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For Original Games Ranked 4–1
4.
Dreg Sector:
The Tract
by
Willy Elektrix
Release Type:
Original Release
Fuzzy Description:
Build your space fleet and own the galaxy through exploration, trading, fighting, and race relations. Pay off your parents’ gambling debts today.
(No relation to Super Walrus Man.)
Average Score:
(7.636)
Total Voters:
Highest Rating:
10
Lowest Rating:
6
Achievements
Achievement
Shafted Warrior
-In 2010, voters helped screw over Do You Want to Be a Hero? by failing to vote for Vikings of Midgard and affecting its average score for the better. Vikings of Midgard won 2nd Place because, while it had maintained 3rd Place throughout most of the contest, the last voter didn’t cast a vote for it when he submitted his scores, but did cast a middling vote for DYWTBAH?, and allowed his abstained vote for Vikings to send its average score just past DYWTBAH?. In 2012, select voters committed a similar shaft when they voted with decimal values, which was never asked for, rather than with whole values, which I thought was implied (and later had to state with clarity). Thanks to the decimal values, I had to round a few scores up to the next whole value, which included scores for Cool Guy Bob Surlaw that would have given it 4th Place had the voters just given it a 7 instead of a 7.75 or an 8 instead of an 8.5. In reality, the decimals factored in would have given Dreg Sector: The Tract 3rd place by less than two one-thousandths of a point (0.00162). But I’m not averaging in decimals, so Cool Guy Bob Surlaw shanks Dreg Sector: The Tract in glorious Vikings of Midgard fashion.
Achievement
Fan Favorite
–Dreg Sector: The Tract picked up a lot of praise for its intelligent design and intriguing premise, and if not for the usual voter turnout issues, might’ve done even better in the rankings than it has.
Achievement
Subquest Harboring
–Dreg Sector: The Tract has plenty of side missions to look for.
Achievement
Up Here, Please
-Every vote for Dreg Sector: The Tract rated it above the waist at 6 points or higher.
Achievement
Best Villain Nominee: Faceless Evil
-Imagine Google but beyond the stars.
Achievement
Shafted Warrior
-In 2010, voters helped screw over Do You Want to Be a Hero? by failing to vote for Vikings of Midgard and affecting its average score for the better. Vikings of Midgard won 2nd Place because, while it had maintained 3rd Place throughout most of the contest, the last voter didn’t cast a vote for it when he submitted his scores, but did cast a middling vote for DYWTBAH?, and allowed his abstained vote for Vikings to send its average score just past DYWTBAH?. In 2012, select voters committed a similar shaft when they voted with decimal values, which was never asked for, rather than with whole values, which I thought was implied (and later had to state with clarity). Thanks to the decimal values, I had to round a few scores up to the next whole value, which included scores for Cool Guy Bob Surlaw that would have given it 4th Place had the voters just given it a 7 instead of a 7.75 or an 8 instead of an 8.5. In reality, the decimals factored in would have given Dreg Sector: The Tract 3rd place by less than two one-thousandths of a point (0.00162). But I’m not averaging in decimals, so Cool Guy Bob Surlaw shanks Dreg Sector: The Tract in glorious Vikings of Midgard fashion.
Achievement
Subquest Harboring
–Dreg Sector: The Tract has plenty of side missions to look for.
Achievement
Up Here, Please
-Every vote for Dreg Sector: The Tract rated it above the waist at 6 points or higher.
Achievement
Fan Favorite
–Dreg Sector: The Tract picked up a lot of praise for its intelligent design and intriguing premise, and if not for the usual voter turnout issues, might’ve done even better in the rankings than it has.
Achievement
Best Villain Nominee: Faceless Evil
-Imagine Google but beyond the stars.
Audience Consensus:
Pretty difficult at first and laborious to break into, but moves along quite nicely once the player gets going. Battles are slow, but in an epic way. Colored sectors could stand to be more colorblind-friendly. A game that balances economy well, is simple to understand, and will ultimately suck the better part of a player’s day away from him. Featuring awesome music from SDHawk.
3.
Cool Guy Bob Surlaw
by
The Wobbler
Release Type:
Original Release
Fuzzy Description:
The next installment in the epic adventures of Bob Surlaw and his wacky Walthrosian neighbors. Walk with Bob and his new nosestyle as he hunts down his friend’s kidnapper and makes the streets cool again, but watch your step because your decisions could cost you a great deal in the end.
Average Score:
(7.642)
Total Voters:
Highest Rating:
9
Lowest Rating:
6
Achievements
Achievement
Series Facelift
–Cool Guy Bob Surlaw updates the Walthros universe with slick and stylish cartoon graphics, while giving its hero, Bob Surlaw, an actual facelift (or nose job).
Achievement
Reaping the Consequences
-When the lack of a vote pushes one game ahead of the other in the rankings…
Achievement
Old Heroes Die Hard
–Cool Guy Bob Surlaw marks the 103rd appearance of Bob Surlaw in an OHR game, or thereabouts. He’s been in a lot of games. But also the battles are more than Spacebar-mashers and use more strategy to win.
Achievement
Best Use of a Mirror
-Bob Surlaw uses a mirror to check out his new nose, and the player is treated with the visual.
Achievement
Willy Shanker
-See Dreg Sector’s “Shafted Warrior.”
Achievement
Series Facelift
–Cool Guy Bob Surlaw updates the Walthros universe with slick and stylish cartoon graphics, while giving its hero, Bob Surlaw, an actual facelift (or nose job).
Achievement
Old Heroes Die Hard
–Cool Guy Bob Surlaw marks the 103rd appearance of Bob Surlaw in an OHR game, or thereabouts. He’s been in a lot of games. But also the battles are more than Spacebar-mashers and use more strategy to win.
