[Flash]

A work of art mate, erm - "stunning"

[PeeJay]

Agreed.  That looks great and perfectly in tune with the whole tone of the game.  The only downside is that we've bloody seen it now! 

It's probably the only time we'll get to see it too! Looks great, though (I so wish I could doodle like that ....)

[Lobo]

No..wait, this was supposed to be the real version..ah, screw it..

[Flash]

I wonder if he lost them teeth biting on that pipe?

[Lobo]

More likely due to the contents of the pipe .

[Flash]

you mean lead filings? you do, don't you??? Or perhaps floride??


(oh! god, I am so Nieve - however you spell it)

[FatSeagal]

Okay. It's release time.

There may still be some problems with it, and i've got no sound - but there's now definable controls and a proper end screen, win or lose!

Continue to leave feedback if you wish:
Is Leanroic clever enough?
Is it too hard/too easy?
Does it slow down too much?
Do certain spells not seem to work?
etc...

For now, get the 'final' version here:
http://willhostforfood.com/access.php?fileid=56483

[Tam Toucan]

Continue to leave feedback if you wish:

Thought I'd give this a go, don't know the original at all, but the game concept is one I like. Here's my experience.

Like the style and graphics, runs a bit too slow on my AMD 3000+ (Leanroic also seems to run faster than me), but the main problem is the gameplay is broken and I suspect the original was too. It plays like it should be arcadish, but maybe there's too much strategy needed for me; learning where the herbs are, knowing which spells to get in what order, how to change tactics depending on what Leanroic does.....but for a beginner like me the curve is too high and reward too low.

The whole process of trying to walk round to get the herbs to make a couple of uses of a spell that doesn't really do much just doesn't feel like fun. I hit Leonroic with my 3 fireballs, but there was no sense of achievement...nor did it do much compared to what he pelted me with (it does seem very hard).

I can see how I might have stuck with this and loved it back in the day (my favourite game of all time, Halls of the Things is very broken in lots of ways, but when your 13 and never seen, or got, another game you play it anyway), but I'm older and more picky now. I think there's a gem waiting to be polished, but it needs to decide what the game is. As an arcade game it doesn't really work with the very limited uses of spells, selection method constant grind of getting herbs, but as a strategy game it's too hard to work out the strategy and the fast real-time spoils it (distilling it down to a TBS might even work!).

So great job for what you've done. Like I said I love the look and feel and the mini map with the exploration works really well, but it looks to me like an original lovers only game.

[FatSeagal]

Thanks for the feedback, there are some interesting suggestions you've put forward, unfortunately, for me, these would no longer make the game Feud. I don't think this version will convert anyone who deosn't like the original concept. At least the game seems to run okay - my fear is that it may be too hard but, truth told, I was also worried it maybe too easy.

The damage caused by your opponents spells is the same as the damage caused by your spells. Perhaps the bastard healed himself after you'd inflicted some carnage?

[Sokurah]

What about having a healthbar above Leonroic's head - RTS style?
That might be a way to show the player how things are going.

[FatSeagal]

There's already a health bar at the top of the screen, not sure one over his head would be that much more useful.
I notice in the original game (at least for the speccy) that scrolling through your spell book 'pauses' the game. Do you think it would be better to to the spell book as a popup that pauses the game, allowing you to see what you've got, what you need and select spells without having to do it in real-time (kind of like the old Resident Evil games)?

[Ian]

Anything you can do to make the game more fun for the player (even if you make it piss-easy) should be done. Allow the player to start with all potions and plants if he so wishes. Sure you lose some aspect of the gameplay, but you also allow others to see and play part of the  game which they might normally never see. Show the player the effects of their actions. Allow them to make their own choices. Allow them to make the game THEIR game. Give them that option. Sure it might not be the same FEUD that you played all those years ago, but not everyone wants that same FEUD.

How many people actually saw FEUD all the way through? I know I can't remember doing so. I remember enjoying it at the time, but even though I try and tried to finish all of my games, I'm not sure I ever did finish it. Does it matter if they finish the game on EASY mode? Does it matter if you gave them assistance? If they enjoy the game, then they willplay. If you put them off in the first few minutes (I read that player interest can be lost within the first 30seconds of a game), they're not even going to bother coming back. Why spend hours coding a game that no-one will ever complete?

This is accessibility. Giving people the OPTION of choosing how they play their games. i've read countless times that you can never make a game too easy. And it's totally true. If a player wants to cheat, then let them. How many mags used to give out POKES and cheat modes/codes in the goode olde days? All of them. Why? Because people didn't always want to slog their way through games. They still wanted to see the end,or see what power-ups they would get, without putting in all of the effort. Also some puzzles are and were so obscure that only the developer would know the answer. Give people the answers if they ask for them.

OPen up your game and let everyone take a look inside.

[Tam Toucan]

Bah! Lost my big post because I never noticed it warning me there had been other posts. Here's a quick summary
Didn't expect you to make big changes of the kind I mentioned. You've create a warts and all remake of Feud which original players should like. To create a accessible to all "better" game you need to have that as a goal from the start (and is a lot more work).

For simpler changes I listed pretty much the same as Ian (less speed for the AI, more use for spells etc). However it comes down to the classic "why did you write it and for who?". If you're trying to reach as many people as possible adding all these options will help. Adding just one or two might be enough to help the players who already love Feud really love this one.

If you're happy having created it and want to move on then that's fine. There's a cost/reward for you as well for trying to add stuff to make it better for others.

[Ian]

To create a accessible to all "better" game you need to have that as a goal from the start (and is a lot more work).

No you don't and no it isn't. You can add accessibility to a game at ANY time. If your coding structure is good, it should be easy to slot new stuff in, no matter what it is.

A simple Options menu can make light work of many areas of accessibility. Say for instance you have an array saying what spells you have acquired in the game, then simply by selecting "All spells" in the Options menu can add "GOT" variables to the spells array. That can be done simply like this -

Pseudo-code

Code:

IF all_spells=TRUE
 For n=0 to number_of_spells
  spells_got[n]=TRUE
 Next
EndIf

How difficult is that to include?

[FatSeagal]

I certainly want to make changes/tweaks to improve the overall gameplay, but to improve upon the game of Feud - not to make it into something it isn't. Allowing all herbs to have been collected at the beginning of the game doesn't lose some aspect of the gameplay, it loses half the gameplay. The point of Feud was to rush and collect as fast as you could so you could take your brother down. The discovery and collection of herbs is half the game, whether you find it a chore or not is a personal decision.

At the end of the day this was created as a direct remake of Feud, but just jazzed up a bit and with some improved (i hope) AI. It's still supposed to be pretty much the same experience at the end of the day, and is made to appeal to fans of the original - i'm not looking to convert anyone here.