The Actual "New" Feral Heart?

[darkknight]

[If this topic is similar to any other relevant topic, then I’m sorry for repeating someone else’s ideas.]

Hello, everyone! I’m an old time player and I haven’t been around in at least a few years. I’ve poked around the game and forum every so often from a force of habit and just to see how the community has been holding up. Hellos and introduction out of the way, allow me to go ahead to the topic, we’re busy people. (Also, I'm not anyone with any authority of Feral Heart, I'm just a player ).

Feral Heart has been around for a long time now. I am sure we’ve heard and said this a thousand times before, "we can’t change [-blank-] about the game because we don’t have the source code." After all this time, I can safely say the original creator is never coming back nor has any intention to allow access to the code.

Feral Heart is one of the few games I know that seem to be at a standstill. In an age of growing progress in technology and new talents coming up every day, you would think a community rich place like Feral Heart would make meaningful changes (yes, I know, there have been few changes, but hear me out). With all the limitations Feral Heart faces in its current and outdated state, why can’t Feral Heart simply be revamped? From the game engine, the models, the animations, everything.

These changes would include practically anything and everything the community has been asking for years. From providing central chats, different species, improved mechanics, services from reliable third parties, if needed be, etc. Feral Heart could finally be free from its “code” shackles, the community could, at last, receive the changes they’ve desired, and the longevity of both would be cemented.

What do you think? Do you agree that Feral Heart should receive a complete remake?
Do you think Feral Heart is fine as is?

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[Personal Opinion]: I would like Feral Heart to be like other games I enjoy. Even if the game developers are far from perfect, they still experiment with and build their games the best they can be. I feel like Feral Heart wants to do the same, but it feels like something keeps it back.

I see people create amazing game projects and even tried making my own. Then I think about Feral Heart and ask, "wow, how would Feral Heart be if they tried [-blank-] or added [-blank-]." I’m not saying Feral Heart should try to be like other games, but evolve over time as they do.

[LadySigyn]

I believe FH is perfect as it is. I mean, sure, some things could be improved but I don't think it'd be the same if it were to be remade. Revamping the game would take a long time, and although there may be improvements and things added into the game, it definitely would feel a whole lot different. The newest patch did change the feel slightly, only because we can't run around in the original maps anymore with others, but a whole revamp would affect it completely. Changes can be good in some sense, but a lot of people complained with the newest patch because the maps and some of the GUI is different, I don't think a lot of people would enjoy a whole new game. I'd miss it, myself. Feralheart is it's own game, and it may not be like others but it's unique as it is, and always has been. The staff have done what they can with what they have. And yes, they may not have the source code, but I think they're doing a fantastic job with still bringing out new patches, despite the original creator not being around, and I believe they'll bring it far in the future. You never know, things could change, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. c:

This topic has been addressed plenty of times, maybe not on here but it's been thrown around. It's an interesting idea but FH will always be unique in it's own way as a game.

[Valar.Morghulis]

I honestly don't think that FeralHeart needs any ''serious'' changes. The game is good as it is. A huge step in changing the game was the update. That's already a change and there will be more updates with more maps. People have been asking for revamp of old maps, which is possibly happening right now. As you probably saw, the Fluorite Plains map is being redone, at least from what we could tell in the sneak peek of the future update. Also, members have been posting a lot of great ideas in Game Opinions & Ideas section of the Forum. And I don't think that Staff is just looking at those posts and not doing anything about it. If many members agree with specific posts and ideas, It's very likely that the Staff will too. So therefore, I don't think that FeralHeart needs to be completely redone simply because slowly, these updates are coming our way and It's always a huge step and improvement for the game. c:

[Flurr]

I think FeralHeart is just right like it is now, and I don't think it would need any changes, besides the upcoming 1.2 patch. The update is very sweet of the staff to do for the community. The past has made some people angry, but we just gotta be happy with what we got. Also, the staff have been looking at people's ideas and many users think it is very interesting, but we might just get some of those ideas in the next upcoming patch. c: I personally think they should make some new maps and some new ones from the past and possibly bring back some older ones. The upcoming patch could bring lots of players into the FeralHeart building. We will have to wait until the patch comes out though, and something tells me it could come very soon. Overall, very interesting idea spikesos!

