Mark Steven Pierce invites you to join the Dark Castle facebook group!

Mark invited you to join the Facebook group "Fans of Dark Castle".

Mark says, "Mark here,

I designed and animated Dark Castle (DC) in the late 1980's. SHFF released Return to Dark Castle in 2008 which includes DC, Beyond DC and 30 new levels by ZSculpt. We would love to hear from folks who have had fun playing these games.
".

To see more details and confirm this group invitation, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=537524190&k=5VM235T53Z6M5BFAYF24YW

Facebook helps you find and keep in touch with family, friends and colleagues. You can share unlimited photos, plan events and join discussion groups. It's free and everyone can join.

To register, go to:
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=537524190&k=5VM235T53Z6M5BFAYF24YW&r

If you're receiving this email and are already a member of Facebook, please make sure this email address is associated with your Facebook account.

Thanks,
Fans of Dark Castle

1.3.1 out for real this time

Okay, Return to Dark Castle version 1.3.1 is now out, and can be downloaded by anyone. It contains all the previously mentioned fixes. It can be found here at this link:

LINK

There seems to be a recording problem with the update... Don't worry. All the replays should run fine now, all the ones that have been recorded in 1.3.1 that is. No more out of sync. However, if you try to record, cancel, and record again, it seems to quit. Hopefully this will be fixed soon, in the mean time, try out all the other changes.

Apparently version 1.4 is already in the works, though it could be a while 'till we see it, and who knows what it might contain.

Now, about that Level Editor....

1.3 out... with a catch....

Return to Dark Castle 1.3 is out, BUT, there's currently a catch... it's only out for new buyers, and I am told that a patch is almost here.

In the meantime I got to try out the patch:

It feels as though the game is a lot more like the originals. Random items are welcome, along with lots of little tweaks here are there. Overall, I didn't quite so much like the consolidation of files, as it can be a bit harder for new users to find their saves, recordings and such. But the enhanced movement tracking completely makes up for it, as the game now feels as tight as the originals, and there no more missed jumps to be blamed on the game.

In the end, it's a patch, so there's not a lot to say, other then a feature list, so, as it is fun, I am more looking forward to the level editor.

Demo Version 1.3

Okay, so I know everyone is as tired of waiting as I am, but in the mean time, the demo linked to at SHFF has been updated to version 1.3, and includes all the below listed changes and more, I know it's only a demo, but it's worth checking out if you're bored.

LINK

Return to Dark Castle 1.3 - Coming VERY soon!

Change list:

1.3
• Fixed control responsiveness (keyboard & mouse)
• Fixed replay recording and playback
• Fixed water buckets freeze in observatory
• Fixed hero facing direction after pulling a chain
• Classic Gameplay Changes
° Random Items (rocks, elixirs, food, poison)
° More aggressive snakes
° Faster gargoyles
° Food only restores 50% health
° Slide into dungeons looses health
° Bombed guards don't respawn
° Randomized river logs
° Wizard and Witch kill you if you haven't picked up the orb
° Hero explodes if trying to carry two orbs
• Easier Novice Mode
° Start with 5 lives / Maximum of 12
° Less aggressive enemies
° Fewer traps & hazards
• New Features
° Replays have no recording size limit
° Replays can be paused during recording and playback
° Replays can fast-forward by pressing the right arrow key or caps-lock key
° Replays can skip rooms by pressing the down arrow key
• Files and folders are stored in Application Support folder by default
• Other misc. bug fixes.

Sounds good to me, let me know what you think!

Two "lates" don't make an "on time" (First official review)

Alright, so I missed this news story by a few days, but in context, the site missed the game's release window, by a month or so.

Anyways, here is the first non-user review of Return to Dark Castle on the web, feel free to agree, or disagree with it.

LINK

Beat the game? Want another 5 minutes of Content?

Zack Black has given us a test level set made with the level editor for an example. It contains very little content, and can be beaten fairly quickly, but hey! It's an example, just something for us to look forward to.

If you'd like to grab a copy, just right click this link, and save file:

LINK

To instal it, simply drag it to the "DC3 Custom Levels" folder in the "Dark Castle 3 ƒ" folder, then enter the level: Laboratory, and pull a chain, it will ask you for a level set, select "Test Levels" and then walk below the tube next to the switch and hit W.

Enjoy!

Return to Dark Castle problems? Patch incoming, Soon..

Find any bugs in DC3? Yes? No?

