Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
RPG Maker was in a bundle between May 30th to June 5th. So a lot of people may just be getting into the engine, or maybe getting back to it. It's cheap and affordable right now, so I thought now would be the perfect time to have a fun little game development competition that both pushes people to try and practice with the engine and churn something out, and get a small little game out there for others to play.
A competition more for fun, but with prizes and some group teamwork and help to learn the engine, for those curious by it. A topic for both help on developing a game, and to show off what you've been creating, with a goal and purpose.
So let's define this competition!
The Competition & Rules
Make a game in either RPG Maker VX Ace or RPG Maker XP before the deadline of August 7th, 11:59 PM PST. a little over 10 weeks since the contest started. This should give ample time for people new to the program to learn it (there will be some helpful tutorials below) and to develop at least a short game.
The game itself can be any type of game. You could make a JRPG like Final Fantasy. You could make a survival-horror game like Ao Oni. You could make an exploration-game like Yume Nikki. You could make a visual novel like Cherry Tree High Comedy Club. Anything goes, make the game you would like to make.
HOWEVER, keep in mind to keep scope in check. Try and make some hours-long game with a ton of depth and you'll probably flatline the date. With deadlines, scope is important. For people to play the game, it's recommended not to make a game over 2-3 hours long, as they probably want to play other peoples games too.
If you can't think of a game idea, here's a few theme ideas to get your brain wracking: Friends are the Enemy, Lake, Only Three Colors, Airplane, Entity.
Also, if you'd rather not work alone, you are free to team-up with how many other people you would like to join with. There is no limit, you can even join multiple teams if you really desire. However only one person can submit the game for the contest, and if you win, the prizes will be given to the winner to disperse between those involved. It'll also be on you to arrange and organize these teams, though I'd suggest posting about it here if you're interested in team-working, then going to PM about it and announcing teams in this topic, but keeping most discussion to something like Skype.
You are free to use any available resources. Either make your own, use the resources from the RTP, or use resources from online. However, it should be noted that if you use outside resources, you must credit them, both in the game and when you submit the final game for the contest. This includes sprites, art, music, audio, scripts, and resources. If you use anything not from the engine itself or not created by you, you must credit them.
However, do not use resources from other games without the developers permission, and don't use music from other games (an exception will be made on using fan-recreations of .midi versions of songs).
Submitting the game should mention who all worked on it (you, other GAF members), outside resources you may have used, a download to the game, a description of the game, what sort of game it is (like RPG, horror, puzzle-based, adventure, exploration, visual novel, etc.), and at least 2 images.
Also, you can work on a game you've already started, but it is kind of against the spirit of the whole thing. If you do decide too, mention in the submitted game that you did, and there may be a slight dock to points (slight, though). If you submit a game that you were working on before the competition without identifying when you submit it that you were, you may be disqualified from it.
An example may be;
These games also must be freely distributed for anyone to play, and not be made as a commercial product.
After the August 7th deadline, there will be a five-week period for people to play and vote on games. The game playing and voting category will start on August 8th at the strike of midnight PST, and finish on September 11th at 11:59 PM PST. Voting can be done by anyone with a NeoGAF account, not just by people who entered the contest. Voting will have it so you leave an impression of the game for the user (however you wish to stylize these impressions), but also leave some numerical scores.
You should rate the game in six areas, which should be judged between a 1 thru 5 scale (though .5 decimals are allowed, like 4.5 or 1.5), with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. You must rate the games on Fun Factor, Story, Graphics, Audio, Tone (Atmosphere, Hume, etc.), and Overall.
Submitting an opinion should be something like this:
At the end of the competition and voting, we'll take all the opinions written by people who submitted them, and tally up an overall vote of results. I will post a ranking of how everyone did in every category, and the people who scored in the five highest places at the end of the competition will win some prizes (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th places). Prizes will be given out on September 5th and 6th to the winners.
However, the competition is not really about winning, but gain experience, learn the engine, have fun, maybe find some like-minded people, and really just learn the ropes and make something. It's a friendly competition to encourage fun, not be at each other's throats.
Posting progress, updates, and questions is not only okay, it's encouraged,
This is sort of a community thing, so posting questions, answers, progress, or even public demo's before releasing your game is all encouraged. We're all here to help, and many are using the engine for the first time, or may use this as an opportunity to delve into simple game development.
