Messages

1) Russia

2) The official term is "Автозаправочная станция" (which reads something like 'Avtozapravochnaya stantsiya') or "АЗС" (AZS), but the more common informal word is "Заправка" (zapravka).

3) Километры, which is exactly the same thing as kilometres, but with cyrillic letters

If I may ask, what part about the graphics seemed ramshackly? Was it a specific element, or that the whole thing just felt a bit rough?

Well, maybe 'ramshackly' is too strong a word. And not even a real word at that. I mostly mean that backgrounds are slightly rougher and less detailed than in some of your games. Now that I look at them - it probably seems that way because there's more empty space due to it being in the sky and that they're brighter than usually. They are still very pretty and nice to look at, and even better than usual from the design point of view, I just felt that they could've used a little more polish. But they still convey the atmosphere perfectly, so no harm done, really.

Oh, and it was fun to play for the second time too, just slightly different.

I want to wholeheartedly agree with Ali's definition of this game as a "puzzle poem" - it is indeed a wonderfully poetic and sentimental experience.

I also think that this is one of 304's most accomplished games, with a very well established and interesting world filled with emotional mix of nostalgia, sadness, longing and hope that accompanies every little bit and piece of the 'old' world - something that SuperGiant Games' "Bastion", with it's somewhat similar premise, completely failed to do in my opinion.

And altough the amount of narrated text and 'use yet another pipe on yet another piece of concrete' puzzles are obvious drawbacks, I didn't care or even notice that on the first playthrough - it all felt very organic and natural. The sound design and music are also spot on and add a lot to the eerie atmosphere. And while I felt that graphics are a bit ramshackly this time, the inventive and consistent graphic design more than makes up for it.

I also agree that it would've made a great 3D game, with all the jumping and stuff, but I still prefer 2D most of the time.

In short - thanks for yet another great game, I loved it, and as always, look forward to seeing more from you! Cheers!

Yep

Ok, here's an easy one:

Oh, it's Grosse Point Blank, isn't it? What a great soundtrack that movie has

Looks cute! Like the stylish portrait and minimalistic graphics. Good luck with finishing it!

Bundles seem to be everywhere these days, but since it's not a bundle, but a batch - I say go for it! Also, there's not that many adventure games in them and the fact that all the games will be exclusive makes it quite different.

I'm definitely interested in joining, but as someone who haven't finished a single game yet, I'm probably not the most trustworthy candidate. I should be able to make something half-decent by May though. And if that doesn't work out, I can always help someone with the graphics.

Sweet! Bought it without any problems, already finished The Rail - so far so great! Looking forward to playing the rest of the games (right now)

Well done, guys, congratulations and thanks! Hope it goes great!

Sweet! Loved the post-modern ending, THE SHOUTING, that japanese ghost/oni thingie and the extremely high amount of gameplay per pixel. And that background from ~airwave~ still looks good.

This makes me even more excited about the upcoming Bake Sale

I remember a very similar shot in "Memories of Murder", but I wouldn't call it ultra-violent, at least not for a movie about a serial killer, so it's probably no it.

[Idea]

Okay, let's wrap this up! First - my votes:
Idea - oraxon - I really like your semi-abstract approach - you walk the thin line between very obvious and highly original, and always with exciting results.
Atmosphere - nihilyst - it has a really strong and tangible winter atmosphere and it feels very familiar to me personally.
Design - zyndikate - there's quite a lot of nice, interesting choices here and much more designing than in any other entry.
Composition - zyndikate - it directs the eye very well and creates a visually pleasing, harmonious whole.
Functionality - nihilyst - if I were to choose which of the backgrounds should be turned into a game it would definitely be this one.
Technique - zyndikate - no comments.

And the final results are:
3rd place:  oraxon:     ************
2nd place: zyndikate: **************
1st place:  nihilyst:     ***************

And so, nihilyst is our winner! Congratulations! You get a golden snowflake (that's right, not ridiculous at all )!

zyndikate wins a silver snowflake, which at least looks a bit like a real snowflake, but is barely visible on the forums' lighter background!

oraxon gets a tinfoil snowflake, which may sound more like an insult than a trophy, but in fact is much better than no snowflake at all!

Every other participant gets a paper snowflake!

Big thanks to everyone who participated, hope you had fun! Take it away, nihilyst!

oraxon, that's great! I really like it, it has some lovely hand-made feel to it , and very stylish at the same time.

A-aand it's time to vote! It's going to be tough - with 9 great and very different entries, but that's your problem now, isn't it?

Here are the traditional categories:

Idea: Was it an original/creative interpretation of the theme?
Atmosphere: Was an interesting world created? - Did the scene evoke a feeling?
Design: How well the individual elements are designed, from clouds to doorknobs.
Composition: How well the elements are combined to create a pleasing whole, and lead the viewer to the points of interest.
Functionality: How well it would work as a background, with clearly defined entries and walkable areas, as well as a good viewing angle (this also includes introductionary shots of an area as long as a player character can be present in the scene).
Technique: How well it's rendered (within the chosen style!), in no way meaning the more elaborate the better.

Code: ags

Code:
[b]Idea[/b] -
[b]Atmosphere[/b] -
[b]Design[/b] -
[b]Composition[/b] -
[b]Functionality[/b] -
[b]Technique[/b] -

The voting will end on Monday, at about this time. Good luck and may the best background win!

zyndikate, oh, my... I always expect something awesome when I see your nickname in the Background Blitz threads, but somehow you manage to leave me pleasantly surprised every time. Great job!

anian, lovely!

Last day to submit your entries, people! If you are working on something and need a little more time - just let me know and I'll be happy to give you an extension.

Ha! Well, I guess it's back to guessing Christopher Nolan films for us! It is indeed Mystery Train. And it took only 15 minutes? I think I'll stick to obscure french films from now on.

My guess would be Chris Nolan's early neo-noir "Following". There aren't many outdoors scenes there, but they kinda look like this.

Also, the scary magic of google image search recognizes the car from the screenshot as Honda Civic 1994, so we know the time frame

Okay, so, 7 entries in a week? Wow! I dare you to maintain the same rate for the second week of the blitz!

Armageddon - it may not be the best background ever, but I sure love the bizarre pink house with the green door! I wish people painted their actual houses this way - the world would've been a better place for it.

Darkdan, that's very nice! Great clean vector art with good use of repeating shapes. And it makes me want to play Skyrim some more.

anian, can't wait to see this finished, I'm sure it will look great!

Babar, ooh, that's beautiful! I think I should give King's Quest V another try.

Wow, 4 entries and 1 sold copy of "Blankets" in 3 days! Great! Keep those entries coming, people!

Coda Frost, that's pretty good for a newbie, and quite disturbing, which i assume is what you were aiming for.

nihilyst, love it! Wonderful use of the retro palette and perfectly captured feeling of a chilly morning on the outskirts of the city!

DrewCCU, I'm not saying you have to add something, it's definitely up to you, just offering some subjective friendly advice.

Looking good so far!

Secret Fawful, nice! Very atmospheric. I like how the mountains and the skies look a bit like a theatrical set behind the very realistic cabin - it gives the background a slightly gothic, creepy feeling. Along with the black-and-whiteness of it, of course.

DrewCCU - great clean lines and soft colours! It's really nice, but a bit too empty at the moment. I suggest you add something to the far background and to the foreground to make it even better.

cat, hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did!