Background Blitz: September 9th - 24th[WINNER]

HillBilly · Mon 25/09/2006 06:19:31

Great last-minute entries, ildu and loominus. Glad we got some more competitors before it ended.

All right people, start your voting.

nihilyst · Mon 25/09/2006 11:44:34

idea, design, functionality -> ildu
technique -> loominous

Neil Dnuma · Mon 25/09/2006 13:44:02

Idea: Loominious. Hehehe. That's the ultimate prison cell.
Design: Ildu. Very cool framing. Is this made in flash? Or is it photoshop with paths? Maybe some finishing touches would have brought out the depth more, but still very good.
Functionality: Clip. You've got a great feel for simple, well-balanced and functional backgrounds.
Technique: Loominous. It's a bit sketchy, but the creepy old classroom-feeling is definitely there. The sense of claustrophobia, frustration and eternal boredom. The only form of escape is drawing cartoon figures in the notebooks or on the walls. I'd love seeing it finished.

vict0r · Mon 25/09/2006 15:05:46

Idea: Loominous.
Design: Loominous.
Functionality: Clip.
Techinique: Loominous.

ildu · Mon 25/09/2006 15:11:30

Quote from: Neil Dnuma on Mon 25/09/2006 13:44:02Ildu. Very cool framing. Is this made in flash? Or is it photoshop with paths?

It's actually Photoshop half with shape paths and half with filled path. I was gonna go for a digital-painting, so the fills were just the flats for the painting. But halfway through I decided not to paint and I realized that I should've just gone with shapes from the very beginning. Switching styles midway due to time restrictions took it's toll. Now I hope I had drawn it all in Illustrator :|. But yeah, in essence it's all vectors.

PS. Drawing in Flash sucks ass compared to Illustrator.

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Mon 25/09/2006 16:21:46

Best Idea: Palikka. It's the only one that really breaks with convention and offers something new.

Best Design: Ildu. The layout and objects are ideal for an adventure game.

Best Functionality: Ildu. Again, the layout is ideal for an adventure game.

Best Technique: Loominous. Excellent linework and it reminds me of the opening to Willy Beamish.

BunnyMilk · Mon 25/09/2006 16:53:02

Best Idea: Ildu

Best Design: Ildu

Best Functionality: Ildu

Best Technique: Loominous

MashPotato · Mon 25/09/2006 17:14:10

idea: loominous
design: ildu
functionality: ildu
technique: loominous

Buckethead · Mon 25/09/2006 17:48:34

about 80% of the votes are Ildu or Loominous. Now those are both talented people but I have the feeling many people are over seeing new talent. Don't they disurve a fair change? I'm not trying to point out that I am sooo talented but some entries other then those of Loominous and Ildu are really nice too. And just disurve to be looked at.

correct me if I'm wrong on this

vict0r · Mon 25/09/2006 18:06:21

The main point is to make the best background. It's not a "rising background artist star" compo

MashPotato · Mon 25/09/2006 18:09:02

I did look at all of them, and I'm sure that everyone who voted looked at all of them too. If I put runners-up for all the categories there would definitely be more variety, and maybe none of the runners-up would be Ildu/Loominous, but this is a vote for what you think is the best in each category. That doesn't mean the other backgrounds are bad, or haven't been given a chance.

Neil Dnuma · Mon 25/09/2006 20:45:24

It's all fun and friendly competition. I love it. If you don't win, maybe you can try harder next time. Maybe your background was good but not good enough. Every time I don't win a BG Blitz I get depressed, turn to alcohol and go through though times. But I don't whine all over the forums.

IMO Ildu and Loominous made the best entries, and it appears they worked really hard to achieve that quality, for this they deserve my votes.

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Mon 25/09/2006 21:36:03

This is why I dislike the trophy thing. These competitions are about fun, not winning things or prestige. If you're really that upset with higher quality entries then improve your work or don't enter, but please don't ask other people to give sympathy votes, it's just not cool.

HillBilly · Tue 26/09/2006 05:24:23

Well, alright then, I guess voting is over.

1st - ildu
2nd - Loominous
3rd - Clip

Thanks for all the votes and entries, it's been fun.

Buckethead · Tue 26/09/2006 14:43:19

I don't want people to vote for someone because they like them I just felt like other entries were over seen.

ildu · Tue 26/09/2006 14:59:09

Ah, wow...thanks

. I'm honored, although I would've liked more people to vote $:-\$ . It was still a nice blitz. The topic was great, participation was very good and it was all-in-all very quaint.

I'd like to apologize to anyone who got annoyed by mine and loominous' last minute entries, and for the fact that we received most of the votes. I do agree that it's never nice when some people dominate these things, like sometimes tends to happen. But I do also love the challenge and I love the fact that I get to compete with a lot of talented people.

And maybe it's somewhat recognizable that entries often fall into two different tiers of 'quality'

, with the other one dominating. But I honestly think that anyone and everyone has a chance of winning a blitz. Thanks to the new voting system loominous started some time back, an entry can score very high points with as few as one strength in the 4 voting categories. Two of the categories are art-based (design and technique), while two are game-based (idea and functionality). This way an entry with a great idea and functionality can easily compete with an artsy fartsy amazing entry with a poor idea and unsuitability for usage in a game. I'd like to mention Tocsik and Palikka for starters for having exceptional and differing interpretations of the topic.

Ok, with that sorted I'll start up the next blitz thread soon. I'll try to attach more emphasis on idea, so that the most innovative and creative idea-men get some more leverage

.

Thanks again!