Anyone with a NeoGAF account can play and rate the finished games.
I said this in the rules, but I want to clarify, anyone with a NeoGAF account can vote and rate games. It's encouraged for people to try other's games rather than it being strictly for people who entered the competition, and all games made will be freely available.
For anyone using Mac
RPG Maker doesn't work with Mac... Normally. We have confirmed you can run RPG Maker and RPG Maker games using Wine on Mac. A guide to how to do this here, and it will work with RPG Maker: http://www.easypctutorials.com/windows-steam-on-mac-wineskin/
Prizes
These are still being fully decided, but I myself will be able to easily contribute to at least 200 Steam games to give away to the winners, including the likes of Resident Evil 4, Outlast, Killer is Dead, The Forest, Always Sometimes Monsters, Stanley's Parable, Year Walk, and a lot more for the competition.
Contributions from people as well is appreciated for the prize haul we should have going to distribute between the five winners. If you'd like to submit something for the contest, just PM me about it over NeoGAF.
There will be an overall 'Prize Pool' (that will be completely known by September 11th at 11:59 PM PST), with 13 winners that will receive a percentage of the prize pool. These percentages are:
1st place will receive 25% of the games in the pool.
2nd place will receive 20% of the games in the pool
3rd place will receive 15% of the games in the pool
4th place will receive 10% of the games in the pool
5th place will receive 7% of the games in the pool
6th place will receive 6% of the games in the pool
7th place will receive 5% of the games in the pool
8th place will receive 4% of the games in the pool
9th place will receive 3% of the games in the pool
10th place will receive 2% of the games in the pool
11th place will receive 1% of the games in the pool
12th place will receive 1% of the games in the pool
13th place will receive 1% of the games in the pool
^Also under the same giveaway restricts of Aquamarine (outside of PayPal stuff of course), esterk will offer the 2nd place winner a $20 giftcard for your marketplace of choice between Steam, PSN, and Xbox Live.
Robert at Zeboyd Games has confirmed that everyone who submits a game for the contest, regardless of placement, will receive a Steam copy of Cthulhu Saves the World+Breath of Death VII.
Examples of RPG Maker games you can freely play (maybe for ideas and inspiration?):
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=505570
Tutorials & Resources
This will be many people's first time working with RPG Maker I will guess, so I will post to some handy tutorials and resources you can use from online. However, keep in mind that practice will also help you learn a away from tutorials, and if you use online resources you must credit them both in the game and when you submit the game.
TUTORIALS for RPG Maker VX Ace:
Official VX Ace Beginner Tutorial
RPG Maker VX Ace Readable Document & Visual Beginner's Guide
RPG Maker VX Ace Complete Begginer's Video Guide Season 1, Season 2, Season 3
VX Ace Tutorial Video Series
Specific VX Ace Topical Tutorials on RPGMaker.net
Specific Topic-Based Tutorials on the Official Forums
TUTORIALS for RPG Maker XP:
Website Dedicated to RPG Maker XP Tutorials
RPG Maker XP for Newbs
RPG Maker XP Beginner's Video Tutorial (last video is first)
RPG Maker XP Video Help: Basic Quest Tutorial, Moving NPCs Tutorial, Importing Custom Characters
Create a Video Game with RPG Maker XP
Specific XP Topical Tutorials on RPGMaker.net
RESOURCES for RPG Maker VX Ace:
RPG Maker VX Ace Resource Collection
RPGMaker.net Resource Collection (includes resources for both RPG Maker VX Ace, VX, and XP, so be sure to read what tags they're under)
RPG Maker Web Topical Resources
RPG Maker VX Ace Master Script List
RPGMaker.net's Topical VX Ace Scripts
Amkrogh89's Music
Presence of Music
Ice Dragon's Music
RESOURCES for RPG Maker XP:
Sithjester's RPG Maker XP Resources
ZanyZora's RPG Maker XP Resources
Mutation Genes XP Resources
XP Scripts Chaos Project
XP Scripts RPGMaker.net
Tam-Music
Theo's Music
VG Music
COUPLE GENERAL TOOLS:
GIMP (better free art program than Paint).
