Game in a Week XIV: THE GENRE GRINDER'S REVENGE

[Acolyte]

THE RESULTS



THIRD PLACE

[Spoiler]
Normal Mode:

Far from Home
by Netol



Hard Mode:

My True Love
by Ekima

[/Spoiler]



SECOND PLACE

[Spoiler]
Normal Mode:

God Save the Queen
by Bluntsword



Hard Mode:

Endmemoria
by Boe

[/Spoiler]


And, finally...

FIRST PLACE

[Spoiler]
Normal Mode:

Voz
by Exhydra



Hard Mode:

IT'S A TIE!
Lost Cause
by TopsyKrett

AND

Grace of Vil

by Hiromu

[/Spoiler]



ALL SCORES

[Spoiler][Spoiler=Normal Mode]

Rank	| Game Title	| Entrant	| Genre	| Score
1.	| Voz	| Exhydra	| Horror	| 7.58
2.	| God Save the Queen	| Bluntsword	| Mystery	| 6.33
3.	| Far From Home	| Netol	| Horror	| 5.83
4.	| Ni Sekai	| Gamer Luna	| Romance	| 4.58
5.	| B.U.T.T.O.N.	| Little Psycho	| Humor	| 4.49
6.	| The Sickness	| ZaMullet	| Drama	| 4.25

[/Spoiler]


[Spoiler=Hard Mode]

Rank	| Game Title	| Entrant	| Genre	| Score
1.	| Lost Cause	| TopsyKrett	| Dungeon Crawler	| 6.66
	| Grace of Vil	| Hiromu	| Dungeon Crawler	| 6.66
3.	| Endmemoria	| Boe	| Point-and-Click	| 6.5
4.	| My True Love	| Ekima	| Dating Sim	| 5.16
5.	| Skyless	| Lonefoxlaughing	| Arcade	| 3.08

[/Spoiler]



DETAILED SCORES

[Spoiler][Spoiler=Normal Mode]

Rank	| Creator	| Polish	| Playability	| Ingenuity	| Entertain	| Overall
1.	| Exhydra	| 8.67	| 4.67	| 9	| 8	| 7.58
2.	| Bluntsword	| 7.33	| 5.67	| 6.33	| 6	| 6.33
3.	| Netol	| 7.33	| 5.67	| 6.33	| 6	| 5.83
4.	|Gamer Luna	| 6	| 3.67	| 5	| 3.67	| 4.58
5.	| Little Psycho	| 4.3	| 5.67	| 3.33	| 4.66	| 4.49
6.	| ZaMullet	| 4	| 5	| 3.67	| 4.33	| 4.25

[/Spoiler]


[Spoiler=Hard Mode]

Rank	| Creator	| Polish	| Playability	| Ingenuity	| Entertain	| Overall
1.	| TopsyKrett	| 8.33	| 5.67	| 6.33	| 6.33	| 6.66
	| Hiromu	| 8.33	| 6.67	| 5.33	| 6.33	| 6.66
3.	| Boe	| 7	| 6.67	| 7	| 5.33	| 6.5
4.	| Ekima	| 5.67	| 5.33	| 5	| 4.67	| 5.16
5.	| Lonefoxlaughing	| 3.33	| 3.67	| 2.67	| 2.67	| 3.08

[/Spoiler][/Spoiler][/spoiler]






[spoiler=Original Post]
Introduction

After much discussion and planning, we've decided to let this one hit the light. In other words, GIAW XIV IS HERE! This time, we're going with what we call a "Genre Grinder Challenge". You may remember how this goes from the first one we tried. During this contest, you can actually choose to compete in either "normal mode" or "hard mode". I invite you to read on and learn more about the contest!~



The Genres

[Spoiler]First, choose if you'd like to compete in normal mode or hard mode. You may then choose what genre you'd like to make your game, but it *must* be selected from the lists below. The original idea was for the genres to be randomly given to you, but we decided to hold off on that. Yet, you still have the option of receiving a random genre. You only need to let us know to "randomize" you, if you're looking for an extra challenge!

Normal Mode
Note: For normal mode, the game allows a lot of flexibility. However, your game must exhibit a general atmosphere of your selected genre. You will be judged on how well your game displays that genre.

[Spoiler]1. Humor
The point of a humor game is to make your players laugh. So, that's the simple goal here - to make a funny game!

2. Horror
With this genre, the point is to scare your players. You have to make your game creepy and all that horrific stuff.

