Game Pitch Competition - Round 4: "Son of a Pitch" (RESULTS)

Started by Snarky, Wed 25/07/2018 08:48:18

Previous topic - Next topic

Vote for your favorite entry

1. Lockdown
1 (5.9%)
2. Small Pockets
2 (11.8%)
3. Rodric Downes and the Pirate-Princess
1 (5.9%)
4. What A Feeling!
0 (0%)
5. Major Arcana
4 (23.5%)
6. Cliffhung
3 (17.6%)
7. Mulled
3 (17.6%)
8. Two Strings Attached
1 (5.9%)
9. The Professor
1 (5.9%)
10. [Untitled]
0 (0%)
11. A Hard Nut to Crack
1 (5.9%)

Total Members Voted: 17

Voting closed: Sun 19/08/2018 12:24:49

Snarky

I really enjoyed this activity that Andail started (last round here), so I thought I would kick off another round!

Game Pitch Competition â€" Round 4: "Son of a Pitch"

The object of the competition is to present the best possible "elevator pitch" for an original adventure game.
So, come up with a cool idea, and explain it very briefly to someone in order to catch their interest and make them excited about it.

I've tweaked the rules a little, and changed the way you submit so that I don't know the identity of the authors (which means I can vote without any risk of bias).

Procedure

  • Submit your game pitch via this form.
  • Submissions close 8. August. I will then publish the entries here in this thread, and open a thread poll for voting.
  • Voting will probably last 2 weeks. Discussion and feedback on the entries is encouraged, but make sure to maintain anonymity.
  • After voting is over, the results become public, and we can then work to identify the authors and discuss the entries further.
Rules

  • The pitch should be for some kind of adventure game (under a broad definition of the genre).
  • Try to stick more or less to the word limits: An elevator ride is not that long!
  • You may submit only one entry in the round (but you may edit your entry up until submission closes, using the link you get when you submit the form).
  • The entry should be anonymous. Do not reveal your authorship until voting closes.
  • Do not vote for your own entry. It's not cool.

All clear?
Then start sending in those pitches!

Snarky

Competition entries:

1. Lockdown
Epic narrative-driven adventure with multiple playable characters


After a massive-scale terror attack on a large city, instead of evacuating, the government decides to put the whole city on lockdown. Nobody comes in or out.
You play as multiple characters, all with different reasons for wanting to get out of the city.
As bombs and guns are going off around you, you must work together to find and puzzle your way out, avoid the military and escape with your life. And also you need to work out exactly what is really going on.





2. Small Pockets
A pure stealth point and click Adventure in real time.


A small town reporter wandering drunk on his birthday vaguely recognises tabloid faces entering an unassuming building. Sneaking inside he enters a stunning nightclub as the doors lock and a massacre begins…
Drunk on the third floor wearing an offensive shirt and tight trousers with only a wallet and the present from his Father: A Penknife, he must survive.
The massacre is in real time:
Hide? Help? Kill? Beg?
Try to alter events.
Drunken monologue choices after encounters dictate your final ‘Reporter' score:
FRONT PAGE! or under the Penis advert.





3. Rodric Downes and the pirate-princess
An english captain and his crew have to retake their own ship from swedish pirates


The Baltic sea, 16th century. The dashing swashbuckler Captain Rodric Downes and his crew find themselves captured and locked in the brig of their own ship by privateers led by a certain Cecilia Vasa, a princess answering to none save her older brother, the very king of Sweden. Unarmed on a ship full of enemies, Captain Downes has to rely on wits and guile in order to neutralize his enemies and retake his ship using whatever equipment he can find lying around, alongside the ship cargo, containing various strange new spices from all over the budding empire. ( FYI, Cecilia is based on a real historical person!)





