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dislekcia
04-08-2008, 08:53 PM
Comp 20: No Text Allowed!

We've had a text-only game already... How about a game with absolutely no text? We tend to use text to do a lot of heavy lifting and/or "grunt" work in our games these days. Stuff like explaining what the user should be doing, lobbing after-thought stories at the player, things like that. Things that really should be apparent immediately. Things that should be designed into the experience from the word go.

So, how do you make a game with no text? What kinds of systems do you need to make your game work for you? Can you tell a story? Can you explain the controls? Can you give your players goals if you can't simply tell them "Look for 14 red salamander tongues and we'll give you a helm of +5 to attribute acronym of your choice".

No, numbers aren't allowed either... Numeric quantities, like the hearts in Zelda games are fine though. Feel free to use sounds, but recorded speech counts as text, so you can't just read the instructions to your players ;) Emotional sounds like purring, growling or angry yelling are perfectly cool.

Make a game that has absolutely NO text in it whatsoever.

Rules:
Competition starts on August 4th, 04-08-2008.
Deadline for entries is September 1st, 01-09-2008.
The use of copyrighted material will not be tolerated. Do not steal!
Use whichever language, tool or development system you are comfortable in. Downloading and using Game Maker is recommended for beginners and for prototyping.
Ask for help when you get stuck.
Your game must contain all files needed for it to run and should not require other bulky systems to be downloaded or installed, exceptions are browser plugins like Flash and self-contained dlls distributed with the game).
Your game may not contain any sensible text. Using text-like graphics (in the case of an alien language, for instance) is fine - as long as those graphics don't convey meaning.
Your final entry must NOT include a readme.txt that EXPLAINS THE CONTROLS, RULES and any other information you want to get across to your users. Not this time, that would rather kill the point!
Competition is open to entry for South African citizens, current residents of South Africa and South African passport holders.
The judges' decision is final and no negotiation will be entered into. All risk or liability in case of copyright infringement or other legal issue resides with the entrant, Game.Dev and NAG take no responsibility for entered games.

Entering:
To enter the competition, start a thread titled "20: NameOfYourGame" and post your design ideas and game releases there. As you release files, edit your first post to point to the most recent versions available.

Other people WILL reply to your post with their feedback and ideas, it's a fact that games that allow forumites to give their feedback do better in competitions. Please report any offensive comments to me for moderation. Consider releasing your source code, it helps us pinpoint problems that you might be having and benefits the community as a whole.

You may enter multiple games if you wish and can handle the workload.

Advice:
You can use pictures of keys in your game. But only if they don't convey meaning... We don't want randsom-notes made up of keyboard parts here please!

The biggest tip I can give you all is to keep your gameplay simple. Making it easy to implement will also make it easy to explain without the "cheat" of text to help you along. Think of allowing the user to experiment with controls, only giving them positive feedback when they do something correct - like making all buttons and objects that do something highlight in a mouse-driven game. That type of thinking is important. Imagine how someone who didn't speak your language would experience the game. Make sure you don't assume that your users will have played games "similar" to this before. Don't count on conventions to help you out.

You want to think in terms of the usability of doors: A handle on a door means "pull"; A flat plate that you can't grip at all means "push"; The door is probably going to pivot on the other side of the handle/plate - imagine how confusing it would be if it didn't?

No text does not have to mean loads of graphics! You can get far more across with some smart colour changing and a little positional jiggle than all the pixel-wizardry in the world. Trust me on that. Keep your graphics simple and atomic, you really don't need hordes of animated sprites all over the place!

...

Good luck and enjoy the competition. Let's see what the inverse of Comp 16 gives us to play before rAge!

-D

ShadowMaster
04-08-2008, 08:58 PM
Hmm this raises some interesting problems, like doing your credits screen...

I should start soliciting mug shots from everyone who helped with the games :D

dislekcia
04-08-2008, 09:00 PM
We may extend the deadline if we get suitable prizes lined up before rAge. I'm hoping to do that, actually...

Pictograms and symbols that the player learns to associate with certain things are fine. Just to head that question off at the pass ;)

dislekcia
04-08-2008, 09:02 PM
Hmm this raises some interesting problems, like doing your credits screen...

