Feed The Ducks

Chat/Game Page Redesign -Now Launched!

2009-05-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

We’re very excited to announce that the new chat/game page redesign will be launching soon after almost four months of work. I thought I’d give you guys a sneak peak!

We’ve rebuilt chat from the ground up and it now works quite differently from before, so it’s not just a shiny coat of paint. Some notable new features:

*Reduced lag/faster load times
*Game info (description, instructions, rating, etc) and achievement info as tabs in chat area
*Better chat profile (more info, recent badges displayed)
*Better room changer (integrated into chat area, favorite rooms, rooms organized by language, room descriptions)
*Better PMs (link to PM when you rollover a name, reply link on all PMs received, error messages if you PM someone offline)
*Friends online list integrated into chat
*Developer collaboration (just display to start with, we’ll add revenue share/D icons next)
*Better scrolling
*Support for non-unicode characters (Chinese, Japanese, Russians, Koreans, Israelis, etc can rejoice)
*The below game area of the chat is also getting a light redesign

(Orignally posted by Emily_Greer. Thought I would post to new members to the community. Sorry the pictures are a little small but you will live)

Click the images for them to get larger.

New Kongregate Version! (CR 2009.05.20)

2009-05-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

New Kongregate version already? Yup, it’s true. Our developers are on fire! [insert NBA Jam announcer for anyone who’s old enough to know what I’m talking about] We’ve got a few new features as well as some bug fixes, mostly focused on getting our chat rock-solid and packed with cool stuff. We hope everyone enjoys!

As always, please feel free to add comments, questions, and suggestions to this thread.

I’ve included the newest changelog below, though you can also view the full (non-incremental) one at any time here.

CR 2009.05.19

Users:

- Fixed a bug where you couldn’t post messages with a " in it (this was actually patched last week as a quick fix rather than with a full deploy).

- You will now get an error explaining a session conflict or expiration in chat, which happens when you log in to another chat window or tab with the same username.

- We’ve added some new tracking statistics to help us debug any remaining connection issues that users are having. If you’re still having problems connecting, please check out my sticky either in the Kongregate forum or the Tech Support forum.

- You will now no longer be told you have a high score of “0” on newer games without high scores recorded yet.

- If you are using a version of Flash that will not work on the site (we support only Flash 9 or later) you will now be prompted to update your Flash player on games pages.

- For any Reddit users, when you use a Reddit link from a game it will now automatically submit to the gaming sub-Reddit section.

- Removed a problem that was causing issues with our lightbox registration in Opera.

- The Achievements tab will now automatically highlight your easiest unachieved badge on a game.

- Fixed a bug causing some people’s scores to be totaled with one badge’s points missing. Also ran a script to run through and fix any scores that were wrong, so everyone’s totals should be right now.

- New AFK feature! If you’ve been idle in chat for 15 minutes, your name will be grayed out in the userlist to show that you are currently away from your keyboard. It will automatically come back when you chat again or send a PM.

- Added a new feature that allows you to see how many people have earned each badge. Now you can know how truly awesome you are for having sat through the entire Balloon Invasion impossible badge (screenshot below).

- Last, but not least, back by popular demand: /msg! We have re-enabled /msg as a method of sending PMs to users. Sadly, we now have to remove the “No MSG” sticker from our label. :-(

Link to thread where this was posted

(I did not make this, Phoenix00017 did, Just thought I would post it to let you all know, if you don't check the forums or are just not smart enough to see the changes on your own.)

[2 posts in a row! z0mg]

Kyle94

2009-05-21T12:11:00.001-07:00

Hello, Just thought I would post a blog and let you all know that I have been accepted into this wonderful little blog. It's Kyle94 from Kongregate, thanks for letting me participate in this blog! ♥

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T18:29:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot to post this! Be it late, have a merry Christmas everyone! And don't forget to feed some local ducks.

The Truth About Feed the Ducks

2008-10-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, here's the truth.

A long time ago there was a creepy old man, he sat at the park and fed the ducks, but he was not the only one. There was also this old lady, and she fed the ducks, also. And then there was this dad who brought his little girl and they fed the ducks.

One day the ducks decided that they needed more than only a few supporters, so they got up and asked the creepy old man, the old lady, and the dad and his kid if they could spread the word of duck feeding. They all responded warily, like: "well, how do we do that?". But one of them, the girl, said... I know how. They knew she was the one.

