(11-17-2012, 12:46 PM)Kesha Wrote: Well, the more official resources a fan game uses, the less of a fan game it is- the fan component just isn't there anymore. It becomes just a mod essentially. I mean honestly I don't know if rom hacks are even considered fan games very often if at all.
SovietShark Wrote:I'm pretty sure judging isn't just based just on how a game plays. You have to think about the artwork, the level design, the work put into a game. (EDIT: Also, I'd like to mention how his engine is open-sourced. He's offering a great tool to the fangame community.)
For reference, do remember that we're talking about hacks which heavily modify the graphics, the sounds, the maps, the music, and in one case, the level structure and linearity (Which in turn requires an engine modification). These are not like some simple Lunar Magic Super Mario World level hack we're talking about here. In comparison, the Java game is basically nothing -but- it's engine. And it doesn't even feel like a Fire Emblem game because of the lack of proper RPG stats, it'd have been better off if it was based on Advance Wars. I won't go as far as to say that FEWC outright "sucks" like some people would, but it's really easy yo see why it was unpopular.
Besides, FEWC doesn't have any custom anything -besides- the engine.
Quite bluntly, it's easy to see why people would think the ROM hacks got snuffed just for being ROM hacks. As someone who's been attempting to bring more ROM hackers to NCFC, I'm disturbed by this.
On another note, while I may have this perspective because the game ran really slow on my computer, I don't see how Purple Coin got best of show over the non-Mario "Bests" this year. While a good game in it's own right, it was competing against projects which were significantly grander in scope and technical accomplishments.
It's especially silly looking when the Mario fangames were not even as popular this year as the other entries. Last year the popular vote and the "best of show" at least had some correlation; this year, it's like the judges completely went and outright completely disregarded popular opinion this time.
As for the notice about the show needing judges... if I ever got that, I would've applied, but I was only asked to do the Livestream. Which I did, and that got me so busy that I couldn't do reviews, although my opinions of the fangames may reflect in my playthroughs. If my opinions were asked of for the best of show, I would've gladly supplied them, but as far as I could see the judging process was as closed-doors as it was last year.
Quote:We're seriously considering dropping best of show altogether next year. It's never been a contest of saying some games are good and some games are bad or anything like that, just a fun bonus for some people. But it seems like its strayed so far from that there isn't even a point to it anymore.
The problem with "Best of show" is quite obvious when it's not awarding the "Best of show". It appears your best chances of winning the "Best of show" is to make a "good" Mario fangame that's not a ROM Hack and hope there isn't one better than your's, but if you make anything that's not a Mario Fangame or is a ROM Hack, you've pretty much lost any chance of winning the "Best of show", and a ROM hack in general will never win best in it's category, even losing to a significantly lower-quality product. This looks like a bias. This is especially glaring in a NCFC that at best had a few "good' Mario games and lacked a "killer" Mario fangame like Psycho Waluigi, while in comparison "Pokemon Mystery Universe" is EASILY a "killer" Pokemon fangame.
I assume this is probably because of NCFC's roots as a MFGG-oriented event leading to a favouritism of "Mario fangames" inherent in the system. I suggest if you do judging next year you go out of your way to get non-Mario fangamers to judge.
Quote:Finally, remember that this isn't supposed to be a competition. This is a fangame CONVENTION. The awards are just an icing on the cake; something to spotlight something that the convention heads think is special. You may not agree with them, but respect their decisions, and remember it really doesn't mean much in the long run.
The problem with this is quite obvious;
1) You call the awards "Best of show", which by it's nature fuels competitive ideas.
2) You don't have enough awards going around in general to award things which are "Special" (and then, you remove the "Most Promising" award from areas where you -could- give a well-deserved award. Good job. >.>)
3) The awards have been given out in this pattern both times I've been here, so it's quite apparent this has been how it's been for the past 6 events. It's hard to think what you award is "special" when it's clear there's a lack of breaking from the mold.
If you want to can the "Best of show", perhaps that'd be for the best. All it seems to do anymore is cause post-event drama. I suggest next year we conclude with a pre-scripted Livestream event instead.
