Hardwood Games beta is ready for public testing!
Update 1/21/2011: The builds have been updated, they are release candidates. So if you've tried the beta before be sure to try these again and let us know if anything is still broken. If you already downloaded the new version click Help and then Check Version in the game to get the update. If you don't have it yet the links below have been updated as well
Update 12/17/2010: The builds have been updated. If you already downloaded the new version click Help and then Check Version in the game to get the update. If you don't have it yet the links below have been updated as well
Okay folks we're ready to start doing some public testing of our new game clients that players have been wondering about.
Here are the download links:
Hardwood Hearts
Hardwood Euchre
Hardwood Spades
Hardwood Backgammon
Hardwood Solitaire IV
To submit a bug report so we can be aware of a technical problem, right click on the games titlebar and click "bug report"
Its a big change, and we understand that there are lots of questions. Lets try to keep this thread focused on testing.
For submitting ideas, we're also have a new tool we're trying out where you can post ideas and other folks can vote on them. I'll discuss details about that in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=16786
1st and foremost, the current clients you're using will continue to work and players can play each other on either client. So if you prefer to keep on keeping on with the old client that's entirely fine. We have no plans to require current players to use the new versions. You paid for for the version you have, and we respect that. We also have an offer for folks that have purchased the current client, see below
The new client beside looking a lot different and having a different feature set, it also is ran on a different business model. No longer will it be about buying a game client, but it will be about buying stuff to use in the games and a membership model for online play.
Microtransactions:
For those of you that have been running the Hardwood Solitaire IV beta, you're already familiar with the micro transaction model. In a nut shell, its pay for what you want, don't pay for what you don't want. So now many of the items from avatars to card backs are broken out, and folks can purchase say the Dragon avatar, but pass on the Ogre avatar.
What the Heck are Memberships?
We're still dialing in the details (so any of this could change), but here is how the memberships currently work:
There is a Basic Membership that will be free for the 1st year to anyone that wants to come and play. Basic Members of this model can play social games and use pre-made chat called Quick Chat.
There is also a Plus+ Membership that adds on Rated games and free form chat like you're used to now. There is a chart that compares the differences between memberships.
We have a special offer for anyone that has a unlock key for one of our multiplayer games; a free Year of Plus+ membership and 1600 tokens for one account. So when you get to the screen with the membership choices, be sure to look for the offer link.
In both the Microstransactions and subscriptions, they are attached to an account, which is the usename you sign in with. So be sure you are using the account you want to use, its non transferable to another name, so choose wisely.
I'm gonna add to this 1st post As questions come up:
Q: Is the old version going to expire?
A: Nope, there are no plans to have the games you've purchased to expire in single player or online access that you currently have.
Q: So do players that have purchased the previous version get some sort of upgrade?
A: Yes, while the game is fundamentally different in how its purchased, we are offering 2 specials at the moment. One is for multiplayer games that is offered on the membership page. And another deal tokens for players that have purchased Hardwood Solitaire III available on the token purchasing page. I'll let you check those out for yourself, as the deals could change over time.
Q: So does the stuff I purchase only work for the game I'm using?
A: Nope, in fact if you buy an avatar for example that will work with all of our new versions. Same with Memberships etc. So what cool about that is lets say you pick up a Plus+ membership, you now can play Hearts, Euchre, Spades, Backgammon online, not just one game. If you pick up the Ogre Avatar, you get it in Hearts, Spades, Euchre, Backgammon, and Solitaire IV. Sweet!
Q: Is there going to be more avatars. environments and stuff?
A: Yes, we plan to have a lot more stuff in the store soon.
Q: How can I adjust the volume of one thing? Clicking the sound icon on the toolbar turns it all off or on.
A: You can either click and hold, or Right click on the sound icon to access advanced options. Alternatively you can go through the menu to adjust the sound settings. I'd recommend poking around the setting anyhow to see if you can break anything
