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The MGC Times

August 2012 Newsletter

 

Dear customers and fans,

 

Yesterday I released v1.01 of Dirk Dashing 2: E.V.I.L Eye!

 

This update mainly fixes a number of bugs reported by players over the past few weeks. It does not include any new content or functionality. If you're interested in the full list of changes, check out the formal announcement in the forums. I've sent fresh download links to all existing customers. If you purchased the game after July 30, then you've already got a download link to the latest version. If you haven't purchased yet, you can download an updated demo from here.

 

- Troy Hepfner

 

Status of the Dirk Dashing 2 Strategy Guide

 

I've outsourced the strategy guide to a woman that writes such things for a living. She's been busy generating all of the full-color level maps and writing the walkthrough. I'm told it's getting close to completion. When she's done, I'll add in all of the conceptual art, and then publish it. Hopefully the strategy guide will be finished very soon!

 

Production Update on Dirk Dashing: Secret Agent! Special Edition

 

A lot has happened since I announced that Dirk Dashing 1 would be getting a facelift.

 

I had originally allocated 1 month to update the game's graphics and audio engines so it looks and sounds more like Dirk Dashing 2. But when I started comparing the code between DD1 and DD2, and what it would take to port some of the features (like lighting, shadows, etc) from the new engine to the old, I discovered that it was going to be more complicated than I thought. I realized it would be easier to just use the new engine and convert the DD1 levels to the new format.

 

What this means is that DD1 will not only get a facelift but also inherit a ton of new features! These will include:

  • The new health system, so there's no more instant death

  • The new inventory system, so you can carry multiple weapons & gadgets and use them whenever you want

  • The new lighting engine (though I will only be using this to provide better visuals, not for stealth)

  • The new interactive audio engine, with music that fades in and out, ambient sounds, footsteps, etc.

  • The improved AI, so enemies can hear Dirk moving and react accordingly

  • The improved artwork, with cel shading and shadows

  • The ability to customize your controls for your keyboard and joystick/gamepad

  • The two extra save game slots

  • A plethora of major and minor improvements

DD1 will not get the new dart gun, night vision goggles, explosive charges, or new enemies from DD2. And except for the ability to tip-toe quietly, none of the new stealth abilities will be used in DD1. I want to stay as true to the original game as I can within the framework of the new engine, though there will be some differences (more on that shortly).

 

I've already rebuilt DD1 with the DD2 engine, updated the menu graphics, and converted the first 3 levels to the new format. Here's the new main menu for DD1:

 

 

For comparison, this is what it currently looks like in the version you can download and play:

 

 

To show you how different the levels look, this is what the first level currently looks like, with the old DD1 engine:

 

 

And this screenshot shows what the same scene looks like now that I've ported it over to the new DD2 engine:

 

 

You can see that both Dirk and the snow wolf look much better with cel shading and shadows applied. You can also see the new score box in the upper left corner, and that the stun gas grenade has been replaced with the new drawing from DD2.

 

Here's another example of the kinds of changes I'm making. These screenshots are from Chapter 1-3, where Dirk enters the caves underneath the black market shop. Here's what it currently looks like:

 

 

And here's what it will look like in the Special Edition:

 

 

I've added lighting effects to help it feel more like an underground area where there isn't much light. I've added the new E.V.I.L logo to the walls, which not only adds a splash of color but also helps explain the presence of E.V.I.L agents in and around the black market shop - they're the ones who are running it! I've added piles of crates in various places throughout the caves so it feels more like a hidden storage area. That also helps break up the blue walls and floors in the background. And I updated the doorway so that you can see a glimpse of what's beyond it, like you can in DD2.

 

One of the biggest challenges for me was deciding what to do with the apples. The current DD1 has no health system. Instead, Dirk starts with 3 extra lives, and if he touches something harmful, he instantly dies. Dirk earns extra lives by collecting 100 apples or by finding a rare bag containing 100 apples. But in DD2, there are no "extra lives". Dirk can take multiple hits, and if he dies, he has unlimited lives. So what would be the point of collecting the apples?

 

I thought about removing the apples altogether, or replacing them with some other treasure item. But I rather like the apples. They're a small tribute to some of my favorite arcade games that featured fruit as one of the items you could pick up. And I love the crunch sound when Dirk picks up an apple.

 

So what I decided to do was replace the Stealth Bonus (which isn't applicable in DD1, since there are no alarms) with a Forager Bonus. If Dirk can find all the apples in a level, he'll earn the 10,000 point bonus at the end of the level.

 

 

The apples aren't needed to win the game, but it makes a fun little side quest. And to make it more interesting, I'm not going to show the % of apples collected on the iSpy, or let the player know how many there are on a given level. That would make it too easy, considering players will be able to carry the x-ray glasses around and use them whenever they want. But I will play a little sound effect when Dirk finds the last one, like I do when the player gets the last treasure item.

 

The other big difference between DD1 and DD2 are the chapter selection pages. You may recall that DD1 only has 5-6 chapters per page, while DD2 has 7-8 chapters per page. Since DD1 inherits the new chapter selection pages from DD2, this means that I will be creating several brand new levels for DD1 to fill those extra slots. I'm particularly excited about that, because it means I can add more content to the demo. When I originally designed the game, I didn't think far enough ahead, so many of the game's best features aren't in the demo. I'm thinking about adding a boss battle to the end of Part 1, to show off some of the E.V.I.L agents and enhance the spy theme of the game. And I'm going to add a new area of the town to explore, to show off some other features. Parts 2-5 will also receive 1 or 2 new levels each, so there will be plenty of new content in addition to the current levels.

 

This is obviously going to take me longer than 1 month to finish. But since I've outsourced the Dirk 2 strategy guide, I've gotten an earlier start on DD1 than I originally anticipated. I'm hoping to have Dirk Dashing: Secret Agent Special Edition ready within 3 months. Stay tuned!

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