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The AGS panel rating is  is one of the most important elements for the majority of the people to select a game.

No... really not.
Most people that come from outside don't even know what a blue cup is.
I've never seen one in real life.
And I don't know what a blue cup has to do with point and click adventures...

Maybe this is going to be the reason why other engines will beat AGS in the future?
Shouldn't we change the logo?
Bad marketing concept to use an insider object as front page sign...

@ Le Woltaire
Why don't you start a thread about how new and "inexperienced" developers and what they must go through to post their first game. I'm sure it would be of great help to others and I would be most willing to discuss the topic, but not really in this thread.
(I'm trying my best to not to sound like a moderator hehe)

I am not really the right guy to give advice to unexperienced commercial developers, because I am not commercial.
However, if you need advice, then this is a very intelligent manifesto for the small developer:
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/SorenAndersen/20100106/4025/Hobbyist_Game_Developer_Manifesto.php

I'm really perplexed by the whole situation here... Escpecially that someone has mentioned tax problems and I just imagined something like this happening to me ( if this is what actually happened)...  That sent a shiver down my spine...
Then someone mentioned suicide...

About taxes: In my country that has one of the most complex tax systems of the world and the highest tax rates in Europe becoming an independent commercial game developer means suicide because he will have to pay more than he earns.

They quickly make estimations about your possible incomings and ask you 20.000 â,¬ without reason in advance. At the end of the year they might give you something back if you can proof that you don't earn so much, but still you had to pay a lot of money during the year...  This destroys most of commercial newbees in any sector.



Ok, I got a part of an explanation from Harg:

"If (AGS_Panel_Review_Number_Of_Persons < 2) {
    I_Dont_Want_To_Be_Part_Of_This_Community = true;
    Delete_The_Games();
} else {
    My_Games_Are_Really_Bad = true;
    Delete_The_Games();

}"



So the questions that come out of this:

How many persons are in the AGS Panel?
How many are needed to show up the blue cups?
Is it just one opinion that is needed?
Who is the AGS panel?

Should we make a thread about this?

I just think it's a pitty to loose an active developer...
We already lost Alkis this year and since Harg was already developing Cosmos Quest IV I believe that this is now going to be cancelled or similar. I think every independent developer is needed in the scene.

I am not complaining about the panels opinion and maybe the panel is right (I just played the demo of CQIII).
I am just pointing out a possible reason for the developers action.

Sure it is not really the action of an adult to delete all the games from a database.
On the other side I can understand the disappointment and try to put myself in the position of the author.
I just wrote him an email and asked if everything is OK...

It might also be possible that he got problems with the commercial release.
Maybe copyright issues or tax related stuff with the collection office.
This is something that many developers forget when they quickly put a low cost single game into the market...

Hell, who knows... maybe he even has a gigantic crisis and is commiting suicide in this moment...

Maybe it's the result of the two cup rating of Cosmos Quest 3...?
The review panel is getting harder and harder...
If I would read this comment I guess I would have a reason to be turned a bit down.

"A lot of effort has gone into this project, with original graphics and audio throughout, and largely solid technical execution.

But a leaden pace, bland characters, little indication on where the screen exits are located until you pixel-hunt your way over them, and only the barest bones of an engaging plot, reduce playing the third entry in this ongoing sci-fi series to a chore. The graphics are consistent, and the music is pleasant, but the lack of direction and ponderous gameplay are a severe hindrance.

Some puzzles seem arbitrary and, in a number of cases, confusing."

Oh it's a pitty, just one entry...
And I thought that this time I would have had a nice idea for a music competition,
after that many complained with the neumatic notation theme last time...

Well, since I won the last competition with just one entry aswell,
I guess it is somehow fair if this goes to Dualnames!

Thank you.

Even if you don't get it finished, maybe just send the beginning so there will be an entry.
I'm not sure how many persons are in vacation...

In 1748 Georg Friedrich Händel wrote his famous firework music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbBh1CJDOmo
Much later Igor Stravinsky wrote a firework music, when he was pretty young.

Can you please write a firework music for 2010?

Oh, thank you. Wow...
I would never have guessed this...

The winners of the cinnamon competition have been decided by the jurors.
The best 20 entries can be seen here:

http://www.aiv-karlsruhe.de/zimto_winners.htm

All winners have been contacted.
Have a nice Christmas.

Waltzes and Deconstructions:

http://spectrum.agsarchives.com/music/Walzes_and_Deconstructions.mp3

I am now posting the entries that we got for the competition.
In total we recieved 39 bisquit houses.
Most of them came from Germany but three came from the AGS scene,
so you can watch them all here:

http://www.aiv-karlsruhe.de/cinnamon.htm

The jury is currently deciding the winners and also the 20 pictures, that are going to be exposed.
Thanks for now. I will announce the winners here later.

