excellent analogy, westquote. welcome to the forums! 

Yeah, it definitely isn't as good as all the hype has built it up to be, but you hit it on the head--it is a decent, entertaining, typical Hollywood flick for the most part. I mean look at the immense amount of merchandise tie-in stuff that is going on. It is just another money maker, however, if you want to talk good, recent Sci-Fi cinema, then let's talk about Moon, that was a great movie in my opinion.

can't wait to see moon. that comes out on dvd soon, right? february maybe?

@Zaratustra

This kind of attitude, while often cathartic and perhaps warranted, only hurts you. I'm seeing a lot of it in this thread and while I understand it, it's also really disappointing to see all this energy expended on something so self-destructive.

it so happens that this transparency has revealed that the judging process is flawed.

I wouldn't even go this far. It's possible the democratic process could be the problem but I think there will always be issues with any system. If the whole thing was nuovo/juried then you'd have people complaining about elitism/crowd favorite and "trendiness" whether it be warranted or not. Perhaps it's just a matter of drawing from a shallow pool (mainstream game developers).

[LONGEST]

Here's our feedback in its entirety in link form in an effort not to make this a massive post.

Gray: http://intuitiongames.com/docs/IGF2010feedback_gray.txt
Fig. 8: http://intuitiongames.com/docs/IGF2010feedback_fig8.txt
EON: http://intuitiongames.com/docs/IGF2010feedback_EON.txt

I'll post our best and worst here for each game.

"LONGEST"

-I love the loading page, but once the loading animation was done, there was still a good 30s of nothing until the content finally loaded.
-pixels are awesome! Great aesthetic, everything ties in well together. Love those explosions.
-Music is good, sometimes amazing. I would look forward to certain parts and enjoy them thoroughly when they played.
-level 3 was so hard! par 50s? That makes me feel like a huge dumbass.
-so glad you don't have to drag gravity wells out from the bottom as the instructions say (in fact, you can't, as far as i can tell, so you might want to update those directives) - worked so well just clicking.
-however moving the gravity wells by one or two pixels was a little finicky - is there a way to work in pixel-by-pixel arrow key movement for those fine adjustments? Sometimes moving a well by just one pixel makes a huge difference and the mouse is sometimes imprecise for that sort of finesse.
-13 and 14 were also very hard given their preceding and succeeding levels.
-the "pretzel" type patterns are quite beautiful when everything starts flowing.
-maybe some more sophisticated colors? It could be such a beautiful game, but the colors are so basic and ordinary. They're functional, but they're nothing special, and I feel like the ambiance of the game deserves better, almost.
-love those black holes. By far my favourite mechanic. They're much more predictable than I find the gravity wells to be, plus they allow for some really cool flow patterns.
-predictability was the most difficult thing for me. And when I got stuck, I had literally no idea how to solve the problem, resorting to fine adjustments of each well (or a complete overhaul). Maybe some hints or tips would be useful?
-the whole par thing is kind of strange - you're obviously trying to inspire replaying the game and bettering one's scores, which is fairly easy once you've figured out the solution and have positioned the wells, but by that point it's just memory. Unless there are several solutions to each puzzle, in which case I stand corrected.
-game mechanic is well executed.
-overall, simple yet fun. Like the minimalist pixely aesthetic. I really would like to see some help/tips though, for those times when you just have no idea how to make it work.

--
SHORTEST

This game is a joy to play; the gameplay can be devilish later on but the music keeps the soul soothed.  Only possible criticism is the graphics, which I feel have their own low-rez charm about them.

"LONGEST" (not technically, but I thought it was the most on target feedback we received)

This is a hard game to rate based on the categories we're given.  It is innovative, thought-provoking, and philosophically complex/ambiguous, and given this as an artistic objective, it is wholly successful. However, it is not a very fun game by conventional standards! This may be part of your message, certainly, but it is only out of my diligence as a judge that I played through it completely.  The controls were sluggish and unresponsive on my machine (which is partly the fault of flash, and partly the fault of someone making a game in flash that relies on carefully-timed input).  Also, the flow of people pushing against you certainly is disorienting and frustrating.  Again, full marks for seeing the concept through, showing how you are met with less and less resistance as you become the dominant voice.  That being said, it does not present the player with particularly interesting or fun decisions to make.  This is a problem with the gameplay in general.  I am left with very desire to play it again, because it is a chore to play it, and I don't really know what I would do differently next time.  I suspect that if I gave it to a friend to play (as I did with Passage, and other games of this style), I would find myself apologetically insisting that they keep playing so they can see what the point is. And, even then, the payoff isn't exceptionally dramatic (though it is poignant!). I think that if it had either LESS or MORE gameplay, it might be more successful at conveying its message.  As it stands, it sits in an inconvenient valley.  Regardless of all gameplay criticism, I really appreciate this entry as a work of art that is valuable to our society.  Good work.

