Topic: OROW 9 - *Winner(s) announced!*

[Baron]

Voted.  I had a few graphical problems along the way, but nothing I couldn't sort out with Winsetup (or in its absence, Saurabh's magical .dlls ).  As a participant I don't feel as if I can leave specific feedback at this time without compromising our game in the process, but generally I have to say this was a strong clutch of games given the constraints of the competition.  I thought over half of them were serious contenders for the top spot, and agonized over my votes (actually switched my best-game choice back and forth 2-3 times before finally clicking submit).  Great work everyone!

@Mandle: Hilarious and insightful reviews!

@Stu+: Where do I read yours? (or are you not done yet?)

[Stupot]

Okay. Here are my mini-reviews. Really cracking bunch of games, I must say. I'm sad not to have been able to join in, but I have enjoyed the fruits a lot. Thank you to everyone who participated.

These 'reviews' are really just notes, initially in the form of bullet points next to a number of headings which I have now written up into sentences and converted my scores into percentages (they were originally scores out of 25 based on 5 possible points for 5 different categories). These were simply to help me choose a "best" one, so the percentages don't necessarily mean much unless you're the person who got the highest, because it means I voted for you :-)

Also, by way of disclaimer, there are two games which I have not been able to finish. I have still tried to judge them as fairly (even leniently) as possible.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Dislocation
[hide]My pick of the bunch.
The art and character design are gorgeous despite one or two minor visual glitches. The music is very appropriate and some well-chosen sound effects really add icing to this cake. The central mystery is over all too soon and the puzzles were clever, though not too challenging. The star of the show is the dialogue between the main character Bohr and his partner. They have really good banter that I would love to see in a future game... although without spoiling anything, any future game would probably have to be a prequel :-/

Score: 76%

Sunrise Paradise

Spoiler: ShowHide

This game also has some lovely artwork. The characters are especially pleasing though they would look nicer in a hgiher resolution. The music is really nice, especially in the first half of the game. The story is great and the writing is solid, though I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at the uncle's get-out-of-jail-free card with regards to the game's flagrant flouting of the one-room rule. Sunrise Paradise has nice mix of inventory- and choice-based gameplay, some solid characters. Of the ten entries, this is the game I feel most deserves some expansion, which is exactly how I felt after Foundations. They both have a girl going off behind some wall into an unknown, post-apocalyptic city.

Score: 72%

Cornelius Cat in The Uncontrollable Pest

Spoiler: ShowHide

The gorgeous handmade puppets and backgrounds make this one of the prettiest entries in this contest from the start. The story is humourous but rather simple fare. The puzzles are not particularly challenging but they are fun. Luring Blue Cup to the river was a highlight. The music was nice but the game could have benefited from one or two sound effects. The characters are great. I want to see more games from this pair and Blue Cup. The puppets are made. there are no excuses ;-)

Score: 68%

Hybrid

Spoiler: ShowHide

This is a beautiful game too. and there are some great visual effects. The main music is good. There are one or two sound effects, but I spotted some missed opportunities for some more. The game is possibly the most atmospheric of the bunch, and the idea is great but I feel it is lacking some... jenesaisquoi. The main character was such a generic scientist type, the tranquilized monkey had just as much charm. That said, I did give extra "gore points" and I enjoyed the final showdown (for lack of a better word) with the monkey-badger. Also there was a nice range of puzzles.

Score: 64%

FlopHouse

Spoiler: ShowHide

The artwork in this game is basic but nice, with some fun animations. The music is charming and it was nice to hear some sound effects. The idea is clever and the dialogue is fun. The highlight for me is the wide variety of often brilliant puzzles, but unfortunately some rather nasty bugs eventually rendered this game unwinnable (on this playthrough at least). The two main characters are a little bland but they are backed up by a cracking supporting cast. The creepy neighbour leering through next-door's curtains is my favouite character of OROW 9. Just so relatable, you know.

Score: 56%

Rogered

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No expense was spent on the visuals for Rogered, but it's somewhat pleasing anyway. At first I thought this was a joke game, until I realised what to do. Then it became a matter of walking to the right parts of the screen hoovering up relevant objects and  setting off events, so there's not a lot to it and there's not really much to the story but there are some good jokes and the dialogue with the devil is particularly funny. An entertaining few minutes.

Score: 52%

Alien Escapade

Spoiler: ShowHide

This game has very pleasing graphics; gorgeous alien planet and character design. The bending effect is a nice touch, though I had to turn off after a while as it was making me dizzy. The main music is really good. Reminiscent of the Hitchhiker's Guide theme. I felt that there was a really strong central puzzle to be solved. Unfortunately, the unreadable alien text, which seemed like a good idea until I realised it was actually partially readable, which had the effect of frustrating me to the point where I wasn't enjoying the game. I got stuck and didn't seem to be able to save it, so I gave up after my third go.

