CONTEST: Project Screenshot(s) DISCUSSION

[monele]

Hmmm. I'm confused : I was apparently going to be a judge for this contest but I realize I've been given very little info and I'm not even in the list of judges in the first post. Can anyone help there? :/

[Aenakume]

Hmmm. I'm confused : I was apparently going to be a judge for this contest but I realize I've been given very little info and I'm not even in the list of judges in the first post. Can anyone help there? :/

i can help. What you want to do is post that you vote for Aenakume.

[bowling pin]

I'm not a judge or anything, but I will avail myself to comment on all of the pieces brought to us in the past month. I'm not sure how to form my opinion on these projects: should I take only the two screenshots into account? Should I also consider any other information the creators revealed about their games on this forum or elsewhere? Should I also consider my personal feelings as to the potential of these projects?

I believe that talking about the screenshots alone, and considering only projects that significantly enhance their GUI or on-screen HUD, would be inadequate. So I'll try to make a note of everything that catches my eye about these titles.

Walkabout Engine
Aenakume

The art.

Yeah.

Nice tree.

However, that aside. This is interesting. For those of you who don't know, this is an engine designed to animate characters walking from one position to another, similar to traditional point-and-click PC adventure titles. The idea of Ren'Py being opened up to create games inspired by the LucasArts titles is exciting enough. Sure, there's AGS for that, but AGS isn't moe.

Cyberlin
Alessio

The use of Google Sketchup works here. This is a sci-fi story, and Sketchup is able to produce artwork that looks clean, yet cold and mechanical. In this case, the backgrounds look appropriate to the setting. The textbox looks fairly standard: clean, transparent, as round as the cylindrical objects that seem to populate the background. The typeface is reminiscent of high tech interfaces. The character artwork however seems off to me. While clearly better than your typical Ren'Py fair, there's something about that woman's...head. She has realistic proportions but the anime-styled eyes don't vibe well at all with that realistic-looking head.

That's about all I can say regarding this project, since most of it is steeped in mystery. Definitely scoping this out once it hits, though.

QUAFFといっしょにアメリカへ行こう！
Barafubuki

Do my eyes deceive me? Is this the first Japanese work produced in Ren'Py? Now I'm intrigued. I want to know how Ren'Py is received in visual novel mecca.

It's clear that the backgrounds in this game are derived from photographs, BUT I do enjoy the painterly look applied to them. Looks like the cutout filter was applied as a base and brush strokes were added on top. I'm not a big fan of the cutout filter, and I can tell only a little effort went into the backgrounds beyond that, but that little effort already sets the backgrounds apart from so many other visual novels that fail to go beyond just still photos.

The small statistics display in the top right hand corner seem to indicate health and money? There haven't been too many simulations made with Ren'Py so now I'm interested in that as well. The screenshots also suggest that QUAFF will be a bilingual project? The character artwork is also hand drawn. While there's a little too much texture in that staff member's face, he matches the painterly aesthetic of the backgrounds. Cute little cursor, too.

So, not bad. Promising.

Spirited Heart
jack_norton

Another sim! It recalls memories of Princess Maker. The artwork looks pretty... and again, very little else to go upon. Heileen was a quality product (as far as I could tell from the demo) and I hope to see this game surpass that.

Science Girls!
Spiky Caterpillar

I've played the demo and I am surprised by how much I actually liked it.

First off, I have a problem with using stock artwork in a game. To me, stock characters could be easily divorced from the game they're used in.

I knew that going into Science Girls! and found the game so adorable that I didn't care. Bravo, Caterpillar! First, I attest to the quality of the writing. It's cute. It's quirky. It's clever. It's funny. You've breathed life into the stock art and made it your own.

The system could use some work. I found the battle sequences a little wanting. The large, gray rectangular field that our party fights on is pretty drab. I was hoping this could be replaced by, say, an isometric classroom view? I'm not sure why you chose to pixelate the backgrounds during monster fights either. The blue gradient boxes make up the in-game battle menus look clunky and could be replaced by the translucent textbox that occupies the game's dialogue.

But. But. But.

I love the characterization. Jennifer and the protagonist know that the situation they're in, invaded by sentient psuedo-plant monsters, is ludicrous. Still, they play it as straight as they could muster.

If you can tweak the GUI for the battle sequences, and if you were able to fluidly animate the character sprites in-battle...well, we'd have a game.

So, more opinions later.

[Doomfest]

Well, it seems like PyTom and Blue123 prefer judging in private. I will announce the results later. What's posted is just my opinion. ;P

[monele]

Ok, so apparently I got terribly confused and mixed up contests... I was not supposed to be a judge on this one ^^;... Apologies.

[bowling pin]

The Circular Gate
AlphaProspector

When I fired up the demo I noticed that you had an epilepsy warning screen. I was disappointed that the screen was only up for a few seconds before it auto-skipped, since I'm one of the few epileptics who actually play video games. I was concerned that there'd be a specific scene that would trigger some dizziness later on in the game and wanted to know if the demo was going to be heavy on flashing lights. Fortunately it was okay for me to play through the demo but I hope you'll be able to leave the epilepsy warning on until it's manually skipped.

