Contest Ideas
Moderators: Bob the Hamster, marionline, SDHawk
- marionline
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Contest Ideas
Hello!
The Flavor Text Adventure Contest is running and the Review Contest isn't over yet, but
here are three contest ideas I'd like to discuss:
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1. Individual Circle Collab Contest
Everyone makes a game, but the process is cut into stages: Drawing, attack&item creation, enemies&heros creation, mapping, write text, plot scripting, adding music and sounds.
Each stage the games are exchanged among the participants, (so the game goes round in a circle).
Everyone has to try to do every stage. It will be chaos! And It will be fun!
Time: 8-12 weeks
2. Give away your unfinished game - Contest
Any unfinished projects collecting dust on your computer's hard drive?
Why not give them to someone else to finish?
Here's the catch: The other person can finish your game in what whatever way they think is good.
Rules: It's give and take. Giving a game away means you also have to take an unfinished one.
You win the contest, if you finish the game.
Time: 8-12 weeks
3. Intro Contest
During the 2016 Review Contest I realized that intros are a great tool for player motivation/information.
This contest is meant to practice making good intro scenes.
Instead of a whole game, every participant makes an intro scene,
uploads is on slime salad and gets it reviewed by the other participants.
(You don't have to make an intro scene for a game.
You can make an intro scene for a game that doesn't exist as well.)
Time: 4 weeks
Rule-addition suggested by TMC: make an intro for someone else's game. Preferably one that left everything unexplained, because it didn't have an intro.
4. Engine Training Contest
Idea by Pepsi Ranger: I'd like to see a contest where James and TMC train participants to work on the engine so that they don't have to do all the work themselves. It can become a competition to see how many people can actually learn how to help them and make contributions to the engine's development. The winner would be all of us.
Time: ??
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Do you think that is doable? Would you like to take part? Would you not take part, why?
Is the time frame okay? (I'm thinking in weekends, because a lot of people
tend to be busy during the week.) Do you have ideas to improve the contest ideas?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edit: added suggestions to the post and set up a poll.
That doesn't mean we can't discuss the suggestions.
The Flavor Text Adventure Contest is running and the Review Contest isn't over yet, but
here are three contest ideas I'd like to discuss:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Individual Circle Collab Contest
Everyone makes a game, but the process is cut into stages: Drawing, attack&item creation, enemies&heros creation, mapping, write text, plot scripting, adding music and sounds.
Each stage the games are exchanged among the participants, (so the game goes round in a circle).
Everyone has to try to do every stage. It will be chaos! And It will be fun!
Time: 8-12 weeks
2. Give away your unfinished game - Contest
Any unfinished projects collecting dust on your computer's hard drive?
Why not give them to someone else to finish?
Here's the catch: The other person can finish your game in what whatever way they think is good.
Rules: It's give and take. Giving a game away means you also have to take an unfinished one.
You win the contest, if you finish the game.
Time: 8-12 weeks
3. Intro Contest
During the 2016 Review Contest I realized that intros are a great tool for player motivation/information.
This contest is meant to practice making good intro scenes.
Instead of a whole game, every participant makes an intro scene,
uploads is on slime salad and gets it reviewed by the other participants.
(You don't have to make an intro scene for a game.
You can make an intro scene for a game that doesn't exist as well.)
Time: 4 weeks
Rule-addition suggested by TMC: make an intro for someone else's game. Preferably one that left everything unexplained, because it didn't have an intro.
4. Engine Training Contest
Idea by Pepsi Ranger: I'd like to see a contest where James and TMC train participants to work on the engine so that they don't have to do all the work themselves. It can become a competition to see how many people can actually learn how to help them and make contributions to the engine's development. The winner would be all of us.
Time: ??
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you think that is doable? Would you like to take part? Would you not take part, why?
Is the time frame okay? (I'm thinking in weekends, because a lot of people
tend to be busy during the week.) Do you have ideas to improve the contest ideas?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edit: added suggestions to the post and set up a poll.
That doesn't mean we can't discuss the suggestions.
Last edited by marionline on Mon Jul 03, 2017 5:20 am, edited 3 times in total.
These sound pretty interesting! Not sure about doable, but I like the concepts.
The first one sounds like fun. It's not as much of a "designing a game" experience and more of a social experience, which I like. There could be a lot of stress, depending on how committed everyone is, but it could also be very relaxing if it were more social and communicative. I'd like to take part, if not only to see what crazy products come out of it.
