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I tried "Democracy" recommended by GarageGothic, and I think it's fairly detailed and offers a lot of "interesting choices". I also got more caught up in "Kudos" by the same developer which is definately worth checking out.

Also, "A Force More Powerful" seems a very promising title. I recently had it shipped from NYC only to find the CD didn't work - but it's a game about peaceful conflict solving that at least a few people in the middel east should be playing these days instead of what they're doing.

Graphicallly, I think the logo on your site is better than the new one.

To me, the name, when I read it, immediately raises the question "what kind of dogma"? And the sword and the circle does very little towards explaining it. Is it apocalyptic, religious dogma? Or artistic dogma, like von Trier's Dogma films? And if you're remaking space quest, what's with the sword? But maybe you plan on making historical or fantasy games too?

With the last posted logo, I think the composition is a bit busy. It's off balance, wich makes it not very strong. Would be better if the sword were longer, so the text could be centered within the circle.

Personally I would start out with a 2- or 3-colored version and get the composition to work, then add detail as needed.

Edit: Oh, Ben posted while I was typing. Posting this anyway.

Genghis Khan, that was cool! I had an old amiga version where the save-features was broken, but eventually me and a friend completed the game in one session, took us like 26 hours straight

Seriously, though, there has been some discussion about this on gaming and developers sites -Ã,  the fact that we need some kind of catalog of games based on their features. MobyGames has a lot of detailed categories, so you can easily find for example almost 600 windows real-time strategy games result

Still, as soon as you want to search games based on more detailed features, like specific gameplay elements or specific content, there's no tool for it. Which is why I'm prototyping one! It is a database that will allow users to provide game entries (by name and platform) as well as game properties (for example: this is a strategy game, or: this game has monkeys in it). Games can then be mapped to their properties, and users can search for games based on their properties. This wil be usefull both for gamers looking for games with specific features, for developers checking out what's been done that is similar to their current projects, and to researchers doing multi-variate analysis on games based on their features.

I'm new to php and mysql, so what I've done is just a prototype demonstrating the basic functionality. In it's final version, it wil either be integrated into an existing game database, or it wil be re-implemented by actual programmers and webdesigners. Currently, MobyGames is having a look at it, and I also think the game research department atÃ,  my university is enthusiastic about it. I hope MobyGames will integrate some of its features, since otherwise it may take a while for it to get enough users and data to be of any use. If you're interested, check out the prototype here:Ã,  GameBase

You're welcome to add relevant content to the base (requires registration) but bear in mind this is just a temporary prototype. The games and tags I already added are there just to show how it works, nothing final.

Btw. InCreator, you don't mention the civilization series, or Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri - some of the best turn based strategy games imo. Just a hint in case you haven't played them.

Heh    That's the kind of thing I got myself into.
You're right - don't worry about the eyes. It's a wonderful sprite.

The front pose is great too, and I like what KhrisMUC did with it. Only critique I can think of is that the feather in his hat may seem to move alot in the transition between the two poses, almost like he was flipped horizontally.
About the eyes, I played around with a version of this and can't seem to get it right. Maybe it's a minor thing, I just think the space between his eyes is a bit large, but perhaps, given the pixel and color-limits this is the best solution. 

The pirate eye thing worked, and the new background is more interesting to look at than the old one imo - plus, it's more in the background, I guess because of the dimmer outlines. I would do something about the Indian's facial expression, make him more startled, "haha-I-gotcha!-" or mean looking. Might be achieved with just a little more slant to his eyes or a less smiling mouth. Other than that, I think you're pretty much there.

Nice pic, looks like a lot of work went into things like the carpet and the poncho - but I think you could work more on poses and composition of the image. The characters' eyes aren't meeting - and their poses don't look very tense considering the situation. Also, the rope really gets in the way, composition-wise, but maybe you need it for some animation. Also, unless the indian is preparing a spell or something, the fingers on his left hand could be more naturally aligned. Overall, I like the characters, the color and the overall mood. I just think it needs a little something to make it more tense. 

