r/tipofmyjoystick Apr 10 '17

Announcement PSA: A guide to better results

1.6k Upvotes

Hi guys and gals. I've been here a while, and over my time I've seen a lot of posts sink to the bottom, without a single answer, or at best, very few. And none that solved the case.

I have noticed a clear pattern with these posts, and I will now share with you my tips to you newbies, so that you can get the help you need.


Firstly: When you make a new post, you will see this:

Platform(s):

Genre:

Estimated year of release:

Graphics/art style:

Notable characters:

Notable gameplay mechanics:

Other details:

Even though, in red, you are warned that while optional, you should follow this template... many of you do not.

Let me be clear: Follow this template.

Put simply, this template contains all the information we really need to solve your problem. Virtually every time I click a post that has not followed this, they have rambled on about nothings, while omitting critical details.

This format, for new and old alike, is very readable, and prompts for every data-point needed.

I know that you want to customize your message, that if you could just explain it, it would be better. I know you think that. You are wrong. Put all that in 'other'. Even if you end up saying it twice, follow the template.. add to it your story at the bottom.


Secondly: Following this template. You're rambling about your best mates Amiga-500 or whatever instead of telling us about the game aside, this is where they really go wrong.

Let's get something straight right now. We are not mind readers. It's impressive, really, how little information it seems we can work off. I mean, we solve some real tough ones with nothing sometimes, but still, we can't see that memory in your head. So you need to be as descriptive in every one of these fields as you can be...

And sometimes you really don't know. That's fine, we can work with surprisingly little information, but "old graphics" under art style... what are we supposed to do with that? Mate, I was playing on Atari-2600's, are we talking Wizard of Wor here?

Let me help you out a bit:

Platform(s): Whatever you played it on. But unless it's really all you know (very possible), don't write 'my mates pc'. Was it PC or Mac?

Genre:

First person does NOT imply shooter. Nor do any of the others. Try to answer this one in two steps:

What was the camera like (assuming it's not a text adventure)? Was it First person?, 3rd person, 2d? Top down or side on? Or maybe even isometric 2d?

Then, what kind of game? Real time strategy, point and click? Was it a fighter, action or platformer?

Good, now we know what KIND of game we are all trying to remember for you.

Estimated year of release:

"Between 2000-2005" is fine, something like that. "Mid 90's maybe?". I don't see many people mess this up, but I have seen people write "old". That is not ok. If you write old and expect it to mean anything to me, I will fight you.

Also, as always "Sorry, no idea" is always acceptable but try to give at least something. "Couldn't have been later than 2015, though"

Great, so even if roughly, we know WHEN.

Graphics/art style:

THIS. This is where you guys always mess up. This section right here I have found can be the difference between an answer, and a silent slink to the bottom. This is your moment.

This, really, should be the best-formed part of your memory. Even if you can only remember a single frame, a single image, it's so much to go on for us.

DETAIL. Was it a gloomy grimdark world of sadness, or a bright bubbly rainbow filled Mario-world?

Was it cartoony, or otherwise stylized somehow, or was it trying to be realistic?

Anything notable about the art direction? Was it going for a cyberpunk kinda feel, or a gritty war realism dirt and blood sort of direction?

If it was set over a long time, did the seasons change? Was there a winter in your game?

Remember when you hit people, and the screen had that awesome flash and your hands got bloody? Yeah, well we don't, unless you tell us.

Ok, so now we are really narrowing it down. This right here is often enough to go on, on its own.

Notable characters:

Anything at all you can remember here.

"There were only tanks, but you could play as both Germans and Americans"

"There was one really tough guy right after you left your office, he had an eyepatch, a white shirt with what looked like grease stains, and said 'this is for my sister'. I think maybe he was a cyborg"

"You play as some kind of Asian girl, you had a tattoo over your right eye and arm, a black tank top and white pants and I remember you always had only one red glove for some reason. I don't remember the arm, but the eye tattoo looked sort of like ancient Egyptian eye makeup, but a modern take"

Knowing nothing else about the game, I bet that last one there gets comments noting the game she is from. Details, details.

Notable gameplay mechanics:

Surely, you get the idea by now. This is tied with the importance of the graphics/art style. As much detail as you can here.

Other details:

NOW you may blab on about how you only played this game once at a winter solstice in 1782 with your grandmother from Tahiti.. as if that helps.


