Summer 2005 Dualstream Day of Zeux Judging Sheets:Terryn
Quick overview for the lost:
Gameplay - 75
Graphics - 60
Innovation - 45
Plot - 40
Music/Sound - 35
Theme - 30
Discretion - 15
Rank Weight - 100 max, 0 min, ratio scoring based on place and lack of DQ
Now that you know the score, let's go~
#05364 - Galaxy Slime [Growth]
Gameplay - 30/75
It's a poor vertical shooter. It's fully operational, but there's no powerups, it's slow, it's incredibly easy, there's no collision penalties... it's just not too fun of a game. Sorry. Hint: next time one makes a shooter for a DoZ, make it horizontal. Horizontal shooters are far smoother, especially in SMZX mode. On the plus side, there was a good variety of enemy forces.
Graphics - 26/60
It looks mediocre. There was some effort expended though. The subtle changing of the grounds below was a smart effect to include.
Innovation - 23/45
It's a shooter in a DoZ. About average in innovation.
Plot - 16/40
It's all relayed in an opening blurb - kill the slime expanding all over the planet.
Music/Sound - 8/35
It's all been heard before.
Theme - 15/30
It's par for the course.
Discretion - 0/15
Oops, named the file after yourself and put your team name in! No points for you~
Total - 118/300
This DQed game wasn't bad, but its disqualification didn't stop it from winning.
#06170 - A Space Exploration Game of Some Sort [Space Exploration]
Gameplay - 20/75
Asteroids engine. No enemies. No wrap-around. Perfect physics. No real gameplay, but a nice engine.
Graphics - 24/60
Minimalistic, but not hard on the eyes. Reminds me a lot of old vector games, for obvious reasons.
Innovation - 30/45
Wheeeee!
Plot - 0/40
None.
Music/Sound - 5/35
None. The inclusion of a crackly shot sound would have helped, but I'm sure the effort was all but gone before sounds were even considered.
Theme - 1/30
Not what's here. It might have in the planned version, but not here.
Discretion - 4/15
Weeeeeeee! This was a good waste of three minutes.
Total - 84/300
Poorly-disguised engines can do suprisingly well in DoZs; just ask Logicow. Just including MOON GOLD to collect or shoot would have shot the entry's score up by tons. Oh well, what's done is done!
#09801 - A Sad Game [Space Exploration]
Gameplay - 31/75
It's standard MegaZeux adventure fare - talk to people, stuff happens, etc. There's nothing really special, except you can die a few times.
Graphics - 32/60
It's all smiley, all simple. Nothing ugly or distracting, and is fair enough for the game.
Innovation - 9/45
It's a System Shock homage, for chrissakes, with Earthbound music :<
Plot - 24/40
It's appropriated and jumpy. The author's suitably snarky, though, basking in the knowledge that the game is doing all it can to break mimesis. YOU'RE PLAYING A GAME NOT PLAYING A DIFFERENT GAME!
Music/Sound - 20/35
It's a good thing I like this ripped music. It's fitting in parts, but contrasting in others.
Theme - 13/30
Why is there so little exploring in most of the space exploration games? This game is one of the many in that category that has little to no exploration.
Discretion - 10/15
Everything was okay enough to leave this score at standard.
Total - 139/300
No comment, sorry. :<
#19662 - Cheese's Adventure [Growth]
Gameplay - 57/75
The grabbag of pluses and minuses involved in this category make it only a bit above middle-of-the-road.
-Firstly, and most notably, the game is pixel-perfect. For a sidescroller game such as this, it helps immensely. Hitting enemies and jumping around is just... smooth. I'm not used to that kind of precision in an MZX sidescroller. However, the format causes strict limitations - epsecially when there's little time to develop. None of the levels are over a screen (80x25) due to problems with implementing easy scrolling.
-As for the finer points (ahem) of the game, it reminds me a lot of E.V.O. despite having little conceptually to do with that game. It's a sidescroller where developing and regressing talents is key to solving levels; jumping, offense and defense points are gained one per level. In essence, it boils down to jumping and offense because defense is usually worthless.
