2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

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dougeff
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Re: 2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

Post by dougeff »

I guessed right. Twin Dragons (1st) and Nebs and Debs (2nd). I would have put Lala the Magical at 3rd, personally (instead of Filthy Kitchen). No offense, dustmop.
Now it's time to improve our games for the Multicart
I feel that the placement of enemies in the Mojon Twin games could be improved. One or two times you jump to the next screen and almost instantly run into an enemy. Other times, the enemy is placed in the most annoying and inconvenient location, like on a tiny platform that you must jump on. I haven't completed either game (it's on my 'to do list').
nesdoug.com -- blog/tutorial on programming for the NES
Rahsennor
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Re: 2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

Post by Rahsennor »

Hahahahahaha, I see my record for coming dead last in every online competition I've ever entered is still unbroken. Kind of peeved that it jinxed my health and dragged a collaborator down with me, but that's life for you.

Congrats to everyone I saved from the wooden spoon, and seconding the request for a score breakdown, if that's not too much trouble.

EDIT

There's a game called CYO in the Category 1 archive that isn't mentioned anywhere else, what's up with that? Was it disqualified or something?
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dougeff
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Re: 2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

Post by dougeff »

Code: Select all

dead last
If it had sound, it would have done much better. And maybe a 1 player mode.
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dustmop
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Re: 2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

Post by dustmop »

Yay! It's awesome to have placed below two clearly superior creations. I'm very happy to have done so well!
dougeff wrote:No offense, dustmop.
Not at all, none taken! I was fully aware of the possibility of that outcome.
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infiniteneslives
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Re: 2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

Post by infiniteneslives »

Rahsennor wrote:There's a game called CYO in the Category 1 archive that isn't mentioned anywhere else, what's up with that? Was it disqualified or something?
He contacted the organizers and requested to withdraw his entry.
If you're gonna play the Game Boy, you gotta learn to play it right. -Kenny Rogers
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Broke Studio
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Re: 2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

Post by Broke Studio »

Wow ! So stocked I won this competition !
Congratulations to every entrant, there were a lot of nice games, I really had a fun time testing each and every one of them.

I'd like to thank everyone on this forum, every person who shared tips, information, tools, etc for the NES. I couldn't have created this game without all of this, and I'm really grateful.

It really boosts me to expand the game and release it on cartridge this year (hopefully).
My first game : Twin Dragons available at Broke Studio.
cppchriscpp
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Re: 2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

Post by cppchriscpp »

First thing's first: Congrats to the winners, and honestly, to everyone who entered something. Playing the entries during judging was legitimately fun, and the most fun I've had with an older console in a long time!


I'll add another request for the score breakdown - I'd really love more detailed information on what people liked/disliked. It would also be cool to see what people liked about other games.


I knew I didn't have one of the best games, (and honestly with the quality of the entries, I'm happy to have lost to a lot of them!) but I have to admit, I kinda thought my raw score would be a little higher than it was. The graphics in my entry weren't great, the music was hit-and-miss at best, and the writing was garbage, but I thought the gameplay was pretty solid. I guess I want to see if others felt the same way.


If anyone has direct feedback on Waddles, I'd love to see it. (Probably in its own thread) At this point, I don't think I'll be spending much more time on the game itself. I'd rather focus on figuring out what I could do better next time to make a game people actually want to play.

Thanks to everyone involved for some much needed fun retro gaming.
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rainwarrior
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Re: 2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

Post by rainwarrior »

Are the results only going to be overall scores? I know the judging forms had scoring categories, and since a few people have requested feedback, maybe the category scores would be helpful to them?


I will say one thing about Filthy Kitchen: my appreciation for it went up a lot when I discovered there was a boss at the end!
na_th_an
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Re: 2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

Post by na_th_an »

I honestly think Filthy Kitchen deserved the 3rd position. Congratulations, Dustmop :)

About enhacements, yeah. I have a list of things to move around in the map and enemies to place elsewhere.