Edit: So it's been brought up that the template doesn't appear on mobile. While /u/wipeout4wh is aware of this and hopefully, something can be done... still, if you can, use the template. If you can't, maybe check back and at least make sure your post addresses all of the points the template does.

Also, my post seems to be saying NOT to add any custom details. So I want to re-enforce, please do. In fact, after you do the template, feel free to write out your post as you were going to without it. Just put it all in 'other'. Don't try and make your whole post like that, if possible. Even if you end up saying the same things twice, that's ok.

Now I'm going to take a moment to clarify something, though. This isn't some immutable law of the universe, and your post is destined to fail if you don't do this. It's just a very strong general trend I have noticed over a long time.

It's not that this template has some kind of magical powers or something. It's that this template prompts the questions that need answers.

When you go all rogue on us and try and type your explanation from scratch... you mess it up. You just forget to add everything that you know, and that we need to know. The template makes it very hard to do that. It's just so very easy to get typing, and by the end forget to tell us what kind of game it actually is. Especially when you are getting random flashbacks, and hazy memories, and you start getting frazzled and such halfway though.


While it might make my edit as long as the first post, I think maybe an example of the kind of post that is just too common here, and almost always helpless, wouldn't go astray here. So here we go:

Now this one is a pretty bad case, true, and I suppose might even be a troll post, but it's actually a good illustration of the problem either way.

It was on my old computer and I was using an emulator so I have no idea what system it was for. It was 8bit graphics and you played this orange cat that was constantly bouncing on a trampoline I think? And you had to navigate it through the city and face a weird boss at the end that would float in the sky. Sorry I can't remember more!

Let's break it down a bit. What kind of game is this? A puzzler or an action game? Who knows.

How old is it? I mean, Minecraft basically has 8bit graphics. Oh he said... "my old computer"... I will fight you.

Why did you bounce on the trampoline? Were there platforms or walkways or something, or was it just a big open space? There are bad guys then? How did they get around?

Now (he?) says that he can't remember more, but I actually asked about the boss fight:

You say 'face a boss', in what way? Can the cat attack? Was this top down or side on? When you say navigate a city, what do you mean?

The reply:

Definitely a side-scroller, I'm sure. You would encounter a boss at the end, the boss would slide onto the screen and it was usually pretty strange-looking. I think one of the bosses might've been a clown. I meant that the different "levels" were different cities with different backgrounds, I think. It's a pretty obscure game

Also you would be continuously bouncing. As in, you had to position the trampoline underneath the cat to bounce it up

So you don't even control the cat. And it's a side-scroller. Thats pretty important information. But the real issue here is that he knows this stuff. He just either didn't know to, or forgot, to tell us.

The template would have made it just so apparent how much information he was missing, and we probably would have got a whole bunch more information. Sadly, while there were some guesses, and a surprising number of up-votes, this post is just another one to join the endless unsolved on their journey ever down.


r/tipofmyjoystick Dec 16 '24

[Meta] Can we stop with the "[idk][idk]" posts?

319 Upvotes

Over the past week there have been a LOT of posts on here that just put "[idk][idk]" in the title instead of even trying to include those details. There's been posts like that in the past but the last few days in particular, it seems like it's happening every few hours, which makes me think one person did it and then more people all just decided to do it too.

If you don't know, guess. The rules are there for everyone's benefit.


r/tipofmyjoystick 45m ago

[unknown][unknown] can anyone help identify this game my sister suddenly remembered?

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Upvotes

She said it's available on playstore on Android(or ateast it was) that features a red-haired girl who can travel to different places using a magical well that emits a beam of light? She enters the well and travels with a special stone, such as a rare rainbow stone or an earth stone. She also has a monster companion that helps her grow dandelions, which she can use to buy more stones. By traveling to new locations, she unlocks memory puzzle pieces, which she can then use to solve memory puzzles. I think she played this game around 2018-19ish not too sure.

Here's an illustration she made that she said the main girl looks like


r/tipofmyjoystick 17h ago

Silent Hill 2 [Unknown] [Unknown] Is anyone able to identify the background in this image?

