What's in a Name, Seemingly

Event Nov 9 2017, 9:01 pm
to Nov 12 2017, 8:59 pm ID:2310480
 
Oct 30 2017, 8:44 pm (Edited on Nov 17 2017, 4:56 pm)
Hello prospective WiNSers!


The What's in a Name, Seemingly Developers Challenge has come to a close and the scores have been released. You can find the winners on the What's in a Name, Seemingly Results post!


Are you ready to find out What’s in a Name, seemingly? Not really sure what that means? That’s alright, as it will become clear when the challenge begins! For now, all you need to know is that WiNS is a BYOND weekend development challenge, where developers take to Dream Maker and produce the most impressive gaming creation their skills can muster within three days time, from proof of concept to playable creation. For the purpose of this challenge, each developer will be receiving their own unique topic which they will be expected to use as a catalyst to develop and inspire gameplay.

-What’s in a Name, Seemingly Schedule-
Please note that all times are in Eastern Standard Time (EST)

  1. I) Registration phase (October 30th to November 9th 11:59 PM)

  2. II) Game creation/submission phase (November 10th 12:01 AM to November 12th 11:59 PM)

  3. III) Judging phase (Begins November 13th , ends 7 days later, reserving 1 extra day for every two entries received past 14.)


WiNS is divided into the three major sections mentioned in the schedule above:

First is the Registration phase. This phase happens from the creation of this post, to the start of the Game creation / submission phase. To register for WiNS you must create a comment in this thread stating your intention to participate, and must be done before the game creation phase begins. For the purposes of this contest, please do not use the comments thread for banter or questions, and do not create multiple comments. Questions and comments can be directed to me via pager. Comments that do not contain intent to participate will be removed. Team member registration is not required, but commenting intent to participate should only be done by the team leader.

The game creation and submission phase will begin roughly on November 10th at 12:01 AM, as this is when the topics will be distributed. All contestants will receive a unique topic. This topic should be used as a central area of focus that is used to develop the game play of your creation, and judging will take that into consideration. Don’t just create a skin-over! All submissions must be submitted to the WiNS submission upload center prior to the end of the Game creation/Submission phase on November 12th 11:59 PM.

The judging phase is the time that it will take for the judge(s) to review and publish the results of the What’s in a Name, Seemingly Developer's challenge. The final results are due to be published seven days after the end of the Game creation/Submission phase, reserving an extra day for every 2 entries received byond 14. For the purpose of determining scores, the judge(s) will use the scoring rubric found below. Ties will be broke by evaluation byond the purpose of the rubric.

Shorthand contest details:


Name: What’s in a Name, Seemingly Developer’s Challenge.
Judging Period: 1 week after the final submission phase, reserving one extra day for every two entries received past 14.
Judge(s): Higoten.
Registration Location: Post your intent to participate in the comments below before the challenge begins!
Submission Location: WiNS Submission Upload Center.
Engine: All submissions must be made with the BYOND development suite.
Teams: Teams are permitted. Only the team leader should register. Team member registration is not required.
Number of submissions: One entry per user. Only files necessary to play the game are required to be uploaded.
Topics: Each participant will receive one unique topic.
External Resource Usage: External resources (Libraries, sound, art, etc) may only be used if they were released for public usage or public domain prior to the release of this post. All other assets must be created during the Game creation/Submission phase.
Prizes: A weekend of fun! All entries that are submitted will receive a technical review and score.
Originality: All submissions must utilize an intellectual property which is owned by the developer or team.
Credits: All credit must be given where credit is due, either in game or on the hub page.
Rating: It is recommended, but not required, that games be designed in such a way that it would receive an "E for Everyone" rating.
Legal: All submitted content must not violate United States law, or the BYOND terms and conditions.
Screen resolution: In order to accurately judge submissions, games must display properly on a screen resolution of at least 1024x768. Failure to do so may result in critical game elements falling off my screen, resulting in a misjudge.
Disqualification: Any submission found in violation of the spirit of the above or attempting to obtain an unfair advantage, at the sole determination of the judge(s), will be disqualified. All entries submitted by judge(s) are disqualified.
Grading Rubric:
Aspect # Details
Hub Presentation 4 Hub page is well made and accommodates users to play the game. It contains a clear and accurate short and long description, the title of the game, tags, display version number, depictive screenshots and/or video. A server and/or host files are available and install correctly. No significant spelling or grammatical errors are present.
3 Hub page has a good amount of information, download, and pictures, but possesses significant spelling and grammar issues, is inaccurate, or has other outstanding issues.
2 Hub page is of poor quality, has a small amount of information about the game, no screenshots/videos, no hostfiles/servers, or has excessive spelling and grammatical issues.
1 Hub page exists, but has no information about the game.
0 No hub page.
Theme Usage 4 The given topic has clearly been naturally integrated into the development of the game, or the topic is used as a catalyst to develop game play.
3 Elements of the given topic were present throughout the game, but inspired the storyline or text portions, and not so much the gameplay.
2 The topic is used in the game, but is clearly a skin over for a potentially preexisting concept.
1 Unable to clearly identify any usage of a given topic.
0 Makes clearly no use of a given topic.
Consistent Artwork 4 All artwork is consistent. User interface elements blend well with the map and movements are animated when appropriate.
3 Artwork is of mostly consistent appearance, or has noteworthy issues with animation or movement.
2 Artwork is only of mildly consistent appearance or uses text based graphics.
1 Artwork is not consistent.
0 Artwork is stolen or not properly credited.
Informative Instructions 4 Instructions are well written and/or implemented into the game in a way that allows the player to easily learn as they play.
3 Instructions provide sufficient information on how to play, but are of poor quality or bad grammar and spelling.
2 Instructions are provided, but are unclear how to play.
1 Instructions are provided, but are not helpful in learning game play, are wrong, or of extremely bad quality.
0 No instructions are provided
Realistic Replayability 4 Game is fun and rewarding enough to justify nearly endless play through, or utilizes story/skill/advancement/currency to repeat core gameplay with well ramped difficulty.
3 Gameplay is worth three or more play throughs. The gameplay works on the player building their skills to advance, but ramps the difficulty too fast to make it possible to reasonably progress.
2 The game is worth two play throughs, and uses a single time reward to encourage this.
1 The game is only worth one play though. There is nothing to be gained from playing again.
0 The game can not be played.
Enjoyable Gameplay 4 Gameplay is fun and enjoyable for extended periods of time
3 Gameplay is fun and enjoyable, but is shortlived, or has other complications.
2 Gameplay is not fun overall.
1 Gameplay is frustrating and not fun
0 No gameplay is existent, or can not be scored due to other factors.
Structural Stability 4 Game plays correctly, laglessly, and without any errors.
3 Game plays correctly, but has at least one non-critical error, or significant lag.
2 Game starts, but has at least one critical error that affects gameplay.
1 Game starts, but does not play correctly due to multiple errors.
0 Game can not be started, or is unplayable due to errors.
Intuitive Interface 4 Interface, outputs, and feedbacks are well made, responsive, clear, easy to use, and fit the game well. They do not suffer from extreme spelling or grammatical errors. Unnecessary interface clutter is removed and visual or audio feedback is given when the interface is used. Outputs inform and transition the player when they start/complete a level or other similar event as needed.
3 Interface, outputs, and feedbacks are decently made, but suffers from at least one outstanding issue.
2 Uses the standard BYOND 3.5 interface without any HUDS.
1 An interface is present, but doesn’t appear responsive, or is littered with unused buttons, or has significant other problems.
0 Interface doesn’t fit correctly on a 1024x768 monitor.
Music and Sound Effects 4 The game uses a variety of sound effects and music that makes sense and works with the game to create an enjoyable and immersive environment.
3 The game provides sfx and music that accompanies the game, but uses only one piece of music and/or sound effects that become annoyingly repetitive.
2 The game uses both music or sound effects, but they do not benefit the game.
1 The game uses only music or only sound effects.
0 The game makes no usage of music or sound effects.
BYOND Spirit 1 The developer (and their team) puts well-intended effort into their productions. They are proud of their creations and accomplishments and tell others about their successes. They strive to make their creations and skills better. They also help to bring out the best in others who are searching the world BYOND by providing support and advice, being a role model, and maintaining a courteous and respectful attitude.
0 The developer pointlessly discourages, bashes, or abuses other contestants in poor sportsmanship.
Ties will be resolved at the discretion of the judges as to which entry best implements these aspects beyond the purpose of this rubric.


<!-- How to have something worth submitting:

So, if you have tried unsuccessfully to submit a time-limited game creation to one of these developer’s challenges in the past, let me share with you the almost fool-proof formula to actually produce a game.

In short... Make a small game!

In long, figure out how much time you have to actually work on the game. You have three days, that’s a max of 72 hours (24 * 3). If you’re a zombie and can work all 72 hours with 42 gallons of coffee and 10 red bulls, that’s great! But realistically, you’ll need to take out time to eat, sleep, work, etc. Will you have 8 hours a day? 6? 2? Whatever amount of time you figure you can do per day, add them together and you’ll have your total potential development time. Now take your total potential development time and divide it by 4. This will be your realistic development time.

So if you figured that over three days, you would have 8 hours to dedicate to the challenge each day, that’s 24 hours over the whole weekend. 24 hours is your potential development time. Your realistic development time is 24 divided by 4, which is 6 hours. Now when you start brainstorming, think not "What game can I make in 24 hours?", but think "What game can I make in 6 hours?"