4. What A Feeling!
A completely new way to play games â€" emotional direction!


This game is all about the feels… your character goes through the game and makes his / her own choices, BUT will make those choices based on the emotion you project into them. Faced with a problem, will you make them try to solve it by being pushy, distressed, affectionate or angry? Will you fill them with pessimism and a fatalistic view, or make them relentlessly chirpy and optimistic? With multiple paths to choose, the fate of your character is entirely in your hands!





5. Major Arcana
Player inherits deck of Major Arcanca tarot cards. Each card has a unique power


Bree Huxter just lost her job and is facing eviction from her apartment. She receives a package from her crazy, paranormal loving uncle. The package contains a letter instructing her to "Complete the deck to complete your life" and a single Tarot Card - The Sun.
Bree discovers that the tarot card can be activated to provide heat and light and concludes that the rest of the cards in her uncle's tarot deck must have powers as well.
With nothing to lose, she sets off on a journey to collect the rest of the Major Arcana and hopefully put her life back together.





6. Cliffhung
What happened next after all those movie endings that left you wondering?


It turns out that movies have souls just like living things. When a movie has a clear resolution its soul moves on to either Movie Heaven or Movie Hell. But movies that end ambiguously end up stuck in Movie Limbo. You play an agent of Limbo going from movie to movie and helping them resolve their "cliffhanger" endings so that they can move on: The Italian Job, The Matrix Revolutions, and the original Dawn Of The Dead are just a few the player will be visiting.





7. Mulled
A hardfrozen Christmas detective mystery, told as a playable advent(ure) calendar


On the North Pole, the winter night lasts half a year.
Having been kicked out of the Elfin Bureau of Benevolence, Tommy T. spends his days glugging mulled wine at the seedy North Pole Club, until a dame with a case that could rock the foundations of Santa's Workshop offers him a chance to redeem himself. Each day unlocks a new lead: He has until the bells are ringing out for Christmas Day to find out who's been naughty and nice, and baby it's cold outside…





8. Two Strings Attached
Play as both the murderer and the detective


A serial murderer is on the loose, and that's you. And you're also playing the detective on the hunt for the murderer. You commit the crimes and then follow the leads, slowly revealing the hidden motive, and also the hidden connection between both characters.





9. The Professor
The untold story of the wise old man present in so many adventures


The world is in danger once more. Our only hope lies in Tonic the red hog. He must find the 8 purple glowies to stop Mr Robot Nick's machine. But Tonic doesn't know where to find them, he needs the professor.
The gameplay consists of heroes and townsfolk lining up to get guidence from you, the professor. By deciphering clues, following current events and other hints you give the heroes a destination and hope for the best. Will you save the world, or are you dooming these poor souls?





10. [Untitled]
Multiple outcomes and two player characters, Sierra-style, fantasy with real-world equivalents (think Discworld)


Mark Siemann has just joined the Adventurers' Guild, and he intends to take on several high-paying quests with a party of three serious, like-minded warriors. Which is too bad, because all he's got is a bubbly female orc (Scane) and a job investigating a murder down at the docks. As the investigation proceeds, he and Scane find themselves trapped in a web of smuggling, slavery, and illegal enchantments. At this rate, Mark will be lucky to even survive his first job, let alone get paid for it.





11. A Hard Nut to Crack
Think Detective Grimoire but with animals and a more complex clue system.


Oh no, Sammy Squirrel's nut stash has been looted! Without it, he will not survive the upcoming winter.
Enter Detective Felicity Fox. Help her collect clues and manage them in a special inventory. You can combine them to build a chain of evidence, use them on the environment to find more information or question suspects and witnesses.
Can you find the culprit and most importantly, the stolen food?

Stupot

Cool. These are always fun. I'll put my thinking bandana on.

Snarky

I just realized that there actually are a few submissions to the contest so far! ;-D (I thought I had the form set up to notify me when responses come in, but it appears that's not working.)