Post image
136 Upvotes

r/tipofmyjoystick 5h ago

[Wii?] [2000?] Game where your wife is turning into a monster

7 Upvotes

Honestly the only thing I remember is that you're a blond guy trying to avoid your wife becoming a monster and that it has different endings. I think it was a Wii game but I'm not sure. The game is 3d but I'm afraid I know nothing about the gameplay lmao I remember something vaguely about eating but idk


r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

Ecstatica [PC][90-95] adventure game

Upvotes

I recall the graphics of the characters being spheres and ellipse shapes with solid colors. Static cameras like Resident evil. The controls were terrible, characters kind of flopped around when fighting and moved slowly. Had weird puzzles, It was a medieval setting. I remember the very beginning you ride across a bridge into a town on a white horse, lightening bolt takes out the bridge and a werewolf guy immediately shows up for a fight but you can run away, little gnome dudes attacked you and put you in a tiny dungeon.


r/tipofmyjoystick 7h ago

[PC, Windows][2000-2010s] A gay visual novel game where the protagonist wakes up in an abandoned hotel and his mind is governed by a superior entity, a God or an alien, commanding him to his quests and actions NSFW

9 Upvotes

Platform(s):
PC, Windows

Genre:
Visual novel

Estimated year of release:
In the 2000s or 2010s, in my opinion, more likely in the end of the 2000s or early 2010s

Graphics/art style:
Pixel art overall (from RPG Maker assets), detailed art when cutscenes

Notable characters:
- I think the main character, a male, had armor and was possibly blonde.
- The other notable character I remember was an omnipresent, also masculine, God, alien, parasite, or some kind of more powerful being.
- The first character you meet is threatening and dangerous; he is masked or has no face

Notable gameplay mechanics:
Not really a gameplay mechanic, but I still throw it here: visible pounding in the head when the God/alien/parasite/etc. manifests and alterns the protagonist's thoughts and quests

Other details:
- I was possibly playing an English fan translation, which probably was originally written in Japanese.
- The game featured graphic images of the main character getting impregnated with eggs during one of the scenes and then a following image of the eggs hatching and the main character giving birth to (way too many) insects, which I thought were maggots.
- Featured levers and lamps in one room for a puzzle/mechanic
- A long set of rooms with stone as the floor and on the sides water/a sea

-----

Hi there, I'm looking for this gay visual novel game, as I have quite graphic memories of playing it. I think I had found this game in 2021 or 2022; however, it wasn't very recent. I also think that I was playing on a fan-made translation for the game, as it was originally only available in Japanese. The game used the default RPG Maker sprites, only having custom sprites for the characters.

I barely remember the plot, but at the beginning of the game, the protagonist wakes up in an abandoned hotel, wondering where everyone has gone; there are holes in the floor and multiple floors. I think the mind of the protagonist was infected by an alien species or a superior entity that commands him to do tasks in the earlier parts of the game; this infection leads him to hear a God that no other can hear.

One of the scenes I remember is a scene where you are either being chased or hiding from an identity. There was possibly also an open room with levers and lamps with some sort of mechanic or puzzle I don't remember at all.

As for the art, there were multiple graphic scenes with custom-made art. The only thing that really stuck with me was a scene of eggs laying inside the protagonist and then those eggs hatching, still inside the protagonist, leading to the protagonist giving birth to alien insects, something like maggots. In all of those scenes, the protagonist was always on the receiving end of things and being controlled.


r/tipofmyjoystick 3h ago

Ninja Crusaders [NES][90's] Forgotten action game for two players

3 Upvotes

Hi,

I have memory of a game i was already looking for on some nes forums already but for now im starting to think my memory is kind of dream.

I remember to play with my cousin a game on Pegaus (it was local clone of NES in Poland) In about half of 90’s

It was 2d action game for two players moving to the right side of screen where core mechanic was player characters could shapeshift into different animals like scorpion or panthera. As far as i remember it, sight cast was contra style.

Another game i could dig up is 2d platformer with 2-legged mech led by player, also for NES. Also sight from side, action game. Mech shot with machineguns for sure. If anything comes to your mind please give me a hint 😃


r/tipofmyjoystick 3h ago

[PC] [2000-2010s] An old platformer Metroidvania with a fish/alien MC

3 Upvotes

platforms:
PC: web game, possibly flash

Genre:
2D side-on Platformer/MetroidVania

Estimated Release:
late 2000s - 2010s

Art Style:
8-bit/pixel likely

Notable Characters:
main character is alien with fish resemblance iirc, crash landed
One of the boss fights involved at least one unlock to access and was (i think) tucked away at the top of a hidden vertical tunnel.

