Background Blitz: August 27th - September 6th [Winner: HillBilly]

ildu · Sun 27/08/2006 04:11:45

Again, I made this blitz only one and a half weeks long. The deadline really does reign over than the amount of time given. Hopefully this won't be a problem for anyone. However, if someone does have a problem with it, I'll be happy to shove the deadline a bit further to make a full two weeks of dev time. And, if there aren't enough entries until the designated date, I'll extend the deadline as I see fit. The same goes for the amount of votes.

RAILWAY[/font]

[/b]
Inspiration:

Guidelines:

Create a background that in some way contains or represents the topic, railway. It could be a classic industrial revolution train station or even a futuristic space-age monorail. The only thing that matters is that the topic is represented as concisely as possible. And remember, creativity is a really big plus. It is possible to succeed even with only a great idea. So let your mind fly and let's make this bg blitz an exceptionally fruitful one.

Specifications:

Max resolution: 640x480
Palette: Unlimited.

Voting:

Voting will commence on the 6th of September and will be closed at midnight (GMT) on that date. Please give one vote in each of the following categories:

* Best Idea - The underlying idea to the background. Doesn't necessarily have to coincide perfectly with the theme of the week, just strike you as interesting/amusing/inspiring; a place you'd really enjoy visiting within a game.

* Best Design - The style of the picture, architectural, landscape design, best mood, most evocative, etc.

* Best Functionality - How well it would work when adding sprites, including appropriate walking distances, a good angle for character sprites, clever walkway solutions, easily understood exits, etc.

* Best Technique - How well the ideas are executed in form of rendering.

HillBilly · Sun 27/08/2006 18:17:58

A poor shack is the victim of progress. And nobody cares.

ildu · Sun 27/08/2006 19:20:37

Awesomeness, hillbilly

.

Floskfinger · Mon 28/08/2006 13:32:38

I don't recognize all of the games in your poster... Could you tell me the names of the games?
I know it's probebly i bit off topic but my curiosity got the better of me

ildu · Mon 28/08/2006 15:18:56

From left to right, up to down:

1. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
2. Murder on the Orient Express (due out in september/october)
3. The Last Express
4. Escape from Monkey Island
5. Escape from Delirium
6. Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist
7. Grim Fandango
8. Gene Machine
9. Syberia 2
10. 3 Skulls of the Toltecs
11. Curse of Monkey Island
12. The Westerner
13. The Last Express

Tocsik · Mon 28/08/2006 22:27:01

In post-apocalyptic Philadelphia SEPTA's orange line sits abandoned; a derelict subway in a derelict city.

grinder · Mon 28/08/2006 23:08:14

Privateer Puddin' · Mon 28/08/2006 23:24:36

Unfinished becase i didn't like how it was turning out, but was trying to do it reasonably quickly so i'll leave it as is. Meant to be a land slide as a train was going above it, or something.

raddicks · Mon 28/08/2006 23:50:04

In a not so distant future, war has tainted the world, to the point where the skies are raining ash and the sewers are stained from the bodies of those who have died from a mysterious plague...

ildu · Tue 29/08/2006 06:23:40

Five great entries in only two days of competition. This is turning out great

.

biothlebop · Tue 29/08/2006 15:29:49

Mind the speed limits or you might just float off.

grinder · Tue 29/08/2006 20:25:25

Wow. You had a composition idea very similiar to mine, yet you realized it much cooler than me. You have my respect)

YicklePigeon · Fri 01/09/2006 02:17:06

I could have kept on working on this for another day or so adding those "finishing touches". But I also wanted to be done by the 6th, so I decided to stop before I added too much. There is a list of things I wanted to add, could have added, but knew I'd have spent days - nay weeks - getting it *just right*. So here is the image, designed to be a horizontal scrolling background.

Regards,

Yickle.

EDIT REASON: Just noticed my background didn't conform to the resolution specifications, this has now been rectified via cropping...and you know what? Looks even better now!

ildu · Tue 05/09/2006 06:14:22

Right! Voting will begin in exactly 18 hours. So, if there are any more entries, I suggest you put them in soon. Voting starts at midnight (GMT).

