Castle Paradox

[Pepsi Ranger]

Heart of the OHR Contest

It seems that as times change, interests start moving in new directions, and the things that first captured our hearts and attention about indie-RPG design had since faded into obscurity.

Toward the end of the ‘90s and the early part of this decade, RPGs were king, and were incidentally, the only thing the OHR was capable of making. And then, as the decade continued, RPGs became less common, less desired, and soon the rate of releases made on the engine went from a sprint to a crawl.

Then, in about 2006 or 2007, the limits of the OHR began to change, and new life formed. Sidescrollers were now not only possible, but easier to make. Puzzle games, menu-based games, and even street fighting games were beginning to surface in droves throughout the course of three years. And during this time the course of the OHR RPG began to fall. RPGs were released on occasion, but the presence of one became rare, and almost surprising. And even then, the likelihood of it being a joke game was high. No, the integrity of the epic vacation gave way to a cheap day-trip, and by 2009 the nature of the RPG had become nearly absent.

The other day, Surlaw and I were discussing the disappointment of creating huge games, which translates to many, many hours of development time (read: three years or more for some games), that people refuse to play because it requires them to fight random battles (that aren’t titillating 100% of the time), or read text (of any length), or spend more than a few hours of game time in order to finish it. Authors who put the level of time and attention that goes into a quality game, just to have it go unplayed because of an unwillingness to read (for example), is highly disheartened, and certain OHR gems have gone unfinished because the author experiences What’s-the-Point? Syndrome.

This, of course, has contributed to the huge decline of RPGs—and especially in the quality RPGs—in our opinion, and that should be shocking when one considers we’re a community focused on an RPG making engine.

Even James Paige once expressed a slight disappointment in the gradual reduction of games that actually use the default features to, you know, make an RPG.

That is what the OHRRPGCE was made for.

Now, this isn’t to knock the surge in alternative gaming styles. I loved Slimes. The games released for the 2009 8-Bit Contest were brilliant. But look at how many good RPGs came out in 2009. Okedoke, and, um….

It’s hard to say whether the modern RPG is dying or just in a slump, but we’d like to see this giant of yesteryear make at least one more stand in the community. So, I am proposing the “Heart of the OHR Contest,” which is a contest, quite simply, about making the best RPGs we can make with the engine that brought us here in the first place.

Rules:

-Must be an RPG. We can debate what defines an RPG for this contest if you want, but in the end, it has to be an RPG.

-NonRPGs not permitted. (See Above)

-Joke games not permitted (though funny ones are okay).

-Special scripting is okay (as long as it doesn't turn the RPG into a nonRPG).

-Game must have at least 30 minutes of playtime with a good chunk of that devoted to story (in other words, 30 minutes without level grinding).

-Updates to previous RPGs permitted.

-Updates to previous RPGs need at least 30 minutes of new content to be eligible. Changing a textbox to an old two-hour game and re-releasing it doesn’t make it eligible.

-Fan games and parodies discouraged, but not forbidden. Original stories preferred.

Release Dates:

Unlike traditional contests, “Heart of the OHR” will not require a start time or an end time per se. Rather, this will adopt the “release window” technique made popular with Game-a-thon, in that any RPG released within the window is eligible (provided it meets the above standards).

Window begins July 1st and ends November 30th.

Voting:

Voting will run from December 16 - December 31 (I'll extend this to a few extra days in January if any holiday vacationers need the extra time.)

Note that I will not close voting until I have a minimum of 10 votes, so if the deadline comes and goes and I have fewer than that, voting will remain open until the minimum is met. I want all contestants to have a fair playthrough and comment/critique/score for their games.

For full details consult the following post:

http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=71778#71778

Prizes:

Because RPGs are harder to come by these days (especially in contests), I thought it’s only fair to combat the odds with prizes that don’t suck. Therefore, James and Surlaw have both agreed to give special bonuses to entrants and the winner.

Just by entering a game into the contest, the contestant will get to choose a bugfix or feature request to be put on the December 1st bug ransom. The winner will get to choose a second bug or feature request to be implemented ASAP (pending feasibility). Because the window is so large, James has agreed that no request is unreasonable at this time.

Here’s how it works:

During the month of June, you may post your bugfix or feature request here so that James can start working toward implementing it. You may only choose one, so pick wisely. Once you choose your request, you are then expected to release a quality RPG (fitting the above standards) by November 30th to receive your entry prize. The prize, of course, is a ransom for the bug or feature request you posted here if it’s not implemented by December 1st. If your bug is not fixed by the deadline, then you get whatever James decides to pay for ransoms (I think it’s $10, but he’ll have to verify this). And that’s just for entering the contest! The winner will get to request a second bugfix or feature once the votes are in.