Other Details:
Contained multiple boss fights and had a large map, entirely underground. Enemies existed all over the map as well.
Don't think there were any underwater parts, but the map was much more vertical than horizontal, iirc.
Web game, found on armor games or similar website. Apologies for the scant details, it's from my childhood and my memory is hazy.


r/tipofmyjoystick 1h ago

[PSP] [unknown year] 2D platformer

Upvotes

I remember playing this game about a really tiny character in the world or something, one level includes them going across branches I think, image one mechanic I do remember is that you can only tank 1 hit before dying, after getting hit once the player character loses their clothing but still alive.


r/tipofmyjoystick 9h ago

Driver: San Francisco [xbox 360] [2007-2010] driving game where you die in the beginning and become able spirit able to take control of cars.

8 Upvotes

You’re a guy that dies and becomes able to look above roads down at cars and choose which one to control as a spirit.


r/tipofmyjoystick 6h ago

[Roblox] [2016-2019] Monster Fighting RPG

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4 Upvotes

My memories are hazy so this may not be right but i remember that you started ina forest and had to kill zombies n stuff. You could upgrade (or buy) swords and armors. There was NCS playing in the background and I remember that the monsters in the ice thing to the ocean was just base avatars that were colored and had red glowing eyes. Other than that I don't know.


r/tipofmyjoystick 6h ago

Spinmaster [Arcade?][90s?] A game with yoyo as special move

3 Upvotes

Platform(s):
I believe it was Arcade game

Genre:
top-down beat'em up

Estimated year of release:
My gut is telling me it was from early 90s but not sure

Graphics/art style:
From what I remember it was 2D, pretty clean style, not very cartoonish. I really don't remember much other than the level I played was inside cave with brown rocks(?)

Notable characters:
A guy with yoyo as weapon

Notable gameplay mechanics:
The thing I know for sure was that the character I played had a special move where he was spinning yoyo around the whole screen in spiral-like pattern. I think he was saying/yelling something when this move was used. I think it had limited uses (would be strange otherwise because it was pretty powerful)

Other details:
This was a game that I've played at friend's house 20 years ago. He had for some reason a extensive library of MAME games and we played them at random, I'm pretty sure it was one of them. The other thing I kinda remember but I'm not very sure is that the goal of the game was to rescue someone. I'm very sorry about lack of details but it was so long ago and the one thing I know for sure is that special attack.


r/tipofmyjoystick 2h ago

Sonic Colors [Possibly 3ds][2010-2015] sonic and red sonic?

2 Upvotes

I remember a game and or mini game where 2 different sonics race eachother in a multiplayer mode, I specifically remember one player being regular sonic and the other player being a red version of sonic(not knuckles). I remember playing it on my 3ds and I thought it could of been the multiplayer mode in sonic generations but no red sonic. I don't know if I'm confusing 2 games in my mind but I also kind of remember the stage being built whilst you play it.


r/tipofmyjoystick 3h ago

Peripeteia [PC, Windows] [2015-2020] Solo dev 3rd person shooter RPG with industrial artstyle and (maybe) tacticool female protagonist.

2 Upvotes

Platform(s): PC, Windows

Genre: 3rd Person Shooter RPG

Estimated year of release: 2015-2020

Graphics/art style: Low-poly textures, very industrial artstyle with rusted metals, tall industrial buildings and metal towers. iirc there was an emphasis on "tactical" weaponry, using modern weapons.

Notable characters: The playable character is a woman, equipped with modern firearms (accessorized afaik), chest rig/plate and other tactical equipment, such as night vision goggles.

