Lucas Moffitt

I sent this around after the final round of judging before Poland but I needed to get the ok to post it public, Here it is for reference in the Imagine Cup 2011 Game Design Category.

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Going through the mass amounts of entrants to the Game Design category of the Imagine Cup its clear there are several problems amongst students who compete.

Allow me to vent / detail some of the problems found during the recent culling of entrants.

Read the guidelines

What is asked in the specifications is what is expected. If you don’t include a video, you’re gone. If you don’t include Instructions, or if it’s not in English, you’re gone.

The specifications for an entry to the imagine cup game design is explicit and can be found here: http://imaginecup.com/Downloads/DownloadableDocuments/GD/Imagine_Cup_2010_Game_Design_Rules_and_Regulations.pdf

Common problems encountered were:

· Videos missing in action

· No Documentation

· Non playable demo’s

· Non English documentation

I can’t understand how someone who’s gone to great effort to create a game for the imagine cup would fail to read and understand the expectations!

Your game may be the next halo, but we’re not going to even see it if those criteria aren’t met.

Answer the question

As a lot of lecturers or teachers will tell anyone walking into an exam, make sure you answer the question being asked. And for many of the entrants I witness this was simply not the case.

There was one entrant who submitted a basic todolist application built in C#. wtf? Upload accident or miss interpretation of the guidelines… We’ll never know.

The Guidelines are very specific in regards to what needs to be achieved / demonstrated in the game. You’re only wasting everyone’s time if you fail to read, understand and embrace the expectations.

Video Encoding

Again, as stated in the rulebook: “Include a video screen capture of your game in action. The video should be no more than 15 minutes long”.

That doesn’t mean it also has to be 300mb. Encode wisely! There’s nothing worse than getting your hopes up about a potentially awesome game that’s over 300mb big, if when we look inside the zip file the video is 295mb and the game is only 5mb. It’s not a huge thing, but it can be disheartening for the Judge…

Also, how many YouTube videos have you seen that are 295mb? If they can do it in <30mb so can you! Your game has to include a video, but you can have it hosted on YouTube! This is a fantastic idea as it creates exposure to your game that you wouldn’t have had before. Even if you don’t win the imagine cup, chances are Microsoft groups such as @ImagineCupUS and @MSAU may even promote your game to their legion of followers (It happened this year). That’s exposure a budding game developer can really use.

Multi-Function

As stated in the rules and guidelines: “The game must be designed for the Microsoft Xbox 360 gaming system, or Microsoft Windows Operating Systems (Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, or Windows 7) and playable on a Windows PC, as specified in the XNA Game Studio Toolkit, for the purposes of judging. Include controls to use both an xbox controller and a keyboard”

So… why were there several interesting games with high potential that caused frustration when it wasn’t possible to actually use them with a keyboard? It’s only a few lines of code extra! Why would any game developer in this situation limit their application to one console anyway? We’ve all seen the video demonstration from Teched, with the one game working on Windows, Xbox and Phone 7. It’s the future of gaming; why not get in on it now?

It’s all been done before, but!

So many people stick with the whole “Halo Wars” or “Age of Empires” approach, but it’s all been done before. This is not to say that you’re any less deserved of winning the imagine cup but it’s all been done before! The Imagine Cup is about inspiring the imagination and creating masterpieces of art and gaming revolutions. Don’t play it easy, think abstract. Some of the ones that were awarded the highest marks in Stage 1 are the most abstract concepts conceivable, but you’ll see them all eventually.

Microsoft does not want to steal your ideas!

I’ve witnessed several people go off on tangents as to why they didn’t enter because of Intellectual Property. Long story short, you’re wrong.

It’s your software Microsoft is just helping you get recognized. The terms and conditions are just a formality to allow your videos to be used / promoted by Microsoft. Microsoft has nil interest in stealing or infringing on your intellectual property, your designs, games, thoughts, whatever possible excuse you have.

So just No. Ok?

I feel better now!