-The levelling speed is somewhat slow for most people however, and having to restart a level because one thought there was no need to revert all points to jumping is bothersome. In contrast, the game is very forgiving; when one fails to complete a level, all EXP gained during the attempt sticks and the player can try again as much as desired. Also, the bosses usually only require one to dump all points in offense and wail away.
Graphics - 46/60
They're quite nice, if indistinct. MOUSE! CHU, MOUSE! Stylistically, the art is comparable to Legendd's game Banana Boy, but with wiser (i.e. more subdued) color choices. Being pixel-perfect smooths things out, but still doesn't help much. In fact, it uglifies some areas a lot.
Innovation - 36/45
-Engine, engine, engine. The point distribution system is a good move as well, if annoyingly implemented.
Plot - 13/40
It's just a blurb and opening cinema that doesn't quite correlate with the gameplay (to put it nicely). WHY is Cheese fighting all of these creatures? WHY WHY WHY@#$)%(@$^)^(
Music/Sound - 20/35
Par for the course. Sounds were decent but muted; music was good at times, annoying at others.
Theme - 22/30
Par as well. The game did involve a lot of growing, both mechanistically and thematically.
Discretion - 5/15
Include instructions next time. A lot of people whined about point redistribution because of level 2 and the automatic point to strength on level up. They assumed it was like all other games of the sort; points are immobile once spent. Bonus points for the cast list though. I'm a sucker for chintzy stuff like that.
Total - 199/300
A real game, but not the most fun to play. It's a good showcase of an MZX quickie though.
#21986 - Agent Ballpark Will Explode [Growth]
Gameplay - 20/75
Haha, it tried. However, the engine is ineffective. Growth happens, but I can't crush enemies and the player character can easily get messed up chars. Besides, the gameplay even if finished would be an annoying jumping puzzle game. auuugjh
Graphics - 39/60
What was there was good enough. However, there was little actually there.
Innovation - 32/45
Yeah, it's a novel idea, and its implementation could have led to decent gameplay.
Plot - 20/40
Interesting and humorous plot about causing fatness to TAKE OVER THE WORLD
Music/Sound - 15/35
The music isn't anywhere near good. It's appropriate, but nowhere near good. The editor-only level has great music though.
Theme - 27/30
It fits, and it fits well!
Discretion - 2/15
Incomplete, incomplete, incomplete.
Total - 155/300
Oops. Coordinate your team better next time. And burgers taste better on banjos, but I'm a bit biased.
#31340 - React [Growth]
Gameplay - 55/75
It gets large brownie points for being a long, complete game made in 24 hours. However, the gameplay is pretty pedestrian and unbalanced; the AI is horrible, and the game is too easy. Multiple endings (three of them) help this game out. A little buggy, though, and it counts in one important area. Also, it seemed that the steady influx of newly found guns made my purchase of the best sale gun early on worthless. =(
Graphics - 18/60
Ugly. Man, how ugly. I guess this was the cut corner the team decided to toss into the river.
Innovation - 17/45
The game wasn't innovative, but it wasn't too routine; it had the "MZX Classic" feel without being too derivative.
Plot - 28/40
It's long and interesting, though it takes some time to develop. Nearly EVERY enemy encounter leads to another plot element. The dialogue isn't A-rate, but it does the job. I wasn't going through the game thinking "Now how did that come from that?", but nothing stuck as even remotely quotable. The lowest point is that some fetch quests detract from the plot as well as serve a lazy way to introduce some plot elements (e.g. the mine trip).
Music/Sound - 15/35
The music choices were somewhat fitting, but not great. The sound was nonexistant, which wasn't a good move but better than those grating default sounds.
Theme - 28/30
You sure can't fault the game for this. This game stuck to the theme incredibly tightly, despite a shaky beginning.
Discretion - 3/15
Bugged. Ending #3 was inaccessible to me during gameplay because the doors couldn't detect when I killed an enemy for some reason. One dead guard had an endless supply of 13 credits. Typo-riffic.
Total - 164/300
A very thoughtful game that doesn't live quite up to snuff. An admirable effort regardless.
