Castle Paradox

[Pepsi Ranger]

Hey Guys,

It seems we’ve encountered a serious situation here. After Buford (that Castle Paradox Security Officer you all love so much) examined the three photos released earlier this week, he discovered that they consisted of a three-part puzzle depicting a crime scene. Although it took some time to understand what happened exactly, he concluded that someone had gotten shot. After analyzing the origins of the photos, he also found out that they came from somewhere within the Hamster Republic.

As it turns out, the victim of the shooting was Bob the Hamster himself.

I know, this is terrible.

We don’t have much to go on, nor do we have any leads. We only know that it was Bob the Hamster who got shot. We think the shooter attempted to hit him three times before succeeding: the first bullet hitting a tree at the end of a walkway (which might’ve scared Bob into running), the second one hitting his wooden mallet (shattering a large chunk of it into debris), and the last finally striking Bob himself. Unfortunately, James found him unconscious near a well (there was no blood trail leading there, so he thinks he was either shot there or someone dumped him there), so he couldn’t ask what happened. Also, unfortunately, sometime after going to the hospital, Bob had fallen into a coma, so he won’t be able to speak for quite awhile.

This is a tragic time for the Hamster Republic, make no doubt about that; but it doesn’t have to fall apart. We as a community can help. We can hunt down the one responsible for this and bring him to justice.

We just need to figure out who he is (or she), where he conducted the shooting, and why he did it. To do this, we must start investigating. We must start formulating our theories about him and bring his identity to light. Although we can infer that he’s part of the Hamster Republic somehow, judging by his ability to get to Bob, we still need to do more. We must gather the clues surrounding Castle Paradox, the Hamster Republic, and various places around the Internet and uncover the mystery surrounding this vicious monster. And we must do it quickly before he strikes again.

With as much sorrow as Buford has for letting this slip through his fingers, he is still doing everything he can to find out the truth. Until he finds the answers, here’s how we can help him:

Fourth Annual Epic Marathon Contest

Rules

Table of Contents:

Mission Statement
Purpose
Method of Madness
Rules of the Game
Scoring
Contest Dates and Deadlines
Prizes
Story Elements
Design Mission Objectives

Mission Statement:

The Epic Marathon Contest is the reasonably yearly effort to create a community-based series of games that build in accord with each other as an epic, rather than separately as individual microcosms.

Purpose:

Too often community members produce games that only go so far before the story line completes itself or dies in the making. For those who manage to finish a project, only a few make the decision to expand on the game’s universe to include more characters, locations, and situations to enhance the experience. Even then the creator will rarely take the sequel to promising heights.

The Epic Marathon picks up where the origin leaves off. Sometimes it means expanding an existing game. Other times it means creating a chain of games from scratch. Regardless of the subject, the Epic Marathon Contest promises to tie all game entries into each other to form a singular but ongoing epic that conforms to the main story as best as each designer’s imagination and collaboration skills allow.

This year, contestants will attempt to solve a mystery. Bob the Hamster was found wounded in an undisclosed place, and is now comatose. Contestants must figure out who did it, why, and where in the form of a game.

Method of Madness:

Each contestant will develop a theory about what happened the night Bob the Hamster was shot. This theory will include a developed idea about who pulled the trigger, where the culprit was standing (was he/she sniping Bob from a distance, or did he get up close and personal, stabbing him in the back—or front?), where in the Hamster Republic it happened (field, mountain, city, neighborhood, etc.), whether Bob was left where he was shot, or if the culprit dragged him, and most importantly, why the culprit did it. This theory should play out in game form, trying best to match the real story, which will be “discovered” at the end of the contest.

To tell the story, the games can be made in any style. I’d recommend telling it in adventure format (find items to unlock areas and so forth) since that’s the format most suitable for mystery stories.

Rules of the Game:

I am fairly lenient when it comes to contest games, so I don’t hold to many of the restrictions that other contest creators hold. However, some rules must apply to keep this contest running smoothly, so I will outline them here.

1. Like the every Epic Marathon entry, there must be a subtitle in the main title to keep the cohesion of the contest. (i.e. Who Shot Bob the Hamster?: Death Squad, or Who Shot Bob the Hamster?: Notes from a Hack.)

