gcd does not appear. 42 MB downloaded for nothing via SIM Card ;-(

I tried twice downloading this and it freezes at about 99 percent. I shut everything off my computer and re-started and it still did that. I had downloaded a game earlier with no problem so something is wrong with the download. When will this be fixed and how we go about that being done?

Thanks.


.............................Moderator Comment.................................

Hi Cathie, Around 5000 community members have downloaded this game over the last 24 hours, with only yourself, KimP and laptop having problems (laptop appears to have tried downloading via a sim card. I can't comment on that method). I doubt there is anything wrong with the giveaways download servers as I downloaded another copy of the zip file about 30 minutes ago onto one of my other computers just before the giveaway ended. It's more likely a problem with your provider. Sorry I couldn't be of any help in this matter.

Anyone else have a problem downloading or playing on Win 7?
I have 1 computer where it loaded the game but then crashes when I try and open the file (doesn't matter where I open it from games folder or shortcut)
2nd computer upon download it downloads two zip files but neither has anything to extract. I am hoping this is the same version as previously released because I already have that one somewhere.
Thanks.


................................Moderator comment...........................

Hi KimP, the version is likely to be the same as previous versions. The file size is exactly the same as the last two times this was given away. (I still had both of those). There's no indication of version number apart from the date. all three copies I have say 2010.

Got this game back in 2011! Fair game, but I'm not a great fan of match 3! My favorite match three is freeware game called Santa Balls! Thanks to the Rabbit for refering to other deals! A web page that occasional gives free games under software section is Free Stuff Times http://www.freestufftimes.com/ They currently have 43 games and apps listed for Ipad and Ipod! Unfourynant I don't have one of those! I mainly go there for free books, but they occasionly have free games for some people! Hopely it's acceptable to post link to that web page?? I Can post link to others with thousands of free games if it's not against gotd policy???


.......................Moderator Comment..........................

Hi Wot, thanks for the link. By all means post your links. I will always check them out first to see if they are safe sites. :)

I won't rate it because I haven't downloaded it. In general I don't mind match three, but I'm not a huge fan, but I do enjoy it when it is mixed with something else to make the game more interesting, such as hidden object or hidden object combined with some kind of puzzle one has to solve in order to advance; find the tools necessary to do the job, find materials, but match three as an adventure. I Don't Get It!
Won't rate it, but thumbs down.

I get the same error messages as #7 joanne when using a shortcut in my Games shortcut folder. I'm using Vista Ultimate Service Pack 2.

Good game! I downloaded it before. The music is good..fast-paced to keep you interested. Good graphics, good scoring, etc. Win 7, 64-bit

.....................Moderator Comment.....................

Thanks Delenn :)

Gina (#3): Of course the mummies are annoying; they are what makes the game challenging. The idea is to plan out your moves so that the mummy has moved out of the way when you want to put your expensive row together.

In general I am NOT a big fan of match-3 games, but I like this one. Once I put the city together a few times, I discovered the "score" mode, which lets you just play one screen of matching at a time, with no advancing through levels. Now I just try to beat my high scores.

......................Moderator Comment................

Thank you for your feedback Hamachisn't

Yes I too tried this once, twice in priors offers. Darn ghost thing does weigh against the fun for me. Super fans may like it, who knows. Pass for now. Too bad since many Match 3 games are clever but annoying doesn't cut it. Sneaky in way it starts off ok, then ghost concept really kicks in and game joy goes away. Appreciate offer.

I've had this game installed since one of the last giveaways for it and have found it to be an okay, but not great match 3 game. The biggest thing that brings it down is the fluidity of game play. Some match 3 games let you move a piece any time, even if previous moves are still playing out. This game requires that you make a move and let everything that happens because of that move finish before you can make another move. Only one thing can be happening at once on the screen. This makes gameplay feel like it starts and stops. Thanks to Stars Ashes for making it available, however. It is appreciated.


......................Moderator Comment................

Thank you for your feedback

I for myself have it already from here and I like this game. Very good.