#31711 - Final Frontier [Space Exploration]
Gameplay - 37/75
Somebody likely's been playing Solar Winds. The beginning section was pain incarnate. All I needed to do was keep pressing 1-3 periodically, rather than doing all of the fighting the text geared me to do (and what made me hold off grading this entry until last). It figures that I didn't even have to fire a shot.
Sombody's obviously been playing the DOOM Roguelike. The armor stats and the dice rolls per weapon gave it away. The whole rest of the game is like a realtime DOOM roguelike adventure with aliens. Find objects, collect ammo, kill enemies, the works. Unfortunately, the difficulty shoots wildly between unintentionally easy and far too hard. Enemies can easily be sneak attacked and punched about thirty times in a second, leaving the pistol worthless. The final boss is incredibly hard, even if one times the rocket launcher perfectly causing the HUGE projectile to blow up in the boss's face. It does huge damage with gigantic attacks and has lots of health. Your red armor will disappear in no time flat.
This all probably looked good on paper, but its implementation lacks.
Graphics - 31/60
It's standard smiley fare, remniscent of Damaged Mind but with aliens.
Innovation - 35/45
It tried to be innovative, so I'll give it points here.
Plot - 25/40
It's typical DoZ fare - maniacal power must be stopped, though the intro gives NO indication of this.
Music/Sound - 16/35
The music is suitable for the background; nothing's ill-fitting nor memorable. The sounds, however, are memorable - almost all are bogarted from Doom.
Theme - 15/30
The plot initially revolved around this, but jumped to world domination. Therefore, I must give an average score.
Discretion - 10/15
Wearing games on your shoulder isn't bad, but implementation needs to be less obvious next time.
Total - 169/300
With some balance adjustment, this game would have recieved a far higher score.
#37052 - Growth and Consolidation [Growth]
Gameplay - 40/75
It's a unique idea, but it's only for the patient. I (at this moment) am not all that patient. Getting the hang of this game takes some time. My plants kept getting the explosion disease (they weren't touching) and things kept moving a bit fast for speed five. It's a decent game, if one has the ability to invest in it. Things like research facilities and factories help keep the game lively.
Graphics - 29/60
They were incredibly small. Considering the speed at which this game runs, it's a detriment.
Innovation - 38/45
It's very innovative to have a business sim in MZX period, let alone in a DoZ. Top points.
Plot - 17/40
You want money, plain and simple. Farming will help you achieve that goal.
Music/Sound - 13/35
The sounds were non-obtrusive PC-Speaker blips while the music selection seemed haphazard. The music at the title screen is perfectly fitting, but everything else.... That said, it was a smart move to put no music as the default.
Theme - 27/30
It has a lot to do with the theme, alright. You do a LOT of growing.
Discretion - 4/15
It needed much better documentation. MUCH better documentation. What's given is only somewhat helpful.
Total - 168/300
I personally hated this game, but others might like it. I won't fault it for being in a genre I simply can't stand.
#39201 - Space Kung-Fu! [Space Exploration]
Gameplay - 68/75
Oh man. This had excellent gameplay, with just the right mix of... everything. Difficulty, action, unique solutions... this action puzzle game had it all. It's like a DoZ version of Lost Vikings mixed with Lemmings, but with KUNG-FU! In space! The coordination between members was very well-thought out, though at the end it seemed pretty forced. However, finding unique characteristics of moves helped a lot.
Graphics - 42/60
It looked good enough to keep focus on the game. 1x2 chars and enemy chars, 1x1 for other puzzle items, not ugly.
Innovation - 40/45
Oh yes. This was very innovative, especially for MegaZeux.
Plot - 16/40
There wasn't a real plot. You get abducted by aliens who want to know your kung fu! (Alien abduction, another Lost Vikings parallel) PAPA CHANG relays it to you incoherently, using the tried and true comedic effect of a third-party narrator. However...
Music/Sound - 24/35
There was some overuse of previously-heard sound effects, and the music was decent enough. Good overall. (the narration was speshul; I'll cover that elsewhere)
Theme - 13/30
No exploration at all, sorry. It however gets points for getting it half-right.