Clip · Tue 05/09/2006 12:59:47

Here comes a last-minute-entry.
It's a train station located somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

Regards,
Clip

nihilyst · Tue 05/09/2006 15:23:20

Ok, here's a short bullshit one. Don't know how THAT should work in a game, but hell ...

2x

cheers
nihilyst

ildu · Tue 05/09/2006 18:44:49

Clip, nihilyst...greatness.

You still have 5Â½ hours until voting starts. Will there be a 10th entry? No one knows. What's behind curtain number 1? I'm still waiting for you, Rustvaar, to claim your prize for technique

.

Anyways, if anyone needs any extra time, we can push the voting forward by a few hours. Just PM me.

Buckethead · Tue 05/09/2006 18:49:38

maybe I'm gonna make a 10 min entry for best idea

EDIT:

OK disquisting entry, pure for idea and fun (it's a wicked railroad rollercoaster btw)

Don't trow up and laugh if you want to.

vict0r · Tue 05/09/2006 19:33:33

Amazing nihilyst!
That cloud is beautiful!! :o

Tuomas · Tue 05/09/2006 19:54:42

Took me an hour. Ildu made me do it and I was bored. I guess I could do better, but hey, this rocks your teacup... I need food

ildu · Wed 06/09/2006 00:13:09

Right

. Take out your ballots for the voting booths are now officially open!

Vote according to the instructions in the first post and please give reasons, if at all possible!

BunnyMilk · Wed 06/09/2006 00:17:19

* Best Idea - Grinder

* Best Design - Grinder

* Best Functionality - Clip

* Best Technique - nihilyst

Neil Dnuma · Wed 06/09/2006 00:44:46

Idea - Hillbilly. I love images which tells stories. The way you use Flash is so damn good. Clean and appealing style. Now back to your game!
Design - Grinder. Not crazy about the sky design, but otherwise this is a very atmospheric piece. Love the building.
Functionality - Yiclepigeon. Can't not work as a BG.
Technique - Nihilyst. Cool to see a different style from you! Could have been a bit more consistent, but has some amazing touches, esp. the fog. Great sense of depth.

I like it Tuomas, but why did you jpeg it? Many nice entries!

buloght · Wed 06/09/2006 00:53:49

Best Idea + functionality: Hillbilly
Best technique + design: nihilyst

Tocsik · Wed 06/09/2006 04:53:32

Best Idea - grinder
Best Design - clip
Best Functionality - yicklepigeon
Best Technique - nihilyst

YicklePigeon · Wed 06/09/2006 17:35:50

Ignoring my entry (of course):-

Receiving Best Design: Clip
Receiving Best Functionality: Clip
Receiving Best Idea: Tocsik (gotta give the guy/gal/it some credit)

Receiving Best Technique: Clip
Receiving the Oscar...: Clip
Receiving the Emmy for Best Drama...:Tuomas....

The others look nice, some feel as if railway track was added just to be entered legitimately, but I don't think I could use them for anything other than one-off cutscene backgrounds...and being the tightwad that I am, I like to reuse imagery alot

Tuomas get's the comedy award btw. Not that one exists but y'know...it's the thought that counts

Regards,

Yickle.

EDIT: Modified for his highness Ildu.

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Wed 06/09/2006 17:38:26

Best Idea: biotheblop
Best Design:Hillbilly
Best Functionality:YicklePigeon
Best Technique: Hillbilly

Obi · Wed 06/09/2006 17:39:41

And the winner for 1986's Best Film IS
Best Idea- HillyBilly
Best Design- Clip
Best Functionality- YicklePigeon
Best Technique- Grinder

Congratulations to those had the greatness to enter. And remember I'll see you next year!

Tuomas · Wed 06/09/2006 17:39:51

hmm.. ok.

Best Idea: Biothlebop

Best Design: YicklePigeon

Best Functionality: HillBilly

Best Technique: Grinder

imo

Tuomas · Wed 06/09/2006 17:43:11

Quote from: Neil Dnuma on Wed 06/09/2006 00:44:46
I like it Tuomas, but why did you jpeg it?

because it offered to save it in jpg and png and I didn't see the difference at that time so I didn't quite frankly care that much

oops, did I just doublepost?

lilemX · Wed 06/09/2006 17:47:42

my votes are
(im not going to explain them because im no good at explinations :

)

best idea: TOCSIK
best design: NIHILYST
best functionality: ( i couldnt choose) YICKLEPIGEON and CLIP
best technique: NIHILYST

I liked everyones though!!!

