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If you’re new to these Contest Archives, then welcome to the Heart of the OHR’s 2012 contest page series. If you’re taking the archive walking tour, then welcome back. On these next six pages, you’ll find curated information, as well as access to original information for everything related to the second Heart of the OHR contest. These pages will modify original content layouts to make the best use of this format, but all relevant information can be read or accessed through this page series. For the sake of preservation, along with curated content, this page series will provide links to forum threads and articles related to this contest for anyone who wants to relive contest history.
Formatting Note: To prevent text clutter, I’m using yellow pop-up buttons to contain extra information about contest rules, prizes, and time periods, as well as definitions for the “achievements” each game received. Likewise, I’m using red buttons to link to the original sources of this information in case you want to read everything about it or experience what contestants of that time period experienced. All links are active as of this writing, but links are known to go dead over time. If you encounter a broken link while viewing these pages, please send me a message letting me know. Be sure to mention which contest year you’re viewing and which button leads to a broken link. Thank you.
Format Notes
Long before this site existed, I had to communicate contest rules and results through message boards and magazines, each subject to the standards and formats of their hosts. I’d post either plain text or a generic Microsoft Word document with a rough table designed to communicate layout without having any real control over the final presentation. In 2012, that was an OHR community norm, and many like me who hosted a contest or presented results without owning their own website or blog had the same limitations.
But now that I can customize the look however I want, I figured it’s time to adopt an official standard for the Heart of the OHR’s announcements and results. The designs for the following page series represent that standard.
I’ve done my best to make these pages exciting, but do note that I don’t want to make them crazy or resource intensive. So, I’ve decided to limit how much content I share about each game. To keep things simple and authentic, each game will reuse its original screenshot for the results section, and only through exceptional cases will I add more. That said, unlike the original articles where I first posted the results, you can click on each screenshot to enlarge it.
Also, this page series will defer certain content to other pages to streamline the current theme. In other words, this page series will cover rules and results but not statistics. For statistics, I recommend checking out the official Heart of the OHR statistics page.
This page series may also present content that either stirred up interest or paid homage to the contest. This can include videos, teases, or exclusive games. In some cases, these elements were not part of the original announcements.
Finally, please be aware that I will not post links to any of these games simply because I want to respect the right of each author to display his or her game in the spaces or forums he chooses. That said, most games can still be found on the Slime Salad game list, and links posted in the original contest thread may still be active. But given the decisions of each author, some games may no longer be available, and it is not up to me to make them available. Please understand, and thank you for understanding.
Additional Note: These contest pages were originally designed to contain all relevant content on a single page per contest year, but thanks to intensive page resources crushing delivery speed (in one case making it impossible to load the page without suffering a timeout error), I had to spread content across multiple pages to make viewing more manageable. Hopefully this change to a page series will improve your reading experience, as well as offer you more breakpoints to continue where you left off should you need a rest. And thanks again for reading. I’ve put an unreasonable amount of time into building these archives, time I could’ve spent writing books, so thank you for taking the time to revisit history.
The following content represents the original article announcing the 2012 contest results, first published on community member TheCube’s OHR blog, The Hamster Burrow. But if you’d like to learn more about the conditions leading to these results, please click on the respective pop-up buttons explaining each contest component so you know what guidelines each contestant was expected to follow.
2012 Contest Rules
The following is the 2012 series rule set, based on the original rules this contest was founded on. Most of the original rules have been preserved for this season with a slight adaptation to account for the third category introduced this season.
Rules:
- Must be an RPG. This is a zero rule. What categorizes as an RPG can be left open for debate, but at the end of the day it must be an RPG. In 2010, we saw one game stretch the limit of what we considered acceptable (Do You Want to Be a Hero?). For a complete list of the games that made the cut in 2010, consult the following link.
- NonRPGs not permitted. (See Above)
- Joke games not permitted (though funny ones are okay).
- Special scripting is okay (as long as it doesn’t turn the RPG into a nonRPG).
