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So, here we are on the final stop of the Heart of the OHR Contest Archives walking tour. On this page, you’ll find a wealth of statistics that define the real story of the Heart of the OHR. Tales of failure and triumph, wins and losses, generosity and sabotage, all through the unbiased voices of numbers and trends.

What follows is a series of charts and graphs that display not only the records that appeared at the bottom of every Heart of the OHR results page from 2010 to 2018 (2020 being the exception since its debut is right here), but also new data points like voter trends and contest averages that highlight the true success story behind Heart of the OHR.

Was the contest as popular as everyone thinks? Did it result in truly exceptional titles?

Read on to discover the rest of the story.

Current Records

Every season, I repost this same list of records regarding the highest and lowest cumulative values according to the contest series so far, but I update it according to the latest records set that year. This chart represents Heart of the OHR’s current records as of 2020.

Highest Participation Turnout:
21 (17 originals, 4 rereleased)
(2018)

Highest Voter Turnout:
16
(2012)

Highest Average Contest Rating:
6.41
(2020)

Highest Rated Game:
Motrya
9.5 (2010)

Most Voted On Game:
DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons*
15 votes (2012)

Most Perfect 10’s Given to a Single Game:
8
Motrya (2010)

Most Perfect 10’s Given in a Contest:
18
(2020)

Most Imperfect 1’s Given in a Contest:
13
(2010)

Widest Voter Spread for a Game:
1–10
Surfasaurus (2016)

Highest Low Score for a Game:
7 (tie)
DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons
(2012)
Kaiju Big Battel: Fighto Fantasy (2018)
False Skies (2020)

Number of Games to Receive Votes from Every Voter:
14
Eternity Fragment Prelude (2010)
Every Game from 2020 except for Blood Ledger and TutOHRial

Lowest Participation Turnout:
11 (10 official originals, 1 unofficial)
(2016)

Lowest Voter Turnout:
12
(2010)

Lowest Average Contest Rating:
3.55
(2016)

Lowest Rated Game:
James Doppler’s Epic Sci-Fi Fantasy…
2.25 (2014)

Least Voted On Game:
Vikings of Midgard**
5 votes (2010)

Most Imperfect 1’s Given to a Single Game:
5
Hero (2010)

Fewest Perfect 10’s Given in a Contest:
1
(tie, 2014; 2016)

Fewest Imperfect 1’s Given in a Contest:
1
(2012)

Narrowest Voter Spread for a Game:
6–8
Final Dragon Legacy (2012)
3–5
Universal Wars (2012)***
1–3
Dark Planet (2016)
2–4
Grapnes 2: Kepnalcide (2016)
6–8
Hinterlands: Pilgrimage (2018)
5–7
Trytuges (2018)

Lowest High Score for a Game:
3
Dark Planet (2016)****

Highest Participation Turnout:
21 (17 originals, 4 rereleased)
(2018)

Lowest Participation Turnout:
11 (10 official originals, 1 unofficial)
(2016)

Highest Voter Turnout:
16
(2012)

Lowest Voter Turnout:
12
(2010)

Highest Average Contest Rating:
6.41
(2020)

Lowest Average Contest Rating:
3.55
(2016)

Highest Rated Game:
Motrya
9.5 (2010)

Lowest Rated Game:
James Doppler’s Epic Sci-Fi Fantasy…
2.25 (2014)

Most Voted On Game:
DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons*
15 votes (2012)

Least Voted On Game:
Vikings of Midgard**
5 votes (2010)

Most Perfect 10’s Given to a Single Game:
8
Motrya (2010)

Most Imperfect 1’s Given to a Single Game:
5
Hero (2010)

Most Perfect 10’s Given in a Contest:
18
(2020)

Fewest Perfect 10’s Given in a Contest:
1
(tie, 2014; 2016)

Most Imperfect 1’s Given in a Contest:
13
(2010)

Fewest Imperfect 1’s Given in a Contest:
1
(2012)

Widest Voter Spread for a Game:
1–10
Surfasaurus (2016)

Narrowest Voter Spread for a Game:
6–8
Final Dragon Legacy (2012)
3–5
Universal Wars (2012)***
1–3
Dark Planet (2016)
2–4
Grapnes 2: Kepnalcide (2016)
6–8
Hinterlands: Pilgrimage (2018)
5–7
Trytuges (2018)

Highest Low Score for a Game:
7 (tie)
DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons
(2012)
Kaiju Big Battel: Fighto Fantasy (2018)
False Skies (2020)

Lowest High Score for a Game:
3
Dark Planet (2016)****

Number of Games to Receive Votes from Every Voter:
14
Eternity Fragment Prelude (2010)
Every Game from 2020 except for Blood Ledger and TutOHRial

*DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons (2012) was the single most voted on game in Heart of the OHR history, with 15 unique voters, until 2020 when all but two games (Blood Ledger and TutOHRial) earned votes from 15 unique voters.

