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Pushing the previous contest idea even further into the abyss, this Colouring Ball’s theme is Abstraction.



Let’s try and focus on the colours, not shapes. It doesn’t have to represent any objects or creatures, it just has to look good/bad/interesting/dull/etc. â€" it’s up to you. It may be a pattern, a texture, an abstract composition, a microchip or a rectangle with eyes - sort of ‘no rules’ deal.

  Yet here they are, in small print:
- The outline may be rotated and scaled
- The outline may not be altered, but may be recoloured
- Keep all of the content either inside or outside of the shape, but not both.
- No colour limitations, although smaller palettes are preferable.
- Have fun, every entry is welcome!  And you can submit a few!
Trophies will be supplied at the end.

Yay! Nice trophies! Thanks for the great theme and well done everyone! Will start a new one soon.

Nice little first game. Plays really well, hooks you right from the start and the possibility of dying makes it quite intense.

Graphics and sounds are stylish and atmospheric, puzzles make sense both logically and contextually, everything fits together.
Would've worked great as an action sequence in a bigger game, although doesn't seem to stand well enough on it's own for me.

That said, I'm really looking forward to your next projects. Good luck!

[IndieBoy]

1st - IndieBoy - I just love cities at night
2nd - Jim Reed - great idea, great realization
3rd - Darius Poyer - beautifully done pixel-art
Honorable mention - straydogstrut - 5 cool entries - that's gotta worth something

Just had this idea and couldn't resist.
Great entries everyone, especially liked IndieBoy's city and Jim Reed's windows(Sonic!)

Games are not movies. In a game, player is not just a spectator, he is an integral part of the process. The player contibutes to the game, and not in a Marcel Duchamp way, he actually shapes his own expierence. And I think that's very important, so trying to streamline a game to a more linear and pre-determined shape (a very popular mainstream approach nowadays) may sometimes turn out to be a mistake.
 
Especially if the game is not so much about the story or the characters, as it is about the unique world, and about the concepts and ideas within it. And Resonance seems to fall into that category.
  Being able to get more information about the background of the world and characters, and being able to choose not to - that's something only a game can do, and I think that's one of the reasons why games are so good at sci-fi genre in general.

Cutting everything that player doesn't need to know means taking the mystery out, because the player (and the protagonist) shouldn't be able to tell between what they need to know, and what will prove to be of no practical use whatsoever. That's why I feel that Mass Effect-like interface, where you are told what's 'important' and what's just an 'extra' doesn't really work - you stop caring really fast, because you know that it won't matter.

Of course, it's bad to put in too much (that's what "too much" means), and nothing is as impotant as a good balance and rhythm. And every game should have it's own ratio of 'important' and 'additional', just try to imagine what The Longest Journey would've been like, if it didn't have tons of unnecessary dialog. Now try adding lots of explanations in The Dig.
The thing you have to decide is whether to show the player the universe you've created, or make him figure it out by himself, rely on player's imagination and senses, or on his logic and intelligence. Or both. And in what proportions. And... well, you get the gist.

As for the compulsive adventure game completionist syndrome (CAGCS?) - as I said earlier, the player has a say in what he gets from the game, and if he(she/it) spoils the experience for himself(herself/itself) - that's partly his(etc.) own responsibility.

At the end of the day, you should just make the game you'd want to play, because then at least one person will like it.

Great guide, Andail! Very useful, accessible and original.

The idea of creating a tutorial based on images by other people works really well, it's like a compilation of quintessential advice from "Critics Lounge". Good luck on the second chapter!

This made me think that it would've been great to have some sort of "Best of" showcase gallery of progress made in Critics Lounge (before/after kind of thing), so it would be easier to point newcomers in the right direction.

Thanks to everyone for the advice, pretty much agree with everything mentioned above, will try and fix it.
Much appreciated!

[Vukul]

Idea: Vukul - absurd and original concept
Atmosphere: Jakerpot - very rhythmic and consistent style creates a nice/spooky ambience.
Design: Jim Reed - precise and striking.
Composition: Jim Reed - very well balanced and diverse enough to keep the viewer interested.
Functionality: Jim Reed - it already looks like an in-game screen.
Technique: Jim Reed - it's rendered perfectly within the chosen style, and the style is great.

