Heart of the OHR Contest

I'm really loving the diversity of entries. Even though I'll definitely need to mooch off of somebody else's superb internet, -I'm going to play through every single entry. I might even write up some reviews for my favorites.

It'll feel good to be bombarded with classic RPGs.

Oh, gosh.

I've been away for ONE WEEK and I miss ALL THIS???

Crap. I'm doomed. I SERIOUSLY need to get back on my game.


Question: Does each entered game count as 1 bugfix? e.g., if I enter 3 games (not gonna happen), do I get 3 auto bugfixes/1 really big bugfix?

We have a lot of entrants, and some pretty tough bugs, so I think I am going to limit it to one bug per each person who enters

Awwww....



Don't fret! Claims and even screenshots don't equal a final product. It's very possible that even though there are about 20 people entered in this contest right now, that less then 5 will actually enter a game.

Oh, and I don't really think you missed that much.

Unless you mean my awesome game.

Hi James,i posted my intent to enter the contest in Castle Paradox last June 23,which i will directly quote here:



so anyway,is my feature request possible?

You can press Ctrl + or Ctrl - to change your frame rate, but I haven't convinced any developer to make a customizable default frame rate in Custom or plotscripting.

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<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb

Well, Tales 1 is up! I figured this would be the best place to explain what has been updated, to decide whether or not this should qualify as an entry.

The graphics of every single map in the game, except for the main map (and a handful of special scenarios like a map that is purely a black screen, or a poker table), have been changed to make use of the new layering system in the OHR. Given that the game is between 20-30 hours long and features over 80 such maps, this has been no small feat. In addition, character graphics in battle have been redone (15 such characters, I think). Some misleading or confusing text has been reworded. However, I cannot pretend that this really constitutes additional gameplay.

The only actual gameplay additions have been in the form of a couple new types of random enemies scattered throughout the game, rebalancing of several attacks both for heroes and enemies, and a change in costs of certain items midway through the game to maintain 'financial' balance. It seems impossible to judge these additions to gameplay in terms of playtime. I leave the eligibility of such an update for this contest in the hands of Mr. Ranger and Mr. Paige.

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I am Srime

I'd argue against that counting.

I'd argue for it counting. A graphical overhaul on a game this big is a huge task, and it should be acknowledged.

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Super Walrus Land: Mouth Words Edition

Well, if it's excepted then we'd be voting on only the graphics. As if the only thing entered was a sprite packet.

While I'd rather this come with a new side quest or something to actually constitute additional gameplay, I do find the 20-30-hour existing game time hard to ignore. Likewise, having spent three years updating my own game's graphics, I can agree that a graphic update on 80 maps is no small task.

However, the rules do state that it needs at least thirty minutes of extra game time to qualify.

MSW, I would recommend that you consider whether any part of your game can be extended, or if you have room to build at least one new area, and then follow through with that consideration--at least so you can keep within the boundaries of the rules. If you contend that it's a finished game in its current state, and that no additions are reasonable, then I will let the contestants decide whether to allow it, since they're your competition. Personally, I'm with Surlaw on this one, but this is a case where the contestants have permission to overturn the organizer's exception, so I'm gonna put it in their hands (unless of course you want to add the extra 30 minutes of new content). If the majority agrees that a graphics overhaul on this scale is enough, then I will allow it.

And James will have to decide whether this qualifies for the entry bug. I can only approve what's eligible for the winning stuff.

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Place Obligatory Signature Here

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'll make a few comments about how I feel about the game's eligibility for the contest, and see what people think.

First of all, the game is indeed complete. I do not plan to add 'extra' playtime - the game is long enough as it is, and there's already one sidequest that was somewhat tacked on and practically unrelated to the whole, which I even considered removing at one point. I'm not going to add more.

As the rules are now stated, "30 minutes of new content" taken literally would probably rule this update out. However, the point of the rule seems to have been to dissuade authors from re-releasing a game with minimal alteration and effort. I wonder how people would react if an old game were re-released with nothing but the final hallway leading to the boss being 5 times as long, with random battles made 5 times as frequent, and the final boss having twice as much HP and attack power, necessitating over a half hour's worth of extra playtime through grinding and fighting down an absurdly long hallway to fight an absurdly long battle. Would this game's update qualify? The rules would seem literally to allow it, and yet their stated purpose seems to desire to disqualify it.

It's up to you guys, honestly. And there's no need to hurry to decide. We can discuss it then have a vote or something. However, I do want to say that if the game is allowed to be an entrant, then it does not make sense to vote on it as if it were a "sprite packet". For one thing, a graphical overhaul is a lot more than drawing sprites - it was, for me, much more of re-tiling maps and occasional wallmaps. In addition, it means revising and occasionally rewriting LOTS of scripts, which also means re-testing the entire game front to back. More importantly, though, the graphics were not meant to be a "sprite packet". They were meant to be a part of a game.

I do not think that a qualifying 'update' to an existing game should be voted on only according to its 'new' playable content. A game is a game - new content must necessarily depend on old content. If people disagree I am willing to discuss this further, unless Pepsi is already adamant one way or another.

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I am Srime

I definitely am not adamant for or against the inclusion of your game. I agree with your point, and if I had anticipated someone overhauling their 20+-hour game for this contest, I would've included that as an acceptable addition. I think when I planned the rules, I subconsciously turned off the possibility of overhaul because I was a little taken aback (and slightly turned off) by the addition of the already completed Bloodlust in last year's Finish Your Dang Game Contest, and I didn't want another already completed game entering Heart of the OHR. However, releasing a slight touch-up versus completely redoing the design (graphical or otherwise) clearly offers a huge difference in presentation, and because I'm assuming you've spent at least a month working on it, that tells me that you're serious about Tales as an entry. So, I support the game as an entry. However, I am adamant in my decision about allowing the other contestants to sound off and decide its fate as an entry, so I will only cast my vote in favor of allowing it and count it only as one voice among many. The majority still has to approve, and I'm just one person.

For now, I'll leave the debate open in case other contestants have the same idea as you have. I do want to make it clear, though, that I'd prefer no one else submit a previously finished game because then we'd have to vote on their eligibility, and that would eventually cheapen the contest. Plus, I still want original content submitted.

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Place Obligatory Signature Here

Sacre bleu, je suis un porc!

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Mega Tact v1.1
Super Penguin Chef
Wizard Blocks

A couple quick comments before bed:

1. When I mentioned Pepsi being "adamant", I meant in regard to how he would like updated entries to be judged - judge new content only, or judge the game as a whole. I think that when you add new content to an RPG, it depends on the old content and that the new game demands to be judged as a whole.

2. If you, Pepsi, are against the idea of voting for the eligibility of updated games in the case of a disagreement such as mine because you feel it will "cheapen the contest", then I actually feel that my game should not be made a special exception just because it was first. I happen to disagree with you on this cheapening the contest because I don't think very many people will submit updates comparable to mine, so I can't imagine many such votes being needed. But if that's honestly how you feel, then I'd rather you disallowed all such updates than give mine a chance to survive. (I'd still hope for James' approval for my bug choice, however )

EDIT: noticed a possible ambiguity in my wording and tried to clear it up

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I am Srime