23 July 2015

New in Steam

King of Dragon Pass will be coming to Steam on 28 July. But the game has been available for mobile (iOS, Android, and Windows Phone), as well as the original version (either on CD or as patched to be downloadable by GOG.com). So what exactly is coming to Steam?

The version on Steam is essentially the mobile version, but tuned for desktop and laptop screen sizes (I ran it on a 30 inch iMac, but it should run on a 1024 x 576 netbook). HeroCraft has been responsible for the Steam versions, since I’ve been busy with Six Ages, so I am not completely sure of the specifics. But I believe the Steam achievements are the same as those we added in 2.0. There are also Steam Cards (which may have some new art).

So if you played on Windows or Mac before, you’d be moving from 1.7 to 2.2. There are 48 new scenes and 4 new illustrations (plus a new Lore map). There are also new advisors, and a lot more advice in management screens. There are also more treasures. We made many bug fixes (such as unblocking two of the original scenes), and fixed typos. You no longer have to worry about sheep. The economics system should no longer be quite as harsh, with death spirals less likely. (Rest assured that the game is still difficult, especially on the Hard setting.)

The Tula screen was too difficult to rework, but it wasn’t part of game play. And HeroCraft originally started their porting before our scene contest, so those scenes are currently only in the iOS version.

We like to avoid spoilers, so it’s hard to talk about just what the four dozen new scenes are about. We did mention the Troll Hero before, however. And here’s the artwork for one of them.

So if you have played King of Dragon Pass on a laptop or desktop, but not a mobile device, there’s a lot of new stuff. And if you haven ’t played at all, now’s your chance!

14 comments:

  1. Very excited! Will the GOG version also be updated?

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    1. No. There is no way to add art to the 1999 game. This is a new program. (Elsewhere in this blog are more technical reasons why we can’t update.)

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    2. Any chance of the release being added to gog? Maybe as KODP 2015 Edition to differentiate from the old one?

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    3. Perhaps HeroCraft would do that, but it would be up to them.

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    4. Another question, you've said previously there were differences between the Android and iOS versions: http://kingofdragonpass.blogspot.nl/2014/08/android.html?showComment=1407881965421#c705340482657655396

      Were these different content-wise? If so, does all the content carry over to the Steam version?

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    5. The upcoming Steam version has the same content as the Android version. The iOS version has more scenes. But it doesn’t run on Windows or Mac.

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    6. The scenes that were made for the iOS version must still be on a PC somewhere right? Couldn't they be extracted and integrated into the Steam version along with the 48 new scenes you are already adding?

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    7. You would have to ask HeroCraft. In any case, the Steam version is still a pretty significant upgrade over the previous Windows/Mac version.

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    8. At least, Android version has been updated with the missing 40 new scenes:
      https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.herocraft.kodp
      I guess Steam version should also be updated soon.

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  3. Hey guys, just wanted to say that HeroCraft is indeed working on porting the iOS content, as confirmed here:

    http://steamcommunity.com/app/352220/discussions/0/535151589902691125/

    It seems to be just a delay, since porting from iOS is indeed a bit more annoying than from Android.

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  4. I, since the Android version, am a happy gamer. Now, if you could put it on Steam for Linux, I'll be an ecstatic gamer.

    Just sayin'.

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  5. I happen to google this, and saw this blog post. I bought it right away on steam. I own the original, but I loathe to use physical discs again. Thanks A-Sharp!

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