Discretion - 8/15
The narration... some people hate it. I found it droll how the rambling leads to increasingly disconnected speech contrasted to what's actually written on-screen.
Total - 211/300
Obligatory Exo reference!
#42914 - Secret Galaxy [Space Exploration]
Gameplay - 11/75
It's a broken sidescroller engine. Only jumping and shooting (sort of) work. Everything planned was pretty much scrapped. Hey, I can fake overheat my gun, jump and disturb a turtle sprite. That's gameplay. Not gameplay worth anything, but still.
Graphics - 22/60
Very Zeux-y. It's not good to look at, however. It has the vintage DoZ feel to it; the graphics aren't abominable, but no one would insert them into a full game without thinking twice.
Innovation - 5/45
Hard to see any with nothing there but a typical setup.
Plot - 23/40
The game gave out an interesting plot about five planets spotted with mysterious glare around them, so they were explored. Sounds like a typical setup but does the job well enough.
Music/Sound - 14/35
What music is there is tolerable; sound is nonexistant.
Theme - 25/30
This entry stuck to the space exploration theme, and did it well. Suprising, given the others' tendencies to forgo the exploration part entirely.
Discretion - 6/15
They're honest about the game at least.
Total - 106/300
This seems like another team disheveling. Oh well.
#44305 - Chronicles of a Broken Man [Space Exploration]
Gameplay - 27/75
This game was so promising. The first level showed a good sidescrolling and a good sword engine, if flawed in that if a wall is near, the wall-climb engine will take precedence and no slash will register. The level layout had a lot of space that could just be ignored; the crucial areas were tolerable. I didn't see any wall puzzles like I was hoping for. To boot, many of the enemies defied gravity and moved straightly horizontally, right at the player.
Well, this game all fell apart on the second level. All one has to do is park the ship right of center to win the level... only the level is bugged and one CAN'T win and go to the next level. Sadly, this is not the only fatal bug. On level three, another fatal bug occurs - once a cannon shoots past the switched-off wall, the player gets stuck at its current height. Nothing, not even wall-climbing attempts, can de-bug this area.
It's a shame, too, as the tower climbing sequence was novel if as easy as the rest of the game before it. It worked perfectly. The final boss was suddenly harder, to a satisfyingly decent level. So many bugs kill this potentially above-average game's score here.
Graphics - 38/60
They were reasonably attractive. Vague yet effective cinematic closeups match decent 1x1 gameplay settings.
Innovation - 30/45
Although some of the innovations (like the sword-climbing) were almost vestigal, they were there and improved this game.
Plot - 27/40
SECRET TWIST and lots of angst was the name of the game here. It's standard stuff.
Music/Sound - 20/35
The music and sound were all standard fare.
Theme - 21/30
It involves space exploration as a central focus of the plot, though you yourself do little of it.
Discretion - 3/15
It was too buggy for consumption. However, I liked how (on Ganymede) the jump height was appropriately large. I soared like an eagle... on a pogo stick!!! And why doesn't wall-climbing even factor into the BUILDING CLIMB scenario?
Total - 166/300
Another game which looked like it'd be good if it stood up. Unfortunately, it didn't.
#52671 - Demon Surge [Growth]
Gameplay - 43/75
It's pretty much a "stealth" game in MZX; try to evade as many enemies as possible. Depending on approach, there can be as little as one kill. The gameplay had very sparse elements of... actual gameplay (such as the pipes and optional bosses). However, I'm nonplussed. It's almost as if gameplay was an afterthought after the maker(s) realised that it comprised the biggest point total of the categories. The town's optional fight ups the score a bit, as it's above average.
Graphics - 44/60
They're about middle of the road. Attractive enough to blend in; there's nothing eye-poppingly beautiful here, though if one pays attention to the graphics they seem quite good. The trees are excellent, though - I love those. The cinema graphics are a step down, though, and drop the score a notch or two.
Innovation - 30/45
It's a stealth game in MZX. It's not well-implemented, but I have to give deference to it here.
Plot - 20/40
I'm sorry. Unlike React, I WAS shaking my head at some of the dialogue. The plot and dialogue carry too much baggage; it's too pretentious for my consumption and jumps to the final conclusion with little sense of pacing. Even the multiple endings don't help. The valiant attempts help it keep at the level of a good exposition dump.
