Messages

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Nice to see so many timely entries already.  I will be, as usual, flirting with the deadline, but at least I've developed the germ of an idea today.

[Problem's]

I'm not sure how eligible these are, since they were both released in 2014 and then re-released in 2015 (when they were added to the database), but I like to sow confusion and chaos so what the heck:

Blue Lobe Inc.


Three daring AGS entrepreneurs start up their own commercial indie label in their parents' basement in this zany web-comic/sit-com/adventure-game! Join Lazarus (the writer/musician), Mothra (the coder) and Cuddles (the artist) as they struggle manfully against the myriad of setbacks that beset their project.

I am most interested in your consideration for Problem's outstanding original soundtrack, and the phenomenal voice acting of all the many contributors. 

Database Entry
Game Thread.

Fridge Follies



Help an adventurous star-fruit stink up a fridge in 10 minutes flat!

Database Entry
Game Thread

Ponch's awesome writing should be considered as deserving, and I humbly submit that you consider the voice acting of the man with 13 voices.

I'll still leave it open to someone else to continue - early bird gets the points worm.

So it's decided then: 15 Bake Sales!   I'll call Ponch.

Hmmmmm.  Let me consult the unwritten rules of Fortnightly Writing....

Here it is! Sub-Section 9, Paragraph M:  If the previous contest winner is unable or unwilling to discharge the duties of contest administrator to the fullest extent -and don't say it'll never happen, because we all remember that thing with what's-her-name, click-click, you know - then it shall be the runner-up who assumes said duties.  It also says you have to marry the royal vizier before the sun sets on the third day of voting.... I'm not sure how you want to play that one, but it's the law, so....

Looking forward to somebody starting a new topic.

The important thing is that the rest of us get a chance to do some writing.   So somebody needs to start another round.   I'm not so fussy as to who that somebody is, as long as it isn't me.

And is Jar Jar Binks really that bad?

Me'sa shakin' my head-head at Massa Stupot.

Put some spoiler tags around that Mandle!

I thought the inanely named STARKILLER BASE was hugely laughable.  Why did they feel a need to excavate a trench a thousand miles across and a thousand miles deep right around the equator?  That would have taken, like, forever!  And where did they put the debris from the excavation?  Unless there's one terrifically vast mound hidden discretely on the dark side of the planet (er, cone), I'm left to suppose that was meticulously shipped abroad at even greater expense.  And wouldn't such a deep trench encounter problems like a liquid planetary mantle?  And what purpose does this vast trench serve?  All the key components (like the oscillator whatchamajigger) were out in the forest anyway!  And then the shooting: how does it target multiple targets at once out of one apparent blast barrel?  And how were the blasts able to reach all those other planets so quickly?  Presumably, since they were essentially solar energy, they would fly at the speed of light.  Were all the target planets in the same system?  If they were, wouldn't just destroying the sun suffice to kill everyone off in a couple days?  So confused....

I thought the rest of the movie was pretty good, though.  I've seen it three times now, once to preview to see if the kids could handle it, once this immensely crummy pirated version online, and once with the kids; and every time I see it I think I like it better.  With expectations so high I didn't dare to hope, but I'd say it's at least in the same league as the originals (if not quite as ground-breaking).  Considering how terrible the prequels turned out to be, I think we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief that the reboot was as good as it was.

I thought it was dark because it has no stars.

[Sinitrena]

Well, the people have spoken.

The Silver Trophy of Ruination in a very near-fought contest goes to our beloved Sinitrena, with 9 votes.  I thought this was one of your better pieces, and my votes (had I been able to grant them) probably would have nudged the contest into a tie.  Yes, the length was a bit daunting, but at no point was it a chore to read: the pace was fast and the story gripping.  I also liked your turns of phrase, using words with an almost Shakespearean creativity (A "spiry" path, his "croaked" back (I'm not sure if the latter was a type-o, but I like the imagery of a hunched frog! )).  Just a few nitpicks: a few details were needlessly repeated in close proximity (the "no violence" rule springs to mind), and I had to read the end twice to understand exactly what happened (Lomin was posing as Char, right?).  Overall I was very impressed, and look forward to word-duelling with you next time.

And the Golden Trophy of Abandonment goes to Azure, long-time AGSer but first-time Fortnightly Writer with 11 votes.  Congratulations!  You definitely nailed down the "atmosphere" component of the abandoned place, and I liked the synergies between the abandoned place and the abandoned person.  The relationship between the two halves of the mirror girl seemed a little too complex to convey in its entirety in such a short piece, although what we do learn is definitely intriguing.  I'm glad the theme caught your fancy, and I look forward to reading more of your stuff.  But not next time, since as winner you are now hereby anointed host of the next competition.  This means you get to set the next theme, the voting rules, and use the awesome authority invested in you to declare a triumphant victor. 

I can't wait for the next contest: all this reading gets me itching to write something myself.  So I greatly anticipate the next exciting instalment of...

...The Fortnightly Writing Competition!

Damn it, Stupot!

I.... can't.... vote!  My hands are tied!  It's agony!

SOLUTION: The number of horizontal lines in a post (e's, f's, t's.... not capital I's though, because I guess they're just decorative ).

So help me out with the physics end of this.  A huge proportion of the universe is supposed to be dark matter, which is inferred from the amount of stuff required to account for the amount of gravity holding the universe together.  But, if there are huge planets that we can't see floating around in the "emptiness" between stars, couldn't dark matter just be matter-in-the-dark?

How often would different graphics be repeated in different sequences?  If I recall from Machinarium, not often (although it's been a while....).  If it were me I would just draw each bubble with graphics uniquely and have each sprite appear as a frame/view for a phantom character over the head of whoever was talking.  I don't see how you would save any time/effort by creating a dynamic DrawImage function unless there were significant numbers of combinations of the same graphics in different orders.

I think it's simpler than that.
This sentence will pay dividends.

[Sinitrena]

Well, it looks like we're doing this one-on-one, old school styles!

Our entrants are:

Sinitrena with The Naming of Names
Azure with The House

Our voting criteria are as follows:

Best Character: Most believable/audacious/funny/enthralling/loveable/despicable/complex character.
Best Plot: Someone tries to resolve some sort of conflict in a gripping or entertaining way.
Best Atmosphere: Did you get the deep sense in your bones that the background setting is eerily empty?
Best Style: Encouraging the composition of memorable turns of phrase, or bold new ways of combining words.
Most Substantive: Was the abandoned setting a canvass used to paint a lesson about humanity and the world around us?

Voting will be open for the next five days, concluding at this hour on Saturday January 30, 2016.  I don't think I'll have time to wrap things up on Sunday, so be prompt with your votes since I'll probably do it Saturday night.  As always the contest administrator reserves the right to break all ties.  Happy reading and happy voting!

Nice!

24 hours left until the deadline, but I won't start the voting until Monday evening, just in case someone from Hawaii wants to participate at the last minute.

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