--
SHORTEST

Interesting idea but super limited gameplay with no sense of ramping difficulty. I basically did the same thing for 10 minutes and was not having fun. Hard to see your player too.

"BEST" (Definitely not the most positive of the bunch, but I think this was the most valuable critique of the game we received).

There's a lovely Amelie quality to this. The way everything is folded back into the diagramatic treatment is lovely and playful. A fantastic example of how to weave aesthetics and game conventions together seamlessly into a beautiful, cohesive whole.

Two complaints.

1. I drove off the screen and couldn't find my way back on. That sucked. It went on for ten seconds. Ten seconds of hopeless flailing, trying to find my way back. Felt awful. It feels like this problem isn't quite solved yet. Maybe I just got unlucky in that it took me so long to crash after veering off screen.

2. I feel stressed out when I play. This seems at odds with the clean, beautiful aesthetic and charming music. And the flowing, curving lines created as I navigate.  The game is difficult and stressful and requires lots of crazy precise driving. With this lovely aesthetic, I think I would prefer a less punitive structure.

One interesting thing to try (if you haven't, naatch) might be removing the scoring, combo, and checkpoint systems. Then just playing the game. Or watching people play the game. I feel like I want some middle ground between crashing and driving. Maybe if hitting an object just reflected me with a little 'boing' sound. Maybe if I could keep adding parts to the bike (additional wheels, side wheels) and paint things differently.

The game itself is clean and elegant as is, but I can't help feeling there's some missed opportunity if you could harmonize the beauty of what you have with the feeling I get while playing it (stressed.)

--
SHORTEST

I liked the idea and I felt it was a new concept that was interesting. It took me several tries to understand it, but I finally got it and enjoyed the experience.

The only one that gets under my skin a bit is the short "i don't get it" one about Gray. But that's our fault really, and I think that piece of what seems like flippant criticism is addressed in the critique that precedes it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ3j0XjTjs8

[here]

I just got my feedback back and I must say I'm very happy with it. Hell, I'd consider paying $95 for in depth criticism from a handful of professional devs even without the chance for an award! Really top notch. Whatever you guys did to stoke the fires, keep it up. Thanks Matthew, Steve, Simon and crew!  

--

For anyone interested, I have posted the complete, unedited feedback I received here.
I think everyone here will get a kick out of it.
I know I did  

I know it's tough to hold out hope for something you've worked so hard on, believe me, I know... BUT take another look at those comments one more time. If you have to actually think those things, lock them up in your brain and not on a gamasutra blog, give it some time and take another look and you'll see all those things are not out to get you and they're not _wrong_ they're trying to help. Game's are a weird type of medium in that two people can have a totally different experience based on loads of other things. As a developer, you're always going to be used to the mechanics because you made them! Take into account their experience and consider your game from their perspective. It will help. I promise.

--

I loved Fig8...

Thanks dude! I think you have me confused with Guert. Guert->Greg it's an easy snafu. Guert's game is The Art of Crime: http://www.worldofguert.com/aoc/ BTW, I can't wait to play hazard, it's really intriguing, both visually and mechanically (or so it seems from the trailer you released).

--

I would definitely like to see how we actually scored.

Yea, that'd be nice but I understand the rub with everyone getting their individual score so I'm fine with that remaining under wraps. I would be _very_ interested in seeing a chart of how all the games scored. What was the threshold and how many were right at the precipice?

[why I do what I do]

So I was reading over the indiegames comment section today regarding Edmund's do's and don'ts and I found it pretty interesting. This is a topic I've been thinking about a lot lately and I decided to finally put down as to the "why I do what I do".

I'm interested in everyone's answer to that here as well. Take your time, but be specific. I understand that it's often a pretty personal answer but I think we'd all benefit by carousing together on all the different angles we approach creativity.

Here's my why:

I want to get more specific though, because this is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. For me, the real reason I make video games boils down to a very specific, very discernible moment.