I should start soliciting mug shots from everyone who helped with the games :D

Hahaha! Didn't think of that :)

Credits after the game is over is an acceptable place for text. Even then, if you can get around the text there, that would be serious bonus points!

ShadowMaster
04-08-2008, 09:04 PM
Hahaha! Didn't think of that :)

Credits after the game is over is an acceptable place for text. Even then, if you can get around the text there, that would be serious bonus points!

:D

Gazza_N
04-08-2008, 09:20 PM
Iiiiiiiiiiiinteresting.... I'm getting instant mental images of the Myst games, which relied a lot on aural and symbolic cues for their puzzles. Not that I'll be making a Myst game, but it does provide some good reference material. :D

Gazzabrain... ENGAGE!

edg3
04-08-2008, 09:21 PM
Ok. This is pure evil. I think this is an excellent competition, and whatever comes out of it will be highly interesting, and its going to be tough keeping on track in the competition.

Tr00jg
04-08-2008, 10:47 PM
I'm assuming naming your game is the only text allowed??

ie, in a "splash" screen?

Kensei
04-08-2008, 11:35 PM
Sounds interesting - I'll get a concept up as the creative brain gives me something.

d, can we assume that the audience have played basic games? i.e. are familar with concepts such as action games?

FuzzYspo0N
05-08-2008, 12:33 AM
oh lol, epic win!
i want to enter, another unique comp!

i might actually dedicate spare time to helping ppl with graphics.
COOL.

dislekcia
05-08-2008, 12:44 AM
I'm assuming naming your game is the only text allowed??

ie, in a "splash" screen?

I reckon splash screens are ok. That's a slippery slope though, because then people are going to want menus... Basically "Game.Dev" and "YourGameName" are acceptable text at a pinch. I'd prefer logos.


Sounds interesting - I'll get a concept up as the creative brain gives me something.

d, can we assume that the audience have played basic games? i.e. are familar with concepts such as action games?

Be careful with assumptions. After all, what does basic action game experience give a player that you can't get across with a simple set of controlled events: Exposure to bad things and restarting whilst training the player to recognise specific colours/sounds/shapes as dangerous? Moving left and right according to shown keypresses on the screen?

If you're good, you can get users to discover all your gameplay via curiosity and experimentation. Provided you don't punish them for exploring.

Thaumaturge
05-08-2008, 12:44 AM
Hmm... Interesting indeed.

This will call for some thought, I believe - but thank you very much for so interesting an idea, Dislekcia! ^_^

I take it that a name that includes the control scheme, such as "The game played using W for up, S for down ..." is out? ;P

Not that I have any intention of trying such a cheat; I just find that an amusing potential work-around. :P


Your game must contain all files needed for it to run and should not require other bulky systems to be downloaded or installed, exceptions are browser plugins like Flash and self-contained dlls distributed with the game).

Hmm... Does that exclude my using Panda, given the number of dlls involved? (See my recent Dead of Night thread for a reference on the number of dlls involved) I could provide my game as a single archive, but it would very probably be over 10MB in size, even for a very small game (I can get Dead of Night into a single archive of just under 16MB, as I recall). It's not really a matter of installing something, but it does introduce a bulky download scheme...

dislekcia
05-08-2008, 12:50 AM
Hmm... Interesting indeed.

This will call for some thought, I believe - but thank you very much for so interesting an idea, Dislekcia! ^_^

I take it that a name that includes the control scheme, such as "The game played using W for up, S for down ..." is out? ;P

Not that I have any intention of trying such a cheat; I just find that an amusing potential work-around. :P

No text. Explanatory text is still text.


Hmm... Does that exclude my using Panda, given the number of dlls involved? (See my recent Dead of Night thread for a reference on the number of dlls involved) I could provide my game as a single archive, but it would very probably be over 10MB in size, even for a very small game (I can get Dead of Night into a single archive of just under 16MB, as I recall). It's not really a matter of installing something, but it does introduce a bulky download scheme...

Bulky = hundreds of megabytes in this case. Also, include everything in the game = I don't want to go hunting for stuff on strange websites when it comes time to judge. If you can make it so that I only need to download under 30 megs of data and run the game easily, use Panda.

