Heart of the OHR Contest 2012

Post by **Bob the Hamster** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 10:12 pm

I was reading about how some clever people working on a third-party ogg encoder had invented quality level -2 ... because the minimum quality level in the official ogg/vorbis specification just wasn't BAD enough for their purposes

KF Harlock · Post by **KF Harlock** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:03 am

Mogri: Nudity and pornography are not synonymous, but A) that is a discussion for another thread and B) please don't post either, in the interest of keeping this thread work-safe.

What Mogri said, Spoon. I assume you're talking about the sacrifice scene in the beginning. I acknowledge (here and elsewhere) that this is NSFW, but it's definitely not pornographic.

8bifit: I've honestly found that oggs at the WORST quality are perfectly acceptable for in-game music. Unless you are an audiophile. Like... Harlock?!

Yeah, actually, I was pretty surprised by this. I am definitely one of "those guys" who listens to FLAC over MP3 and buys music on vinyl, so I never thought there would be no real discernible difference between level 5 and level 1 OGGs.

Yes, this means that I could only bring myself to re-encode them at level 1, not level 0, so I can likely save even more space on the next patch, if the quality still holds at that level

Spoonweaver · Post by **Spoonweaver** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 5:33 am

KF Harlock wrote:
Mogri: Nudity and pornography are not synonymous, but A) that is a discussion for another thread and B) please don't post either, in the interest of keeping this thread work-safe.
What Mogri said, Spoon. I assume you're talking about the sacrifice scene in the beginning. I acknowledge (here and elsewhere) that this is NSFW, but it's definitely not pornographic.

OOOOOOhh.... lol, I just thought you were in some sort of denial. Turns out it was just a definition thing. Fair enough.

Mystic · Post by **Mystic** » Wed Dec 12, 2012 1:58 pm

For those of you looking forward to Silhouette, my "final" demo version should be up by tonight. Put some hardcore work into getting everything working over the past couple days and I believe all the bugs have been hit. I'll be testing each piece of content as I re-add it in throughout the day, then I'll do one final playthrough before I upload it.

I hope what's there is at least somewhat fun. And if not, it's fairly short.

Post by **Mogri** » Fri Dec 14, 2012 6:49 am

I Play Some Games: HotOHR Edition

Cool Guy Bob Surlaw
The game teases at some really cool mechanics, but doesn't last long enough to follow through on them. I like the idea behind the elemental system, but at the same time, I sort of feel like this would be a stronger game without the RPG side of things, focusing entirely on the dialogue choices. That's already an option within the game, of course, but then the game keeps hinting at the mechanics you're ignoring.

The game is shockingly short, which is its only real flaw. I'd like to see more enemies that change when I hit them with a spell; I only noticed the obvious one, but maybe that's my fault. It'd be great if the trash heaps turned into flaming trash heaps when hit by fire, then to ashes when hit by water, and so on.

Dreg Sector: The Tract
Aha, a space game with goods-trading. I know what to do here: double my money until I have enough to buy the deed, then I can win the game. The ease of acquiring money in this game almost feels like an exploit.

Hold on. Zero points? Something is wrong here.

And this is where Dreg Sector really begins. Somehow, after exploring what feels like 90% of the map, I have 11/25 points. Money has lost all meaning, and the four ships that make up my fleet have blurred together through the acquisition of new skills.

The first five minutes of Dreg Sector are pretty frustrating. Of course you'll want to try the "Encounter" option on the first menu, and of course that will wipe you out. The inexorably slow battle speed does nothing to help matters.

But if you get past that hump, you have a game that really begs you to explore it, and when you're not fighting random encounters, the exploration is really nice. I really like the idea of this game, and I think it's held back by just a few issues. (Besides the issues mentioned, there's the matter of Graviton chain-stunning you into oblivion. Maybe that's preventable with better shields, but it's pretty terrible all the same to be forced to watch while your ships slowly get blasted to pieces.)

Mystic · Post by **Mystic** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 1:59 pm

For the short games I've started to upload what are basically combination text let's plays / reviews. I hope this style isn't too confusing (or long) but it seems to be an effective way to review HotOHR games. I want them to be helpful to the authors as well as people who might play the games.