It’s “seeing it live”. It’s a feeling I clued in to over a decade ago doing Final Fantasy VII fan sites in PageMaker. I would type in some code, save the file and then load it up in the browser. I’d see the changes and it would work! It felt awesome and I was hooked. I had this thing [webpage] that I could endlessly modify and watch it work and show to others. It had this whole hairy underbelly that only I knew about and I would be pulling the levers and setting it up just right. Games are a lot like that. Animation; 3D modeling; they all have elements of alchemy that let you surprise yourself. There’s something very abstract about the process, much like Pollock probably experienced when he was playing with gravity and paint on a canvas. The work would surprise him and he’d respond and refine and respond and refine…

That’s why I make games, or why I do anything creative. I’m addicted to that. I enjoy drawing, but when I draw I usually find a way to play with my subconscious by laying down a doodle and then responding to it, or venturing into watercolor or inkwash and letting the water do its thing with the paper. In my early college years at Iowa I did a lot of symmetrical abstract work in Photoshop using the Liquify filter and hundreds of blend layers horizontally flipped to create something incredibly unexpected, yet recognizable. The moment just before turning on the blend mode to see what it would look like was that nugget of crack that I craved out of the whole process.

So in the end, it’s completely selfish. There was a time that I thought what I was doing would somehow make a difference in the world, or help people understand each other a bit better so that maybe the world would be a better place, but the last few years of my life have taken that view out of the idyllic and into the realistic. It’s impossible to save something that doesn’t want to be saved even if it needs it. I don’t think what I’m doing is bad, and I still do believe in what I’m doing is for the good, but it’s clear now that it’s much more for myself than it is for others. If others get something out of it, then that’s the icing.

I talk about it in context more on the actual blog post here: http://mile222.com/2010/01/why-do-we-do-what-we-do/ if you care to read it, but that's the gist.

i believe one becomes a judge by being selected by the igf to be a judge. judges are paid in a sense, i believe they get free gdc passes, worth many hundreds of dollars.

i'm pretty sure judges don't get free gdc passes. though i i'd like to know for sure...

Yea I fell prey to that. Thanks for the clarification matthew.

Any guesses for the grand prize winner ?

I'd say Joe Danger, super meat boy looks epic but I didn't like the original flash game that much so I have mixed feelings about that one.

Monaco

Hey guys guess what, my Labtop broke down, it was an inspiron 1150, it sucked. Now I am getting an Asus computer, I'm hyped, using my mom's computer to upload this.
SNIP!

here! have some of my famous unsolicited advice:

I'd really recommend starting over with line sketches/gestures on this guy. General to Specific, General to Specific, General to Specific! Chant it over and over and when you catch yourself shading a blood droplet on a dragon fang shock yourself with 1000 volts and tell yourself NO! NO NO NO. BAD ARTIST! If you build on a sound foundation details will enhance your work (in fact, you won't need all that "detail" because it will be beautiful on its own. But on top of a wobbly quickly fashioned base details just make it worse...

 
 

First off, awesome job everyone. Such stiff competition and what a line-up! Great work to all involved and congrats to the nominees! I think the only thing (and I had to dig for something) is what Dock said about number of nominees v. slots.

I think it's a shame when something like Windosill doesn't get in excellence in visual art but plenty of games span multiple categories so they don't have to dole out as many passes. Windosill is fucking mindblowing. MINDBLOWING. I spend hours awake at night wondering how he did it.

i wouldn't call it criticism at all. To give criticism your comments must involve critical thinking of some kind.

Vonnegut said on a couple occassions that he wrote his books for one person, his sister. I dug up this quote from a list of short story rules he compiled, and it seems fitting.

Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

fuck yea!

[What's the first thing people notice about you?]

What's the first thing people notice about you?
they don't

Six things you could never do without?
fleshlight

this is abstract: http://liabelle.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/nude-descending-a-staircase.jpg

I actually have always thought of that chiefly as being representational/figurative (which isn't to say that it can't be abstract as well, but I wouldn't give it as an example of an abstract piece).

I hear you, but it's an abstraction of motion and I think most people can make it out while not being so representational that they don't confuse the two. Better to introduce someone to abstract art with something they can sink their teeth into rather than some Kandinsky squares and triangles..

EDIT:

This should help

I like me some Pen.  

Don't you just love it when people think "postmodern" and "abstract" are synonyms for "weird"?

agreed.

this is abstract: http://liabelle.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/nude-descending-a-staircase.jpg
this is postmodern: http://www.jssgallery.org/other_artists/andy_warhol/campbells.jpg

if you're truly interested in learning more about art, read this: http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Comics-Invisible-Scott-Mccloud/dp/006097625X

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydT4wmR6KnQ