Thaumaturge
05-08-2008, 12:56 AM
Fair enough - that shouldn't be a problem, I don't think. Thank you! ^_^

Am I correct in thinking that it's okay if I split up the download, however, into sub-ten-meg downloads, albeit all provided in my first post and with the dll downloads clearly marked as things that aren't likely to change between versions (and which can therefore be downloaded only once)? I'm still looking at something similar to the downloads in the Dead of Night thread, which is two dll downloads and one game download, unless I sort out other hosting than Filecloset.

*glares at his two posts* Sorry about the double-post - I seem to be having a few minor problems with the forum tonight (it seems quite often sluggish, for one thing). :/

*goes to clear out the second post*

ShadowMaster
05-08-2008, 06:54 AM
Just to plug potential loopholes: Speech isn't allowed, is it?

Gazza_N
05-08-2008, 07:33 AM
Feel free to use sounds, but recorded speech counts as text, so you can't just read the instructions to your players

In short, no. :P

Fengol
05-08-2008, 08:03 AM
My game is going to have to be 20: [unable to load image]

And don't forget to put your stuff up on GGE!!!

Coolhand
05-08-2008, 10:32 AM
When in doubt, use the power of reading!




Feel free to use sounds, but recorded speech counts as text, so you can't just read the instructions to your players ;) Emotional sounds like purring, growling or angry yelling are perfectly cool.

DukeOFprunes
05-08-2008, 11:00 AM
When in doubt, use the power of reading!

No reading allowed! Can't you read? DUUUuuUUUH! ;)

Squid
05-08-2008, 11:21 AM
I'm guessing you can still have the text in your helpfiles/readme?

Gazza_N
05-08-2008, 11:23 AM
Your final entry must NOT include a readme.txt that EXPLAINS THE CONTROLS, RULES and any other information you want to get across to your users. Not this time, that would rather kill the point!
The ninja sez no. :P

Bonezmann
05-08-2008, 12:30 PM
Interesting and cool, I assume hieroglyphics are allowed?

FuzzYspo0N
05-08-2008, 12:35 PM
lol did NOBODY read the top part first?

dislekcia
05-08-2008, 12:37 PM
lol did NOBODY read the top part first?

I often feel a little like that ;)

The key idea is that you can't convey MEANING with text. Pictograms are a single symbol that means something. Maybe you have to establish that meaning for the player up front, maybe not.

ShadowMaster
05-08-2008, 02:33 PM
In short, no. :P

Gar is should have read the thing through again before trying to be smart...

Squid
05-08-2008, 02:43 PM
The ninja sez no. :P

It's possible that you could have a readme without words :P

Gazza_N
05-08-2008, 02:44 PM
Aaaaah... Interesting... :D

ShadowMaster
05-08-2008, 02:50 PM
ok while we are on the topic, pictures depicting actions is fine, but say for instance representing "boot camp" with a boot and a camp is not?
???

dislekcia
05-08-2008, 03:42 PM
It's possible that you could have a readme without words :P

Colour me intrigued!


???

I'd call that a borderline case... Why would you want boot camp to be known anyway? If it's just a doodad in the background, cool.

ShadowMaster
05-08-2008, 03:50 PM
@dis: it's for the menu ;)

EDIT: Well I'm not gonna play charades in the menu so I won't be using something similar, only picture representing an action.

01DT!m3r
05-08-2008, 04:25 PM
Can the game be anything as long as it doesnt convey any information through text or text based forms ? for instance the game doesnt have to end ,it can be an infinite sandbox , for instance . Or must it have a definitie beggining and end ? does it have to have any form of objectives ? eg must it have goals for the player to complete or can it just be fun to do different things ie toribash ?

01DT!m3r
05-08-2008, 04:29 PM
Does the game have to have a objective or can it just be pointless fun ie toribash ?

edg3
05-08-2008, 04:31 PM
Does the game have to have a objective or can it just be pointless fun ie toribash ?
A game is a game. Just no text is allowed :)

Fengol
05-08-2008, 04:49 PM
The idea of the theme is to avoid displaying text or standard information to the user and instead use gameplay to convey meaning. Make objects glow with meaningful colours as the player hovers over or interacts with them, reward positive interactions with the sound of cheers and particle effects and punish negative behaviour with explosions and screen flashes.