Lucas.

Hey Guys,

We’re pushing hard with the Imagine Cup registrations, for those of you who signed up on my laptop today, Thankyou

for those of you who didn’t you don’t have to miss out!

Send me an email to Lucas.Moffitt [@] student-partners.com.au and copy in the following information (I put some in already to help out the lazy ones in the crowd!).

• Name: Your Name Goes Here!
• Email Address: You@Yourmumssite.com
• Preferred Language: English
• Happy to receive emails about the Imagine Cup, Microsoft Events (Including MSP Events)? YES
• Is it cool to send you emails from our partners? YES
• University You’re at: The University of Newcastle

Done! Numbers for this are incredibly important to Elise and Myself so please take the time to sign up!

Keep in mind that this is NOT forming a team. This is just an expression of interest so we can send you stuff about the Imagine Cup! and the Email address you submit does NOT have to be your university one!

Peace.

Lucas.

Hey Guys

Great turn out at the BIT orientation and the lunch BBQ. Sorry if we weren’t able to speak to all of you, you all had so many questions

If you didn’t get a handout (We ran out sorry Thought 500 would have been enough!) here’s a copy you can have all to yourself!

I know several of you were going to email me with specific questions please feel free Lucas.Moffitt [@] student-partners.com.au

Make sure you checkout the facebook group

Keep checking this site for the freebies and information on our next events.

Photo’s to come soon!

Lucas.

I’m not kidding. Go do it….

The registrations for the Imagine Cup are open and I want you all in it.

I’ve talked to you all before about it so there’s no new news here, Just need to get you all signed up

Send me an email with a…

• DisplayName (maximum of 20 characters)
• University/School
• Email Address
• Preferred Language (if not English)
• Newsletter subscription? (Yes/No)
• Partner Emails OK? (Yes/No)

lucas.moffitt {AT} student-partners.com.au

Get too it!

Hey Guys!

First up let me thank everyone for coming out today, at last count we had 48 attendees which is awesome for a first event!

Gratz to all those people that won prizes and those of you who took some information away from the event today.

Like to take a second to thank the people that were involved in setting today up as well as my helpers on the day.

• Uni Staff: Brian, Christine and Jenny
• Friends and Family: Elise and Josh, my girlfriend Natasha and my little brother Jason.
• As well as all the guys at MS, Karo and Andy.

If you guys have other feedback or question about the event feel free to post them here and I’ll reply as soon as humanly possible. I’ll put up pictures and other stuff on here and my facebook I’ll launch another post in a second for those who are interested in attending the XBOX event in Sydney, please keep in mind i can only take 1 female and 1 male. as well as having to provide your own accommodation / transport after / before the event.

Thanks again guys.

Lucas.

That’s right, the first of many to come MSP events will be held on Monday the 19th of October in the ICT Building, Room 3 – 34. From 1pm till 2pm!

I’ll be going over how you guys as students can access all the free stuff, and also talk about some upcoming goodies from Microsoft, as well as hand out some prizes and Microsoft swag. The list of topics includes:

• Dreamspark
• It’s not cheating
• Imagine Cup
• MSDN Academic Alliance
• Windows 7 Launch
• Windows Mobile 6.5 Launch
• The MSP Program
• Xbox 360
• Student Training and Development

The prize list is as follows

1 lucky winner will take home the Microsoft Wireless notebook presenter mouse 8000

Another winner will take home a free copy of Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate

and the last major prize being a Microsoft Mobile Mouse 6000

There will be other things such as stickers, windows 7 mouse mats etc for attendance (but they’re at a limited number!)

You can download a copy of the handout below if you so wish!

You can also register on facbook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?invites&eid=174892697072 but it’s not compulsory.

Hope to see you all there!

Lucas.

Edit: Emails sent to B.IT and B.Education students, Will be posted on University Newsletter tomorrow!

Edit: Prize List!

tldnr: First MSP event – Monday 19th of October, in room ICT 3-34