The second probably isn't realistic, considering how much code and art interpretation would go into picking up someone else's project. It also sounds like something not many people would want to do. If a project got abandoned, it's probably for a reason.
If others are interested in the intro contest, I'll take part too, but it doesn't especially entice me.
The first one sounds like fun. It's not as much of a "designing a game" experience and more of a social experience, which I like. There could be a lot of stress, depending on how committed everyone is, but it could also be very relaxing if it were more social and communicative. I'd like to take part, if not only to see what crazy products come out of it.
The second probably isn't realistic, considering how much code and art interpretation would go into picking up someone else's project. It also sounds like something not many people would want to do. If a project got abandoned, it's probably for a reason.
If others are interested in the intro contest, I'll take part too, but it doesn't especially entice me.
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So, for the 'Circle Collab Contest', the number of parts that the games are cut into is equal to the number of participants? Hmm, maybe not. People will drop out, and need to be replaced.
Speaking of which, don't we usually have a Random Collab Contest around this time of year (or earlier, actually)?
Intro Contest: make an intro for someone else's game. Preferably one that left everything unexplained, because it didn't have an intro.
Speaking of which, don't we usually have a Random Collab Contest around this time of year (or earlier, actually)?
Intro Contest: make an intro for someone else's game. Preferably one that left everything unexplained, because it didn't have an intro.
- marionline
- Metal Slime
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- Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2011 9:23 pm
I hope for this contest to be social and communicative! That's what I like about contests.The first one sounds like fun. It's not as much of a "designing a game" experience and more of a social experience, which I like. There could be a lot of stress, depending on how committed everyone is, but it could also be very relaxing if it were more social and communicative. I'd like to take part, if not only to see what crazy products come out of it.
You're right, it might be difficult to make a game out of someone else's game, as well as giving away a game idea. Somehow code interpretation alone sounds like an discouraging lot of work!The second probably isn't realistic, considering how much code and art interpretation would go into picking up someone else's project. It also sounds like
something not many people would want to do. If a project got abandoned, it's probably for a reason.
Anyhow I thought it's a bit more of an extreme from of the first idea. I still think it could also be fun. But it might be difficult to make sure every one has the same amount of work.
In both cases 'Individual Circle Collab Contest' and 'Give away your unfinished game - Contest' it would be fun to see how people interpret and build of the work of others.
Someone would have to do one stage twice. I'm not sure about a solution for this. Any ideas?So, for the 'Circle Collab Contest', the number of parts that the games are cut into is equal to the number of participants? Hmm, maybe not. People will drop out, and need to be replaced.
I think there often was a collab contest about this time of year. It would usually collide with the time where tests were written.peaking of which, don't we usually have a Random Collab Contest around this time of year (or earlier, actually)?
(Or maybe that's the time I remember best, because it's the most annoying if you have to learn for test if a contest is going on.)
Cool! That sounds like fun challange! I'll add it to the rules.Intro Contest: make an intro for someone else's game. Preferably one that left everything unexplained, because it didn't have an intro.
The contest is not meant to make people worry, it should be a fun experience. Good to hear you're interested in taking part!The collab contest sounds cool, but I'm really worried that I'll let other people down Sad still I'd give it a shot
- Pepsi Ranger
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Even though this wouldn't get much more traction than the original idea, one way that a contest about finishing someone else's game could work is if you turned it into a remake of the other person's game contest, in that they get to start from scratch using the other person's general idea. You'd still have to agree to take each other's games, though.
But yeah, it's a long shot. The only way it would work in any form is if each contestant has an abandoned game worth saving and interesting enough to get the interest of another designer who has his or her own projects to work on.
It would be interesting to see how it plays out, though, if it did work.
I'd like to see a contest where James and TMC train participants to work on the engine so that they don't have to do all the work themselves. It can become a competition to see how many people can actually learn how to help them and make contributions to the engine's development. The winner would be all of us.
But yeah, it's a long shot. The only way it would work in any form is if each contestant has an abandoned game worth saving and interesting enough to get the interest of another designer who has his or her own projects to work on.
It would be interesting to see how it plays out, though, if it did work.
I'd like to see a contest where James and TMC train participants to work on the engine so that they don't have to do all the work themselves. It can become a competition to see how many people can actually learn how to help them and make contributions to the engine's development. The winner would be all of us.