3. Romance
The goal here is to make your players feel loved. No, just kidding. If you don't know what romance is, than you're a robot. B(

4. Drama
The emphasis is to make an emotionally moving game, with a focus on making the player feel a certain way while playing your game. This is not to be confused with the "Romance" genre. A good example of this would be To The Moon. The game can range from gloomy to heartwarming.

5. Mystery
This genre would have an emphasis on suspense, discovery, and all that fun mystery stuff. Think of keeping your players thinking - just like a good crime-solving detective game. Or you can get creative with it. The goal here is to make your players feel like they are solving a mystery, so to speak.

6. Text Adventure Game
This is a weird genre, but it's really easy to make. It takes a LOT of writing to make it successful, though. All you really have to do is make the whole game run through pictures and text.[/Spoiler]

Hard Mode
More credit goes to Zylos, for the wonderful examples!

[Spoiler]1. Point-And-Click Adventure
Examples:
    King's Quest - Very simple to make, just have the player follow the mouse click to the destination. That's what most existing mouse scripts do already. If you're clever about it, you can even have the mouse also be what examines the environment by cycling between "walk here" and "examine this" type cursors.
    Myst - If you're good at drawing or know where to find decent background drops, you can use the mouse system for something like a first person perspective by clicking on points of interest on the picture and activating an event for it.

2. Arcade
Examples:
    Pong - I think a number of people have already made this before. Very straight forward, you just have to brush up a bit on your basic math and physics.
    Frogger - Perhaps one of the easiest arcade-like games to make. Just have a frog try to cross the map, and if any event-touch events get triggered... squish.

3. Puzzle
Examples:
    Columns - Not an easy game to make but very possible. You have a trio of events fall down the screen, and can switch the order/position of them while the first one is still moving. Then you cross check to see if any of the events match up three in a row.
    Professor Layton - Technically, the whole of the series can be listed as puzzle adventure games, due to the core of the game revolving around you solving logic puzzles and such. Sounds like an easy thing to shoot for for this category!

4. Dungeon Crawler
Examples:
    Diablo - Admittedly I barely remember playing this with Zeich, but it should be an easy thing to try to imitate in RPG Maker. Multi-leveled dungeon with legions of enemies for you to fight, sounds like a dungeon crawler to me.
    Dark Cloud - You're in a dungeon with ever floor like a maze, and you have to find that ONE enemy among dozens on that floor that has the key you need in order to proceed to the next floor. Sounds simple to do, and yet incredibly fun to play!

5. Stealth
Examples:
    MGS - The Acostrike team already made something like this, so stealth is definitely a possibility to make. You check to see if the player is in a certain location compared to the enemy and if the enemy is facing your way, and if they're visible... game over.
    Thief - Anyone remember this old computer game? With VXA, I imagine it's a little easier due to their region tiles, so you can determine which places are darker and which ones are not. If you're too visible in the light, you'll have enemies on your tail to deal with.

6. Minigame/Carnival
Examples:
    Sonic Shuffle / Mario Party - It's fairly straight forward. You have a main game and main story, and you keep score with dozens of bizarrely random minigames to play and have fun with. Only difficulty I foresee is AI, but that's part of the challenge!
    Warioware - Honestly, this is the genre I'm hoping to get simply so that I can make a super fast spree of microgame madness. Just lots of little minigames that take mere seconds, back to back in a fun manner. Easy!

7. Dating Sim
Examples:
    Harvest Moon - Though its full of a lot of things, Harvest Moon is the most common example I can think of. Pretty much, the goal of the game is to make other characters fall in love with you, marry them, and whatnot. Once again, you can feel free to get creative with it. Oh, but there IS a catch that makes this a little more challenging. It's very text-based, so you'd have to be sure that you're talented with writing.[/Spoiler][/Spoiler]



Contest Dates

[Spoiler]You will have one week to complete the game (or demo). HOWEVER, this is going to be a flexible week. Meaning: you can choose your start-up date. If you do not provide a start-up date, you will be expected to start on the default date, (Sunday) June 14th. Here's the options for starting/ending dates:

(Sunday) Start June 14th 12:00 AM - Finish June 20th 11:59 PM
(Monday) Start June 15th 12:00 AM - Finish June 21th 11:59 PM
(Tuesday) Start June 16th 12:00 AM - Finish June 22th 11:59 PM
(Wednesday) Start June 17th 12:00 AM - Finish June 23th 11:59 PM
(Thursday) Start June 18th 12:00 AM - Finish June 24th 11:59 PM
(Friday) Start June 19th 12:00 AM - Finish June 25th 11:59 PM
(Saturday) Start June 20th 12:00 AM - Finish June 26th 11:59 PM

*BE SURE TO TELL ME YOUR TIME ZONE!

