Stonking Great Game Contest Now Live!

[The Random One]

Man, it's too bad I forgot everything I learnt about Flash. I will need to jog my memory to try to create something. Something that's an adventure game. Starring a guy named Fedora J. Bowler.

 

[Blind0bserver]

I don't really know enough about indie game development to enter this competition.

But, so long as the winning game features the floating head of Peter Molyneaux as a boss, then I'll be happy.

Well damn, you just figured out how one of my levels is going to end :/

... and before you ask, the disembodied head of Molyneaux is going to fly around and shoot lasers out of his mouth. It just wouldn't be the same if he didn't.

 

[hamster mk 4]

Please note, these assets are provided for your convenience but all brand representations must remain unmodified, with the exception of proportional scale.

By "brand representations" you mean just the escapist logo right? Since the art assets provided are not already cut up into sprite sheets we will need to cut up and rearrange the various screen shots provided in order to have something to put into our game.

Also since Zero Punctuation is about reviewing games what is the policy on using assets or characters from games ZP has reviewed? Are ZP caricatures of haze soldiers ok? What about screen shots of haze soldiers? What about the Ubisoft logo with hands and feet running about the game? Should we use not to subtle renaming conventions like Ubicore to allude to other IP without using actual trademarks?

I am sorry I ask so many dumb questions, I will get around to coding one of these days.

 

[Endocrom]

I wish I had a clue how to enact my idea.

Knowing me it would take longer than October.

 

[GeEom]

where its says excessive vulgarity, lewdness or profanity it does mean EXCESSIVE for ALL of those sub conditionals, and as such no you dont have to make a game with no swearing, but if you look over some of the best ZPs you can note that the best ones keep the swearing vaugely minimal, its the timing and intent behind the sparse profanity that makes yahtz such a god.

 

[GeEom]

that reply was to a post i read thats up a bit now...

 

[evan573]

id like to see a ZP space invaders where you shoot the bad games with hurtful words and let the good games go through.

 

[Rod F]

I'm downloading the assets as I write this and I have a few questions:

- Can a member participate with more than 1 game? You know.. in case we manage to manipulate time and be able to generate multiple games in our spare time within the time limit...

- Can it be coded in ActionScript 2.0? Or it only matters if it runs on any current flash player?

- Can the developers include MochiBot code for their own monitoring purposes ?(we have egos, you know.. and I think there's nothing wrong with checking out how many times you guys will play our game to gather enough material in order to bash it without mercy... "Hey! Yahtzee said my game should be considered as a torture device for how bad it was... but at least I KNOW he played it 20 times!!)".

- Can members from anywhere in the world participate? (you know.. because I want that swag bag to reach the infamous shores of Uruguay if I'm lucky enough to win).

If any of these questions have been answered already please feel free to reduce your potential flaming to a bite-site ember and replying with the link where the questions was already adressed..


Thank you very much

 

[Falmil]

What's the policy on using pre-existing code? Using some existing frameworks or libraries would definitely make things easier. Also, I'm sure there would be some licenses that would meet the criteria for allowing Escapist/Themis to get the rights they want to the final product.

 

[pingnak]

If we submit, can the code be straight 'Open Source' with some suitable OSS license? It'd be easier to post a subversion repository link than to upload large amounts of code and data to your web site, anyway, especially when patching to fix a 'bug' or make small changes that The Escapist wants. To 'prove authorship', what better than a full version history, anyway?

Lots of services provide free Subversion hosting for open source projects. Lots of free GUI versions of Subversion tools, too. It should be a no-brainer for ANYONE to set up.

Besides it can serve as 'examples' for those wannabes who want to learn Flash/Flex/AS3 and don't know how to operate a search engine.

And what of Flash source-level extensions? For example, I like using the C preprocessor with my Flash/Flex code. Failing that (and some won't let me use it) I end up using ANT's regular expressions to 'tweak' code (and get at least SOME useful debug instrumentation), instead of make & some common shell tools. Failing that, I just pretty-print the preprocessed code and tell them it's 'the code', and they never know the difference, even after seeing the same token-pasted string and numeric constants and flawlessly copied and permuted and even unrolled code repeated ad-nauseam throughout the source. You'd think a 60,000 line render function (built of macros - function call overhead in Flash is ruinously expensive) would be a dead give-away... nope.

