Okay, voting is now open.
How to Vote:
As a reminder, we're not ranking games; we're scoring them. How?
We'll rate each game on a value from 1 to 10 (an explanation on what each number should represent will follow below).
Remember that we're using
whole numbers when we score, not halves or decimals. If you use a half or decimal, I will be rounding it to the nearest whole when I compile the scores.
You need to play at least half an hour of a game (or the whole game if it clocks in at under half an hour) before you give it a score. However, if the game is so unplayable that you can't make it to half an hour without suffering mental or physical harm, you may vote on what you managed to get in.
For rereleased games, you
should play the new content before you vote. If the author has not provided information on the new content or a save file taking you to the new content, however, then you may vote based on what you actually play, even if you play only the pre-2018 content. Authors are supposed to provide that info, so it's on them to make sure you are able to play (or see) the new content.
Reminder to Authors of Rereleased Games: Make sure you provide information on the new 2018 content. You can include it in a text file, a save file, or even mention it here.
While you don't have to play
every game in the contest to vote (that's why I set up the scoring system that I do), it's important that you vote on as many games as you can. Every game that receives less than two-thirds the maximum number of votes will receive filler scores of 5 to reach the two-thirds value (example: If the maximum number of votes is 12, meaning the most voted-on game gets twelve votes, then the two-thirds average that every other game should get is no fewer than eight votes; otherwise I will fill in the empty slots with fives until that game has eight votes). This is to prevent cases where one game may only get one vote and that one vote scores 9 or 10, ultimately stealing the contest win for that game. But, keep in mind that if the game actually deserves a win, the fill-in votes will keep it near a total average of 5, preventing it from winning, which can also be unfair. So, please vote on as many games as you can to keep the contest results fair.
It may be tempting to score a game based strictly on subjectivity, but try not to rule out objectivity when you score. We're players of differing tastes, and not all games can be everything to everyone. The question of on which you should be basing your score is not
just "Did I like it?", even though enjoyment
should factor into part of your score, but also "Does it work for its intended audience?" If you're not sure if it works, then go with your gut. The idea is to give some credit to the authors who made their game competently and effectively, even if it's not exactly "your kind of game." For example, I have no particular affection for the
Call of Duty franchise, but I know which ones are the "good ones" in the franchise (
Modern Warfare 1 and
2), so I would rate those entries higher than the not-as-good ones, even if I could spend a day not playing any of them and still feel like I've had a good day. Try to consider what the game actually accomplishes
on top of how you feel about it before giving your score. We don't want to punish outliers for being outliers, only for making ugly, broken games.
Score Chart:
Below is a representation of what each score value should mean.
10 - This game is basically perfect. While it may contain a few subjective nitpicks, there isn't really anything in the presentation that can be improved upon, and any attempt to improve it at this point will ultimately make it worse. (Game does not have to be complete to earn this score; it can earn it based on the merit of what's currently in the game.)
9 - Near perfect, but maybe contains a couple of unimportant bugs that should be fixed sometime.
8 - Great game with a noticeable flaw. That flaw may be average or poor graphics, bad use of sound effects, or maybe contains a scene or sequence that is ultimately unnecessary for the story, but a flaw that doesn't really take away from the experience; it just keeps it from being perfect.
7 - Good game with a few noticeable flaws. Ultimately, it's fun and worth playing, but it still has a few issues that need addressing before it's considered complete.
6 - Above average game that works, but ultimately doesn't stand out from anything. You've basically played this game a thousand times before, in the same order, in the same places, fighting the same enemies, but maybe with a slightly different skin (maybe this one's in the future, and your hero is actually a janitor). If it did
anything bold or interesting, you'd score it higher, but it plays too safe, too formulaic, too Disney to warrant that extra point or two. It should've taken more risks.
5 - Average game that's decent for what it is, but is ultimately forgettable. It manages some systems or aesthetics competently, but likely drops the ball elsewhere, and not in a charming kind of way. Maybe a stage is incomplete, or the item you need to advance the story is missing, but the rest of the game is pretty good and worth playing if not for that one catastrophic flaw. It can also be a working game with too many ugly features or confusing ideas to make it ultimately enjoyable, if not at least admirable for its intent.
4 - Below average game that really should've been released in 2020, not 2018. It has good ideas in the making, and it should be finished at some point, but it's out of the cooker too soon, and the experience shows. Likely it contains missing areas or broken systems that prevent you from reaching the end of the demo, or has a few glitches that complicate the experience more than it should. Okay game for now, but it needs repair, and maybe some additional planning.
3 - A bad game in the making that ultimately doesn't work. It may have some areas of competency (like decent graphics or interesting atmosphere), but on the whole it fails to work as a good game. Maybe the story is incoherent, or the gameplay is too tedious even for players who love the grind, or the graphics are so bad that it's impossible to tell who's who or what's what. Conceptually, it needs redesigning before it could be considered a good game. It may have potential, but not before returning to the drawing board for at least one key area.
2 - A terrible game that is well before its prime.
