ImDiggerDan

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who commented on the story about the removal of Digger Dan DX from the eShop. Especially those who encouraged me to contact First Star Software. My pessimistic nature led me to incorrectly conclude that the only way to restore the game to the eShop would be through legal action.

@-DEMISE- Nintendo, quite rightly, leave it for the companies involved to sort the issues out in whatever way they see fit. If Nintendo took a side and ignored the takedown request, they are leaving themselves liable for all sorts of legal problems if a court decides they were wrong.

As for how this gets resolved, I'm hoping that court can be avoided.

@kirbygirl Thanks for your support, I appreciate it. I've reached out to First Star Software in the hope that this can be resolved amicably. As yet I have no idea what aspect(s) of Digger Dan DX they consider to be infringing on their copyrights.

@DoctorOverbuild good going, I really appreciate it. I'm fairly sure it'll be available in Europe until Monday, when NoE are back from the weekend and check their email inbox.

@DoctorOverbuild Thanks, I appreciate the support. For what it's worth - I don't get anything for the DSi version any more, though.

@ap0001 I'm 100% certain that Nintendo won't remove it from your account. If I'm wrong, they would have to refund you. It is not your fault that it is getting removed, so you should not lose out.

@Snow-Dust I don't think it is a loophole, I think the copyright/patent has expired very recently.

@Dezzy Nintendo have done the most sensible thing. If they tried to make a judgement, it could leave them financially liable and they have a responsibility to their shareholders and loyal fans to not go bust fighting someone else's fight. Don't hate Nintendo over it. I don't.

@Yosher Thank you for your support. It is appreciated.

@Meowpheel Not sure. That version is published by someone else and I am no longer connected to it. If you have already bought it, you keep it. If it is removed, it just stops being there for new purchases.

Yeah, already down in America. Thanks for all the positive words, everyone else. Not sure what is next for Four Horses. I have zero money to invest in future games, so maybe conversions of existing games if anyone is interested in 3DS conversion work.

@Desrever Thanks for checking.

@John_Enigma I assume people got to them before you. What region are you in?

@Desrever Good stuff. Please do me a favor and see if you can find the game page on the NoA eShop. Interested to know if it has been taken down yet and that the codes still work if it has. Might have to put them on FleaBay

Thanks for the support, guys. I don't hold any grudges against Nintendo. They can't be expected to put their money/legal team in to solving these issues with other peoples' games.

Unfortunately in my case, I don't have any money to fight it. Once it is down (and I think it is already in NOA as the Miiverse page has gone), it will be gone for good.

Here's some download codes for Europe. These should work, I used one this morning:
B0M7PFNR2M68VW8K
B0M7PFNS2QTW8HH4
B0M7PFNT1322DKRK
B0M7PFY04MS928NK
B0M7PFY1485TNHJ0

And some for North America. I don't think they will work, though:
B0M7N3TF4S3TJYDK
B0M7N3TG0Q01JS5V
B0M7N3TH3PMYNTWC
B0M7N3TX5DTD40NK
B0M7N3TJ12QTVD5K
Good luck!

Gunslugs for me.

@Moon I have a confidentiality agreement with Nintendo, so I can't say anything too specific, but unfortunately as things stand, it really looks like I'm going to be out of pocket in the long term.

@Freelance That final level is split into several areas. Go through them logically in order, take your time and see what you need to do in each area. You can do everything you need to with Kaboom quite quickly then get him out of the way. Use the snapshots one by one after you've completed a reasonable amount of the map and are sure you've not made any mistakes.

That's be my advice, anyway. I always dread having to test that the Gold Star can be earned on that level after I've made any changes to the code.

@ap0001 A level editor is not out of the question and I have toyed with the idea of adding online leaderboards, but for both to be worthwhile, there really has to be a decent size userbase, so time will tell whether I add them.

If I do any updates, the first addition is likely to be more levels.

@Moon - that was you, eh? It was me who helped.

Fair review, very happy with that.

It makes me want to get my copy of Zelda LttP for the GBA which is signed by Shigeru Miyamoto graded... Box is a little squashed, though.

@Lizuka it isn't caused by a vulnerability in the hardware's security, it is down to vulnerabilities in the code of the games, usually in the loading of saved games and not handling unexpected (deliberately modified) bad values.

Basically, not Nintendo's fault.

@ogo79 They can wait then. The game is launching at a discount to reward early adopters. There will bo no other sales (unless I get an offer to Humble Bundle it).

As a consumer myself, I hate it when I take a punt on something I am a little unsure of at launch and then the price drops to a fraction of the price I paid.