 

[L4Y Duke]

I don't really know enough about indie game development to enter this competition.

But, so long as the winning game features the floating head of Peter Molyneaux as a boss, then I'll be happy.

Well damn, you just figured out how one of my levels is going to end :/

... and before you ask, the disembodied head of Molyneaux is going to fly around and shoot lasers out of his mouth. It just wouldn't be the same if he didn't.

Obviously. Mind you, eye-beams work just as well.

 

[Knight Templar]

Awesome, I might look into entering.

You wouldn't be able to enter your game would you?

I mean the exsisting one since it exsisted in a playble from before the contest.

 

[Ziadaine_v1legacy]

Well a use to use Flash MX 2004...Sadly I don't even know how the hell you work it...

it'll be interesting to see the outcomes of it though.

@evilfeeds, use your brain for half a micro-second. the purpose of this ISN'T for business, its merely for entertainment and fun. You think "The Escapist" are billionares sitting on a pile of cash made into a chair that are willy-nilly going to toss a few grand around? think again. Besides, those clowns at newgrounds take property of your creations also, and unless you have your name in the game, you get ZERO credit.

 

[leidegre]

I didn't read to 'em all but I'm letting you know where to get the right tool, for free. Flash development, does not imply Flash CS3, there are several completely free offerings, if you know where to look.

I recommend the following tool (it might be for experienced to advanced users, but it shouldn't stop anyone from at least giving it a try):

FlashDevelop (open source Flash IDE)
http://www.flashdevelop.org/community/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=5086

Please read the instructions carefully, you will need to install several other software packages (specifically Adobe Flex SDK, if you don't intend to buy [or already own] a Flash CS3 copy).

 

[Kilobyte]

Making a game takes time. Making a good game takes more time.

I can probably throw together a space-invaders clone in a couple hours, but making a game that isnt a steaming pile of poo will likely take 4 or 5 days.

If Im spending 4 or 5 days on something, I'd better get something out of it.

The prize isn't just a swag bag - read earlier in the thread. The swag bag's nice, but the game will be up for review not only by Yahtzee, but possibly other well-established game developers. If you have the skill to make a game that's worthy of making several thousand, then I'd say you have the skill to get recognisied by the judges, and if they're high-standard industry professionals, that's worth a lot.

I think, on the whole, Id rather be playing games, or reading, or working on my physics engine. Now, if you are quite happy to work for someone else and not get paid, go nuts.

Also, I think you massively underestimate how much money a website can make. $4000 is not a lot of money for a business (and the escapist IS a business, its not just 2 guys in their bedrooms who decided to post a bunch of funny links). They might not be billionaires, but they're not penniless hobos either.

Also, from the newground terms of agreement: (http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/agreement_submissions.html)

1. Newgrounds will not claim ownership over your work. You are free to sell it and show it wherever you want.

Finding that took all of 2 seconds. I guess using your brain for half a micro second is a lot harder than not using it at all, Zidaine.

Addendum:
Unless Im massively misinterpreting the rules, the escapist is allowed to do whatever it wants with your entry: That includes submitting it to Kong, Newgrounds, etc. If they win the $1500 monthly prize, you get zip. That seems fair to me.

You're making out that the Escapist will be using your game to make themselves some money, with a slap to the face as your reward. That's not true. The contest is for fun, (as someone said earlier) to celebrate ZP. The only reason they claim ownership of the game you'll be producing is because it uses their intellectual property, which they have a right to protect.

The contest, as I see it, and as they put in the rules, is for a range of rookies and experts alike. The reason the experts will be doing it is for the realistic chance of doing well, and having your game recognised by a lot of people (Yahtzee and any other game developers they get to judge included). The reason for the rookies to consider doing it would be to develop some extra skills they did not have before, and to see if they can produce something that's worthy of getting published to the site.

Summary: it's for fun, don't take it so seriously.

 

[Arkuni]

Hey guys

Got a few questions, bear with me if they have already been answered.

Are we allowed to upload it to our own personnel portfolio site?
Is there only one winner? I would be amazed if the dear Yahtzee could use a whole episode to review a game that took 14 business-days to make.

Anyway, already working on mine and I'll be sure to snag that swag pack and have my heart teared out and devoured by the greasy monkey man.

 

[szs0061]

this should be good i cant wait to play the winning game but i do have one question, will the rights to the game be given to the escapist or can the maker post the game on another website