The pre-alpha demo called Jurassic Primitive War was „released” in 1995, a year before proper Jurassic War. You can choose one of three tribes and try to capture the sanctuaries of other two.
What’s different? Graphics and sounds are less refined, that’s for sure. Buildings are indestructible and accessible by everyone. There is a 20-people limit per clan, and specific stat limits for each clan too. Every caveman can learn and cast spells, wield weapons and capture a sanctuary.
As you can see from the screenshots attached above, the difference between the demo version and the full version is significant. First of all, the graphics and BGM are completely different (the sound effects of the units are generally similar, but the sound is slightly different), and the way the game progresses is also very different, giving the impression that it is a different game. For example, in the alpha version there is no concept of a unit unique to each tribe, and instead it is divided into a format that differs in the distribution of abilities of primitive people (for example, some tribes have strong defense, some tribes have strong attack power, and some tribes have strong magical power). The basic gist of hunting, training, collecting food, and equipping the equipment produced in the forge is the same, but it does not mean that certain tribes cannot use the forge, and likewise universal is magic (however, the types of weapons/equipment and magic available for each tribe are different).
Above all, the decisive difference from the full version is that to use facilities such as a blacksmith, you have to send a primitive man into the building one by one to purchase the necessary items. Even food storage or additional unit production is carried out in this way. And there is a building that exists only in the demo, where you can pay food and improve the VP or MP of a primitive man instantly.
For reference, although there is an 8 tribe system in the demo, there are only 3 tribes implemented in the game: Koaka (specializes in defense), Akara (specializes in stamina/attack power), and Romek (specializes in balance/magic power). Neutral creatures that can be hunted include wolves, leopards, lions, tigers, elephants, luthiodons, velociraptors, and deinonychi.
Guide
Keys
A – Attack, or Attack Move
G – Stop, as in „Guard”
T – Take
Z – Sleep
? – Stats
<, > – left and right arrow to scroll items
CTRL – „Act” – as in action, opens spells and actions
ALT –”Item” – opens inventory
SPACE – changes „Act” and „Item” back and forth
Spells also have hotkeys:
Q – Fireball
W – Roar
E – Lightning
R – Poison Cloud
X – Healing [Single Target Healing]
C – Group Healing (Selects one tribe only)
V – Grand Healing [Single Target Healing 2]
– (hyphen) – Small Mapping
You could deduce other letters for unused spells (like „=” for Grand Mapping or B and N for more healing spells), but obviously they don’t work.
Objective
Capture the other two Sanctuaries with your units to subdue the opposing tribes.
Don’t let the enemy capture yours, and don’t lose all of your units.
Mechanics
Playing the game is similar to Jurassic War. Left-click to select and give orders, right click to deselect. The main differences are in structure mechanics. They change the victory objective and food usage.
The screen is just a small 16×12 tiles rectangle, with a 320×200 resolution.
Tribes
There are three tribes you can choose, with five more greyed out.
Koaka (specializes in defense), Akara (specializes in stamina/attack power), and Romek (specializes in balance/magic power)
Units
The only unit you can train is the Primitive Man. He can become a shirtless bearded warrior (Muscle-Man?) if trained enough.
Every unit can train all stats, use all items and cast all spells, if their MP lets them.
Buildings
The buildings cannot be built, destroyed, or even selected. The only way to use them is to visit them with a unit.
Sanctuary
The only building that has tribe colors. Protect your sanctuary! An entering enemy unit can subdue your whole clan, making you lose the game instantly!
Food-Storage
Here you can deposit or withdraw food. You cannot access it without a unit, but the AI can.
Armory
There are four armories. One for each tribe, and a neutral one with a lava moat. Each one has different stock. You can buy weapons, shields and snacks inside.
It looks like a greenhouse with this skeleton of a roof.
Barracks
Here you can train your cavemen.
24 is the absolute max units your tribe can control. To get more, enslave an enemy clan and train directly from their barracks.
After recruiting your units, the only way to get stronger is to train them, equip with items and make them learn spells.
The barracks is encircled with spears, with another blade at the top, and a cloth flap obscuring the entrance.
Magic training hut
Like with armories, there are four magic huts. One for each tribe and one neutral one, with a moat. Each has different spells for learning. You can also train Magic Points here. Tribe-specific restrictions apply.
Two blue orbs adorn the door, regardless of the tribe.
Spells are powerful and needed, as you cannot overlevel the more aggresive dinos.
Velocity training hut
There are three on the map, in the tribe villages. You can raise your units’ VP here, which increases sight range, ranged weapon range and movement speed.
The higher levels become quite pricey.
It has a bird of prey with wings outstretched over the entrance.