The ducks brought her into her cave and after a long inspirational montage they had fulfilled their objective. The little girl known as Becca was now a Duck-Girl.

Now, Ducklette the Duck-Girl goes around spreading the word of feeding the ducks. To this day, the amount of duck-feeders has gone up 45%.

Thank you, Ducklette. For the ducks.

2008-10-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

Not made by me, but a good lesson

Karoshi: Suicide Salryman Walkthrough!

2008-10-22T13:56:00.001-07:00

Y HALO THAR EVERY1, it's time for a walkthrough.

First off, the goal of Karoshi is to kill your self. Arrow keys to move and space to shoot (if you have a gun). Let's get started!

49. IMPALE yourself on the spikes. If you can't beat this... Well, you suck. =/

48. Push the safe off the ledge so you can get up on the second ledge. IMPALE yourself.

47. Push the button so the safe falls. Push the safe onto the button, and IMPALE yourself.

46. Push a button. Jump up and push the safe over 'till it's directly above the button on the right. Push the button that the safe is over. CRUSH.

45. Don't hit the button just yet. Push the safe under the other safe first. Push Mr. Button, then push the bottom safe so that the top one CRUSHes you.

44. Get the pewpewpew gun. Jump and shoot until you get the safe off of the ledge. Use it to jump onto the ledge. IMPALE.

43. Shoot into the pink slope. Your bullet will bounce. Jump into the bullet when it comes pass. BLAM!

42. This one's a bit tricky. Shoot the safe (using the slopes) so that it will fall on you. CRUSH.

41. Stand on first ledge, and shoot 2 bullets really fast. If it worked, push the safe over to the wall, and IMPALE.

40. Bounce on Mr. Spring and shoot the pink block. Try to aim yourself into a bullet. BLAM!

39. See 40. It's almost the exact same thing, except a little trickier.

38. Shoot the boom blocks. Study where the safe lands, and restart so that you can CRUSH yourself. (note: explosions don't kill you.)

37. Push the boom block on the ledge so that it continues the boom chain over the block. Satand over the safe, and you will get CRUSHED.

36. Push the safe over to the edge of the boom blocks. Shoot the booms, and the safe will jumpo to the next group. Repeat, and stand under the safe so you get CRUSHED.

35. Walk through the side of the screen. Jump up, and IMPALE yourself.

34. Push the safe all the way to the right. Hit the button on the right.go back, and jump up so that you can push the very top safe. Push it through the switch, but NOT ONTO THE BUTTON. Use it to jump over the wall, and ELECTRIFY yourself.

33. Get the gun, and shoot the switch while on the left side to ELECTRIFY yourself.

32. Push the safe onto the safe switch (looks like a sideways [). Push the boom block next to the safe, while it still staying on the shock floor. Jump down and flip the switch. Stand under the safe to get CRUSHED.

31. Clear the safes out of the way by shooting them to the right. Once you break the wooden block, shoot bullets to try and hit yourself in that corridor.

30. IMPALE yourself.

29. Shoot through the wooden blocks. Jump up the ledges and shoot through the wooden blocks holding the safe. Run quickly over to get CRUSHED.

28. Jump down and shoot the pink blocks with at least 1 bullet. This will take a few tries. Push the button so the the safe falls on your side, CRUSHING you.

27. Run off the left side of the screen and shoot. Run back past the right side to hit yourself. BLAM!

26. Jump up and push the top safe onto the button on the left. Push the other safe onto the box button. Don't even bother with the third safe. Fall while shooting the wooden block and quickly running under it, getting you CRUSHED.

25. Push the boom block to the left off of the button blocks, but not off the ledge. Push the safe onto the button box and press the button so it falls. Push the boom block over to the wooden block and shoot it so it explodes. Pull the switch and head down. Push the safe onto the box button and ELECTRIFY yourself.

24. Jump and shoot the gun to push the safe over the ledge. Quickly run under it to get CRUSHED.

23. Shoot a bullet into the slope. Now, rapidly shoot bullets at the safe, pushing it to the right. When it lands on the button, IMPALE yourself.

22. Shoot rapidly before you hit the button, making the boom that just fell explode. Sprint over to under the safe to get CRUSHED.

21. Carefully shoot the safe so that it doesn't fall in a pit, yet your bullet hits it. When it hits the button, IMPALE yourself.