Audacity (to convert some .mp3's to .ogg's for VX Ace Easily, or to record sounds).
List of Midi Composers (.midi is what XP uses).
SITES TO UPLOAD YOUR GAME ON:
Best to put in a zip or rar file, which you can download the codex's for here: http://www.win-rar.com/download.html?&L=0
Good site to upload a file: http://www.mediafire.com/
RPG Maker specific game Upload Site (need to make an account and submit it, but better for a more general audience, keep in mind it takes a few days for the admins to confirm a game and make its page public): http://rpgmaker.net/
Steam Workshop Guide: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=231996703
---
FAQ (TL
R [But seriously, read]):
Q: When does the contest end?
A: Making games and submitting them ends on August 7th at 11:59 PM.. The voting on games ends on September 11th at 11:59 PM.
Q: Should I use VX Ace or XP?
A: Either is good. XP and VX Ace are debated if they are the 'best' form of RPG Maker. XP has a better mapping system (can use unlimited tilesheets, while VX Ace can only use 5 per map, can have event sprites of any size), but VX Ace has a better scripting system and audio functionality (script can modify virtually any element of the engine, audio player is much better and supports more than .midi now). It all comes down really to which one you want to work with, but if you're not sure, I'd recommend VX Ace as its simpler.
Q: What are the prizes, and when are they given out.
A: The prizes are still being determined, but most will probably be Steam games. Contributions from people who want to add to the prize pool are appreciated. Prizes will be handed out to five winners on September 5th and 6th.
Q: How are winners chosen?
A: Based on user votes and feedback in this very topic, will rank them on how they did by user impressions and ratings.
Q: What sort of game should I make?
A: Anything you can manage with the engine, though typically a good bet on an RPG, an adventure game, a visual novel, a horror game, or the like would be a safe bet.
Q: Can I post progress and questions here?
A: Most definitely.
---
Again, if any questions, feel free to ask, and will update the OP with more information when needed.
A competition more for fun, but with prizes and some group teamwork and help to learn the engine, for those curious by it. A topic for both help on developing a game, and to show off what you've been creating, with a goal and purpose.
So let's define this competition!
The Competition & Rules
Make a game in either RPG Maker VX Ace or RPG Maker XP before the deadline of August 7th, 11:59 PM PST. a little over 10 weeks since the contest started. This should give ample time for people new to the program to learn it (there will be some helpful tutorials below) and to develop at least a short game.
The game itself can be any type of game. You could make a JRPG like Final Fantasy. You could make a survival-horror game like Ao Oni. You could make an exploration-game like Yume Nikki. You could make a visual novel like Cherry Tree High Comedy Club. Anything goes, make the game you would like to make.
HOWEVER, keep in mind to keep scope in check. Try and make some hours-long game with a ton of depth and you'll probably flatline the date. With deadlines, scope is important. For people to play the game, it's recommended not to make a game over 2-3 hours long, as they probably want to play other peoples games too.
If you can't think of a game idea, here's a few theme ideas to get your brain wracking: Friends are the Enemy, Lake, Only Three Colors, Airplane, Entity.
Also, if you'd rather not work alone, you are free to team-up with how many other people you would like to join with. There is no limit, you can even join multiple teams if you really desire. However only one person can submit the game for the contest, and if you win, the prizes will be given to the winner to disperse between those involved. It'll also be on you to arrange and organize these teams, though I'd suggest posting about it here if you're interested in team-working, then going to PM about it and announcing teams in this topic, but keeping most discussion to something like Skype.
You are free to use any available resources. Either make your own, use the resources from the RTP, or use resources from online. However, it should be noted that if you use outside resources, you must credit them, both in the game and when you submit the final game for the contest. This includes sprites, art, music, audio, scripts, and resources. If you use anything not from the engine itself or not created by you, you must credit them.
However, do not use resources from other games without the developers permission, and don't use music from other games (an exception will be made on using fan-recreations of .midi versions of songs).
Submitting the game should mention who all worked on it (you, other GAF members), outside resources you may have used, a download to the game, a description of the game, what sort of game it is (like RPG, horror, puzzle-based, adventure, exploration, visual novel, etc.), and at least 2 images.
