Orion: Prelude is a first-person shooter and online cooperative multiplayer game, developed and published by Spiral Game Studios for Microsoft Windows. In the game, armed players work together to defend generators against dinosaurs.
The game was conceived in 1998, by developer David Prassel, and was originally launched as a Half-Life 2 mod known as Orion: Source. Prassel formed Spiral in 2010 and announced plans to release the mod as a full game, to be known as Orion: Prelude. The game was eventually launched as Orion: Dino Beatdown in 2012, although it contained numerous glitches and was poorly received. In 2013, Spiral replaced it with a sequel known as Orion: Dino Horde, although players and media outlets viewed it as a minor update to the original game rather than a successor. In 2014, it was updated again and rebranded back to Orion: Prelude.
Gameplay
Each iteration of Orion: Prelude is a first-person shooter with online cooperative multiplayer. The game pits armed humans against dinosaurs. Jetpacks and vehicles are a prominent feature.
Orion: Dino Beatdown supported up to five players who would be divided into character classes and must defend a generator base against incoming waves of dinosaurs. Generators must also be repaired if they take damage. Money, earned by killing the dinosaurs, could be used to buy upgrades. When players died, they would have to either pay to respawn immediately or wait for teammates to kill off remaining dinosaurs in the area. The game featured three enemies, including velociraptors, tyrannosaurs, and the flying pterosaur Rhamphorhynchus. A heads-up display was used to alert players of nearby enemies. The game featured vehicles with turrets, allowing one player to drive and another to shoot. In addition to multiplayer, the player could also choose to play solo.
Orion: Dino Horde introduced new features. It included seven maps, two of which were set at night. It had five game modes, including a solo mode, and one similar to capture the flag in which players collect dinosaur eggs and bring them to a base. The game had three character classes. As in the previous game, the primary objective was for players to defend and repair generators. New dinosaurs included Stegosaurus and Triceratops. When players began to kill a wave of dinosaurs, the animals would spread out across the level, forcing players to hunt them down. The game featured several upgradable weapons, such as assault rifles, pistols, and shotguns. Weapons and upgrades could be purchased during 60-second intervals in between each dinosaur wave. The game featured several vehicles, including cars, Jeeps equipped with turrets, mechs, and flying ships. Players could also take on the role of three different dinosaurs, viewed from a third-person perspective.
Orion: Prelude has the same dinosaurs and vehicles, as well as tanks and rocket sleds. Players defend a number of buildings in addition to generators. The game includes the ability to consume dead dinosaurs.
Development and release
Developer David Prassel conceived the first design for the game in 1998. It underwent numerous changes over time, while retaining three core elements: dinosaurs, jetpacks, and vehicles. The project began as Orion: Source, a Half-Life 2 mod. In August 2010, Prassel and the mod team announced the formation of Spiral Game Studios, with the intention to publish the mod as a full game titled Orion: Prelude. It was expected to release the following year on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and Steam. Orion: Prelude was planned as the first game in a trilogy. Spiral, an independent game company, consisted of Prassel and a team of more than 20 game industry veterans. The company opened a page on Kickstarter seeking funds to complete the game, ultimately raising $17,686. Development was underway in 2011. Orion: Prelude was inspired by games such as Unreal Tournament 2004, as well as the Halo and Tribes series.
In February 2012, Spiral announced a new version of the game titled Orion: Dino Beatdown, to be released through Steam and OnLive. The planned home-console release was scrapped. Prior to the game's PC release, Prassel and Spiral fired several studio employees, who later alleged non-payment for their work on the game. Prassel said, "They were all fired for very serious reasons ranging anywhere from attempted blackmail all the way to attempted theft of hardware. They were not employed during a paid period (modding/start-up). They were not given paid tasks. Their work was not used".