@XyVoX Thanks for the support, I really appreciate it.

There are no New 3DS specific features, I'm not really sure what I could have added that would not work on a normal 3DS. There are plenty of controls spare, so no use for the additional buttons.

@XyVoX No. It is the same content as Digger Dan & Kaboom. I have not ruled out the possibility of a patch to add new levels, though.

Edit: For what it's worth - I did talk to Nintendo about making this free for anyone who already has the DSiWare version on their 3DS, but their systems don't support cross-buy with DSiWare.

@ap0001 It is approx. 27MB in size. Not sure what that translates to in blocks.

@TheDavyStar Digger Dan DX? Release date & price announcement arriving in 3, 2....

@World - Well, dream no more! Direct your 3DS browser to the Four Horses website, navigate to the game page, click on the screenshots and you'll get to enjoy them in 3D. Added just for you.

@World Glad I can (finally) oblige. You have no idea the time and effort this has taken to get to the eShop. I'm on to my 4th artist. Really pleased with the look. I'll release screenshots of the later themes as soon as they are finished (we're having fun with the home screen banner at the moment). Then I'll try get some video up when the sound effects are all finished.

I can't wait for this one!

I'm looking for a new project once I get my current 3DS game published... Conversion work would be ideal since I can't do art, level design or audio.

Sweet. Early adopters get rewarded, not those who wait months before buying. I approve.

Pretty cool, but I already have a Picade from the UKs first ever KickStarter project.

Great news! I wonder if this will also be the dnd of Nintendo region locking.

How bizarre, I was just about to set up a company to register as a developer. Seems I don't need to, I can register as an individual. Might still go for the company option anyway, keeps the finances simple.

@Jenraux Well that makes sense. I knew there must be a reason.

@Jenraux But the ABXY buttons can serve as a poor-man's D-Pad. Not great, but better than not having the game at all.

I don't understand why this only works on New 3DS. Videos I've seen don't really show anything that looks too taxing for an original 3DS in terms of RAM or CPU power requirements. Is it down to the control system or something else?

Day 1 purchase for me.

I'm voting for Super Tofu Boy.

@RupeeClock Yeah, I spotted you in 1st this morning. Made me smile to see a name I recognised.

I'm not particularly good at the game - 13,000 was about my position after a few attempts.

This is great news. Been looking forward to this since I first heard about the game and saw screenshots.

A major possibly underlying story to this news is this:
If the major territories (even just North America and Europe, not Japan) adopt this global ratings system, it may well be the death of region locks in Nintendo hardware.

If a game can get a full suite of regional relevant ratings from one submission, that data can be built into the game data (as the current PEGI, COB, ESRB, USK ratings are) and the game could launch across territories without problem.

The only issue then would be down to localisations. Some developers prefer to hold off on Euro localisations to see if the game sells well enough in NA to justify the cost.

Good to see a couple of games launching at a "sale" price to reward early adopters. I've pretty much stopped buying any eShop title at full price because they always end up at bargain basement prices once initial sales have dropped off. That isn't a great way to treat your customers.

I was wondering about this update just this morning. I bought the game last year and only played it for a short while.

I has RCR. I has New 3DS. I has a happy for this news.

@unrandomsam - It is possible that one region finds issues repeatedly that the other never found (or never considered serious enough to prevent publication).

It is also possible that EU versions take longer to develop waiting for localisations ( I'm assuming GC2 doesn't have too much text in it. I don't remember any in the original ).

It is possible that EU versions get held up in the age ratings process. The US process is done instantly online. The EU processes involve sending final versions off and waiting for results.

It is possible that publishers hold back releases in EU until they are sure the additional financial investment will pay off.

There is no simple reason why EU versions are delayed/never appear, but many valid reasons.

I've turned off the dynamic brightness on mine, it drove me mad. Bye bye improved battery life.

@RupeeClock - The textures for the original were about 4x4, 16 colours. Let that sink in!

But, yeah. 600MB seems pretty big compared to the original. Download of games like this is not for me. I have to give my shiny new New 3DS to my son so he can play? I don't think so. Takes ages to clean the screen after his grubby mitts have been near it.

The real reason is simple:
They ran out of the smaller model because Nintendo of Europe used them all up in the New 3DS Ambassador Offer.

Ok, that was a deliberate troll post. I think it's a crazy decision. I personally prefer the small New 3DS over the XL and I was previously using the 3DS XL prior to getting the Ambassador one. I feel for you, Nintendo of America customers.