Music/Sound - 28/35
Very smart choices for music. The sound, though nondescript, fits as well. Very sound overall.
Theme - 17/30
Liberal application of the theme, but still fits.
Discretion - 7/15
It didn't do anything special, good or bad, so it deserves an average score.
Total - 189/300
I have a feeling my score totally bottoms out everyone elses', but that's how I feel.
#60315 - Pressure Valve [Space Exploration]
Gameplay - 56/75
I liked it, what there was of it. You run around, blasting aliens, running to a release valve when the pressure ups. However, this game isn't difficult at all, which diminishes the atmosphere. A ship filled with aliens and with rapidly mounting air pressure should not be that easy to escape, or is it just me? On the plus side, it lasted just as long as it should. The biggest problem was the level layouts; many of them were WAY too simplistic, even for a cramped spaceship.
Graphics - 40/60
They're good for a DoZ. While the player is 2x1, everything but the bosses are indistinct 1x1. The spaceship is also sparsely drawn, though that could be another decision on atmospherics. The palette is appropriately drab.
Innovation - 31/45
I liked the pressure mechanism, though it wasn't used as intensely as I'd have liked. The rest of the game is about on par.
Plot - 20/40
It's an exposition dump about aliens taking over a ship. In space! For some reason! There's points for having a plot, but it isn't an inspiring one.
Music/Sound - 31/35
They both provided the perfect manic, cramped atmosphere. The sound effects in particular were the most fitting of this DoZ.
Theme - 11/30
There's little actual exploring going on here. No big points here.
Discretion - 9/15
It's a little messy during level changes (graphics box clutter, etc.)
Total - 198/300
#66108 - Super Space Adventure 3D [Space Exploration]
Gameplay - 20/75
There was mostly conversation, some running around and a poor game-within-a-game. That's the gist of it.
Graphics - 16/60
They were blocky and ugly.
Innovation - 10/45
There wasn't any, plain and simple. It was pretty routine, even the game-within-a-game.
Plot - 18/40
You try to go home using the power of Linux and wormholes! OS/2 WARP LOL get it?
Music/Sound - 5/35
None.
Theme - 10/30
It's about space, but there's no exploration involved. In fact, the main character wants to go home - i.e. the practical opposite of exploring.
Discretion - 6/15
I'm running out of comments, and it ends right... here!
Total - 85/300
No.
#78940 - Blacktropix [Space Exploration]
Gameplay - 8/75
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Graphics - 11/60
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Innovation - 0/45
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Plot - 1/40
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Music/Sound - 10/35
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Theme - 1/30
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Discretion - 0/15
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Total - 31/300
HIT MIKE JONES AT 281-330-8004
#81762 - The Gardener [Growth]
Gameplay - 20/75
It's a series of fetch quests with a semi-linear order. It's nowhere near challenging or interesting.
Graphics - 14/60
It's very loosely edited (i.e. uses a different default char set) and pretty ugly. There's a lot of empty space wasted.
Innovation - 10/45
None.
Plot - 14/40
You grow stuff to get admiration. SUPRISE PLOT TWIST GUYS
Music/Sound - 5/35
None.
Theme - 25/30
It fits the theme of growth quite well, if not imaginatively.
Discretion - 5/15
It's dull but nothing bad happened.
Total - 93/300
#81802 - Zt - The Dawn of Zeux [Growth]
Gameplay - 22/75
It's lackluster homages to other games. When playing the Ys portion, I expected to kill stuff by running into them and lost about 40 health from a cluster of eye explosions. Yes, default enemies. The Mighty Bomb Jack clone was a good diversion from an overlong plot segment, though it didn't do much.
Graphics - 35/60
Too shiny, but decent enough for a 24 hour game.
Innovation - 8/45
Ys wasn't stolen from correctly :<
Plot - 9/40
I'll put it this way: It's like if Amos n' Andy was a parody. Yeah, it's that sensitive.
Music/Sound - 13/35
(riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiped)
Theme - 4/30
It needs to be marqueed across the screen with jubilant music. Maybe that'll give it some more points.
