Hand on Heart ..... I don't even think they looked ....
Had they have even tried Area 52 they would have seen floating trees, awful glitches .....
Not only did this person modify a pre made map he totally messed it up as well ....

I agree with you Syncromesh! I doubt they have even played any of the entries! I would love to the judges notes when they come through.

I bet all of them say, "couldn't play, too laggy, low fps, wouldn't load".

For example, I know my game works fine on a surface pro 2. That has Intel HD 4000 graphics. I turned the terrain off for the whole game and on my machine was getting a very healthy fps.

It will be interesting to see what happens next.

3 weeks wasted on Saviour here, although I'm going to expand it, so it was a learning curve. I agree i dont think the judges even looked at the GG entries. The person who ripped off WOI's map should be banned, if he is on the forums. Shocking to say the least. Blatant rip off.

Lets hope TGC set up a contest soon.

Why wasted? You could still win.

Nobody that entered the contest has wasted there time. The things you learned are valuable at least. The fact that you completed it and turn it in for submission makes you all winners and shows the community spirit that we have.

This one incident will not bring us all down, and the party will get theirs in the long run. Or learn a valuable lesson in what they dont get now.

@tomjscott - I guess I could.... It's just GameDevForts bias toward anything other than RPG maker annoying

@myke - Agreed Myke, I have never known such a dedicated and helpful community as the one here at GG and TGC.

Lol and I am the big conspiracy theorist "Told you so" Doesn't quite do it justice however. You know, if they lesser life form actually came onto the forum, and apologized, he would have gotten a big chew out from me, and would have thanked him, for trying to make things right....

But it's likely the whole community is being portrayed as the evil guy for costing him the prize, I would assume a fair amount of cursing and swearing from his side.....but justice has been served and that is a good enough reward from my side. Gamedev fort will never see me again....that is for sure...

i agree!
i can really understand.
did they pull back the first prize? will someone else win now or will they just end this competetion after this "dispute"?

To be honest my own TGC comp level played fine for a few and for some it wouldn't even load, so I expect no different for a game entered into this competition. A game may play fine on your own system and for some reason or other won't play on others.
They may just be honest when they say that certain games won by default when most won't even load, particularly with Game Guru games, we all shout about this software being Beta when it suits us, when someone whines about missing features or bugs.

So I am not going to shout at the judges when they may have come across bugs and loading problems on their systems with this game software. It just isn't capable of producing a game with the quality expected for a competition like this.
Yes, it is reprehensible that someone entered a game using a level, which incidentally, was tested pretty thoroughly by creator and users of GG. So was probably playable. But you can't blame those judges in the engine categories for failing to spot this.

TGC should never have entered this software into their bundle in the first place, it just isn't ready and this seems to be across the board with selling the product everywhere as completed and ready to create awesome games...it simply isn't ready for this kind of marketing. Kudos to all you guy's who entered this comp...really if you tried to create anything original with decent gameplay then you struggled hard to do it. I reckon we all fell short and would do a lot better a year from now.

I may come across as less angry than most but I don't feel any embarrassment where I tried to do my best and was doomed from the start, get over it guy's....it shouldn't get you down. If your annoyed at most of the games being 2d and anime then maybe it because these games were actually playable and on the whole they were the most prolific entries, maybe the organizers and judges were biased....who cares. I didn't enter expecting to win.

@rolfy

My problem is even with the right developer, all the features and best graphics in the world.You still stood zero chance of winning any thing, their own software won, look at the popular vote game a 3D game at that which should have have dusted the floor, didn't even manage to make the top 3. 14 2D games and 6 semi 3D games, and at that their own engine winning top spot.


3D games at no point in this comp stood an even remote chance, I have said this from day 1, watch RPG maker game is going to walk away with top spot, regardless of what condition gameguru was in, finished, work in progress there wasn't even a remote chance that it would have won any thing, if they wasn't forced to give away a prize for best game in that category.It tells you that the judges favored their own engine and community the evidence is there in black and white.

You can't run a comp with your own software in the mix and your own internal judges, and expect people not to cry foul. The community is based on 2D games and 2D game makers.So no, this comp wasn't even remotely fair, nor did any outside engines stand a reasonable amount of chance to get any where.

There is supposedly a mass email that will go out to every one to find out how you placed, and would likely be the black and white evidence of how weakly 3D games in general was placed.The comp is flawed and biased no doubt about it.Have a closer look at how people were forced to register to vote and instead of being directed to the voting page they were directed to their own store page.They made voting impossible for outsiders, or none developers.

