The Dink Network

It's time for another contest!

Click on the comments to see the details...

Smallwood Throwback Contest

General Idea:
The general idea of this contest is to make a "traditional" D-Mod, using only what's available in the original game.

Rules:
1. Your D-Mod can't use any of the following:
a) New graphics (Only those available in the main game)
b) New spells or items
c) New MIDIs/sound
d) New scripts
No wait. New scripts are allowed

2. The D-Mod can be any size. This includes how long it takes to complete the game, and how large the map is.

3. The D-Mod must use Dink as the protagonist, but the story does not have to be related to the story of the main game (it doesn't have to be a sequel, prequel, or any other -quel).

4. Try to stick to "traditional" Smallwood as much as possible. This means no elemental damage, new leveling systems, new stats, etc. Want to create some fancy puzzle Dink has to get past? Just try not to be too fancy.
This rule is going to be a judgement call on a lot of things. Basically, if it doesn't feel at all like the main game, it's out.

5. Your dmod may have already been started (and may be redefined to fit the criteria of this contest) BUT it cannot be a dmod you have previously uploaded in any form. For example, Sharp could not take Milderr 3 and use it for this contest.

6. Team efforts welcome (only one prize per placing) but a minimum of 4 entries before we "have a contest"!

7. Entries should be uploaded here, to be judged by any eligible staff member (ie, no one who's entered the contest!).

8. The deadline for entries is 8th of July 2012.
**EXTENDED** to the 22nd of July
**EXTENDEDAGAINFORTHELASTTIME** to the 29th of July

Good luck!

Thanks Pillbug for the suggestion

What a wonderfully interesting contest idea.

Ow. Doesn't sound like my kind of contest but I'll give it a try...

Interesting...

I already have three D-Mods in this category. Geddit?

I love you, Sparrowhawk!

Great idea, Pillbug and Sparrowhawk!

I'll see if I can put something together, but that means I put the other one I'm making on hold. The nice and classic bonca in cave one perhaps.

How come that every time I want to make a new D-Mod there seems to be an upcoming contest?

All my previous D-Mods have their origins in previous contests haha.... Might as well join this one. Beware, contenders!

Edit: I love that you're still using the Milderr example!

Good luck all.

Good luck! Curious to see what comes from this! No new midis will make it hard to create a unique atmosphere, but it should be manageable

Can we use Mystery Island?

"Can we use Mystery Island?"

I'd say not... It's a D-Mod, not the original game, even if it was made by the original team. A somewhat weird style D-Mod at that, too.

I guess alternative hero D-Mods are out of the question?
dang then I can't continue the one I started :/

But I think I have an idea!

Oh and can you be disqualified from the contest if it's too far from the theme, or does it just mean you have minimal chanses of winning?

If I wasn't too busy trying to finish QFD SE I would be all over this. This contest is like me... a throwback.

A perfect time to make a first d-mod me thinks .

May I use the boat from Mystery Island please?

A perfect time to make a first d-mod me thinks

Good thinking, MrGantoe!

I would recommend that to all of you that haven't done one yet. Just ask if you're getting stuck, and I know there are plenty of people who are more than happy to give you a helping hand.

Oh and can you be disqualified from the contest if it's too far from the theme, or does it just mean you have minimal chanses of winning?

No one wants to reject an entry, that's for sure. If it looks like the author totally disregarded the theme, though, (e.g. the dmod is based on showcasing a new, choice-based battle system!) then we might outright reject it.

But certainly not easily. I don't think anyone who at least tries to follow the theme needs to worry about that.

Breaking the clear rules is another thing, for example if the dmod has new midis, it's automatically out.

Challenge Accepted.

And Glenn, MI was mentioned already so I doubt it. Pure vanilla graphics and sound.
But we could still use a little clever scripting...

Who thinks using Dinkedit Vanilla to make it is over-doing it?

Also: The titlescreen image. We can't use anything fancy for that either can we...

Bsitko~
I am enjoying your progress with this.
I wish you good luck in your endeavor!!
Best regards to you and your family!!

Be Well

Matt

I hardly think they're going to complain about a title screen.

The contest is about making a D-Mod with that classic feeling. The actual game, that is.

Ah good, because I made one in like 6 minutes and don't want my work to have gone to waste
Back to making my actual entry!

TItlescreen spl01ter

Should be an interesting contest. Hopefully plenty of people will enter!

