Actually, almost all video game players have GLSL/OpenGL compatible video cards 
I have to disagree Killer. There is no reason to force people to use or not to use GLSL if you ask me. Because either way you are going to be excluding way too many people’s preferred approaches. Some people incorporate normal maps into their workflow, and some use them less often and some dont’ use them at all. So in order to get the most out of everyone involved I don’t think GLSL needs to be manditory and just the same it doesn’t need to be banned either.
Also the texture resolution should be totally up to the competitor. Also, stripping Python doesn’t make a lot of sense either for the same reason as stripping GLSL and restricting texture resolution doesn’t make sense. Same for poly limit. I think it should basically be no hold barred.
The way I see it, the entire point is to expand interest in the game engine. And the best way to do that is to allow all sorts of entries to showcase the divisity of what the engine is capable of. THe real winner of the competition will be every user of the game engine, because greater interest may equal further development and features, which in turn will make more interest and more users, which will justify further development.
So, the prize is nice, because it will seduce really great people to join. So, yeah I want to see some pros dabble in the engine not just us on the forum. That would really ROCK. To really push the capabilities all the way to the xtreme. That could really get some interest in the CG community.
That’s what’s best for the community as I see it. Not just a fun game with great gameplay. That’s cool in it’s own right. But in this competition I think we’ll benefit more from somethign spectacularly flashy in its graphics and innovative use of physics and shadows… and if it’s also fun, then hey, that’s cool too.
that’s just my opinion
I like the idea of a game creation contest. If you look at all the projects that get started and then at those that finish, we need something to get people through.
Gomer’s suggestion really does work well, although it will be difficult to decide which game is the best considering personal preferences in gameplay. How about this version:
Majors:
Best Overall Game (200),
Best Graphics (75),
Best Coding (75)
Minors:
Best FPS (25)
Best Puzzle game (25)
Best whatever…
Games are eligible to receive at most one major, one minor, with the higher prize canceling out the lower.
paulR: no. I am just making some hints for rules :).
Anyway. This contest should not limit the entrants with polycount, python scripting usage, texture size, etc. We want to show, what is possible with BGE.
We should have freedom in our creation, but there should be strict rules.
OK, guys. This contest is very important. We will show the people that Blender is worth to download and maybe we will attract more developers.
I remember looking at Irrlicht Engine website. First thing I look at was screenshots of their porojects. I liked that, so I have downloaded it. And this exactly what we need for Blender website for attracting people.
This is not an ordinary contest. This is a mission for any BlenderArtist and Blender patriot ;).
I like the gomer’s idea. It was about time to make a competition like this. Go Blender patriots ;).
I don’t think that we will need to show all the little new candies in Blender in one game, but maybe malCanDo wants to add the winner game to the new 2.48 release showoff.
Too bad, I’ll not be able to join here.
as prices, I think the blender foundation could give some goodies from the shop too …
and for the categories, I think that non-game games are important too, think of architectural visualisation, scientific usage, or at the other end “demo visuals” as well as VJ tools or interactive installations…
Actualy I think the BGE is as much used for these non-game prod than for real classical “games” with hit points and gameover… This is what interest me in this sofware anyway. So please add a “special” category in visible place, it will gain attention I’m sure…
I also think it isn’t necessary to put all emphasis on games, because i could imagine several kinds of 3D applications that are possible with the BGE, lots of which have already been mentioned (architectural walkthroughs, product showcase, virtual historical locations, interactive engineering studies etc).
I would like to see them all in this contest. 
Thank you Mal for donating your BSoD fee, that’s very generous. As for a prize from the Blender e-shop, if it’s even considered… the upcoming new Blender Gamekit would be a nice one.
I agree with Bluesocarrot, thats all a very good idea. But i disagree with the idea that games are only eligible for one major and one minor.
And no python and no GLSL? Youd want to be able to use python, thats a major part of making games with Blender. And GLSL needs to be tested, used and publicised.
This contest idea is very excting, perhaps it could be a new yearly contest - The Blender World Cup (Game Edition)
-The BWC(GE)-
Hmmmm? :eyebrowlift2:
As you can probably tell, it’s going to be tough to categorise requirements for this particular competition, but the more comments and suggestions we get, the better.