Anyway, today is halfway through the submission period, so if you have an idea, go ahead and write it up! Note that this time around, the pitch is split into three parts:

Title (optional)
Selling Point (the "hook" for the game, in max 15 words)
Description (max 90 words)

BTW, someone posted this on the AGS Discord server. It has some good tips for how to write a pitch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWRu3RRqQmY


Snarky

Right, so just a final reminder: We're coming up on the last day to submit an entry for this round.

(I think for next round maybe we should try to publish the entries as they come in. Makes things a bit more interesting during this phase.)

CaptainD

Quote from: Snarky on Tue 07/08/2018 21:05:15
(I think for next round maybe we should try to publish the entries as they come in. Makes things a bit more interesting during this phase.)

+1
 

Stupot

I'll go ahead and announce that I entered something. Completely forgotten what I wrote already but I guess I'll find out soon.

JudasFm

I entered as well! Just made it in time for the deadline :-D

Snarky

Nine submissions so far in this round... still time to get them in before the deadline.

Bulbapuck

I entered as well, great idea for a competition! Rarely visit the forums these days sadly, but I heard about it on discord and got inspired :)

CaptainD

I entered but like Stu I'm now a little hazy on what I actually wrote!

Looking forward to seeing the entries, and thanks again Snarky for hosting.
 

Mandle


Snarky

OK, eleven entries were submitted: Here they are!

Vote for your favorite in the poll at the top of the thread.




1. Lockdown
Epic narrative-driven adventure with multiple playable characters


After a massive-scale terror attack on a large city, instead of evacuating, the government decides to put the whole city on lockdown. Nobody comes in or out.
You play as multiple characters, all with different reasons for wanting to get out of the city.
As bombs and guns are going off around you, you must work together to find and puzzle your way out, avoid the military and escape with your life. And also you need to work out exactly what is really going on.





2. Small Pockets
A pure stealth point and click Adventure in real time.


A small town reporter wandering drunk on his birthday vaguely recognises tabloid faces entering an unassuming building. Sneaking inside he enters a stunning nightclub as the doors lock and a massacre begins…
Drunk on the third floor wearing an offensive shirt and tight trousers with only a wallet and the present from his Father: A Penknife, he must survive.
The massacre is in real time:
Hide? Help? Kill? Beg?
Try to alter events.
Drunken monologue choices after encounters dictate your final ‘Reporter' score:
FRONT PAGE! or under the Penis advert.





3. Rodric Downes and the pirate-princess
An english captain and his crew have to retake their own ship from swedish pirates


The Baltic sea, 16th century. The dashing swashbuckler Captain Rodric Downes and his crew find themselves captured and locked in the brig of their own ship by privateers led by a certain Cecilia Vasa, a princess answering to none save her older brother, the very king of Sweden. Unarmed on a ship full of enemies, Captain Downes has to rely on wits and guile in order to neutralize his enemies and retake his ship using whatever equipment he can find lying around, alongside the ship cargo, containing various strange new spices from all over the budding empire. ( FYI, Cecilia is based on a real historical person!)





4. What A Feeling!
A completely new way to play games â€" emotional direction!


This game is all about the feels… your character goes through the game and makes his / her own choices, BUT will make those choices based on the emotion you project into them. Faced with a problem, will you make them try to solve it by being pushy, distressed, affectionate or angry? Will you fill them with pessimism and a fatalistic view, or make them relentlessly chirpy and optimistic? With multiple paths to choose, the fate of your character is entirely in your hands!





5. Major Arcana
Player inherits deck of Major Arcanca tarot cards. Each card has a unique power


Bree Huxter just lost her job and is facing eviction from her apartment. She receives a package from her crazy, paranormal loving uncle. The package contains a letter instructing her to "Complete the deck to complete your life" and a single Tarot Card - The Sun.
Bree discovers that the tarot card can be activated to provide heat and light and concludes that the rest of the cards in her uncle's tarot deck must have powers as well.
With nothing to lose, she sets off on a journey to collect the rest of the Major Arcana and hopefully put her life back together.





