Castle Paradox

[Fenrir-Lunaris]

OPENING

The time has come again for the Official Terrible Games contest. This year, there are a few additions and alterations to the rules, which should streamline the process of entry and also voting. I'm looking forwards to the entries this year, and have some interesting prizes to hand out as an incentive. This year's theme is perhaps its most controversial ever. Your goal, is to create a game stylistically and functionally indistinguishable from another OHRRPGCE game designer/creator.

That's right, you must make a game that people would mistake for someone else's work. As though some bizarre alternate universe version of that game designer released some game. That is why this contest is called "Evil Spock". You ARE their "evil twin".

CONTEST RULES

Previous TGC entries had rather elaborate rules regarding their eligibility, which some people felt detracted from the spirit of the contest, which was to make a terrible game. The definition of a Terrible game is intentionally vague of course. Some of us like Arfenhouse. Others have nothing but disdain for it. To each their own.

*0* The most important rule, and the theme of the contest, the "Zero Rule". Your goal is to produce a video game that stylistically and functionally emulates the feel of another OHRRPGCE game designer. Case in point, people know what kind of game to expect from Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid), or from Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy), and we have certain expectations of what kinds of games they make. OHR game designers are similar, with various traits about their work that make it distinctive. Emulate them. Study them. Learn their tricks. Then create a game that if we didn't know the author would fool us into believing their "fake" creator was the "genuine" article. I expect to see a dozen Arfenhouses, several Swords of Jade, multiple knockoff SCHMBWs, and at least one or two "Gizmog"-style games. You must also tell us which game creator you are attempting to emulate. I want to see a "Stand Alone Compex" here, where I can't tell if there was actually an original author.

*1* You MUST construct your game using the OHRRPGCE engine. Hasta-la-QB, Voxhumana, a nightly version, or even a custom build are acceptable. If you use a version of the OHR that is in testing, or one which is no longer widely available (the 4 map version perhaps), you MUST package a version of the game.exe so we can play it! In fact, I recommend using a nightly version so you can find and report bugs directly to James, or the other programmers!

*2* The actual opening date for the contest shall be April 1st, and will last an entire month until April 30th. If you begin work on your game within this timeframe and submit it before the deadline, you will not be penalized (obviously). Until then, you are free to do much of the prep work for your game, making sprites, collecting music, planning the scripting and everything, and may even import them into your game file ahead of time, but you may NOT begin actual work in the file itself until April 1st. Otherwise, 5 points are deducted from your game's score.

*3* You are only allowed to release your completed game to the public on April 30th. This is primarily to allow everyone an equal shot at the prizes, and also to not intimidate potential contestants into dropping out. You may however post spoilers, and screenshots, etc., so long as you do not leak your game early. If you pass it to a few friends/rivals/whatever ahead of time, then I'll be officially taking a "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, but your game must be released on the 30th of April. If you release your game before April 30th, I will deduct 5 points from your final score.

*4* You MAY rip and use ANY and ALL graphics from the game "Vikings of Midgard" should you feel an extra two weeks of prepwork to make sprites is not sufficient for your project, or if you feel your entry will be penalized by other contestants' voting because of a lack of graphical abilities. You may also rip its graphics if you intending to use myself as the "creator" of your project. The game is available in the Castle Paradox download list for you to use for this reason. You may also modify these graphics for your own purposes, but do not claim either the original content nor the modified graphics as your own original work. The same goes for any other games you wish, HOWEVER, you must obtain permission from the game's maker before doing so. That just wouldn't be cool.

WHAT IS A TERRIBLE GAME?

I will not be judging what constitutes a "terrible game". For example, I like Final Fantasy 8, which other people abhor like a Wisdom Tree game. Therefore, I am continuing last year's practice of allowing people to vote for which games were the "best/worst/whatever". Beauty, or in this case Ugliness, is entirely in the eye of the beholder. It is your obligation to construct your game according to your own notions on what makes a game good or bad.

A final point concerning the entries. All the previous winners of the contest actually put effort into their games - they were fun to play (more or less). This is your opportunity to make the game that you'd have to be criminally insane to produce otherwise, or for which no other contest exists to release one.

VOTING AND SCORING

Voting this time is a bit less complex, and more streamlined than in previous contests. When the contest ends, voting will begin from May 1st to May 14th, effectively giving two weeks to play each game and vote whose games were the best.

Anyone may vote on the games, and may rate each one on a scale of 1 (awful) to 5 (best). What constitutes a bad or good "terrible" game is your decision, as is the nature of the contest. Based on the theme of this contest, you must take into account whether the game's creator successfully met the contest's theme. I will not be checking to see whether your score is an accurate reflection of that, or upon what other criteria you have for voting the way you've chosen. As always, comments on each submission are welcome and ultimately helpful to the contestants. Your score sheet should look something like this:

[Gizmog1]

Intriguing. I already have a few ideas. Now, if only I could draw furries...

[TMC]

Uh oh.

Hey, this is actually a terrible games contest? You never actually stated that contestants should make terrible games. The rules and theme actually paint a normal contest. (I think this contest would still work (better?) without any terribility)

[Jack]

[TMC]

Well... sure. If you got a month and a half to work on it.


PS: Someone had better do Surlaw!
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"It is so great it is insanely great."

[Blue Pixel]

[Jack]

[Ronin Catholic]

[Moogle1]

[Ronin Catholic]

What's wrong? Did I do the O capitol when I was supposed to do the A capital?

Curse you, homophones!


Anyway, I think I'll be immitating the Danielson Bros.' Zander game.
_________________
"I didn't start the flame war;
I don't know what you thought here
'Twas that way when I got here"

"I didn't start the flame war;
I can't understand a word you're saying
nor the game you're playing~"

[Fenrir-Lunaris]

This is just a reminder that there are precious few days left in the contest. As it looks, I'll be keeping my money by default!

[Ronin Catholic]

Darn! All this time and I only have one hero graphic done. I haven't even opened up Custom yet. I need to get cracking.

*smashes SMASH Ball*
_________________
"I didn't start the flame war;
I don't know what you thought here
'Twas that way when I got here"

"I didn't start the flame war;
I can't understand a word you're saying
nor the game you're playing~"

[Blue Pixel]

[Blue Pixel]

http://www.castleparadox.com/gamelist-display.php?game=897

superawesomegameyayz.
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[The Wobbler]