ExGFX Contest: August 2015
Get your pencils ready
Hello everyone! Welcome to our fourth ExGFX design contest. As per a few suggestions, we've decided to run another one. It was due anyway as this was about the time it was ran last summer. Anyway, let's not keep you waiting...
Information
Your task will be to design graphics fitting to a specific theme. This contest's theme is "darkness". Anything dark goes, caves, ghost houses, night times. You name it.
Just as last time, we're running two contests: one for foregrounds, one for backgrounds. You're free to enter both but you can still only submit one entry. You submit one entry and it can either be a foreground, background or both. What you draw depends on what contest you're entered into, of course.
To expand on what we did last time with this idea, the background category also includes layer 3. So you're welcome to combine a background and layer 3 for an entry (or just use layer 3 if you really want to, but I don't see how you'd make something amazing with that). You're also welcome to have your layer 3 background have priority over the foreground (if you have one). Bear in mind that they're behavior with the player etc. won't be noticed as sample levels aren't played (such as tides).
Submitting Your Entry
All entries must be posted in this submission thread by the deadline (this can be found below). Your submission must include the following:
- Map16 page for your FG and/or BG
- A sample level utilising your FG and/or BG between one and three screens (decimal). This is what we will look at to judge your level
- Palette file for your FG and/or BG
- The ExGFX files
- If you have layer 3 as well, all neccesaary layer 3 files must be there
Tip: pretend you're actually submitting this to the section, the zip file must be of the same standard when submitting here as it would there. It makes it a lot easier for us judges so we can get the results out as soon as possible for you!
Contest Rule and Guidelines
- No more than two map16 pages may be used for each category
- You cannot change any of the standard SMW graphics (coins, ? blocks, any sprites and so on)
- You may not break the palettes of said objects above as well as the status bar, the player palette, message boxes and so on
- No ripped graphics are allowed
- Animation is allowed
- Anything submitted to this contest must be "new", as in not something you have already submitted to the site. You are allowed to upload your submission after the results have been announced
Scoring
Each category will be judged under the following headings:
- Overall design (what the graphics look like in general): /50
- Originality (how unique is your submission): /25
Overall, it is out of 75. A slight change from last time as originality was out of 10 - we've changed it to 25 to allow more freedom when judging.
Point Deductions
Points will be taken from your overall score from all of the judges if your submission has any of the following issues:
- If your map16 is missing any tiles and it affects your sample level (five points taken if anything is missing)
- If you have any missing files such as a palette file or a map16 file. If you're missing a ExGFX file you will be disqualified as we can't judge your entry (five points taken per file)
Prizes
To hopefully entice you to enter, we have a choice of two prizes for the winner! The choice is between a permanent custom title or a custom name colour for a month. Second place then gets the other as a prize. As standard, we have the badges for the winners, too. But we also have a special participant badge new for this contest (although it was backtracked for our previous ExGFX contests if some of you noticed). Thanks a lot to Gloomier!
Deadline
You have until August the 30th, 21:00 GMT+1 (that's England, UK DST) to submit your entry. That gives exactly about two weeks to make your entry. Hopefully an extension won't be needed. Please post your entries here only and keep all discussion to the discussion thread.
Good luck everyone!
Get your pencils ready
Hello everyone! Welcome to our fourth ExGFX design contest. As per a few suggestions, we've decided to run another one. It was due anyway as this was about the time it was ran last summer. Anyway, let's not keep you waiting...
Information
Your task will be to design graphics fitting to a specific theme. This contest's theme is "darkness". Anything dark goes, caves, ghost houses, night times. You name it.
Just as last time, we're running two contests: one for foregrounds, one for backgrounds. You're free to enter both but you can still only submit one entry. You submit one entry and it can either be a foreground, background or both. What you draw depends on what contest you're entered into, of course.
To expand on what we did last time with this idea, the background category also includes layer 3. So you're welcome to combine a background and layer 3 for an entry (or just use layer 3 if you really want to, but I don't see how you'd make something amazing with that). You're also welcome to have your layer 3 background have priority over the foreground (if you have one). Bear in mind that they're behavior with the player etc. won't be noticed as sample levels aren't played (such as tides).
Submitting Your Entry
All entries must be posted in this submission thread by the deadline (this can be found below). Your submission must include the following:
- Map16 page for your FG and/or BG
- A sample level utilising your FG and/or BG between one and three screens (decimal). This is what we will look at to judge your level
- Palette file for your FG and/or BG
- The ExGFX files
- If you have layer 3 as well, all neccesaary layer 3 files must be there
Tip: pretend you're actually submitting this to the section, the zip file must be of the same standard when submitting here as it would there. It makes it a lot easier for us judges so we can get the results out as soon as possible for you!
Contest Rule and Guidelines
- No more than two map16 pages may be used for each category
- You cannot change any of the standard SMW graphics (coins, ? blocks, any sprites and so on)
- You may not break the palettes of said objects above as well as the status bar, the player palette, message boxes and so on
- No ripped graphics are allowed
- Animation is allowed
- Anything submitted to this contest must be "new", as in not something you have already submitted to the site. You are allowed to upload your submission after the results have been announced
Scoring
Each category will be judged under the following headings:
- Overall design (what the graphics look like in general): /50
- Originality (how unique is your submission): /25
Overall, it is out of 75. A slight change from last time as originality was out of 10 - we've changed it to 25 to allow more freedom when judging.
Point Deductions
Points will be taken from your overall score from all of the judges if your submission has any of the following issues:
- If your map16 is missing any tiles and it affects your sample level (five points taken if anything is missing)
- If you have any missing files such as a palette file or a map16 file. If you're missing a ExGFX file you will be disqualified as we can't judge your entry (five points taken per file)
Prizes
To hopefully entice you to enter, we have a choice of two prizes for the winner! The choice is between a permanent custom title or a custom name colour for a month. Second place then gets the other as a prize. As standard, we have the badges for the winners, too. But we also have a special participant badge new for this contest (although it was backtracked for our previous ExGFX contests if some of you noticed). Thanks a lot to Gloomier!
Deadline
You have until August the 30th, 21:00 GMT+1 (that's England, UK DST) to submit your entry. That gives exactly about two weeks to make your entry. Hopefully an extension won't be needed. Please post your entries here only and keep all discussion to the discussion thread.
Good luck everyone!
http://www.smwcentral.net/?p=files&u=27069 just download destroyed wood 
