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[Cthulhu32]

I've watched some of the results of the B competition, and I was really impressed by it. Quickly put together rules can make for a variety of insane, fun games. I am really digging having the artists put together their sprite hacks, music, sfx, etc. and having the programmers (I would be one of these) put these together in a game.

Just a few thoughts after lurking on the forums for a bit about the competition. What do you think the best way to encourage people to use a variety of the sprites? So like if there is one realllly good piece of music, and three killer sprite hacks, and everything else is lower quality, do you think there is a good way to make everyone use more than just that combination? I'm thinking there should not be any judging on the sprites until AFTER the programmers competition, that way the programmers will use the ones they think are the best (not sure if that was in your heads as well?)

Not having a hard theme for programmers does two important things: first is it makes it harder to come up with an idea, because you are so much less restricted, BUT second, it makes the games a much wider variety. You could have action, puzzle, beat rythm, etc. all using the same sprites which would be hilarious!

Also last question, would the programmers have the freedom to do hacks to the sprite hacks? Like palette changing, adding our own backgrounds, using some kind of render effects, add in some particles (not just using particle sprites people rip), etc.?

[Wilson Saunders]

I would like to think that the programmers would either make the specialty sprites they need for their paticluar game idea or beg, bribe, and bully an artist to make something allong the lines of what they need. In the past I have done all my own art and it seriously cut into my programming time. I am looking forward to this if only to spend as much time as everyone else coding.

[Cthulhu32]

Yeah, I always do the Pyweek competitions solo (www.pyweek.org) and art always takes about 50% or so of my week. I think one of the particulars programmers will need is maybe a font package for doing titles, or some kind of package like that so we can make cool title screens.

[moi]

What about a really cooperative contest?

• The graphic creators create sprites and backgrounds.
• The musician create sounds and musics.
• The coders create each one a level.

Then someone really clever finds a way to link each level together (could be really tricky, maybe each program should have a way to be called like a dos app with arguments passed for lives and score. But that would make it difficult for game maker and things like that...)

[Alec]

Think it needs some kind of general theme... or style... or something. But open enough so that people can be crazy creative.

[Melly]

Giant Naked Gorillas

[Wilson Saunders]

Then someone really clever finds a way to link each level together (could be really tricky, maybe each program should have a way to be called like a dos app with arguments passed for lives and score. But that would make it difficult for game maker and things like that...)

We are aving enough trouble agreeing on general contest ideas. I don't want to think about the kind of arguments that would errupt between programmmers who want to do things their own way.

[Alec]

I think the reason the B-Game compo worked so well is that people were free to make whatever they want, but it still had a theme... something binding it together.

It might suck to do a compo where all the games turn out looking/playing very similar with only slight differences in quality.

[Melly]

Personally, I vote for the Demakes/GNM ideas to be had first. This one looks like it would need more sorting out before we jump into it.

[Derek]

I'd personally rather run a contest and have it bomb then sit around talking about it for months on end.  The point is that, theme or no theme, if we don't get enough artwork, we're screwed, so we just have to get rollin' and make sure the artists are enthused about the idea.  Knowing the artists on this board, I don't think we'll have any trouble.

What was fun to me about the idea was that the artists get to express themselves freely and the programmers get their inspiration from what comes out of that.  In essence, the artists are creating a theme for the programmers to work with.  If you look at any art board, you see themes and fads naturally arising all the time out of people just sharing art and talking with one another.

But yeah, eventually I'm just going to lay down the rules, because no one actually has any theme ideas and I think running a bunch of polls to decide the rules is silly.  The competition is just going to lose momentum that way.

Maybe it already has and we should just start a light-hearted Giant Naked Men competition for December to get back in the groove?

[Melly]

Your call. I'll get in any. And own people.

[skaldicpoet9]

Maybe it already has and we should just start a light-hearted Giant Naked Men competition for December to get back in the groove?

Definitely.

[Inane]

Either way, I'm contributing!
Any programmers wanna collaboratron, though?

[Average Higgins]

I'll contribute something regardless of whatever, so let's just start it up!

[Alec]

Compo power activate!

Quit yo jibba jabba and get into the compo.

[Wilson Saunders]

I suppose Derek is right. I would rather spend my time doing this then talking about how we are going to do this.

[Melly]

Go, go, go!

[Xion]

Will the artists be able to fiddle with other artists' stuff? Like if I see a character I like made by, say, Inane, would I be able to make a shooting animation? Or a tileset that's missing a tile I think would be useful, can I add it?

[Wilson Saunders]

I was wondering if Derek was going to provide us with an upload page to upload sprites and other files when the compo begins. I hope this not going to be a "host it yourself" event where we post our output to the forums via links. While I have my own site where I can dump images and zip files I suspect other people might not have similar resources.

[Melly]

Photobucket has always served me very well, and free to boot.