S&F Remastered Part 3 - Discussion Thread

[Leander]

S&F Remastered Part 3

[Strider]

I hear there may be new content for existing players by the end of the year?

[Leander]

FAQ: Shakes & Fidget Remastered

After working on the new Shakes & Fidget version for over 1.5 years it is finally (almost) done! Not only will new worlds be launched this Friday at 16 CEST but also the open beta version of Shakes & Fidget Remastered! Since announcing the beta some weeks ago we have received several questions via in-game tickets, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and in the forums. We have compiled this FAQ guide to answer the most frequent questions for the community. Have fun reading!

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.

Why is there an open beta?

We would like to invite interested players to check out the remastered version before the official release and send their feedback. We are aware that the beta version is not perfect yet and you will sometimes find a bug but you can switch back to the Flash version at any time. As mentioned before we will keep it for quite some time.

When does open beta end?

It will end once all major problems have been fixed. Then Shakes & Fidget Remastered will go live on all worlds and will become the new standard version while the old Flash version will still be available as an alternative.

When will the remastered version be available for apps?

The Steam app is likely to be released after open beta while the Android and iOS apps are scheduled for December. In case of difficulties everything might be delayed by one or two months.

When will new content be released?

Something new will be already released with the launch of the open beta version: the brand-new Battle Mage class! We will get really started after the new apps are done.

How high are the system requirements?

Shakes & Fidget Remastered runs in every WebGL-capable browser, for example the current versions of Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Loading times and performance depend on your main memory. You no longer need the Flash plugin. At the moment it runs best in Firefox.

Are there known problems in the beta?

- Only available for the new worlds W27 international and S35 Poland.
- Tutorial still missing
- Flying Tube still missing
- Enemy graphics still old, will be replaced later on
- Fortress and Underworld graphics still have a low resolution
- Loading times and performance will be further improved
- These problems are already known and should not be reported again.

How do I send my feedback?

We have archived the “Bugs & Complaints” and “Suggestions” sections to make some room for the remastered version:

https://forum-int.sfgame.net/forumdisplay.php?f=29

[katastrofeas]

Reading Leander's thread about the "Octoberfest", I don't really see the point of introducing more classes to the game that are just hybrids of Mage Scout and Warrior. I think that there is nothing special about having a Battle Mage (that is a combination of Warrior and Mage), I assume that it will just be a Mage but with more balance between damage and health.

With the same way of thinking Playa could create a scout with a mage weapon, a warrior with a scout weapon and so on but those classes would not add to the game's diversity because they just don't seem innovating, they just combine the stats of already existing classes.

I want to make clear that I am not opposed to Playa's intention to add more classes to the game but the new classes should really have something unique about them and this will only happen when those classes are given a distinctive ability just like the "evade" of scouts and "block" of warriors. I could talk forever about ideas of classes and their unique abilities, maybe a Healer class could exist with a "heal" ability on every turn or a class that deals more damage according to the maximum amount of the enemy's health.

This thread is not meant for proposing ideas so I will not continue analysing more about what could be implemented in terms of classes. As for the new graphics, we will have to wait a couple of days before we can discuss about them but judging from the existing images the final result looks very promising.

[Strider]

Battlemage attack/defense

will half the attack be based on warrior and half the attack be based on mage?

Mages don't have defense and don't miss attacks, so how does that work with battle mages who don't have shields?

[Apollo]

I'm OK with the new graphics (I mean, I barely saw them so far lol). Like I previously said, I'm more focused on content than design. So let's talk about it.

New class? Alright, I like the idea of a new "power", but I'm getting sick of this "laziness". Don't get me wrong, will definitely test this new class, and I'm happy with this surprise by Playa (thank you!). And I love how you embrace the idea of creating new classes. But, can you, please, stop using existing items on new classes? Next time you make a new one, do the full job: new items, new "powers" if you want, I'm good with it using an existing stat (strength, for example), but let's stop with this mixes of classes and call it new, shall we?

Besides that, love how the devs created more space in the game for future features, and once I finish a new concept I'm working on, I will release it in the suggestions page so you can take a look at it.

I'm going to be on w27, testing out the new class and helping with any existing bugs in order to fix the problems asap. I will do my part, so I hope that you, Playa, can do yours.

Overall, congratulations for the 3.0!

[Apollo]

Battlemage attack/defense

will half the attack be based on warrior and half the attack be based on mage?

Mages don't have defense and don't miss attacks, so how does that work with battle mages who don't have shields?

From what I saw, mage will use warriors weapons (so it will have warrior damage, I guess), but they added a new power: once in every battle, you use some kind of "ball of fire" that deal tons of damage.

[Life]

I am just thinking, what will be the main stat... will it be a strength? In this case, maybe battlemage spell will be based on it and hit an enemy in any case without the possibility to avoid an attack? I am just thinking, what will be the main stat... will it be a strength? In this case maybe batlemage spell will be based on it and hit anamy in any case without posobility to avoid a attace?

[Strider]

From what I saw, mage will use warriors weapons (so it will have warrior damage, I guess), but they added a new power: once in every battle, you use some kind of "ball of fire" that deal tons of damage.

1 weapon or 2?

[Leander]

1 weapon but the class is revealed on Friday!

From what I saw, mage will use warriors weapons (so it will have warrior damage, I guess), but they added a new power: once in every battle, you use some kind of "ball of fire" that deal tons of damage.

Where do you have this information from?

[Apollo]

Too lazy to screenshot it, but you can get this information on SFGame Facebook Page.

"Shakes and Fidget Not at all! He has a special fireball that makes a lot more damange, but he can only use it once per battle. The rest of the time he is using his weapon, which is usually a sword."

[Arturu]

Will the new server be also available on flash version?

It's not really nice to ask players to spend money and compete on a version of the game which might be broken.

[Leander]

Ok, Facebook already leaked more details. The battle mage has a fireball but only once per battle. He/she also wields a (one) warrior weapon and has a magic shield.

You can switch between Remastered Beta and Flash but at the moment I don't know when this button will be added. We'll know more on Friday.

[Apollo]

What do you mean with "a magic shield"? Is that a new item?

[sharshooter]

What do you mean with "a magic shield"? Is that a new item?

Probably he has 10% armor from items and 40% magic armor to make him 50% armor.