Well, I know I wasn't the only person to find a handful of bugs, such as broken replays and unresponsive controls. Also there were crashing glitches, and numerous bugs and glitches.

Well, worry no more, as it looks like Zack Black has been working on a patch that will fix most of the problems currently present in DC3.

The main ones to think about is the controls, which will be 4 times more responsive, and the replays, which should work every time.

Sounds good to me, got any other bugs you'd like to let him know about? Throw a comment over here.

Lastly, release date? None is set yet, but it shouldn't take too long.

Return to Dark Castle press release

SuperHappyFunFun has issued a press release, which includes some interesting information, such as the Dark Castle series sales, and Mark Stephen Pierce' (The original creator of Dark Castle) thoughts.

LINK

Jon God's Return to Dark Castle Review *Minor Spoilers*

I am not sure that I am completely satisfied with it, but here you go:

Return to Dark Castle, that name means a lot of things to a lot of people. It is often known for it's famously long development time, spanning somewhere near 12 years. It also also talked about due to the fact that it is the sequel to the 1987 mac classic, 'Beyond Dark Castle'. A lot of people gave up on Return to Dark Castle ever coming out, but in the end, it has finally been released, so, how is it?

In general, Return to Dark Castle follows down the path started by it's predecessor, Beyond Dark Castle, rather then the original Dark Castle, it contains much more open ended gameplay, with no bonus counting down, or any points at all, going for more of an adventure game feel, like Beyond Dark Castle, but a few steps farther then that.

The story of this game, though light, it much heavier the then original two games, as when you open the game, you are treated to the back story. It also takes place after the legendary ending of Beyond Dark Castle, which means somethings wont be as interesting unless you have seen it, though you will still get everything, as it is explained well. This game contains something it's predecessors don't, and that is brief cut scenes. In general, the story is better then say, Mario, but don't expect a really deep story. As a negative, the ending on the easier difficulties is extremely disappointing, go for the hardest difficulty for the best ending.

When booting up the game, right away you will notice that this game has great music, with mellow tunes, to exciting, and even epic songs, none of which are annoying, or even average. All the tunes in this game manage to sound right, and fit perfectly with the dark castle setting, and the levels they are assigned to. In addition to music, this game contains the same sounds from the original games, and, despite aging 20 years, they still are just as funny, and great to listen to. They sounds have also gotten the stereo treatment, so you can hear where things are just from the sound, and it really sounds good.

When you first lay your eyes upon the graphics you will not be impressed, it runs at an emulated low resolution, and looks blurry, and around the edges of the models you will see jagged lines. Though the graphics are no wonderful at first glance, they do have their own style which reminds a lot of the original games, and works very well for what it is. There are a lot of new effects on the graphics, such as sparks, fire, lighting and such, which will overall make you forget about how the graphics look slightly blurry, you will often find yourself admiring the enemies as they burn from the new fireball effects.

So, how does it play? A lot like the originals. And that's not a bad thing, this is one of the best sequels to a classic I have ever seen, they didn't change nothing, and have it be a 'Tomb Raider Style' sequel, nor did they completely change it. Instead they added onto the amazing gameplay of the originals, but kept the same feel. In addition to all the gameplay elements you found in the originals, there are now a bunch of new things, while, not drastically changing the gameplay, helps you feel more in control of the character, such as the ability to crawl anywhere, carry around warp potions, and such. There are also new weapons, abilities, which gives you more of an ability to play the game the way you want to play it. Sadly, the gameplay as good as it is, is not without problem, as the controls are often unresponsive at times, which can get you killed, and is often extremely annoying. After playing for a while, you get used to this, though, it would be nice to not have to deal with it at all.

This game is huge. When making a sequel to the originals, which only contained 15 levels each, one would think that it would contain maybe a few more levels, but surely not much. Well, one would be wrong, as this game breaks away from the size of the originals, becoming a large open ended game, with tons of treasures, mini games, extra orbs, and secrets to find, there are only 10 orbs required to beat the game, but an additional 15 can be found, and any combination of orbs from all throughout the game can be used to open the final gate and beat the game. Simply beating the game will not unlock 100% completion though, instead there are tons of secrets hidden throughout the castle, which can be found by the help of hint notes which contain riddles which when solved tell you were to find secrets.

There are four difficulties in the game, and for getting 100% on each one you unlock secrets, and just to get to 100% is a objective all to it's self. Once you have done that though, there is also the ability to save films, which are small files, which can be shared with friends, and are easy to set up and view. Sadly, they seem to be glitchy and often come out differentially then recorded. When they do work however, it can be very fun to see who can beat levels faster, or with less rocks. At the time of this review, the level editor is not out yet, but soon there will also be a level editor to use.

