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Welcome to the second Retro Remakes competition. After the massive success of last year's competition it was decided to make it an annual event but it was touch and go this year, hence starting a month later than planned.
In an effort to make the prize pool bigger and better than last year we decided to widen the net and approach the bigger fish. However, the bigger fish don't want to know. Out of the 20 or so big companies we approached we have not recieved a single reply, not even one saying "Thanks, but no thanks".
We'd almost given up hope, when you lot came to the rescue. Along with some of last year's sponsors, as well as following up the suggestions made by you, we have amassed a large varied prize pool comprising both Hardware and Software. While the total value doesn't quite match last years total, I think you will agree that this year's prize list is one worth competing for. Thank you to everyone who helped us gather in such great prizes.
Once again we have prizes for the best three remakes as decided by the judges, as well as a number of category prizes. Also this year we are introducing Judges prizes which will be awarded for the little things that impress us.
So come on - what are you waiting for ? Get those coding fingers going, impress us with your remaking skills and win a prize, its as simple as that. You will find the rules are very uncomplicated, this has been done purposely to give you all a fair chance. You've got three months .... starting NOW :p
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| 1. | | The competition runs from 0000hrs (GMT) on July 1st, 2004 and ends at 2359hrs (GMT) on September 30th, 2004. No entries will be allowed after this date, this includes bug fixes to entries already submitted.
This year you will be required to pre-register for the competition, full details and an entry form can be found at the bottom of this page.
Winners will be announced on December 1st, 2004, both by email and on the Retro Remakes website. In the event we're swamped with entries then this date may be subject to change. |
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| 2. | | Entries must be created exclusively for the Retro Remakes Competition 2004. This means that they must be new creations, not seen elsewhere.
Games that can be proved to have been started before July 1st 2004 will be disqualified as this is unfair on the entrants who follow the rules.
Also all entries must be freeware ... and remain freeware.
This year we will be giving Retrogamer magazine the exclusive rights to use all entries on their cover disc, so by entering the competition you will be giving us permission to use your entry for this purpose. This is purely to promote Retro Remakes and will result in no financial gains.
Finally, we insist that all entries promote the competition's sponsors and our website in some way. We will be providing a splash screen with logo's (from the sponsors) in a 640x480, 800x600 and 1024x768 resolutions that must be shown for at least 5 seconds on screen as the game loads. Entries which do not use the screen will be marked down.
Splash Screens must remain static on screen for 5 seconds ...
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splash1024x768.jpg
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| 3. | | The entry you submit must conform to the following criteria. We'll accept any remake, of any 8bit or 16bit game. If the remake is already listed on the front page at http://www.remakes.org then the entry must be significantly better than versions already available. The whole point of the competition is to increase the number of remakes available, we don't want to see the 1000th Breakout or Space Invaders 2004 Deluxe.
So if you plan to enter Space Invaders, Breakout, Pacman etc. and it's going to be less than stunning then we suggest you don't. There are literally 1000's more games to choose from ... use your initiative.
For the purposes of this remake competition the term "remake" refers to any game, on any platform from the old 8bit or 16bit era. It can include platforms like the Gameboy Advance ONLY if the games were available on an original 8bit or 16bit machine. If you are in any doubt please post a message on our forum and one of us will reply. |
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| 4. | | The game you remake must be pretty faithful to the original but can be enhanced with new graphics, sounds, levels etc. Games must however maintain the original gameplay elements and not just be adulterated versions loosely based on the original. This is primarily to avoid entries such as "Manic Miner 30321 - Revenge of Eugene". |
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| 5. | | The game can be coded using any software you choose, you are not limited to just the utilities being offered as prizes. It must however be coded to run on the Windows platform, and must cater for a range of machine specs. The maximum file size for each remake is 10mb.
Between us we have the ability to judge entries on Windows 98, 2000 and XP on a variation of machine and hardware specs.
Wherever possible it would be nice for you to include a cheat mode for the judges to be able to see as much of your remake as possible. You can implement this function in whatever way you see fit. |
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| 6. | | All entries must be at least 80% complete but must be 100% playable.