For the longer games I might do full reviews but they'll probably be significantly shorter reviews as a percentage of game content.

Pepsi Ranger · Post by **Pepsi Ranger** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 7:23 pm

Well, guys, the time has come to give this contest some extra meaning. That's right, the voting period is now open.

Here's a copy/paste of the voting conditions according to my initial post launching the contest:

Heart of the OHR Contest Description wrote:Voting will run from December 16 - December 31 (I'll extend this to a few extra days in January if any holiday vacationers need the extra time.)

Note that I will not close voting until I have a minimum of 10 votes, so if the deadline comes and goes and I have fewer than that, voting will remain open until the minimum is met. I want all contestants to have a fair playthrough and comment/critique/score for their games.

The way we handle votes will likely change from the 2010 contest. I am still considering an alternative method from the previous way.

For full details on how it used to be, consult the following post:

http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewtop ... 1778#71778

To see an ongoing discussion about what voting may become, consult this post:

http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewtop ... 9911#89911

So, the things you need to remember are that votes will be accepted between now and December 31st. If I have fewer than 10 votes by the end, then I will leave voting open until we break 10.

The thread debating how voting should work was confusing and I didn't really feel like it had accomplished anything, so I won't be making any significant changes to the voting system after all. The biggest difference from 2010 is that we will vote in two categories rather than in one lump sum.

Here, once again, are the games eligible for vote. Games with asterisks next to them were updated during the bugfix period. Games with double asterisks were updated post-bugifx, but the fixes were required for playability and are therefore still eligible for vote in its current form.

Original:

Universal Wars* by jcenterprises
Download at: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=5169

Illusions by MasterK
Download at: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=5182

DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons** by KF Harlock and Shizuma
Download at: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=5197

Reign of Grelok by misac
Download at: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=5127

Legacy* by BMR
Download at: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=5267

Super Penguin Chef* by Mogri
Download at: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=5419

AR-PUH-GUH! by Meowskivich
Download at: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=5428

Kinvesard: Epilogue of the Princess* by Spoonweaver
Download at: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=5430

Dreg Sector: The Tract by Willy Elektrix
Download at: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=5432

NO MORE VILLAINS by Fenrir-Lunaris
Download at: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=5433

Cool Guy Bob Surlaw* by The Wobbler
Download at: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=5436

The K'hyurbhi Lands* by FnrrfYgmSchnish
Download at: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=5440

Silhouette** by Mystic
Download at: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=5441

Rereleased:

Abel by BlastedEarth
Download at: http://www.castleparadox.com/gamelist-d ... ?game=1059

Final Dragon Legacy by mjohnson092088
Download at: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=3972

Legendary Heroes* by Spoonweaver
Download at: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=3916

Remember, every vote counts. If you don't vote for a game, you'll improve its average, potentially sending it closer to first place.

Voting will be on a points system. If you think it's perfect, give it a 10. If you think it couldn't be worse, give it a 1. Everything in between, rate accordingly.

You will be voting in two categories, Original and Rereleased. For rereleased, vote according to the new content (or content that's new to you if you've never played the game before). For original, vote for the game as a whole.

Again, it's very important that you play every game before finalizing your vote. I will allow edits if you wish to score as you go, but your vote will be automatically finalized on January 1st, so stay on top of it.

I don't care what order you list a game. The 1-10 "rating" is the one that matters here. I will be averaging the total score by number of votes for that game. The fewer votes a game receives, the higher you as a community may inevitably score it. (This is what happened to Vikings of Midgard in 2010. It received second place because only five people voted on it, and each of them voted it high.) If you want your vote to count, you need to vote for every game.

Once voting is closed, I will compile the list into a chart similar to the one I did for 2010's contest. Because HamsterSpeak is no more, I'll either publish the results in the new OHR Blog or the contest wiki.

You can vote here or through PM.

Good luck to the contestants. If your game is not getting voted on, urge your fellow game players to get on it. Everyone deserves a fair vote.