Final Words:

It's been a long time, but Return to Dark Castle is finally here. In general, this game reminds me of Super Mario World, or The Legend of Zelda, with it's large game area, and non-linarity, it also contains some killer level designs, and really well hidden secrets. Although not as challenging as the originals in some respects, and can be gltichy, it completely lives up to the Dark Castle title, and is worth the $30. Hopefully soon enough, the patch will be released, along with the level editor.

If you were considering buying this, Buy it. You wont regret it, it'll keep you playing for a while, and years from now, you will want to com back and play it.

Presentation - 9.7:
The game sports a huge playing area, with tons to do. It also manages to keep the feel from the originals.

Graphics - 8.2:
The graphics look blurry, but there are a ton of effects to admire, such as roasting mutants with fireballs.

Sound - 10:
Amazing music, wonderful and classic sound effects won me over, this game has just about perfect sound design.

Gameplay - 8.9:
The game plays almost exactly how you remember, though the unresponsiveness is extremely annoying.

Lasting Appeal - 10:
Normal quest, check. Side quests, check. Secrets, check. Unlockables, check. Saved Films, check, Level editor, check, need I say more?

Overall - 9.6

It's been out a whole weekend, let's hear your opinions!

As you all know, Return to Dark Castle has finally come out last friday, and you've all had a few days to waste playing the game. So, I would love to hear your opinions on it.

So, hit up the comments, and leave your weekend impressions of the long awaited, Return to Dark Castle.

The moment you have ALL been waiting for. No joke.

It's here. Get it. Now.

LINK

Slight news, and major apologies.

Zack Black Has posted some new news, and a apology:

In response to all the angry posts about us jumping the gun and hyping false release dates: If only it were that black and white. When I said it was "done" back in Dec. '06, I meant exactly that. Delta Tao was going to distribute for us. They didn't have the large team of beta testers or other resources that SHFF has, so they were happy with it as it stood, as were we. I personally don't care about a bug or two here and there as long as there is nothing serious like the game suddenly locking up while you're in the middle of playing, because I know we can always make an update a week or two down the road that takes care of any minor quirks. We believed the game was ready to ship. Then a few weeks later, the year rolled over and Delta Tao lost the rights back to SHFF. Begin exhaustive beta testing, changes to art, new features (Novice mode), etc. I'm really not bitter about all of this, as I believe it has made DC3 a better product. But don't misunderstand: It was just as ready then to go public. So, when the public demo 1.1 was released a few weeks back, it was also "done", as in SHFF had it uploaded to the server was ready to flip the switch to make it live. I was 99.99% that is was going to happen that day or the following. Then SHFF got worried about the game being massively pirated and they pulled the plug at the last minute. I apologize about getting people worked up, but I only did that because I was sure that it really was just around the corner. So as to not upset anyone else, I will not be posting any more "hints" about when I think it's ready. "It will be up when it's up." Besides, nothing interesting ever happens on Thursdays anyway... (bat)

Well, there you have it, I know you are all as annoyed as a dog being denied a ball, but at least you have some insight into what has been going on.

Copyright protection update:

Zack Black:

Frustrating times for everyone, I know. We're doing as much as humanly possible with SHFF to get this all wrapped up and into all of your anxious hands. MSP is wanting something that is flexible for everyone, meaning you can register once and play on multiple macs (up to a limit of course). I know it's a tough wait, and gets tougher the closer we get. Please don't despair. We have a system nailed down and are in the process of integrating and testing it this weekend. Like someone mentioned on here the other night, this will all seem like a distant memory once you get to click that big red download button. Yeah? Let's all try to be patient just a little longer and it will happen. Thank you everyone for your support. (Mutant)

There you have it, let's all hope for the best.

6 days, sorry about that.

First off, I don't have any big news, but hey, it's been 6 days, so I'm hoping this will be good enough for now.

For one thing I have beat the game on beginner, and have managed to get 97%, but that last 3% is hidden to well for me to find... I am trying to beat the game on Advanced, but not being the best Dark Castle player, it is taking some trouble.

Now, I'm sure people are asking "Well, where is my copy?" It's true, you should have your copy, after all, I do. This story though, goes like so:

The game is done, and was all ready to be put up, but at the last minute, SuperHappyFunFun decided that it was afraid of mass pirating, and is considering putting on additional copy protection. Zack Black, is doing his best to convince them otherwise.