The website, is directly linked to their own software and community, at no point was this an "indie" affair, I am not venting about game guru not getting any thing done, I am venting that all 3D games got zip, zero recognition in general, a good enough reason not to support them in future and give them the widest birth you can afford, as they don't deserve any recognition for a clearly biased comp and attitude.

The only consolation prize is that my map won, and was made even worse, and at that original map was made with a version of game guru that lacked 90% of the features and content, comparatively the game Disadventure would have walked all over it, if it wasn't for the poor medieval AI.

I created my game in the final four days before entry closed, I already knew it was a no win situation, I really didn't expect anything less than what you describe. I entered to promote GG and nothing much more than that, I may be coming across as slating GameGuru but I am just being realistic about it. If I had created the 3d game you describe above I may have a different view on it, but really I didn't expect any other results in this comp.

I don't see any point in getting annoyed or upset when I know for fact that my own entry using GG had no chance even if the judging was balanced and fair. I understand the anger at the GG category being messed up by someone who entered the comp with a ripped level as this brings a lot of negative attention to this product which we can all do without.

I don't really care too much that 2d games or whatever came out on top I expected that and I also expected a game created with their software would win, the whole comp revolves around promoting their product and in my view they allow other engines to participate and in their own way they can jump on the bandwagon to promote their own product. This to me is just business, I understand your anger when they say it is an 'Indie game competition' but really I reckon we should all just take it with a pinch of salt

@rolfy There should have been a 2D and 3D prize pool, the fact the comp was run, with zero amount of the prize pool being funded by gamedevfort, really tells you what they care and feel about any other than their own software.Business or not you DON'T promote your own software openly like that with other users and engines partaking.

Business or no business, you simply don't do it, when your own software is involved you get independent people to judge as well, your not the head judge either, you remove any all affiliation with the software and the comp, that is how you achieve a fair and unbiased comp.

There was a decent prize pool involved, even if you don't stand a chance, I would rather have a 600 to 1 odd than 0 to 0 zero odd, they should have been sued for the shake down they were running.

Simply put avoid them, nothing good can come from it.

I do honestly hope this time next year, game guru is a 100% better or else, I would expect some heads to roll......

Well, to be honest, I decided to ignore this competition because of the strict Indie character, and although Homegrown Games is indie to the bone, it would be quite strange to run for the hill and then, when getting asked "what do you do for a living", answering "Oh, I am assigned as producer to the upcoming Hitman game, and before that I was the dev producer for Anno iOS & Android..."...

...I guess you got the point.

Long story cut short, I had no personal interest in this competition and therefore I also cannot hold any personal grudges now, but that doesn´t mean I haven´t followed it closely.

Pirate Myke is of course right in his statement

Nobody that entered the contest has wasted there time. The things you learned are valuable at least. The fact that you completed it and turn it in for submission makes you all winners and shows the community spirit that we have.

However, this one was really fishy, to say the least, and I am very sorry for the community members who had pitched a game there and feel betrayed now. I remember some of the competitions we had on the old FPSC boards, where each and every single entry had been played to death by the judges and we participants had really a feeling of "wow, it was a rough battle, but fair judging, I understand why XXX or YYY beat me" (most of the time you could put in either Wolf or Rolfy or both there) and you where VERY proud when coming in first.

Here it would be a bitter victory to be nominated GG winner after the disqualification of this *censored*, and yeah, it would be still fair because of the prize awarded. As stated and agreed above, noone of you really "wasted time", but the aftermath smells bad indeed.

if they don.t award the prize and simply hang on to it then I reckon they got problems they aren't expecting. it does smell bad when they agree that DQ is in order for an entry but still haven't made any announcement of change.

All the same I stick by my stance that I didn't expect anything more than the outcome when entering, so I don't get upset by any of this.
The prize money came from folks buying the bundle which included GG, so maybe TGC should be shaking the tree rather than letting it sit there as 'disputed' which in my view is beginning to look like a deliberate attempt to make the product look bad because they don't like the reaction from users to being ripped off.

Yeah, I see that coming or at least realistic.

If they really didn't like ANY of the GameGuru games, and are so 'blazay' about choosing a winning entry, then, they should give the prize fund to TGC and let TGC decide on the winning entry. Put it to the community here for a fair competition!

I agree with the high bissness color the comp have to, even bothering you the email, with their "bundle wonki" they offers.