Another suggestion is to have other objects interact with the mechanics the way you want to the player to interact with them. Imagine it like training your pet in Black & White, you never used text to tell it what to do!

Squid
05-08-2008, 04:51 PM
Question, are you allowed to have scores?

For example, I have an idea for a game that revolves around scores, one with no defined win condition and an inevitable end of the game. The point would obviously be to achieve the highest score within the game time.

It becomes quite difficult to start representing score with piles of gold or wombats in pen as soon as you get very large numbers.

FuzzYspo0N
05-08-2008, 04:57 PM
use a progress bar?

dislekcia
05-08-2008, 05:03 PM
Question, are you allowed to have scores?

For example, I have an idea for a game that revolves around scores, one with no defined win condition and an inevitable end of the game. The point would obviously be to achieve the highest score within the game time.

It becomes quite difficult to start representing score with piles of gold or wombats in pen as soon as you get very large numbers.

Fighting games have solved that problem yonks ago: collect 5 fruits, you get one larger fruit, collect 5 larger fruits and you get an even bigger one.

Value does not have to be inherent in the numbers themselves. Any concept that visibly only increases according to certain actions will have the same meaning.

Chippit
05-08-2008, 05:06 PM
A progress bar needs a fixed maximum. I'm assuming Squid's idea of a score doesn't _have_ a maximum, but still requires some modicum of precision so that you can tell whether or not you've bettered your score.

Perhaps you should consider only showing relative scores. In other words, the game will only tell you if you're doing better or worse than last time, and emphasize the degree of the improvement somehow (like a larger icon, brighter colour etc.) One of those ever-improving icon representations that some games use also works. 5-stars > bigger star etc.

EDIT: I see dislekcia has deployed ninja skills again. :(

dislekcia
05-08-2008, 05:50 PM
I like the relative indication. That's a good idea.

Chippit
05-08-2008, 06:59 PM
I find it interesting that, every time we get a new competition that requires a complete rethink of a certain facet of games in general, most people try and wrap all the old concepts that we should be re-examining to fit the new ruleset rather than actually questioning whether we need these game design aspects, what purpose they serve and what else we can use to attain the same result.

I think the people who are trying to bend the rules are missing the point of the competition. It's basically a test of design skill, not of how you can creatively manipulate the wording of the rules. ;)

dINGLE
05-08-2008, 08:11 PM
If I have a prototype that I did before the comp started,
can I modify/polish/expand it and enter it?

Or does it have to be made in the comp time?

dislekcia
05-08-2008, 09:28 PM
If I have a prototype that I did before the comp started,
can I modify/polish/expand it and enter it?

Or does it have to be made in the comp time?

Yup, you can enter it.

Afflict
05-08-2008, 11:40 PM
Sounds intereting i have an idea so yeah maybe ill enter... I can use flash right?

Thaumaturge
06-08-2008, 12:37 AM
Hmm... What are the rules on horror?

My thoughts after the announcement of the coming of Competition 20 lead, through a concept or two, to the idea of a game that involves playing an undead spirit taking over bodies, and using their fragmentary memories to piece together what happened, which I think could be an interesting mechanic for a horror game. I also think that it could be interesting without words or text, possibly making for some nicely ambiguous points.

I'm guessing from your reply above to dINGLE that using such an idea, formed just before the competition, is acceptable. However, I'm not sure of what's acceptable in terms of horror content...

Should I perhaps keep looking for another, less age-restrictable concept?

dislekcia
06-08-2008, 01:00 AM
Hmm... What are the rules on horror?

My thoughts after the announcement of the coming of Competition 20 lead, through a concept or two, to the idea of a game that involves playing an undead spirit taking over bodies, and using their fragmentary memories to piece together what happened, which I think could be an interesting mechanic for a horror game. I also think that it could be interesting without words or text, possibly making for some nicely ambiguous points.

I'm guessing from your reply above to dINGLE that using such an idea, formed just before the competition, is acceptable. However, I'm not sure of what's acceptable in terms of horror content...

Should I perhaps keep looking for another, less age-restrictable concept?