- Game must have at least 30 minutes of playtime with a good chunk of that devoted to story (in other words, 30 minutes without level grinding).
- Updates to previous RPGs permitted.
- Updates to previous RPGs need at least 30 minutes of new content to be eligible. Changing a textbox to an old two-hour game and re-releasing it doesn’t make it eligible.
- Fan games and parodies discouraged, but not forbidden. Original stories preferred.
2012 Contest Release Categories
Release Categories:
In 2010 every entry was lumped into the same category and judged under the same conditions regardless of originality versus the rereleased. This year I am altering the rules slightly to accommodate for release types.
Original Games:
These are the games that have never been publicly released prior to June 1, 2012. These are the easiest to judge since the ground is fresh. We had eight original entries in 2010, including the Game of the Year winner, Motrya. The winner of this category will get the top prizes.
Rereleased Games:
These games have been unleashed on the community before June 1, 2012, and are making a second life appearance in the Heart of the OHR Contest. These will receive most of the same basic prizes as the original games, but cash prizes may not be as readily available. Any original game that was released for the 2010 contest will automatically default to this category if reentered for 2012. In 2010 we had four rereleased games.
OHR Legends:
This special category is reserved for the games that have been released prior to July 1, 2010, and resubmitted as Heart of the OHR entries that same year. Right now there are four games eligible for this category: Vikings of Midgard, Do You Want to Be a Hero?, Okedoke, and Tales of the New World II. Should any of these games be submitted this year, they will automatically default to the OHR Legends category. These games will only receive one prize.
2012 Contest Window
Release Dates:
Unlike traditional contests, “Heart of the OHR” will not require a start time or an end time per se. Rather, this will adopt the “release window” technique made popular with Game-a-thon, in that any RPG released within the window is eligible (provided it meets the above standards).
Window begins June 1st and ends November 30th.
I will allow a one-week grace period for bug-fixing. Entries must be ready for voting by December 7th.
All deadlines will expire at 6am EST the following day.
2012 Contest Prizes
Prizes:
Because RPGs are harder to come by these days (especially in contests), I thought it’s only fair to combat the odds with prizes that don’t suck. Therefore, various members of the community have agreed to give special bonuses to entrants and the winner.
Just by entering a game into the contest, the contestant will get to choose a bugfix or feature request to be put on the December 1st bug bounty. The winner will get to choose a second bug or feature request to be implemented ASAP (pending feasibility). Because the window is so large, James has agreed that no request is unreasonable at this time.
Here’s how it works:
During a time frame decided on by James, you may post your bugfix or feature request here so that he can start working toward implementing it. You may only choose one, so pick wisely. Once you choose your request, you are then expected to release a quality RPG (fitting the above standards) by November 30th to receive your entry prize. The prize, of course, is a ransom for the bug or feature request you posted here if it’s not implemented by December 1st. If your bug is not fixed by the deadline, then you get whatever James decides to pay for ransoms. And that’s just for entering the contest! The winner will get to request a second bugfix or feature once the votes are in.
Note: James is in charge of how the bug bounty system works, including what to pay out for failure to implement, and when requests will no longer be accepted. For questions regarding this prize, please ask him for clarification.
You may view the current requests here.
And the old archival requests here.
All release categories eligible for this prize.
The winner will also get a HamsterSpeak cover devoted to his winning entry or the game of his choice for the January 2013 issue. Artist is unknown at this point, but we’ll happily take volunteers. I’d also, if possible, like to offer the winner a second piece of artwork about his game for the magazine, but only if a second artist volunteers.
Highest ranked game will receive this prize regardless of release category.
Thirdly, the winner will receive either slime bucks or an increase to the stat of his or her choice for the Slime Salad Arena.
Both category winners will receive this prize.
Fourthly, the winning game will be featured for Slime Salad’s game of the month (pending author’s acceptance) for January or February 2013.
Prize eligible for original game category winner only. Rereleased game winner can negotiate for the following month if it doesn’t break Game of the Month standards.