**Fruity Quest (2016) received only 3 votes total, but because it wasn’t officially released for the contest, and because I didn’t encourage votes for it, voters largely ignored it, and I decided not to cast it in the official running. Likewise, Hanu in Hell (2018) started receiving votes before I officially disqualified it, but only two people actually got their votes in. Should Heart of the OHR ever make a return, a new one-third voter minimum rule will be enforced, disqualifying any game that receives less than one-third the total vote.

***Universal Wars actually received a low vote of 2.5, but decimal votes were not accepted and were thus rounded to the nearest whole number, in this case 3.

****Hanu in Hell (2018) received a 2 as both its highest score and average voter score, leading also to the narrowest voter spread in the contest, but because it was disqualified for being too short and incomplete, all of its official records were thrown out with it. This was also in part due to only two people voting on it, which wasn’t a fair representation of the community vote, especially since the robot scores would’ve changed the average to 4.25 if I had kept it in (and if no one else had voted on it, which would’ve been unlikely).

Contest Series Records

The following chart displays the totals and averages that tell the whole Heart of the OHR participation story. This is the first time this chart has been rendered for a contest postmortem.

Total Games Entered:
89
(total)
83
(official)
3
(unofficial)
3
(unranked)*

Total Games Disqualified:
2
(to date)***

Total Participating Authors:
79
(total)
75
(official)
4
(unofficial)
52
(unique)*****

Total Votes Cast:
909
(to date)

Average Game Releases Per Year:
14.8
(to date)

Total Games By Category:
68
(original)
14
(re-released)
2
(OHR Legend, Level 1)
1
(OHR Legend, Level 2)
2
(remake)**

Total Games Rejected:
5
(to date)****

Total Voters::
85
(total)
47
(unique)******

Average Votes Cast Per Voter:
10.7
(to date)

Total Contest Average Rating Score:
5.33
(to date)

Total Games Entered:
89
(total)
83
(official)
3
(unofficial)
3
(unranked)*

Total Games By Category:
68
(original)
14
(re-released)
2
(OHR Legend, Level 1)
1
(OHR Legend, Level 2)
2
(remake)**

Total Games Disqualified:
2
(to date)***

Total Games Rejected:
5
(to date)****

Total Participating Authors:
79
(total)
75
(official)
4
(unofficial)
52
(unique)*****

Total Voters::
85
(total)
47
(unique)******

Average Votes Cast Per Voter:
10.7
(to date)

Total Votes Cast:
909
(to date)

Average Game Releases Per Year:
14.8
(to date)

Total Contest Average Rating Score:
5.33
(to date)

*OHR Legends weren’t eligible for a vote until 2014. Likewise, disqualified games were removed from eligibility. These condition make up the “unranked” category.

**These values are based on categorization at the time of contest.

***Fruity Quest (2016) was disqualified after I had entered it as an unofficial entry and no one voted on it. But the game’s creator never entered it himself, which makes this statistic nebulous. Hanu in Hell (2018) was also disqualified for having too few votes (and not enough content), but its author submitted it, so its disqualification stat is valid.

****For a game to be rejected, either the author has to ask for admittance and fail the critical requirements for entry (including releasing the game with new gameplay content or be within the contest window), or the author has to deny its entry after I’ve requested it to enter. This statistic does not include games I’d wanted to enter but decided weren’t eligible. Note: This stat is based on my memory, not research. For a more accurate number, I’d need to review all six forums and all of my private messages dating back to 2010 for those eligibility discussions, but I’m pretty sure this is representative of the real number. Most of the eligibility issues happened in 2010, 2018, and 2020, which this stat accurately reflects. The other years are hazier, but I don’t recall rejecting any game (or having the author reject a game) publicly or privately during those seasons.

*****This stat includes authors with disqualified games.

******The number of unique voters is based on unique names. It does not factor in any voter who may have changed his or her name from one season to the next, except for those multiple names I’m aware of belonging to the same person.