Ok, I just made a phone call and asked about the correct and concrete info about the Warhol pictures.

-They are limited prints (200 pieces) with motives Butterfly, Marylin Monroe (possibly also others I didnt get everything on the Phone).
-They are not signed but original.
-The number of prints that can be won has now has raised to five Warhols instead of three.

We now recieved 23 pictures of which 20 will be exposed. The competition is still open until the end of 7th December.

Well in any case whatever the gallerist is going to sponsor, I can't believe that it is worth a lot of money.
I also believe it must be a large edition, or maybe I got it wrong and it is one of the not signed quality prints.
This might also be possible.

I mean it doesn't really cost a lot of effort to participate in here...
An example: We got drawings by nine years old kids aswell that were done in maybe half an hour...

It's not so much about money but more about bringing cultures and generations together...

The gallerist that sponsors the Warhol graphics says that they are original.
I believe that they are silkscreens but have not seen them for now.
An original Warhol silkscreen can be purchased from 100 â,¬ upwards I'd say, depending on it's edition.
An original HAP Grieshaber woodcut print can be purchased from 50 â,¬ upwards.

So if you look for a lot of money:
No, I don't believe it's worth more than let's say 300 â,¬.
I'm very sure.

You CAN build a house of bisquits or just a model of a house in a certain scale.

But like it is always in architectural competitions of this type you have A LOT of liberties.

So you can also send a blueprint of an idea, a painting, a photoshopped picture or game background, a 3D rendering ...
but it should be something around star-shaped cinnamon bisquits.

And it should be a 300 DPI jpeg landscape format (21cm x 29,7 cm) like descibed in the reward offer above.


We recieved all type of stuff for now, so it will be a very different result.
I will post a link of the best 20 pictures in here when the jury is done with the selection.
Again: The jury consists of 14 VIP architects from all over the world who will give poitns to each image independently.

If you have an idea just go and photoshop your sunday away or whatever you like to do.

Ok, the last chance:

Two days remain until the competition is done. We recieved 13 entries for now from all over the world.
So if you have an idea for a house mande of star shaped bisquits you might want to send it in now.
Again: The best 20 entries will be published in international architectural magazines.

It can be a painting, drawing, rendering, photo or a background for an adventure game aswell.
Just whatever you like based on the theme.

I haven't seen them for now. But maybe they are lithographies or similar.
They were sponsored by two jewish collectionists of my region...
Additional sponsors have confirmed their participation so the prizes might rise...
We just started with 200 â,¬ bucks to get the competition going...
Additional sponsors are welcome.

AIV and Spectral Adventures is organizing an international competition that is open to everyone.

The theme is:

1: Make a house out of star-shaped cinnamon bisquits.
2: Make a picture or photo of your house 300 dpi; 210mm x 297mm; landscape format
3: Send the picture to until 7.December 2009
4: The photos will be passed to a jury of 15 qualified architects from all over the world.

Prize:
1st Prize: 100 â,¬
2nd Prize: 60 â,¬
3rd Prize:  40 â,¬

Special Prizes:
5 original Andy Warhol graphics (different motives)
3 original HAP Grieshaber graphics

The most outstanding 20 entries are going to be published in international magazines.

More info here:
http://www.baunetz.de/dl/686610/Auslobung.pdf

The AGS community is invited to participate.
Have fun.

Yes, I am sorry for this.

Just as I had posted you as the winner I got that there was a new entry that had arrived.
That was the moment where I was called on the phone and so I was intermitted to make an instant edit to my post. Since the post had just been up for about 15 minutes I didn't think that you already read this...
Sorry for the confusion then. But with so few entries I decided to make cuestaluis enter.

OK here the result:

FSI: I like the rhythmic variation but it remains a bit stiched into one pitch. The fade out somehow seemed to be a fitted ending. But thank you for the entry otherwise there wouldn't have been a competition...

Al Ninio: Pretty crazy but somehow structured. Your ending has convinced me more because you tried to play some kind of figure to find out of what you had developed.

cuestaluis: You seem to have researched parts of the tune above. I got the impression of the other entries that they basically concerned on rhythm which is not really changing in gregorian chant and it was not really understandable for me if they had taken a closer look at the sheet. I have heard your piece three times now and although you are playing in the wrong pitch there are some fragments of the above melody in it.

So cuestaluis is the one that was closest to the competitions idea I and you decide next.