Fifthly, if I’m not broke by then, the winner will receive some extra cash as a cherry on top. I’ll determine the amount by then, but it will probably be conditional on the number of games that are actually submitted.
If prize is awarded (I’m usually broke), it will be for original game category winner only.
Sixthly, anyone out there can add to the prize pot if he or she has something to offer, so feel free to help make this into a treasure trove of winnings if you want to, and if you have the resources for it.
Specifically I’d like to see:
- cash prizes
- fan art
- theme song about the winning game(s)
Note: Community member BMR has volunteered to produce fan art for the winning entry.
Seventhly, as an added bonus to the contestants, all entrants will receive a T-shirt, courtesy of Inferior Minion, with the Heart of the OHR, Castle Paradox, Slime Salad, and HamsterSpeak logos branded on the fabric. This way you can celebrate the return of the RPG, and become a walking advertisement!
Note: Although I have confirmed this with IM a couple of months ago, I have not heard a word from him in several weeks, so I am only assuming this prize is still on the table.
Eighthly, community member Momoka is offering bonus prizes to the game that can present the single best dungeon of the contest (per his OHR Dungeon contest, which I think is partly standalone but mostly integrated with this contest). This prize is not given exclusively to the winning entry, but to the one that has the best newly-designed dungeon. I believe this side contest is open to entrants in all three categories. Consult the official thread for rules and details.
Note: If you would like to add to the prize pot for other specific design features, let me know and I will edit in your offers.
Ninthly, community member Mystic has decided to give $5 to four contestants who meet specific design criteria that he will look for mysteriously. Cross your fingers that you’re one of them. Consult this post for specific details.
Special Prize for OHR Legends Releases:
Any game categorized as an OHR Legends release will receive a special trophy classifying it as such. This is strictly a prestige award, but it will remind future players of the game’s longevity. This trophy will receive “levels” each time it’s awarded to a specific game. OHR Legends releases should still meet the 30 minutes of additional game time rule to be eligible for the trophy.
So, as you can see, it would be crazy not to join and make something for the Heart of the OHR Contest, so take the chance. Nominating a bugfix or feature request confirms your intention to join. Just remember that there will be no ransom paid on unresolved bugs if you drop out. So make something and stick with it. Don’t procrastinate, either. Games that don’t meet the above standards will also forfeit the ransom.
2012 Contest Tips
Tips:
Release the best game you’re capable of making. The community doesn’t want to see or play throwaway titles anymore. Do your best to make a quality game. While you shouldn’t be intimidated by this, you still need to be aware that games like Wandering Hamster and Vikings of Midgard are just as capable of making an appearance during the contest window as any game, so make it your best if you want the winning prizes.
Heart of the OHR Contest Results
2012 Edition
From June 1, 2012 to November 30, 2012, the OHR community was once again given the opportunity to relive the days when random battles were accepted and game design was about visiting towns and crawling through dungeons, and then get rewarded for implementing the throwback design into their games. The contest, called Heart of the OHR, had a simple rule: make, add to, or finish a traditional OHRRPG.
This year we had an overwhelming turnout. With three categories to enter, fifteen people rose to the challenge. And meet the challenge they did. One author submitted the first ever “OHR Legends” release, the classic Vikings of Midgard, which has now earned the world’s first Heart of the OHR Legends badge. The condition for earning the “Legends” title is to release a game previously rereleased for a Heart of the OHR contest but with new content. In the “Rereleased” category, three authors released new content to games we’ve played before, with one of those games originally released as an original for the 2010 contest. Thirteen authors (including one who released a rerelease, and the one who released the Legends title) produced new games never before seen in the OHR community for the coveted “Originals” category, and many of them knocked their entries out of the park. With a whopping 17 entries total, these authors’ contributions made the 2012 Heart of the OHR among the best contests in the OHR’s history for turnout (the 2001 48-Hour contest still holds the lead with 19 entries) and one of the best for quality. It was also one of the few contests where nearly every entry was rated generously. The Heart of the OHR 2012’s average contest score was 6.14, which is more than a third of a point above Heart of the OHR 2010’s average of 5.8. With so many great games released in 2010, this seemed like an unbelievable feat. But mission accomplished nonetheless.