Buckethead · Wed 06/09/2006 17:53:57

Quote from: lilemX on Wed 06/09/2006 17:47:42

I liked everyones though!!!

I bet you over saw mine then.

lilemX · Wed 06/09/2006 17:58:03

Quote from: Buckethead on Wed 06/09/2006 17:53:57
Quote from: lilemX on Wed 06/09/2006 17:47:42

I liked everyones though!!!

I bet you over saw mine then.

as i said i liked everyones

Cino · Wed 06/09/2006 17:59:31

Best Idea - Privateer Puddin'
Best Design - grinder
Best Functionality - Clip
Best Technique - nihilyst

HillBilly · Wed 06/09/2006 18:21:17

Quote from: Neil Dnuma on Wed 06/09/2006 00:44:46
Idea - Hillbilly. I love images which tells stories. The way you use Flash is so damn good. Clean and appealing style. Now back to your game!

Thanks!

Best Idea - Privateer Puddin'
Best Design - biothlebop
Best Functionality - YicklePigeon
Best Technique - biothlebop

Buckethead · Wed 06/09/2006 18:29:02

forgot to vote, silly me:

* Best Idea - me if that's possible otherwise Raddisk

* Best Design - HillBilly

* Best Functionality - YicklePidgeon

* Best Technique - Nihilyst

Sorry if I made any spelling errors in names

Ubel · Wed 06/09/2006 18:33:47

Best Idea - biothlebop
Best Design - HillBilly
Best Functionality - YicklePigeon
Best Technique - grinder

ildu · Wed 06/09/2006 23:27:43

If it's not too much of a conflict of interest for the host to vote, I'd like to, more to pay respect to some great entries, if not anything else. And I haven't counted up any votes or even payed much attention to them yet, so it shouldn't affect my votes.

Best Idea - HillBilly. Yes, a funny one, traditional HillBilly material

.

Best Design - Clip. Cutesey colors, minimalistic outlines, pleasant design. Do I need to say more?

Best Functionality - Clip. It's so functionally simple and naive, that it actually inspired me to start a new game

.

Best Technique - grinder. In my opinion this was absolutely one of the best techniques here. I love the whole calculated scruffiness of it, kinda like with Marlboro Man. But beware, Clip's technique was a close contender.

ildu · Thu 07/09/2006 00:20:55

Wow. What a load of entries and votes. Couldn't be more pleased with the outcome

. It was an awesome blitz to host and I'd like to thank all the competitors and voters for participating. And yes, I doubleposted. Deal with it

.

It was truly a very close race. Five bgs clearly led the race in a category of their own. So here are the results:

Third place (actually fourth and fifth

) was divided between Clip and Yicklepigeon both with 8 votes.

Second place went to grinder with 9 votes.

First place was a divided victory between HillBilly and nihilyst both with 10 votes.

So any suggestions on how were gonna decide who hosts the next blitz? Should we just hold a short election for people to vote for either candidate or should I just forfeit my own host's vote and let nihilyst get the prize? Or how about you guys host together

?

nihilyst · Thu 07/09/2006 00:42:25

Cool, and thanks for your votes!
I hosted a BB once, so HillBilly can host the next one, if he likes to.

cheers
nihilyst

lilemX · Thu 07/09/2006 00:54:35

Quote from: nihilyst on Thu 07/09/2006 00:42:25
Cool, and thanks for your votes!
I hosted a BB once, so HillBilly can host the next one, if he likes to.

cheers
nihilyst

u were my favorite hun

sorry hillbilly

ildu · Thu 07/09/2006 01:11:06

Ok, I guess if it's alright with HillBilly, he can host the next one. Take it away, HillBilly!

HillBilly · Thu 07/09/2006 06:34:05

I'll see if I can start one tomorrow night. I'm having a busy week this week.

Nice game, nihilyst.