What's wrong with horror? I'm not understanding the problem?

But it does sound rather large... I'd suggest scaling the game down a little for the month time-period.

Thaumaturge
06-08-2008, 01:08 AM
Well, some competitions prefer that entries not include much that would get too high an age restriction, I think, since they presume that children might come along, find the game and play it. If it's okay, however, I may well go with this idea. ^_^

For example, I think that I recall GameDev.Net's Four Elements contest having limits on what was allowed.

(I'm still not entirely convinced that it's a good entry, so while I'll probably start in on this, I'll probably also work on a possible exploration-based, first-person almost-Myst-like concept that I have partly-formed.)

As to size, don't worry, I don't plan on making it terribly large. Hmm... Perhaps that would restrict the conveyance of the story; I'm not sure. It's probably worth a shot, at least.

For the first prototype, for example, I plan on having only one or two bodies to inhabit, each with perhaps two to four memories.

Gazza_N
06-08-2008, 07:40 AM
a possible exploration-based, first-person almost-Myst-like concept that I have partly-formed.)
Waaaagh! O_O

You've been raiding my brain while I've been sleeping again, haven't you? That's exactly what I had in mind! Admittedly, mine isn't almost-Myst-like. Mine is very-much-Mysty. :P

Squid
06-08-2008, 09:11 AM
Fighting games have solved that problem yonks ago: collect 5 fruits, you get one larger fruit, collect 5 larger fruits and you get an even bigger one.

Value does not have to be inherent in the numbers themselves. Any concept that visibly only increases according to certain actions will have the same meaning.

Problem is, were talking about really large numbers. While representing score in other ways is possible, it's not really intuitive.

dislekcia
06-08-2008, 11:55 AM
Problem is, were talking about really large numbers. While representing score in other ways is possible, it's not really intuitive.

So now it becomes an interesting mental exercise:

You want players to be aware of their score increasing. How can you do that without numbers? Can you tie the score to particle effects around the player, maybe having a repeating effect for each thousand and then a single particle representing each of those earned thousands? Can you tie the score to items the player might receive, like medals or even usables like weapons? Can you have the score be shown in the world by weather or something like that? Could you use a map screen to indicate progress according to a score?

Your main goal is to encourage the player, right? Simple score on its own won't do that, you'd need supporting visceral/progress elements in the game too. This just forces you to make those instead of rely on numbers ;)

Squid
06-08-2008, 12:04 PM
So now it becomes an interesting mental exercise:

You want players to be aware of their score increasing. How can you do that without numbers? Can you tie the score to particle effects around the player, maybe having a repeating effect for each thousand and then a single particle representing each of those earned thousands? Can you tie the score to items the player might receive, like medals or even usables like weapons? Can you have the score be shown in the world by weather or something like that? Could you use a map screen to indicate progress according to a score?

Your main goal is to encourage the player, right? Simple score on its own won't do that, you'd need supporting visceral/progress elements in the game too. This just forces you to make those instead of rely on numbers ;)

Indeed, yet my problem is this, there is no way to effectively record how well you played at the end of the game. Seeing as there is no way to "win". The score is all you have, and it's difficult to represent without numbers.

Cyberninja
06-08-2008, 12:18 PM
Indeed, yet my problem is this, there is no way to effectively record how well you played at the end of the game. Seeing as there is no way to "win". The score is all you have, and it's difficult to represent without numbers.

What if you use trophies/medals to symbolise the score? At the end of the game, the player will be presented with a trophy/medal. The bigger the score, the bigger the trophy/medal you will receive. Not sure if it will suit your game, but it may be an option.

Fengol
06-08-2008, 12:27 PM
What if you use trophies/medals to symbolise the score? At the end of the game, the player will be presented with a trophy/medal. The bigger the score, the bigger the trophy/medal you will receive. Not sure if it will suit your game, but it may be an option.

Achievements and medals are a great way for representing progress in a game; sure it's not a specific high score but it a definite sign of how much you achieved

FuzzYspo0N
06-08-2008, 01:40 PM
the particles idea was pure win ;d

Liszt
06-08-2008, 02:09 PM
And, THE LISZT (THE composer - yeah, that's him!) is here to do ALL your music for you.