The reason I had mentioned using an existing template ( eg the FPS one, or the driving game one ) is because the competition would then become open to any 3d artist who may not have tried Blender before.
Also, I like the idea of having some sort of prize ( even separately ) for a project that only uses the built in Logic Blocks ( just to really show what can be done by an artist with no coding skills, and very possibly not ever wanting any coding skills ).
If this was a separate category, then it would free all of the other categories to use whatever it took to get the 3D content working.
Keep posting ideas etc!
Mal
You are right about the category but let’s make simple! I mean it’s important that represent the first Blender game engine contest, so we should on what’s possible. I would be sad to see too many category and not so many games.
For what I’ve seen on plant person review ( game exposition for the record) there not so many finished game in bge or at least really enjoyable. So maybe the idea of using template to let artist express themselves is not a bad idea. In addition 2-3 month is really short to reinvent the wheel.
So maybe this competition will boost people to finish their game. So what I propose is the let all category open and then to let the juge decide which one got the best graphics and which one got the best gameplay and the other one which one is more inovative, or whatever category you want to reward.
I’m pretty sure it will solve a lot of problems.
I think ontop of this we need to have another bullet physics competition. Whenever the new bullet system is incorporated.
There will be a third Bullet/Blender Game Play Physics contest.
For newcomers: the results from previous game physics contest 2006 are here:
http://www.bulletphysics.com/mediawiki-1.5.8/index.php?title=Entries
The results from the Blender physics contest 2007, Rube Goldberg, is here:
http://www.bulletphysics.com/mediawiki-1.5.8/index.php?title=PhysicsContest2007
Has anyone played Super Mario Galaxy? It would be great if we can have a bunch of examples, how to create some of the tons of various physics-based game play puzzles/effects in that game, using Game Blender/Bullet. Note: they would be examples/demos, not full games, because we don’t want to get in trouble with Nintendo.
Thanks,
Erwin
I remember both those competitions. I wanted to enter so bad, but I was a n00b in 06, (not really, I just never played with the GE) and in 07 I missed it =/
I think teamwork should be allowed, anyone else thinkso?
More people will make more work in given time :).
I disagree with teams…
I want to participate but i am anti-glsl
I agree whole heartedly with teams. The more people working on a project the better the project can be in a shorter period of time, or at least can have more artistic content. It means that they will have to share the prize, but what ever.
i disagree with the idea that games are only eligible for one major and one minor.
Only one major prize is a good thing, and while I agree that games can fall into more than one category (Which is what I am guessing is your problem with the idea), it is far easier to judge them based on one particular genre.
No limit on polygons, no limit on GLSL, no limiting anything. Remember that this is trying to show off ALL the BGE can do. If you cannot use GLSL, make your game look great without it. While I do not think that people should be aiming for a benchmark, it should run on the judges computers. If there is no limiting done, could we get some of the judges computer specs?
Gameplay wise, I think that there needs to be at least 5 minutes of solid gameplay, that means that the game cannot be finished in less than 5 minutes.
For graphics and what-not, make a checklist for the judges, not the people. If you give artists or programmers a checklist they will just go through it one by one. This means they are less likely to be creative in their use of it.
I do not like the use of templates but if used, they would have to be very good and very easy to understand. This means if it were an FPS one, it would have to have easy weapon manipulation, easy camera animation, easy animation tags in the scripts, simple AI already setup and easy to understand. Templates generally stifle gameplay because they all end up the same; templates do encourage art though.
On that point, again, teams are a very good idea. One programmer and one artist are all that are really needed to make an artistic and fun game. While one person may be able to make a good game, two really allows people to focus and make each area all the better for it.
I am looking forward to the start of this project. Even if some of us do not win, the Blender Community as a whole has.
I agree with teams. I for one know it will increase my work(flow/speed) and probably also quality as I’ll have more time to think about the artistic direction and overall concept of the game.
Every game I have ever created was made by a team of around 2 to 4. I think teams should be allowed, but limited to around 4 or 5 members. Make sure to have a large announcement for this compitition.
Also does anyone know what happened to The Blender Game Expo 2008? It was supposed to be released two months ago…