Overall, very nice entries, well done!

Hi!

Not currently working on this background, but would be very grateful for any advice or critique regarding it.
Especially would like to hear about style and composition.

Thanks!

Great theme and great entries!

Wanted to try a non-stylized, messy/impressionistic approach to see what GameBoy is capable of, thus - "The Longest Journey" overpaint

Only managed to get a "sad" ending, but found the game overall surprisingly enjoyable. It does feel a lot like the old fantasy RPGs and adventures in a strange way, and that brought some good memories. So thanks, that's a nice first AGS release!

[Idea:]

Idea: Oddysseus - because I have no idea what it's supposed to be - and that's dreams for you
Atmosphere: loominous - your art always has some dreamy feel to it, much like the old Disney cartoons, and here it fits perfectly
Design: loominous - it has a quite clever "carrot" theme going and gentlemen-scarecrows are just brilliant
Composition: loominous - neat, consistent and directs the eye well
Funtionality: Oddysseus - I'd love to see a character in such surrounding
Technique: loominous - doesn't really need any comment

Great style, as usual! Loved the one-screen idea, the colours, the characters and Count's walkcycle! And though the final rap-battle did seem a bit frustrating after 20 minutes of bashing my head against the wall, I still managed to enjoy this little game quite a lot! Thanks! And!

[What's it good for?]

I think right now the matter is discussed from the wrong angle. And the right one, in my opinion, is - What's it good for?

Sure, the panel rating is a nice validation for aspiring developers, it shows them that someone actually cares and watches over them mere mortals.

And it's always good to know, that some sort of sophisticated panel of experienced gamers has a similar opinion of a game you liked/disliked.

But who really need these blue cups, are the newcomers to AGS. The first step for them is obvious - award winners, picks of the months and 4-5 cups-rated games. And though it may seem like a lot, most of these great titles will still be filtered by the personal taste of the player. Then what? You either go to the forums for advice, or plow through a field of 3-cup games, hoping to find that special one, that will make your life day complete.
Surely, you won't bother checking the lower rated ones, and that's why I think this argument started in the first place - in the eyes of the player 2 cups means "Unworthy".

And when something a lot of people liked and some even admired is deemed unworthy (in this case - The McCarthy Chronicles 1, which just now got it's third cup, viva la relovution ), it usually serves as a ground to call the whole rating system "bad".

And the plain truth is - AGS-panel works perfectly well as it is, and changing anything in it's structure won't change a thing (well, maybe the arguments will be a little different ). No matter what you do, there will always be a slight margin of error, after all, we are only human. Beep. So thanks to the panel for making the common user's life a tad easier, you're doing  a great job!

I was thinking of something along these lines:
x3


Regarding colouring them - that depends on how they're going to be used, but I think they are perfectly fine as it is.

And the new one is Mr. Awesome

I like "clumsy", yet crisp lines - they are brisk, diverse and will probably fit well with the characters.

The main problem with these backgounds has already been mentioned - too much empty space.
But cropping it isn't the only solution - you can also add variety by setting a more coherent lighting (for a start - coloring opposing walls differently - ex.1), or you can use more striking, extreme colour schemes (ex.2) - right now the colours seem a bit dull and flat.

 
(quick and bad examples, but i hope they help )

Nonetheless, these are good, and I think with a bit of work you can make them great, so keep at it and experiment!

Love the black & white style, I think it works really well as it is.

As for the criticism - the bodies of two guys in the middle seem too barrel-like to me, a bit of variety wouldn't hurt. The same goes for women's breasts - they are too symmetrical, it's almost like they're pointing in different directions.

Otherwise, these are great, well done!

Looks promising - you can almost feel the amount of care and man-hours that went into it.

And that's the beauty of homemade games - their flaws make them feel more individual, human and precious. The secret ingredient is love, and it looks like there's plenty of it here.

So good luck with the game, Wesray. I'll be looking forward to it!