Music only by request. - Contact me by private message for more info.

Liszt

Squid
06-08-2008, 06:14 PM
What if you use trophies/medals to symbolise the score? At the end of the game, the player will be presented with a trophy/medal. The bigger the score, the bigger the trophy/medal you will receive. Not sure if it will suit your game, but it may be an option.

Erk, I'm not getting through. I dealt with this kind of thing in my first post. The numbers are just too big to effectively represent them without, well, numbers.

ShadowMaster
06-08-2008, 06:51 PM
Erk, I'm not getting through. I dealt with this kind of thing in my first post. The numbers are just too big to effectively represent them without, well, numbers.

Well then if a fundamental part of your design is impossible, change your design... ;)

Thaumaturge
06-08-2008, 11:45 PM
Problem is, were talking about really large numbers.

Hmm... How large, if I may ask?

On a more general note regarding score displaying without numbers (I doubt that this would apply well to your desires, Squid), what I did in Planar Depths was to calculate a number of stars based on the player's final score, and display a final scene with that many stars in the sky. While it didn't show the exact score, since more than one "point" was called for to get a single star, I thought it quite effective. If the player won, there was also a moon in the sky, and a slightly different scene.


Admittedly, mine isn't almost-Myst-like. Mine is very-much-Mysty. :P

Heh, what I have in mind is pretty abstract. :P

Unfortunately, I haven't yet managed to pin down much that's concrete, so I'll probably be going to enter my horror idea. It's a pity, because I really like the other idea. :/


Waaaagh! O_O

You've been raiding my brain while I've been sleeping again, haven't you?

*looks shifty* Me? Noooooo...

*tries (unconvincingly) to look innocent* I wouldn't do that, would I? I have also absolutely not conditioned you to not perceive a large piece of magical apparatus that's not at all sitting beside your bed... ;P

SkinkLizzard
09-08-2008, 01:26 AM
I was considering just updating last comps entry to be
a no text entry, as this would give me a decent amount of
practice portraying story and game elements effectively, also an excuse to
continue with it (varsity is bogging me down).

so what do you guys think: a whole new game and concept for this comp
or flesh out and detextify shinigami dairokkan ?

Thaumaturge
09-08-2008, 06:42 PM
Well, I will counter with three questions of my own:

1) Do you have another idea to go with if you decide against Shinigami Dairokkan?

2) Do you think that removing text and speech would serve Shinigami Dairokkan well? I'm not convinced that it's a good thing for all games, leaving the question of whether it would be good for this one, or detract from it.

3) If "no" to the previous, do you mind doing that to the game?

I'm sorry to hear that university is bogging you down. :/

SkinkLizzard
09-08-2008, 08:07 PM
as for 1) no at the moment I don't
2) it didn't have speech to begin with just explanatory text which I feel could be done away with if
by making the system more intuitive although it will be challenging to try tell a story with no words at all.
so I cant really answer this question satisfactorily,
hence no answer for 3) either

Thaumaturge
09-08-2008, 08:11 PM
Well, from what you tell me, it sounds as though using that game for this contest might be a good challenge. Why not give it a shot, at least?

Kensei
12-08-2008, 11:07 AM
Tough question.
I am using images from another site that requires me to attribute the artist. Can I put this information in the Game Information section in my game?

FuzzYspo0N
12-08-2008, 11:54 AM
lol, thats an interesting twist. maybe in the release/prototype thread just mention it there, and not IN the game (as this avoids the problem of claiming it was yours)

dislekcia
12-08-2008, 12:17 PM
Tough question.
I am using images from another site that requires me to attribute the artist. Can I put this information in the Game Information section in my game?

Yes. And in the credits, which as previously discussed is allowed to contain text.

Make sure you send said artist the game too :)

Kensei
12-08-2008, 02:56 PM
Yes. And in the credits, which as previously discussed is allowed to contain text.

Make sure you send said artist the game too :)

Will do x 2 :D

Kensei
13-08-2008, 04:46 PM
Question: Do I put my prototype on GGE or wait until I have a full game?

dislekcia
13-08-2008, 06:10 PM
Question: Do I put my prototype on GGE or wait until I have a full game?

