Board Horde Stats Update

[Update] 31 Dec 2013

Hi folks,

I thought I'd round off the year by giving a brief analysis of the stats/views received for Board Horde since it's launch six months ago.

<img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TN7EfjupnOc/UsKwXSRkhiI/AAAAAAAAAgg/X5xDA6MEMTQ/s1600/BHMonthlyViews2.jpg" border="0">

It seems that board games prove particularly popular around the November/December holiday period, as views started to pick up massively in November (going from 5 views a day to 100), and this month alone the game has had 4,500 views (which accounts for more than half the total views over six months!).

<img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SliDQLYvO9s/UsKwkQow2yI/AAAAAAAAAgo/VZ9CBRRt6Lg/s1600/BHFullTally2013.jpg" border="0">

I'd strongly recommend use of Clay.io in everyone's games, as it gives you access to stats like this, gets you plenty of plays, and also allows other gaming sites to link to your game which can get you plenty more plays without any effort on your behalf (such as m.clickjogos.uol.com.br - a foreign site which has given my game over a thousand views)

Also adding a Gamemix banner to your game can add a small but steady trickle of users.

Oh yes, and the grand total of advertising revenue that I've made to date? $4! Finally I can buy that speedboat that I've always wanted!

Anyway, although I'm going to be busy next year with a billion writing projects and putting out my own comic I'm sure I'll find time to squeeze in an update or two, and perhaps something new.

All the best for the New Year, folks. And thanks for your support and assistance - it's a bloomin' marvelous community we've got here.

• Dave H.

[Update] 20 July 2013

Board Horde (a game best described as Ludo meets Lord Of The Rings)is now available to play at the following links: (Gamejolt and Facebook are desktop only)

Kongregate

Newgrounds

Gamejolt

Clay.io

Facebook

MarketJS

I've also set up a Board Horde page at Indie DB (along with a company profile for Biomekazoik). There's only a few screenshots on the site so far, but more news etc will follow as the week progresses. You can keep up with it here: Board Horde Site

It took quite some effort to get the game working on Kongregate (as I'm linking to a version on Clay.io, but wanted the ads to still show up on every external site other than Kongregate) so I'll probably share some tips in a post soon.

Changes:

Survivor Mode - this game mode gives the Heroes a limited number of lives, and allows for some very high scores as they can be selected again if they reach the exit.

Traditional Mode - this is the mode that started it all...no score to worry about, just get your heroes to the exit before your opponent.

Plus two new boards, bringing the total to 8.

Thanks for your help so far, folks!

<img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k34-ofXiiFI/UUxNF_WZIdI/AAAAAAAAAcI/DLoV8xTMlrA/s1600/BHMenu+1.png" border="0">

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saw this first in your other post...here's my response.

Dave Hailwood

wow, i really enjoyed your game. maybe it's because i'm over forty, and i grew up playing and making board games, but it was really fun. i thought it was too simplistic at first, and it seemed obvious who was going to win, once they got a head start - then the 'board' kicked in...lol. instant death, thrown backwards, bloated...lol.

awesome, it anybody's game at that point. you had to decide who to move and who not to move, to save yourself from an unknown square, or to screw your opponent. and lest i forget, bump his ass right off the board when you got the chance. one of the coolest mechanics was that every hero can't knock off every monster. found that one out - the hard way "you suck"...lol.

please sir, polish this up, add some awesome sound effects and music and make some money publishing this fun, simple game.

well done.

you can change the color of the dice to match the player color due to roll. also, this would be absolute mayhem with three or four players.

Board Hoard!....Great title...serious potential this one.

Dave Hailwood

hi had a go at your game before reading this thread. I didn't realise the rules, and the effects on the characters (until now)

I agree with harrio, would love to see it polished, as being of a similar age and growing up playing board games, it has a charm about it.

great game.....

harrio Thanks for taking the time to play through the boards, and your kind words. I had been contemplating changing the dice colour to match the player, and your suggestion has sold the idea to me. Three player (maximum) is on the cards, though I need to tidy up the code a lot first.

pixel perfick Glad you liked the title. If the game goes down well, I might do a scifi sequel titled: Board In Space.

mineet thanks for trying out the game, I'm really glad you liked it. There's a lot of artistic polishing to do, and I hope to add lots of Sfx and some simple touch screen based potion powers over the next month.

Cheers, folks! All comments and criticisms are always appreciated.

Great work, simple and fun, like the board games of my old days <img src="smileys/smiley36.gif" border="0" align="middle" /> .

I think you need put in the game some instructions to "how to play" and the rules, objetives of game, the effects of the potions, etc. Like a Instructions option in the main menu.

When you can take a new hero to the board, only highlight the boxes of the faces, and maybe could be good idea put some statement or notice to inform the player that can take a new hero with that roll.

Kuso

Lots of great ideas! The menu certainly needs a lot more adding to it as its a bit bare at the moment. A 'Re-enforcement Available' statement is a good suggestion, so thanks for that.

instructions would be good yes

Thanks to you for make a nice game! <img src="smileys/smiley14.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

you can also make items that come to the board as a result of the a 'trap' glow momentarily, to give a visual clue to the player of what is new and where it has been placed. a few times enemies and potions got added to the board, but i could not tell where because they all look the same. a quick pulsing glow upon entering the board would solve that easily.

great game...keep us updated.

I remember old adventure board games and maybe (is a idea) can make a deck of "events". If you fall into event place, take a card, and can win objects to use in game, extra dice roll or traps. That can be the game more "strategic" <img src="smileys/smiley2.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

i think he already has that included in the game. when you land on certain squares of a particular color, they do exactly what you just said, give you random events that can help or hurt you. and yes, it does make the game very much more strategic. many times you have to decided to take a chance or avoid them, and it may cause you to slow down the progress of your characters on the board.

after you have played it a few times the 'phew' really takes on it's true meaning...lol.

harrio

I'm hoping to have some sort of 'puff of smoke' effect when enemies and potions materialise, to draw attention to them. Making them glow is also a mighty fine suggestion.

Kuso

I have got plans to add a special 'event' system once I've got everything else done, which will be like a short Choose Your Own Adventure style scenario. Depending on the decisions you make, it may influence whether the character gets a special power, gets moved forward, dies etc.

I'm also hoping to add a Special Skill that's specific to each character (eg, the Necromancer will be able to raise the dead, and the Assassin will be able to Backstab enemies).

Oh yes, and Troll Bridge shortcuts (kinda like the snake in Snakes and Ladders. Except the troll might eat you).

Before all that, I must sort out Sfx and visuals. I added lots of sounds today, and now have the joyous task of figuring out how to make them run in all browsers, and stop the game visuals from stuttering. Ah well, its all part of the merriment!

Cheers for your comments, chaps. Much obliged!

Dave Hailwood

puff of smoke is perfect as well. as long as it brings attention to the new occupants on the board. great job so far. thanks for the progress report.

getting everything to work, doesn't seem like it, but it is the real fun. figuring out those bugs and glitches is really satisfying.

Excellent stuff, think you could be onto a winner with this one :)