Also, you can work on a game you've already started, but it is kind of against the spirit of the whole thing. If you do decide too, mention in the submitted game that you did, and there may be a slight dock to points (slight, though). If you submit a game that you were working on before the competition without identifying when you submit it that you were, you may be disqualified from it.
An example may be;
Ib
Created by kouri.
What type of game: Puzzle-Horror Game
Resources Used: Music used from http://yasupochi.com/ , http://pianosdauge.org/ , & http://www.presence-of-music.com/
"A young girl named Ib visits an art gallery with her parents.
While observing the many exhibits, she suddenly realizes she is alone.
And in her search for others, she finds things awry in the gallery...
The game is focused on exploration and puzzle-solving.
There are no battles, and it does not demand quick reflexes.
It's designed to be accessible to all kinds of players, so enjoy."
Download: http://www.vgperson.com/games/ib.htm
These games also must be freely distributed for anyone to play, and not be made as a commercial product.
After the August 7th deadline, there will be a five-week period for people to play and vote on games. The game playing and voting category will start on August 8th at the strike of midnight PST, and finish on September 11th at 11:59 PM PST. Voting can be done by anyone with a NeoGAF account, not just by people who entered the contest. Voting will have it so you leave an impression of the game for the user (however you wish to stylize these impressions), but also leave some numerical scores.
You should rate the game in six areas, which should be judged between a 1 thru 5 scale (though .5 decimals are allowed, like 4.5 or 1.5), with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. You must rate the games on Fun Factor, Story, Graphics, Audio, Tone (Atmosphere, Hume, etc.), and Overall.
Submitting an opinion should be something like this:
At the end of the competition and voting, we'll take all the opinions written by people who submitted them, and tally up an overall vote of results. I will post a ranking of how everyone did in every category, and the people who scored in the five highest places at the end of the competition will win some prizes (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th places). Prizes will be given out on September 5th and 6th to the winners.
However, the competition is not really about winning, but gain experience, learn the engine, have fun, maybe find some like-minded people, and really just learn the ropes and make something. It's a friendly competition to encourage fun, not be at each other's throats.
Posting progress, updates, and questions is not only okay, it's encouraged,
This is sort of a community thing, so posting questions, answers, progress, or even public demo's before releasing your game is all encouraged. We're all here to help, and many are using the engine for the first time, or may use this as an opportunity to delve into simple game development.
Anyone with a NeoGAF account can play and rate the finished games.
I said this in the rules, but I want to clarify, anyone with a NeoGAF account can vote and rate games. It's encouraged for people to try other's games rather than it being strictly for people who entered the competition, and all games made will be freely available.
For anyone using Mac
RPG Maker doesn't work with Mac... Normally. We have confirmed you can run RPG Maker and RPG Maker games using Wine on Mac. A guide to how to do this here, and it will work with RPG Maker: http://www.easypctutorials.com/windows-steam-on-mac-wineskin/
Prizes
These are still being fully decided, but I myself will be able to easily contribute to at least 200 Steam games to give away to the winners, including the likes of Resident Evil 4, Outlast, Killer is Dead, The Forest, Always Sometimes Monsters, Stanley's Parable, Year Walk, and a lot more for the competition.
Contributions from people as well is appreciated for the prize haul we should have going to distribute between the five winners. If you'd like to submit something for the contest, just PM me about it over NeoGAF.
There will be an overall 'Prize Pool' (that will be completely known by September 11th at 11:59 PM PST), with 13 winners that will receive a percentage of the prize pool. These percentages are:
1st place will receive 25% of the games in the pool.
2nd place will receive 20% of the games in the pool
3rd place will receive 15% of the games in the pool
4th place will receive 10% of the games in the pool
5th place will receive 7% of the games in the pool
6th place will receive 6% of the games in the pool
7th place will receive 5% of the games in the pool
8th place will receive 4% of the games in the pool
9th place will receive 3% of the games in the pool
10th place will receive 2% of the games in the pool
11th place will receive 1% of the games in the pool
12th place will receive 1% of the games in the pool
13th place will receive 1% of the games in the pool
^Also under the same giveaway restricts of Aquamarine (outside of PayPal stuff of course), esterk will offer the 2nd place winner a $20 giftcard for your marketplace of choice between Steam, PSN, and Xbox Live.
