AGS Awards 2017 - Game Client Resources

Started by Snarky, Fri 29/12/2017 13:34:20

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Snarky

It's time to start working on the client for the 2017 AGS Awards! 8-0

I plan to handle the coding side of things again, but I could really use some help with the resources. Some of them are starting to show their age, and the update last year was a bit of a rush job, with ugly placeholder elements.

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Notice the use of three different button styles, unstyled listboxes, and the crude red arrow highlighting your character.
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A list of things I have in mind (for overall reference, the client is 1280x720 in 32-bit):


  • New buttons and GUI elements. I intend to redesign the GUI quite a bit, moving away from the black screens that currently cover up the entire background. I'm leaning towards a tabbed interface. I also want to make all the buttons consistent, and make it so they fade out unless you move the cursor close. The chat history window also needs to be fixed. This task might involve collaborating on the UI redesign, or just making a template for the button/slider styles or drawing graphics for the button symbols.
  • Related to that: Perhaps a new cursor (not sure I like the current one), and definitely a new "character highlighter". Currently it's just a crude red arrow; I was thinking an animated glowing ball oscillating up and down over your head. (Might want this in two colors: one for you and one for highlighting other characters.)
  • Trophies! It would be really cool if winners could receive an actual trophy. There was a trophy in SSH's non-online Awards ceremony games, but I don't think the graphic style really fits:
    Spoiler
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  • Graphics and animations for the on-stage screen (320x240 canvas, with the top partially obscured):
    • New animated "interstitial" screens: some kind of AGS logo, or saying "2017 AGS Awards" or something like that, with some sort of calm (looping) animation livening it up. (The 2015 client had one of these, but I don't have access to it.)
    • Screens announcing the various categories (Best Backgrounds, Best Voice Acting, etc.): Probably some kind of logo or drawing symbolizing that category.
    • New "animated gif" meme-style reactions, ideally taken from AGS games or at least adventure games.
    • Surprises and other fun things to put up on the screen.
    • And if any graphically gifted AGSers have good ideas for how to format the presentations of nominees and winners in each category (particularly for things like Best Character, Best Animations, Best Character art), I'm all ears.
  • New DJ characters/platform (updating or replacing the pixel Daft Punk).
  • Also, new music for the DJs to play! A range of tunes, from catchy party music to calm background audio. New/alternative music cues for the ceremony would also be interesting.
  • There was some complaint last year that the font was difficult to read. If anyone has any suggestion for fonts to use for the chat window or above characters' heads (or other things), let me know. (We should be able to do proper rendering and outlining of antialiased text now, so don't feel limited to pixel fonts.)

Also, Noa's performance of "Troll Song" from the 2014 ceremony was one of my favorite parts of that event, and it would be cool if anyone wants to do something like that (or has some other idea to enrich the show):



Finally, I hope to improve the dynamic applause system, and make a similar system for dynamic laughter. (I'm also considering adding "crowd noise".) To make that happen, I need a pool of audio clips to use.

Spoiler
For the applause, I currently have six levels of intensity, depending on how many people are clapping (single person clapping, scattered applause, modest applause, general applause, enthusiastic applause, ecstatic applause), each with short and long clips (short clips are played during presentations, long clips when the floor is open). For some levels there are a couple of different clips of each type, picked at random. All in all, there are 20 different clips of people clapping (some of which aren't that great, and should be replaced). Something similar would be nice for laughter. Tracking down and editing the clips is quite time-consuming, so if someone wants to help out with that I'd appreciate it. (Also, the clips should be properly licensed, giving us the right to use them.)
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Oh, and like every year, AGS character avatars are much appreciated! Send me your chars!

Exactly how we're going to do this depends a bit on your interest and feedback. For some things we might run a contest or workshop thread. Mostly it'll probably be discussions over PMs.

I can't guarantee the inclusion of what you make in the ceremony, so if you're thinking of doing something that would be a lot of effort, maybe run it by me first (e.g. if 20 different people each want to do some sort of performance, that's probably a bit much â€" we might have to arrange a separate AGS Talent Night instead).

cat

I already made a banner for the 2017 Awards. The golden cup could be a nice trophy.

png


svg

Tabata

Aside from the windows blue scren that you can see in the movie from the ceremony 2015 there now is an animation running right from the beginning that you seem to be searching for. It looks like this
Spoiler
(!!! I just did three shots and created a gif to give the impression ;) - the original runs muuuch smoother)

Quote from: cat on Fri 29/12/2017 16:01:52
... The golden cup could be a nice trophy. ...
I like the banner. The mug to be used as a trophy is a nice idea, too. I'd just prefer the 'shining'-line to be added vertically in that case.(nod)

Snarky

    Quote from: Snarky on Fri 29/12/2017 13:34:20

    • Graphics and animations for the on-stage screen (320x240 canvas, with the top partially obscured):
      • Screens announcing the various categories (Best Backgrounds, Best Voice Acting, etc.): Probably some kind of logo or drawing symbolizing that category.

    BTW, there are already small animated icons for the different awards categories visible on the forum profile pages of past winners. E.g. Vince Twelve. Perhaps these could form the basis.

    Quote from: Tabata on Fri 29/12/2017 17:19:56
    Aside from the windows blue scren that you can see in the movie from the ceremony 2015 there now is an animation running right from the beginning that you seem to be searching for.

    Yes, but as I said I don't have access to this, and obviously it would need to be updated with the correct year. So if someone wants to create something similar, that would be great. (Or if you have a better concept!) And then share the source files so it can be used in the future as well.

    Quote from: cat on Fri 29/12/2017 16:01:52
    I already made a banner for the 2017 Awards. The golden cup could be a nice trophy.