Top Authors and Games

Below is a list of Heart of the OHR’s top authors according to the number of participating seasons and the number of games they’ve released over the contest’s lifetime.

Top Authors by Participation Year

Top Authors by Game Releases
(including re-releases)

Spoonweaver
4 seasons

Pheonix/Feenicks
4 seasons

Fenrir-Lunaris
3 seasons

FnrrfYgmSchnish
3 seasons

Guo
3 seasons

RedMaverickZero
3 seasons

The Wobbler
3 seasons

Mystic
2 seasons

Mogri
2 seasons

Froginator
2 seasons

Ichiro
2 seasons

Idontknow
2 seasons

Nathan Karr
2 seasons

Misac/Matokage
2 seasons

Kefyrra
2 seasons

Willy Elektrix
2 seasons

Kylekrack
2 seasons

Mammothstuds
2 seasons
Note: Second game appearance disqualified.

TheCrimsonDM
5 game releases
(all unique)

Spoonweaver
5 game releases
(4 unique)

RedMaverickZero
4 game releases
(all unique)

Pheonix/Feenicks
4 game releases
(3 unique)

Fenrir-Lunaris
4 game releases
(2 unique)

The Wobbler
3 game releases
(all unique)

Nathan Karr
3 game releases
(all unique)

FnrrfYgmSchnish
3 game releases
(2 unique)

Guo
3 game releases
(2 unique)

MorpheusKitami
2 game releases
(both unique)

ChalkFlower
2 game releases
(both unique)

Mystic
2 game releases
(both unique)

Mogri
2 game releases
(both unique)

Froginator
2 game releases
(both unique)

Misac/Matokage
2 game releases
(both unique)

Kefyrra
2 game releases
(both unique)

Willy Elektrix
2 game releases
(both unique)

Kylekrack
2 game releases
(both unique)

Mammothstuds
2 game releases
(both unique)
Note: The second game was disqualified.

Ichiro
2 game releases
(1 unique)

Idontknow
2 game releases
(1 unique)

Top Authors by Participation Year

Spoonweaver
4 seasons

Pheonix/Feenicks
4 seasons

Fenrir-Lunaris
3 seasons

FnrrfYgmSchnish
3 seasons

Guo
3 seasons

RedMaverickZero
3 seasons

The Wobbler
3 seasons

Mystic
2 seasons

Mogri
2 seasons

Froginator
2 seasons

Ichiro
2 seasons

Idontknow
2 seasons

Nathan Karr
2 seasons

Misac/Matokage
2 seasons

Kefyrra
2 seasons

Willy Elektrix
2 seasons

Kylekrack
2 seasons

Mammothstuds
2 seasons
Note: Second game appearance disqualified.

Top Authors by Game Releases
(including re-releases)

TheCrimsonDM
5 game releases
(all unique)

Spoonweaver
5 game releases
(4 unique)

RedMaverickZero
4 game releases
(all unique)

Pheonix/Feenicks
4 game releases
(3 unique)

Fenrir-Lunaris
4 game releases
(2 unique)

The Wobbler
3 game releases
(all unique)

Nathan Karr
3 game releases
(all unique)

FnrrfYgmSchnish
3 game releases
(2 unique)

Guo
3 game releases
(2 unique)

MorpheusKitami
2 game releases
(both unique)

ChalkFlower
2 game releases
(both unique)

Mystic
2 game releases
(both unique)

Mogri
2 game releases
(both unique)

Froginator
2 game releases
(both unique)

Misac/Matokage
2 game releases
(both unique)

Kefyrra
2 game releases
(both unique)

Willy Elektrix
2 game releases
(both unique)

Kylekrack
2 game releases
(both unique)

Mammothstuds
2 game releases
(both unique)
Note: The second game was disqualified.

Ichiro
2 game releases
(1 unique)

Idontknow
2 game releases
(1 unique)

Next is a list of Heart of OHR top 10 authors according to their best single game scores and their average scores throughout the life of the contest. Note: To earn the latter record, an author must participate in two or more seasons.