Is there a deadline before entries must be "frozen" so tepples can do his magic to create the multicart?
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rainwarrior
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Re: 2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

Post by rainwarrior »

Rahsennor wrote:There's a game called CYO in the Category 1 archive that isn't mentioned anywhere else, what's up with that? Was it disqualified or something?
I actually hacked CYO for invincibility so I could see what was at the "end". (I felt I needed to play all of them to their conclusion.)
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dustmop
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Re: 2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

Post by dustmop »

na_th_an wrote:Congratulations, Dustmop :)
Thanks very much! Congrats as well, I'm very happy we get to end up on the cart together.
rainwarrior wrote:I will say one thing about Filthy Kitchen: my appreciation for it went up a lot when I discovered there was a boss at the end!
The result of playtesting! Someone I was showing it to suggested a giant evil fly at the end of the game, so I added it.
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NESHomebrew
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Re: 2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

Post by NESHomebrew »

RogerBidon wrote:Congratulations to all of the entrants of the games and a big thank you to organizers for ... organization!

Would it be possible to have the score of games by category? It can be useful to know what is most in need of improvement.
Here is the spreadsheet for anyone interested.
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infiniteneslives
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Re: 2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

Post by infiniteneslives »

When judging there were a few criteria I was judging for that didn't have their own category and got lumped into the overall score. For me the biggest one was replay interest, and game depth. Those both go hand in hand often times, but not necessarily. In my mind a multiplayer game is best when relatively simple but presents an enjoyable group experience/competition. Similarly a relatively short single screen game can have a high replay interest if it's sufficiently addictive and rewards me for beating my previous high score in even a simple way.

I'm not sure if it's worth considering those or other measurements as separate categories of judging in the future or not. But it would have helped 'explain' to the entrant more specifically what it was getting marked on instead of a blanket "overall".

One thing I didn't fully understand when entering my scores was how the different judging categories had different ranges of possible marks. I didn't realize till after I submitted my score that was probably a means of weighting some categories higher than others.

I do have some notes I took on each entry, they're only my own but I'm planning to seek out each entries' thread and give them my feedback. One idea for future judging might be to allow for a free form section where judges can submit feedback to each entrant. Doing that in the judging would make short work for the judge to easily give their feedback and help the entrant know what was most appreciated about their game and perhaps what might need work.

EDIT: one more thing I tried to take into consideration was how easily I was able to pick up the controller and play the game. Sometimes little to no explanation is needed. Other times providing tutorials or help menus is rather necessary and I appreciated when the developer took the time to insert them. When I was left to stumble and figure things out for myself and the blurb provided no help as well, it was a little frustrating and might have affected the polish and completeness score, even though the game was well polished once I managed to figure out how to play.
If you're gonna play the Game Boy, you gotta learn to play it right. -Kenny Rogers
cppchriscpp
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Re: 2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

Post by cppchriscpp »

Thanks for the scores; that was exactly what I was looking for. It... well, it hurt, but it's what I wanted to see.

The freeform entry field idea sounds good to me - I spent quite a bit of time with every game, and given that there I certainly would have taken the time to fill it out. (Plus, I'm actively soliciting feedback right now.)
M_Tee
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Re: 2016 NESDev Compo - Guidelines/Rules

Post by M_Tee »

For everyone that submitted, regardless of placement, it's extremely commendable that you put forth the time and effort to put together something, that through the multicart, will be shared with the community.

Ranking low, or even last (in any category), from such a great group is nothing to feel worried about. By even submitting, you've scored higher than myself and leagues of others that didn't submit.

I really wanted to take the time to do an aesthetic critique of each entry, but I've been preoccupied illustrating all of the packaging materials for another project.

If any submitters would be interested in reading a constructive critique of their visuals, send me a PM, and I'll make the time for it.

Otherwise, as a passionate fan of these competitions, who hasn't yet participated in one, I want to thank everyone for the work that you've put in to share these games with us.
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