20. You can fall down the pit. Shoot the safes onto the buttons and IMPALE yourself.

19. Run over the button, shoot VERY VERY quickly, so that you kill yourself with a BLAM!

18. A test of speed. get CRUSHED.

17. Push the safe onto the box button. Walk through the left side of the screen, and IMPALE yourself.

16. Jump up the platforms. Notice you can jump off the top of the screen. Jump onto that ceiling block and IMPALE yourself.

15. Jump up the first 2 platforms. Jump off the left side onto the rightmost platform. Pull the switch, and ELECTRIFY yourself.

14. Hold right. ELECTRIFICATION!

13. Push the button. Press R. You'll be teleported over to the next room. Repeat until you can ELECTRIFY yourself. Now we're getting to the FUN levels. :D

12. Find the real spike. It's in the lower right. IMPALE yourself.

11. In this level you jump higher with every jump. Grab the gun, and shoot the pink blocks for a BLAM!

10. Tap left vvveeerrryyy slowly or else a wall will appear. Impalement!

9. Push down the boom block and shoot it to knock off the safe into an endless loop follow it, and you'll eventually be CRUSHED.

8. This is hard to explain, but try to get hit by a falling EXPLOSION.

7. Take one step to the right, and press "K" on your key board. CRUSHING! :D

6. Don't move. SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION! :D

5. Controls are simply reversed. Make your way up the platforms, and IMPALE yourself.

4. Click to make a block. Jump your way up with these created blocks to IMPALE yourself.

3. This is the best level ever. In it, your mouse is an invisible block. Work in conjunction of keyboard and mouse to get the safe to the button, and IMPALE yourself.

2. Press "return to menu" in the upper left corner. SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION! :D

1. Oh noes! The girl at the top is shooting hearts. AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS. The square randomly jumps around. Try to get it to CRUSH you. If you get hit by a heart, you'll have to repeat this level 'till your heart count is 1 again.

Congratulations! You've just beaten Karoshi! Have a good day, and enjoy the unexpected ending.

2008-10-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

Art by GHXpert59, great job :)

-PERMABAN-

2008-09-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

Hi it's Slappy. I think some or most of you know I was permabanned last night on my request. I will be back on kong someday, but not anytime soon. I will miss you all alot. I am happy, but sad in the same way. I love Kong, and like I said, I'll be back ;)

If you want to email me, my email is coltonmon@yahoo.com

Huggles!
-Slappy

Duckeh's an admin!

2008-09-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

Y very special Kongrats there!

Yes, if you haven't heard yet, ducklette has been promoted to an admin. And even though that means that she won't be in the room as often, we still give her our obligatory "Y GRATS THAR" and "Grats", and "Kongrats". We hope you enjoy it, duck!

P.S. I feel this post needs an image... To google!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I am the ghost of stolen posts :O

Seriously though, Ducky gets my kongrats, and likely my "abusive mod" e-mail XD

I'll just have to watch the pond a bit closer now that her time is limited.

Yes I did hijack it just so that I wouldn't have to comment.

Two posts in a row?! -- ZOMG

2008-09-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

Alright, now that I'm done with my challenge review, I'm going to get cracking on my second review. Of the day.

A day or two ago, awalters asked me if I would like to do the "underrated game review" of the week. I happily accepted, as he was going to do it on one of my personal favorite games on Kongregate -- Zwingo.

So, let's get this thing rolling.

Zwingo, essentially, is a game where you swing a white ball into other black balls, to protect a larger white ball in the center. However, it's a lot harder than it seems. There's fifty-five levels in this game, and the difficulty escalates with the levels. And, there's a boss every ten levels, which, are actually very tough to beat.

Back to the mechanics of the game.
.
Here's what you are trying to do: (In more detail.) You, are the cursor. The semi transparent circle, which, in the first five seconds of playing, you'll find out you can control with the mouse. Attached to your cursor, is a white ball. This white ball is held on with a string. As you move the cursor, the white ball gets yanked around, seeing as it's connected to the cursor. There are other balls in the game as well. One of which is the most common, the enemy ball. These are black colored, and they are the bad things in this game. You don't want those things, so you must smash the white ball (on the string) into the black balls. The black balls are trying to hit a larger white ball in the center of the stage. That large white ball is inside a boundary, and if it leaves that boundary, you get a game over. I know this may sound a little confusing if you've never played the game, but that's why I've attached a screenshot to show you the battlefield:

As you can see, there's the large white ball, the cursor, the smaller white ball, and an enemy ball. Those are the basic parts of the screen. You'll also notice the XP meter (Which I'll get to in a bit), the level counter, and the score counter.

