Dink Hotel (The)
- Download Info
-
- Author(s): GOKUSSJ6, Sparrowhawk, Thenewguy, Skurn, Robj, rabidwolf9, yeoldetoast, Quiztis, redink1, Bluedy, ExDeathEvn, toof, june, forumlurker, RangerLord, scratcher
- Categories: D-Mod, Romp
- Downloads: 450
- Main
- Reviews
- Versions
- Screenshots
- File Discussion
- Contribute
- Add a Screenshot
- Write a Review
When Redink1 graced us netizens with the links he did provide, we were astonished. Inside was a monster so perfectly crafted that it had the power to destroy the world. Not really. Instead what we collectively found was a heavily-modified version of the Dink engine that had an editor built right into the "game" itself rather than as a separate program. On top of that, it was collaborative, and showed us each other's activities in real time.
Of course once we realised what we were capable of, some of us decided to craft out wonderfully intricate screens full of beautiful decorations all very carefully placed. Some of us on the other hand (I won't name names) decided it would be hilarious to just place rock monsters everywhere so that the resulting players wouldn't be able to progress very far. How horrible of them! Thankfully Skorn was there to remove them.
As the hours wore on, we realised that this was no full-fledged DinkEdit, and that certain parameters weren't going to be possible to edit, even so, we soldiered on until we gave up, and on occasion swore at each other in voice discussions in between attempts at implementing a plotline and dialogue etc. At one point, the entire thing broke down, but Redink made sure that everyone could get a chance to express themselves adequately by leaping into action and figuring out what was wrong (something with dink.dat).
By the end, we'd managed to collectively cook up something that seems to have been partially functional at best. Unlike the Triple A games of nowadays which in many cases have hundreds of developers, one of the refreshing parts of the DMOD world is that every developer generally works alone or with one other person meaning their personal vision can be uniquely realised without interference, however this experiment completely upended that and perhaps demonstrated that we do in fact work best on our own after all.
Overall, the real DMOD wasn't the bz2 archive uploaded at the end, it was the people we met along the way. It would be interesting to have another collaborative session like this but with other factors considered such as a chance of competition. We'll see.
Of course once we realised what we were capable of, some of us decided to craft out wonderfully intricate screens full of beautiful decorations all very carefully placed. Some of us on the other hand (I won't name names) decided it would be hilarious to just place rock monsters everywhere so that the resulting players wouldn't be able to progress very far. How horrible of them! Thankfully Skorn was there to remove them.
As the hours wore on, we realised that this was no full-fledged DinkEdit, and that certain parameters weren't going to be possible to edit, even so, we soldiered on until we gave up, and on occasion swore at each other in voice discussions in between attempts at implementing a plotline and dialogue etc. At one point, the entire thing broke down, but Redink made sure that everyone could get a chance to express themselves adequately by leaping into action and figuring out what was wrong (something with dink.dat).
By the end, we'd managed to collectively cook up something that seems to have been partially functional at best. Unlike the Triple A games of nowadays which in many cases have hundreds of developers, one of the refreshing parts of the DMOD world is that every developer generally works alone or with one other person meaning their personal vision can be uniquely realised without interference, however this experiment completely upended that and perhaps demonstrated that we do in fact work best on our own after all.
Overall, the real DMOD wasn't the bz2 archive uploaded at the end, it was the people we met along the way. It would be interesting to have another collaborative session like this but with other factors considered such as a chance of competition. We'll see.
According to the title: it could not be any different if so many people were involved in making this game.
It is hard though to write about it, because there is a tragic story behind the creation of the dmod, you will understand it when you will find the black wizard and talk to him.
Light a candle and play Hard Rock Hallelujah...
The mysterious - the plot...?
I admit that after exploring the whole reachable (at the moment) map I haven't gone far in the context of proceeding with the story. In fact I haven't discovered the story yet.
Out of nowhere you appear in front of a hotel and talk to its guard. So far I was only able to find one side quest with no additional reward. So I am sure that there has to be something more to discover, especially because there is a place where you are not allowed to enter because of the plot reasons. Something unfortunately tells me that one of the bugs (2) may be important and it may be blocking the possibility of proceeding in the game.
There are of course some secrets in the game, that are nice to find.
EDITED:
I found the thing that was moving the "plot" further, but shortly after the game... just ended. So it makes this dmod actually even shorter than a romp, so sadly, but I had to reduce my score.
