2018 Atari Awards Voting Information & Discussion

[Thomas Jentzsch]

Great show yesterday. Thanks a lot to all the organizers and hosts!

 

I just browsed the results. While many of the landslide wins for Mappy came by no surprise, there are for sure still some interesting details there.

 

Personally I got only 4/10 winners (all Mappy) right.

[+Nathan Strum]

I also got 4/10 right, with three of those for Mappy. The fourth was Best Demo.

[StanJr]

Mappy was just such a huge achievement that it was really hard to compete with in any capacity! I'm surprised at Alpha Clucks, I need to give it a harder look I guess. Great job Aardvark (that was a hotly contested category for sure) and Space Game!

 

And a big thanks to cimmerian and his team for putting all of this together! It was absolutely fantastic!

 

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

Thanks so much Stan and Thomas! It was a huge undertaking by everyone involved and looks like it all worked out in the end. It was a fun time and I can't wait until next year to do it all again!

 

And a big thanks to cimmerian and his team for putting all of this together! It was absolutely fantastic!

Great show yesterday. Thanks a lot to all the organizers and hosts!

 

ALSO, we're looking for feedback of what everybody thought of the Awards Show in this thread!

Edited February 24, 2019 by cimmerian

[Arenafoot]

Mappy was just such a huge achievement that it was really hard to compete with in any capacity! I'm surprised at Alpha Clucks, I need to give it a harder look I guess. Great job Aardvark (that was a hotly contested category for sure) and Space Game!

 

And a big thanks to cimmerian and his team for putting all of this together! It was absolutely fantastic!

 

Thanks Stan for your blessing for us to resurrect the awards show!!

[DaveD]

Finally had a chance to scan through the show and wanted to share a few thoughts:

 

ZPH crew, you guys clean up well! Suits, ties, dresses, and a fancy backdrop! Very well done. Actually everything about the awards was well thought-out, transparent, fun and a great boost to the homebrew scene. It was no doubt a big investment in time, money and patience. Even the design of the awards themselves is cool and I've already set aside some room for mine next year. Seriously though, pat yourselves on the back for a big job well done.

 

Congrats to everyone including Team Mappy! I don’t think it was a surprise to anyone that Mappy absolutely dominated and rightly so. I think if Mappy was nominated ten years from now it would still be an incredible achievement and worthy of recognition. Each year I think there are a handful of great homebrews released but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one where programming, graphics, sound, music, packaging, all the details come together so perfectly and raises the bar for all the disciplines involved. Your love for these classics is evident and we all get to benefit from your teamwork.

 

 

[+Nathan Strum]

Even the design of the awards themselves is cool and I've already set aside some room for mine next year.

 

 

I think Dungeon II should've won for Best Packaging (it got my vote). Maybe other people just didn't get a good enough look at it, but I was really surprised I won that category (grateful, but surprised).

 

I wouldn't want to have to go up against what you're doing for WoW Arcade. Unfortunately, I have to.

[+SpiceWare]

Maybe other people just didn't get a good enough look at it, but I was really surprised I won that category (grateful, but surprised).

 

 

It was on my shortlist, though all I had to go by was the single photo which showed the exact same image 3 times (cartridge, box front, manual front), whereas I have a physical copy of Mappy and could see all the other work such as the awesome comic intro, etc.

 

For next year the packaging needs to include images of the box from all sides*, insides of manual (at least a representative sample, if not all pages), etc.

 

* such as if Space Rocks had been eligible I'd have wanted to make sure the voters were aware of the details in the end flaps:

 

 

[DaveD]

I think Dungeon II should've won for Best Packaging

Thanks for the vote. Thanks to a last minute oversight on my part the D2 manual was actually printed out of order and looks more confusing than I had intended. That's not award worthy. Collectors item maybe. Its since been fixed.

 

Yeah, the picture chosen to represent D2 wasnt great but I couldve supplemented some images in the thread like the others did. I thought that was a fun idea and hope to see more of those kinds of presentations next time. Pimping = packaging!

[+Nathan Strum]

I think next year they'll involve the nominees more (or even the list they choose the nominees from). The box should should be shown from all sides, and I think the complete manual needs to be shown since the manuals often require the most work. Out-of-order or not. (There's another homebrew with an out-of-order manual too: Brik. I don't know if that's been fixed.)