Now, as for the content itself: didn't like it.

Sorry.

It's overwritten. It's very hard to care about a far flung interstellar metaphysical war without even naming a single character involved in the conflict who I may have a vested interest in. It's very hard to care about the narrative at all. The narration seems to ramble on and on, speaking in terminology that's fully drenched within the game's world. It's hard to understand. It's boring. It's fascinating how you implemented the game's GUI with the setting. I like the look of the menus. The artwork is cold, 3D and computer generated and that's all fine. You seem to understand the direction you want to go artistically, but in this case, less is more.

Significantly scale back the text. Chop it down to what is the most essential, the bare minimum amount of information that is needed for the reader to understand and appreciate your story. Then work from there.

Risky Trap
kuroi

While I praised the use of 3D art programs in Cyberlin and Circular Gate, I absolutely draw the line at the use of Poser. Sorry, but I've always seen the program as unprofessional. I don't exactly mind using Poser as a valuable reference for, you know, posing figures, but to just rip figures from the program wholesale? Not feeling it at all.

I may still play this if the story itself pans out right. A lesbian love triangle always has the potential to be promising.

Euphor Studio
Aashtarsrain

Hmm. Same as above, BUT I do give you credit for making the game a sort of simulation. The screenshots have a grimy, grungy, slightly surreal look to it... I'd try to capitalize on that. Actually, if you work those Poser models in 'Shop enough, you could wind up with a game that looks good, yet strange.

Wedding Vows
dizzcity

The screens have the same nostalgic look of an old photo album, and the game itself seems to resemble a book. I guess, the appearance of this game isn't fully divorced from, say, a scrapbook. I guess this can work. I personally don't believe in the sanctity of marriage because it presumes some form of sanctity in people, but it's your game.

Pumpkin Patch
Midnighticequeen

Hmm... you need to give yourself more credit. You at least hand drew your own backgrounds, which is actually more than what can be said of most of the entries here. Looks like a lighthearted fairy tale, and it's surprising that most of the games presented here want to tackle deeper, darker subjects. The menu and textboxes have this beveled quality that I can't agree with. You should redesign them and avoid the use of Photoshop's Layer Styles.

Your artwork, your character designs... there's no way around it, they're pretty off. Your three heroines, in the title screen... they're sitting so awkwardly. I don't want to discourage you. You seem like you're about to be a capable, competent artist. Look at these pieces, from your DeviantArt gallery:

http://midnighticequeen.deviantart.com/ ... a-94911758
http://midnighticequeen.deviantart.com/ ... s-96232785

These aren't bad. Here you're demonstrating some knowledge of anatomy. By all means, continue to work on Pumpkin Patch, but do concentrate on being able to render the human figure, and then distorting it into an anime-inspired form appropriately later on.

Songs of Araiah
Enerccio

Holy shit.

Angelic Orbs – Broken Memories
Vatina

I like the crisp textbox and the font you've chosen. Your manipulation of photographs as backgrounds is subtle, and the look of the game is very clear. The only jarring bit, again, would be the character artwork. The same comments I've made of Pumpkin Patch apply here as well.

Peter & Nemo Thanksgiving
BigFish

The character artwork has a bold, cartoon stylization that might wind up working here. Not that there aren't problems in this area (check out Kay the waitress's [?] upper torso), but easily fixed for the style you're going for. Now, I must disagree with the stark, opaque boxes that comprise most of the screen. There's no color harmony at all between the green textbox, the white detail box, and the tan colored menu options.

Regardless, these type of investigation-based adventure games interest me, being a fan of Sam & Max, Phoenix Wright and Hotel Dusk. I strongly suggest that you change the fish's name. Do not make an obvious reference to Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo. If they cared enough, this could be a breach of copyright infringement. You're also doing a disservice to the game by dating it as purely a Thanksgiving story. It'd almost be inappropriate to play any time throughout the year besides the month of November.

___

So. You have seen your peers at work. Be diligent and creative. All comments made here are out of good will and a desire to see you improve and encourage those who have grasped something brilliant in their works. There is no doubt in my mind that this community can produce a work that can be compared to True Remembrance, Narcissu, our most beloved Crimsoness, or even the exceptional Ori, Ochi and Onoe.

Personally, I'm waiting for the day someone converts Moonlight Walks into a 2D fighting game.

[Spiky Caterpillar]

Science Girls!
Spiky Caterpillar

I've played the demo and I am surprised by how much I actually liked it.

First off, I have a problem with using stock artwork in a game. To me, stock characters could be easily divorced from the game they're used in.

I knew that going into Science Girls! and found the game so adorable that I didn't care. Bravo, Caterpillar! First, I attest to the quality of the writing. It's cute. It's quirky. It's clever. It's funny. You've breathed life into the stock art and made it your own.