Moving on, like I said earlier, every ten levels you'll encounter a boss. These things are very difficult, and must be dealt with quickly, or it's almost a certain game over. The good news is, the bosses get their own separate levels; you don't have to deal with the boss and the normal black enemy balls.

Here's a screenshot of the first boss battle.

That black ball with the blue lens is the boss. You'll notice the health bar for the boss at the top of the screen, as well. These things can't just be pushed off the screen, each time you hit them, you deplete a little health, and you must deplete all of it's health before it finally goes down. Now, at the beginning of a boss level, go to the bottom of the screen, and get ready to strike as hard as you can.

Because, as I have so contingently forgotten to mention earlier, the harder you hit an enemy/boss, the more damage you'll do. And, not to mention, the more EXP you'll get to spend on precious upgrades.

Which brings me to my next subject: Upgrades. After every level, the upgrade menu opens up. You can buy upgrades with the experience you've earned killing enemies. There are four upgrades:

Speed: The speed at which the white ball your cursor is attached to moves.
Size: The overall size and strength of the white ball attached to your cursor.
Boundary: Increases the size of the boundary that you must keep the white ball in.
Target Size: It increases the size of the larger white ball in the center, making it harder to keep in the boundary, but give it much more resistant to enemy balls hitting it.

The first two upgrades are dependent upon each other; If you upgrade the speed of the ball too much, it makes it too small and hard to control to hit anything, and if you increase the Size too much, the ball becomes sluggish and hard to control. The same can be said about the bottom two. However, if you upgrade the pairs at relatively the same consistency, they will work in perfect harmony and improve your performance in the game.

Well, that about sums up Zwingo. My final rating for this game is an 8/10. Here's a quick breakdown of my rating:

Pros:
- Awesome music
- Great physics
- Fantastic upgrade system.

Cons:
- Gets repetitive after a while.
- IMO, the bosses are a tad bit too hard.

Alright, I suppose that's the end of my review on Zwingo. Sorry about that huge wall of text, by the way, I'm just naturally a very elaborative writer. X_X

~PlatinumIce

Yay, moar challenge reviews.

2008-09-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

Alright, as BlahMan stated, in the past while we've been pretty lazy. X_X But now we've got back on the routine. Let's get straight down to the good stuff, shall we?

This week's Thursday challenge is on our latest sponsor game: Battalion: Nemesis. This game is a turn based strategy game, much like Advance Wars.

Now, be forewarned, on some computers, this game may severely lag you. (It did me, It forced me to restart my computer. Twice. X-X) But, if you have one of those lightning fast computers, don't worry, you'll be in for an awesome time.

If you've ever played Advance Wars, this game will be nothing new to you, and you'll probably beat most of it with ease. If you haven't, I suggest you play through Boot Camp, to learn the basics. And even if you know how to play, it's worth playing through Boot Camp, as you'll get 15 points, and a medium badge.

Alright, enough about the game, let's get to the part where I talk about the challenge.

This challenge is for Girdle of Iron Will. A valuable card to some, so don't pass the opportunity to get this card up!

All you must do to get this card is kill 50 enemies. It can be done on any map, any difficulty setting. Not too hard. I, defeated 15 of those fifty in the first three or four levels of Boot Camp. So, playing through Boot Camp has yet ANOTHER bonus. ;D

I, myself, have not got the card yet, so I can't really provide any tips of interest. (I don't have the card because of that lag problem I mentioned earlier. XO) All I can tell you is play through boot camp, and you should have the majority of the enemies killed.

Good luck, and have fun on that battlefield!

~PlatinumIce

Getting back on track - Vector Runner review

2008-09-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

First off, PI and I have been really lazy about this, so, we're (well, at least I am) getting back on track.

This weeks Monday/Tuesday challenge is Vector Runner, by DigYourOwnGrave.

Now, this is NOT a game that supposed to take you 3 hours to beat. It's a retro style game. The object of the game is to avoid obstacles while moving forward and collecting items. But, there's a twist. The speed picks up every 20-or-so seconds, zooming in until you can't really see all of the terrain anymore, which is one of my main gripes about the game. Still, it's a fun game. The powerups are +500 (green), +1000 (purple [get 10 for a badge!]), invincibility (white), and shield recharge (blue). Overall, I gave it a 4/5, for zooming in so freaking much. >_<

I don't have tips for the challenge, as it's waaaaaay too easy. I have tips for the imp though. Whites often come in sequences, so try and get as many in a row as you can.