Achievement
Best Use of a Mirror
-Bob Surlaw uses a mirror to check out his new nose, and the player is treated with the visual.
Achievement
Reaping the Consequences
-When the lack of a vote pushes one game ahead of the other in the rankings…
Achievement
Willy Shanker
-See Dreg Sector’s “Shafted Warrior.”
Audience Consensus:
Another one that ends well before it truly begins. Cosmetically awesome and is perhaps the best-written game of Heart of the OHR 2012 (if that were a category). Branching dialogue and consequential outcomes a great gimmick. Just how many endings are there? Why is it so tempting to let Bob hit on the walrus girl and suffer the inevitable fallout with Super Walrus Man? Battles are also created with strategy in mind, thus adding to the appeal of encountering enemies. Music by Glock & Mr. 8-Bit = awesome.
2.
The K’hyurbhi Lands
by
FnrrfYgmSchnish
Release Type:
Original Release
Fuzzy Description:
A Numnum and his band of round buddies return to his homeland to discover that a corrupt king has taken over. After getting thrown out of a palace window, the three heroes vow to supplant the tyrant, but not before the kingdom’s prized chef sends them on a training odyssey across the land.
What follows is a grand adventure of cartoonish proportions.
Average Score:
Total Voters:
Highest Rating:
9
Lowest Rating:
5
Achievements
Achievement
Is That My Party?
-The heroes and NPCs in The K’hyurbhi Lands all look the same, and it isn’t easy to spot who’s who during the split party quests.
Achievement
Quit Your Day Job
-Another 9 to 5 reference for a game that does everything right.
Achievement
Money Clencher
-Earning money in The K’hyurbhi Lands takes a little longer than the player might like or expect, thanks to enemies yielding low values.
Achievement
Spiked Pink Lemonade
-Part reference to The K’hyurbhi Lands’s tropical environments, but mainly a reference to the fact that something so simple and childish can be so addicting, and that the author must’ve laced it with some mind-altering substance for it to rate so well with players.
Audience Consensus:
The title could scare off potential players, but those who crack it open will most undoubtedly find a colorful, entertaining, surprising gem of a game inside. Never too complicated or overly redundant, this simple story has a lot to tell, and does a nice job fleshing out the characters as they gradually reveal who they are and what they can do.
1.
DUNGEONMEN:
Men of Dungeons
by
KFHarlock
and
Shizuma
Release Type:
Original Release
Fuzzy Description:
Accept the king’s petition. Gather your tools and armor. Search the castle for treasure. Break down doors. Forge your weapons. Light your torches. Analyze your question marks. Men your dungeons. Repeal the return of evil.
It’s like Saturday afternoon in front of the SNES circa 1994 all over again.
Average Score:
Total Voters:
Highest Rating:
10
Lowest Rating:
7
Achievements
Achievement
Highest Voter Turnout
-With 15 unique voters, DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons had more voters than any other game in the contest.
Achievement
Master of Balance
-KF Harlock and Shizuma are good at balancing their game mechanics, and DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons is no exception.
Achievement
Collector of Tens
-Only two games earned a 10 from voters. Dreg Sector: The Tract earned a single 10 rating. DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons earned six.
Achievement
Best Dungeon Nominee: Falls in Swamp
-A game about dungeons, DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons is full of well-crafted dungeons, but Falls in Swamp is the standout.
Achievement
Inflated Chest
–DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons never scored below a 7 with its players, thus making it the best received game in the history of the Heart of the OHR contest (Motrya scored considerably higher in the average vote in 2010, but it did take a 6 from one voter).
Achievement
Candidate for Best of 2012
-Is there a better OHR game released in 2012? Maybe. But unlikely.
Achievement
Highest Voter Turnout
-With 15 unique voters, DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons had more voters than any other game in the contest.
Achievement
Collector of Tens
-Only two games earned a 10 from voters. Dreg Sector: The Tract earned a single 10 rating. DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons earned six.
Achievement
Inflated Chest
–DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons never scored below a 7 with its players, thus making it the best received game in the history of the Heart of the OHR contest (Motrya scored considerably higher in the average vote in 2010, but it did take a 6 from one voter).
Achievement
Master of Balance
-KF Harlock and Shizuma are good at balancing their game mechanics, and DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons is no exception.
Achievement
Best Dungeon Nominee: Falls in Swamp
-A game about dungeons, DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons is full of well-crafted dungeons, but Falls in Swamp is the standout.
Achievement
Candidate for Best of 2012
-Is there a better OHR game released in 2012? Maybe. But unlikely.
Audience Consensus:
A great game overall with no shortage of dungeons to explore. Nicely old school. Can be overwhelming in its breadth, and constantly returning to the castle to recover can be a chore, but the plentiful options and the depth of interaction with each region keeps the game fresh and exciting. Party customization a plus, even if it sacrifices the story that comes attached to the characters. In spite of how well documented the racy introduction is by now, it still catches a few players off guard. Mostly polished, but such a complicated game still reveals bugs at times. Music by Glock & Mr. 8-Bit = awesome, too.
And there you have it, your lineup for the 2012 Heart of the OHR Contest.
Excellent work to the contestants, and special kudos to KFHarlock and Shizuma for winning the Original Release category with such an awesome game. Congratulations to mjohnson092088 for winning the Rereleased category. Congratulations to Fenrir-Lunaris for taking the first ever OHR Legends badge (and for subsequently designing it).
Thanks also to James Paige, Fenrir-Lunaris, Mogri, Momoka, Mystic, and Inferior Minion for helping with the prizes.
Heart of the OHR 3 begins on June 1st, 2014 and runs until November 30th, 2014, so get your entries started now if you want to top this year’s winners.
—Pepsi Ranger
