Use this thread to ask questions, make comments, and seek clarifications on the April 2006 GDS Challenge (found here).
-Bryk
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Thu, 05/11/2006 - 10:20
Thu, 05/11/2006 - 11:10
#1
Re: Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Brykovian wrote:
Use this thread to ask questions, make comments, and seek clarifications on the April 2006 GDS Challenge (found here).
-Bryk
*drool*
K.
Thu, 05/11/2006 - 11:31
#3
Re: Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Kreitler wrote:
*drool*
K.Does that mean you're back this month? ;-)
Seo
Thu, 05/11/2006 - 12:33
#4
Re: Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
seo wrote:
Kreitler wrote:*drool*
K.Does that mean you're back this month? ;-)
Seo
Hmmm...
We're shipping a demo next month,
I'm prepping to teach a game programming course,
I'm writing a cell-phone game engine,
I'm supposed to be focusing on my Hippodice entry for this year,
and both my kids are teething like mad.
So, yeah, I think I can submit something this month. :P
K.
Thu, 05/11/2006 - 13:06
#5
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Looks like a good GDS. I wish I had time to spend on it. It probably wont stop me from entering something though. Maybe ill just copy Nandos game. If I do enter you guys should remember that its my birthday this month! :-P
- Dwight
Thu, 05/11/2006 - 15:05
#6
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
This contest really gets my creativity flowing. I just might enter this month.
Thu, 05/11/2006 - 18:22
#7
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Oh, I like the sound of this one! As the current champion, (cup hands around mouth, make crowd-roaring sound), I will defend my crown with all my might! Take your best shot, worthy challengers!
~Josh
Thu, 05/11/2006 - 19:13
#8
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
OutsideLime wrote:
Oh, I like the sound of this one! As the current champion, (cup hands around mouth, make crowd-roaring sound), I will defend my crown with all my might!
You can't help loving this guy, he's so humble! It would be a shame if he turns out to be just a one hit wonder. ;-P
Seo
Thu, 05/11/2006 - 19:50
#9
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
OutsideLime wrote:
Oh, I like the sound of this one! As the current champion, (cup hands around mouth, make crowd-roaring sound), I will defend my crown with all my might! Take your best shot, worthy challengers!
~Josh
As the newcommer to the fourm, I graciously accept your challenge.
*drops gloves hockey style*
*pulls jersey over your head*
Fri, 05/12/2006 - 14:59
#10
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Ok, I am inspired to return and give this a try again.
Watch out world. Here I come.
Sun, 05/14/2006 - 23:07
#11
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
my new goal.... Get a single vote!
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 07:24
#12
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Jpwoo wrote:
my new goal.... Get a single vote!
I've spent weeks trying to convince Josh to embrace that same goal! ;-P
Seo
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 09:20
#13
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Just curious, have we ever considered extending the deadline past 1 week? With my schedule, it usually takes me at least a week to even begin to think of an idea, and by that time the deadline has passed. Does anyone else have this problem? I'd love to participate in these showdowns, but the window of opportunity is way too small.
-Darke
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 09:24
#14
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Darkehorse wrote:
Just curious, have we ever considered extending the deadline past 1 week? With my schedule, it usually takes me at least a week to even begin to think of an idea, and by that time the deadline has passed. Does anyone else have this problem? I'd love to participate in these showdowns, but the window of opportunity is way too small.
-Darke
I have wanted to enter these for a while, but either the theme never inspired me or I just had no time. But i've jumped on this one and it all rushed out of me in one evening, so a week is fine.
But it does seem to be a matter of timing, for me at least. But it does seem to be the type of competition for those random sparks of inspiration, rather than planning.
Now to shave off 14 words, hmm...
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 09:48
#15
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
I would like to see the timeframe moved to two weeks too, but at the same time I dont know if this is the reason for me not taking part in GDS. I am sure the time would help since I seem to be involved in too many things at once. But in an effort to talk about such a change I have the following questions:
How would a two week timeframe influence entries?
And would this extra time for planning or cleanup really hurt the focus behind GDS?
Will two weeks result in more entries (please raise your hand if you would enter a GDS submission if given more time)?
And will *regular* participants in the GDS stop submitting because of this type of change?
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 10:20
#16
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
I'd stop if it went to a two-week period (not that anyone would notice if I stopped entering ;-) - I was one of those who wanted an even shorter deadline originally!
I'm also not sure that we actually want more than the 12 or so entries that make up a "good" month. I have enough trouble judging as it is...
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 10:24
#17
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Scurra wrote:
I'd stop if it went to a two-week period (not that anyone would notice if I stopped entering ;-) - I was one of those who wanted an even shorter deadline originally!
I'm also not sure that we actually want more than the 12 or so entries that make up a "good" month. I have enough trouble judging as it is...
Yeah, a longer period wouldn't make me enter more either. And I agree, its quite a bit of work reading through all the entries, though I have only voted a few times...
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 10:29
#18
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
The reason I don't participate, is because I simply can't write my entry down.
