"remastered" version of a F2P browser game?

[DankSlayer]

That looks ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ identical?



Go away.

[Till]

Yeah not seeing much difference here.

[Dysbro]

Originally posted by Epic Gamer:

That looks ♥♥♥♥ing identical?



Go away.

Originally posted by Tiller:

Yeah not seeing much difference here.

Because you guys obviously are blind.

[Leander Playa Games]

- WebGL rendering with Unity Engine, no more Flash player needed (as Flash is already at the verge of extinction)
- New high-resolution graphics optimized for 4K screens and retina displays
- New and modern interface design
- Newly designed apps for Android and iOS (coming soon)
- Reworked layouts for almost all screens with a focus on expandability

It is not about new graphics and a new engine only but we also needed the the engine for future updates.

FAQ: Shakes & Fidget Remastered

Why have you developed Shakes & Fidget Remastered?

Adobe Flash, the technology behind Shakes & Fidget, is on the verge of extinction. Many browsers have already limited Flash support and might stop supporting it within months! We already developed a HTML5 version some time ago but it is only an emergency solution in case Flash will be discontinued before the release of Shakes & Fidget 3.0. Moreover, Adobe might discontinue the support for creating Android and iOS apps as well, making a new engine absolutely crucial for Shakes & Fidget.

In March 2017 we decided to code the entire Shakes & Fidget client from scratch in Unity (www.unity3d.com) and replace the current Flash version in the long term. In addition, we will keep the old version as long as it makes sense.

Virtually, Unity is the standard when it comes to mobile games and thanks to WebGL, it lets us create both a beautiful browser version and apps for all kinds of platforms such as Android, iOS and Steam.

We have realized that all those things that did not look that good in HTML5 (font, shadows, light effects) are much better now. Even the right mouse button works now and displays a new and handy menu (for items for example), similar to our Shakes & Fidget apps without drag and drop.

Why do you change the design?

As we had to code the entire game from scratch anyway, there was the opportunity to improve some other things as well. The game with its many features is almost overloaded with little space for something new. For example, the international cross-server fights are displayed in the PM box, which is definitely not the best solution. Most screens do not have space for more buttons left. Without redesigning the game it is hardly possible to add new big features, something we plan to do.

Before coding the individual screens again we took our time to think about the layout. Our goal was to change as little as possible but as much as needed to make the game better playable and easy to expand in the future. We created up to 40 sketches per screen and discussed all advantages and disadvantages thoroughly. Here are some examples what we have improved:

- The new version has a city guard NPC in the tavern, which creates space for a new button (and a new feature) in the menu.

- You can view the pet screen by clicking the Stable button twice (similar to Fortress and Underworld) or the big door in the stable. Now low-level players no longer see the Pets button they cannot use before level 75 anyway.

- Account management (switching between characters) looked nice but was not convenient, especially for players with many accounts. In the new version you don’t even have to log out to switch characters and you can see up to 21 of them on the same screen.

- In the current version the guild screen is jammed. The new version will feature a reworked layout with tabs and more space. Moreover, you can see more guild members without scrolling now.

With such changes we create a more open layout and gain more space for future features.

Why do you change the graphics?

While brainstorming on new layouts we thought increasing the resolution would make sense. The goal was to achieve the highest quality possible for full HD monitors, modern smartphones and 4K displays. Due to its age the Flash version has a rather low resolution of 1365x768 pixels. New screens and even current smartphones have a much higher resolution.

As our graphics were created in a time span of almost 10 years, with some of them having seen the light of day even before the initial version in June 2009, we do not have all of them available in high resolution or even in 4K. Besides, the style and technical possibilities of our artists have improved. While the first graphics were drawn on paper with a pencil and then scanned, of course everything is done with a drawing tablet by now.

As we all have gotten to know and love the graphics reworking them is a sensitive topic. We looked at all graphics and discussed them individually. Our goal was to reach high quality while keeping the familiar look. Most of the more recent graphics that were created in the last four or five years remain untouched as we only saved them with higher resolution. We only drew those anew we did not have in high resolution or that looked a bit dusty (recognizable by their thick and sometimes even pixelated lines). Actually, “only” is an understatement as in the end thousands of graphics were involved, including all items.

When will new content be released?

We will get really started after the new apps are done.

[Remu]

Originally posted by Leander Playa Games:

- WebGL rendering with Unity Engine, no more Flash player needed (as Flash is already at the verge of extinction)
- New high-resolution graphics optimized for 4K screens and retina displays
- New and modern interface design
- Newly designed apps for Android and iOS (coming soon)
- Reworked layouts for almost all screens with a focus on expandability

It is not about new graphics and a new engine only but we also needed the the engine for future updates.

FAQ: Shakes & Fidget Remastered

Why have you developed Shakes & Fidget Remastered?

Adobe Flash, the technology behind Shakes & Fidget, is on the verge of extinction. Many browsers have already limited Flash support and might stop supporting it within months! We already developed a HTML5 version some time ago but it is only an emergency solution in case Flash will be discontinued before the release of Shakes & Fidget 3.0. Moreover, Adobe might discontinue the support for creating Android and iOS apps as well, making a new engine absolutely crucial for Shakes & Fidget.

