Cool Herders Demo versus Cool Herders Commercial

DC Tonic

The Cool Herders Demo was essentially a tech demo to show off what KOS and a couple of people could do with three weeks of work. The original demo contains artwork by Brendan Wiese and programming by Mike Brent, and was distributed on the DC Tonic CD in 2000.

This version had a single stage, and the 'classic' herder in four colors. There was no scoring or time limit, and no powerups. The background was static and the stage ended when all sheep were collected. It had the classic title page of the herder chasing a happy sheep. The game could not detect controllers in real time and so a 'rescan' option was needed when controllers were added or removed. There was a single tune used throughout, and a win jingle to go with it. (This is because an ingame tune that was composed was not ready in time, so the title music was repeated.) All music is played back in S3M format. Despite appearances, the computer implements absolutely NO Artificial Intelligence!

This version has a 2001 copyright date and a link to mtsdhq.com (now taken over by squatters). It may be freely distributed but not sold. The code is licensed GPL (though the art and music are not), and is available on the DC Tonic CD.

HarmlessLion (old)

In 2002 the demo was briefly revisited. Programmer-drawn powerups were added, changing the play style, along with other very minor tweaks. The game was released standalone without the need for DC Tonic. No other changes were made.

This version has a 2001 copyright date and a link to tursi.yiffco.com (also obsolete). It may be freely distributed but not sold.

Commercial Release

The commercial release is very nearly a complete rewrite of the code. It contains almost entirely new artwork, a complete new soundtrack, better balancing, true AI, many more stages, tons of game options, unlockable secrets, multi- and single-player modes, challenge stages, and more. The tracker music is completely replaced with OGG playback. Scores and level timers were also added.

The commercial release is handled by GOAT Store Publishing, and is available commercially from GOAT Store directly, and from Lik Sang. The title page now shows Zeus and his sheep Chrys, with Iskur looming in the background. The copyright date is 2005 and links to www.harmlesslion.com. This version is commercial and may not be duplicated or distributed without written permission from HarmlessLion or GOAT Store Publishing.

GOAT Games Demo (tentative)

The upcoming GOAT Games compilation is scheduled to include a Cool Herders demo. This is a cut-down version of the full commercial release, and includes three multiplayer levels and the first world of Story mode. No secrets are present. This version is commercial and may not be duplicated or distributed without written permission from HarmlessLion or GOAT Store Publishing. This product is not yet released and specifications or availability are subject to change.

HarmlessLion (new)/Scenedicate2/Sandman vol.1

A further scaled down demo was released for HarmlessLion, Scenedicate2 and Sandman Vol 1. This is based on the GOAT Games Demo version, but removes story mode and has different multiplayer levels available. Each version has a different set of players and stages available. The HarmlessLion version, which includes New Zealand, is free for distribution but not for sale. The other versions, including the Disco and Toy Factory levels respectively, may only be distributed with their respective discs. (Scenedicate2 and Sandman Vol1 are not yet released and specifications or availability are subject to change.)

Comparison (note: assumes all unlockables found on commercial version)

	DC Tonic	HL old	GOAT Games	HL new / Scenedicate / Sandman	Commercial
# Music	2	2	8	6	15 + 3 bonus
# Stages	1	1	3	3	24
# Characters	1	1	3	3	12
# Players	4	4	4	4	4
Story Mode	No	No	Yes - 1 world	No	Yes - 6 worlds, 2 difficulty modes
AI	Random	Random	Fixed	Fixed	Adjustable
Animated Stages	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Powerups	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Score	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
VMU Support	Random pictures displayed	Random pictures displayed	High scores and selected character display	Random pictures displayed	High scores, story mode progress, unlockables, and selected character display.
Play Options	Enable/Disable Computer players	Enable/Disable Computer Players	None	None	Enable/Disable Computer players, Enable/Disable Powerups, AI adjust, Sheep Speed, Timer, Win conditions, and two secrets!
Secrets	None	None	None	None	Lots!
Bonuses	None	None	None	None	Audio CD soundtrack on disc, lots of unlockable secrets and extras

Cool Herders