AGS Awards 2006 FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

[SSH]

OK. Here are some finalised facts about the AGS Awards for 2006.

1. I am running them again
2. All the existing categories will be kept with the existing voting system of multiple nomination round then single final vote round (except the committee-chosen awards)
3. All games must be entered in the AGS games database between 10 January 2006 and 31 December 2006 to be eligible
4. Demos will be eligible for the demo award but must be in the games DB too, under the demo category, subject to the caveat for (3).
5. Only resources released in 2006 will be eligible for the resources award: modules, websites, plugins, etc.
6. The award categories will be:
Decided by forum member votes:
Best Game Created with AGS
Best Gameplay
Best Story
Best Dialogue Writing
Best Puzzles
Best Player Character
Best Non-Player Character
Best Background Art
Best Character Art
Best Animation
Best Programming
Best Use of Sound
Best Music
Best Documentation
Best Short Game
Best Demo
Best Non-Adventure Game Created with AGS
Best New AGS Resource
The P3N1S Award (Worst AGS Game)
Decided by committee:
Lifetime achievement award
Most innovative use of AGS
7. I am open to suggestions for committee members for the lifetime achievement and innovation awards.
8. On the 1st of January 2007, this thread will become the "For your consideration" thread.
9. Around the 12th January 2007, nominations will open
10. After 2 weeks, nominations will close and after a short delay, final voting will begin.
11. Target is to have the ceremony on the night of 11th February 2007. Mark it in your diaries, and can we have a discussion about what time exactly. For me, it has to be between 8pm and 10pm GMT, which is 3-5pm in New York and 6am in Australia. I get up at 6am every day, so you Aussies can manage it once!

[Babar]

I thought there was only 1 contender for the lifetime achievement award? Or are you only talking about games? Are you doing the foregoes as well?

[Nikolas]

Just a short question:

What about a game added in the 5th of Januray 2006? (honestly, what then?)

Apart from that I agree with everything! And will back up anybode who wishes to change anything as well. I'm a good guy! I agree with everybody.

I won't be in the awards once again...

[SSH]

The lifetime achievement award, for which there is only one winner, is entirely chosen by committee, and the identity of any non-winning nominees is not announced. The committee last year was entirely chosen by me (and they still didn't choose me ). I am looking for people who should maybe be on the committee, which does not exclude you from winning the award, although if any members of the committee are nominated by their fellow members, they will be ineligible for the final vote.

And I'll probably do the Foregos, too, but they're not so important. Feel free to make suggestions for them as well. If you want to see what last year's categories were: http://americangirlscouts.org/agswiki/AGS_Awards_2005 and http://americangirlscouts.org/agswiki/FOREGOs_2005

The aim will be to have the ceremony some time in February, having had 2 weeks each for nominations and final voting during January. That is variable, however, dependent on when I get my act together.

The reason games added in early January 2006 are not eligible for the 2006 awards is that they were instead eligible for the 2005 awards and they can't be in BOTH... As you can see here there were about  6 or 7 games added in early January and I believe they were all added then for that reason. Automation is one game that did not get added until 2006 even though it was released early 2005 and I can confirm it will be eligible for the 2006 awards. The Chronicles of the Shoe is the earliest game to qualify for the 2006 awards.

And there weren't any added 5th Jan 2006

And you should have done the music for PMX like I asked you if you wanted to win awards

[ManicMatt]

Woohoo! For the first (and maybe last???) time I can enter something into the awards!

(Not to rub it in, Nikolas!)

[Radiant]

Should we have the usual yearly chat about how to deal with the (allegedly many) people who ignore the category descriptions and simply nominate and vote for their one favorite game in every category?

I notice that in 2005, there were two awards for "scripting". I think these should be renamed "dialogue" and "programming" to clarify the difference.

Other than that, way cool! And looks like I have some catching up to do with the many games released this year.

[SSH]

Should we have the usual yearly chat about how to deal with the (allegedly many) people who ignore the category descriptions and simply nominate and vote for their one favorite game in every category?

