Welcome to an extra special edition of the Dev Log! We asked our Discord members for any questions that they have about the new game, and today we’re going to be answering some of our favourites!
Will it be like all previous DuckLife games where there is a clear ending or will it be like Animal Crossing or The Sims where there isn't a clear ending? - Duckzila
There will indeed be a clear ending, however this time we are concentrating a lot more on post-game content than we ever have before. The story may have a clear ending but the game will not end so easily!
Will we have any appearances from the villains/final race competitors or protagonists from other games in DL9? - Avimo
There are currently plans to bring back a whopping 8 characters from previous games! Who these characters are, you’ll have to discover for yourself
Do you have any idea exactly when in early 2024 it will come out? Just curious, no pressure ofc - Avimo
There’s nothing scarier for a game developer than announcing a solid release date. It’s almost impossible to accurately predict how long it will take to make a game (as I’m sure you’ve seen with other games having their release dates pushed back or being released in an unfinished state!). What I can tell you is we’re planning to release a demo of the game for Steam Next Fest in February next year, and hopefully get the game out on some platforms by March/April
What games inspired this entry? - poolpeer9000
Inspiration from other games is such an important thing with everything we make. There’s the Chao racing from Sonic Adventure 2, which inspired the series in the first place. Duck Life 9 takes a lot of inspiration from Cult of the Lamb, Animal Crossing and The Sims for the flock building part of the game. Legend of Zelda and A Short Hike were big inspirations for the exploration part of the game, and the training games have a whole host of inspirations like Fall Guys, Mario Party, Subway Surfers and a load of flash games like Totem Destroyer, Helicopter Game and Red Remover.
Any plans for Multiplayer? Or anything like the arena in DL7 & DL8? - Duckzila
Yes! (If we have time) and it will be the most developed multiplayer we’ve ever released in a Duck Life game! (If we have time to make it that is)
Will there be a demo available before the full game is released? - 9Withers
Yes, we released a demo as part of Steam Next Fest in February. You can play it on Steam now!
When did the development start? - floppa gaming
We started designing the game in September 2022, and development fully started in April 2023
Pimples the Clown has diamond shaped eyes. Will there be more Crazy Eye Shapes in the duck designer? - Mayorfoxia82
Pimples the Clown has diamond shaped pupils because he is a member of a race of ducks called Crystal Ducks. That’s all the information I can give right now!
What will the max level be? - Irl duck from duck life
100
What are some features getting added because of feature requests? - Mayorfoxia82
For some context, we have a channel on the Wix Games Discord Server where people can post ideas of what to put in the new game. There have been some great ideas posted, and we have indeed used some of them in the game! Here’s a small sample of some of the ideas we are using:
- Gradient coloured ducks
- Ducks who have appeared in previous games as NPCs
- Bring back the prize machine
- Create your own cosmetics
- Bring body tattoos back
- Shoes for ducks
Race / Level Editor planned at all? - Duckzila
Nope, we learned our lesson in the flash version of Duck Life 2
Will there be race boost power ups like in duck life adventure? - DogeDeer
Yes! The race power ups you can use are called ‘Cheer’, ‘Apple’, ‘Dive’ and ‘Ground slam’. What they do exactly, you’ll have to find out by playing the game!
Can there be like an open beta for duck life 9 later in the server? It would be really cool. - Noor
We won’t be doing an open beta, but we will be selecting some Discord server members to participate in a closed beta. If you want to get involved, join the server and look out for an announcement early next year
What happened to the humans in DL series? - DucklifeFan
The humans have always been there. You are the humans.
Will the game have more than one ending? - DucklifeFan
No
How many time passed between DLA and DL9? Or this is a prequel? - DucklifeFan
Duck Life 9 follows on directly from the end of Duck Life Adventure
What do you think of the hate comments you had for changing the duck designs (I don't hate them, but I'm surprised by the hate)? - DucklifeFan
People will always be resistant to changes in their favourite game franchises. We don’t mind it, it just means people are passionate about our games! In the world of gaming we’ve seen this kind of thing many times before. When Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker was first announced for example, some people absolutely hated the art style because it wasn’t what they were used to in a Zelda game. Now, in hindsight, it’s seen as one of the absolute best games of the series. We hope that any doubters will give the new style a chance, we think it works much much better for the 3D world than the old style ever could.
When will devlogs stop? Will they carry on until DL9 releases, or will they stop at maybe devlog 20 or 25? - Duckzila
We’re hoping to keep the dev logs going right up until we release the game. Don’t worry about us running out of ideas, there’s always plenty more to talk about!
That’s everything for now, but come back soon for more dev logs! We post here every two weeks. Join our Discord channel to keep updated and to join the discussion. We’ll also be posting trailers and updates on our YouTube channel, and if you’d like to wishlist the game you can do so now on the official Steam page