I have this game and downloaded it from a freebie game website. I never play more than a few rounds before uninstalling. I don't know why I keep it. I am a Match 3 and HOG junkie, it takes a lot to get me to uninstall a game but I do this one every time. The whole game irritates me for some reason. It might be the lackluster game pieces that lay flat and have no character (yeah, they have color and bearly visible symbols but nothing more)and what's with the skulls? It smacks of death which is depressing. I would have preferred something other than skulls staring me in the face every time I play the game. I don't like being timed. You cannot finish in time which is frustrating. Who likes being rushed? I don't care much for the music either. WR generous 6.5 is too high for me. I'd give it a 3 and only because the game took work even though 100% of the graphics are computer generated like SIMs. I like a bit of realistic scenery something to admire and make me want to come back and play. This just doesn't cut it for me.


......................Moderator Comment................

Thank you for your feedback Deborah. :)

it dl into my games folder, however, i have to play it from there!! i cannot create a desktop shortcut..if i do, it won't play..i get error messages...if i drag the entire folder to desktop, it works but i have to keep the folder as well, if i toss it, error message when i play the game..retrieve folder from garbage...games works!! why??

......................Moderator Comment................

Hi Joanne, very very strange. I've never know anyone have this problem before, and am at a loss to explain or even suggest any solutions with authority. Have you triend creating a shortcut directly into the game folder by selecting create shortcut ( theen copying that to the desktop, or wherever you keep your shortcuts) instead of send to - desktop (create Shortcut), or if you've done it that way already try the other way around i.e desktop (create Shortcut) instead of create shortcut......


It's quite late in the day now, so many of the regulars that visit the game page will have been and gone. I suggest you post this problem over in the game discussion forums. You do need to register to post. :)

Whiterabbit aka Stephen,
Can you tell if Star Ashes fixed the problems most people complained about on the previous releases? Sound problems, crashes, "game pieces are hard to grab hold of and sometimes seem to stick to the pointer which again slows the player down", etc.? Can you tell if this is an updated version? Thanks for all you do Stephen! As others say, you make this Game Giveaway stand out from the sister GOTD site!


.........................Moderator Comment...........................

Hi Avid Gamer, really sorry to have taken so long to reply, must have just missed your post. I've been over at my new house cleaning the mess the builders have left over the last week. Took all afternoon.

I couldn't find any evidence that today's game has been updated, all that I have (3 different copies) show 2010, but no version numbers. I've still got both of last years installations and all three are exactly the same size when installed.

Hallo,

Which version is this - the same as the giveaway of 08/2011???

I love this game, esp when the stones loose their color.

Simple design, but different from similar games.


........................Moderator comment.................

There's no version numbers, but I expect it is the same version; says 2010. :) :)

Thanks for the freebie, I play this game quite a lot, raally too much, very addicted.

Thanks again,
Ron

I downloaded this last time it came up. Usually I like match 3 games (Cradle of Rome is my favorite) but I don't care for this one. The game element involving the skulls just annoys me. While my computer has been wiped since the last download I will still be skipping it this time around.

Thanks for the opportunity even though I am not taking it.

~Gina

The Great Pharaoh:

Installation

The Great Pharaoh downloads to a 52.7 MB zip file that unpacks to a read me and a wrapped setup file (the orange colored file with the key symbol), plus there's a setup file with security (setup.gcd) that's protected from being hacked (because the previous giveaway system was easily cracked). This file may case some security software to alert the user to a possible malware attack, but it 'will' be a false positive.

The game giveaway team check all game giveaways for malware using several well known anti -malware suites. There has never been a game giveaway infected with malware since the project started back in Dec 2006. The owners know that allowing such things would compromise their buisness, so they make sure all software given away via the gamegiveaway sites are throughly checked for all types of malware before allowing community members to download any files.

Some community members have been having problems installing games since the security software was added. It's been found that turning off your security temporarily or configuring it to accept the setup.cgd file usually sorts the problem out. Also try right clicking on the oranage colored set up file and select Run as Administrator.



There’s no shortcut installed so make a note of where the game is installed to so that you can manually create a desktop shortcut. By default it installs to the following path:

C:\Games\The Great Pharaoh_game


Registration

Registration is automatically done when you install the game. You will require an active internet connection to complete activation. Once installed the game uses 82.8Mb of disc space.

Introduction


The game has been given away four times before; twice last year;








November 2012 where it received 65% positive thumbs up from 318 votes and May 2012 where it received 68% positive votes out of 294 votes, back in March 2011 and September 2011 it received positive votes of 62% and 75% respectively. You can read all previous comments made about this game HERE (Nov 2012), HERE (May 2012), HERE (March 2011) and HERE (September 2011).