The interesting - new solutions
This is the biggest strength of the game. So far I encountered it only once, but it is a good thing to be able to - spoiler alert - rise 2 stats instead of one after levelling up, with some coll descriptions.
It is probably the only dmod I played in which the enemies can not move at all or even - another spoiler alert - you can stun them with just one hit. They are also regenerating, so you can level up without any limitations and there is also one - yet another spoiler - more difficult enemy that extremely boosts your experience level and you can defeat him as many times as you want.
The bad - the bugs
After some 15-20 minutes of playing I already encountered several of them:
1. If you decide to not to burn the tree in front of the hotel the game will freeze;
2. You cannot reach the note on the ground that is located on a small island with the duck. You cannot enter the bridge - possible hardness error;
3. In fact you cannot also enter another bridge, on the screen where a bonca is on the other side and a duck on the other;
4. Same screen as #3: when you enter it the duck is actually a pillbug, after a moment it moves and becomes a duck;
5. A problem with a tree on the screen with a small square lake, east of the map, near the shore: if you hit the tree with a fireball it does not change visually, but its hardness disappears, you can simply walk through it.
6. Similar missing hardness bugs: on the upper right corner of the map and on the lower left corner there are houses that cannot be entered, but in fact you can walk over them - only with the exception of the doors.
7. Minor hardness errors are generally present in many places, in this matter the game seems a bit unpolished.
So summarizing: I am sure that there is much more of the gameplay here as I see some new terrains from the places I currently am, there are some innovative features in this dmod and also a very good sense of humour that rise the score, but the bugs definitely lower it. Hoping that they will be fixed I partially give my score in advance - EDITED: taking also into account the reason why I lowered it that is mentioned in the plot section of the review.
It is hard though to write about it, because there is a tragic story behind the creation of the dmod, you will understand it when you will find the black wizard and talk to him.
Light a candle and play Hard Rock Hallelujah...
The mysterious - the plot...?
I admit that after exploring the whole reachable (at the moment) map I haven't gone far in the context of proceeding with the story. In fact I haven't discovered the story yet.
Out of nowhere you appear in front of a hotel and talk to its guard. So far I was only able to find one side quest with no additional reward. So I am sure that there has to be something more to discover, especially because there is a place where you are not allowed to enter because of the plot reasons. Something unfortunately tells me that one of the bugs (2) may be important and it may be blocking the possibility of proceeding in the game.
There are of course some secrets in the game, that are nice to find.
EDITED:
I found the thing that was moving the "plot" further, but shortly after the game... just ended. So it makes this dmod actually even shorter than a romp, so sadly, but I had to reduce my score.
The interesting - new solutions
This is the biggest strength of the game. So far I encountered it only once, but it is a good thing to be able to - spoiler alert - rise 2 stats instead of one after levelling up, with some coll descriptions.
It is probably the only dmod I played in which the enemies can not move at all or even - another spoiler alert - you can stun them with just one hit. They are also regenerating, so you can level up without any limitations and there is also one - yet another spoiler - more difficult enemy that extremely boosts your experience level and you can defeat him as many times as you want.
The bad - the bugs
After some 15-20 minutes of playing I already encountered several of them:
1. If you decide to not to burn the tree in front of the hotel the game will freeze;
2. You cannot reach the note on the ground that is located on a small island with the duck. You cannot enter the bridge - possible hardness error;
3. In fact you cannot also enter another bridge, on the screen where a bonca is on the other side and a duck on the other;
4. Same screen as #3: when you enter it the duck is actually a pillbug, after a moment it moves and becomes a duck;
5. A problem with a tree on the screen with a small square lake, east of the map, near the shore: if you hit the tree with a fireball it does not change visually, but its hardness disappears, you can simply walk through it.
6. Similar missing hardness bugs: on the upper right corner of the map and on the lower left corner there are houses that cannot be entered, but in fact you can walk over them - only with the exception of the doors.
7. Minor hardness errors are generally present in many places, in this matter the game seems a bit unpolished.
So summarizing: I am sure that there is much more of the gameplay here as I see some new terrains from the places I currently am, there are some innovative features in this dmod and also a very good sense of humour that rise the score, but the bugs definitely lower it. Hoping that they will be fixed I partially give my score in advance - EDITED: taking also into account the reason why I lowered it that is mentioned in the plot section of the review.