Zack Black said a few days ago that there was a good chance for it to come out within the week, though considering that there is only one day left in the week, I would assume probably next week.

Something else I seemed to have missed on the IRC chat, apparently someone from SHFF signed on, and was talking to people, letting them know that they want it out as bad as we do.. Well, I guess we can all hope.

Sorry I don't have more, or better news...

P.S: In addition, I would like to thank everyone for their comments, and remember, you don't have to sign up to comment, so if you have any questions, go ahead and leave a comment, and I will answer it.

11 hours later...

First off, the game is not publicly out yet.

Second, I have it. I have played it for 11 hours.

Third, it is amazing.

Even from someone who built up hype for years upon years, and who has look forward to other games, and never had a game ever live up to my expectations, ever, someone who owns 100+ console games, and around the same for computers, the same person who is usually extremely critical of games.

This game, both lives up to everything you wanted it to be, and will surprise you over and over again.

Instant Classic. Those 12 years were not wasted.


In other news, a new demo has been released, go check out SHFF's page.

LINK

Update: Is this finally it?

In regards to the other news story about the "storm coming", Zack Black has posted something new:

...as the fireball hit the wererat's brown matted hide, it lit up like dry brush on a hot summer day. The beast shrieked and collapsed into a pile of black soot as the hot magic consumed its evil body. The pungent smell of singed hair polluted the otherwise fresh evening breeze. As the orange glow of the fire faded from Bryant's face, he felt a single raindrop hit his cheek. Looking up he could see the dark storm clouds gathering overhead. It was time to head to the tower top.


Time for the next round testing
No, I said... it's time to head to the tower.

This sounds like the news we have all been waiting for.

News from Zack Black

Good marrow all, and happy anniversary to the great DC forum! Well, I really pushed to have the game released today, but sometimes no matter how hard we try there are things beyond our control, and we must accept them. I do have some good news though. There is only one remaining bug, but it is kind of a nasty one. I say this because it is only happening on one Mac that SHFF has (and it is a real crash, not a harmless quirk) so we're having to do some long distance bug tracking and it's a slow process. We do have some tricks up our sleeve though, so with any luck we'll get this thing squashed and... well, you know... Keep those shields ready. The weatherman predicts a storm moving in next week. 8)

Straight from Zack Black, the closest thing to a release date in a while.

Here's some more quotes:

"Though he hinted that it MIGHT be next week."
The weather can be difficult to predict. There is definitely a storm front on the horizon, but wether we'll get thunder and lightning remains to be seen.

Time to keep those fingers crossed.

Anyone remember the "Armory" level from the trailer?

I'm sure some people remember this level, shown in the trailer for Return to Dark Castle:

But, what if it had been done by the original team? How about this?:


I know, don't even try to say "Too much free time".

Anyways, something to distract you from the fact that the game isn't out yet.

Calm Before the Storm update

Zack Black has given us a few more riddles, and clues to the coming news, here are the snippets:

While SHFF has been busy hunting pests, I have not been idle. I decided to try a different approach to perhaps bring the rats out of hiding. After much pondering, I recalled a trick a friend of mine showed me once, when he helped the townspeople of Hamelin. (Rat)


"It's called playing us a merry tune and having us follow along hypnotised. So as I said "
This is one possible interpretation. There is definitely another. (Rat) (Rat) (Rat)


"There are three of them following you now... Which way is the river?"
Lol. Ahem... Ah, but it is neither the river nor the rats that are of interest. I shall say no more, but rather hum quietly to myself as I read the posts.

So, again, take this how you will, and rack your brain for any possible solution to the riddles, and if you find anything, let me know with a comment!

UPDATE:

Zack posted some more hints, along with a "hint.mp3"

"The Pied Piper? He's a pretty cool dude."

Very cool dude. We used to jam together back in the day. (rat)(rat)(rat)(rat)(rat)

"Every one of his posts refers to music. Even when he says he'll hum quietly"

(Whispers nonchalantly and stares at the ceiling...)

LINK - Hint.mp3

"Looking at the file info, it was encoded with Amadeus II, which is my audio editor of choice"

Methinks there will be much amusement over the riddles and secrets in RTDC. ;)

"Maybe Zack Black's so frustrated with the delays and not being able to say anything that he's done slightly mad and this is how he's venting."

This would seem to make the most sense since I did use A(mad)ues to encode the music.

In the end, it looks as though Zack Black has added music, though we don't have a confirmation at this point.