Hello, everyone! Here is another great, big dollop of news for those who love all things DROD. Actually, it's not just a dollop. Read on, and you'll see an entire smorgasbord awaits!
Flash DROD
Caravel is pleased to announce the official release of
Flash DROD. We were actually planning an April 1 release for the game, in keeping with the grand (read, odd) tradition we hold to here. However, we ended up delaying quite a while in order to polish the game to a mirror shine. We decided that the day this game would get released is "
when it's done."
We think you'll agree it was worth the wait. This release is called "
King Dugan's Dungeon Lite"
. There's a lot of fun packed in here, both classic nostalgia and also a brand new set of features and opportunities. We're excited about the release itself, but also, we want you to consider the possibilities opening up here.
The main intention behind
Flash DROD is to introduce a wide audience of people to DROD, and hopefully bring many new fans into the community. This game is a great way to introduce DROD more casually to friends. They don't have to download and install an executable. Just send them a link or pull it up right in your browser. After just a moment or two, you'll note a shiny new in-game achievements system! (You might see one like this in
DROD:The Second Sky.) And, for some people, best of all the game is free!
Not only all of that, but Flash DROD also features localization into German, Spanish, French, Finnish, Dutch, and Portuguese. When we say we're looking for a wider audience with this game, we mean it!
This game's not just for newbies, though. (And enough with the exclamation points, you are thinking.) Why should I play yet another version of KDD, you ask? Well, glad you asked. Here's why:
* There are new secrets and even whole levels of new rooms by fan favorite architects like Larrymurk and Jacob.
* It's a pretty good free -- yet officially polished -- refresher for those who've been out a while.
* The puzzles are actually different and improved from the originals in some cases.
* Doing the achievements as one goes through really helps keep things fresh, as many are creative additional puzzles as might be found on the Challenges Board. However, not to imply that all achievements here are previously posted challenges, because many aren't!
* It's an updated and friendlier experience. Checkpoints and improved level design abound.
* Finally, it represents a brand new scoreboard with a different dynamic to the competitive high scoring game. (Get a new CaravelNet Key online via your forum profile for inputting into this new game.)
So, you've gotta ask yourself, "
What would Danforth do?"
He wouldn't sit here listening to some kind of quirky sales pitch about a free game, that's what. He'd go and play the game!
http://caravelgames.com/Articles/Games_2/FlashDROD/KDDL.html
Deadly Music of Death Digital Release
Many players have strongly expressed the desire to have the beautiful soundtrack for
DROD: Journey to Rooted Hold made available. Erik released part of it as a limited-edition "
Deadly Music of Death, Volume 1"
CD, previously selling for $15 about six years back. That limited edition print run sold out, and it hasn't been up for sale on the Caravel Games website for some time.
Now, it's finally back as a digital download! This is even better news than you might think. In addition to Volume 1, we also have a brand new Volume 2 available right along with it,
for free! All together, there are two full hours of music, comprised of over forty tracks. This is the complete soundtrack for
DROD:JtRH,
DROD:KDD and
Flash DROD. Both volumes are sold as a package deal for $9.
You can see the full track listing and order it here:
http://caravelgames.com/Articles/Games_2/DMOD.html
A Stalwart's Ballad, For Real
"
So, what about music from the other DROD games?"
we've heard players immediately ask. Well, we have some great news about that too. Caravel is teaming up once again with Emmett Plant, composer of most of the excellent music featured in
DROD RPG: Tendry's Tale. Emmett is producing a "
Tendry's Tale Extended Soundtrack"
, slated for release around mid-summer. This collection will likely be about fifty minutes long and feature all of Emmett's music from DROD RPG, as well as several fresh, new tracks you've never heard before. If you've not heard his work before, I personally attest that it's awesome. These tunes will immediately remind you of stalwarts battling foes from the Beneath with their mighty wit and superior skills.
For a taste of the music Emmett is working on, you can find one of the new tracks here:
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=34267
Cutest Roach Ever -- Official Forum Contest
Admit it -- dungeon roaches are cute, even if Beethro does smite them. Halph would likely tell you so. This month's official forum contest is to draw us the Cutest Roach Ever. You have until roughly next weekend to get your entries in -- top three entrants get prizes! Even if you don't want to draw cute roachies yourself, don't forget to stop back in the last week of June to view all of the contest entries. They will be the Cutest. Ever.
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=34258
CaravelNet Improvements
Matt Schikore, in addition to providing the new
Flash DROD online features that you should really check out, has developed a couple new fun and useful features for CaravelNet in general that the world should know about.
* First, there's a new
Histogram score display for each scorable room.
For example, go here and click on the "
Histogram"
link on the right side of the page for each room:
http://forum.caravelgames.com/highscores.php?action=levelscores&id=483
You can see how the player community at large did on a room and compare your score to see how you rate against everyone else.
* Next, we have new
streamlined downloads of registered games.
What this means is that you no longer need an active CaravelNet subscription or to beg mercy from the support team to download your registered game titles. Just login to your Caravel Forum user account and go to the Downloads page, linked from under the forum banner, and you'll be playing again in no time.
*
Three-month CaravelNet subscription option for $3.99
We said there were a couple of new things, but we'll give you three for the price of two. For players who don't want to make a large investment in order to see what CaravelNet is about, we now offer a three-month subscription for $3.99. Also,
Flash DROD features CaravelNet support, so this might be something you want to try out if, especially if you never have before. Read about CaravelNet and order it here:
http://caravelgames.com/Articles/Games_2/CaravelNet.html
Don't Ask Award
We didn't give away a Don't Ask Award last month, so we are giving away *TWO* this time to make up for it. These awards go to
Jatopian and
Panther who put in a metric ton of hours testing Flash DROD. They were unflagging in their level of commitment to see that this game looks and plays well. When you are blinded by the aforementioned sheer polish evident in the game, you predominantly have these two individuals to thank. Jatopian and Panther, congratulations! Please choose a prize from the Prize Pile.
DROD: The Second Sky -- what do YOU know about it?
There are a lot of Empire-run sites out there with the potential to mislead you with their confusing propaganda about what Beethro's climactic adventure is all about. We've dusted off an old forum thread where you will be able to go to start learning some new things that are going into the Ultimate Big Project. This will be Official Stuff, right from the dev team's mouth. Well, I guess there are still some rumors floating about in there, but it's all in good fun. You might even consider leaking some yourself. Come back from time to time to learn more!
http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=27668
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For everyone's who's kept reading all the way down to here, thank you. I'll let you go now so you can finally try out the new game.
Happy DRODing!
- Mike
____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.