Developers Introduction

From generation to generation, each new Pharaoh wanted to be more powerful than the previous one. One got his wealth by seizing the lands of others, another - in the fertile lands of the Nile. But there was another way to gain overwhelming richness... Legend says that in the abandoned temples of the City of the Dead, the treasury of Egypt ancient rulers was kept. Priests put the gold into magical blocks, guarded by those who were gone for eternity. Only the Great Pharaoh could take back the gold, gathering together the blocks and presenting seals. The seals were lost with time. There were no Pharaohs who wished to return ancient treasures, as the price for a mistake was great - eternal wandering in the dark world of the dead. Would you like to try your luck? Returning the treasures of the ancestors, you will build the City, the glory of which will live for centuries... In this fast-paced Match 3 game, the goal is to restore the temples of the City of the Dead, getting hidden gold. You can get the gold by matching 3 ancient blocks. At the same time you should keep an eye on mummies who can put a curse, stealing gold and freezing the blocks. You have limited time to meet your goal on gold and become the Great Pharaoh!

Reference accessed HERE 5th March 2011

The Game

This is a reasonable match three game with decent graphics and additional elements that add to the overall game experience. Game play is as you’d expect from a match three; that is you have to swap adjacent blocks so that three or more blocks of identical color, including those that are frozen line up in columns or rows. This destroys the blocks and releases the gold that is hidden within the block.

There are some original features that make it worth downloading such as the building of a town and the addition of mummies that steal gold from you as well as add a curse which freezes several blocks for a specific length of time. This occurs when there is a line of three similar blocks next to the mummies. If you can line up three of these mummies in a row or column you will get extra gold and destroys the mummies. You can see various symbols within each colored block, these have various values for example collecting 3 ankh’s is worth 120 gold pieces whereas collecting three squiggly lines are worth 250 gold pieces; collecting additional blocks such as a line of 4 or five gives you more gold. You’ll find 7 different values within the blocks ranging from 100 gold pieces to 250 gold pieces. (100, 120, 140, 160, 180, 200 and 250). Destroying three mummies is worth 500 gold pieces. There are 40 levels broken up into eight different stages. Each stage ends in the completion of a specific Egyptian building or object such as an Obelisk, the Temple of Anubis, a city gates or the Pyramids. After each level you are awarded a part of a key. Collecting all the parts will unlock the next stage in the building of the town.

As you would expect levels start off easy with grids of 8x8 which increase in size as you get further into the game. Progression is mapped out via the levels map, which shows you the various buildings and monuments that you will build throughout the game. There doesn’t appear to be any power-ups added to this game (I didn’t encounter any while playing the demo, which included the first five levels).

The options menu enables you to change several parameters such as screen resolution , windowed mode and an advanced lighting mode that adds shadows to the game (not very obvious) as well a sound and music sliders to adjust the volume and a difficulty slider that has three choices, easy, medium and hard difficulty.

Features:

• Collect gold from ancient tombs in this entertaining Match 3 challenge.

• Restore the Temple of Anubis, the Great Pyramids, the giant Obelisk and more.

• Watch out for mummies and their curse as they steal gold and freeze blocks.

• Rush to clear 40 levels before time is up.

• See the megalithic structures take shape before your eyes.


Images & Video:

You can see a slideshow of around 50 images showing the first area to be unlocked HERE. You’ll see help screens, several levels, statistic screens and the level map. Unfortunately the images were uploaded backwards, so you see the later images first


You can view all the images in full screen or as a grid with adjustable slider to view in various sizes. Just click on one of the two buttons to the bottom right of the screen, just above the film strip; (you need to hover your mouse over the bottom of the screen to see the filmstrip)

You can see a couple of videos of game play HERE and HERE

Conclusion::

This is a match three game of medium quality. It’s not the best in my opinion, but still playable. It’s got similarities to games like Atlantis Quest which was given away some time ago, but the quality of the game does not match Atlantis Quest by a long shot. The graphics are uninspiring and drab with no power ups to add sparkle and excitement. That said, it’s a basic match three; and if you like match three’s you’ll probably play this one, but too be honest you'll find far superior match threes for free from MyPlayCity and Jenkat games

