[poll] The Crimson Room Contest?

    here's a good idea from Merkaba! i think it's poll worthy, and if there's enough positive votes we could eleborate this thread into a final piece!

    explaination:

    Escape the room is a genre of online adventure game,[1] usually created for Adobe Flash and utilizing a point and click style of play. The object of the game is to find a way to escape from a mysterious room. The room usually consists of a locked door, several objects to manipulate as well as hidden clues or secret compartments.[2] The player must use the objects to interact with other items in the room to reveal a way to escape.


    Most escape the room games are in a first-person perspective, with the player clicking on objects to interact with them. Many games of the genre start with a small cutscene (which usually consists only of text) to establish how the player got there. The usual story is the player waking up and finding themselves in a mysterious room from which they must escape using the household itself, but sometimes also unusual items left in the room.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_the_room

    poll runs for 4 days.

    yeah i think the concept should be pretty flexible. like the secret room could be anything. maybe a base, or a underground cave. and i wouldnt mind having enemies in there too. as long as its a serious challenge to get out of ''the room'' and there is at least one brainbreaker i'd think it's ok.

    Quote

    ":2hmmi0qw]I'm out due to lack of 2004 technology knowledge!

    Sounds indeed quite intresting. All games with some proper scripting ability should be able to pull that of well.

    I guess that we should be mostly limited by time (month?), since we're going for various games/engines then custom material should be allowed but not required. The 'Escape the Room' or 'Crimson Room' should be enough for a theme, we will see a lot of variety propably.

    Thanks for noticing my idea!

    I don't want to lead the development of this idea into its final stages, as I would love to hear other peoples ideas for rules and such, but I would like to mention my thoughts and ideas here:

    Regarding 'theme', I'd vote against a rule for this if it is dictating setting or style; let the mapper make anything they like, just so long as it follows the game rules (which don't exist yet!). If the rule were for an escape theme, then this could be interesting so long as it does not confine participants to certain styles or settings. Simple 'hot words' like "Rise" or "Conclusion" could make for good themes (though with better words than I have chose! ).

    Rule suggestions:

    -Have the exit/escape route be immediately identifiable from the starting point.

    -Additionally, make it clear from the start, or near, how the player must escape. It could be a clue, or an explanation (e.g., "the door seems to be made of wood" = burn it down somehow, "I must need a key" = find a key)

    -Maybe a limit on the time it takes to complete the puzzle(s). (Clarification: Not a time-limit, but just the time it takes from start to finish. Unless we want to include the possibility of 30 minute long puzzles; hell, time could even play a part in the puzzle itself.)

    -Have a competition-set completion screen, with time taken, author, and a congratulations. (see below)

    Ponderings

    -Should the levels be just one room, or should there be several connected rooms (the exit should still be in the start room)? A single room would enforce the 'escape' scenario, but may be limiting in terms of what can be achieved. Several rooms could detract from the escape theme, but I do not think this would be a large problem if the method to escape has an identifiable problem.

    -Should levels have a time limit?

    Keep in mind everyone that designing a puzzle level will possibly be more time consuming than building a simple DM or SP level, or even one that focuses on graphics alone. What is the usual competition period to work in? Is it worth extending it, if that would produce more interesting results?

    I think that any aspect of the game's framework should be usable to achieve the end of the puzzle. This includes menu options, and the developer console, including sv_cheats 1.

    Congratulations screen:

    Additionally, considering noclip could let the player 'escape' with no challenge, there should be a set 'congratulatory' screen/text specified in the rules that is displayed on the levels completion, to make it clear that the level has been completed, and if a map were to use noclip then the ending must only be triggerable after certain variable conditions are met.

    I am all for custom files, and encourage the use of them.

    (in Source) Possible uses of the game to form puzzles (incomplete list!):

    Physics, logic entities, development console, collision detection, material effects, enemies, sv_cheats, HDR lighting, water, fire...

    ...there are so many possibilities! Just get creative with the systems you have available to you. Your most important asset is your brain and knowledge of the engine.

    Are members allowed to collaborate for group entries? I'd be interested in entering if that is the case, provided I could find someone to work with.

    I'm up for this.

    1. Would I be able to use Portal or any Source games? (I'm a novice so at the moment this is all I know).

    2. How long would contest span for? I usually take a while to make stuff but I understand the need to not let the contest go on too long.

    I don't see anything wrong with using Portal myself. Can you pick up HL2 weapons and place HL2 enemies into maps in Portal?

    If so, then we could make Portal the standard game for the competition, though I would not be against entries for other games or MODs (HL2, Unreal, etc) if someone wishes to make them; the biggest problem is just finding a game that most people are able to play.

    I couldn't comment on the time span for the competition as I don't know what the usual time is

    I'm all for collaborations, but in an unrelated manner, the use of performance enhancing drugs is absolutely prohibited.

    New required rules (one or the other):

    Either the map must not allow the player to get into a situation where they cannot succeed,

    OR,

    If the player finds themselves in a dead end with no chance of success, they must be notified by the game.

    Quote from merkaba

    New required rules (one or the other):Either the map must not allow the player to get into a situation where they cannot succeed

    golden/unwritten law of level design, isn't it? along with the rule that every level should be completable with the lowest point of health possible..

    Absolutely, but since the premise of this challenge is a bit of a detour from our usual first person experiences, and many puzzle games do allow the player to work themselves into a corner (depends a lot on the type of puzzle, but so far we have not set any restrictions here so it could be anything), I thought it would be best to explicitly provide a dead-end rule.

    I favour allowing the player to get stuck, but only if it is a reasonable outcome of the level's challenges - I doubt most maps, if not all, would allow players to get stuck anyway - but if they can, for some reason, then it must be made clear to the player that they 'lost'.

    I'm in, but I'm making it in Deus Ex. For good reason! Deus Ex has the inventory, hacking, and lock system, as well as skill points, per body health, and stealth gameplay. It's the perfect game setup for this sort of thing. Perhaps if one of the more enterprising mapcorians made a Source mod with some custom things like keys and locks and leaning...

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