Certainly hope so looking forward to more dmods

I might try to get something. But then again, I tried for the last two contests too, and both times I failed horribly.

And is it okay if I interpret rule 4 as being directed mostly at gameplay and not so much at story? The DMOD I have planned is a bit of a humour-type DMOD, so I'd have to make it a little bit more serious if the story should also be "traditional". (Not too much as the original game is also a little bit wacky, but I might need to change my final boss from a potato into an evil wizard. )

Thanks Mattie - almost done... I think. How far have you gotten?

You did fine meta you thought about the story line for the last one hehe thats progress

Who thinks using Dinkedit Vanilla to make it is over-doing it?

While it is certainly in the spirit of the contest, when I read the rule "no custom graphics", I had another thought: this contest is perfect for trying out my editor. Even though it is already capable of using new artwork (but not of editing dmods with new artwork), that isn't very easy currently. However, if you need to stick to the rules, my editor should be very usable.

So thank you for these rules. While you can play with my editor, I'm working on decompilation of custom artwork, so that when you know how it works, you can also edit dmods which weren't made for this contest with it.

Oh, and I'll consider entering the contest myself, but I'm a bit busy, so that might not work out.

Anyone who needs help with getting the editor to work (that should be much easier than it was last time), please send me e-mail (wijnen@debian.org) and I'll do my best to help you.

so is my Randomness mod allowed or is the randomness enngine i want to make disallowed?(will be a no new graphics. and well sofar hve only used old dink midi's). if not I'll make a more simplistic mod but *SPOILER ALLERT* will use the new designed boss(as it uses pillbug graphics )

The original Dink has some randomness involved with which monsters appear as well. This seems to be well within the rules

A piece of advice to you new developers, you don't need to add any sound/midi files to your D-Mod sound folder. The "game" will look for the sound files in the original dink folder.

I think I have an idea now. If I can make it work.

Yeah, that's pretty much exactly how I'm going to interpret the rules: I'll just delete my sound, tiles and graphics folders. (I'm not going to use the exemption on making title screens.)

I think the following rule is a big issue for me, when I've already created some small unusual things in terms of scripting.

Try to stick to "traditional" Smallwood as much as possible. This means no elemental damage, new leveling systems, new stats, etc. Want to create some fancy puzzle Dink has to get past? Just try not to be too fancy.
This rule is going to be a judgement call on a lot of things. Basically, if it doesn't feel at all like the main game, it's out.

Oh come on! It can't be that hard to create a simple adventure with no clever scripting. As far as me entering the contest goes, I really don't know. I do have an idea, but I don't know will I bother to jump from HH2 to another D-Mod.

It's all about feeling - we know what dink feels like... think with your balls this time, Marpro!

The way I'm looking at it is the only folder you can touch is the scripts one.

To be honest Skull, at the rate you're going on HH, I wouldn't transfer over to some other new project with the danger that you'll get burned out and neither will get finished You seem to be on a roll, so stick to that is my advise

Yeah well, maybe if I manage to finish HH2 before the contest ends, there might be a chance for me to enter. It will be quite interesting to see how fast I can create a D-Mod. Of course, that is, like I said, if I finish HH2 before the contest ends.

well i hope that title screens can be custom(as that now is more useful to identify which mod you chose to play and it can make any entry stand out)
and further the only question i have is related a bit to my entry but in another way than the first and that namely is can scripts use midi's out of the main game or are they Dependant on he mod's music folder?(if so i know i will need to copy all midi's which isn't that much of a problem)

Any d-mod can call on midis from the original without including them as far as I know

good to know and well glad scripts aswell

This looks pretty fun! I'm not sure if I'll have something to enter this with or not, but I'll probably take a stab at it... Maybe... Well, perhaps... I shall see

A good time to come back from the nether to try and finish something for this... excellent.

Typical Synbi ;D

Bsitko~

I have reached Athello.
I think I will replay from scratch, though.
I will try to log on this run thru. Will
send commentary regarding this.

Keep up the good work!

Matt

Stickified. Does this increase visibility? I hope so, since 8 twerps have already voted "Uh... Do we have a contest?" on the poll.

Pfft. What ignorant twerps. In fact, we should make twerps into kill-able monsters in Dink!

Thanks Mattie... if you're going to do that (MUCH APPRECIATED) go ahead and download the newest version in the QFD SE thread.

Quick question Sparrow, What about new mechanisms ie: a dink-styled casino?

If it matches the old Koka Island Duck Betting, I'm sure it could somehow work...