Until next time, Kwek kwek!
~BlahMan

P.S. Awalters hates this game.

Interview with Chibi_Rock_Lee

2008-09-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

It took longer than expected but we finally have our first interview done and ready to go up. Minor changes were made such as spelling and game names, but otherwise this is the interview that was done by Slappy12 on the FTDinterview account.

FTDinterview: When did you join the site?

Chibi_Rock_Lee: About late January

FTDinterview: What got you hooked?

Chibi_Rock_Lee: The Badges I have always loved collecting things

FTDinterview: Could you give us a brief history of your time on kong?

Chibi_Rock_Lee: well I started in Arcane Coding and made some friends and got the hang of Kongregate then I saw the van in one of wizky's games and saw a lot of mods there so I decided to move, I made friends with ducky and awal mostly ducky though and then she made a room and I joined it and here we are today.

FTDinterview: What do you think about the new ticket challenge idea?

Chibi_Rock_Lee: Fail. I dislike competitions like that because I never win and I’m sad if I don’t.

FTDinterview: How do you like the FtD blog?

Chibi_Rock_Lee : Its great, perfect for the FtD competitions and comments on the room, Kong or anything. It is just another way to access my friends.

FTDinterview: Would you change anything about it?

Chibi_Rock_Lee: Yes. I would change the comments button to make it easier to see >:/

FTDinterview: How do you like the interview idea?

Chibi_Rock_Lee: I like it a lot, I can answer questions about myself and Kongregate, and it will show people what I’m thinking and what I think about.

FTDinterview: What are some of your favorite games on Kong?

Chibi_Rock_Lee: There's Two Wires, GemCraft and Free Rider

FTDinterview: Any games that you don't like quite as much that you wonder why they got badges?

Chibi_Rock_Lee: Desktop Tower Defense, Jumpcat, Streamline

FTDinterview: How did you like buried treasure week?

Chibi_Rock_Lee: I thought it was a great idea! Some games were meant to be buried though, like Jumpcat, but The Last Canopy was amazing, I’m glad they did that, I needed the point boost plus more badges. I also like the fact that it brought up so many good games I would have missed.

FTDinterview: Would you like to see it done again?

Chibi_Rock_Lee: Definitely. Maybe throw in an impossible badge next time. You know, for awalters.

FTDinterview: Do you have any buried treasures (with or without API) to share with us?

Chibi_Rock_Lee: Yes. Whooly & The lost Treasures, and There's Two Wires

FTDinterview: Do you play Kongai, and if so what types of combos have you thought of that others might not have?

Chibi_Rock_Lee: My poison layer. Put the deadly poison on Popo, use Herbal Preparations twice, and then use poison dart.

FTDinterview: Any other comments?

Chibi_Rock_Lee: Rave sucks, NUT>Kong Tour, MCR forever and *removed* is the formula for a chatnuke

FTDinterview: Did you really want to be interviewed?

Chibi_Rock_Lee: Yes

FTDinterview: Thank you for your time.

First Official Weekly Art Contest!

2008-08-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to announce the First Official Weekly Art Contest! First of all, the theme for this week is... *drumroll*

DUCKS!

Submissions start NOW! Accepted art includes essentially anything and everything, whether it is a picture or a comic or an animation, as long as it goes with this week's theme! To submit your entry, email me at "flare-x@live.com". The deadline for all submissions will be Thursday. For this contest, it would be Thursday, September 4th.

Judging will take place every Friday, the day after the deadline. The judges will be awalters, Ducklette, ChaosFlame, Mistee/Mistress, and myself. Every entry will be given a score out of 10 from each judge, and the entry with the highest total score gets 1st place, followed by 2nd, 3rd, and runner-up.

These rules will be the same for every contest. If you have any additional questions, feel free to meail me or ask in the comments :)

The Snake Game

2008-08-27T12:19:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow Feeder of the Ducks! This is Mistee with today's non badge game review.

Sometimes you want to play a game that's easy, that requires little skill, and even less brain work.

Today's review is for The Snake Game.