I’d give it an average score of around 6.5 out of 10. This is broken down into a 7 out of 10 for game play (I’m being generous) and 6 out of 10 for graphics and sound. I like Match Three’s as they are mindless and sometimes I need a mindless game that’s easy to play. The main problem with this game is that this genre has moved on from the original Jewel Quest type game play and now we get match three’s that are combined with RPG elements for example Puzzle Quest 1 & 2 or card playing games like Gyromancer, or more traditional match three’s like Treasures of Montezuma that have upgradeable power ups and spectacular graphics or give you screensavers at the end of the game like Atlantis Quest; (or several if you play Around the World in 80 Days). The amazing thing is the last three games I mentioned above can now be downloaded completely free for the full version - (follow the link to MyPlayCity).
Apart from the addition of a quest to build various landmarks and buildings in between levels this match three game is very basic. The attempt to spice the game up with this building quest really didn’t work in my opinion because there is no actual contribution from the player apart from completing a match three level because the building stages are automatic and occur when you’ve completed a level. You’ll be whisked off to the site and magically see a new building or a city gate appear, and then the next level will start.

Reviews:

Check out THESE reviews from Big Fish, they are all basically negative with respect to uninspiring game play





Problems with the game?:

If you have any problems installing or playing today's game please go to the game discussion forums where you'll find a FAQ's section HERE.

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If today's game doesn't take your fancy then check out the game discussion forums and the free games synopsis. We’ve posted a couple of thousand free games over the last four years, many of which are excellent alternatives to their commercial cousins.

The Steam summer Sale started last week and continues till Tomoprrow. You'll find hundreds of deals, plus every day there's a 24 hr deal that appears to be carried over for a further day, plus there's flash sales every 8 hours. There are some brilliant bargains. You can find all the details HERE . The main page only shows you the latest deals. To see all of the games on sale click on the games tab along the top of the Steam page and select your genre, then go to the right hand panel where it says 'find more, then click on the games link (you'll see the number of games in that category next to it for example, in the action genre next to games you should see 1352 games (this may differ slightly from region to region as not all games are available in all regions. All the games that are on sale will have the percentage off next to the price (usually in a green box). If you have loads of games on Steam, you can install an add-on for Firefox or Chrome called Steam Enhanced, that gives you price comparisons around the world as well as highlights all of the games you already have in green, those in you wish list in blue and those you don't have are shown normally.


For more deals check out the latest game available on IndieGameStand HERE
You can pay as much as you want but no less than $1. The present game is Pitman and if you pay over the average payment you'll get a second game called Tri Alpha.


There's also quite a few decent deals over on Desura, Greenman Gaming as well as other game distributors such as Gamersgate and Gamefly. Finally, you'll also find a few indie bundles still live. You'll find details of all the bundles still available over in the first two pages of the Game discussion forums HERE (These are the best way to get bargains as you can often get $100 plus worth of game sfor around $5 or less. (e.g. last November/December THQ sold their entire recent catalogue worth almost $500 for less than $6) Check out the Bundle Stars deals for the best bundles around at the moment.

You can get loads of excellent match three games or similar for free from MyPlayCity (MPC), Jenkat Games or Gametop. Jenkat or Gametop aren't as aggressive with respect to toolbars and home page changes as MyPlayCity is at the moment. With MPC games you will need to uncheck boxes for toolbar and home page changes every time you start the game up. plus during installation you may get adverts.

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A Request for help:

Developers rely on good feedback to improve their games. If you download this game please take some time once you’ve played it a while to leave some constructive feedback either positive or negative. The more constructive feedback we get, the more likely developers are going to give more games away. The giveaway site already has a very good standing with the search engines. Developers want their products out there on the WWW, this site has the potential to do that. The game giveaway project gives away on average between 9 to 17 thousand downloads for each game depending upon what genre and how obscure the game is. That’s a lot of homes these games are being downloaded into and a lot of 'potential' cash that’s being lost by the developers. If we get better games because of better feedback, the community are likely to continue to benefit from the generosity of the developers. Satisfied community members are then more likely to visit the home sites of those developers and purchase games that they may not have bothered with before they discovered the developer via the game giveaway site, thus giving the developers more incentives to give away even more decent games.

Please leave some feedback once you've checked the game out. It can be positive or negative, but please explain what your reasons were for the feedback you post. You could also leave suggestions for improving the game, for example, this game could do with more block types for the levels editor, add more power-ups, describing the ones you think would be suitable, add some mini games (which seem all the rage in some arcade games now) or enable the user to be able to change the in game music easily.

Thank you in advance to all those who take the time to post a constructive comment.

Regards

Whiterabbit aka Stephen

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