 

I liked some of the extras some of the games had, too. Very creative, and it adds a nice little bonus when opening the game (I want to include some dirt and ants with Aardvark).

[Thomas Jentzsch]

(I want to include some dirt and ants with Aardvark).

That sounds cool. But don't forget the caterpillars and at least one spider!

[Thomas Jentzsch]

It was on my shortlist, though all I had to go by was the single photo which showed the exact same image 3 times (cartridge, box front, manual front), whereas I have a physical copy of Mappy and could see all the other work such as the awesome comic intro, etc.

 

For next year the packaging needs to include images of the box from all sides*, insides of manual (at least a representative sample, if not all pages), etc.

I second that 100% and did mention that already during the nomination review.

 

Even knowing the reputation of Nathan and Dave, I have neither voted for Mappy nor for Dungeon II. Simpy because the material provided did not justify that. Instead I went by what I had and made a rather odd choice mostly for its bells and whistles. (BTW: From the very person who later insinuated that people would go by names when voting).

[+SpiceWare]

From the very person who later insinuated that people would go by names when voting.

 

 

Yeah, I thought it was rather ironic that a couple of his were also on my short list.

[s0c7]

I'm just glad D2 was able to place or show in every category it was nominated for in the face of competition with more RAM/ROM. I've played John's stuff since the '90s, so there's no shame in getting utterly crushed by Mappy. Nothing but respect. If you look at the last batch of games released in the store and sort by most popular, that sort of showed how things were going to fall out. I had a feeling packaging would be close and come down to Dave and Nathan. I knew it would be close. Congrats Nathan!

 

There were some oddities with the overall process I thought. For example, Space Game wins Best bB, but isn't in the nominees for Best Homebrew?

 

I know everybody loved the Best WIP category and thought it was the most competitve, etc. It seems a little unfair to me to compare games at varying stages of completion. I am curious, assuming some of these games aren't completed by the end of next year will they be eligible for Best WIP again? The same with some of the games that were finished this year but not released on cart yet. Do they get another go, or are they limited to Best Packaging?

 

 

<Spike Lee mode>Grumble Grumble DPC+ Grumble Grumble</Spike Lee Mode> J/K

[+SpiceWare]

There were some oddities with the overall process I thought. For example, Space Game wins Best bB, but isn't in the nominees for Best Homebrew?

 

 

Not surprising, a small group of people often have different criteria than the general public.

 

[Thomas Jentzsch]

There were some oddities with the overall process I thought. For example, Space Game wins Best bB, but isn't in the nominees for Best Homebrew?

Really? Looks like the nomination committee's opinion was quite different to the public vote then.

 

I am curious, assuming some of these games aren't completed by the end of next year will they be eligible for Best WIP again?

Only if you did not get nominated.

 

The same with some of the games that were finished this year but not released on cart yet. Do they get another go, or are they limited to Best Packaging?

Same rule as above.

 

<Spike Lee mode>Grumble Grumble DPC+ Grumble Grumble</Spike Lee Mode> J/K

Aardvark!

[neotokeo2001]

I second that 100% and did mention that already during the nomination review.

 

Even knowing the reputation of Nathan and Dave, I have neither voted for Mappy nor for Dungeon II. Simpy because the material provided did not justify that. Instead I went by what I had and made a rather odd choice mostly for its bells and whistles. (BTW: From the very person who later insinuated that people would go by names when voting).

 

My statements were not from sour grapes as you are implying. I voted for Dungeon II in the Best Packaging category and that was the one that really stood out to me and led to what I posted. I am sure that many people looked at the files and made decisions based on that, but I also feel that there were a lot of voters who did not bother to research the options and chose Mappy since it is a name they know. There are some voters even now that don't know those files were available. I brought up what I think is an issue and it may or may not happen in the future.

 

With my releases I have always been on the fringe and the last few years even more so. If a game is very popular I let Albert take all the assets and use them for the AtariAge store so the game can make it to more players. I knew I had little to no chance in a public voting contest. I do what I do and will continue to do so.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Atari2600homebrew

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

I agree that it's a challenge to compare WIP games at their various stages but there is no solution to that issue, it's hard to compare or evaluate completeness. Regardless, I think it's a fun category to include to show off upcoming games. :-)

Games that were nominated in the WIP category will not be eligible again for WIP. If they are declared finished then they will be eligible for all the 'finished game' categories. Games that put out a WIP during 2019 that weren't nominated a previous year WIP are eligible for the 2019 Homebrew Awards!

