@13 Swamp Thing:

me... i want to play 'old' games...

like chess, go, and a group of other 'vintage' "oldies"...

i, believe it or not, am 'old' and can NOT swing that dad-gummit paddle or make that frog hop like it's supposed to. (i know for a FACT that the ping pong SPEEDS up and acts erratically just because the game has ID me as an 'old-guy'!)

regards to those with WHITE hair (ha ha ha)

spelling errors to correct
Rex’s burried bones should be Rex’s buried bones

those flames can really burn of your tail should be
those flames can really burn off your tail

I downloaded this game and played it a little bit this morning. I like decent takes on popular arcade games. The two things that are a deal breaker for me is the speed of the game, and the password system. No game in todays age of casual games should have a password system that is so NES / Gameboy era. We are on modern computers!

The speed also leaves a little bit to be desired. I do like fast paced games, however this one seems more for the kids. If I'm looking for a quick fix for a game like this I often look at some online flash game sites and play those instead.


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

Thanks for your feedback Jason

Comodo Firewall popped while I was installing the game and said it has the Win32.MUPX.Gen@1 virus. I know and appreciate everything GGOTD does to make sure these giveaways are virus/trojan free but I'm deleting this one asap. Many thanks GGOTD for all the other games you've given away.


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Try running the game through one of the online virus checkers. The security file (setup.gcd is likely setting off Comodo. There has been thousands of downloads with only yourself and one other reporting a problem. The likelihood of this being a real virus considering there has been over a thousand games given away since the start of this project back in 2006 is extremely small.

There is giant 50 foot rabbit terrorizing Europe? Whoa! Hope all you guys are okay! Maybe you can send the dog in this game after it, cause it sure won't be catching anything on my computer!

IF retro means old then this game is VERY VERY VERY (let throw in one more VERY in case somebody doesn't get it) RETRO!

I mean REALLY! Who wants old? Time travel into the past might be fun in the movies, but it would suck in real life, people! Why would I want a game that looks like one I played in the early '80's?

The Game was enjoyable in every way, besides my love for digging games like this, The suggestions i would like to give to the developers are 1. Option to customize the game controls,
2. Option to shoot laser downward and upward,
3. Add some time limit or stamina for the dog which may decrease during digging,
4. Mmake digging a lot more quicker.
That's all.
Thanks for the Game.


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

Thank you for the feedback. Some good ideas. :)

The music gets on your nerves very quickly , but that can be fixed, the problem I had with the game is it is too slow. In other dig dug games, the character just moves thru the dirt. This game the dog digs and it takes longer . I would change this and I would also change the sound track , making it longer. It loops too quickly.

This could be fun for a child, but for us big kids no so much.




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

Thank you for the feedback

Thanks Mike for your review, once you said that the game has keyboard control, I knew I couldn't play it. I have carpal tunnel and cannot play extended keyboard controlled games without a good amount of pain. It's a shame, because I loved this game when it was in the arcades.

I'm new to this style of game. It's interesting though. I'll give it a try. It's raining so I have some time off from yard work. Have a great day. Thanks GOTD.

Just tried the GGOTD but I played similar games in the past and the gameplay was much better on those games than it is on this game. I might try it one or two more times but likely will delete it soon. The 2 minigames however will stay! ;)

took me some time to download, but installed OK. (Windows7 laptop). Didn't try it yet. I did however tried the 2 mini games: Streak and Group. Both are very simular and easy to understand. I like both games Streak is with cats which can be pulled either left/right or up/down to create a 3 in a row (or more for bonus).
Groups is with "garden"tiles in different colors. Here you get to click on 3 in a row (or more for bonus) to receive the next tiles. Try and look at the next cats or tiles to create a new line and clean the box of waiting cats or tiles to finish the game as a winner.

Try this link for win7 snipping tool shortcuts Stephen.

http://superuser.com/questions/498204/is-there-a-way-to-snip-part-of-the-screen-with-a-hotkey


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Thanks :)

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Please read the installation section of my review. Thanks

Download was simple, (only took 2.3 minutes), install was easy. works well on my win7 32bit machine. as per#2, it is a dig-dug game with 3rd grade music, which can be turned off/on with the f5 or f6 keys. But, it is fun!


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

The music track is a very short music loop which you can easily change. Just go into the games sound folder:

i.e.