Yay! *Pleased caterpillar motions. Which mostly involve nibbling on leaves, that being what pleased caterpillars do.*

The system could use some work. I found the battle sequences a little wanting. The large, gray rectangular field that our party fights on is pretty drab. I was hoping this could be replaced by, say, an isometric classroom view?

I tend to prefer an abstraction to a classroom view for combat - the classroom view would tend to be rather distracting, and I'd be severely disappointed in an isometric classroom view unless it 1) matched the room the combat was taking place in (which means we're not talking ONE isoclassroom, but at least five and closer to a dozen if we want it to be GOOD - and we're not good at drawing isofurniture, so that's more art to commission.), 2) rendered sensibly (which means that if we're in a room full of rows of desks, there are rows of desks in the room - quite likely atop some of the monsters, which requires careful positioning for several different monster-shapes), and (a slightly more mild disappointment, but still disappointing) 3) interacted with the combat in some way - desks serving to reduce the chance of being hit, or getting kicked over, for example. All of this is theoretically doable, but will be a great deal of work to get right; and if I tried it and got it wrong, it would just be distracting clutter that makes combat unfun, or, worse, buggy and unfun. (/rant)

I'd rather have more story and less-polished combat than a game that's twenty minutes long or never gets finished because we spent all our time polishing combat and didn't have any left over for writing the rest of the game.

I'm not sure why you chose to pixelate the backgrounds during monster fights either. The blue gradient boxes make up the in-game battle menus look clunky and could be replaced by the translucent textbox that occupies the game's dialogue.

Hm. I'm not sure that I agree with you on this, but I might kick around some menuchanges once I've got all the commands implemented and see if I like them better. (No promises, though!)

But. But. But.

I love the characterization. Jennifer and the protagonist know that the situation they're in, invaded by sentient psuedo-plant monsters, is ludicrous. Still, they play it as straight as they could muster.

If you can tweak the GUI for the battle sequences, and if you were able to fluidly animate the character sprites in-battle...well, we'd have a game.

So, more opinions later.

And, thanks for the feedback. I feel slightly guilty for spending more text on 'ARGH DON'T WANNA CHANGE THIS BIT' than on the parts you do like, but then again I'd feel silly going 'yes, I agree'.

...

Also, I see your next post mentions epilepsy - in the battle sequences, damaged characters do flicker between the normal sprite and a redshifted version for a second or so. Is this dangerous, harmless, in between? Are there any guidelines on what should bear warning labels and what doesn't need it?

[bowling pin]

Also, I see your next post mentions epilepsy - in the battle sequences, damaged characters do flicker between the normal sprite and a redshifted version for a second or so. Is this dangerous, harmless, in between? Are there any guidelines on what should bear warning labels and what doesn't need it?

I didn't have any problem with Science Girls so it must be fine. Note that I'm an avid gamer and I've played plenty of games, so from my personal experience most of the games I've played (which is a lot of games) haven't made me sick. The only real exception I can remember was a scene at the end of Space Channel 5 when you're surfing through a psychadelic tunnel of colors. That didn't trigger a seizure or anything in me, but I did feel sick looking at it and had to close my eyes while playing it. Note that my personal experience as an epileptic gamer probably isn't typical, and I'm sure that there are epileptics who are just unable to play video games at all. Also, I've been seizure free for almost a decade now...

Generally, most games shouldn't have warning labels for epileptics because we all know the risk in playing these games. I did like the way Space Channel 5 did it though; in the scene I described above, there was an in-game warning that cautioned epileptics from playing that segment. Fortunately, since SC5 is a music game, I didn't actually need to look at the screen to pass that particular segment. Just avoid gratuitous use of flashing lights and bold colors and everything should be kosher. Unless you absolutely must include those elements. Then put up a warning or something.

[Doomfest]

WINNERS ARE IN!

First place: "Songs of Araiah" for prettyness!
Runner Ups: "Spirited Heart" and "Science Girls" for aesthetics and "looks-extremely-fun-to-play"-ness!, respectively.

Thanks to everyone for submitting, and we look forward to all the games represented.

[Aashtarsrain]

Congratulations to the winners !
It's been a great experience.
Looking for more thematic contests in the future !

[kuroi]

Congrats to the winners! You guys rock!

[proust]

On behalf of all the other lurkers ... Congratulations!

[dizzcity]

Congrats to the winners, and to everybody else! It was really enjoyable to see what everyone's working on (much easier than browsing through the Work-in-Progress section). We should do regular updates like this more often (sort of like a quarterly news update on all works).

-Dizzy-

[PyTom]

I have to say that, as the lead developer of Ren'Py, I found this whole contest very motivating. The customizability of Ren'Py has always been one of the harder parts, and while I've almost certainly made some mistakes along the way, seeing people being able to make such nice-looking works despite that is really motivating.

It's also nice to see so many games under development. I think many people are making larger and higher-quality projects, and this means that projects have been taking longer, and not coming out as frequently. So it's good to see some of the work that's going on behind the scenes.

[Vatina]

Awesome, that was the one I was betting on too Congrats!