Snake used to be a must have back in the day on basic cell phones and provided many hours (ok minutes) of enjoyment while waiting at the doctor. There are quite a few Snake games on Kongregate, but so far I have found this one to be the best.

The basic graphics bring you back to the old phone days and unlike other snake games, you can actually go through the walls.

Check it out and waste some time!

Bug Report: at the end of the game, the screen is too small for it to show your score. =(

Weekly Art Contest!

2008-08-27T11:16:00.002-07:00

Hey, this is Flare_x, moderator and Feed the Ducks regular! I was thinking about a weekly art contest, and this is how it would go.

Every week there would be a theme for the art contest, and FtD regulars would submit art via email. Then, several judges including myself will decide the winners, and announce 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, along with a runner up. Along with the winners, the next theme will be announced, as chosen by readers.

Specifics and other stuff can always be decided on later. You can volunteer to be a possible judge in the comments, but that doesn't guarantee you will be one.

So, I'd just like some input on the idea. Thanks!

Kongai Review!

2008-08-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

First review. :P

"Kongregate’s long-awaited collectible card game! Greg says, "Card-based tag-team, rock-paper scissors Street Fighter with +10 awesomeness 5/5.""

Behold! The long-awaited game of KONGAI! The testing for this amazing game has been going on for a LONG time... Now, it has been unleashed on the world...

Pros: It will keep you occupied for quite a while, and there are thousands of strategies you can use to destroy your opponent. There are many cards to collect, and it will keep you waiting for the next one.

Cons: The gameplay is too repetitive. I mean, come now. JUST fighting with cards? It needs to have maybe a storyline... Something to accomplish... After you have all the cards and beat everyone, there really is NOTHING to do.

CF's Rating: 4.5/5 It needs more...

Mod's Minute

2008-08-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

Hey Slappy12 again! Alright, im doing a new thing on the blog called Mod's Minute.

Alright so every week Ducklette and awalters will pick one overlooked game, tell us about it, and give us their rating.

Also, since PlatinumIce and BlahMan will be doing the weekley challenge reviews, awalters is doing the interview, him and Ducklette will alternate weeks. That will give us a variety of weekley things.

Please leave a comment and tell me what u think!

Weekly Challenge Reviews -- Thursday

2008-08-15T10:24:00.001-07:00

Alright, so, as BlahMan said the other day, me and him are doing reviews on the weekly challenges. I do the Thursday one, and Blah does the Monday/Tuesday one.

So, today's challenge is on the game "Brute Wars"

So, Brute Wars is a unique strategy game, in which you control animals in a turn based combat system. You can't really explain how to play the game in one paragraph, so I highly suggest you read the instructions in the game. They aren't all instructions, they also include a couple jokes. ;). Anyway, when you start off, you get six animals, and you can change one of those animals for another randomly chosen animal. Each animal has different attack ranges, Elements (CLANS), and stats, so try as many out as you can. It's combat system, though unique, is simple, you click on your animal to attack the enemies animal, if it's within your range. And, you can use magic. No game would be complete without magic. ;D.

Alright, the actual "Challenge" part for Brute Wars is "Brutally Easy" (u c wut i did thar?). You only need to complete three campaign battles. I, myself, had read all the instructions, played four or five "Free Battles", and beat two battles in campaign, in a little over thirty minutes. This challenge will be fairly easy, it just might take a little more time than other challenges.

I will leave you with one tip, though, I recommend getting at least a couple of the "double arrow" attacking animals, they come in handy. ;D

Well, there you go. My part of our biweekly Challenge Reviews.

*feeds the ducks*
~PlatinumIce

Weekly Competition #1

2008-08-14T22:40:00.000-07:00

It is now time for the first ever Feed the Ducks weekly competition. I have decided that this weeks' game for the competition is going to be Punk-o-Matic.

Here's how it's going to work:

You must make a song. Post the code for the song in the comments of this post, along with your Kongregate username (Note: A submission will not be accepted unless you add FTDCompetition as a friend).

You get only one submission, so make sure you submit the song you want.

All submissions are accepted until the start of the next challenge (most likely, next Friday).

After the deadline, there will be a 3 day voting period.

Here is how voting will work:

You must leave FTDCompetition a whisper saying who you vote for in the Punk-o-Matic contest. To promote fairness (and votes in general), if you submit a song, you must vote, otherwise, your submission will be disqualified, and anyone who has voted on it, sadly, wasted their vote. Of course, though, you cannot vote on your own submission.

