F U T U R E  

C H A N G E S

What now (Updated February 2003)

The "new version" described below was release back in January 2002. A lot of time has passed and the game has been updated over 100 times since then, with miscellaneous bug fixes and features added. If you want to see something changed or added, then as always just send some feedback via email, or post it on the message board.
Currently the game never did get quests or the necessary story line, but it's still one of the many things that could possibly be added at some point.
As a general rule though, I now try not go give too much away...

The mysterious "New Version"

I (Nick) stopped working on the current version of the game around september of 2000. Johny took over that and was responsible for fixing up misc remaining bugs. In the meantime I've been working on a new version of the game. I am rewriting the game entirely for a few reasons. Namely the code was in serious need of some cleaning up, also I want to try a multithreaded ACGI application to see how that works out. I am also rewriting it all in C++ instead of C.

Once the conversion is done, lots of misc changes will be added.
A few things which will *probably* be in the new version(not exclusive):
  1. Full map
  2. Possibly quests
  3. Much more independence between provinces/town
  4. More significance of the palace
  5. Revamped fighting system
  6. Possibly a storyline (image that)
  7. There will be 100 levels instead of 15.
  8. Team play will become more important.
  9. Seperate inn chat for every town.
  10. Who knows what other things I end up throwing in.

Hopefully that answers most of your questions.
Oh and the answer to the #1 question is...
The new version should hopefully be ready for testing by end of February.
Oh and... yes the game will be TOTALLY RESET
This means that all the players/teams/stats will be completely wiped out!

Current status: 70% through conversion.

- Nick.
(Updated January 22nd 2001)

Changes for 2000 (written in mid 2000)

This page had not been updated much since the major changes of June 1999. Since some people were wondering wether this meant that the game was going to be reset again in 2000... the answer is no. There is currently no fixed plan for what changes you will see during the remainder of 2000, and hence no plan as to when changes will be made. If you have any suggestions as to what you would like to see added, please send email to us about it. It seems that a lot of the development time is going into fixing bugs, rather than adding new features to the game. However, that's probably for the better because a game full of bugs isn't fun for anyone. In any case, possible add-ons include expanding the number of towns, adding spells, perhaps some form of quests, finally adding a gamehouse, and perhaps a complete overhaul of the team system... We'll leave you guessing for details...

Beyond the June1 version

Of course development of this game never stops. The expansion possibilities of this game are virtually endless. However in order to get the game to evolve, it makes it easier when we have a fixed plan layed out. For this reason, and to give players an idea of where this game is heading, we are providing a public list of the things we are working on. If you see anything that should be added to this list, then please let us know. We will decide of its importance and work on it accordingly.

Here is the list:   Work In Progress

The "June1" Version

A major revision to the game is underway (and has been since february 1999). I have been promising to make this new version available by June 1st 1999. We will do our best to make that date.
Because of certain major changes, the game will have to be completely reset on this date... So make sure you keep that in mind, and don't be surprised when it happens.
A few of the things to look forward to:
 - New weapons
 - New Armours
 - New & More Powerful Spells
 - An inventory ;-)
 - A town council (elected)
 - Much better game balance
 - No more level jumping
 - A whole lot more!!

And of course a chance to finally be amongst the best players...
See you on june 1st!

Miscellaneous Bug Fixes

You are all no doubt familiar with these. They are the bane of every god-fearing player. We are on a crusade to eliminate all bugs from the RPG's code. Fewer glitches and greater stability are the most easily appreciated changes that can be made.

Layout

If you're reading this, then I'm sure you appreciate the degree to which the site has changed. The layout and presentation of the CGI will soon undergo a similar make-over. We hope you'll like it!

Cheating

This is a serious issue. Because we have decided to make Hiddenworld a free and universally available service, it is very difficult to control cheating. Multi-character users, abuse of various bugs and programming loopholes may benefit a user in the short term, but everybody suffers. Eliminating opportunities for abuse and cheating are very important concerns.

Expansion

The Hiddenworld system is easy to expand and extend. We want to add as much depth and breadth to this game as possible, without sacrificing the simplicity of the game play and design. Particular changes that we are considering include more cities, gladiator arenas, gambling and maps.

Input

This is your chance to affect the evolution of the RPG. If you feel strongly about a particular aspect of the game, whether positive or negative, let us know. If you have ideas for game expansion that you would like to share, please do so. The only limits to Hiddenworld's growth are imagination and sleep. We would love for you to help us with the former!

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