Thursday 12 December 2013

Hooves of Fire Update

A minor update for Hooves of Fire was completed yesterday, just in time for Hooves of Fire's 4th Birthday (16th December).

The update had a few player suggested features:  players can now delete horseshoes and saddles from storage using the Blacksmith; Hardcore players received an extra 5 slots of freezer space and we asked players to name some new Hooves of Fire filler horses.  We took the liberty of naming one of the Hooves filler horses "Mister Honey" after we saw a video posted by a Hooves fan on YouTube, it was a bit of a crowd pleaser here at Hooves HQ.

There's still a couple of little bonuses for players in the next few weeks!

Go Mr. Honey!!

Wednesday 25 September 2013

To Hardcore or not to Hardcore...

That is the question we have been asking players regarding Hardcore and possible progression beyond Pedigree 30.

We have asked players if they would consider going "Hardcore" if they could then progress further in pedigree than non-Hardcore players.  The topic has generated much discussion from both sides of the fence. 

Some non-Hardcore players see it as being penalised for not making the jump to Hardcore, some suggest that it is fair compensation for those who were brave enough to make the leap into Hardcore and will provide new challenges for them.

It has also brought up a number of other topics for discussion - more incentives for players to go Hardcore and limited freezer space for Hardcore players making it difficult for tournament participation.

The survey is still running if you would like to have your say, or let us know what you think in the comments below.

Survey requires Facebook login and permissions to vote: https://apps.facebook.com/126231547426086/yubsg

Friday 9 August 2013

Some more features for Hooves Reloaded

All is busy here at Hooves of Fire base camp.  We are refining and adding features for Hooves Reloaded and eradicating some more minor bugs in the process. 

Expect to see some interface changes in the next version.  The menu layout needed to change so we could add some extra buttons in.  There will be a global leaderboard coming so you can compare yourself against the best of the best. 

Some nice touches have been added to the race screen, see more details about the race track, see who's horse you are competing against and a quicker view of horse form for those of you who like to bet on races. 

Horse profile has had a rework, changes to horse health and happiness should be much easier to see in the new layout and is also more consistent with the rest of the game. 

Stay tuned!
 

Thursday 20 June 2013

Hooves Reloaded: Public Beta

It has been a busy few months with the release of Hooves Reloaded for Android in public beta.  Just wanted to take the opportunity to again thank our beta testers for their assistance during closed beta.  They provided some great feedback that helped us refine and modify the game before broader beta release, helping us identify and fix some pesky bugs and get a better idea of how the game would operate 'in the wild'.  Being original Hooves of Fire players was a distinct advantage as well, they were already well versed in most aspects of gameplay.

There are still a few bugs to iron out in Hooves Reloaded and some interface changes to implement, so stay tuned. The race list, user profile and horse profile will be getting a facelift.  We are also pulling together a global leaderboard so players can see where their stable is ranked.

We have learned a lot through the planning and development of Hooves Reloaded and also through the development of the original Hooves of Fire.  Hooves Reloaded puts some of those learnings into practice.   We wanted to make a game that players will enjoy playing and that they will want to play against their friends. It had to be lightweight, yet detailed enough to be engaging on the mobile platform.  Developing for the mobile platform presented technical and design challenges for our developers but it has also broadened their experience and depth of knowledge. 

We are keenly interested to hear from players of Hooves Reloaded about what they think of the gameplay as some elements are quite a departure from the original Hooves of Fire game.  While it may appear to be a less complex game, some aspects of the game have actually become more complex behind the scenes e.g. breeding.  This may not be immediately apparent to players, but as they progress in the game the differences will be more marked.

Some 'loopholes' have been tightened up.  No more 'cheap' wins in Open rooms to get your horse to Group 1.  A Group 1 horse actually has to win races at the correct level to progress.

Hooves Reloaded is still a work in progress and we will continue to refine elements to reach our goal of enjoyable, engaging gameplay.

You can download Hooves Reloaded from the Google Play store here:   https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.rubberducksoftware.HoovesOfFireReloaded
 

Tuesday 12 February 2013

More testing...

Just to keep you up to date on developments in terms of testing and the Closed Beta. We have short listed our first group of testers and will contact them as soon as we have our closed beta testing environment up and ready for them.

We are still in house testing ourselves and ironing out some of the issues so that testers will be able to play the game sufficiently well.  From my own personal testing, I would say its *almost* there. There are still a couple of minor bugs and issues but it is definitely playable.

For those who applied as beta testers and miss out on round 1 of testing, that doesn't mean you won't be offered the opportunity to join down the track.  We are really grateful to all of those who offered to help with testing and really appreciate the support we receive from our player base.  Thank you!

 

Friday 25 January 2013

Testing, Testing, 1,2,3...

Hello everyone, it has been a while since I have written here. The Rubber Duck Software team have been busy developing and doing a lot of behind the scenes work, which is why it has been so quiet. We are in-house testing at the moment and hope to have a 'closed beta' version available in the next few weeks or so.

The Closed Beta will be tested by some selected Hooves players (as well as our in-house testers). We are looking forward to the opportunity to show you what we have been working on (including some great artwork from the talented Erin Hunting) and get some feedback from some experienced Hooves Players. 

There has been quite a bit of interest from players in becoming beta testers and without giving too much away, there are specific requirements we are looking for from our testers, at least initially. As the beta progresses, we aim to roll out to more testers.

We hope that our beta testers will bear in mind that what they will be testing is essentially unfinished. There is still much polishing and refinement to do. Closed Beta Testers will also need to agree to strict confidentiality terms while the Closed Beta is in progress. Although that means no discussing the testing with other people or players, a special area on the forum will be set up so that the testers can give feedback and discuss the game.

For those of you that are interested in becoming a Closed Beta tester and have not already applied, please send an email to sales@rubberduck.com.au requesting more information about the Closed Beta.