[darkknight]

[Quick Clarification / Reply]: I do hope I didn't seem rude or come off as negating what the community and staff have done over the years. It wasn't my intention because I do acknowledge what has been created, improved, and worked on. It in turn is how I ended up thinking about making the topic in the first place, because of the potential, so to speak. I appreciate the feedback so far and I'd love to receive as much as possible (if possible). I'm happy a few (or more) of you see something I may not or experience something I may haven't.

[Lucius]

I wish FeralHeart could be like other games. Not just for updates, but also to fix bugs and finish the planned components like movie maker, and making the in-game report button functional. With access to the game's source code, you could make moderation easier, and in some cases, even unnecessary. You could cater to a changing community with better features.

We've had a user try to port FeralHeart to the Unity engine, but apparently they encountered some "graphical" issue or something. Hasn't been explained well, and they've dropped the project. I've looked at tentatively trying to pick it up, but the link to the source code appears to be expired or removed, as it gives a 404 error.
Here is the thread, if you want to take a peek.

Another group of people have made a Tumblr dedicated to what they called "FeralHeart Redone", but were asked to stop the project by none other than KovuLKD himself, who provided a screenshot of the source code. It appears that while he isn't planning on updating the actual game, he does concern himself with shutting down remakes of it.
Again, you can find information about that right over here.

There also was a cloned source code (not the official one) of FeralHeart on KITO, posted by RedEye. I believe it was removed from the KITO forums and I don't know the official reason behind it, but the code still exists.

I don't believe that the staff would be willing to remake the game from scratch, especially since KovuLKD made it clear with his behavior that he doesn't want replicas of the game. It would also take a lot of effort and time to work on this, and the staff is already stretched short with their current numbers.

[WolfWorms]

I don't think you seemed rude! ;] It's an interesting topic to bring up. While I would love to see Feral Heart evolve further, I answered no to a remake, simply because I don't think it would have the same feel and nostalgia attached to it- Sigyn said it perfectly; it wouldn't be the same- though I can't say I would be truly upset about a Feral Heart remake.
If there were ever to be a remake, I think I would prefer if it stayed relatively the same and kept the same "style" (i.e. similar models, worlds, etc). It would allow the staff to have much more control over the game however, as they'd have access to the source code so larger additions could be added.
There's also the issue that Flurr brought up: changes to the game have often made players upset. While my opinion is more neutral, others might not appreciate larger changes.

[Nephrite]

I'd love to see updates come to FeralHeart, although I do agree that I don't want to see it get a complete makeover! I've also thought about why the game couldn't just be "cloned", essentially, so that we can still continue to get updates. I'd love to see certain bugs fixed, or new models added, like an equine or bird model of some sort. I feel like it's a whole lot easier said than done, and if it were a simple matter then it might have already been done.

I also didn't know the things that Lucius mentioned, so I'm sure that the way that KovuLKD has responded to the FHR project has factored into it somehow. I'm not sure why they wouldn't share the source code if they have no intentions of ever updating the game–but who knows what could happen someday. :0 I'd love to see something a bit new with FH, but still retaining the same nostalgia that we all love.

[Shally]

There's nothing wrong with having thoughts and opinions about how a game might be improved, we're always interested on hearing what members think can make this community/game better.

However, as many have already said it's rarely easy. No matter what new changes we might make there's always gonna be those who're not happy about those changes - this is alright too, not everyone like changes. But it's never that easy as in just changing things and believe everyone will be thrilled about it.

When it comes to all the talk about the source code it's so much more complicated then I'm gonna be able to explain; first of all to work with the source code (if we'd have it), you need to be able to actually understand this code and work with it - it's not a given that anyone has this knowledge.
Then there's that thing with showing some respect to LKD who might not want any sort of a "re-worked" FeralHeart, even if he left this community years ago.
Of course we, the staff, also see things that'd be amazing if we could improve, like Lucius mentions; bugs, unfinished things, etc.

No matter how many conspiracy theories that's out there, our hands are still tied when it comes to doing any huge changes, and personally I wouldn't want to rebuild FeralHeart from scratch - also as some said I believe it might destroy the soul of this little game. But that doesn't mean your wishes or thoughts are wrong in any way!
We all have the right to have different opinions, as long as we respect eachother and those different opinions. <3

[Michen_S]

Lemme just say this, we would benefit from actually having the source code. There have been some great suggestions that would require the resource code to implement. I'm actually surprised with how far the staff has come without it! But a complete remake for FeralHeart, v2? I don't think that'll be necessary for this roleplaying game.