The rumors of Funeral Quest’s death have been greatly… true

It’s been nearly five years since any would-be undertaker has graced its halls.  In 2013 the old XP machine that was running the only FQ server in the world was decommissioned – and that was that, a game like no other silently departed with nary a single youtube video left in remembrance.

I wrote it in 2001 it was to see if a BBS door-like financial structure could make sense in a modern web environment.

I charged $99 (I think?) a year for the enterprising admin (or, a SysOp if you prefer…)  to run their own FQ server which they could customize.  It was free for players.

Example of customizable data. I still use LORD color codes everywhere. (I’m pretty sure Greg Smith wrote this event btw…):

start_entry
title|MIXED UP VIAGRA MEDICATION IN RETIREMENT HOME
message|"It's like a stabbing ... but different," comments the coroner's office.
give_random|`wThe phone rings - It's Golden Oaks Retirement Home.\n\n`$"We've got some bodies for you..."
mod_bp|40|90
mod_luck|1|5
add_log|`7FUNERAL HOME CHOSEN\n`^Golden Oaks Retirement Home has announced that *NAME* from *HOME* will be hosting services for the recently departed.

Did the grand experiment work?

Well, no.  In retrospect it’s pretty obvious why: why would anyone need to run their own server when calling areas and zip codes no longer exist?  Why would anyone care that they could make a customized version of something so niche as a “funeral parlor simulator”?

For some reason I made the server contain a complete HTTP server and run under Windows.  Makes it really easy to setup and use but .. yeah, not  how I’d do it today.

Despite all that, I’m extremely proud of Funeral Quest and have been wanting to repackage a full version with all of the licensing related limitations ripped out for a while. (As I did with Dink Smallwood HD earlier this year)

Well, I finally found the time so here it is.  If anybody actually sets up a working public game of FQ let me know and I’ll help get the word out.  Check the FQ forums if you have problems or questions.

Funeral Quest Server free version (this is all you need to run your own FQ game)

Funeral Quest Flash Source (full flash source for the client part, not required)

Funeral Quest Server Source (Github link of the full C++ source code of the server. Updated to open in Visual Studio 2019, released 9/12/2020)

The readme file inside:

Funeral Quest
Copyright 2001: Robinson Technologies, all rights reserved

The "should have been released for free eons ago" final free release

Released 3/28 2018
-------------------
This is a special version of the Funeral Quest server that has been modified to no longer need a license, it's the "full version" so to speak.

It can be used to play the game locally or run a real server so hundreds of people can play together.

Notes:

* This version has a few stability fixes since the official last release, I think
* I was nicely surprised that in my local testing (clicking the Logon 1 button) the game seemed to work fine on current versions of both Chrome and Firefox's Flash, if the FQ port remains on the default of 80, anyway. However, who knows what will happen on a real server...
* Run FQServer/fqserver.exe to start the server. Note that when minimized it runs as a tray app, so if it disappeared, check your system tray.

Problems or questions? Check out the official Funeral Quest forums: https://www.rtsoft.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?7-Funeral-Quest

Big thanks to FQ fans and sorry I didn't release this sooner. If you actually get it running and want the full C++ source code in all its MSVC2005 MFC glory, let me know, can probably do that.

-Seth A. Robinson (seth@rtsoft.com)
www.rtsoft.com

Some random screenshots of FQ (some are of the server, and some a browser playing it)

Maybe now FQ can truly rest in peace.