Top 10 Authors by High Score

Top 10 Authors by Total Average Score
(2 releases or more)

JSH357
9.5

The Wobbler
9.0

RedMaverickZero
8.93

KF Harlock and Shizuma
8.8

Feenicks
8.33

Fenrir-Lunaris
8.2
(tie)

Kylekrack
8.2
(tie)

FnrrfYgmSchnish
7.82

Willy Elektrix
7.64

Mogri
7.5

The Wobbler
8.12
(3 releases)

Mogri
7.47
(2 releases)

Feenicks
7.27
(4 releases)

Willy Elektrix
7.19
(2 releases)

Fenrir-Lunaris
7.10
(3 releases)
Note: Vikings of Midgard (2012) was released as an OHR Legend and not up for vote.

RedMaverickZero
7.08
(4 releases)

FnrrfYgmSchnish
6.57
(3 releases)

Spoonweaver
6.43
(5 releases)

Guo
5.98
(3 releases)

Kylekrack
5.98
(2 releases)

Top 10 Authors by High Score

JSH357
9.5

The Wobbler
9.0

RedMaverickZero
8.93

KF Harlock and Shizuma
8.8

Feenicks
8.33

Fenrir-Lunaris
8.2
(tie)

Kylekrack
8.2
(tie)

FnrrfYgmSchnish
7.82

Willy Elektrix
7.64

Mogri
7.5

Top 10 Authors by Total Average Score
(2 releases or more)

The Wobbler
8.12
(3 releases)

Mogri
7.47
(2 releases)

Feenicks
7.27
(4 releases)

Willy Elektrix
7.19
(2 releases)

Fenrir-Lunaris
7.10
(3 releases)
Note: Vikings of Midgard (2012) was released as an OHR Legend and not up for vote.

RedMaverickZero
7.08
(4 releases)

FnrrfYgmSchnish
6.57
(3 releases)

Spoonweaver
6.43
(5 releases)

Guo
5.98
(3 releases)

Kylekrack
5.98
(2 releases)

Finally, below is a list of Heart of the OHR’s top 10 game releases based on highest average voter scores.

Top 10 Games by Score

Motrya
9.5
(2010)

Kaiju Big Battel: Fighto Fantasy
9.0
(2018)

Axe Cop
8.93
(2020)

DUNGEONMEN: Men of Dungeons
8.8
(2012)

False Skies
8.33
(2020)

Vikings of Midgard
8.2 (tie)
(2020)

Katja’s Abyss: Tactics
8.2 (tie)
(2020)

The K’hyurbhi Lands
7.82
(2012)

Vikings of Midgard
7.8
(2010)
Note: Vikings earned this score two seasons before the 2/3 rule was put into effect. Under the 2/3 rule, it would have earned only 6.8.

Walthros Renewal
7.73
(2020)

The Interactive Data Charts

Every year since 2012, Heart of the OHR has listed a series of stats and records to chart its course through history. Even though the latest records can be seen at the top of this page, it’s still nice to see what records were set during previous contest seasons. The dynamic chart below will allow you to see which records were current as of the end of each selected season.

Note: The window below displays two versions of the same chart. The top chart displays all records, while the bottom chart displays only those records set that corresponding year.

How to Use the Charts

Heart of the OHR’s dynamic chart series uses a spreadsheet technology from Grist Labs for displaying its selectable records. To see the original stat records from previous contest years, as well as relational data for releases, voters, rating trends, etc., please consult the charts below.

To navigate records, simply click on the blue selection boxes to change which records get displayed. Likewise, check for a window scrollbar to move the charts up and down.

If you have any issues seeing these dynamic charts, please consult the “If Charts Don’t Display” pop-up button for troubleshooting information.

 

Troubleshooting Charts

These charts use iFrames to display, and they are hosted on and embedded from a third-party app called Grist. This dynamic database technology is compatible with desktop browsers only (for now) and are unlikely to appear on tablets or mobile. If you do not see the charts, but you are using a desktop to browse this information, please check the next tip for troubleshooting information. Otherwise, if you are using a tablet or mobile to view this information, please try again when you get to a desktop computer.

If you are using a desktop browser, and you still can’t see the charts, check your browser cookie permissions. This page requires cookies enabled to display properly. Once you unblock this page and allow cookies, hit “refresh.” The charts should load properly now.

 

*Spreadsheet records built with Grist. If you like this setup, check them out.

Even though seasonal records are fun to track, sometimes we may also want to follow seasonal trends. The dynamic chart below displays statistics according to…

  • Participating author-to-game ratios, based on official authors (ranked), unofficial authors (unranked), submitted game totals, and new participants.
  • Participating author submissions, based on games by new participants, returning participants (from any previous year), and total participants.
  • Rating score averages, based on contest average and voter average (divided by highest and lowest voter averages, according to total number of games played). Note: Voters are segmented by thirds of the total submission count.
  • Voting statistics, based on total votes submitted each season, participating voters, and average voter-to-participant ratios.