Now you have a game idea that you are four times more likely to complete. -->


So does this sound like a blast? Then state your intent to participate in the comments below before the challenge begins! Please remember not to post any other comments (as they will be culled away), and any questions or concerns may be directed to me (Higoten) via pager.

I intend to participate!

In case of emergency:
The judge(s) reserve the right to disqualify any submission or user for any reason. The rules and terms above are subject to change, and participation in this event implies acceptance to all of the rules and terms above, even if the terms change. This contest is held by community independents that are not affiliated with BYOND Software. The distribution of all pledged prizes is the sole responsibility of the pledgee. All rights are retained of the proper owners.
Oct 31 2017, 5:27 am
I will enter.
Oct 31 2017, 2:48 pm (Edited on Nov 3 2017, 1:45 pm)
I'm in, as long as I don't forget about the start date.
Oct 31 2017, 2:53 pm
I'm in, though I don't know my work schedule for that weekend and it's my son's birthday.
Nov 3 2017, 6:02 am (Edited on Nov 3 2017, 1:01 pm)
Sign me up :)

I might be busy on Nov 11 and Nov 12, but I'll see if I can make this work out
Nov 4 2017, 6:45 pm
Sign Me Up! I hope I can scrape 9th place this time!
Nov 6 2017, 8:14 pm
I will sign up.
Nov 7 2017, 5:22 pm
I'll throw my name in the hat and see what I can come up with.
Nov 9 2017, 4:46 pm
I'll participate.
Nov 9 2017, 9:01 pm (Edited on Nov 10 2017, 1:14 pm)
Registration is now closed and it’s time to find out what’s in a name, seemingly!

The topic for WiNS is: The key of the user who posted their intent to join directly prior to you!

This means that the effective topic distribution is as follows:

Bravo1’s topic is Higoten.
MegaBlaze’s topic is Bravo1.
Flick’s topic is MegaBlaze.
D4RK3 54B3R’s topic is Flick.
Dragonpearl123’s topic is D4RK3 54B3R.
UltimateNarutoSasuke’s topic is Dragonpearl123.
Kats’s topic is UltimateNarutoSasuke.
Requiem Dev’s topic is Kats.

As my entry will be disqualified anyways, I’ll take the edge case and use the last topic, Requiem Dev.

I do want to emphasize that the topics are only the name itself, and not the user behind that name, so I’m trusting all of you with a bit of dignity in that regard, but do feel free to ask around for ideas. Specifically, the topic’s namesake may be able to offer a unique perspective!

The WiNS submission upload center is live and ready to accept your submission before the end of the challenge. If, for whatever reason, the upload center is not working correct, submissions may be sent to [email protected]. The submission upload center is also a central hub where uploaded games can be downloaded, if the developer elects to do so!

To upload a submission, zip up your hosting files, log into the submission upload center using your key, and select the submission tab. Click submit entry, and follow the on-screen prompts before the end of the challenge. You may submit multiple times prior to the close of the challenge. Only your final upload will be judged. Your submission needs to be received before the 72 hour challenge ends. You will also be prompted to provide a hub page for the game.

And now that post position sensitive registration phase has concluded, this comment thread may be used for relevant comments, dialogs, and questions!

Good luck to all of the challengers, and I can’t wait to see what is completed within the next 72 hours!
Nov 10 2017, 8:37 am
Nov 10 2017, 12:42 pm
A quick clarification, as it wasn't specifically mentioned anywhere above: When you go to submit your project, you only need to include hosting files and any other file that is necessary to play the game. Source code submission isn't required.
Nov 12 2017, 9:09 pm (Edited on Nov 12 2017, 9:39 pm)
And with that, What’s in a Name, Seemingly, is brought to a close!

The two submitted games, Hi Goten! by Bravo1 and Restless Night by Higoten can be download for play from the WiNS submission upload center. Restless Night (At least two players required) is also available for live play at byond://higoten.byondpanel.com:1993.

Judging results will be posted within 7 days from this post (although it would appear that significantly less judging time will be required).

Congratulations to Bravo1 for making a submission, and a round of applause to everyone else who gave it their best shot! I do look forward to writing up the results for this one. ;)
Nov 12 2017, 10:28 pm
Unfortunately busy weekend ended up meaning that I wasn't able to participate. A bit, sad, but I do feel like fixing my house was a better use of my productivity. Lol.
Nov 13 2017, 1:08 am
I had an idea where flicking pieces could be used as a mechanic for army combat, but my desktop's power supply literally went up in smoke friday night. I'd probably have had a quick and short project submitted if it weren't for that disaster. :C

It was also a fairly busy weekend for me.