Frog, The Collector

RMN isn't very good at the whole "new download" thing. If you add a legitimate new download then potential players won't see the download count that the old version had; if you overwrite the old version then you keep the download count, but your new download doesn't get promoted on the front-page. It's a bit of a shitty situation, but I suppose it could be worse. It could be like it is on Gamejolt, where uploading a new download is like getting a brick through the eye of a fucking needle!

ANYWAY!

What The Hell Is This Update?

This game came out way back in 2009 and there's basically been two updates since then. One was when I cut down the soundtrack because the download was far too large for such a simple arcade game, and the other was an update to make sure the RTP was included with the game so that it would be easier for people who aren't unfamiliar with RM2K3 to play it. This update isn't like either of those updates, because this update is a pretty big overhaul of the graphics and sound present in the game.

For a long time I've wanted this game to move away from using ripped graphics towards something that, whilst still very much styled around games like Frogger and Pacman, uses graphics that I could call my own. I also wanted to move away from using a soundtrack that contained licensed music towards something available under a creative commons license, whilst also moving towards music that would fit the arcade feel I was going for better than what I originally used. The thing is that I've never really had much drive to make those changes, but now that I have I'm pretty happy with the results:


In addition to wanting the game to use graphics that I could call my own, people with a very good memory will realise that I've made a conscious effort to address the criticisms that Halibabica had in his very old review of the game. This is why I've made the addition of road-markings to the highway, and the addition of "a big nasty *SQUISH* noise" when Frog gets run over by a vehicle. I thought that both of those comments were very astute observations for Halibabica to make and I should've probably addressed them much sooner than this.

Why Are You Doing This Now?

Like I said, I've been wanting to make these changes for a long time, but I've never really had the drive to do it. Why do I have that drive now? Let's just say I've had an idea for a sequel to this game, and so that's what's driven me to make the updates that I have. I don't want to feel guilty for continuing to use blatant rips if (and I say "if" because it might never happen) I decide to make said sequel.

Additionally, although I was always quite pleased with how this game turned out given that it was originally a throwaway project based around a minigame present in Sore Losers, it would be slightly sad if I didn't try to make it as good as I think it can be. That isn't to say that I now think it's super-awesome-amazing and that it should be getting 5-star reviews from everyone, but it's definitely a more cohesive product than it was before.

Conclusion

Not much has changed about the gameplay, but I do think the graphical tweaks help make the game much more fun to play and that the sound changes make the game more entertaining than it was before. And if not "more entertaining", they certainly make the style more consistent.

I don't expect boatloads of people to be downloading this since it never had that many downloads in the first place, but thanks for reading and I hope that anyone who does play enjoys the updates :)

I've removed the larger of the two downloads because there really wasn't any reason for it to be there. I mean, seriously, who is going to download a 70+MB arcade game? What was I thinking? So, yeah, only the smaller download will be available anymore.

I've added a new download (it is pending at the time of writing, but I hope it is accepted soon!) that is much smaller than the previous download. 70MB+ for a rather simplistic arcade game was probably a bit much so I have stripped out most of the MP3 soundtrack to make the filesize much smaller. I realised that you probably won't be playing the game long enough to randomly generate all the tracks so there is no reason for them to be there in the first place!

Note: If you want to download the version with all the songs intact then you can still do this, but the default download will be set to the smaller version so that the filesize doesn't put anyone off.

I find it amazing that this game has the same rating as Sore Losers... but I guess that's only because they are two very different games and so are rated based on the expectations of each respective genre.

Still, more people should play this! The "lack" of downloads is so bad that this game actually has a decent review to download ratio - what the fuck is that all about in this community!? I know arcade games aren't too popular with you story-heavy types, but give Frog a chance and I think you'll actually find it a fun way to waste a couple of hours!

... If only this was the 1980s and I could convert this into an arcade game.