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- MorpheusKitami
- Slime Knight
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I like the ideas for the first two contests, but there are a few problems I can see:
1)Seems like if drawing, attack and hero creation are separate stages someone could run into problems quickly if they envisioned a hero with a particular attack. Maybe a few of the stages should be merged?
2)Looking at my own collection of unfinished games, most of them are either txt files or barely started RPGs. I can't imagine other people's collections being much better. Maybe instead it could be taking someone else's idea and making a game around it? Kinda like Pepsi Ranger's suggestion.
I don't know if I would be able to take part in either though. I'm already planning a pretty big horror project for later this year that's a bunch of different games to begin with, so it's a question of whether or not I feel up to juggling one more.
And is it just me, or does Pepsi Ranger's contest idea sound like a really weird reality TV show?
1)Seems like if drawing, attack and hero creation are separate stages someone could run into problems quickly if they envisioned a hero with a particular attack. Maybe a few of the stages should be merged?
2)Looking at my own collection of unfinished games, most of them are either txt files or barely started RPGs. I can't imagine other people's collections being much better. Maybe instead it could be taking someone else's idea and making a game around it? Kinda like Pepsi Ranger's suggestion.
I don't know if I would be able to take part in either though. I'm already planning a pretty big horror project for later this year that's a bunch of different games to begin with, so it's a question of whether or not I feel up to juggling one more.
And is it just me, or does Pepsi Ranger's contest idea sound like a really weird reality TV show?
I gave a game of mine to a random collab contest and it turned from a well minded critic of the NPCs limited behavior to a joke game.marionline wrote:You're right, it might be difficult to make a game out of someone else's game, as well as giving away a game idea.
Last edited by Matokage on Sun Jul 02, 2017 3:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- marionline
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Geat Idea! I really like that. I'll add it to the list.I'd like to see a contest where James and TMC train participants to work on the engine so that they don't have to do all the work themselves. It can become a competition to see how many people can actually learn how to help them and make contributions to the engine's development. The winner would be all of us.
@TMC and James: What do you think about this?
The "remake of the other person's game contest" also sounds good.
Does that mean the other person has to have a finished game?
It could be a problem, but only if you think the hero has to have an specific attack. You could look at the attacks in the game file and draw a hero that suits them.Seems like if drawing, attack and hero creation are separate stages someone could run into problems quickly if they envisioned a hero with a particular attack.
Cool!I'd be up for a random collab contest again, those are always interesting.
I could add a poll to see how many people are interested in which
contest, the one with the most votes is held first. (This sounds like a constet contest?)
I think some people would enjoy the intro contest, though they haven't turned up yet. It's basically a sequel to the OHR Film Festival Contest we had a few (yikes... make that 6) years ago. However I don't think it's for me.
Working an existing game is really an inverse-intro contest: instead of creating the beginning of a game, you're creating the end (and probably most of the rest too). Finishing a game is likely to be heaps of work. I don't think it's a practical idea unless you really do make it an inverse-intro contest, by giving people a specially-created template game to finish.
The Circle Collab idea is similar to several collab contests that have been run over the years. Unfortunately I think most of the ones with more than two people working on a game didn't end well.
Working an existing game is really an inverse-intro contest: instead of creating the beginning of a game, you're creating the end (and probably most of the rest too). Finishing a game is likely to be heaps of work. I don't think it's a practical idea unless you really do make it an inverse-intro contest, by giving people a specially-created template game to finish.
You can also do the opposite instead: make fewer games than needed for everyone to do every part once. That way, if some people don't do everything they're assigned, their parts can be reassigned to someone else without duplication. It's not really better though.Someone would have to do one stage twice. I'm not sure about a solution for this. Any ideas?
The Circle Collab idea is similar to several collab contests that have been run over the years. Unfortunately I think most of the ones with more than two people working on a game didn't end well.
You would think that, wouldn't you!MorpheusKitami wrote:And is it just me, or does Pepsi Ranger's contest idea sound like a really weird reality TV show?
The primary problem with this idea is that it's not a contest about making games, so few people would be interested. And when you're just starting, the steep learning curve sucks the fun out of it.Pepsi Ranger wrote:I'd like to see a contest where James and TMC train participants to work on the engine so that they don't have to do all the work themselves. It can become a competition to see how many people can actually learn how to help them and make contributions to the engine's development. The winner would be all of us.