Score: 48%

Crash Course

Spoiler: ShowHide

This game has very pleasant background and character art and some perfect dramatic music for the 'countdown' atmosphere. The story itself is a bit basic but nonetheless fun. The characters share some enjoyable, although there's not much else to them. I was a bit let down by having this room full of things to click on but ultimately nothing to do. There are no puzzles to speak of at all and gameplay consists of waiting for the story to tell itself while clicking on things like an interactive loading screen.

Score: 48%

The Quiet Game

Spoiler: ShowHide

This game's strongest point was the gameplay. I found great satisfaction in finding new ways to kill and hurt the annoying jackass. And gosh he was annoying. This game deserves kudos for being the only one with voice acting, but unfortunately it got very off-putting very quickly.  I guess that was the point, so in that respect it did its job well. Also he couldn't decide if he was addressing the player or the game designer. I hated the main character so hard, but the fact that he drew any emotion out of me at all is surely worth a couple of points.

Score: 40%

UNCONTROLLABLE

Spoiler: ShowHide

Well.  It has a well-drawn Iron man in it and I like Iron Man and I like well-drawn things.

Score: 16%

[/hide]

[Bulbapuck]

I'm not good at word speak enough to write reviews do. But I did enjoy all these entries, fantastic job everyone! It made hosting an absolute pleasure seeing these great entries roll in

In stead of reviews I did some quick LPs that I'll be uploading throughout the rest of the week. I'll post a link when it's done.

[cat]

It was a very hard decision but I finally voted. So many great entries! I'll post mini-reviews once the results are revealed.
Great reviews, Mandle and Stupot+, and great first Let's Plays, Bulbapuck

[Mandle]

I did some quick LPs that I'll be uploading throughout the rest of the week.

I just watched your LP of Alien Escapades and it was as entertaining as always when watching your stuff.

I thought I would add (SPOILER ALERT!!!):

Spoiler: ShowHide

 The reason you got an "infinite" supply of the fungus thingies was because you found that left-over hotspot earlier that you could use the hand icon on. This was actually a hotspot that the devs forgot to turn off when you picked the fungus that used to be there so the game just kept giving them to you every time you clicked.

You are only supposed to have one less than the actual number of exhaust vents which means to find the proper vent you have to slog your way around the planet a LOT pulling them out and putting them back in the vents. You got lucky in that the way you glitched the game meant you could do trial and error a LOT easier by having replacement fungus on hand at all times.

Actually I also assumed that the wife alien was saying that she wanted to go to Earth, but what she is really saying is more like "It's getting closer!!!" and "DO SOMETHING!!!" which took me forever to figure out. She wants the husband to find a way so that their asteroid home will completely miss the Earth and thus they won't die, coincidentally saving the Earth from mass devastation at the same time, not that they care about that...

SPOILER ALERT(DO NOT READ THE HIDDEN SECTION BELOW IF YOU HAVE NOT YET PLAYED "CRASH COURSE RC1"):
[hide]
I believe this is also a crossover game with another OROW entry which involves an asteroid about to hit Earth but which changes its course mysteriously at the last moment: Crash Course RC1...

If this is true then an amazing feat was pulled off during this OROWS, and...if it's just coincidence then it's one of the most AMAZING coincidences of all freakin' time!!!

[Cassiebsg]

Nice LPs Bulbapuck!

And on Alien Escapades I would like to also add that(spolier ahead):

Spoiler: ShowHide

The reason you can't pick up the "mushrooms" from the start, is cause he has no reason to do so (am guessing that's what he said anyway ). Only after interacting with the monitor you are allowed to pick them up. I hadn't realized that at the time I gave the clue actually, only got it on my second run with the game.

[Bulbapuck]

That explains it, thanks you guys!
The playlist is done:

Some of the... weirdest LP's I've ever done.

A little over 24 hours to vote left, quite a few votes have come in already! It's REALLY close in almost all categories, still time to get those votes in!

[Wyz]

I enjoyed watching these!
That must have been quite the stressful experience getting these out in time.

[MiteWiseacreLives!]

Haha, wow, that was pretty fun/aggravating watching those LP's, Bulbapuck 
Thanks for doing that.
Down to 19hrs of voting time left!!!

[AprilSkies]

I just finished playing all!

YOU GUYS AND GALS MADE AN AMAZING JOB! I love you all!

[Ghost]

My PC is dying on me. I hope I can be around when the voting wraps up, but in case the lil'thing goes kaput before its time, congrats to everyone for a sh*tload of creative, entertaining, and downright baffling games. Stuff like this makes me remember why AGS is so good.

[MiteWiseacreLives!]

So... Not that I'm super competitive or anything... It's just that some of us kinda sorta would like to know who won and all... No big deal, take your time Bulbapuck...