C:/Program files (x86)/Xing/Dig Dog Out/Sound/x.mp3 (where x refers to any of the files)

You'll find several MP3 files in the sound folder. The one you need to change is bgsound.mp3. You will need to rename the file you decide to use as the background music. I'd back up the original just in case there's a problem.

My initial thought was that the thumbs up/down score (6-2 to the downs) was a bit harsh after just 15 minutes of the giveaway.....
BUT, it wasn't harsh at all.
The idea of a nice 'cutsey' retro arcade game, is appealing. This one unfortunately has failed at virtually aspect.

The Gameplay is slow and labourious.
The music goes from OK to irritating in a couple of minutes. Although to be fair there is an option to turn it off.
There is no option to go windowed, it's full screen only.
The game is played with cursor keys (and Z and X, however between rounds you need to use the mouse.
There are no tips/instructions except for what to do before each level.
There is a very retro 'password' system for each level, so if you actually play this beyond level 3 you'll probably need a pen and paper.
Even back in the days of C64 or possibly Commodore Amiga games (as it happens this looks and plays like a bad Amiga game) the asking price would have been way too high and many games did cost around the amount it's claimed this game costs.

Overall: Very poor. Too much needed to be done to make it any good. So, and I'm sorry to be so scathing, I wouldn't even bother downloading.
Next for me - the recovery of 37.3MB of disk space


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

Thanks for your feedback Mike; there's no need to apologize. I was starting to prepare a review of the game. Now I'm having second thoughts as you've basically covered all aspects of the game.

Personally I wouldn't go as far as to say that this was a waste of space. With respect to the music, you can change it easily as the developer has used MP3 files. All you need to do is swap the bgsound.mp3 file for an mp3 you like and rename your replacement to bgsound.

I do agree that you should be able to play the game in a window. I wasn't able to take a screenshot as my usual screen capture program hasn't been reinstalled yet. I'm using Win 7's snipping tool, which I can't access in full screen (don't know a shortcut key to access it) :)

For a digging game the usual elements are there. Granted, the graphic is rather retro, but retro seems to be one of the buzz words these days (just look at the number of pre millenium games that have been released on Steam recently).

Haven't downloaded it yet - it will take 2 or 3 hours with dial up!
Seems a dig dug type game, which I like! So looking forward to checking it out! To people who might not have notice there are 2 freeware games available from main gotd web page - I.E. Office Mini Games OF which there are two - 1. Streaks and 2. Streaks http://tintgames.com/ They are listed as freeware and as to quality - don't know yet! Kinda makes you for 2 saturday with no games due to giant 5o ft rabbit terrorizing europe - preventing gotd from giving us games. A song for gotd dudes- Never Again by Shangri Las http://archive.org/download/TheShangriLasCollection/TheShangri-las-NeverAgain.mp3 Happy Almost Halloween...


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

Thanks wot :)

Today's review is a relatively short one as I wasn't able to find a demo of the game so that i could write up the review before the game was posted this morning.



[size=4][b][u] Dig Dog Out [/u][/b]:[/size]

Installation:

Dig Dog Out downloads as a 37.3 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 business, so they make sure all software given away via the giveaway and gamegiveaway sites are thoroughly 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.

To register and install the game click on the orange colored icon. The installed game is 38.9 MB in size and installs to the following path by default:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Xing\Dig Dog Out (If the install path shows the last game giveaway installed you need to clear your internet cache) you'll also find a shortcut in the Start Menu for an uninstaller.

Dig Dog Out works on my Win 7 (64 bit) computer. My Win 8 machine hasn't been unpacked yet and I've not reinstalled Vista or XP yet.





Introduction:

Help Rex the Dog get rid of pesky vermin in his backyard! In this modern version of the classic arcade game you blast rodents, scorpions and other enemies while looking for Rex's buried bones.

Reference accessed HERE 12th Oct 2013

The Game:

A basic dig em up game with retro style graphics. You can find the games key bindings for playing the game via the main menu; just click on instructions. At the beginning of each level if there's something new introduced into the game you will be given a message for example:

Level 2 Bone under the Stone - be careful with the rocks when you take the bones.

You need to keep a record of each levels access code otherwise you will have to start the game from the beginning.