Or maybe it’s a flying dinosaur. What’s the difference anyway?
Other buildings
Stats
The stats are: HP OP DP MP VP
Stats have starting and max values, different for each tribe:
| Koaka | Akara | Romek |
| HP: 35/70 | HP: 40/75 | HP: 34/70 |
| OP: 30/60 | OP: 40/100 | OP: 34/50 |
| DP: 40/100 | DP: 30/50 | DP: 34/70 |
| MP: 20/60 | MP: 20/40 | MP: 44/90 |
| VP: 30/80 | VP: 20/60 | VP: 24/90 |
| TOTAL: 155/370 | TOTAL: 150/325 | TOTAL: 170/370 |
Items
Items give flat bonuses, without the complicated individual resistances and armor classes.
Keep in mind items restrict stats gaining maximum power! If you want to train to your limit, take off your items! You can equip them later on and exceed your limit this way.
Items can be sold for 3/4 of their price.
Food
Food piles have three size sprites,
but the thresholds are a bit different than in the full release
    0-499  500-2999  3000-65535
Armory items:
Stone Knife
28 OP
2000 food
Stone Spear
24 OP
1400 food
Stone Axe
20 OP
1000 food
Bone Knife
15 OP
600 food
Bone Spear
12 OP
400 food
Bone Bow
9 OP
200 food
needs arrows
Wooden Knife
7 OP
200 food
Wooden Spear
5 OP
100 food
Wooden Bow
3 OP
80 food
needs arrows
Club
2 OP
40 food
Arrows
10 in stack (245 max stack)
20 food
infinite stock
Leather Shield
15 DP
600 food
Wooden Shield
5 DP
200 food
Leather Water Pail
3 HP, 2 MP
20 food
50 in stock
Apple
5 HP, 3MP
40 food
40 in stock
Medicinal Herbs
15 HP, 10 MP
100 food
20 in stock
Wild Ginseng
25 HP, 15 MP
160 food
10 in stock
Other Items:
Leather Shoes
5 VP
Bone Bracelet
3 OP and 2 MP
Bone Necklace
3 DP and 2 MP
Skull Staff
2 OP, 2 DP and 8 MP
Spells
The spells are similar to the ones from Jurassic War, but are not grouped by effect, have different values and not all are present. They are cast automatically during battle.
There are 8 spells in total. Minimum MP to learn equals the MP cost to cast.
Hotkey, name, effect, MP price to cast, food price to learn, hut where you can find it:
Q – Fireball
10 damage, 15 MP to cast
80 food
W – Roar
5 damage, 10 MP to cast
50 food
E – Lightning
20 damage, 30 MP to cast
130 food
Only the Romek magic hut.
R – Poison Cloud
6 seconds, 50 damage (7×3 radius), 40 MP to cast
200 food
Only the eastern neutral magic hut.
X – Healing [Single Target Healing]
+15 HP, 10 MP to cast
60 food
All magic huts have it.
C – Group Healing (Selects one tribe only)
+10 HP in a 3×3 radius, 15Â MP to cast
100 food
V – Grand Healing [Single Target Healing 2]
+30 HP, 20Â MP to cast
400 food
– (hyphen) – Small Mapping
10 tiles radius scouting, 25 MP to cast
600 food
Neutrals
The weed can gain HP by killing tribespeople, just like in the full release.
| Name: | HP | OP | DP | MP | VP | Total ability | Food |
| Weed | 40+ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40+ | 0 |
| Wolf | 12 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 80 | 128 | 150 |
| Leopard | 18 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 100 | 166 | 200 |
| Lion | 30 | 45 | 40 | 0 | 120 | 235 | 300 |
| Tiger | 40 | 50 | 50 | 0 | 120 | 260 | 500 |
| Mammoth | 60 | 55 | 30 | 0 | 90 | 235 | 700 |
| Ruthiodon | 80 | 60 | 60 | 0 | 150 | 350 | 900 |
| Velociraptor | 100 | 100 | 80 | 0 | 150 | 430 | 2300 |
| Deinonychus | 150 | 100 | 100 | 0 | 132 | 482 |
2800 |
Tricks
Food trick is similar to the one in the original. To acquire a zero food item, you must donate all your food to the bank. Place the item on the ground and watch it grow to 65535.
You can cast the heal spell on recently dead units if you are fast enough. Makes sense if you ask me.
Moreover, you can just select the corpse and order it to move, guard or whatever. The unit will stop dying and just obey your order. Talk about leadership!
It also duplicates the unit’s inventory for free!
Most of them have been done by Kroupa here.
Check the downloads for it.
Or give it a try it in your browser.