We have had the chance to chat with Collin van Ginkel. He is the Creative director at Two Tribes and lead designer on Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.
Techulous: How did you first get involved in making Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs?
We had worked with Chillingo before and they asked us to pitch for a game based on Ice Age. We jumped at the opportunity and provided them with a design that is roughly what you can now buy in the App Store.
Techulous: What can you tell us about the gameplay in Ice Age?
Players take control of Scrat and guide him through the levels that are inspired on the environments from the film. The gameplay has both puzzle and platform elements in it, and the end goal is for Scrat to finally grab that big Acorn!
Techulous: What can you tell us about the collectables and the collectible system used in Ice Age?
We have the reputation for making tough puzzle games, that really make you scratch your head. For Ice Age the target audience is so diverse, that we decided to tone down on the basic difficulty and make the tougher parts optional. This is where the collectible system comes into play. Players can decided if they want to hunt for all the acorns, or just try and finish the level. This way everyone wins! 
Techulous: How do the environments differ in the game in regards to gameplay?
We have taken four environments from the film that we thought we could offer unique gameplay. So each environment offers something new, such as breaking ice or gaseous clouds that Scrat cannot stay in for too long!
Techulous: Graphically the game looks very faithful to the film, how difficult was the process of creating the look and feel of the game?
We received a lot of support from the people at FOX and Blue Sky. This allowed us to focus on getting the fine details just right, instead of spending a lot of time in recreating characters and environments from the movies.
Techulous: The iPhone has its ups and downs when it comes to games and control schemes. Can you tell us more about the touch-and-go control system used in the game?
We have tried to make the controls feel as close as possible to the core iPhone control experience. So everything you can interact with will simply respond to a tap from your finger. Want to climb up? Touch a stair to make him climb it. Want to shove a block around? Tap it to make Scrat grab it.
An additional benefit over other control styles, such as virtual sticks and buttons, is that the screen is free of clutter from HUD elements and your finger is only on screen when action is required.
Techulous: Given the movie relationship, One Techulous staffer’s 8-year-old is eyeing this game pretty hard. Will there be skill level options appropriate for a mix of age groups?
As mentioned above, we’ve made the tougher parts optional. The game has not been designed to become deviously difficult later on, it introduces new elements as you progress, but the difficulty does not suddenly spike.
So let us know how far he gets!
Techulous: Are you using the original movie voice cast?
The game uses the official sounds emitted by Scrat during the movies. We have used them to give him more character and to make him respond to things that happen in the game.
Techulous: Will there be any downloadable content
There is no downloadable content planned at the moment. We are planning on updating the game, but we do not plan to ask money for it at this time.
Techulous: Does the game load/save system support more than one session such that a new game could be started and saved without interfering with any existing game saves?
A true multiple-profile system is in the works for an update, but did not make it for the first release. We do have a level select functionality which allows players to replay levels at their own pace, so use that for now
Thanks!