You may view the current requests here:

http://gilgamesh.hamsterrepublic.com/wiki/ohrrpgce/index.php/User:Bob_the_Hamster/HeartBugs

The winner will also get a HamsterSpeak cover devoted to his winning entry or the game of his choice for the January 2011 issue. Artist is unknown at this point, but we’ll happily take volunteers. I’d also, if possible, like to offer the winner a second piece of artwork about his game for the magazine, but only if a second artist volunteers.

Thirdly, the winner will receive either slime bucks or an increase to the stat of his or her choice for the Slime Salad Arena.

Fourthly, the winning game will be featured for Slime Salad’s game of the month (pending author’s acceptance) for January or February 2011.

Fifthly, if I’m not broke by then, the winner will receive some extra cash as a cherry on top. I’ll determine the amount by then, but it will probably be conditional on the number of games that are actually submitted.

Sixthly, anyone out there can add to the prize pot if he or she has something to offer, so feel free to help make this into a treasure trove of winnings if you want to, and if you have the resources for it. Note: User SecondChance has offered to add $10 to the winner's prize.

Seventhly, as an added bonus to the contestants, all entrants will receive a T-shirt, courtesy of Inferior Minion, with the Heart of the OHR, Castle Paradox, Slime Salad, and HamsterSpeak logos branded on the fabric. This way you can celebrate the return of the RPG, and become a walking advertisement!

So, as you can see, it would be crazy not to join and make something for the Heart of the OHR Contest, so take the chance. Nominating a bugfix or feature request confirms your intention to join. Just remember that there will be no ransom paid on unresolved bugs if you drop out. So make something and stick with it. Don’t procrastinate, either. Games that don’t meet the above standards will also forfeit the ransom.

Tips:

Release the best game you’re capable of making. The community doesn’t want to see or play throwaway titles anymore. Do your best to make a quality game. While you shouldn’t be intimidated by this, you still need to be aware that games like Wandering Hamster and Vikings of Midgard are just as capable of making an appearance during the contest window as any game, so make it your best if you want the winning prizes.

Have fun. Please use this thread to post your bugfix or feature requests for James and the developers, and use it to announce your RPG releases starting on July 1st. And I’d appreciate it if this thread were stickied until the end of the year. Thanks.
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Progress Report:

The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition

Currently Updating: General sweep of the game world and dialogue boxes. Adding extended maps.

Tightfloss Maiden

Currently Updating: Chapter 2

[SecondThought]

I absolutely love the idea of this contest — getting back to the historic roots of the application!

Count me in whole-heartedly, and I’ll contribute $10 to the contest’s winning game (via PayPal).
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Game Progress
Forgotten Lore — 0% complete (currently designing art and concept)

[Bob the Hamster]

I will be tracking the bug/features requested by contest entrants at 'User:Bob_the_Hamster/HeartBugs'

[Pepsi Ranger]

Thanks for the prize contribution, SecondThought. I'll add it to the prize list once my secret donor confirms his prize.

James, I was hoping you would create one of these charts. Now I don't have to manually keep track of who asked for what. Awesome.
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Progress Report:

The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition

Currently Updating: General sweep of the game world and dialogue boxes. Adding extended maps.

Tightfloss Maiden

Currently Updating: Chapter 2

[Lord Fyroa]

Expect to see a Yo Ghost or two.
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Help! Im trapped in this box! It's dark...and cold...help...

[Bagne]

Because this contest is so awesome, I'm gonna say again:
This contest is awesome!
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Working on rain and cloud formation

[addes3]

Hi!

I'm new, and this might be my first post, but I want to enter this.

I would ask for a feature to be, hmm, I don't know. I think I'll post later.

[NeoSpade]

Sign me up for this, I've got an idea now :p, and as for a bug, I'll have to check if it's been fixed lately, but if it hasn't, then would it be possible to solve the Jump/Land chain being cancelled (and leaving the hero in the air) if their target is killed before they finish the chain?

[Pepsi Ranger]

Prize list has been updated. Consult the top post for details.
_________________
Progress Report:

The Adventures of Powerstick Man: Extended Edition

Currently Updating: General sweep of the game world and dialogue boxes. Adding extended maps.

Tightfloss Maiden

Currently Updating: Chapter 2

[SecondThought]

I shall be producing the game Forgotten Lore, and my feature request shall be the ability to have more than one colour per textbox (i.e., to emphasize keywords). Not sure if that’s even remotely feasible, but I thought it would be cool!
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Game Progress
Forgotten Lore — 0% complete (currently designing art and concept)

[BlastedEarth]

Wow... I hope i can finish BE by november so i can join this.
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So many ideas, so little focus. Monk spirit please lend me your power!

[AdrianX]

Been a long time. I need to unwind and temporarily forget dayjob-related game development for a while and return to my roots.

So I'll be developing Crescent Dream: Bestowed Curse, and i want to request a (possibly) impossible feature of improving the overall framerate of the OHRRPGCE for smoother gameplay. Been requesting this for over three years now, i think.

In any case, can i request for another feature just in case James preempt me that this feature is really, really impossible?

[Sh4d0ws]

[TMC]

[AdrianX]