So, with the rules set up, let the games begin!

Also, it is never too late to participate in these weekly competitions! Just add FTDCompetition as a friend at any time, and jump into the action!

Feed the Blog

2008-08-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to jump start this blog (and as an excuse for the other co-creator to post), I wish to talk briefly about a new thing that I would like to try.

My plan is to have a feed the ducks regular weekly interview. The interview would be of a "willing" feed the ducks regular, or if needed an unwilling regular.

If you wish to be interviewed friend http://www.kongregate.com/accounts/FTDinterview, every week an unlucky person shall be picked to be interviewed (if you don't want to friend it leave it a whisper/shout).

You obviously wouldn't have to answer any questions that you didn't want to, but I feel that it would be a better way to get to know the people we see on the site everyday.

Room Guideline Stuff

2008-08-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody!

As you should know by now, we've got some important Kongregate links listed to the left of the pages *points* over thar. However, I'd also like to talk a little bit about expectations of FtDers and modding styles and whatnot.

DISCLAIMER: These are not "extra" rules outside of the Kong guidelines. This isn't stuff you'll probably get banned for. These are just various preferences and pet peeves that I thought I'd share. :)

Hmm, where to start?

Here be my thoughts on swearing. Once in a while, relatively mild swear words are juuuust fine. But think about it...are they *really* necessary? If you can get out the sentiment of your statement without using them, it's all the more impressive. Also, no swearing at other users, please. Even if you know each other in real life, are joking, etc. These are the internets, and it's easy to be misunderstood and upset someone, even when you don't mean to, so best to avoid it altogether.

Fighting! Arguments are perfectly ok - discussion between two dissenting parties can be one of the coolest things around. Freedom of speech ftw! Until, of course, it gets ugly. If you're going to argue, argue your topic, don't make personal attacks and flame. Imho, you lose the right to argue when it gets out of hand.

Speaking of which, the mute button! I love the mute button. I think it's so cool. I think whenever you don't want to hear somebody speak, you should go right ahead and push it. It's better than a ban, because they can't come back after an hour and start harrassing you again! That being said, I know a lot of users prefer not to. If that's the case, remind yourself to ignore. It's much better than potentially feeding trolls. Starve them, and they'll look elsewhere for food.

One little pet peeve of mine - please don't ask me to recommend you for moderator! I love all the members of my room, but my moderator recommendations are not open for discussion, nor will they ever be. Modship must be earned, and I understand that you may think you're doing great! Chances are, you are doing great! But honestly, it can take a very long time to get modded. Months, sometimes. So if you're patient throughout all that time, we'll be even *more* impressed than we were initially.

Hmm. As to my modding style. I am a fairly lenient mod. I r not scawy. In fact, none of us are! We'll always warn before a ban, because we know lots of times users don't understand what's acceptable (though after you've read this post, you should have a good idea!) The only times that warnings aren't given are for porn links, massive chunks of spam, and blatant and shameless racism.

Anyway, this is a start. If there are any other topics you're wondering about the mod position on, write in and ask. :) We'd be happy to clarify. And other mods, if I've missed something and you'd like to make your own post/edit this one, you're welcome to.

NOTE: I may not speak for the other mods in my room
RE-DISCLAIMER: Please don't write into Kong saying, "Ducky says she'll ban me if I call somebody a poopydoodyhead!" I won't. These are just my observations and musings on how everybody should be treated. :)

Weekly Challenge Review: Intrusion

2008-08-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

Y HALO THAR EVERYONE, this is a review of the game Intrusion, by vapgames.

Intrusion is a really good platforming run and gun, made interesting by the lack of background story, its ragdoll physics, and interesting bosses. The weapons are varied (even though there are only 4) and it's actually a challenge. You can't just run in and shoot everything, you have to avoid bullets from doing so (due to the lack of health). The bosses are quite satisfying to beat. The first boss is a giant mechanical worm with a laser and a drill. After you kill it, it falls to it's death and is smashed by a train (along with you).

If you're going for the challenge, there's a part in the first level where a helicopter (for lack of a better name) keeps dropping enemies until you shoot its jets off. Here, you can farm the men until you get the easy, medium, or the challenge. And another tip to do is to duck after the enemies fire their bullets. They go quite slow and most of them are aiming for your head, so they'll probably all miss you. Another tip for all bosses: Load up on ammo before going into the fight. My personal favorite is the SMG, although the grenade launcher works great. And finally, watch your health, it goes down quick if you're not careful, so be wary when your health is low, and try to find some boxes to shoot open.