Controls:


Move/dig Left - Left Arrow

Move/dig Right - Right Arrow

Move/dig Up - Up Arrow

Move/dig Down - Down Arrow

Shoot Left - Z

Shoot right - X

Sound Off - F6

Sound On - F5

Suggestions to the developer:


1) ... Improve the graphic

2) ... Enable window mode

3) ... Include a level map so that players can see their progress


4) ... Include a levels editor so that you can create your own levels


5) ... Include power ups such as a shield to protect you from falling rocks

6) ... Include a timed and untimed mode

7) ... Add a better sound track rather than a very short loop

8) .... Include a high score table

9) ... Add achievements

Video:


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







Music:

You can change the music directly because the developer has used mp3 files for his music. The music file you need to change is bgsound.mp3 which is located via the following path (assuming you installed the game to its default position:

C:/Program files (x86)/Xing/Dig Dog Out/ bgsound.mp3

Make sure you rename the file you use to replace bgsound.mp3 to bgsound. :)

Minimum System Specifications:

Windows Vista, XP, 2000
Processor: 800 MHz
RAM: 128 Mb
Hard Drive: 50 Mb
Video Card: DirectX 8.1 Compatible

Conclusion:

A pretty basic game with retro graphics. Still, the game play is solid enough, though I'd agree with Mike below in that the dog moves quite sluggishly, but then, you wouldn't expect a digging dog to move rapidly through the ground. :) My advice is download and try it for yourself before you consider the negative comments.

You will need to use some strategies to collect all of the bones in later levels as they do get more complex and it's not a case of just digging to retrieve them. The dog can climb single blocks, but any more and he's stuck, so make sure you leave enough room to maneuver, and collect bones in the correct sequence, otherwise you won't be able to complete a level. There is an option for restarting, but you lose a life if you select that option.

There's no automatic saves with this game. you have to keep a record of each levels access code, which can then be inputted when you restart the game after a break. Level two's access code is 'easier'



Score:


Gameplay - 6
Graphics - 5
Replayability - 6
Originality - 5
Instructions/help - 6
Music - 4


Totals 32 out of 60 which is equivalent to 5.3 out of 10


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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Games, Games, and yet more Games plus Download, Installation & Game play Problems:


If you're looking for something other than today's game check the didimatic site via THIS link for some brilliant deals.

Steam weekend deals include 50 to 75% off Stardock titles (eg Demigod, Galactic civilizations I & II, sins of a solar Empire, The Political Machine 2012, Fallen enchantress), plus 75% off the Batman franchise and there's a free weekend with Chivalry: Medieval warfare; if you decide to purchase, it's 75% off (only £4.74). There's over 70 titles on sale at the moment via Steam including the 24hr sale, which is 50% off MotoGP13

You can find details of all these deals by following THIS link; then click on the specials tab.


There are plenty of deals over on the Green Man Gaming site plus 25% off selected titles. You'll find the deals HERE.


You'll find many more game deals from Gamersgate, Gamestop, and GOG; all of which you can find via the Didimatic site, which I've linked to above.

To be honest there are too many game deals around too list them all. Just visit the sites I recommend above and I'm sure you'll find something that suits you for a very decent price.


Check out the Game Discussion forums HERE for details of other games, either free or on deals such as the Indie Game bundles, (there's a brilliant one over on the Groupees site with around 30 games for only $12 as well as the Indie Gala and Humble Bundle Weekly sales or check out the four day sales at IndieGameStand.


The latest IndieGameStand game is Sky Nations, a multiplayer sandbox game set in a world of floating islands and air ships If you pay more than the average (which stood at $1.63 at the time of writing this) you'll also get extra skins. The game comes with a game key. You can also vote for the game to be Greenlit on Steam. If it does get Greenlit you'll get a Steam key. (Anyone who purchased the first IGS games 'Escape Goat' you'll find you now have a Steam key to add to your Steam library). You'll find the deal HERE. This deal ends on Wed 23rd Oct around 5am GMT.

There are small indie bundles available over at Indiebundle.org. Each bundle has three games and costs $5 each for the basic bundle plus a few dollars more for extra games. Check the Indie bundles HERE

There's also more Indie bundles available such as the Humble Bundle weekly sale, Indie Gala and Groupees bundles. You can find them all via the Game Discussion forums. All bundles are excellent value for money :). For most of these bundles you need not pay more than $5 for several games that would usually cost you a lot more. You'll find links to all of these bundles in the Game discussion forums HERE

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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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