Bring back AGS team challenge!

[Vel]

The first try never really worked but why not try again with AGS team challenge?

For anyone who does not know, AGS team challenge was a competition in which people were put in teams of 5(?) and had to make a game within three months. I think it is a great idea, and that it should be given a second try. What do you guys think?

[scotch]

The team challenge wouldn't be any more succesful if it was done now, IMO.
I think it needs to be much smaller in scope, one month maxiumum, but preferably less.  A few rules, would be nice, or better, a theme.

I think a 48 hour competition on a weekend would actually be quite fun.

[Privateer Puddin']

I'd say yes, but at least one team is still working on their game, believe it or not i'm all for it, AGA might not be though

[Scummbuddy]

the group im in is still working slowly on our game. we are getting pretty happy with our story and we'll go from there.

[AGA]

Meh. You can try it if you want, but I doubt it's gonna be any more successful that the original was. As for a 48-hour competition, we tried that, remember, scotch, and it ended up taking 6 weeks

[Vel]

What I suggest is:

A short or medium length game with free theme for a month in the summer holidays. If enough people want to participate, it could start in July. Scotch, the weekend competition wouldn't probably be good since a team of 3 or 4 people cant make a great game in 2 days howver talented they are. Any other suggestions?

[scotch]

I'm not very hopeful then, one month still seems rather a long time for a random team to stay focussed. People always seem to go for something rediculously ambitious whatever the time limit.  We thought ARE would take 2 or 3 days and it took over a month, and look how small that game is.

Perhaps there should be guidelines on how many rooms and other things should go into the game, though even that wouldn't keep things simple, probably.

I hope it does well, but any more than a few days time limit and it'd be too much of a distraction from the other games people are working on, at least it would be for me.

[magintz]

IMPO it wouldn't work, it didnt work the first time, its not going to work a second time..... but a third..... maybe.....

My view is "if at first you don't succeed, give up and go play video games"

EDIT: WOW, this is post number 500 for me...

[Ginny]

A few days is a bit too short on time, no? Maybe something between 10-20, though a month seems ok too. I'd be interested in participating, since I wasn't here the first time this wasdone. Were the teams divided randomly or by role in game making? I think a random division is more challenging, and I believe that's how it was the first time, though I don't know for sure. But I agree about having guidelines that the game shouldn't be very big, just a game with a few rooms, and try not to take up too much time in the pre-production phase. I'd say the summer holidays are a good time to do this.

[Vel]

M0ds, you were the one who held last one, right? Waddya say?

[Radiant]

I'd join ya.

[Fruity (fruittree)]

I'd like to join again...
that is if it's very well organized
and yes AGA I'm still working on SF from time to time
I'll send you some of the latest sprites soon 

[Vel]

Could anyone tell me the exact rules of the last one, please?

[m0ds]

Originally, I think it was along the lines of having SIX weeks to create a totally original game with your team. The games will then be judged by a panel of judges. Length of the game is irrelevant, but it must feature an intro, cutscenes and an outro as well as of course all the gameplay between.

I imagine you'd get marked on;
> Good gameplay
> Inventive systems, like GUI's etc, death options
> Inventive and original puzzles
> Persistent art styles
> Music, sound etc

At the end of it, once they've been judged, I can host the games on the Screen 7 site!!!1

So, if you want to do the challenge, do it!

[Sutebi]

Isn't this kind of like MAGs...with teams?

[Vel]

Hmmm.. how were the teams decided?

[Ginny]

I think it'd be a good idea to not have the teams just making an original game, but making it accroding to a few rules and/or a theme, closer to mags. I find that themes and other rules make it easier to think up a story etc, because there's a direction and you don't need to just wait for ideas to pop up. It should be quite a free theme though.
And if the competition is to be shorter, there shouldn't really be a requirement for having cutscenes, maybe just and intro and outro, with of course, pre-scripted scenes, but I wouldn't call them cutscenes. What do you think?

And yes, how were the teams decided? Random? Something in my memory involves putting the names in winamp as if they were songs and then telling winamp to shuffle and play. Hmm..

[Pet Terry]

First there was a thread in which everyone who wanted to take a part gave his/her name. Then after a month or so the names were put into Winamp playlist and then Winamp was put on suffle so it picked the names in random order.

[Sutebi]

Haha, that's a brilliant method to choose names randomly.

[Chicky]

hehe, thats great pete.

I think AGS team challange would really be worth considering again, in my experience the secret to sucess is planning. And if you got a solid plan down, which was then sent to the rest of the team a team challenge could be more than possible.