All and all, I gave intrusion a 4/5 because of it's lack of music. I like it alot, it's just that it feels a bit bare and it's too hard for me. >.< Until next time,

Kwek! Kwek!
~Blah Man

Weekly Challenge reviews

2008-08-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

PlatinumIce and I are going to be doing weekly challenge reviews, him doing the Thursday's, and me doing the Tuesday's. So I just wanted to let y'all know.

The review of Intursion will be up as soon as I finish it.

Kwek kwek!
~BlahMan

Weekly Competitions

2008-08-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start a series of highscore competitions for FTD regulars, and am hoping all of you guys are willing to participate.

If you want to get started, just add FTDCompetition as a friend on Kongregate, check back here every week for the new contest, and start playing!

I'll take suggestions for the first contest, just leave a comment in this blog.

The only requirement is that the game must have a working highscore API in it.

I hope that I'll be able to start the first competition on Friday!

IT'S BURIED TREASURE WEEK!

2008-08-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Our wonderfull admin greg (the guy who makes badges) Is dubbing this week Buried Treasure Week! The way it works is that the less popular games (3.7 or lower) that greg thinks is awsome will get a card worth points, one game a day, one card a day, for 5 days.The cards nothing big, he said 10-20 points. For more info, go to: http://www.kongregate.com/forums/1/topics/15303

Heres the schedule so far:

Monday: Dog Eat Dog- Badge(s): Business Executive Badge (medium – 15 points)
Eat 50 dogs during a single game- Challenge: Score 10,000 points – This challenge is worth 20 points

Tuesday: Cirplosion- Badge(s): Dot Destroyer Badge (medium – 15 points)
Obliterate 10 dots with a single explosion; Circular Savant Badge (hard – 30 points)
Score 2,000 points in "Cirvival" mode- Challenge: Complete level 10 – This must be done in "normal" mode. This challenge is worth 20 points.

Wednesday: Parachute Retrospect- Badge(s): Stickicidal Maniac Badge (easy – 5 points)
Be a complete jerk; Parachutes Are Overrated Badge (medium – 15 points)
Rescue 150 heroes- Challenge: Complete Parachute Retrospect with at least 30 lives remaining – This challenge is worth 20 points

Thursday: Jumpcat- Badge(s): Leisurely Stroll Badge (easy – 5 points)
Score 10,000 points; Frisky Feline Badge (hard – 30 points)
Score 40,000 points- Challenge: Score 20,000 points – This challenge is worth 20 points

Friday:

FTD SONG!

2008-08-12T14:50:00.000-07:00

The following is the Feed the Ducks theme song, sung to the tune of "Jingle Bells".

Skipping to the pond,
on Kongregate dot com,
Duck food we have donned,
And oh! The water's calm!

Across the water clear,
I see a yellow thing,
I say "Is that a quack I hear?"
and then I see a wing.

Oh, Feed the Ducks, Feed the Ducks,
Feed the ducks, my dear.
Take that food, and drop it in
this blue pond you find here.

I hear a contented quack,

and see a great big smile,

they thank me for their snack,

I think I'll stay a while.

What a new, beautiful day,

At Kongregate's duck pond,

So much bliss, I think I'll stay

at this pond of which I'm fond.

Oh, Feed the Ducks, Feed the Ducks,

Feed the ducks, my dear.

Take that food, and drop it in

this blue pond you find here.

Welcome!

2008-08-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

So this is my first post, welcoming you all to the Official FtD blog!

So first things first. You might say, "Ducky, why would you want a blog JUST for one chatroom?"

There are many answers to this question. First of all, I'd like to point out that the fine folks over at the Hall of Odin have a smashing blog! We at FtD wouldn't have even thought of it if they weren't so incredibly cool.

But there are many good reasons to have a blog like this in general. I think will be a good way to share news among FtDers, to have a good, open communication between users and moderators about what we want our room to be like, and to share some of the many pieces of artwork and writing that people make daily, but that we've never had a place to put!

If there's anything at all you'd like posted, just let one of the contributors know, and we'll post it up for you. We're still in the early tweaking stages, so hopefully you can expect new and cool things fairly frequently. So happy blogging, Kongregans!

P.S. If you're bored, go here.