6. Cliffhung
What happened next after all those movie endings that left you wondering?


It turns out that movies have souls just like living things. When a movie has a clear resolution its soul moves on to either Movie Heaven or Movie Hell. But movies that end ambiguously end up stuck in Movie Limbo. You play an agent of Limbo going from movie to movie and helping them resolve their "cliffhanger" endings so that they can move on: The Italian Job, The Matrix Revolutions, and the original Dawn Of The Dead are just a few the player will be visiting.





7. Mulled
A hardfrozen Christmas detective mystery, told as a playable advent(ure) calendar


On the North Pole, the winter night lasts half a year.
Having been kicked out of the Elfin Bureau of Benevolence, Tommy T. spends his days glugging mulled wine at the seedy North Pole Club, until a dame with a case that could rock the foundations of Santa's Workshop offers him a chance to redeem himself. Each day unlocks a new lead: He has until the bells are ringing out for Christmas Day to find out who's been naughty and nice, and baby it's cold outside…





8. Two Strings Attached
Play as both the murderer and the detective


A serial murderer is on the loose, and that's you. And you're also playing the detective on the hunt for the murderer. You commit the crimes and then follow the leads, slowly revealing the hidden motive, and also the hidden connection between both characters.





9. The Professor
The untold story of the wise old man present in so many adventures


The world is in danger once more. Our only hope lies in Tonic the red hog. He must find the 8 purple glowies to stop Mr Robot Nick's machine. But Tonic doesn't know where to find them, he needs the professor.
The gameplay consists of heroes and townsfolk lining up to get guidence from you, the professor. By deciphering clues, following current events and other hints you give the heroes a destination and hope for the best. Will you save the world, or are you dooming these poor souls?





10. [Untitled]
Multiple outcomes and two player characters, Sierra-style, fantasy with real-world equivalents (think Discworld)


Mark Siemann has just joined the Adventurers' Guild, and he intends to take on several high-paying quests with a party of three serious, like-minded warriors. Which is too bad, because all he's got is a bubbly female orc (Scane) and a job investigating a murder down at the docks. As the investigation proceeds, he and Scane find themselves trapped in a web of smuggling, slavery, and illegal enchantments. At this rate, Mark will be lucky to even survive his first job, let alone get paid for it.





11. A Hard Nut to Crack
Think Detective Grimoire but with animals and a more complex clue system.


Oh no, Sammy Squirrel's nut stash has been looted! Without it, he will not survive the upcoming winter.
Enter Detective Felicity Fox. Help her collect clues and manage them in a special inventory. You can combine them to build a chain of evidence, use them on the environment to find more information or question suspects and witnesses.
Can you find the culprit and most importantly, the stolen food?

dactylopus

I had a pitch ready to go this time, but decided to put that on hold as I will be endeavoring to make that game a reality.  I was unable to think up a new pitch in time, but I swear I will enter one of these contests!

That said, I did read all of these pitches and they are all interesting in their own ways.  Ultimately, one was a clear winner to me so my vote was easy to cast.

Good luck to everyone, and thanks for sharing your ideas!

Mandle

I just read all the entries and voted...

It looked like a really hard task at first to decide but then I hit upon the one that just captured my interest above all others...

VOTED!

Riaise

There are a lot of good pitches here. I was stuck between two, but in the end I voted for the one that I think I personally would most like to play. A lot of these would make really great games, though! ;-D

JudasFm

I was stuck for a long time, but in the end I managed to pick one to vote for :D

Bulbapuck

Hi Mandle :)

Great entries! Loved to hear all these ideas, they could all turn into great titles. Very inspiring too! Ultimately my vote came down to the intresting direction one entry took that I felt was fresh and fun.

EDIT: removed hint

Snarky

Yeah, great to see so many solid entries and now quite a lot of votes! (Which are pretty evenly distributed so far.)

As organizer, I would ask you to please refrain from giving any hints about which of the entries is yours until the voting is over, to ensure anonymity as far as possible.

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