 

I know everybody loved the Best WIP category and thought it was the most competitve, etc. It seems a little unfair to me to compare games at varying stages of completion. I am curious, assuming some of these games aren't completed by the end of next year will they be eligible for Best WIP again? The same with some of the games that were finished this year but not released on cart yet. Do they get another go, or are they limited to Best Packaging?

[+Nathan Strum]

I enjoyed the WIP category because it brought to my attention some games I wasn't even aware of (and therefore, to other people as well). I think that sort of pre-release exposure is good, especially if it leads to feedback that helps add some final polish to the games.

 

As for comparing them in different stages of completion, a lot of that was sifted out by the nominating committee before it went to a public vote. I think what got to the public were good representations of the potential of each game. But I think for next year, some documentation from the programmers as to where it stands as a WIP and what work is still planned for its completion would be good to include for voters.

[StanJr]

 

My statements were not from sour grapes as you are implying. I voted for Dungeon II in the Best Packaging category and that was the one that really stood out to me and led to what I posted. I am sure that many people looked at the files and made decisions based on that, but I also feel that there were a lot of voters who did not bother to research the options and chose Mappy since it is a name they know. There are some voters even now that don't know those files were available. I brought up what I think is an issue and it may or may not happen in the future.

 

With my releases I have always been on the fringe and the last few years even more so. If a game is very popular I let Albert take all the assets and use them for the AtariAge store so the game can make it to more players. I knew I had little to no chance in a public voting contest. I do what I do and will continue to do so.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Atari2600homebrew

 

 

 

You're not as much the Dark Horse as you think you are. You get a lot of credit for your clever packaging ideas and concepts. I voted for several of your games in the nomination rounds.

 

And the main problem you describe is with any public voting process. You think a lot of modern governments are where they are today because the average citizen did their research before voting?

[s0c7]

Agreed. Don't let it get you down. Keep doing what you do. I foresee this cycle playing out the same next year for a lot of these categories. It may be closer, but one title will mostly sweep. And it will always be an arcade port.

[+ZeroPage Homebrew]

A 'Best Port' and/or 'Best Original Title' might be added to next year's 2019 Homebrew Awards. :-)

 

Agreed. Don't let it get you down. Keep doing what you do. I foresee this cycle playing out the same next year for a lot of these categories. It may be closer, but one title will mostly sweep. And it will always be an arcade port.

[StanJr]

Hmmm. Because we don't really see that many ports, the port category may be rather sparse. I think the complexity of the issue is when a port is done, it is usually done by high level programmers who are seeking as perfect a translation as they can get on the VCS. Look at the team on Mappy. That's an all star who's who in the 6502 programming scene with commentary and assist by other elite programmers. So you've got a classic game, already well loved and respected, being ported to the VCS by the best of the best. It's a one-two punch that is going to be hard to beat. I have no doubt that Draconian would have swept the year it was released had there been awards.

 

I like the idea of a Best New Programmer category for people just getting into the game. I think that would help shine light in spots other than just whatever the elite level port of the year might be (looking at YOU Aardvark...)

[+Nathan Strum]

I like the idea of a Best New Programmer category for people just getting into the game.

 

 

I agree - Best New Programmer would be a nice addition.

[+Muddyfunster]

This should probably be in the feedback thread but oh well, this discussion is ticking along

 

Some musings from me:

 

Having being port / best original is a good idea. Maybe even best "remake" of a classic era title. There would have to be enough qualifying releases to justify a category being included, not just 1 or 2.

 

Picking up a little on some of the points raised already, I think consideration should be given to best "Team" category. Some games had a bunch of folks working on them and I think that should be considered when categorising them, my thinking is a bit like the music awards, best band, vs best solo, or something like that. Not the best analogy but you get the idea.

 

Best New Programmer / Newcomer is also a nice idea, it allows for some recognition outside of some of the elite programmers / teams in the community.

 

I would also suggest a smaller voting shortlist for each category. I think every category had at least 10 nominations. I think that's too many, 5 or 6 is probably a better number.