Spoiler: ShowHide

Damnit Ponch! Pull this station wagon over!! I'm gonna puke!

[Ponch]

So... Not that I'm super competitive or anything... It's just that some of us kinda sorta would like to know who won and all... No big deal, take your time Bulbapuck...

Spoiler: ShowHide

Damnit Ponch! Pull this station wagon over!! I'm gonna puke!

The party doesn't stop until the cops catch us! You knew the risks when you were chloroformed got in the wagon! 

[Baron]

Spoiler: ShowHide

Damnit Ponch! Pull this station wagon over!! I'm gonna puke!

Stockholm Syndrome, or Stock Car Syndrome?

[MiteWiseacreLives!]

Spoiler: ShowHide

Damnit Ponch! Pull this station wagon over!! I'm gonna puke!

Stockholm Syndrome, or Stock Car Syndrome?

What's that, Baron?
I can't hear you over the blaring country music and 4mpg V8 engine roar!! It's crazy here in Texas!!!!

Spoiler: ShowHide

Are the results ready

[Atavismus]

Wow! We can say that OROW 9 is a real success!
So much games and quality that it's hard to vote hehe
Thank you all guys!

[Bulbapuck]

Apologies for keeping you waiting, midnight GMT is 2 AM here so I fell asleep

But the results are in, votes are counted and recounted. But first a list of the games and authors:

• Alien Escapade was made by Wyz, Baron and Handsfree
• Cornelius Cat in: The Uncontrollable Pest was made by cat
• Crash Course was also made by Wyz, Baron and Handsfree
• Dislocation was made by Creamy, Silverspook and Eleusis
• Flophouse Hijinks was made by Ponch, kconan and MiteWiseacreLives
• Hybrid was made by yamipanda and selmiak
• Rogered was made by Mandle
• Sunrise Paradise was made by Cuiki and Ultra Magnus
• The Quiet Game was made by Gfreezie
• UNCONTROLLABLE was made by Ghost

Here are your winners

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Best Game:

Winner: Flophouse Hijinks by Ponch, kconan and MiteWiseacreLives
2nd place: Cornelius Cat in: The Uncontrollable Pest
3rd place: The Quiet Game

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Best Concept/script:

Winner: Rogered by Mandle
2nd place: Tie between Cornelius Cat in: The Uncontrollable Pest, Flophouse Hijinks and Dislocation

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Best Graphics:

Winner: Hybrid by yamipanda and selmiak
2nd place: Alien Escapade
3rd place: Cornelius Cat in: The Uncontrollable Pest

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Best Music/sound design:

Winner: The Quiet Game by Gfreezie
2nd place: Cornelius Cat in: The Uncontrollable Pest
3rd place: Hybrid

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Best Scripting:

Winner: Alien Escapade by Wyz, Baron and Handsfree
2nd place: Flophouse Hijinks
3rd place: tie between: Dislocation and The Quiet Game

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Best interpretation of the theme:

Winner: Crash Course by Wyz, Baron and Handsfree
2nd place: Sunrise Paradise
3rd place: Alien Escapade

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Worst abuse of the theme:

Winner: UNCONTROLLABLE by Ghost
2nd place: The Quiet Game
3rd place: Rogered

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Congratulations Team Party Wagon!

Thank you all for entering and voting, it made my part as the host so much fun to do

There was an option to leave a comment when voting, some were messages to me but every comment that were about the games was very positive, often surprised at how great the quality of this OROW was. I can only agree, you guys did a fantastic job.

Let's not wait two more years for the next one

[Dualnames]

So, who won the OROW?

[Bulbapuck]

So, who won the OROW?

The winner of the "Best Game" category is usually taken as the overall winner. So that would be Team Party Wagon with Ponch, kconan and MiteWiseacreLives

[Mandle]

Wow!!! My OROD (One Room One Day) entry actually won something?! I realized that the game's only real strength was going to be the interplay between characters. That is what I focused on a lot so I'm assuming it paid off and that's what the win in that particular category means. I guess something semi-passable can be made in a single 17 hours sitting on the final day of the contest. It was also fun writing a bad-ish review for my own game and talking to myself in forums via Bulbapuck...Cheers Bulbapuck for being a good sport and letting me do that

Congratz to all winners especially the Flophouse creators for top prize! Very well deserved!

But for me I guess the most amazing feat is the double entry (and even crossover) games by Wyz, Baron and Handsfree!!! Truly an incredible thing to make two high-quality entries in a single week AND have their stories crossover! I doubt this has been done before and probably will never be attempted ever again. You guys are insane to even try it but awesome as hell to actually pull it off.

So...great fun was had by myself! I couldn't resist being a part of the craziness even though I knew I only had one free day to put anything together. I'm so glad that I did though. Most fun I've had at AGS to date!!!