Discretion - 1/15
Haha. ahhaha. Uh-oh. TAGGED.
Total - 92/300
I was waiting for a non-lazy joke game; too bad it wasn't anywhere near good.
#86970 - Shoot the Enemy and Win [Growth]
Gameplay - 7/75
I can move the player! Awesome! UP AND DOWN ARE BANNED THOUGH :< Damn poleist team.
Graphics - 19/60
Very sparse, but not an eyesore. It gets minimal points.
Innovation - 22/45
It sure is, in some way I can't comprehend. I'm just not that lazy.
Plot - 14/40
Play the game and you tell me. I can't figure it out apart from the nuclear bits. Problem is, you won't either because that's all there is.
Music/Sound - 5/35
Nope.
Theme - 13/30
Yes, it fits the theme, but....
Discretion - 0/15
Someone's trying to be Flimsy a bit too hard. Or not hard enough. Either way, it failed. add more azumanga pics plz
Total - 80/300
Interesting way to make a DoZ game in two hours.
#98083 - Space Invader [Space Exploration]
Gameplay - 23/75
It's a combination of space exploration and planet conquering, but nowhere near as fun as the concepts make it out to be. The first part is a mouse-driven map with the unvisited areas grayed out (including the cursor! ugh.) with serious fuel problems mixed with a blah sidescroller. Why is the player happy to collect fuel when it's gained just by standing still? Why use weapon 1 when #2 runs without ammo and has a long range? (The weapon switching was undocumented by the way.) Why do the enemies attack when you right click to leave the planet? It's just flawed. At the very least, it's a finished entry.
Graphics - 17/60
They were fairly ugly. They seemed whipped together to meet the deadline.
Innovation - 16/45
It wasn't innovative, but it wasn't good either. It seemed pretty dull.
Plot - 13/40
You invade planets, and that's all you're given.
Music/Sound - 5/35
None.
Theme - 17/30
There's exploring space in here indeed, as it's the point of the game to explore the entire solar system. The game also makes a point of having you do it manually.
Discretion - 0/15
It's too shambly for my tastes, sorry.
Total - 91/300
I take it this was rushed. Better luck next time.
#99086 - Blast Off at the Speed of Light! [Space Exploration]
Gameplay - 29/75
It's more fetch questing - this time it's currency. Thankfully, there's a surplus of "bollars", so not everything needs to be done to win. That's the best I can say about this game, as some areas were downright annoying (like the maze with invisible wall traps). It's a basic sidescroller in the action parts, utilising some weak AI, iffy level design and a decent Weirdness-esque yo-yo weapon.
Graphics - 22/60
Some areas are just painful. One significant area is entirely in a FLOURESCENT GREEN. The graphics tended on average to moderate smiley game standards, though pretty ugly.
Innovation - 18/45
It's a fetch quest game with non-linear exploration and a yo-yo. It's not too innovative, but it doesn't drain points here.
Plot - 16/40
It's sensible, if very loosely connected. You want money to buy a new ship. The comedy interspersed throughout is the typical MZX-trad odd type.
Music/Sound - 5/35
It was detracting, especially the PC speaker bloops and the mod of Nirvana's "In Bloom".
Theme - 24/30
It fit the theme well. Planets were explored in a search for cash.
Discretion - 5/15
It's not well-done, but doesn't do anything wrong except allow someone to constantly take money from the person your char desperately wants to kill.
Total - 119/300
It's complete. It's quirky. It's rusty.
Ranks:
1) Space Kung-Fu!
2) Pressure Valve
3) Cheese's Adventure
4) React
5) Final Frontier
6) Chronicles of a Broken Man
7) Demon Surge
8) Growth and Consolidation
9) A Sad Game
10) Blast Off at the Speed of Light!
11) The Gardener
12) Agent Ballpark Will Explode
13) Zt - The Dawn of Zeux
14) Galaxy Slime
15) Shoot the Enemy and Win
16) Super Space Adventure 3D
17) A Space Exploration Game of Some Sort
18) Secret Galaxy
19) Space Invader
20) Blacktropix