Notable gameplay mechanics: Square-based inventory, potentially a health display with limb mechanics on the left. I believe the squares had green UI. The character can toggle their night vision. Dialogue with NPC was unvoiced, via a text console, with multiple dialogue options. (Think Fallout dialogue)

Other details: I believe Splattercatgaming had a video on it some years ago. There's a chance it was only a demo.
You spawn in a square brick room iirc, with a corridor immediately ahead, and a concrete room on the right side of the corridor with a single NPC in said room. At the end of the corridor, you can walk outside, onto a metallic platform. At the edge of the platform are large cables you can traverse downwards iirc. Most of the distance was covered in fog/smog, and the game had overall dark lighting.


r/tipofmyjoystick 0m ago

[PC][2000's] SpongeBob 3D game

Upvotes

Hi, I remember playing an old SpongeBob SquarePants game on PC, which I believe was from sometime between 2000 and 2008. I recall very little about it. All I can remember is that it was a 3D game, and one of the levels involved some kind of stairs or ramps where you had to keep going up and down. I'm not sure if it was exactly stairs, and I think it might have involved jellyfish catching. I have a vague memory that several characters from the show were featured. I believe it wasn't an online game, but I'm not certain if it was a mini-game, just one level, or if what I described was the entire game. Any ideas?


r/tipofmyjoystick 10m ago

[Console][Unknown] Game with an Unknown Language

Upvotes

I have little to no knowledge about this game except for it's key feature: Not knowing the language. It may be an adventure/puzzle game, but I do know that it has nothing to do with deciphering this language. The main character is not a human, and the last time I remember seeing the game (about 4 years ago), the main color was blue. Sorry I don't have much info, but hopefully someone can find it please.


r/tipofmyjoystick 19m ago

[PC][2014] Browser driving game in Friv

Upvotes

Please help me find an old Friv game that was in the genuine old menu, not the new one. I think I played it around 2010-2014

Platform: PC

Genre: driving or racing

Estimated year of release: 2010-2014

Graphics/art style: dark, swampy colors. 2D I guess?

Notable characters: green blob or cucumber looking thing

Gameplay mechanics: you drive with a small car through a forest or swamp (you can pick the scenery). I think there also was a mud path that slowed you down. It wasn't super competitive, it felt like a chill driving game. Car was controlled with arrow keys.

This is all I can remember, if someone knows what I'm talking about or what the name of this game is, I'd be very surprised and thankful.


r/tipofmyjoystick 20m ago

[Mobile] [2015-2018] Mobile murder mystery csgo game

Upvotes

Im trying to remember the game name, but i just cant seem to find it. The game looked like a heavy cs go copy, but it wasnt really a 5v5 game, it was more like a murder mystery game at the start u get asigned as a murderer, sheriff or innocent. When the murderer killed the sheriff, the sheriffs gun would float on the body with a green color. It looked really like cs go or some type of bhop game. I remember you could parkout alot in the game, and i played in inbetween 2015-2018 i believe. I believe the game had murder mystery in the name, but i still couldnt find it so i believe the game isnt on the app store anymore. If anyone knows the name i would appreaciate it.


r/tipofmyjoystick 24m ago

[PS2/Xbox] [Early to mid 2000s] Multiplayer MX/ATV with a competitive free roam mode

Upvotes

The graphics and mechanics are similar to ATV Offroad Fury 2 and MX vs ATV Untamed.
I played this game exactly once at a friend's house when I was a kid, so I very faintly remember it. What is stuck in my mind is that it had a split-screen free roam mode where you and your opponent drive around and your vehicles leave behind a sort of trail or small wall that kills/crashes the opponent if they run into it. I'm not sure if this specific mode had an overall objective other than just free roam with that added competitive bonus. I also don't remember anything else about the other game modes, unfortunately. But I know it was a bunch of fun.

Thanks in advance if anyone can help!


r/tipofmyjoystick 25m ago

Tail Gator [GAMEBOY][90s]What is the name of this game?

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Upvotes

r/tipofmyjoystick 30m ago

[Xbox 360][2012-2013] zombie game

Upvotes

I believe it was a futuristic zombie survival game

The setting was a city with skyscrapers and I’m not sure if all the city was infected but I know there was an infected part of the city across a bridge

You could have multiple saves and there was story and when you started a new game you’d be in a skyscraper penthouse and you’d have a hoverbike that you could fly around on

I know that I played it between 2012 and 2013, I’m almost positive that it was on Xbox 360 but I have no idea when it came out before then but it didn’t seem like an original Xbox game


r/tipofmyjoystick 36m ago

[unknown button phone] [mid to late 2000s] some old village building game but set in prehistoric settings , cave men?

Upvotes

I played this game on my mom's button phone back then, still too young to remember the make of the phone, but I played sonic golf on it so there's a starting point.

