News

5-Jan-2014

Cruz has been running on the site for a while now; I hadn't given it much thought until recently. So, without much new to offer, I figured I would post a retrospective about the making of Cruz.

So here it is: Retrospective on the Making of Cruz.

This should answer most outstanding questions.

10-Jul-2012

Long time, no update! I certainly haven't forgotten about this site, so don't worry.

I neglected to post a strategy guide; that has been fixed. View the Strategy Guide here.

I have discovered that updates to Windows, Flash player, etc. have started to impact this game's performance and quality. Mainly, one of the game's fonts was incomprehensibly removed from the Flash player's support, forcing me to replace it. Also, I have given you the ability to play the game in 800x600 view, since 640x480 seems a bit small on people's monitors nowadays.

While I do thank everyone for their support, I believe Cruz has gotten less exposure than it deserves. In the coming weeks, I will be posting playthroughs on YouTube for various Kroz episodes played in the Cruz engine. Most people's videos of Kroz reflect a complete misunderstanding of the game, letting it run with too-fast emulation and massive frustration on the part of the game player.

Let's show the world how Kroz is done right.

25-Sep-2011

It's done! The full version of Cruz is now playable on this site! Knock yourselves out.

To see a full list of all the new features, view the last news post, listed below. From autosaves and configurable options to a set of global high score lists, the game is now full-featured and ready to be played.

CruzEditor is also now available as a free download! Click here to download it. The installer has everything you need to start developing your own adventures for the game. For more information, view the main page for CruzEditor.

In case you are wondering, you won't find Cruz on every Flash portal site right away. Unlike other attempts to port Kroz to the online world, Cruz juggles a lot of online resources, which increases the integration time.

Got suggestions for the game or its editor? Visit the discussion page.

13-Sep-2011

I recently completed the draft for the final level in Cruz! There is still a substantial integration effort to perform for the full version, but this should not take long.

Areas of the game that were rough around the edges before will be smoothed over. Like...

  • An autosave feature, which can be used instead of the password system.
  • An options menu, which lets you configure things like pan, zoom, sound, music, and speed.
  • A medal system, tracked only on specific sites like NewGrounds.com, which provides a system of special challenge points or accomplishments not critical to winning an episode, but more for bragging rights.
  • Fully-functioning high-score lists, which are recorded for individual episodes. You compete with everyone else in the world for high scores.
  • Improved click-to-move controls. The main innovations here are better movement in sideways levels and a destination-calculation system for pushed boulders.
  • Custom-game text box will be enabled, allowing the user to run custom Cruz games.
  • Ability to enter cheat codes.

At the time the full version is released, I will simultaneously release CruzEditor to the public. This is a development kit that includes the Adobe AIR application for editing the Cruz XML files, documentation for the Cruz format, and a special version of the game designed to run locally for testing.

It will be interesting to see what "custom Kroz" games people will make!

19-Aug-2011

All game objects designed! There are about 25 more levels of the game to design, and after that, some touching-up of a variety of features.

The purple worms have turned out to be one of the most frightening and memorable parts of the game. You are sometimes put in the uncomfortable position of having a worm swallow a monster who had taken a key from you...and the only way to regain the key is to let the worm swallow you, dive down its digestive track, fetch the key, and escape before you are fully digested!

I also decided to introduce an "NES chiptune" version of the puzzle theme as one of the tracks. I've experimented with FamiTracker software, and you'd be surprised how easily you can turn a MIDI into a chiptune.

The full version of the game, when released to NewGrounds.com, will also support medals. Many games, many secrets, and therefore, many medals to collect. Should be fun!

8-Jul-2011

At the present time, most of the game objects in Cruz are complete. Half the levels (about 80 of them) have been play-tested and are in working order.

The game character giving me the most trouble is the purple worm. You might remember this character as a fearsome Nethack enemy that swallows and digests you within seconds. In Cruz, purple worms don't follow the same rules as in that game, since they can grow to enormous size, and each section has a life of its own if the worm is split apart.

For this reason, the programming has been fairly intensive, with little yet to show for my efforts. But the end is in sight: only 2 more game characters to implement, both much simpler than the purple worm.

At over 160 levels, The Underground Empire of Cruz will become the definitive marathon of Kroz-style gaming!

3-Jun-2011

I've taken some time to reflect on people's comments regarding Cruz. I submitted the demo to NewGrounds; you can play it and vote for it here: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/569388

Some great feedback! None of the comments were deal-breakers, so I'll be focusing mostly on improving the odds and ends of the game. Eventually, I'll complete the full version in the upcoming months.

The full version will have many new characters: exploding enemies, foes with their own whips, lava-dropping salamanders, and worms that swallow you whole. Until then, speak your mind to chris@chriskallen.com.

4-May-2011

A minor bug fix for the game--quake traps now drop rock on red enemies. It was a barely noticeable mistake, but it makes a difference for some levels that depend on crashing enemies into dropped breakables, since there might be no room to place the wall if at least some of them aren't crushed.

There are several different sites that could possibly host the Cruz demo, and eventually, the full version. I am in the midst of considering which ones. If you have any suggestions, please mention them to chris@chriskallen.com.

19-Apr-2011

A new feature to Cruz! There is now a RETRO MODE for Cruz available.

RETRO MODE is the same game as Cruz, except many of the character models have been swapped out with those resembling the original Kroz graphics. If you've never played Kroz, you probably won't be impressed, but if you really want Cruz to "look" like Kroz, RETRO MODE is for you!

16-Apr-2011

Proudly launching the Official Cruz Site. The demo of Cruz is featured here.

What is Cruz? It's a Flash game that allows you to play all the original Kroz games in your web browser, from Kingdom to Lost Adventures, with a more modern spin...

  • Improved graphics and animation
  • Classic sound effects, reconstituted from original PC speaker sound
  • A brand-new soundtrack
  • A whole new adventure: The Underground Empire of Cruz
  • Numerous gameplay improvements
  • Improved controls, such as mouse click-to-move

This game would not be possible without Apogee's decision to release the Kroz source code as freeware in 2009. This allowed us to rebuild the game into something much more entertaining and better-looking, while adhering to the original gameplay characteristics and level designs as closely as possible.

Cruz will not disappoint!

This page is Copyright © 2012 Christopher Allen.