Robert at Zeboyd Games has confirmed that everyone who submits a game for the contest, regardless of placement, will receive a Steam copy of Cthulhu Saves the World+Breath of Death VII.
Examples of RPG Maker games you can freely play (maybe for ideas and inspiration?):
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=505570
Tutorials & Resources
This will be many people's first time working with RPG Maker I will guess, so I will post to some handy tutorials and resources you can use from online. However, keep in mind that practice will also help you learn a away from tutorials, and if you use online resources you must credit them both in the game and when you submit the game.
TUTORIALS for RPG Maker VX Ace:
Official VX Ace Beginner Tutorial
RPG Maker VX Ace Readable Document & Visual Beginner's Guide
RPG Maker VX Ace Complete Begginer's Video Guide Season 1, Season 2, Season 3
VX Ace Tutorial Video Series
Specific VX Ace Topical Tutorials on RPGMaker.net
Specific Topic-Based Tutorials on the Official Forums
TUTORIALS for RPG Maker XP:
Website Dedicated to RPG Maker XP Tutorials
RPG Maker XP for Newbs
RPG Maker XP Beginner's Video Tutorial (last video is first)
RPG Maker XP Video Help: Basic Quest Tutorial, Moving NPCs Tutorial, Importing Custom Characters
Create a Video Game with RPG Maker XP
Specific XP Topical Tutorials on RPGMaker.net
RESOURCES for RPG Maker VX Ace:
RPG Maker VX Ace Resource Collection
RPGMaker.net Resource Collection (includes resources for both RPG Maker VX Ace, VX, and XP, so be sure to read what tags they're under)
RPG Maker Web Topical Resources
RPG Maker VX Ace Master Script List
RPGMaker.net's Topical VX Ace Scripts
Amkrogh89's Music
Presence of Music
Ice Dragon's Music
RESOURCES for RPG Maker XP:
Sithjester's RPG Maker XP Resources
ZanyZora's RPG Maker XP Resources
Mutation Genes XP Resources
XP Scripts Chaos Project
XP Scripts RPGMaker.net
Tam-Music
Theo's Music
VG Music
COUPLE GENERAL TOOLS:
GIMP (better free art program than Paint).
Audacity (to convert some .mp3's to .ogg's for VX Ace Easily, or to record sounds).
List of Midi Composers (.midi is what XP uses).
SITES TO UPLOAD YOUR GAME ON:
Best to put in a zip or rar file, which you can download the codex's for here: http://www.win-rar.com/download.html?&L=0
Good site to upload a file: http://www.mediafire.com/
RPG Maker specific game Upload Site (need to make an account and submit it, but better for a more general audience, keep in mind it takes a few days for the admins to confirm a game and make its page public): http://rpgmaker.net/
Steam Workshop Guide: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=231996703
---
FAQ (TL
R [But seriously, read]):Q: When does the contest end?
A: Making games and submitting them ends on August 7th at 11:59 PM.. The voting on games ends on September 11th at 11:59 PM.
Q: Should I use VX Ace or XP?
A: Either is good. XP and VX Ace are debated if they are the 'best' form of RPG Maker. XP has a better mapping system (can use unlimited tilesheets, while VX Ace can only use 5 per map, can have event sprites of any size), but VX Ace has a better scripting system and audio functionality (script can modify virtually any element of the engine, audio player is much better and supports more than .midi now). It all comes down really to which one you want to work with, but if you're not sure, I'd recommend VX Ace as its simpler.
Q: What are the prizes, and when are they given out.
A: The prizes are still being determined, but most will probably be Steam games. Contributions from people who want to add to the prize pool are appreciated. Prizes will be handed out to five winners on September 5th and 6th.
Q: How are winners chosen?
A: Based on user votes and feedback in this very topic, will rank them on how they did by user impressions and ratings.
Q: What sort of game should I make?
A: Anything you can manage with the engine, though typically a good bet on an RPG, an adventure game, a visual novel, a horror game, or the like would be a safe bet.
Q: Can I post progress and questions here?
A: Most definitely.
---
Again, if any questions, feel free to ask, and will update the OP with more information when needed.
