 * Samuel L. Jackson as Ray Arnold

Diseases
In the game, the dinosaurs in your park we susceptible to certain dinosaur diseases and thus you have to research cures and vaccines to protect them from harm. Dinosaurs, like all animals in captivity, with sometimes get sick. InGen dinosaurs however are more susceptible to diseases as they are born with immunity-deficiencies as a direct result of they're accelerated growth. Diseases are expensive to research, unless you save a lot of money. It is not difficult to cure a serious disease, but the more dinosaurs are infected, the more your park's popularity will decrease. Elite Sattler is the dinosaur vetenarian and dinosaur manager of the park, although in the first novel and film it was Gerry Harding. Paleo trees can make some certain herbivores sick, and species that are examined to not eat the trees are concealed.

Diseases create serious problems for your park. In best case, your visitors will complain about your lack of care for your dinosaurs. In the worst case, your dinosaurs will die. Rangers are assigned the responsibility to monitor and control disease outbreaks in your park. You must make sure that your rangers have the vaccines they need to be able to control the disease outbreaks. Dinosaurs cost money, and if they die from disease, you will lost money and never gain it again.

There are six known diseases in Operation Genesis - Those diseases include:


 * Bumblefoot - Inflammation of the dinosaur's foot caused when a cut or abrasion becomes infected and heals over. The resulting swollen foot is very painful, causing the dinosaur to limp and reducing the animal's movement, as well as putting it through alot of stress. This will happen the most to herbivores.


 * Dino Belly -


 * Dino Flu -

and then start tick infestation starting the loss of blood, and the dinosaur will go crazy.
 * Tick Infestation - This is a very unconditional disease. Ticks will cover any entire dinosaur


 * Gastric Poisoning - This is a very serious condition that can occur in herbivorous dinosaurs. Toxins from the plants that they eat build up and accumulate in the body of the dinosaur, until they reach a level that the dinosaur becomes immobilized and can eventually die from the poisoning if left untreated. (NOTE: this is probably what the sick Triceratops (film) / Stegosaurus (novel) was suffering from during the first Park Drive tour a few hours before the Isla Nublar Incident took place)

and then attack and kill everything around their area, and will die quickly without overdose.
 * Rabies - A serious condition for the carnivores. If they get the rabies, they will go berserk

Site B
After all the missions are completed, a Site B option unlocks on the title page which allows the player to build an island without any fences or buildings for people, and no visitors are allowed. In it, the player gets to place eight hatcheries and only sixty dinosaurs. The dinosaurs will be created and live out their lives on your island.

Missions
There are 10 missions the player must finish to unlock Site B, and the island is John Hammond's island, Isla Nublar. The real player's island is not Isla Nublar, but a more different designed island that InGen also guides, most likely one of the Five Deaths Islands that also have the word Isla :

(1): A Picture is Worth 100 Points: Jurassic Park is accused of exhibiting fake dinosaurs! Prove it wrong by taking photos.

(2): When Carnivores Attack: The carnivores have gone out of control! Retire all 18 carnivores before time runs out!

(3): Time to get Moving: Muster the herbivores into a maze before the carnivores devour them all.

(4): Weather and Dinosaurs: Take photos of dinosaurs to study their behavior in weather to conduct InGen researching.

(5): Rescue the President: A Tornado has hit the island! Retire all carnivores and rescue the President of Dregvoia.

(6): Danger Safari Club: Earn money from the Safari Club by taking pictures of dangerous, scary dinosaurs.

(7): Rescue Hammond: Hammond is trapped in the Visitor Shelter! Get a rifle, retire all the dinosaurs, and rescue Hammond!

(8): Cleanup Operation: The hatcheries have gone out of control! Destroy the engines and retire the carnivores again!

(9): The Amazing Maze: Muster into an amazing maze filled with dangerous carnivores to the muster area.

(10): Jurassic Park Calendar: Jurassic Park tourists would like a calendar. Take pictures of dinosaurs as well again.



Modding
Due to the PC files of the game, many people have found a way to mod the PC game.

Some things that can be moded are dinosaur skins, sounds, fossil hunt sites and start money. The dinosaurs can also be cloned and then changed; however the models cannot be edited and imported, as no software exists for the specific kinds of files.

A modification community have released an unofficial expansion pack, it features carnivores fishing, raptors packing and attacking together, new terrains, and much more.

It is rumored a expansion pack may be released in the future.

Reception
The game was received fairly well on all the platforms it was released on (PS2, PC and XBOX), praising the concept and the variety of dinosaurs and buildings available. It got a positive rating of a 7.0 from Gamespot. IGN gave a negative review for the PS2 version, stating it wasn't as good as the PC version.