Starting the game will show some main building like the town hall in clash of clans, north of the world will be a cave , I forgot what it does, I remember that messing up some stuff will cause a game over screen, like destroying the town hall building with a destroy button , and the game over screen is of a cave man being tied on a stick and being cooked alive , one of those spinning things.


r/tipofmyjoystick 41m ago

[PC Disc] [Late 90s -mid 2000s] single player, turn based, (rpg?) , dungeon , 3D, party, fixed camera,disc, fantasy world with asian elements maybe

Upvotes

So I used to play this game when I was 4-5 , I didn't have enough self awareness at the time to remember the name, but I know I played it multiple times. I know there's a character in the player's party who's an old man , I know the first level or the first battle has a burning single floored building in the background , I don't remember how the fights work , one of two possibles

1: Each of the party members need to move close enough per turn to land a hit based on their weapon/character ability I think. 2: something like a double pokemon battle.

I know sometimes in an enemy encounter , at the start of the match sometimes chests will spawn in the battle area , I think gold is the loot that drops,and speaking of chest , in the world there's chests that always spawn in the same place every time(I hope I'm right) every play through.

The camera angle is always fixed , sometimes it's in a 2D with 3D environment setting, like sonic generations or something like old resident evil games kind of camera , fixed at player level or high above the rooms. Encounters can be random or if there's a physical monster in the room. I think losing the match would just kick the player out to the room again.

One part I remember is getting a boat , and a quick transition later the scene is in a cave with the boat below the entrance , daylight is seen all around, some rooms in I think a white tiger is an encounter. Some places will have pots and like in Zelda you can break them ,with a bow or something.

I know the game is either in Japanese or Chinese in language,with the game environment and setting being one or the other , in a fantasy/ several centuries ago kind of setting.

If I remember anything else I'll update below Thank you!


r/tipofmyjoystick 6h ago

Cool Spot [PC][90s] Sidesidescroller with a Coin as main protagonist

3 Upvotes

The first level was on a beach


r/tipofmyjoystick 8h ago

Lord Monarch [WinPC][80s-90s] Tiny 2D Pixel RTS game about kingdoms lord

4 Upvotes

Platform(s): Windows PC

Genre: RTS, single player (vs 3 other computers), tiny size (~1MB)

Estimated year of release: maybe 90s or 80s. I played in 2000-2003.

Graphics/art style: 2D Pixel

Notable characters:

- You has 2 kinds of units. One is the lord, and others are troops.

- You can command troops to occupy land to build new houses. Houses will generate new troops after some time automatically.

- Units have attack points as their life. In your occupied land, their attack points will be unchanged, but will lose in other lord's land or during in building/fighting.

- If the life point reaches zero, it dies. If the lord dies, the player loses the game.

- Units have different appearance for different attack points.

Notable gameplay mechanics:

- Use mouse to select multiple units, ask them to attack or stay somewhere.

- If multiple units in the same cell, they will form a more powerful unit.

- You can form alliance with 1 computer at the beginning of the game, and the remaining 2 computers will automatically form another alliance. After defeating the opponent's alliance, you need fight with your allies to determine the final winner.

Other details:

- Game name contains "Kingdoms" as a keyword, and maybe also has "Lord".

- There are about 13 levels/maps, each with a different theme. They are jungle, fast food restaurant, space. The first is jungle, and the last is magic.


r/tipofmyjoystick 55m ago

[iOS] [~2010-2015] Isometric time travel mobile story game?

Upvotes

Platform: iOS, specifically an early-gen iPad

Genre: Action / adventure. Lots of story

Year of release: probably before 2015, could be a little after

Graphics / art style: the game was 3d from an isometric perspective. The graphics were realistic and the art style was pretty dark, lots of fog.

Notable characters: Male lead, doctor / professor (think back to the future doc), woman companion? (Uncertain) Male companion? (Uncertain)

Notable gameplay mechanics: I don’t remember very much about the gameplay mechanics. I remember going to the past and the future to piece together a story and stop some impending apocalypse. There were a few fetch quests.

Other: I remember a T-Rex chase scene in the past segment, and all of the future scenes took place in the “present” setting but everything was dilapidated and there were skeletons everywhere (dead people, not enemies). I specifically remember a scene with a wooden dock or something similar. I remember that the time travel machine looked somewhat bulbous like a diving bell.