Example: Say, I'm starting/ending on (Sunday) June 14th. That means I'd submit my project before 12AM on the 20th. To be safe, in this example, submit it by (Saturday) June 19th at 11:59PM. Make sense?

*Note: You can sign up for the contest late, if you wish. The latest recommended time to sign up is (Saturday) June 20th. If you sign up any later than June 20th, your project will be due on (Saturday) June 26th This means that you will have less time to work on your project.

*The judging period will START (Sunday) June 28th, and will last approximately two weeks, and is subject to change.

What to do when you complete your project:
Send me (acolyte) a private message with the download link to your project. You are responsible for uploading the project. After I receive your project, I will distribute a copy of it to each judge. We would prefer that you send your copy unencrypted. If you do encrypt it, do so at your own risk. That means that the judges will not be able to remove any bugs that hinder the gameplay.[/Spoiler]



Rules & Information

[Spoiler]We meow have a general rules/FAQ list for contests. Hopefully, it's easier to navigate and includes all the information necessary.

Click here for contest Rules & FAQ!

Additional Notes and Reminders:

   
• Remember that we are doing a "flexible" contest week, so you will have differing starting times from everyone else. Be sure that you don't start until YOUR start day.
• You will also have differing ending dates, so be sure that you're submitting your project at midnight (your time) on your specific ending date.

[/Spoiler]



Scoring Guidelines

[Spoiler]

   
• Polish (visuals and audio)
• Playability (gameplay and general mechanics)
• Ingenuity (originality and story)
• Entertainment (the fun factor)

[/Spoiler]



Awards

[Spoiler]
T.B.A.

   
• First Place (Normal)
• Second Place (Normal)
• Third Place (Normal)
• First Place (Hard)
• Second Place (Hard)
• Third Place (Hard)
• GIAW Completion Award: Awarded for submitting a game, regardless of placement.

[/Spoiler]



Participants:

[Spoiler]Anyone can participate, really. Well, obviously you'd have to be a member of the forum but, I digress.

Here's a list of everyone who's going to participate, and what their start dates are:


Total: 21
Submitted Games:11
Withdrawn/Disqualified Games:10


NORMAL MODE:

   
• bluntsword - Mystery -(Sun) 6/20th - 6/26 [CT]
• CrazyCrab - Mystery -(Mon) 6/15th - 6/21 [CEST]
• Team ChezSandwiches - Text Adventure -(Sat) 6/20th - 6/26 [PST]
• Team Kodi - Humor -(Sat) 6/20th - 6/26 [UCT]
• Little Psycho - Humor -(Thurs) 6/11th - 6/17 [GMT+2]
• Mekuso - Humor -(Mon) 6/15th - 6/21 [GMT +2]
• Zamullet - Drama -(Mon) 6/15th - 6/21 [GMT+2]
• exhydra - Horror -(Sun) 6/14th - 6/20 [PST]
• Netol - Horror -(Mon) 6/15th - 6/21 [EST]
• Sophist - Text-Adventure Game -(Sun) 6/20th - 6/26th [GMT]
• Gamer Luna - Romance -(Sun) 6/14th - 6/20 [GMT+2]
• It could be you!

HARD MODE:

   
• boe - Point-And-Click Adventure - (Sun) 6/14th - 6/20 [PST]
• joy - Point-And-Click Adventure -(Mon) 6/20th - 6/26 [GMT -4]
• "Team ChugaChuga" (Yuyu & Dr.MC) - Dating Sim - (Fri) 6/19 - 6/26 [CST]
• Ekima - Dating Sim - (Sat) 6/18 - 6/24 [CEST](+2)
• Hiromu - Dungeon Crawler - (Sun) 6/14 - 6/20 [CST]
• delyemerald2 - Stealth - (Thurs) 6/18 - 6/24 [GMT+2]
• flapbat - Puzzle - (Mon) 6/20 - 6/26 [PST]
• TopsyKrett - Dungeon Crawler - (Wed)17th-23rd [EST]
• h0m3r0w - Puzzle - (Fri) 6/19 - 6/25 [CST]
• lonefoxlaughing - Arcade - (Sat) 6/20 - 6/26 [EDT]
• It could be you!