Last month I had a racing-game, in which you constructed cars and sold them to the other players and then had to vote for a track where you had to race the car you bought from your opponents. Points were earned by selling good cars and by doing good during a race.
(I'm sure that my game would have stood out next to most other games and I think it would have scored reasonably well, but I just can't write my game(s) down, so I don't enter...)
I don't know if having a second week will allow me to get an entry in. I certainly know that the two times I entered (april and may 2005), I've spend more time than is normally affordable to get something in...
Another point is that with two weeks, there will probably be a lot more entriesand that may be a problem to score them...
Cheese!
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 10:38
#19
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Darkehorse wrote:
Just curious, have we ever considered extending the deadline past 1 week?
I have considered it ... we've even discussed it more than once. I don't expect the 1-week timeframe will change, unless there is a special extra-heavy Challenge given.
-Bryk
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 10:41
#20
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
I wouldn't have any problem with a two-week timeframe, though I like the 1 week limit we have right now.
I would keep taking part no matter what the timeframe were. I've missed a couple rounds due to work overload, but one week usually gives me enough time to think about different ideas, begin to shape the game up, define the main mechanics, do some calculations about odds, number of items required, etc., work a bit on the graphics (I usually work on the graphics while pondering about the game mechanics, balance, and other details), and finally type the rules a few hours (or minutes) before the deadline. Having two weeks to work on the entry would probably mean I'd spent the first week doing other stuff and still be in a rush the second week.
If many people feel two weeks would mean they could take part in the GDS, I would give it a try. But I fear the extended timeframe would produce entries with an even more noticeable range of "finishing". They will probably go from just a simple game outline to a balanced, playtested, illustrated and nearly ready to publish game. That would make judging even harder, and leave the people with less time to work on their entries in a disadvantadgeous position.
When the GDS begun there was a discussion promoting just the opposite: many people asked for a shorter timeframe, as they felt a week was too long and went against the "think fast" idea. Two weeks would be definitely too long for them.
Maybe we could alternate between a quick GDS and a long GDS. After the 2-entries GDS it was suggested that the GDS could become bimonthly, so having a quick GDS one month and a long GDS the other might not be a bad idea.
Seo
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 10:57
#21
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Maybe this discussion should be posted in the GDS-overview-thread, as it has nothing to do with this month's GDS.
seo wrote:
The quick-one could be less than a week (2 to 4 days), the long one could be 2 weeks...
Maybe we could alternate between a quick GDS and a long GDS. After the 2-entries GDS it was suggested that the GDS could become bimonthly, so having a quick GDS one month and a long GDS the other might not be a bad idea.
On a side note:
Maybe the time to vote should be extended when there are more than 10 entries...
Cheese!
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 11:14
#22
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Seo wrote:
Having two weeks to work on the entry would probably mean I'd spent the first week doing other stuff and still be in a rush the second week.
This is exactly what I was going to say.
~Josh
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 14:49
#23
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Darkehorse wrote:
Just curious, have we ever considered extending the deadline past 1 week? With my schedule, it usually takes me at least a week to even begin to think of an idea, and by that time the deadline has passed. Does anyone else have this problem? I'd love to participate in these showdowns, but the window of opportunity is way too small.
-Darke
Because of work etc my last couple entries have been very rushed and I couldn't do the doho123 one at all. I like this months and I have a couple ideas but to make something good will require more time.
In short I am in favor of longer deadlines. An extra week maybe.
- Dwight
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 20:19
#24
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
[Forget this was ever here]
Wed, 05/17/2006 - 17:16
#25
800 words... Argh!
Well, I managed to get it down to 800 words and submit it. It was soooo challenging to do, though. Sadly, I had to shave off a lot of the story and "flavor" to get it to fit. Still... I look forward to seeing what people come up with.
Wed, 05/17/2006 - 19:18
#26
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
I'm working on the last details of my entry, but a fear has begun to creep inside me. It is about the Mr. Unpredictable requirement. How variable the game has to be?
Is Wallenstein variable enough, given that you don't get the same provinces each time? Is Tikal variable enough, given that you get to place different tiles each time you play? Does a game with goal cards like "conquer this and that territory" qualify?
Seo
Wed, 05/17/2006 - 19:23
#27
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
My game is different every time you play it because you at at a different point in the space-time continuum than when you previously played it.
I mean, when you get right down to it, no two games are ever the same. Checkers today is different than checkers yesterday just because checkers yesterday was checkers yesterday, and checkers today is checkers today. Wow! It's a different game every time!
~Josh
PS - That reminds me... I should come up with a game idea....
Wed, 05/17/2006 - 21:49
#28
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Due to a hard week at work I have been unable to finalize my entry :(
Good luck to those who have submitted their entries!
Thu, 05/18/2006 - 00:01
#29
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
The 800 words is tough. You can't possibly fit every mechanic and exception in under 800.
But on the other hand people know this when voting, so it isn't that big of a deal.
Thu, 05/18/2006 - 14:24
#30
Comments and Questions on the May 2006 Challenge
Good Luck Guys
Now, Kreitler! A programmer should know better than get his keyboard all wet like that!! ;-p
-Bryk