Well, as I was able to see exactly what people voted for last year I can reassure anyone worried about this that it hardly happened at all, and certainly not enough to make a difference to any results.

[Tuomas]

It's again time for em to be conservative, which I don't like to be. But why do we have to get more awards? why do we have to get more ways to vote for competitions. I don't think the awards system is too unmodern or so. I would personally be very happy with the old ones too. So in my opinion, you can vote for new categories like best drawn hair or the angriest puppy in a game, but what's it worth? Is the point that in the end every game maker gets awarded or that 2 makers get awarded 50 times? Dunno, but I'm not going to be here to vote for new ones unless I have to choose good ones from ridiculous ones.

[SSH]

Great, if most people are of the opinion that we don't need any more categories, then fine, we'll stick with what we've got. And remember that you don't have to vote in every category...

[Ali]

*Tugs forelock*

Begging your pardon Mr SSH, master of the pocket borough that is the AGS Awards, I wonder if I might ask a question...

*Nervously mangles flat-cap*

What's the earliest date that a game can be released NEXT year to qualify for the 2007 contest? Would it be after January the 10th?

*Walks out backwards, hoping SSH takes this cap-doffing nonsense in good humour...*

[SSH]

Well, last year only had the late date for qualification because it hadn't been clear earlier on that games need to be in the games database, and some games still, unfortunately, weren't in in time. So Jan 1st 2007 should be the cutoff this time around.

And make sure you use the servants' entrance next time, Ali...

[Radiant]

So in my opinion, you can vote for new categories like best drawn hair or the angriest puppy in a game, but what's it worth?

Exactly! We need one award per game released last year, it's not fair otherwise. Best game involving pirates. Best game involving ninja. Best game using graphics by a guy named Phil. Best game with a maximum score of 91. You name it!

[SSH]

Don't be ridiculous. We only need to keep adding categories until one my games wins something.

[MashPotato]

If I may make a suggestion, how about making the eligibility period for this year from Jan 10 to Nov 30, then next year from Dec 1 (2006) to Nov 30 (2007) and so on...
This will give a longer period for people to play the games that are released near the end of the eligibility period before the voting period starts.

[SSH]

Well, the awards are for games released in 2006. I don't see the point in making this period only 11 months long and making everything 1 month earlier. And the Jan 10th thing was a one-off admin thing.

However, I can see the point in having a longer period before the nomination/final vote. Maybe 2 weeks of a "For your consideration" thread aka Pimp my Gamez, 2 weeks noms (giving you 4 weeks to play possible nominations) and then 3 weeks of final vote, giving you 3 weeks to play the much smaller set of nominated games.

[Radiant]

Not that I mind, but is there really a point to the "recommendations" thread? It's fun for the game makers of course, but I wonder if any voter is actually influenced by that.

We only need to keep adding categories until one my games wins something.

You can always try bribing us

[ManicMatt]

I KNEW I should have got my mate Phil to do the graphics! Hahaha!

Yes I'd hope the reccommend your own game thing is there, as people might FORGET my game all together! (If anyone is gonna vote for it anyways)

[Vince Twelve]

I'm glad you're running it again, SSH.  I thought the awards were handled very well last year!

I would agree with Radiant about renaming the two categories "Best Programming" and "Best Dialogue."

And I would also backup SSH's idea of adding the "Best Innovation" category.  Partially because I think that my game-in-production might have a shot at it, but mostly I think it's good to encourage innovation from the amateur adventure scene.  Though, I don't think it needs to be decided by committee.  I think it could be voted on by everyone.  Unless you think it would work better if chosen by a committee.

Finally, I like the "For your recommendation" thread because it reminds people about games from earlier in the year.  I'd like to see Spooks nominated in a few categories, but it's been nine months since it was released and I wonder how many people have it at the front of their minds.

[ManicMatt]

I'm competing with Spooks? Oh, hell. 

[Vince Twelve]

Yup, and you're all screwed.  I heard that Erin hired Clinton Curtis to help SSH program the voting page.