2. Each major element of the game must be credited to someone (graphics, music, story, and plotscripting). I will allow ripping, but the source of the rip must be recognized. You don’t have to credit every individual tile specifically, but you must state that graphics were ripped from Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, or whatever other game you might choose to rip from. Same applies to music. Music from a commercial game can be credited as a whole, rather than by individual tracks. Only specific songs must be credited specifically (i.e. Sting—“Desert Rose”). Anything ripped from public domain sources only need to be credited as public domain. You may NOT rip graphics or music from other OHR games without the author’s permission. Violations will result in immediate disqualification (and a possible ban from Castle Paradox). The only exception is the public domain BAM files that are included with the editor (which we all hope you choose to avoid). You still need to give credit to James and Brian though if you use them (or at least mention that it’s OHR public domain).

3. Contestants will be permitted to post their theories on the message boards. Since this is a mystery open to interpretation, contestants are free to discuss their findings in public display. The actual content of the games, however, must be kept secret until the end of the contest.

4. Anybody can work on any game. One contestant may collaborate on two games, two contestants may collaborate on one game, or all contestants may collaborate on all games. It doesn’t really matter. The stipulation is that only one contestant may take official ownership of the game. Everybody else will be counted as “collaborators.”

5. This contest will be flexible in terms of game design, but for consistency the game should take place in at least one pocket of the Hamster Republic. How that looks, however, is up to you.

6. Entries must have an ending. Contestants are not required to complete the entire game as the story intends, but there must be a defined point where the program ends. Do not submit a game that hangs (leaving the player wondering if there’s anything else to do). There must be a working “game over” script implemented in the last playable area, and it should ideally show up at the end of a completed game, or at least at the end of a completed act. Please do not end the game in the middle of a scene. That would be inconsiderate to the players. I will also insist that the game contain a definite solution. Even if the contest ends while a contestant is in the middle of the mystery, he or she needs to wrap it up with a solution, whether the timing makes sense or not.

7. This has never been stated before, but Epic Marathon, though preferably made with the OHR, doesn’t have to be exclusive to it. Providing the contestant can finish the game within the time allotted, he or she can use the game engine of his choice. Some engines are designed exclusively for adventure style (point-and-click or interactive fiction) games. While the OHR is more than capable of pulling off these adventure style tricks, some people may find that other engines do the job easier and faster, and are therefore permitted to use them if needed.

Scoring:

The games will be rated on a traditional judging system. However, each contestant will have the opportunity to add or subtract points from his or her overall score.

The judging phase will be based on a Top 10 system. If there are ten or more games submitted in the contest, then only the ten favorites must be accounted for in the judging. If there are fewer than ten entries, then all the games must be accounted for. The top rated game in a voter’s Top 10 list will receive ten points, the second will receive nine, the third eight, etc. until there are no more games to give points to.

Note: “Favorites” this year do not actually mean “coolest.” This time it means “most convincing.”

A game that shows up in its “owner’s” Top 10 will be rated according to how it stands in other judges’ Top 10s. For example, if the owner (Fred) honestly believes his game deserves the No. 3 spot, then other voters must also agree that it deserves the No. 3 spot (at the very least) to garner points. The way this works is that for every voter that votes Fred’s game into the Top 3, Fred will earn a point toward his position maximum. Since the No. 3 spot is worth eight points, Fred must have at least eight voters (including himself) place his game into their third spot (or better) to get the full value. If Fred votes his game into the No. 3 spot, but only two people agree with him, then he will only get three points for his game on his list (one point for each voter including himself). If Fred votes his game in the No. 7 spot (which is worth three points), then he only needs himself and two others to vote for his game in the Top 7 to get the full value of that position. Regardless of where the contestant votes his game, he will gain at least one point (or whatever the point minimum will be) toward his overall score. The minimum point value will depend on how many games are entered. The contestant’s vote will always be worth the minimum.

Additional scores will be awarded under design incentives. Contestants will also be awarded an additional ten points for contributing as collaborators to the winning game (which has the possibility of swinging the winning game in the collaborator’s favor).

