Some nice ideas definitely, and you've clearly put in a lot of thought into it.
However, I don't really like the idea of KDD 5.0, for a number of inter-related reasons.
We seem to have put KDD on a pedestal and keep making new versions of it.
Just to recap:
We have the in-built version in webfoot DROD then DROD:AE
The free version is also downloadable and can be imported into any engine.
Then we have KDD 2.0, which can be bought as a in-built version of DROD2.x (rather than having JtRH as the default hold), or can be bought as a standalone official hold to be imported into whichever DROD you have (2.0 and up)
Then, of all possible holds/levels to convert into a Flash version, we chose KDD, making Flash Drod aka KDD Lite.
On the holds board we have KDD First Level Remake and Dugan's Dungeon Revisited (as well as King Dugan's dugedion 2, King Dugans Tomb and king dungans lost ice castle.)
Why is this a problem? Certainly a lot of these have made great additions/changes/alternate versions of the original KDD rooms. But it gives the impression that KDD is a great hold, overshadowing many others. Storywise, it is certainly the start of the Beethro saga, but in terms of plot points, there are not many. Gameplay-wise it is ok, but not the best, and I would argue it is not the optimal introduction to DROD (although KDD Lite is a great improvement, which I will touch on later).
A newcomer to DROD would think: "
wow, there are so many iterations of this one hold, and they have even remade it for DROD 5.0. It also comes before the other holds story-wise. This must be the one to try first...ew, 3 tar mothers...ew, trapdoors under tar...
I QUIT"
Or maybe the newbie decides to start with KDD and enjoys it, and hears about these new challenges. "
Why can't I get them to work? Why won't someone's demo of the challenge even import into my version to see what I am doing wrong?"
"
Oh, you're actually playing that exact same room in AE, or KDD 2.0, or KDD standalone imported in DROD 4.0, or whatever other permutation that could happen. You need to install a completely different version of the same hold and either export and import your player, or start all over again."
(Or:
"
I don't want to play KDD 5.0 until I've played 1.0, 2.0 etc"
"
Why are the rooms in the 5th version, which I bought to play in DROD TSS, identical to those in the 2nd, which I bought to play in DROD JtRH"
)
Finally, as mentioned about, KDD Lite is not only more accessible (in that it can be played in a browser without installation or hold importing), it is free and also has many great features that KDD 5.0 would/might offer (achievements, alternative level 13, lack of the need to repeat rooms in level 15, improvement on many of the less fun rooms, more bonus/secret rooms....)
Sorry to act like such a buzzkill but I really feel that yet another KDD would confuse new players and unnecessarily increase the prominence of KDD relative to other holds. It would also be redundant in the presence of KDD Lite.
I can't really see what a new deluxe version of KDD would offer over say, a new deluxe version of any of
these holds, or JtRH or TCB. Or even just an entirely new well designed hold that encorporates the elements and functionality of DROD 5.0.
(before you comment, I get that it would not be a separate hold, but an update of the existing hold, but I think that all these points still stand).
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[Last edited by Jacob at 06-10-2014 11:56 PM]