    Thanks cat! I would definitely expect the trophy to have a cup â€" blue or gold or both. If you're suggesting this particular graphic, I was thinking something that would appear more as a "real" object that the winner's character avatar could actually receive, rather than a flat icon. (Glancing up at the trophies in Tabatha's signature, several of them have the sort of look I had mind.) And maybe a couple of different designs: one for the regular awards and one for the "Best AGS Game" grand prize?[/list]

    tzachs

    Quote
    There was some complaint last year that the font was difficult to read. If anyone has any suggestion for fonts to use for the chat window or above characters' heads (or other things), let me know. (We should be able to do proper rendering and outlining of antialiased text now, so don't feel limited to pixel fonts.)

    This might be a good resource for selecting a readable font for small text: https://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/3330/how-do-you-choose-a-font-for-extremely-limited-space-i-e-will-fit-the-most-rea

    Tabata

    #5
    Quote from: Snarky on Fri 29/12/2017 17:55:23
    Quote from: Tabata on Fri 29/12/2017 17:19:56
    Aside from the windows blue scren that you can see in the movie from the ceremony 2015 there now is an animation running right from the beginning that you seem to be searching for.
    Yes, but as I said I don't have access to this, and obviously it would need to be updated with the correct year. So if someone wants to create something similar, that would be great. (Or if you have a better concept!) And then share the source files so it can be used in the future as well.
    I am sorry to have misunderstood the term of having no access to that gif - I thought you just need the old 'game files' we got to run the award ceremony (I stored it and would have been able to upload the files for you). :-[


    Quote from: Snarky on Fri 29/12/2017 17:55:23
    Quote from: Snarky on Fri 29/12/2017 13:34:20

    • Graphics and animations for the on-stage screen (320x240 canvas, with the top partially obscured):
      • Screens announcing the various categories (Best Backgrounds, Best Voice Acting, etc.): Probably some kind of logo or drawing symbolizing that category.
    BTW, there are already small animated icons for the different awards categories visible on the forum profile pages of past winners. E.g. Vince Twelve. Perhaps these could form the basis.
    I was able to save all those little badges before my imageshak-account was deleted. I made them back in 2013. AGA stored them for sure since he does a lot of work every year to place them in the right places. But just in case it isn't that easy to get them together and someone wants them for reference to do some nice and fresh shiny badges for the ceremony ... I can offer a download-link for to scroll through all of them more easily. Just pm and I'll upload them all together in one downloadable folder. :wink:

    Danvzare

    I'm not much of an artist, but I'm all for helping with creating some resources.
    Just tell me what to do, and I'll try my best. :-D

    Snarky

    Well, collecting a bunch of laugh clips â€" ranging from a single person laughing to a whole audience cracking up â€" would be a good help. (Please also then provide the source and license.)

    Cassiebsg

    #8
    Try checking this one: https://offers.adobe.com/en/na/audition/offers/audition_dlc/AdobeAuditionDLCSFX.html

    I found it when I was looking for SFX for my game (haven't used any yet, though), but under Human Elements there are a few laugh tracks.

    EDIT:

    I made this quick 3D model... is this more in line of what you had in mind for the trophies?
    There are those who believe that life here began out there...

    Jack

    I still have that background animation. I will update it with the new banner if no one makes anything better. Though blue and yellow don't really go together.

    Danvzare

    Ooh, I love that trophy Cassie!
    Would you mind if I made a pixel art version of it?

    Cassiebsg

    Sure Danvzare, do what ever you like with it. :D

    @Jack... you are wrong, Blue and yellow are a perfect match! And I realized it in 10th grade! :P
    There are those who believe that life here began out there...

    Danvzare

    [imgzoom]http://orig00.deviantart.net/f98e/f/2018/003/e/d/ags_trophy_by_danvzare-dbyskoz.png[/imgzoom]
    I'm not happy with the cup... but I absolutely love how well I did the base.

    Snarky

    Thanks, Cassie and Dan! I think we can use that. If anyone wants to tweak it or offer alternatives that's cool, but I'll mark this as tentatively done for now.

    Danvzare

    Quote from: Snarky on Sat 06/01/2018 09:00:49
    If anyone wants to tweak it or offer alternatives that's cool
    Seriously though, please someone tweak that cup. I'm terrible with diagonal lines.

    eri0o

    Hey, I don't understand any of this. What is the dates and time? What are the categories? Can I submit my totally not an adventure game made in AGS? N00b send help plz.

    Snarky

    #16
    The AGS Awards are a long tradition in this community. The general concept is pretty self-explanatory: we vote for the AGS games we think were the best in various categories (graphics, gameplay, puzzles, music...) in the past year. You can see the categories from last year here: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/wiki/AGS_Awards_2016. It's a multi-step process, where first there's some time for game authors' to remind people of their games and propose them for various categories ("For Your Consideration"), then some time for people to nominate their favorites, and then finally to play the games on the shortlist and vote for a winner in each category.

    Once the final votes are in, they're announced in a live event that you can attend via an AGS multiplayer client or over IRC. Exactly when this will be hasn't been decided yet; last year it was mid-March.

    The AGS client needs to be updated each year (e.g. for the nominees in the different categories), and we also try to improve it in various ways. That's what this thread is about.

    All AGS games released in the past year are eligible to compete (last year the non-adventure Until I Have You won a bunch of awards), but they must be submitted to the AGS Games database before the end of that year. AFAICT, you never submitted your game, so my understanding is that it is not eligible for nomination.

    Cassiebsg

    The positive side is, you can add it now and it'll be eligible for next year awards. ;)
    There are those who believe that life here began out there...


    Snarky

    Thanks Jim. Those are beautiful! ... though of course there are no silver or bronze medals in the AGS Awards. :~(

    Do you feel like maybe sprucing up the trophy by Cassiebsg and danvzare to match?

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