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MSXdev'08 - Closed

by wolf_ on 01-02-2009, 00:32
Topic: MRC
Tags: Challenges
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A few days ago, things looked a bit bleak. Right now, it turns out that MSXdev'08 has ended with the same amount of games MSXdev'07 ended with. So, a rather happy ending after all! And although a number of announced and unannounced entries have been canceled, there're still plenty new games to enjoy.

  • Tomb of Genghis Khan (Impulse9)
  • Peek-a-boo (dvik&joyrex)
  • Bakerman (AG Software)
  • Deep Dungeon (ARTRAG, DemonSeed and Huey)
  • Forumla Dice (Luca Giglioli)
  • La Corona Encantada (Karoshi Corp.)
  • I Need Speed (CEZ GS)
  • Danger Tower (Danger Team)
  • PWND (Vampier)
  • Hose Diogo Martinez: The Bussas Quest (Muffie Co.)
  • Sp8 Invaders (Dioniso)
  • Limaribu (Arnold Metselaar)
All the MSXdev'08 entries, their manuals and their ROM-labels can be downloaded at the MSXdev website. Now, it's up to the main jury to decide who has made the best game. Also, don't forget the sponsors, who have announced prizes for various categories. Perhaps you have an opinion to share about all these games as well? Let's hear 'em! Which entry is the best one in your opinion?  

 

MRC wishes to thank the MSXdev organizers and all the participants for yet another successful contest. We're all up for MSXdev'09 (right?).  

 

Relevant link: MSXdev website

Comments (16)

By ro

Prophet (2695)

ro's picture

01-02-2009, 10:13

so euh, wolf... where's the infinite entry?

By Abi

Champion (441)

Abi's picture

01-02-2009, 10:51

Thumbs up for all entries!!

By wolf_

Ambassador (5677)

wolf_'s picture

01-02-2009, 11:35

ro: couldn't make the deadline in time. Will take some extra days or so.

By viejo_archivero

Hero (566)

viejo_archivero's picture

01-02-2009, 11:53

Thank every MSXer supporting the MSXdev'08! It has been a strange edition, where people did not wanted to pre-announce its game to avoid a cancelled entry if they not succeed on finishing the project. Some others just worked the last month (or day) in their entries: that makes me think about the time for the contest: perhaps a whole year is too much, and a 6 months contest is enough. And, now that I'm noticing it: where are the MegaROMS?... anyway, those matters will surely be discussed before announcing the MSXdev'09. Now it is just time to play and check those brand new 12 releases! Long live MSXdev contests! Wink

By ro

Prophet (2695)

ro's picture

01-02-2009, 12:04

too bad, wolf.Was looking forward to another infinite game...Running Naked in a Field of Flowers

By wolf_

Ambassador (5677)

wolf_'s picture

01-02-2009, 13:03

Well, give it some days, and it'll be there..

By Manuel

Enlighted (5675)

Manuel's picture

01-02-2009, 17:51

I guess that people who made megaROMs came to the conclusion that 128kB is too small and had to cancel their participation? Well, just a guess.

By dvik

Paragon (1517)

dvik's picture

01-02-2009, 18:08

Yeah, its interesting that there were no megarom entries this year. Otoh, it was only one or two last year iirc.

@wolf_: Can't you keep your game for your self for a month or so and submit it to next years competition. That would (hopefully) raise the bar right from the start.

By poke-1,170

Paladin (990)

poke-1,170's picture

02-02-2009, 05:57

so, how's nightmare 3 doing then ? THE promiss of the year, if we had to believe it

By poke-1,170

Paladin (990)

poke-1,170's picture

04-02-2009, 00:58

no ? anyone ?

By wolf_

Ambassador (5677)

wolf_'s picture

04-02-2009, 12:49

dvik: nah. We've the impression that contest deadlines and specifications are messing up our own agenda. I need to work out the intro for our game, we'll release it, and then we'll continue with our biggest production so far. If all goes well, we'll be on a G9k/Moonsound game. This would mean we'd not join the PassionMSX2 contest. Due our failed MSXdev entry we lost something like two months worth o' time, and the remaining time ain't enough for what we wanted to do for MSX2. If the MSXdev organizers want to do something smart: do half-yearly contests instead. If you miss a deadline, it ain't far for the next one. This was an advantage last year when MJTT missed MSXdev'07 but was well in-time for the MEGAchallenge. A full year dev-time for MSXdev is way overkill anyway, as I suspect most ppl start only a few months away from the deadline, and -as you can see this year- there were no large megaroms or superhuge adventures and such. Was anyone really working on his entry for nearly a year?

The G9k/Moonsound combi has some advantages. No more hacking with tiles and creative 8-pixel alignments, no more limited palettes etc. etc. Soundwise, no more SCC bug, no more odd PSG-SCC balances, higher quality, etc. etc. Besides, we wanted to do a G9k game for a while anyway, we bought a G9k in 2006 or 2007 or so, we still didn't do jack with it.. Tongue

By cesco

Champion (391)

cesco's picture

05-02-2009, 15:21

I think that Daniel and the other members of the MSXDev crew should reconsider some rules of the contest, especially about the deadlines. IMHO Wolf is right when he said that MSXDev should split the main competition in two seasonal competitions.

It's not nice to say bad things about games that you haven't paid for, but there are some games on MSXDev 09 that seems be "rushed"... how can I say it... I think that some applications (not all, of course) have been developed in no time just to enter the competition, without caring about how fun is to play the game, and are... not even worth to be called "games" IMHO.

I'm glad that there have been 12 games this year... but IMHO excluding two or three titles, the overall quality of the games is quite low.

By pitpan

Paragon (2037)

pitpan's picture

05-02-2009, 15:29

I think that the idea of a closer deadline is interesting. A maximum of 6 months should be more than enough. If you haven't coded your game in such a time, probably you will never do it. Sad but true.

Opinions?

By cesco

Champion (391)

cesco's picture

05-02-2009, 15:43

And IMHO the MSX Resource Center should put up a poll and ask its visitors which MSXDev 09 game they liked more, even if I'm the first to know that it's never nice for a developer to see that his game is not ranking very well in a poll...

By wolf_

Ambassador (5677)

wolf_'s picture

05-02-2009, 16:02

The advantage of 2 Dev's a year is that (if ppl really make 1..2-month productions) you'll gain more games each year. 12 games in a yearly contest is less than 2x 8 games for a half-yearly contest, no? Tongue

But regardless of all this, the biggest advantage imho is to have a bit of a safety net in case someone misses a deadline. To wait a whole year for the next contest is a bit dull, but half a year is much more doable.

I don't think the current specs are wrong (MegaROM 64KB RAM), and a MegaROM doesn't always imply a large-scale (prone to failure) game. I do think however that musicchips should be more liberal. If Konami were to submit Nemesis 2 for MSXdev'08 they'd receive penalty points for not supporting PSG-only. A penaltypoint for Nemesis 2, can you believe it? After all, this *is* a ROM contest, no? A ROM can contain extra chips (a disk, CF or tape can't!), so any musicchip additions should be no issue.

Similar with FM-Pac, since the 90's we've been playing Japanese games with FM-Pac music. Does anyone actually play Xak Gazzle, Fray etc. with PSG-only?

The MSXDev-Utopia of supporting all or most 'bare' MSX systems may be executed a bit too extreme. Tongue

By Huey

Paragon (1436)

Huey's picture

05-02-2009, 16:53

The MSXDev-Utopia of supporting all or most 'bare' MSX systems may be executed a bit too extreme

But then again. Compared to other contests it is the most succesful one.
My MSX profile