Sonic the Hedgehog Hacking Contest 2010, The eighth contest!! Options

[Ayla]

Despite the controversy over the winner of the last contest, I felt that it went rather swimmingly. I momentarily considered stopping at lucky number seven, as I do after every contest, but then decided I should continue on as usual.

This year will be very different from the others, however, and that is why everything I write here was not created from the templates used when I made the topic for contests 3 - 7.

So here I am with Contest 8, which I'm considering just naming them after the contest year from here on out to lessen confusion. My ultimate goal with this contest is expansion of ideas -- to make the whole process more engaging for fans of games, hacks, and hackers.

A little known fact about the second contest is that there were two second contests. Originally, the hacking contest was going to be semi-annual (ie held twice a year), and the rules for it had been written up but never executed.

I read through it, finding the rules while looking at past contests for reasons I'll get into later. There were some ambitious and fascinating ideas in it that I had long forgotten and that I intend fully to include in this contest -- many of which were trophies and player feedback.

I present to you the 8th contest, one that I, without a doubt, cannot pull off alone. I'll need the help of all who are interested in being part of what I'm tentatively calling the "Hacking Contest Team".

I want feedback to my ideas here, and hopefully we can work together to make this contest more fun to not only the hackers that put their all in providing quality, new Sonic games, but to the fans of the contest itself.

That goal is to take a plethora of hacks and determine which hack excels in which areas and determine the best hack of the year.

Without any additional fanfair, I present to you the rules and features of The 8th Annual / Sonic the Hedgehog Hacking Contest 2010.

FEATURES

I found the original second contest rules while gathering information for the contest's homepage. The Sonic the Hedgehog Hacking Contest will now have its own website, courtesy of the staff at SSRG.

Questions or comments can be left at any time on our chat room located on retro's IRC server. The channel name is #hackingcontest. Contact via email will be the same as the email provided for submitting hacks.

TROPHIES

Hidden Palace Trophy - Grand prize / 1st place trophy. This trophy is given to the overall best game. How this is determined is discussed in the Judging section.

Wood Zone Trophy - 2nd place trophy

Dust Hill Trophy - 3rd place trophy

Genocide City Trophy – This award goes to the hardest level

Lava Reef Trophy – this goes to the longest level hack (based on time taken to beat)

Green Hill Trophy – this goes to the level or game that plays most like a Sonic level or game

Labyrinth Trophy – most confusing level

1337!!! Trophy – worst Sonic hack

1000101 Trophy – best technical hack

Windy Valley Trophy – best original art hack

Toxic Caves Trophy - best reused art hack

Shadow Trophy – best Hentai-based / pr0n hack

Vector Trophy - most humourous hack

WTF?! Trophy – most unique hack

Christmas Present Trophy - sleeper hit hack. The best hack that no one saw coming.

Piano Trophy - best music to a hack

The Super Duper Amazing Level Trophy - best level layout hack

Eosian Sphere Trophy - best new object

Knuckles Trophy - best new playable character

Fang Trophy - best new enemy

Metropolis Trophy - best new boss

Mushroom Hill Trophy - best new miniboss (if applicable)

Spindash Trophy - best new ability

Eureka! Trophy - most innovative game play feature

Crystal Meth Trophy - most addictive hack

Casinopolis Trophy - most entertaining / fun hack

Hang Castle Trophy - most disturbing hack

Rusty Ruin Trophy - Best 3D Hack

The Bar Admin Trophy - most improved hack from last year

Sonic and Friends Trophy - best splash screen in a hack

Robotnik's Revenge Trophy - best new concept based on existing concepts (boss attack, time attack, things that were added to a game that exist in other sonic games)

Rick Roll Trophy - worst Sonic hack with stolen content

*Chaos Trophy - Best new super form for a character

*Seizure Trophy - Best new hyper form for a character

**Silver Trophy - Worst new character

**THE GAME - You just lost it



*Suggested by Hanoch and added
**Suggested by Mikel and added

JUDGING

The highest score in music, tech, level and object layout, art, and creativity will be the winner of the Hidden Palace Trophy. All ratings are subjective to the judges in charge and may not reflect your opinion.

RULES

Entry form is as follows:

================================================================================
=
Sonic the Hedgehog - Hacking Contest Template
Created by Julia Voets after Jon Moran & Damian Grove (Saxman)©1999-2002, 2009
VERSION - 2.00
================================================================================
=

AUTHOR
FILE VERSION
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
NAME OF HACK
GAME OF ORIGIN
EMULATOR COMPATIBILITY <gens, fusion>
FILE <filename.bin / gsx>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
DESCRIPTION OF HACK <description of your hack>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOOLS USED <editors used>
DISASSEMBLY USED (if any) <disasm>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT DID YOU CHANGE? <layout, art, sprites, everything?>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPECIAL THANKS TO <who helped or dedications>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL <your email>

If you link to your hack in this topic, I probably won't see it. Don't be a moron. If you'd like, I'll take a link to your hack through e-mail and PM.