Willy Elektrix · Post by **Willy Elektrix** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 10:40 pm

Mogri wrote:But if you get past that hump, you have a game that really begs you to explore it, and when you're not fighting random encounters, the exploration is really nice. I really like the idea of this game, and I think it's held back by just a few issues. (Besides the issues mentioned, there's the matter of Graviton chain-stunning you into oblivion. Maybe that's preventable with better shields, but it's pretty terrible all the same to be forced to watch while your ships slowly get blasted to pieces.)

Thanks for your comments regarding Dreg Sector. Your thoughts are very interesting and will guide some of the changes I make in the 1.1 version. Your criticisms are noted and appreciated! I definitely plan to speed up the battles and lower the encounter rate in 1.1.

From the description of your play though, it sounds like you traded all the resources that were available in the Blue Zone and you then bought the Deed. Am I correct in assuming you didn't journey too far into the Green Zone and Red Zone?

RMSephy · Post by **RMSephy** » Mon Dec 17, 2012 1:52 am

Hmmm, I 'm not so sure about speeding up the battles in Dreg Sector. I mean, it was slow, but it was the epic, spacey kind of slow. The drags of time where you just wait for your turn adds to the atmosphere of travelling around in space. Just my two cents.

Willy Elektrix · Post by **Willy Elektrix** » Mon Dec 17, 2012 2:34 am

RMSephy wrote:Hmmm, I 'm not so sure about speeding up the battles in Dreg Sector. I mean, it was slow, but it was the epic, spacey kind of slow. The drags of time where you just wait for your turn adds to the atmosphere of travelling around in space. Just my two cents.

Good to know. Perhaps the truth is somewhere in the middle? Maybe I should speed them up, but only a little.

I'll wait to see what others have to say before I make any final decisions.

Post by **Mogri** » Mon Dec 17, 2012 8:52 am

Willy Elektrix wrote:From the description of your play though, it sounds like you traded all the resources that were available in the Blue Zone and you then bought the Deed. Am I correct in assuming you didn't journey too far into the Green Zone and Red Zone?

I eventually got 25 medals. The fetch-questiness of some of the events leads me to think that an encounter-reducing device would be really nice. I can get past the high encounter rate in red -- that's why it's there, after all -- and green is okay, but when I'm trying to scrounge up those last five medals, I don't want to run into a blue zone battle every fifteen steps.

The blue encounter rate is fairly well balanced for the start of the game, though, which is why providing some means of reducing it later on would be really nice. Maybe you could provide separate items for reducing/eliminating encounters in each zone.

Mystic · Post by **Mystic** » Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:09 pm

Somebody just found another game breaking bug in Silhouette, so watch out for that. I cannot seem to replicate it but I'm going to try to figure it out.

Somehow they bypassed the "suspend player" part of battles starting, which lets them move during battles. Triggering another battle from here really, really upsets the game at that point. If you die and then load another save you can "infect" other saves as well, I think.

I think it has to do with formations sometimes triggering as you move off the square. Doing this onto another script tile that has a resume player on it might be the problem? I really don't know but I'll be looking into it. Anybody playing shouldn't have too much to worry about - I've tested the game dozens of times from start to finish and have never had it happen.

After some more sleuthing I might make a thread about the issue so that people who know more about the engine specifics can help me, because I think it's some problem with step-on NPCs and formation triggering.

Post by **Bob the Hamster** » Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:34 pm

Mystic wrote:After some more sleuthing I might make a thread about the issue so that people who know more about the engine specifics can help me, because I think it's some problem with step-on NPCs and formation triggering.

Please do, I am curious.

BMR · Post by **BMR** » Tue Dec 18, 2012 8:34 am

Righto, voting has begun, and I should have a few votes up soon as I have some time. I'll try to vote for all the games if I can, but I'm not sure if that'll be possible.

Anywho, thought I'd share this rubric that I'll be using for the games. The first sheet has descriptors for the different grades and the second sheet will automatically calculate the final score. I tend to let myself get a bit biased when scoring, so I usually use rubrics like that the judge things. If anyone else wants to use it, feel free.

Now off to play games!

Spoonweaver · Post by **Spoonweaver** » Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:10 am

I do like the idea of a Rubric, but I simply can't get behind one that put's graphics at a low 10% and music at a 15%.
That being said, I'd still like to see each category's score for both of my games if possible. Not to argue of course, just for learning purposes.