[comp] Mochi are just chucking the money about

[Squize]

New Mochi related comp, details here:

http://mochiland.com/articles/become...-games-contest

I've not read the small print to see if you're signing over your grandchildren, but those guys have always been really cool so far, and I'm pretty sure it's to pimp their new hi-score stuff so they're going to be laid back about things.

Squize.

[mr_malee]

wow, no limits at all, they are even gonna take sponsored games + jayIsGames entry's.

Nice. Pitty I can't enter as usual.

[Ray Beez]

Cool. I guess centralized services for Flash games is one of those ideas that seems like a no-brainer, yet.. "why didn't I think of that?" haha

I tried Glomb to see the leaderboard and..... Leaderboard did NOT show up. I guess there are kinks to work out.

[lesli_felix]

Great comp, but why'd they have to go and cheapen the whole thing by throwing in an ipod?

[tonypa]

I tried Glomb to see the leaderboard and..... Leaderboard did NOT show up. I guess there are kinks to work out.

It kind of worked for me. Daily leaderboard only showed my own entry but Weekly and Monthly had top 10 entries (some from same day).

[Gamebrew]

I'm definitely going to have an entry or two by April. Not sure if the chance to work for Gaia online would be considered a good prize to some people :P

[EvilKris]

I'm glad that they don't have silly things like a theme. Always seemed like a pain in the butt to me. I say if you're going to have a comp, keep things open and flexible as pos. for fresh original ideas to spring out.

[JerryScript]

This is the first truly open competition I've seen in a long time, I think it's great! Virtually no restrictions should mean alot of creative entries. If their highscore API works out, would that make it the first one spread across portals? Can the various portals access it as well? A universal highscore system would be nice, rather than having to implement each portals API into your game.

on a side note, the person who wrote the tutorial about the leader boards is the same person who had the blog entries on monetizing flash games, which makes it look like the blog was basically marketing for MochiAds

[happinessSam]

Yay! Another competition that I'm not going to have enough time to enter!

Has anyone else checked out the zip of gaia assets? Bad anime splash pictures, a few mug shots and a whole folder full of tiny fish pngs.
I'd feel a bit wierd about handing over control of the high scores to a third party though.

[AzraelKans]

EvilKriss:

Well is ok that they have no restrictions but restrictions sometimes are good for sparking the imagination. do this experiment.

quick! make an original game about Anything under 2 minutes, and type it down here:

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not so easy uh?

Ok do the same, but this time use a "pencil and an eraser" in it.

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Some ideas did showed up right?

Thats because your mind works based on stimulli, your brain knows you want to create something new but when you say "anything" the first thing that comes to mind is a blank slate (or a canvas) and that has no stimulli in it. The brain knows it has a task but it just doesn't have "anything" to start. Or maybe is too large to convey in a single coherent thought.

By saying "Something" you provide stimuli to your brain and that triggers your memory which triggers desires, etc. and a idea forms, even if its silly or impossible But "Something" shows up.

Thats why Every time you are on a writers block, don't even think on the word "Anything" you need to think on "Something". Even if its silly or idiotic.

In this case, the "anything" is so large, that I bet most people are just going to turn some game they already had or one they have been wanting to do for a while. most people are just not going to create something new. Simply because theres no inspiration for it.

[Ray Beez]

EvilKriss:

Well is ok that they have no restrictions but restrictions sometimes are good for sparking the imagination. do this experiment.

quick! make an original game about Anything under 2 minutes, and type it down here:

A rocket-propelled Saint Francis statue collects fried eggs that turn into birds and you save animals with a holy shield that you whip around using the mouse pointer. Yeah. Rocking game!

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not so easy uh?

[BlinkOk]

I'd feel a bit wierd about handing over control of the high scores to a third party though.

no highscore management headaches. no "server must have php and sql" questions.

i think mochi may be rethinking this when half the internet uses their servers to manage high scores.

[Squize]

It's pretty amazing that there isn't a unified hi-score system out there.

I know pnFlashGames did one, but it was tied to the php based system ( Whose name escapes me atm ) that it was for.

In theory it shouldn't be too hard to have an external swf which the developer can set up how they like and just make calls to that so the scores can be embedded into a game rather than the nastier redirect to an html page.

Same could be done with send to a friend functionality, and as the developer of that I'm sure you could sell some ad link space at the foot of the email.

Squize.

[AzraelKans]

Ray beez:
Hahaha, best answer ever!

Anyway don't pay too much attention to that, I was a bit philosophical and talkative when I wrote it.

Now go and make that Saint Francis Statue game does sound Rocking. (and hey they did said ANYTHING right?)

BlinkOk:
Im Ok with that, at least in my case I cant be 100% sure my server will be up all the time, so at least thats something less to worry about.

[Pakorn1]

I'm interested in that holy shield whip-mechanic. Would it be a drag-and-release sort of thing? That would be fantastic! Then it comes around back to you based on the trajectory..... Make it now!