Quick update. The release of Doomdark’s Revenge was not too bad in the scheme of things. Online press has been good, good coverage on Twitter, sales numbers seem to be in line with The Lords of Midnight release.
All platforms were released simultaneously, which in itself isn’t too be sniffed at. The only problem was that OSX on the Mac App Store didn’t make it. Hopefully the issues there will be resolved soon.
The only Major glitch was a graphic memory problem that was hitting a few Android devices, but with the help of some supportive customers, I was able to iron that out last night an get and update out overnight. Interesting, the problem also affects The Lords of Midnight and probably explains some of the random startup crashes and incompatibilities I’ve had there. So as soon as things settle I will update that.
Despite a stressful few hours, I think the Android release probably went better than The Lords of Midnight Android release. Biggest problem was releasing while staying in a hotel where the Wifi decided to be very very poor!
There are a few issues that have cropped up. Mainly recruiting and battles, and a few cosmetics. The Recruitment issues make the game easier, the battles make it harder. I will try and resolve all of them ASAP.
Superb job. Got my IOS copy, looks lovely.. and as I forgot my iPad at work may now also have to grab from Google Store.
Mac OS looks stunning but I will grab that from the Mac store when you have resolved the issues
Thanks again, wonder what you are moving onto NEXT!!!
Sound in the games maybe? Sandbox engine for creation of scenarios?
Looks great, though I was always lousy at the original 😉
Very appropriate memorial to Mike, both the screen and the whole game.
Downloaded last night. Thanks much for bringing this game back – it’s my favourite game ever…!
A couple of issues that you may already be aware of – on my (Kindle Fire) version, I was able to recruit lords who were in the same location as others (so I was able to recruit Glormane with Tarithel even though he was standing with Thatruk and Torelorn – predictably, this led to Tarithel’s death). Obviously this would substantially change the gameplay.
Otherwise – I also noticed that some of the designations of different locations had changed, in that some gates and temples that previously gave flames of dawn now do not (one being the gate in the forest north of Kahudrak, and another being one of the temples on the ‘long way round south’ that used to enable you to get someone to Lorangriel quickly, for example). In addition, characters don’t move as quickly as they used to (I used to be able to get Tarithel to recruit Imorthorn on day 1, and Carorthand and Thormand (using Flames of Dawn at the stones) on day 2 – now this doesn’t seem possible. Overall this would slow down the movement of your faster emissaries north, preventing early recruitment of the northern lords.
This may be a design choice of course, or even a fix (I seem to remember some talk of a mistake in the original spectrum code with regard to movement?), but just wanted to bring them to your attention if they weren’t already.
Yes the recruit issues has been reported.
The flames etc unlike LoM are random. They change every night. This is how the original worked. At least on the spectrum.
Not on the Spectrum. They weren’t random, but they were reset each night
Ok, I know what I’ve done. They are tied to the landscape generator. Which should give a consistent result. I’ll double check the code.
Ok, I just checked through the code, and everything appears to be in order. If you go to the Temple of Imelesh at the start, I constantly get Blood of Courage.
Found the problem. The map is 2 locations wider and deeper to accommodate the frozen wastes, just a by-product of how I built it. Bu this means the locations are in affect out by 1 on each coordinate, and thus the terrain generating algorithm, which is only used now for the critters. Subtracting 1 of the x and y before calc, fixes the problem!
Thanks for you help.
Some more issues I’ve found:
* The auto-mapping is still extensive in mist: you can see for miles on the map if you are in plains in mist – this doesnt make sense. In mist I think you should only
map the square under you and big things adjacent (e.e. city, mountain, tower, temple).
* Enemy characters are named on the auto-map from several squares away – even when couldn’t possibly know who they are.
* People who run from a battle still say they’re preparing for battle.
* Likewise, if you have been in battle with someone, then move away and recruit them, still says they are preparing for battle.
* When you find dawn or night, the next screen still says the old time initially.
* Animals can kill troops in numbers that aren’t multiples of 5 – e.g. I had “Nine hundred four score and eighteen riders”!
* Forest seems to take quite a bit more time than I remember to travel
* You can we enter tunnels at night
* Seems to take longer to leave a mountain square into plains than to enter a mountain square.
* Springs of life don’t seem to work, is just shelter now?
* The quoting in some guidances is wrong – there is one quote and a dash
* You can approach someone who is already doing battle with someone you control (gives you multiple chances to get the same guy)
* When you attack, the next screen screen shows the old (previous tile) terrain
* Battle numbers don’t make sense. In one case Firak lost 400 but had 1025 left. Also once I slew 390 of Obirion’s troops but he still had 1255 left (I’m sure he had less than that to start with!)
Cheers as always Mark.
Working my way through the lists.
The biggest issues on the list is the battles. Here is my description from FB…
“Ok, looking at this I can see where the problem is. There are a number of things at play here.
First is the peculiar battle system that DDR uses. It’s far inferior to LOM. All lords at a location, may not be involved int the battle. And lord CAN leave the battle.
Secondly the reported number of kills will come from all of a lords attacks that night, and that might not be against one lord.
The obvious problem here is when attacking a lord who is at a stronghold. Your lord may have only attacked the stronghold and not the lord also at the stronghold. Therefore the reported kills are from the stronghold and not the lord. The lord may seem unscathed… and that is, because he is. He didn’t fight. You need to check the stronghold numbers.
Thirdly, strongholds respawn soldiers. So the numbers at a stronghold before the night less losses will not equal the number of soldiers in the morning.
Fourth, lords take armies from their strongholds, even if they are not at their stronghold. So again, the soldiers they have before night less loses, does not equate to the soldiers they have in the morning.
Out of all that, the definite bug that I can see is…. I don’t reduce the stronghold armies, by the number that the lord recruits out. And the Lords should only take soldiers from strongholds there are at.”
The springs will likely be a problem caused by the landscape generator which is used to calculate the critters/things at a location. The map is now 2 wider and 2 deeper to take into account the surrounding frozen wastes. Just they way I made it. The knock on affect is the calcs are out by one. This is now fixed. I will test the springs just to make sure.
I’ve now stopped you doing things at night.
Think I misunderstood your statement on Springs of Life, I was thinking fountains. Springs of Life just remove all your tiredness. Which is kind of like shelter I guess. It’s the reverse of Languor of Death.
I noticed if you attack a lords stronghold the number of defenders goes down to zero, but at this point your supposed to capture it and thus owned by the victor, this doesnt happen, plus if you recruit the lord later that owns it it wont let you onto the stronghold unless you attack it again, but have enjoyed playing it again.