Topic: AGS Awards 2011 (check the results!)

[Tabata]

... a seperate "funny/humour/comedy" category would be a great idea.

                   + 1             

[ddq]

If it's a good enough joke game then it's a good enough short game. If not, then it's not good enough. We don't have a "best drama" or "best RPG" or "best gay love story" category. It's not a good idea to start wantonly adding new categories without renovating the existing ones. The major problem I see with the awards is people voting for their favorite game regardless of the category. That should be a higher priority than giving out consolation prizes. Possible solutions could be modifying the existing categories or putting a limit on how many awards one game can be nominated for. Still though, if a game truly is the best, then it deserves to win everything. Personally, I predict a Journey Down-esque sweep for Gemini Rue.

[poc301]

My vote goes for best gay love story.  I think we could get some hawtness up in here.  Maybe some Ben Jordan meets Larry Vales or something like that.   :o

-Bill

[LimpingFish]

If it's a good enough joke game then it's a good enough short game.

Exactly. The joke game category in the database is usually reserved for games that meet the criteria I mentioned earlier; a one-screen gag that took then minutes to throw together. If you put a lot of time and effort into a joke game, then you're doing it wrong.

I have made a joke game* that got three cups...  Embarrassed

You're doing it wrong.

I can change your game's category to "Short" or "Non-Adventure" if you want. Ben Jordan: Paranormal Warrior Within probably exceeds the quality of most joke games too. If we take those two, along with Monkey's IWWHIIWWHITOMIROTPG: The Game!, out of the joke category, we'd be left with a clean sweep of 1 cuppers.

Personally, I predict a Journey Down-esque sweep for Gemini Rue.

Ooh, don't get me started on commercial games in the awards. I haven't played Gemini Rue, since I didn't buy it, so I'm not in a position to vote for it anyway.

EDIT: Earlier I said there where only 76 joke games in the database, but there are actually 95 (counting broken links). Still only three that rate more than one cup, though.

[cat]

About categorizing: should we do a list of games not yet in any category and decide if they are short/medium/full/nonadventure so they are eligible for short/nonadventure category like last year?

I don't know if this messes up the panels workflow of rating games, but I think this is important.

[bicilotti]

About categorizing: should we do a list of games not yet in any category and decide if they are short/medium/full/nonadventure so they are eligible for short/nonadventure category like last year?

I don't know if this messes up the panels workflow of rating games, but I think this is important.

Yuppers, same as last year (plus MAGS game and probably joke games too will need similar treatment). I'll ask CJ to set up a mock page so to highlight any inconsistency.

[poc301]

About categorizing: should we do a list of games not yet in any category and decide if they are short/medium/full/nonadventure so they are eligible for short/nonadventure category like last year?

I don't know if this messes up the panels workflow of rating games, but I think this is important.

That is a good point, Cat.  My game still hasn't been rated, but seems to have gotten generally high ratings by the reviewers.  I'm not sure though that it really matters in the long run since people who play the games will vote for it knowing the kind of game it is.  And since the author (or nominator) is the one responsible for nominating it to the categories he/she believes it is competetive in, it should automatically be listed in the categories it needs to anyway...

Not sure if that made sense, but my brain understands what I'm trying to say lol. 

TL;DR - People who play the games know what categories they are in, and the person submitting the game knows what to ask it to be categorized in.

-Bill

[cat]

Usually the nomination script only allows to select games that fit in the category i.e. you are not allowed to nominate a full length game in the "best short game" category. That's why the categories have to be correct before the nomination starts. It's not about the ratings, it's about technical issues.

[poc301]

Ooooohhhh....  I thought the drop-downs were generated statically by whoever creates the voting page.  I didn't know it links to the database of games for the categories.

In that case, I wholeheartedly second your idea

Bill

[Ghost]

Usually the nomination script only allows to select games that fit in the category i.e. you are not allowed to nominate a full length game in the "best short game" category. That's why the categories have to be correct before the nomination starts. It's not about the ratings, it's about technical issues.

Yikes! Then I need someone to rate COTD before it can be entered? Panel members, seek your heart!

[poc301]

Yes, and look at Murran Chronicles 3 while you're at it

-Bill

[hofmeier]

Here's a rough assessment based on Bicilotti's database link1264535.7 percent .

That seems low to me, but it's worth noting that the panel doesn't rate demos or games with broken links. Presuming to nominate the best games using panel feedback would be unfair, but it also seems also unfair for  the panel to soberly analyze 81 games in less than a month.

Of course, I don't know what role (if any) the panel ratings play in the nomination / classification process, but if they've only played about a third of the games, they shouldn't factor at all.

[cat]

Again, this isn't about the ratings at all. It's about defining which of the not yet categorized (or categorized as MAGS, jokegame) games are eligible for "best short game" "best demo" and "best nonadventure game". Medium and full length games shouldn't be affected by that at all. Ideally someone will make a list of the games in question and people who have played them will help to categorize by simply posting their opinion.

[Radiant]

The simple solution strikes me to edit the nomination script to remove the check so that you can enter any game you like for Best Short Game (after all, you can already enter whatever you like for Best Graphics and so forth).

And then in the unlikely chance that somebody nominates a long game for best short game, have the organizer remove it. After all, it's already possible (but equally unlikely) for someone to nominate a game for Best Music that has no music. I seriously doubt that any entry that really doesn't fit would get enough nominations anyway, so I don't see this as a big issue.

[Bogdan]

I always wandered why aren't there categories for nominations for best game in genres or in story types...
e.g. Best Sci-fi game
       Best Horror game
       Best investigative game
       Best Fantasy game
       Best fan made game
       Best remake...
etc.

It's just an idea since I noticed everyone discussing about it. ^^

[Ali]

Well, it would be a lot easier to win in 'Best Social Realist Adventure' than 'Best Comedy Adventure' or 'Best Sci-fi Adventure'.

[Radiant]

Well, it would be a lot easier to win in 'Best Social Realist Adventure' than 'Best Comedy Adventure' or 'Best Sci-fi Adventure'.

Didn't you recommend yourself for "Best Non-Kingdom-Related Adventure" a couple years back? 

[LimpingFish]

...but it also seems also unfair for  the panel to soberly analyze 81 games in less than a month.

Well, we can categorize games without playing them, based on database information added by a game's author.

For instance:

The synopsis for Apple Farm, by Cat, tells us that it's a short Hidden object game. So I'd feel fairly confident changing it's category to "Short". Space Quest II is obviously a "Full-Length Game", since it's a remake of a commercial adventure.

Barring this, I can start a panel drive to start rating and classifying as many games as we can in the time left to us.

[bicilotti]

The simple solution strikes me to edit the nomination script to remove the check so that you can enter any game you like for Best Short Game (after all, you can already enter whatever you like for Best Graphics and so forth).

It seems a very reasonable solution, I'll talk to CJ about it.

The truth is I was making a parallel DB for this year, to ease the nomination/voting | fixing stuff process, but laziness got the best of me.

Regarding new categories: I feel they are many, and having more of them just dilutes the meaning of the awards. Keep in mind that there are not that many games and not that many voters!

I hop I will have time to set up a little statistical analysis of the voting after this year's circus is over, to provide you all a clearer picture of the thing.

[Snarky]

nobody's suggesting to bring back the p3n1s.

I am!
I want P3n1s!

I just want the controversy to continue! Let's you and him fight!