Pascal annual = dead?

[hateshinai]

Is there going to be a pascal game development compo this year?

[pstudio]

I don't know the answer but if there is gonna be a compo I would request a different structure.
In theory the small stage deadlines may sound as a good idea, but at least for me it can have a devastating effect. When I missed a deadline due to time issues I found it hard to motivate myself to continue on the game. Not so much of the lost points, but because I could see that I couldn't follow the time schedule that had been given to me. I could perhaps have made something playable if I had bothered spending time on the project the last two weeks, but my motivation was totally gone.
For me it would have been better if we just had one final deadline to follow. It was an interesting idea using stage deadlines an try to force us to use a more professional development process, but most of us only have some spare time from work/school to work on the game. We're not a proffesional game company and we should be allowed to work in our own ways without feeling being punished.
This could possibly give some more finished games. Something this compo could need if it is supposed to survive (if it isn't already dead).

[paul_nicholls]

I tend to agree with pstudio on ths one...

cheers,
Paul

[Mirage]

I think stages really helps to get finished games in the end because these milestones forces to make an effort to complete the tasks.
Motivation gradually goes away in any case.

[jasonf]

The Stages were a double edged sword for the competition I think.

From personal experience..

One the one hand, they were great for pushing me towards completing certain aspects of my game on time, meaning that I didn't get to the end and realise I'd still got a lot of stuff to do.

But on the other hand, it meant that I really had to push myself during those times when spare time wasn't always readily available.. I still had real life (tm) to worry about, a house purchase, a pending redundancy looming and a wife who needed my attention too. It was very hard to find enough time.

Perhaps having fewer deadlines would help or instead of deadlines, have publishing dates where you have to publish your game for peer inspection, regardless of state it's in. make it so that no points are gained or lost by publishing, but you have to keep publishing something to remain in the competition.

I think the peer pressure would force people to get as much ready as possible for these dates without worrying about meeting certain targets..

While I was developing, I did see some of them as tick the box, get the feature working to get the points.. where I wouldn't have normally included the feature.

But they were a good driving force, making me focus on building the foundations of the game early on so that I could polish it later, but that's sort of forcing a process and it's not everyone's cup of tea.



it would be a shame if the compo was canceled this year.

I won't be entering this year, but I'll be a judge.

[chronozphere]

have publishing dates where you have to publish your game for peer inspection, regardless of state it's in.

That sounds cool to me.

I think i will join the compo for this year, but i'm also quite busy with school and exams, so my time is limited too. However.. My engine (NashaENGINE) is coming along nicely, so i hope i can use it in the compo.

[JernejL]

What about a compo with a simple goal of finishing someting and then judging the game's completeness?

[FNX]

A "Resume and finish an old game" would be nice, i've lots of unfinished
project that i may resume, and so have you all i imagine

[chronozphere]

A "Resume and finish an old game" would be nice, i've lots of unfinished
project that i may resume, and so have you all i imagine Very Happy

LOL... yeah.. could be an option.

But i must say, that i have more unfinished 3D engine-attempts, than unfinished games. The unfinished games i have, have crappy code (made when i was 14/15), so i need to rewrite 90% of it.
Moreover, I might have started to dislike the game-concept and lost motivation, which is the reason i cancelled the project. So it would be ALOT easier for me to make a new game. :razz:

It would be a shame, if i couldn't join because i don't have any games i want to finish :lol:

[FNX]

t would be a shame, if i couldn't join because i don't have any games i want to finish

Well, let's say then, "Resume and finish an old game OR Project"

I think it's not bad to have different products to judge on, we can have
something like categories in this one:

-2d Games
-3d Games
-Game/3d/2d Engines
-Tools

each with podium (so that judges won't have to compare an engine with
a game). I think there will be more material and more people getting in.

Just random ideas anyway