"What about new mechanisms ie: a dink-styled casino?"

Don't see why not... it's all about the 'feel' in the end. If it seems like it fits then fine, if it's something fancier like Redink1's slot machine in Initiation then maybe not.

1. Your D-Mod can't use any of the following:
a) New graphics (Only those available in the main game)
b) New spells or items
c) New MIDIs/sound

In the original there was that scroll used to open up a gate behind Goodheart castle... If I added my own scroll which's function did pretty much the same thing, that would still be okay, right?

What do you mean? New graphics? No. Same scroll different script? Yes of course.

Technically a new script but no new graphic would constitute a 'new spell' wouldn't it?

Personally I'd say this is a borderline case as it is more a story progressing item than a true new spell.

I think every decision should boil up to the point where the developer thinks "Will this alter the feeling of the classic game?"

I don't think a new scroll would "hurt" that particular feeling; but I do think a new spell, like "EARTHQUAKE" would alter the original feeling.

I think rule b and rule c are kinda over the edge. I like the idea of sticking to the traditional style and not having new graphics, but new items and spells will only make the gameplay better and new MIDIs will make playing the game a much cooler experience. But I guess that's where the *contest* is.

like the idea of sticking to the traditional style and not having new graphics, but new items and spells will only make the gameplay better and new MIDIs will make playing the game a much cooler experience. But I guess that's where the *contest* is.

I agree. Therein lies the difficulties!

In all honesty, its difficult to stick to traditional smallwood considering the sheer number of D-mods we've all played.
I had to go ahead and replay Dink before I started (okay I cheated and just watched Robj's playthrough ).

New graphics aren't a problem for me so long as my Titlescreen image still gets an OK. New items and spells, that indeed is quite a hard thing to interpret; Scrolls that unlock an invisible barrier such as in the original, seems okay to me; Theres already a scroll graphic for it (pickup if you wish as well as inventory icon).

As to the "No new midis" rule, I have to admit its a tough call trying to integrate the original tracks only to specific scenes, but its not overall impossible; I've managed so far, but thats primarily because my Dmod has no towns yet. It probably should (and I have some planned), a Dmod with no towns is nothing like the original.

"Technically a new script but no new graphic would constitute a 'new spell' wouldn't it?"

I guess so
I forgot what this item actually was tbh, and couldn't think of anything wrong with opening a gate...

But anyway as you say, it's more part of the story than an actual new spell as such.

I think the idea of the contest is to create a D-Mod similar to older D-Mods. That's why it's called Smallwood Throwback contest. It shouldn't be that hard to create one. After all, we have much more advanched editors than those used back then. The "no new MIDIs" and "no new graphics" rules are there just to make this a contest. It would be far too easy otherwise.

So bonus points for using DinkEdit Vanilla to make it?

Yeah, not gonna happen.

I've started my mod and my respect for modders has grown 250%.

Awww, you.

Awww, you.

No, u...

Wii U

How's everyone's D-Mods coming along? I probably won't enter thanks to the virus.

Mine is coming along okay just fooling around with XY coordinate commands and multi purpose global counters for a new boss hope i can finish him soon so that i only need to finish interiors and 2 or 3 other bosses(bosses being the most work)

I have exams 'til late June... I won't do much until they're over

I made most of the exteriors... won't probably be fooling much with this one, it's turning to be a nice and simple mod without too many suprises. Simple is GOOOOOOD! (well, as long as there are ducks and bananas, which I'll be including both )

Dunno if the latter is allowed tho

You can include bananas without showing a sprite merder

I, uh... I'm probably not gonna finish mine in time, it got slightly larger than I intended and I have a bunch of exams and things coming up I'll upload it whenever I finish it though, I guess

I'm gonna give this a shot.

The biggest sin Seth made while making Dink was not to include a sprite of a banana, anyway. Or the sprite of a big, tasty brown cookie!

But cookies didn't become popular until 2009.

Cookies are forced.

Cookies i never was able to enjoy a certain member always steals mine

getting excited... how many have entered huh huh huh

Exams. *rolls over, cross-eyed; bells toll ominously in distance.*

just a question helping me choose which monsters to use. Are we allowed to fix the purple bonca glitch?

You mean that the tail slap doesn't work? Yes, of course that's allowed. (It only takes a few dink.ini lines to fix it)

I don't see what rule fixing the purple bonca's tail would possibly break. There is no 'no new monsters' rule so if you like to make a totally new monster using existing graphics... More power to you.

thanks will fix it than those lines are no prob(just need to cross check which sprites are the final ones in the set

I'm working on it. Still not sure if I'll be able to make it in time, though.

