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Also finished it!
Overall, it's a nice short game with good humour in some lines and along the way, nice quotatinons from everywhere outside the game world
Story is nicely woven (within the restrictions given, of course ), and puzzles are challenging, but with 'human' (not abominable ) logic, which appealed to me.
The thing that frustrated me a bit was the innovative things in control. I liked the fact that these 'jump' and 'raised tentacle' functions were used in various ways throughout all the game, and not just because the author fancied to add them... but the implementation (and, btw, the upper panel with menu/inventory as well) I found rather clumsy.

Still, good game, which is worth playing!

[The Secret of Chunky Salsa]

Ladies & Gentlemen!
Cavemen ProgrammerZ proudly present...

The Secret of Chunky Salsa

In this game you play as Colin, a son of a humble chronicler from the farming village of people called "Bearders" because of their tradition to wear beards of unusual sizes.
The grave danger imposed onto the village sets him forth on the adventure to save his compatriots...

(for more information about the game background and gameplay info look up the ReadMe)

         

GAME FEATURES:

Resolution: 640x480

- Blood feuds.
- The power of love.
- Eldritch abominations.
- Farmers.
- Beards of unusual size.
- Chunky salsa.
- An ancient war

+ 2 endings

Translations: Spanish and Russian

Download (29.1 Mb)
(the host is Russian, so please click the floppy disk icon to download)

EDIT: Current version 1.3 (look up changes in ReadMe)

Very good introduction to the story. The 'Deaths' in popular culture tend to be very verious and properly worked characters. Take, for instance, the Pratchett's Death. This one is too rather appealing, with all her 'emo-girly' flavour.
Graphics and animations are good. The backgrounds are stylish and bizarre enough to catch the eye. Good 3D work!

One minor issue that I should mention (but you're completely free to ignore it) is the control.
May be it's just me, but I'm not accustomed to having 'Look' feature on the left button, and 'Interact' on the right.
But the thing to be certainly attended is the inventory button. It's very indistinct, especially on some backgrounds, being both black small and not standing out... May be move it to the corner of the screen (either lower or upper), make it bigger and add some lighting when player moves cursor onto it? (just a supposition)

Otherwise, gameplay-wise, it's a very good demo (and game probably, which I'll certainly be looking forward to), with good puzzle.

Keep up the good work!

[The Secret of Chunky Salsa]

Ladies & Gentlemen!
Cavemen ProgrammerZ proudly present...

The Secret of Chunky Salsa

In this game you play as Colin, a son of a humble chronicler from the farming village of people called "Bearders" because of their tradition to wear beards of unusual sizes.
The grave danger imposed onto the village sets him forth on the adventure to save his compatriots...

(for more information about the game background and gameplay info look up the ReadMe)

         

GAME FEATURES:

Resolution: 640x480

- Blood feuds.
- The power of love.
- Eldritch abominations.
- Farmers.
- Beards of unusual size.
- Chunky salsa.
- An ancient war

+ 2 endings

Download (28.7 Mb)
(the host is Russian, so please click the floppy disk icon to download)

EDIT: Now has its own game page.

EDIT 2: While there's still time, here's an updated version with some bugs fixed (look up in the ReadMe)

[discordance]

Okay, so there'll be a couple of hours to test it properly
I have to say, the game is almost ready. But while I have time to finish I won't post it

EDIT: And, discordance, I ask for bonus points, because all the requirements are met! 

Yep. It's my fault the completion date has been changed
But the work on the MAGS project draws to completion, and then I'll be fully devoted to "The Deed"

Okay, that's really great news!

[24th]

As te competitions draws closer and closer to its inevitable end... I have just one question:

The line All the games till 24th - should it be read as "All the games on the 23rd"? Or "24th is the last day to put your entries?"
It's really important

[Lyaer]

Having read the discussion above, I decided to throw in some of my ideas. They're just random - don't take them very seriously (but I'd really like to see them implemented in a game ).

A bit of preface: Once I participated in a discussion concerning IF. The topic was about using the compass directions to navigate between locations and rooms. There were a lot pros and contras (one of them, e.g. being 'the illogical presumption, that a person has some inner compass in a situation when he/she has no idea where, for instance, the north is'). Obviously, this contra was to support the 'realistic' approach vs 'traditional' one.

Here, I think, goes the same: we have a 'traditional' approcah, to which we got accustomed having played dozens and dozens of adventure games. This approach presupposes, that PC can have lots of various items he/she took everywhere for no obvious reason and without (sometimes) obvious sense. Moreover, PC is presupposed to have an infinite amount of space within his/her pockets, even for especially large/bulky/heavy items.

This is unrealistic, but it's conventional, since lots of players don't mind that. Do we need to battle this approach and get rid of it altogether? I don't think so, but some certain flaws should (and can) be avoided without any losses in gameplay and gaming experience.

First of all, there're large/bulky/heavy items. I quite agree with Lyaer about them, and examples he cited. I can even add one more: in 5DaS there was a rifle in sitting room, which also overrid the player's cursor. I think it is a good decision for this particular case: we need the item only in one room.

But what about the situation, when we need, e.g. a ladder in some distant room? I think, having the PC carrying it around is out of the question. One of possible solutions: let the player see the reason of using a ladder. Then he/she thinks "A-ha! I've seen a ladder in an other end of building!" So he goes for it. I foresee, that this solution will be called 'backtracing' and 'artificial prolonging of the game'. Of course, it shouldn't be used too often in a game. And, after all, why can't we let the PC to go after this very ladder, then just 'teleport' him to the room where he needs it? I think, it won't annoy the player.