Last edited by TMC on Mon Jul 03, 2017 2:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Here's another idea, related to the circle collab idea: revive the Competitive Collab Contest! It had two halves: in the first people drew graphics, and in the second, we were going to make games out of them. Well, the first stage was never declared finished... so if the contest is revived, I guess thats's still ongoing? Which means that free graphics from the last couple years, like the community tileset project (ccTcc) as well as the huge free graphics pack by FnrrfYgmSchnish could be legal entries (actually, I suspect that Fnrrf drew some of those graphics for that contest anyway, since he said he was working on something).
Mogri set limits on the amount of graphics each person could contribute, which is very sensible (otherwise it would end up being a contest about using Fnrrf's graphics) so he could just pick a subset of those free graphics.
Mogri set limits on the amount of graphics each person could contribute, which is very sensible (otherwise it would end up being a contest about using Fnrrf's graphics) so he could just pick a subset of those free graphics.
Over the years, people actually contributed quite a lot of graphics to the contest! I think we should definitely hold this contest, but it doesn't have to be right now; you can try to organise something else. And Mogri should host it; it's his.Mogri, in 2014 wrote:You're the first to submit graphics, so at this rate, we'll start in approximately... 2016.
I logged in just to cast my vote
And looking at them now, they are pretty silly tough...
That seems a neat ideia!Pepsi Ranger wrote:Even though this wouldn't get much more traction than the original idea, one way that a contest about finishing someone else's game could work is if you turned it into a remake of the other person's game contest, in that they get to start from scratch using the other person's general idea. You'd still have to agree to take each other's games, though.
That seems to be a good ideia too. I remember that I posted in that thread without checking it's date first and I was the last to post on it, and I still are...TMC wrote:Here's another idea, related to the circle collab idea: revive the Competitive Collab Contest! It had two halves: in the first people drew graphics, and in the second, we were going to make games out of them. Well, the first stage was never declared finished... so if the contest is revived, I guess thats's still ongoing? Which means that free graphics from the last couple years, like the community tileset project (ccTcc) as well as the huge free graphics pack by FnrrfYgmSchnish could be legal entries (actually, I suspect that Fnrrf drew some of those graphics for that contest anyway, since he said he was working on something).
Mogri set limits on the amount of graphics each person could contribute, which is very sensible (otherwise it would end up being a contest about using Fnrrf's graphics) so he could just pick a subset of those free graphics.
And looking at them now, they are pretty silly tough...
I liked that ideia and I would surely do music and sound for any collab game, since it's the least worst of my habilitiesmarionline wrote:1. Individual Circle Collab Contest
Everyone makes a game, but the process is cut into stages: Drawing, attack&item creation, enemies&heros creation, mapping, write text, plot scripting, adding music and sounds.
Each stage the games are exchanged among the participants, (so the game goes round in a circle).
Everyone has to try to do every stage. It will be chaos! And It will be fun!
Time: 8-12 weeks
Last edited by Matokage on Mon Jul 03, 2017 3:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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I'd like to see a theme contest, either by topic or by subject
Or maybe we should have a contest where we pick topics out of a hat?
So we might have pools like so:
CHARACTERS/SETTING
- slimes
- monsters
- undead
- robots
- fantasy characters
- scifi characters
- modern day/realistic characters
THEMES
- horror
- epic fantasy
- comedy
- romance
- friendship
- revenge
- futility/byronic fate
MUST INCLUDE
- puzzles
- plot points
- minigames
- at least X number of bosses/enemy types
- at least Y number of maps/rooms
- branching dialogue
- sidequests
- etc.,
Then we could choose them at random to get the outline for the contest or for each participant.
What do you guys think?
Obviously people should be allowed to add and refuse various points according to their ability... or maybe this is too complicated?
Or maybe we should have a contest where we pick topics out of a hat?
So we might have pools like so:
CHARACTERS/SETTING
- slimes
- monsters
- undead
- robots
- fantasy characters
- scifi characters
- modern day/realistic characters
THEMES
- horror
- epic fantasy
- comedy
- romance
- friendship
- revenge
- futility/byronic fate
MUST INCLUDE
- puzzles
- plot points
- minigames
- at least X number of bosses/enemy types
- at least Y number of maps/rooms
- branching dialogue
- sidequests
- etc.,
Then we could choose them at random to get the outline for the contest or for each participant.
What do you guys think?
Obviously people should be allowed to add and refuse various points according to their ability... or maybe this is too complicated?