Maybe there's something about it that
can work
eventually with lots of revision behind it, but for now, there's nothing worth seeing here. It has at least one thing about it that does work, or is pleasant, or ultimately worth keeping, but that one thing doesn't make the game ready for prime time. Fix or change the ingredients and put it back in the oven.
1 - Utterly abysmal game that does nothing right and won't get better with revision. Needs a day one rewrite. Conceptually, it's bad. Practically, it's bad. Even if it were complete, why would anyone think it's fun? It contains nothing salvageable. Should be scrapped and rebuilt with new ideas and a better plan. This is the kind of game that gets banned at torture camps for being too cruel. The author will spend his days better working on something else.
Okay, so hopefully that should inform you on how to score. Please don't give 10's or 1's unless the game truly deserves it. Loving a game or hating it doesn't mean it's perfect or abysmal. Be objective in those cases before you score. You can always post a review with your score to explain why it earned what it earned [recommended].
And Finally:
You can cast your scores publicly in this thread, or privately through PM or email or IRC (in the inevitable event that I sign on to scour for votes the day before the deadline because only three people have voted so far and I need at least eight unique opinions for this process to work). Please don't send your votes through Facebook, as I use it seldomly, and I may not think to check there. If you cast your votes publicly, consider leaving a mini-review with your score, if you want to.
Votes should be turned in no later than Sunday, February 3, 2019. That gives you six weeks to play the games.
I will be posting YouTube videos of each game as the voting period progresses, so if you run out of time, you can always consult the videos for reference. Though, I need to stress that there's a major emotional difference between watching a gameplay video and actually playing the game. I'm recording the videos for the authors as a chance to get feedback. You should play the game to get the actual experience. When voting, use the videos as a method of last resort only.
The Games:
And now the moment you've been waiting for. Here are your 2018 competitors for the Heart of the OHR....
Arc Wars
MorpheusKitami
Note: This game may not be safe for work.
Asphodelus
ChalkFlower
Note: Uses more than the standard keyboard controls to play. Read the instructions before playing. Official entry as of 1/4/2019.
Bale - Chapter 1
guo
Note: This is a rerelease with new content.
Birdcaged
Kefyrra
Note: Now official (list updated 12/25 -- please download and play if you haven't already)
Dark Planet
Ichiro
Note: This is a rerelease with new content.
Dreamwalkers
Gaplan
Drydocks - A Merchant RPG
dantedynamite
Note: This is a rerelease with new content.
False Skies
Feenicks
Hero: Adventure in Animal Kingdom
thecrimsondm
Hinterlands: Pilgrimage
TheLordThyGod
Kaiju Big Battel: Fighto Fantasy
The Wobbler
Note: This is the official demo version. The
complete version is available for purchase on
Steam and
itch.io. You may vote on either version. It will all count toward the same score. Hint: I recommend the commercial version if you can afford it. It's on sale right now at 20% off its retail price.
Masks: 15 pages.
thecrimsondm
Note: Comes with a mature subject matter warning.
My Little Pony: Trixie's Adventure on the Rock Farm
thecrimsondm
One Pirate: Adventure in the Crystal Cave
thecrimsondm
Note: Not sure if this is the first or second
One Pirate game, or if it matters which one we play first. Information needed.
One Pirate: Adventure in Summer Island
thecrimsondm
Px
ChalkFlower
Note: Official entry as of 1/4/2019.
really hard game
TheMan
Note: Confirmed addition as of 12/29/2018.
Rolling, Radical Revolution
Bird
Note: This game is in German. This should
not affect your score. That said, I will be allowing the author to submit a translation any time during the voting period to count toward his final score if needed.
Update (12/29/2018): The author will not have any new translations in place before the voting period ends, so vote according to what you play today.
Trytuges
Nathan Karr
You Need a Hero
Idontknow
Note: This is a rerelease with new content.
Zalag: Glustu
MorpheusKitami
And that covers our list of official entries. If your game is not on this list, but you think it should be, please let me know as soon as possible and I'll see about amending it.
Also note that there are several other games not on this list that may qualify, but the authors have informed me that they either don't think their game(s) match(es) (the common response is that the games are too short), or they don't think it's the right time to submit. These authors are always welcome to change their minds, and if they do, I will amend the list. I also have a few outstanding contacts I'm waiting to hear from. If they get back to me during the voting period with an interest in entering, I'll amend the list.
I want to remind all authors that I will forgo the 30-minute rule if the game is complete. In fiction, we have a category called "flash fiction" that usually refers to stories that are completed with fewer than 1000 words. They're still valid stories. Any game that could be considered the "flash fiction" entry of the Heart of the OHR can still compete in this contest. To those authors who are worried their games are too short, I'd ask that you consider entering anyway (unless the game is also very unfinished).
Be aware that two games originally meant for the Heart of the OHR contest,
Restoration of the K'ab and
Hanu in Hell, have been pulled or disqualified from the contest due to having very little gameplay and a lack of closure to the sections that are open. These games should not be included in your scoring, even if they have the Heart of the OHR tag in their game descriptions.
Okay, folks, get to playing. I'll start posting YouTube videos soon.