Ducks
From Hungrysoftware
Ducks is a puzzle computer game in which you have to lead ducks safely to rockets. Upon the first complete release it received several favorable reviews from many gaming sites. Originally, the game was released as shareware pricing at USD$25 or UK$15. At that time, users could play levels 1 to 20 from the main game. However, due to the advents of improvements of the Windows operating system, the game went completely free in late 2006.
Contents |
Origins
The game was conceived back in September 1998 as a small beta version featuring 10 levels and a rough scheme of the engine. It was not until late 1999 version 0.4 was released which featured a complete engine with multiple additions and bug fixes. Version 1.0 followed in early 2000 and version 1.21 surfaced on late 2000.
Gameplay
The gameplay bears some similarities to the computer game Lemmings in which its premise involves leading small rodents which walk by themselves mindlessly to safety by teaching the rodents specialised skills. In Ducks, however, the premise varies as the wildfowl does not walk on its own but rather than following a green leader duck or by means of followable objects (explained later). Also, unlike Lemmings, the tools have unlimited stock.
The game levels are divided into episodes, each one with a further increasing difficulty. A score system is present during gameplay which varies according to which action is performed (e.g: saving ducks, flicking switches, dropping aliens off the screen). The maximum score possible of being reached is 65535 due to it being an integer value of 16-bit handling. A par time is also present on every level which after time expiration the level does not end abruptly, meaning the user can continue trying to complete the level, even after time expiration (although no time bonus is rewarded). The user, when found not being able to complete the level due to not having enough ducks, lost accidentally a rocket, have nothing left for orange ducks to follow, can abort the level with the 'Esc' key, although it costs a life.
An interesting aspect of Ducks (for this type of game) is the abundancy of secret levels. Every one of them is reached upon contact of the green leader duck with a secret doorway (which is invisible at first glance). These levels are generally numbered between 200-255 and after completion of the level (either by completing the level normally or failing because all ducks died) it returns the user to the level from where the secret was accessed. Unlike normal levels, time expiration leads to the automatic abortion of the attempt (it has the same effect as pressing the 'Esc' key).
After the completion of a level, a bonus screen appears rewarding the user with three bonus factors, time, survivors and lives. Time bonus range from 0-135 depending on how much time is left, survivors and lives numbers are multiplied by 10 and then added to the total bonus score. An extra life is earned in multiples of 5000.
Tools
There are thirteen available tools which the user can use to aid ducks reach the rockets. A level can have up to eight tools selectable, although no level exists with such amount of tools. It is not required to at least have one tool available.
- Pick new leader: Allows any duck to be selected as the particular leader. By clicking outside of any ducks' range of selection it turns the current leader into a normal duck.
- Flying saucer: Shoots this particular object to make Ducks follow it. They have a slight fall rate. When blown up by the detonator, it bombs part of terrain.
- Detonator: Used exclusively on flying saucers and seagulls, blows up one of the two instances in different animated ways.
- Horizontal bridge: Drops a bridge across the hole floor.
- Diagonal bridge: Drops a bridge at 45º on the floor.
- Teleport current leader: Teleports to where the mouse currently points the current leader.
- Brick: Drops a brick so the user can build up a way to overcome holes if no bridges are available.
- Bomb: Drops a falling bomb so it blows up a bit of terrain.
- Stop sign: Acts like a small wall, avoiding ducks from wandering into holes or other dangerous objects.
- Seagull: Same as a flying saucer, but when flown up it doesn't fall and it drifts up when possible. Also when detonated, it falls rapidly and splats upon contact on floor.
- Ballon: Same as a bomb, but it drifts upward instead.
- Note: The following tools are available generally on secret levels!
- BDG9000: Use this weapon to shoot out aliens who are willing to swallow ducks.
- Extra spinning duck: Respawns an additional duck for use with the paddle.
Objects
TODO...
Customisation
TODO...
Expansion packs
Due to the game's engine being able to be customisable, there are two huge official expansion packs and one minor which got produced.
Xmas Ducks 2000
The first expansion pack, a minor one which does modify the game slightly by adding a christmas theme to the sprites, a few sound and images and eight levels.
An interesting feature of this pack is that if used with the MAIN datafile or with another user file which does not change sprites, it renders the sprites with the christmas twist without affecting the data of other files.
World Wide Webbed
The second expansion pack, but the first huge official pack featuring forty new levels accompanied with new images and sound. Due to no new objects being added, the levels present a much more increased difficulty than the main levels, thus not being for the novice players. World Wide Webbed is currently unavailable to buy since the Hungry Software store is temporarily broken and its license status is unclear whether the creator will release it for free or will keep selling it.
This pack is also notable for the first time inclusion of episode preview backdrops (as seen in the right picture) when previewing a level. Although version 1.2 of the game introduced this feature, it was not revealed until this pack extensively used such for its four episodes.
Since the expansion pack is exclusive to registered users, a four level demo is available for registered / unregistered users as a taster of the new levels.
Beak to the Future
The third expansion pack and the second huge official pack, once again featuring forty new levels accompanied with new images and sound. However, Beak to the Future is the first expansion pack to feature new objects such as moving transporters, badly-wired transporters, porcupines, etc (see both adjacent pictures).
Also, due to the brutal modification of objects definitions, this pack disallows the ability to play the MAIN levels while it's loaded, and like World Wide Webbed, it is currently unavailable to buy and a five level demo exists for registered / unregistered users.