1) You will have until 12:00 AM MST July 31st, 2010 to get all of your hacks in to me. I'm not making the mistake of having it due right as school is starting again. That delayed results last time -__-

2) Hacks must be e-mailed as either ROMs or savestates (kega or gens format only).

3) There are no limits on editors.

4) New Trophies may be added or removed during the contest

5) Entries may be sent in for any console, though you'll have to tell us what it is.

6) You may reach me at ilovet3hc0ckjulia.clarfet@gmail.compenisesRfun (get rid of filler) for questions and for sending hacks. You may also ask me questions in this thread.

7) No late hacks will be accepted -- end of story. Updated, already entered hacks are taken all the way until I finish playing through each hack once. I will let you know when that happens in topic.

8) Simple palette hacks are not allowed.

9) You may enter as many hacks as you'd like.

10) Rules may change at any time. Check back often. They've already changed twice in the first twenty minutes.

11) I need judges, promoters, art designers, etc. to pull off this contest. I want this to be the biggest and most successful contest to date, but I can't do it without the fans and the hackers. Hit me up if you'd like to help!!

I'd love to see your feedback, ideas, opinions, etc. This can be the best contest ever with all of us working together, but I desperately need HELP to pull it off. If you'd like to be part of the team, let me know.

Ready, Set... Procrastinate!!

Ayla / Nayr / Samantha Clarfet

This post has been edited by Ayla: Apr 20 2010, 06:12 PM

[Dude]

I don't know exactly what you could use my help for but if you need anything at all let me know, like if you need help making a system for 3d hacks or something. I'd be more than willing to provide hack hosting, be a 3d hack judge, etc.

Work on your 3d hacks everyone!

[SOTI]

It's good to see the contest returning as usual. I'm willing to provide any assistance that you need such as judging, adding the results to the wiki once the results are out (like last time), even if that includes the podcast work (this time without the loud sound effects I guess).
Also, added to the wiki.

[Iron Sonic]

You never can quite give up the Hacking Contest, can you, Ayla? Rather interesting change you made to the name. Got tired of just cycling consecutively through numbers? I kinda like the change, personally. I'd be willing to help out if you need it. I haven't been that well known in the community, despite being here since '07, but I can try to lend a hand if you need it.

Hopefully, this Contest will bring in even more cool new hacks than the last one.

[Animemaster]

Well I don't know much about the contest yet, as I have never thrown any hacks in to frey. Sonic Rev will hopefully be on this one.

[Ayla]

The hacking contest has been the most successful thing I've given the community, so it is definitely hard for me to give up. Those in power rarely give it up voluntarily, after all. I'll probably do this until I find someone reliable enough to carry it on for me =) Your help would be greatly appreciated, Iron Sonic.

Dude, I'd love for you to come up with something for judging 3D hacks. That's been something I've been having trouble with ever since the first 3D entry and they're actually becoming common and complex enough to get a separate rating system for them.

[Overlord]

I'm gonna assume no other mods/admins have seen this topic yet and pin it - if it's too early, fellow staffers, feel free to unpin.

[nineko]

Actually I was just reading through it, and I had no idea it should have been pinned, I'm still a probie at modding :P

This year, just like last year, I highly doubt I'm going to hack anything, but I'm glad to see the Contest alive once again. Good luck to all contestants!

[Destructiox]

CONFIRMED FOR HACKING CONTEST

Edit: I intend to retain the Genocide City Trophy this year, with more levels to make Ayla and her judging team cry harder than any other can! <3

This post has been edited by Destructiox: Dec 15 2009, 04:42 PM

[Ell678]

I aim to enter my hack next year. It will probably suck balls but hey, we all learn by getting feedback

[Hayate]

Just one question.

Given the level of programming that some people are going to to rewrite engines from scratch (the obvious example being DWEA), how much of a "hack" does something need to be to be in the contest? Would what everyone calls a "fangame" count?

(Basically, my argument is: I could enter, say, SATSEE. If I coded a brand new game for the Genesis from scratch and made SATSEE from that, I could probably still enter it. Now suppose it was made for the PC, not the Genesis. This obviously isn't a hack, rather a fangame.)

[Tweaker]

I'll be willing to help judge again provided I don't enter anything into the contest. Hopefully by then I won't be such a bitch about it.

[Tidbit]

Im in this. I have yet to fill out that form though :P.
And oh I just wanted to add......
the Windy Valley Trophy....
Is MINE.

[Sparks]

Definitely going to aim for the Toxic Caves Trophy, if I can get Sonic Rerun in on time.

[Tidbit]

I wonder who I'll be up against for the WV trophy.