Now i'm 100% positive i wont be able to finish my entry in time just too much to be done still. I will spend a lot of time on it this weekend but i don't think i'll finish it Sunday so hope the deadline can be extended a week or 2(than it is my vacation and thus can spend weekdays on it too instead of just those evenings)(I know that happening is dependant on more entrants needing it)

Gotta agree unfortunately. Unless by some miracle the deadline gets extended, I won't be able to finnish Eftd in time.
I may still complete it at some point otherwise.

I wonder if any contest here ever actually did end on the deadline, there always seems to be someone asking for extra time.

Is anyone really close to finishing your dmods, or is it more of a "Oh I'm halfway done, maybe another week would help" kind of thing?

I'm halfway done, maybe another week would help. Love, Schnap.

VOTE TIME: give them an extra week - we need moar dee mods (tick)

"Unless by some miracle the deadline gets extended"

Tada! Miracle provided at your request.

Two week extension! 500% more D-Mods now expected.

THanks for the miracle Sparrow

Now go make the extra wait worthwhile!

Uploaded my entry.

Strange feeling, uploading a new file... Has been some time...

Extended to 22nd of July? Sweeet... I'm quickly putting together a last minute entry than... it might not be as good as it could have, since I'm only just starting it now... but It'll be another entry so who cares... lol.

Any entry is welcome but prepare to lose mine's gonna rock

I'm about 70% done... I think this is the most work I've done on any Dmod in this amount of time in a while, started 4 days ago and its looking good... Hopefully I'll be finished in time for the 22nd..

If not, there may be another miracle

"If not, there may be another miracle"

Meh, I don't need another miracle, if I dont get it done in time, then it will *almost* be done, and I can just spend time getting rid of all the bugs and then upload it anyway.

hope i don't need it (well o do have a backdoor option but so do not want to use that(splitting the planned first part in 2 parts as the base is done now only need is more bosses, dungeon layouts and more monsters in spawn pool(layouts and bosses will be most work especially the bosses)

Right now, unfortunately, I'm operating on the assumption that I'm going to have to do that too. So I'm going ahead and doing some of the clean-up and detailing work I've been putting off. But it has to be done anyway, so if it goes well, maybe I can actually get the plot done, we'll see.

If there was no extension, would Meta be the only entrant?
If so, perhaps another week might drop from the sky

Eh, well I trust people are just working on it as long as possible/leaving the uploading to the last second. I know I am.

I'd say let it end, but if a day after the deadline there still aren't 4 entries, then give extra time.

well i'm close to finishing mine 2 more bosses 3 more monster pools 2 more dcisions on how long the non endless dungeons will be and than some fine details like a intro and ending and i'm done(bosses will take the longest rest is mostly copy paste and changing a few lines of coding)

Please sir, may I have some more..?

Ugh. I don't really mind extending the deadline by a week (or to the end of July I guess) if Sparrowhawk feels like it; However, I think that's where the line should be drawn for good.

You should drink more coffee. And do drugs. And catnip.

I have speed. Potions. Stole them from NWN2.

though i wouldn't mind either from the looks of it i wont need it just 1 boss more and some finishing touches and i'm done

I agree, scratcher. Especially with the catnip.

One more week, everyone! And that's it, cos I go on holiday after that

Extended again i seehope the others use that time will i'm just finishing up atm

And my entry is done enjyo when released with the rest

Wow, that was fast, judging by all the things you listed. Confetti!

That means there are 3 quaranteed entries so far.

Hopefully I can get my one finished in time now then.
Its a slim hope though

I feel like I'm getting bogged down, so I'm probably still going to cut it off where I planned to when the deadline was today, but at least I'll have an extra week to polish it now. It current has some pretty rough edges, so that's definitely a good thing.

Haha, I'm glad for the extension... At this point I was starting to think "22nd in England and America is a few hours after 22nd in Australia and the staff won't close it til morning... how many extra hours can I squeeze in?"

Wow, that was fast, judging by all the things you listed. Confetti!,

it's amazing what you can do with free vacation time

As luck would have it, just as I'm about to upload my entry that I've been hoarding for well over a month, I discover a weird crash bug that I can't solve.

I guess I'll just submit the dmod anyway now, and patch it up if I can figure out the crash bug later.