Totally up to you :)

pieterator
16-08-2008, 08:21 AM
Wow, truly a great competition. Since I've read it my head has just been flushing with ideas. Must get a GDD up and running soon.

dislekcia
16-08-2008, 12:58 PM
Wow, truly a great competition. Since I've read it my head has just been flushing with ideas. Must get a GDD up and running soon.

Welcome! Enjoy the competition :)

Bonezmann
20-08-2008, 09:17 PM
Are we allowed to explicitly show the control scheme in pictures or hidden in the background somewhere?

dislekcia
21-08-2008, 07:58 PM
Are we allowed to explicitly show the control scheme in pictures or hidden in the background somewhere?

If there's text, no.

If there isn't, yes.

Images of keys on your keyboard only count as text if they spell out a word.

Braid puts obvious control suggestions in the game world in a rather smexy way.

Bonezmann
21-08-2008, 10:20 PM
Cool, thanx Dis. Now I can sleep peacefully :p

Kensei
21-08-2008, 11:34 PM
Ok, you said no text - can I have a sound clip that plays 'Tada' ?

Thaumaturge
22-08-2008, 12:24 AM
Even if you're not allowed to, and unless you have a specific clip in mind, surely you can just find a purely musical "tada" noise - is the spoken version of "tada" not simply onomatopoeia for a pair of notes?

Kensei
22-08-2008, 12:39 AM
2nd one in the list (http://www.flashkit.com/soundfx/People/Surprise/)

I will use it for when the character respawns

Thaumaturge
22-08-2008, 12:53 AM
Okay, fair enough - that does sound like a voice.

Well, we'll see what Dislekcia says, then. If he says "no", you could always settle for a musical one, I suppose, but hopefully he'll say "yes".

(I really like the idea of using it as a respawn sound - very amusing. ^_^)

Tucker
23-10-2008, 08:30 PM
Hi

When will the next Game.dev competition happen again, is it a once a year or a term thing?

FuzzYspo0N
23-10-2008, 08:41 PM
Watch the spaces on the forums, make some games and hang tight!

If you look at the forum post dates of the other competitions you will be able to see when and where they were started. Most times they are just when there is time and it makes sense to have them. And most times i think its relatively random and or linear. One starts soon after the other. As soon as this one is judged, after a little bit a new one comes around (when ideas are back and there is time to organise it)

Unless im wrong, and there is a formula dis? :P

Gazza_N
23-10-2008, 08:44 PM
Yo! Welcome!

Comps generally happen every two months (one month for the comp period, another month for judging). We're lagging a little at the moment because our illustrious (?) leader dislekcia was building an entry for DreamBuildPlay, as well as planning for rAge. I imagine that the next comp will happen at the beginning of November, but don't hold me to that - dislekcia's the one to nag regarding that. :P

Hope you stick around until then! Comps are awesome ways to test your mettle and learn new stuff, and a larger community means more games, which means a happier community! ;)

EDIT: Yeah, and what Fuzzy said too. :P

BattleMoose
23-10-2008, 09:32 PM
Hey, I see the competition is over now, I would like to direct you to GRID 16 Armor games, its highly relevant to the competition. And completely awesome!

http://www.freewebarcade.com/game/grid-16/

dislekcia
24-10-2008, 01:02 AM
Hi

When will the next Game.dev competition happen again, is it a once a year or a term thing?

November 1st. That's when Comp 21 is set to start :) Welcome to the community, hope you enter!


Watch the spaces on the forums, make some games and hang tight!

If you look at the forum post dates of the other competitions you will be able to see when and where they were started. Most times they are just when there is time and it makes sense to have them. And most times i think its relatively random and or linear. One starts soon after the other. As soon as this one is judged, after a little bit a new one comes around (when ideas are back and there is time to organise it)

Unless im wrong, and there is a formula dis? :P

There's a formula: A comp every two months, then a 2 month-long comp at the end of the year. Things have been rather fubar round here recently though with DBP, rAge and trying to keep things floaty. Nearly back on track tho.


Yo! Welcome!

