Would you participate in a game competition using Panda3D
- Yes please
- No but I can’t wait to judge
0 voters
Hello again all.
I feel it is time for Panda3D to make its mark in the game competition scene.
Pyday is scheduled for the weekend after Christmas '08 and is the only python compo coming up for a while. However the site is currently in repair, plus they only allow libraries pygame or pyglet.
(Although the pyday site is “down”, their old google group has some info, and also their IRC channel is alive and well at: freenode,#pyday)
The main rules are that it is 24 hours, and is limited to a single small file which must be the whole game which only uses one of those 2 standard platforms.
Apparently Panda3D is large and scary to download for bandwidth challenged users who will be expected to download it to judge the games. However, I feel that users unwilling to download a large platform to test games for a contest are also unworthy of supplying their critical input as a judge. Bigger install=better library (in our case at least)
I say it is time that everyone have Panda3D installed for some reason or another. As long as it comes with a simple tool to add and run user games for all the noobs who dont want to get shell on their fingers.
So, I propose that we either get Panda3D accepted in the pyday compo coming up, or…
HAVE OUR OWN GAME COMPETITION !!!
(with our own rules and as many spiteful restrictions and specialized tools as we please)
Compos are fun to be in, fun to hear about, and most fun to judge if you remember to visit the compo when it ends.
So why arent we all currently wrist deep in multiple competitions?? Because they are rare, and more importantly because each one is so different that most people who would enter only pick the ONE if any that they think will give them the best advantage. Well that attitde may never change, but we can still get around it by just making more competitions.
Themes are always the biggest part of compos. Not just to restrict users from submitting old games, but to motivate contestants by assuring them a challenge. Making a good game using a “bad” theme is a job only for the creative, and is especially rewarding. Therefore there are no bad themes, just bad interpretations which result in less fun gameplay, and thats what it is all about - GAMEPLAY. Making a “play” in the Game. Getting that rush of adrenaline when your flawless prediction of future events advances you through the game as opposed to the usual SEVERE PUNISHMENT games use to make winning them seem more fun.
Games are all about the situations they put the player in, and the limited options the player has to succeed so as to not lose the challenge. A game contest is then not so different; except that the challenge is to amuse the judges, and the options are… every combination of every computer code. Which is good if you wanted lots of room to be creative - and isnt being creative the most fun thing to do? (duh)
Also I have made much progress on my growing “minimal” game template for which all users of the contest may use. It currently renders panda3d into one or multiple wx.Panels and provides buttons above the panel which open configuration Frames for palyer/game keys, and graphcis settings. The settings are persistent, the hud is 3d, the girls are hot for you, and you will enjoy using it while blasting away the competition with your amazingly original game idea which barely fits the theme but will surely win with good controls alone.
(example: squarediana jones which was a “one week one button” contest entry years ago in which you held space to attach your lasso to the nearest of a few hooks on the screen. The lasso is elastic and you either grab the gold to win or fall off the bottom of the screen to your death by gravity) - its really addictive but sadly only came with about 5 levels. Find it here -> http://www.rav.efbnet.com/1w1b2/results.html