Note: I’m still learning how to use Grist (the developing technology I’m using to create these charts), so the way and what this chart displays may change in time. This will be especially true if I host a 2022 season.

*Spreadsheet records built with Grist. If you like this setup, check them out.

Note: These records use a third-party spreadsheet and database tool called Grist to display their content. Because Grist is still a developing technology, some features like mobile responsive viewing are still unsupported. For this reason, it is best to view this page on a desktop computer until further notice.

Contest Career Mode

Games of any type from any generation promote competition, whether internally, as is the case with Solitaire and most single-player videogames, or worldwide, as is the case with professional sports and horseracing. Even with some sporting events having off-season exhibition games bringing back the fans for a wholesome good time, competing players or teams still want to win. But once the official season kicks in and the career stats come back into play, they really want to win.

Now, the games themselves are good enough to keep the fans invested, but the stats that track alongside them and their players are the magic sauce that gets the fans loyal, if not addicted. Anyone who wants to develop a devoted fan base may, therefore, want to consider adding stats to their competition, especially if that competition becomes seasonal. This can move a contest from casual exhibition to persistent career mode.

A traditional OHR contest does not have a career mode. Although I can’t vouch for the creators of other contests’ recordkeeping skills or interests, I have yet to see any evidence that they’ve been tracking the historical markers of their respective contests.

And that’s fine. A typical OHR contest is about the event in the moment, the fight to win that one time. There’s nothing wrong with that.

There’s also nothing interesting about that.

People love a good competition (Photo Credit: Pexels, Pixabay)

Although Heart of the OHR had the same lack of stats and records for its inaugural year as every other contest since the community’s origins, it made up for it in 2012 when I posted a list of comparative stats between the 2010 and 2012 seasons, showing off the “bests” and “worsts” of what I thought were the most interesting contest categories. Categories like “Most Voted On” versus “Least Voted On,” “Highest Rated Game” versus “Lowest Rated Game,” and so on. It also covered voter trends, like voter spread and best and worst seasonal averages. These statistical updates turned Heart of the OHR from a casual participation trophy into a “career contest.”

Readers of the 2012 contest report didn’t say much about the addition of statistics at the bottom of the page (they were still gushing over the achievements), but they didn’t complain, either, and that’s a win in my book. So, I did it again in 2014, 2016, and 2018, giving Heart of the OHR a shaped history that no other returning OHR contest has really tried, even if I wish some of them had and would. At some point, readers of the end-of-contest report began to appreciate the inclusion of stats and records, as they began to understand the value it brought to the table. Just like a devotee to sports stats, stocks, or political wins obsess over the numbers, anyone who wishes to follow a series of data chronicling the ups and downs of Heart of the OHR should get his or her fill with these stat records.

Now that the 2020 report is finally posted, the trend continues. These archives are the official home of Heart of the OHR’s historical records, and now I have a place to host the continuing evolution of Heart of the OHR’s and its contestants’ career mode. If Heart of the OHR gets more seasons, then this archive will happily display its next great notch up the wall of history.

Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed following its journey in numbers as much as I have.

A chaos of numbers, contained (Photo Credit: geralt, Pixabay)

Voting Spreadsheet Shared Template

If you like how Heart of the OHR is scored and would like to adopt its voting structure for your own contest, then feel free to download the ZIP file below and get your own copy of the Excel spreadsheet template I use to figure out how to rank everyone.

Important Note: You’ll need Microsoft Excel 2013 or newer to use it. You’ll also need to verify that cells are properly connected to formulas if you need to add or subtract games and voters. It’s advisable that you delete any cell you don’t need to ensure scores remain exact.

How to Use: Simply change the template names to that of your games and voters, and verify that each related cell updates with the change. You’ll need to check the charts page and the calculations page to ensure everything is in sync. It’s also a good idea to examine each cell type for formulas in case you need to make a modification to allow for more or fewer games and voters. It should be fairly straightforward which cells and formulas need updating on which pages. Also note that cells with “div/0” warnings will update themselves once you plug in the numbers, so there’s no need to “fix” them. They’ll fix themselves.

Questions: Send me a message if you’re stuck.