Lets say the original had 10 levels or alien waves and you only manage to remake 8 in the time given. As long as the game is fully playable and can be completed then we will accept it as a valid entry. |
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| 7. | | All entries must include at least four screenshots of your game/entry.
These must be minimum of 640x480 in size, preferably without borders around, and include a screenshot of the title screen. We will not consider an entry completed unless these screenshots are included. If you have not provided screenshots by the end of the competition then your entry will be marked down.
All entries must include a readme.txt explaining everything there is to know about the game. What is it a remake of, what do you have to do, what are the controls, any details about the authors, that sort of thing. |
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| 8. | | All entries must be in the .zip format. Last year we had complaints with regard entries using installers, as a result this year we will NOT accept entries that use them. Files can be protected in any way you like as long as the entry we receive is a zip file. The maximum size of zip file/entry we will accept is 10 megabytes - no exceptions.
Once you have submitted the file in zip format to our FTP then you are, of course, free to distribute it in any format you see fit. |
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| 9. | | Each entry will be judged by the four team members at Retro Remakes, and will be marked out of 25 in the following categories .....
Graphics - Do you use ripped retouched sprites or do all new graphics ?
Sound - Get some kickin new sounds in and watch your score rocket :)
Gameplay - If it plays like a slug on go slow juice then beware !!
Completeness - Half arsed incomplete entries will score much lower ...
This will give each entry a possible mark of 100 (or 100%). |
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| 10. | | Prizes will be given to the 3 top scoring entries, as well as special prizes for best graphics, best sound and most faithful remake.
It IS possible to win more than one prize. For instance if your remake is judged to be the 2nd best overall entry AND the most faithful remake then you will win the prizes for BOTH of those categories.
This year there are also 4 special "Judges Prizes", one to be awarded by each judge to any game they choose, for any reason they see fit. |
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| 11. | | Prize winners will be listed on the Retro Remakes website AND winners will be notified by email when all entries have been judged. Prizes cannot be swapped for alternatives or a cash value. All prizes can be posted to any postal address you specify - anywhere in the world. |
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| 12. | | Finally - the judges decision is FINAL. |
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We have four special Judges prizes, one to be awarded by each of the four Judges.
If we see something within a game that impresses us or something that simply stands out, be it sound or graphics or generally anything then we can choose to award a prize.
The prize is an Atari 10 in 1 Joystick which you simply plug into your TV to play classic games such as Asteroids, Centipede, Gravitar and Breakout - all from the old VCS days.
These joysticks were kindly donated by Retro Gamer magazine - valued at £19.99 each.
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Registration ended at 2359hrs (GMT) on the 20th of September 2004. By now you should have received an email with instructions on how to upload your entry and other files as required by the competition rules.
The details have also been posted in this forum thread, and as news on the main page.
Remember the main file must be in compacted form using the ZIP format to lower the size of the upload, you may protect your work in any way you choose as long as the file is in the zip format. Installers are not allowed as stated in the rules. The file size must be no bigger than 10 megabytes zipped. The system will reject files over 10mb.
You will be prompted to upload this file (which must be the game, all associated graphics & sounds, any extras and instructions) no bigger than 10 megabytes zipped, four screenshots (one of which must be of the title screen) and any cheats or level codes. You will also be prompted to answer one or two simple questions about your entry.
Once each section has been completed you will be allowed to upload your entry.
The closing date for uploads is 2359hrs (GMT) on September 30th, 2004 - no exceptions. The file upload system will be closed down at this time. Therefore it is advisable not to leave it to the very last minute to upload just in case you encounter any problems. You have been warned. No entries will be accepted or altered after this time.
Once your entry has been uploaded it will be queued for the judges to view, play and score. Remember to include the sponsor splash screen at the start of your entry, showing on screen for 5 full seconds with no adulterations of any kind. Entries that do not show the sponsor splash screen will not be reviewed.
All the winners will be notified via the email address that the remake was submitted from.
Should you have any queries or questions about the upload system, or at any time during the judging period, then they can be posted on our forum where one of us will reply. Full results & reviews for each entry should be available on the website from December 1st, 2004. If for any reason we are unable to make this date, for whatever reason, then an announcement will be made in the news and on the forum.
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