Points will be deducted for violations of certain rules. The following list will show the point deduction for violating the rules listed above:

Rule #1: Failure to include a subtitle into the “Who Shot Bob the Hamster?” title
Penalty — 10 points

Rule #2a: Failure to give proper credit for each major design element (graphics, music, story, and plotscripting)
Penalty — 50 points

Rule #2b: Ripping graphics or music from another OHR game without permission
Penalty — Instant disqualification

Rule #3: Giving the details of the game away before release (does not include sharing theories, only the one the player actually uses)
Penalty — 50 points

Rule #4: Failure to set the game in the Hamster Republic universe
Penalty — 50 points

Rule #5a: Failure to end the game with a solution
Penalty — 50 points

Rule #5b: Failure to properly end the game with a “game over” script (leaving the game hanging)
Penalty — 100 points

Note #1: An additional 10 points will be deducted for each day a game is late in getting submitted to the Game List after the design phase ends.

Contest Dates and Deadlines:

The mystery begins June 1, so you better get started.

The contest will be divided, as usual, into two phases: the design phase and the bugfixing phase. Here are the deadlines for those:

July 31 — Design phase ends. Bug-testing phase begins. Make sure you’ve uploaded your game to the Game List or linked the community to your game on a host site by this date. You may continue to work on your game for an additional week to fix bugs or to add those last minute gimmicks that you’ve been eager to include. But penalties will accumulate if the base file isn’t up by this date.

August 7 — Contest officially ends. All entries must be submitted by the end of the day (in your own time zones). No game will be accepted after 6am August 8th EST.

Note: Due to the nature of the contest, there will be no extensions this year. Remember, Buford is hunting this villain, too, and he’s expected to find him by this date.

August 8 — Judging begins.

August 25 — Judging ends. Results will be posted sometime afterward.

Prizes:

A prize will be awarded to two first-place winners. The main first-place winner will of course be the one who makes the most convincing case. The alternative first-place winner will be the one who comes closest to solving the real mystery. Both will be given an exclusive hosting of their entries on the Hamster Republic website (James will pick the location), which everyone knows just doesn’t ever happen. This is better than bragging rights; this is like having a statue erected in the heart of the Hamster Republic’s town square, with your game as the statue’s head.

Remember, only one person may claim ownership to an entry. That person will be the winner of the prize. Contributors to the winning game may receive ten points to the overall score of the entries that they own (potentially changing the winner), but will not share in the final prize (unless the winner chooses something that he or she is able to share).

In the event of a contributor taking the lead through the ten-point spike, his or her potential contributors will not be awarded additional points for their entries.

In the event of a tie, each winner must write an essay of 250 words or less why he or she thinks his game is the better of the two (or three, etc.). I will judge which essay is the most convincing (with two other judges giving second and third opinions for objectivity) and award the prize to the last man standing.

Story Elements

Official Game Title:
Who Shot Bob the Hamster?

Characters:
Bob is in a coma, and thus cannot disclose the truth to what happened to him. It is up to the hero to find other means to uncovering the truth. This is probably the only time in game design history that it’s okay to use yourself as the main hero.

The villain is someone from the Hamster Republic universe. He or she is feigning innocence. Clues will be strewn throughout the Hamster Republic website, Castle Paradox, and various places around the Internet pointing to the culprit’s identity, the place he or she did the crime, and why he did it. The contestant may use these clues to shape his theory.

Weapons:
The culprit used a gun, but the type is still a mystery.

Landmarks:
Bob was found unconscious near a well, but it’s unclear if he was shot there or dragged there.

Special Notes:
Bob can be used for reference, but cannot speak. He is in a hospital bed, still in a coma.

Design Mission Objectives:

The design mission objectives are a series of options a designer can take to enhance the experience of playing the game, as well as to make a game out of the design process itself.

Typically, the incentive for taking design mission objectives is to increase your overall score in the judging. For this contest, a designer will receive an additional 10 points to his overall score for each design mission he or she implements (up to three).

Mission #1: Have your main character cross paths with another contestant’s main character, possibly throwing him off balance with his own conspiracy theories. Great for adding twists to the story.

Mission #2: Plot twist around every corner. Since this is a mystery, the main character should be thrown for a loop at every turn. Try to keep it sensible, though.

Mission #3: Include a mad scientist as a forensic specialist. His babble should lead to something genius, but it should still come out like babble.

Mission #4: Include a mini-game. This is your chance to explore the four corners of the Hamster Republic. Make the most of it.

Mission #5: Plug a future release of OHR, talking about dream features as though they were reality.