Other solution is as follows (I think, I saw something like this in A Vampyre Story, though I haven't actually played it myself): include 'memories' of some items (esp. large/heavy/bulky) in the PC's inventory. So we can 'use' those items to learn if they're really useful in that particular place, and have a logical excuse for not carrying it around.

What about small items? It was also mentioned by Lyaer, that there's always a number of multi-purpose small items that can be used almost everywhere and don't occupy much space in our pockets. I think I must emphasize the word multi-purpose here, because I really feel that if the item is in the PC's inventory - the player should have a clear reason of where it should be used. Otherwise, it should be clear that the thing could come in handy - here I must mention the thing that has always annoyed me in almost all the games I played: the great amount of extraordinary items in the inventory (dead mosquitoes, flower pots, half-chewed chewing gums, banana skin...) Who can tell me what a screwed logic makes the PC pick them up? This makes me think of the disability of a game designer to think out proper puzzles.

And now we came to the conclusion: the best solution to the problem is the overall game design and pacing. The game should be created (mostly) using the following principle: the problem should appear before its solution. Then, too, the items should be as multi-purposed as possible.

How to implement that on the situation under discussion (I mean, the one with 'DNA-morgue'): The best solution, I think (it was mentioned already, but I feel like repeating it), is to let the player visit morgue only after he has encountered the DNA-locked door. I understand it can result in drastic changes in the game architecture, so there's another way:
The player visits morgue, sees, that there're corpses and dissectional tools. We just mention, that they're there here - and... Think, whether the side cutters will be used at some point later in the game. If not: don't let the player take the item! Instead, we can just elegantly say along the lines something like this: "I don't think I need to carry them around. But if I'll need them I know where to look"... And then, encountering the DNA-lock, we (as a player) think "A-ha! I can take the DNA sample from the body in the morgue!" Okay, he goes there, we confirm this guess by a response on looking at the corpse: "Hmm... I think, he has the sample I need." Then how to take it? Dissetional tools! - Interact them, and - voila! - the PC takes the sample. It's easy, logical, and we don't make the PC carry lots of unnecessary and silly things (the cut finger is in our inventory because we KNOW the obvious reason for that!)

[3rd place - bicilotti]

Okay, now I guess, I should do the counting and announce the winner.

So, here we have:

3rd place - bicilotti, Valentine game (1 vote)

2nd place - Steve McCrea, Massacre (3 votes)

1st place (winner!) - Bulbapuck, Present for Valentines (5 votes)

Thanks everybody for good participation and solid entries!

And yes, Bulbapuck can claim his trophy:

[bicilotti]

This competition produced many good games... which can be actually called "games"
I think, it's a good tendancy.

But due to that also, I've found it extremely difficult to vote...
So, my thoughts:

bicilotti - Valentine game
So, it is not an adventure game, but still very interesting and fun to play. And definitely wins the "Best Scripting in an hourgame" (if we had that category, of course ).

Bulbapuck - Present for valentines
Very nice and polished game, I should say. I join to everyone above who metioned lots of responses (some of them very witty and fun), animation, different endings... Much effort put into an hour. Good game!

magma42 - Heart Attack
Oh my, I've met them again: the Sour Smiley and the (Nuclear) Shoe of Mass Destruction! I think, it becomes a tendency. I'm looking forward to seeing other games with these and whether you'll be able to blend them in any topic
And also, very non-standard approach to the theme stated.

Steve McCrea - Massacre
Very nice graphics and interesting gameplay. Multiple endings, too... Reminded me somehow an IF classics, 9.05 - in fact it provokes you to restart the game several times to get all possible variants of the plot development!

Wyz - Cup-o-Valentine
Very thought-provoking story about two cups (can it be called 'a c(o)uple' in English? )... and good in graphics. A bit awkward in control, though.

And, my vote goes for...
Steve McCrea

Okay, here's the hourgame package - enjoy!

http://files.mail.ru/A0NK1B
(click the disk icon to download)

Really good participance here: 5 entries + 1 bonus

The trophy is almost ready, and I almost foresee who will get it

Ola

By editing the first post

Thank you very much!

So, voting has begun.
In the morning I'll post the link to the whole package, and decide the trophy.
Voting is open till 'round Tuesday, so help yourself to games, please! :-)

Okay, okay, this competition is closed!

*how can I change the topic name, btw? (noobish question, I know...)

Of course, you can. In fact, I suppose, anything made within 2 hours limit is still an hourgame... but don't count it as an excuse!

You have time to upload till 20.30!

The hour has come to the end... Now is a quarter-hour testing/debugging session.

Post your entries!

[V for Valentine!]

Okay, again, I won't be original
The theme is...

V for Valentine!

Valentine is a keyword this time: it should be by all means used in your game (at least in the title).

If somebody succeeds to convey the mood of the coming St.Valentine's Day - it will be very good



And, yes...

Ready!

Steady!

GO!!!

[Edited: Okay, check for new post!]

Roughly half an hour to start.

Edited: Okay, check for new post!

*Still looks like I need some assistance to announce the theme in IRC. For some reason my computer prevents me from connecting the server.

As I've said, my idea is fully worked out - now the work goes on scripting, drawing and animating... I'm pretty sure to finish it in time
So no more wins by default!

I will try to check out the games, though.

Please, try
The previous competition definitely lacked peer comments.