However, even with so many high praises given to the games of Heart of the OHR 2012, only two could reign supreme: the one for the original category and the one for the rereleased category. The rest had to fight for second place and beyond.
Here again is the story of that battle for the Heart of the OHR:
Please note that rankings are listed from worst to best, and based on average votes, not rosters or quantities of total players. For this reason, abstained votes did not count against games, but in many ways helped their averages.
Voting Standards
The following is an excerpt from the original announcement thread (in 2010) informing voters how I expected them to vote. Until Heart of the OHR, the average OHR contest required voters to rank their favorites from 1–10, giving scoring priority to the higher ranked items. This usually involved a Top 3, Top 5, or Top 10 vote, depending on the size of the contest, or an “include all” in the case where each voter couldn’t vote until they played all the games. But this often left the worst games unranked or with a huge disparity from the more popular entries.
Heart of the OHR didn’t want to leave anyone out in the cold, nor did it expect all voters to play every game. So, it adopted a scoring system based on average ratings to decide the difference between winners and losers. Of course, this system had its own flaws, and I’d spent the next ten years trying to perfect it. But this is how the scoring system began.
Below is a clip from the original thread. I’ve also placed a link to the entire message if you want to see the whole story, including how I expected voters to treat rereleased games.
Note: Because the voting system was the same in 2012 as it was in 2010, I just linked potential voters to the original instructions if they had any questions on how to vote. The new 2012 category, OHR Legends, wasn’t actually up for vote, so I didn’t make any updates to the system to include it.
Remember, we will not be voting in the usual Top 10 rankings that we’re used to doing in contests, but rather scoring each game on a scale from 1–10. Scores for each game will then be averaged by number of voters for that game.
For example, if Ignatious the Happy Walrus Who Sat Upon His Enemies and Smote Them earned scores from five voters at 3, 5, 6, 4, and 7 respectively, the average score would be 25 points / 5 voters or 5.0 points for the game. Conversely, if only three people vote, and those scores are 6, 4, and 7, then the average score comes out to 17/3, or 5.6—a higher average than if it had five voters.
So, as you can see, the fewer votes a game receives, the higher its grade point average may be, and the more likely it could climb the ranks, so it pays to vote, for the game that only gets one vote, a 10, can easily win the contest. Do you want that single vote to sway the results? No. So do your part and vote. You don’t have to vote for every game, but for every game you don’t vote on, the more likely you’ll inadvertently send it to the top. And something tells me that Ignatious the Happy Walrus should not outrank the gems that made this contest, so be sure to vote.
You can view the entire “How to Vote” message here.
Note: I modified the scoring system in 2014 to include what I called “the 2/3rds rule,” which I’ll explain in greater detail on the 2014 contest page. Bear in mind that if you check out the statistics page, realize that games in 2010 and 2012 may end up with different scores and rankings under this rule than they do here.
2012 Voting Window
Every season, I attempt to give voters a fair block of time to play all of the games and figure out what scores they’re worth. Most of the time, I undercut that estimation by several weeks. In 2012, I had to extend the voting period by two weeks to ensure fairness for everyone. Below is the original voting announcement.
________
Voting will run from December 16 – December 31 (I’ll extend this to a few extra days in January if any holiday vacationers need the extra time).
Note that I will not close voting until I have a minimum of 10 votes, so if the deadline comes and goes and I have fewer than that, voting will remain open until the minimum is met. I want all contestants to have a fair playthrough and comment/critique/score for their games.
The way we handle votes will likely change from the 2010 contest. I am still considering an alternative method from the previous way.
For full details on how it used to be, consult the following post.
To see an ongoing discussion about what voting may become, consult this post.