In March 2017 we decided to code the entire Shakes & Fidget client from scratch in Unity (www.unity3d.com) and replace the current Flash version in the long term. In addition, we will keep the old version as long as it makes sense.

Virtually, Unity is the standard when it comes to mobile games and thanks to WebGL, it lets us create both a beautiful browser version and apps for all kinds of platforms such as Android, iOS and Steam.

We have realized that all those things that did not look that good in HTML5 (font, shadows, light effects) are much better now. Even the right mouse button works now and displays a new and handy menu (for items for example), similar to our Shakes & Fidget apps without drag and drop.

Why do you change the design?

As we had to code the entire game from scratch anyway, there was the opportunity to improve some other things as well. The game with its many features is almost overloaded with little space for something new. For example, the international cross-server fights are displayed in the PM box, which is definitely not the best solution. Most screens do not have space for more buttons left. Without redesigning the game it is hardly possible to add new big features, something we plan to do.

Before coding the individual screens again we took our time to think about the layout. Our goal was to change as little as possible but as much as needed to make the game better playable and easy to expand in the future. We created up to 40 sketches per screen and discussed all advantages and disadvantages thoroughly. Here are some examples what we have improved:

- The new version has a city guard NPC in the tavern, which creates space for a new button (and a new feature) in the menu.

- You can view the pet screen by clicking the Stable button twice (similar to Fortress and Underworld) or the big door in the stable. Now low-level players no longer see the Pets button they cannot use before level 75 anyway.

- Account management (switching between characters) looked nice but was not convenient, especially for players with many accounts. In the new version you don’t even have to log out to switch characters and you can see up to 21 of them on the same screen.

- In the current version the guild screen is jammed. The new version will feature a reworked layout with tabs and more space. Moreover, you can see more guild members without scrolling now.

With such changes we create a more open layout and gain more space for future features.

Why do you change the graphics?

While brainstorming on new layouts we thought increasing the resolution would make sense. The goal was to achieve the highest quality possible for full HD monitors, modern smartphones and 4K displays. Due to its age the Flash version has a rather low resolution of 1365x768 pixels. New screens and even current smartphones have a much higher resolution.

As our graphics were created in a time span of almost 10 years, with some of them having seen the light of day even before the initial version in June 2009, we do not have all of them available in high resolution or even in 4K. Besides, the style and technical possibilities of our artists have improved. While the first graphics were drawn on paper with a pencil and then scanned, of course everything is done with a drawing tablet by now.

As we all have gotten to know and love the graphics reworking them is a sensitive topic. We looked at all graphics and discussed them individually. Our goal was to reach high quality while keeping the familiar look. Most of the more recent graphics that were created in the last four or five years remain untouched as we only saved them with higher resolution. We only drew those anew we did not have in high resolution or that looked a bit dusty (recognizable by their thick and sometimes even pixelated lines). Actually, “only” is an understatement as in the end thousands of graphics were involved, including all items.

When will new content be released?

We will get really started after the new apps are done.

pay to win is still a thing?

[Leander Playa Games]

The entire game can be played completely for free. If you want to play competitively and be among the best players on your server the in-game currency is needed to progress fast enough but unlike many other free 2 play games, you can still play the entire game and content without buying at all.

[EngineerRabbit]

so another words... no new gameplay was added. its just a graphical update. this isnt remastered. and there was nothing wrong with the current graphics. you just want more money

[Leander Playa Games]

A remastered version means reworking or improving graphics. Just check out other games here on Steam.

The purpose of our version and further details can be found in the FAQ posted above.

No, there wasn't anything wrong with current graphics (although it looked outdated) BUT with Flash, the menu, the code...so we coded everything from scratch. The Steam version does not need Flash but many of our players play in the browser, the platform where everything started in 2009. Adobe Flash will be discontinued soon and the game would stop working. Therefore, we had to recode the whole game in a different engine as explained above!

[HailToTheThief]

Originally posted by ReggieRabbit:

so another words... no new gameplay was added. its just a graphical update. this isnt remastered. and there was nothing wrong with the current graphics. you just want more money

Lol this is more remastered than some AAA remasters...

[redsmokeboy]

So comfered 100% pay to win. ok.

[Brad Kitt]

Not sure when devs will finally realize that the PC gaming community on the whole do not like the F2P business model.

[Till]

Originally posted by Ałмαgeđđøи:

Not sure when devs will finally realize that the PC gaming community on the whole do not like the F2P business model.

Yeah I'm not a fan or F2P, yet thousands of people play these games, so here we are. I played this for a while myself, but progression was too slow as usual, being F2P and all.

[Leander Playa Games]

Originally posted by Ałмαgeđđøи:

Not sure when devs will finally realize that the PC gaming community on the whole do not like the F2P business model.

We know that some players don't like such games and are perfectly fine with it but others enjoy them. Each to their own. :)

[Ausgaz]

will we be able to trasfer characters from the old to the new remastered version?

[Leander Playa Games]

Of course. All characters are server-based and can be played on all platforms (browser, Steam, Android, iOS).

[damiz]

it looks 10 times better as the old one , get some glasses please