[/spoiler]


Judges:

[Spoiler]The rules of the judges remains the same as always. However, we have the right to decline judge applicants, due to past issues with judges dropping out. We want to make sure that we can trust our judges. There will only be a maximum of 5 judges, as usual.

   
• IAMFORTE
• PhoenixFire
• Countdown
• Legacy

[/Spoiler]



When Signing Up...

It's a lot of text, so I'll do this as a reminder. Tell me these 3 things when you sign up:

1. What genre you've picked (see "Genres")
2. What day you'd like to start (see "Contest Dates")
3. What your time offset is (see "Contest Dates")

[&&&&&&&&&&&&&]

Point-And-Click Adventure
(Sunday) Start June 14th 12:00 AM - Finish June 20th 11:59 PM
-1 offset

[yuyu!]

I'll go ahead and toss my name in the hat, because I never got to do this last time (due to hosting). I'll be taking classes by this time, but why not at least give it a try? ;o

Team: "Team ChugaChuga" ~ Me & DrMcChickenNuggets
Genre: Hard Mode: Dating Sim
Timezone: CST
Start day: Friday, June 19th


do u like my team name
i just thought of that lol!!

[IAMFORTE]

I will toss my name in for judging

[PhoenixFire]

I will toss my name in for judging

As will I, since the hosting position was usurped from under me =p

[exhydra]

Ugh ... what to do, what to do. I am going to enter, but I am not sure exactly what genre yet.

Also, I don't think any emails went out for notification.

[yuyu!]

I went ahead and send out a very humble email notification to everyone. It should take a bit for us all to get them.

[yuyu!]

I added in the judges and cleaned up the thread a little sorry, the thread looking so wonky was probably my fault, from when I copy pasted the template ;_; Feel free to change anything you don't like, I pretty much just edited the participants section and stuff ~

[Ekima]

1. Genre: Dating Sim
2. Start day: Saturday, June 20th
3. Offset: GMT +2

^.^ (About time I challenge myself a little)

[Acolyte]

I changed up the time offset wording a bit, because it was making me hella confused. Everyone can just tell me their time zone and I'll figure it out from there.

[bluntsword]

This is exciting. I want to participate.

I may.

But let me grind it over a bit.

[yuyu!]

so I'm guessing you all loved my edgy email? purrfect B)

[yuyu!]

so edgy, it ended up in the sewers section of my email

...spam

[Legacy]

I haven't played many dating sims and I've never tried to make one.

LETS DO THIS!

Hardmode: Dating Sim
Starting the 14th 12:00 AM PST (pacific)

[&&&&&&&&&&&&&]

More like Dating Sim in a week.
I'm the odd man out. :3

[spoiler] Also why can't I edit op? Stop oppressing me! [/spoiler]

[Countdown]

I can judge if you need an extra one.

[PhoenixFire]

I think I'll also make a game, exempt from and awards of course.. Can't have a judge officially enter now can we? lolz.. I think I'll try my hand at a dating sim too, since I've never tried one, and ill start on it this coming Wednesday. Eastern time zone.

[Legacy]

Eh, The more I dive into the Dating Sim genre, the less I want to do it. Is it alright if I switch it to Normal Mode Mystery?

[&&&&&&&&&&&&&]

Yeah.

[hiromu656]

Dungeon Crawler
Starting June 20th. Central Time Zone (UTC-06:00)

Hopefully I'm not busy then :O

[Acolyte]

Apparently love is in the air.
OP has been updated.

[yuyu!]

I wanted to make a Dating Sim before it was cool

[Chez]

I...am incredibly nervous to be honest. This will be my first contest. Also, since this genre is before my time, I'm a bit nervous. I'm determined, however, to do a great job and show something I can be proud of.

With all of that said:
1. Text Adventure (Easy of course lol)
2. June 20th start date
3.-4

**also! I'll be working with a team! Team ChezSandwiches

[yuyu!]

Naaah, don't be nervous. :-) We don't bite!

Also, we've probably seen the worst there is already by this point!

[Kodi123]

Ohhh Finally!!! Been waiting for this years GIAW. I had been in two of those so far and each year had tons of fun.  Definitely joining this year's one too! Gotta get a better place this year though.

Team: "Team Kodi" (Just me)
Genre: Normal Mode (Humor)
Timezone: (UCT)
Start Day: Saturday, June 20th