Mission #6: Get a butler (who speaks with a British accent) involved in the mystery. Hint: British words add a “u” to certain words ending in “or,” like “color—colour” and substitute “z” with “s” in some words. Community members who actually live in England or Australia should consult in this matter.

Mission #7: Design the environment to foreshadow the crime, keeping the personality of the culprit in mind.

Mission #8: Have the Hamster Republic government falsely accuse another character of the crime, to which the hero must defend his case (as a side mission).

Note: Designers will be encouraged to include supplemental materials with the game file, including story documents (a word document outlining any back story or design element that might not be apparent within the game, or a written account of the game itself), graphic documents (pictures of your favorite characters), timelines (how the character came to his decision), music files (songs about your representation of the character), or anything else you can think of to enhance the game experience. Supplemental materials will be awarded 10 points each, up to 30 points total.

Last Thoughts:

Remember the contest starts whenever you’re ready. Just be sure to have the rough draft file submitted by July 31 and the final draft file by August 7. Also, outline your design missions in a separate text file just so the judges (and I) know what to look for. And have fun. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask. Don’t forget to search for the clues pointing to the real story.

(end rules)

Fortunately, we’re not going in this blind. As it turns out, the mastermind has an ego, and thus he left us a clue. Unfortunately, I do not have that clue, as it was slipped onto Buford’s bulletin board and I don’t have the keys to the security center to get it. But for those who think they can break into his office, they should search for the picture that’s named after its file type. It may lead to other clues regarding his identity, his location, and his motive. Though, that’s only assuming his ego matches his stealth enough to distribute more.

With that, good luck finding the culprit.

You may use this thread to discuss any issue or theory relating to this matter.
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Progress Report:

The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition

Currently Updating: General sweep of the game world and dialogue boxes. Adding extended maps.

Tightfloss Maiden

Currently Updating: Chapter 2

[RedMaverickZero]

I LOVE THIS!

Holy hell, this sounds like an idea I had a long while ago that I might be able to reshape for this contest. Count me in, 100% for sure.
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---------------Projects----
Mr.Triangle's Maze: 70%
Takoyaki Surprise: 70%

[Ysoft_Entertainment]

Wouldn't this get in the way of 48 hour contest, and July's dating game contest?
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Try my OHR exporter/importer.
OHRGFX
Striving to become better pixel artist then Fenrir Lunaris. Unfortunately the laziness gets in the way of my goals.

[khfan15]

Oo, I wanna enter! I have a rly great idea for a game. Can I enter??? Can I enter???

Maybe I'll use KH grafix!
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I love Kingdom Hearts!

JSH Land: Official Site of All Things JSH

[Bob the Hamster]

I just spent a very emotionally difficult night at the hospital. Bob is in serious but stable condition now, although there were a few times in the night when I thought we were going to lose him. The doctors say his chances of survival are very good now, but the neurologist said she has no idea how long it could take for him to come out of the coma, so we really just have to wait and see.

I have been so concerned about Bob's condition, that I guess I was kinda in shock, and it wasn't until I read Pepsi Ranger's post here that I actually started thinking about his shooter. It really scares me that whoever did this is still on the loose, and we have no idea who it could be or why he/she/they would have done it.

"Get Well" Cards can go to here, but what would bring me the most peace of mind is if we could all work together to solve this mystery.

[Komera]

While the guy who's been taking the pictures is naturally the prime suspect (if not actually being the shooter, then at least for being there and NOT reporting the crime)... you do realize, James, that YOU are the second suspect... right? YOU didn't report this crime, either. You have an alibi?

BTW, I'm not entering.
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LJ.Art

SD - Ten creatures remaining.

[Moogle1]

[Bob the Hamster]

[Jack]

[Ysoft_Entertainment]

Perhaps the whole thing was a hunting accident? Perhaps he got in a way of the bullet that was headed for a deer? Perhaps he was mistaken for a deer(same fur color)? You can go so far as say that he might have wanted to protect the deer.

Thats just my opinion on the matter.
_________________
Try my OHR exporter/importer.
OHRGFX
Striving to become better pixel artist then Fenrir Lunaris. Unfortunately the laziness gets in the way of my goals.

[Blue Pixel]

[Komera]

[Pepsi Ranger]

[djfenix]

[Moogle1]

It's tempting...
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Slime Salad :: Independent Game Design