Comps generally happen every two months (one month for the comp period, another month for judging). We're lagging a little at the moment because our illustrious (?) leader dislekcia was building an entry for DreamBuildPlay, as well as planning for rAge. I imagine that the next comp will happen at the beginning of November, but don't hold me to that - dislekcia's the one to nag regarding that. :P

Hope you stick around until then! Comps are awesome ways to test your mettle and learn new stuff, and a larger community means more games, which means a happier community! ;)

EDIT: Yeah, and what Fuzzy said too. :P

More games are always good. Hope all the new people from rAge and general popups stick around and enter. Comp 21 should be interesting... I'm enjoying the 20 entries quite a lot at the moment, nearly done judging.

BlackShipsFillt
24-10-2008, 02:23 PM
Sounds exciting! Hopefully I'll find a moment to make a little entry this time around.

Is there a place where all the previous entrants are listed by competition number... are they available to download?

edg3
24-10-2008, 02:29 PM
Sounds exciting! Hopefully I'll find a moment to make a little entry this time around.

Is there a place where all the previous entrants are listed by competition number... are they available to download?
I have all the entries from comp 3 till comp 20 that I roped off dis at rAge for showing people our games. I'll check the total size when rarred

BlackShipsFillt
24-10-2008, 02:34 PM
Would be awesome if it could all be comprehensively hosted somewhere, though I'm not certain what the copyright and distribution agreements are in the competitions.

dislekcia
24-10-2008, 02:43 PM
Would be awesome if it could all be comprehensively hosted somewhere, though I'm not certain what the copyright and distribution agreements are in the competitions.

That's what we've tried to do with the GGE listings, but a lot of people don't put their games on there after they finish them :(

edg3
24-10-2008, 03:14 PM
Would be awesome if it could all be comprehensively hosted somewhere, though I'm not certain what the copyright and distribution agreements are in the competitions.
Working on it slowly but surely :P

Kensei
24-10-2008, 04:17 PM
That's what we've tried to do with the GGE listings, but a lot of people don't put their games on there after they finish them :(

>_>



<_<


Erm


Sorry... I'll do it later ^_^

Tucker
27-10-2008, 10:59 PM
Thanks guys

I feel at home already and I would like to say that I'm 100% in for the game.dev Comp 21

Going to be rocking, Please just keep me posted...still don't know whats potting yet :P

Kensei
28-10-2008, 12:43 AM
Thanks guys

I feel at home already and I would like to say that I'm 100% in for the game.dev Comp 21

Going to be rocking, Please just keep me posted...still don't know whats potting yet :P

If you have any game ideas you want opinions on, feel free to post them in the interim ;)

My Great Games Experiment profile (http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/user/kensei) is up if anyone cares :)

Tucker
28-10-2008, 09:39 PM
Sweet i will let you know during this month, if i need anything...thanks hey

Fengol
31-10-2008, 08:20 AM
My Great Games Experiment profile (http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/user/kensei) is up if anyone cares :)

<click> <add as friend> <give kudos>

Don't forget to join the Game.Dev group http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/group/gamedotdev/

FuzzYspo0N
31-10-2008, 09:03 AM
wow, id love to join. LOL , i been clicking that join button religiously for months :D The group joiny thing fails (though , dont NOT try, i just cant get in)

Gazza_N
31-10-2008, 10:55 AM
That's what we've tried to do with the GGE listings, but a lot of people don't put their games on there after they finish them :(

Operative words bolded. Perfectionism is a demanding mistress. :P

Also, I'm totally champing at the bit for the Comp 20 results and Comp 21 brief tomorrow. Any chance of advancing them a few hours? ;P

SkinkLizzard
31-10-2008, 11:29 AM
the group needs updating
unless you're supplying time machines so that I can enter comp 18 :)

Kensei
31-10-2008, 01:21 PM
<click> <add as friend> <give kudos>

Don't forget to join the Game.Dev group http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/group/gamedotdev/

Awww, thanks, Fengol <3

And a big hug to FuzzySpoon for giving me kudos a few days back, just the boost I needed before heading out to the career fair.

dislekcia
01-11-2008, 09:42 PM
Results are finally up! (http://forums.tidemedia.co.za/nag/showthread.php?t=8376)

Apologies they took so long, I'd blame DBP if we'd won it... But we didn't so I'd just look lame if I did.

So I'm blaming Kaos. For the lulz.