2007-10-05
“R’n’D jue”, created in cooperation with Jürgen Bonhagen,
is a special edition of Rocks’n’Diamonds with completely different
graphics and sounds and a collection of outstanding level sets
specifically designed for those who like to play puzzle and thinking
games!
In addition to Jürgen’s own level sets, “R’n’D jue” also
contains a selection of level sets from the Contribution level
collection that offer a similar level of puzzle game fun and fit well
with the new artwork. See a detailed description of all features of
“R’n’D jue”, along with a lot of screenshots, on
Jürgen Bonhagen’s web site!
“R’n’D jue” can be installed as a complete replacement of the
classic Rocks’n’Diamonds package. Most additional level sets from the
Levels & Artwork section that can
be played with Rocks’n’Diamonds can also be played with “R’n’D jue”!
Especially the many level sets of the Emerald Mine Club level
collection are now playable with completely new, high resolution and
high quality artwork that was specifically created also with this level
collection in mind! It is also possible to install “R’n’D jue” and
Rocks’n’Diamonds side by side, as they behave as two completely independent
games, which makes it very easy to play different kind of level sets in a
different graphical environment!
If you just want to play Jürgen’s level sets with the classic
Rocks’n’Diamonds, but without installing “R’n’D jue”, you can find
all level sets shipped with “R’n’D jue” as a separate level
collection package on Jürgen Bonhagen’s web site, just as before, or on the
Levels & Artwork page!
“R’n’D jue” for Windows, Unix and Mac OS X is now available
for download from the Download section
and also from Jürgen Bonhagen’s web site!
2007-10-01
The new one-level set “Zelda II”, created by Alan Bond, is a
total remake of “Zelda” that was released about one year ago. It is
quite fascinating to see what can be created by clever use of ordinary custom
elements with (extraordinary) custom artwork! “Zelda II” looks and
feels like a completely different kind of game and contains techniques that
were thought to be impossible using the existing possibilities of R’n’D level
and artwork design! This is especially true for the inventory system,
which allows collecting and changing between different weapons which
all have their own ammunition. Another outstanding feature are dozens of
people and creatures to “talk” to, using a special message system
that circumvents the limited number of message envelopes to give valuable
hints that may be needed to solve the game. Further enhancements were done
to the shooting and combat system and also to the health system
that works in true RPG fashion now. All these features, combined with
impressive graphics, sounds and music, result in about three hours
of challenging game play that will let you forget that it’s all just a
single R’n’D level!
To play “Zelda II”, the latest version 3.2.4 of Rocks’n’Diamonds is
required, which can be downloaded from the
Download section.
“Zelda II” is now available from the
“Levels & Artwork” section!
2007-09-13
Important update:
The just released Rocks’n’Diamonds 3.2.4 contained a bug that could crash the
game under certain conditions. This bug was fixed and the download package was
updated accordingly.
If you already downloaded the new 3.2.4 package, please download it
again from the Download section to get
the fixed version!
2007-09-13
This new version of R’n’D contains several new, smaller features and will be
needed as the base for upcoming new and updated level sets; in particular,
there will be an update to the EMC level collection soon which will use some
of the new features mentioned below. The new version also fixes some program
bugs, so it is recommended to upgrade to the new version.
Most important changes since last release version 3.2.3:
- added file loader for native Diamond Caves II levels and level packages
- added new elements for newly supported Diamond Caves II levels
- added graphic configuration directives for control of game panel
- added new setup option to select game speed (from very slow to very fast)
- added new setup option to select scroll delay value (from 0 to 8)
- improved handling of title screen images and title text messages
- improved handling of title and menu screen fading definitions
- extended (R’n’D based) EMC graphics engine that can display long animations
- fixed broken editor copy and paste for custom elements between levels
For details, see the ChangeLog
file (also included in the package).
Now available from the Download section!
2007-02-27
In the last years, Rocks’n’Diamonds was getting more and more complex,
but there was only very few documentation available for it. Many people
asked for a manual that would explain things that are hidden or less
self-explaining.
Finally, Francesco S. Carta took a lot of time and
effort and created The Rocks’n’Diamonds Manual!
This great new manual currently consists of the following four parts:
-
The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
This part was really needed, and it hopefully answers most questions
that are asked again and again in the forum
and by personal mail (including the famous “How does snapping
work?” question).
-
The Program Manual
This is the main part of the manual and describes the installation of
the game, gives an overview of the menu structure (and especially
describes the various options in the setup menu), the tape recorder,
where your levels are installed and how to create your own level sets.
-
The Elements Reference
This is a description of most game elements and how they interact
with other elements, grouped by element type. In many cases this is
more helpful than the single element descriptions in the level editor.
-
The Editor Tutorial
This detailed description of the level editor not only shows how to
use the various “drawing” functions (including information about the
not-so-obvious aspects of some of the tools), but also explains in
detail how to edit element properties, including a section about
custom element programming, which makes it possible to create
completely new game elements with unique, new features.
All four parts are also accessible from the
manual’s start page.
Francesco has done a great job with the creation of this manual!
Thanks a lot for contributing this outstanding work to the R’n’D project!
Also available from the Documentation section!