I really like the design - reminiscent of the "Deep Ones" from Lovecraftian mythos. Scary stuff. In the current version it looks like it's seen from below whenever it lifts it's head back - like there's a vanishing point at the center of it, and that makes it seem very big (twice human height), which might be cool for a cutscene where it takes up most of the screen - but i'm uncertain how that effect will come out if the sprite is shown at normal sprite size in a game background. But you've probably already considered how the sprite will be used, so good work

Great sprite. Only thing I think should be worked on is the eyes, they look a little strange in the unscaled version.

Also, I think it sounds like an interesting character design for a villain.

I never got really good at UV unwrapping, it's a large topic and it brings the process of texturing to a whole new level of complexity. Of course, there's no real way around it if you want the best results. I found these tutes that you might find helpful
UV tute 1
UV tute 2
UV tute 3
I find the last one particularly helpful. There are also tutes for a lot of this inside max. To export the UV map, can't you just save it to a file??

I think the top one looks very good, but in the other ones the geometry has too sharp edges for the realistic textures. Either more cartoony textures or more realistic edges would fix it.Ã,  A little bit of glow from the already bright windows would also fit nicely with the glow from the outside lamp - right now it's a very flat light from the windows in comparison. Hm, maybe the lamp should be dimmed somwhat - it is very bright. I really like the roof texture and the background, btw

It looks good, though it's hard to tell without texturing - some of the edges may be a bit too sharp. I guess you want the cartoony skewed proportions, and they add greatly to the atmosphere, only thing is the door looks a bit small compared to the barrels and the windows above it. Also, the lower spotlight could fade more gradually into darkness, depending on the light source, of course. But good job, I'm looking forward to seeing this textured.

Here's something (a game?) one of my teachers made following the Madrid train bombings:

Madrid

Isn't this so, though? Aren't people getting all worked up every time a new 'Monkey Island sequel' comes out or a Broken Sword game that they know will not be as good, instead of pushing for new ideas that don't necessarily make for sequel-aplenty franchises?

I think you're right. It's the publishers' job to get as much IP in the game or movie as they can, as many top-search and/or buzz words. It just makes the marketing part easier. And it's the game designer's job to make it original despite of thisÃ,  Ã, ::)Ã,  - A fact that will sometimes make me visit www.manifestogames.com to have a pleasant backdrop for my fits of denial.

In a way, brands make sense, I mean I'm pretty sure I get quality when I buy, say a new Sid Meier's "something"- game, problem is when only the IP survives to the sequel, and none of the creators and none of Ã, the original atmosphere - not that I've really experienced this with the Sid Meier brand so far.

Seems some people forget/don't care that what makes stuff fun or interesting isn't the stuff itself, isolated from eveything else, but the fact that it's... well, new to its context. Ron Gilbert mentioned this, sort of, in the recently posted podcast here, when he said comedy is hard because it's all about timing. Publishing certainly is as well.Ã,  Perhaps making people think back and "remember" the prequel is just another way of mastering timing.

Great sprites!
I think the mushroom would look better in some other color.

I really like this picture, for all its atmosphere and instant emotional impact. I think the first pic posted does the best job of showing the house. It's clean in composition and things are detailed in accordance with their "importance" in the picture - I find it more immediate and enigmatic than the next ones.

Ok, it looks promising from what little I can see of it - I installed the .NET and DirectX from your site and the game inits okay, but once I've created a new Officer and chosen him I get stuck at the screen with the instructions to "click anywhere on the map for more info on starting a game" - the SHOP button isn't implemented yet ;-) and the START GAME button doesn't do anything. Also, clicking the map to get further instructions doesn't do anything - I can have (2) different ships displayed by clicking in the top-right "<" and ">" buttons, though. Is this how far the game has been developed? (no action yet) or am I missing out on something?

Ok, thanks - I'm downloading now 

The award should be a red herring!

What's wrong with the Texaco Baby Shark Fin?

Hi, I get an Application Failed to initialize error when I run the exe, so I can't actually play the game. It would be interesting to see though, as I've been working on something similar (but in AGS) for some time.