I know that GG is not ready yet, but this only demonstrates the enormous potential that have their users. It is certainly a great achievement that so, with just few tools, so they can build competitive runlevels.

I sometimes say wow with some cooking shows on TV, but then I think about the dishes that my grandmother made, with just a wood oven.

Currently, the only righteous judge who may have a GameGuru user, is the same TGC.

3com

Well I got in contact with humble bundle, and gave them general feedback what exactly they sponsored...fair bet they couldn't care less, but done my part.

I just love that line. Thanks, 3com! My vote for quote of the year.

Glad you like it.

3com

Anyone heard any news yet.... seems very quiet over at gamedevfort ?

We can only assume they are waiting for he/she to get back to them to explain things, even though it is pretty cut and dried. If they had judged these games using a points system then they should be aware of who is the new winner right off, not really looking good for GG with it sitting under dispute for so long, though I suspect most have lost interest and moved on by now. Perhaps they are hoping we all do the same....lol

This info from them:

This contest had a fair amount of money (collected through bundle sales) and entries involved so I would have thought they would be a bit more concerned with running a tight ship. Surely they realise this all reflects badly on them.

And still no winner....well colour me surprised

You would think, if they had the system they mention, that beyond clarifying the allegations it would be a fairly simple process to pick the 2nd place as the winner. Still, considering the delay for the first announcement, it's no surprise they are taking their time. Perhaps they are re-evaluating GG titles?

Edit - Actually, has anyone had any feedback yet? As that was also promised for each entry. I haven't but not surprised I suppose given the state of affairs and lack of GG winner as yet.

usually people don't see this. this is what makes it even worse and harder to understand. my own experience is when you're unhappy with a company or store because they are stupid they always will prove to you that they are stupid indeed.
we can tag this whole thing with FAIL. see the good side: there are some really nice GG games for us to play. i like all of them.

Best of all I gave fair warning ....that this was going to be the end result....BUT Noooooooooo. I was clearly off my meds at the time

Well, I got my feedback today, and I'll be honest it's pretty brutal. I don't think they even got through the first level. I don't know how the rest of you fared, but a score of 0, yes 0, is pretty undeserved. There are several categories, I got 0 in every one. Not even the worst game in history got a 0 score. Really, if you haven't tried it,(Subterranean Secret) it's not that bad, not incredible by any means, too many bugs and issues caused me to change things, but still the judges scores are somewhat biased imo. In fact I'd go further and say they look rushed and biased. Even if the game sucked big time, no-one could say the graphics deserved 0 as well, I mean come on!

I mean a comment like, we need at least a ship-able product is a little much for a months work. I don't know, but at least my game had all it's textures intact and ran at something like a playable speed, had multiple levels and a semblance of story, unlike the winning, disqualified entry.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/52565492/Subterranean%20Secret.zip

Just in case anyone wants to test the zero score game

that's so unfair, I haven't had an email as yet......... I probably got 0 anyways. TGC should get the GG category cash given to them, and TGC should decide who wins. Just my opinion. be a lot fairer too.

Yeah, It just confirms the judges apparent indifference with GG entries it seems. You get a list of scores for presentation, game-play, engagement etc and of course the theme for bonus points, I got 0 for all of them. Now I made sure I mentioned Growth many times. The last level even had an island "growing" before your very eyes! My one and only comment I received actually stated that it was compelling enough for him to play through to completion, so that to me indicates it is not rated at 0 for engagement. I really see it as confirmation they just didn't take any time or effort in this process of properly judging the titles.

Farce. Total and complete. I consider it alarming that such a huge prize pool was entrusted to these guys. It almost feels as if they were reluctant to award GG titles any of it. So ended up rushing through the games and making a random/bas choice for winner. We should certainly compare how we were judged, to see if anyone got a fair shake at the stick in this contest.

Judge #1's Review
Presentation 0 / 20
Gameplay 0 / 20
Engagement 0 / 20
Penalties 0
Theme 0 / 10
Total 0

Just to show you the full horror. I'll say this, I consider this mail an insult as well as proof we were all doomed from the start. Really, 0 for everything? I mean I put a fair bit of time trying to make it look fairly presentable. I saw no other entries that had even close to the amount of work I put in to small touches like the truck at the start, the decontamination process in level 2 and so on. So how presentation can score 0 is beyond me. I should have just gone AGK for this one I think. Would have been less stress and easier making a simple 2D shooter or such.

@DVader - well, I hope you have a sense of humour, otherwise it would be quite demoralising. I get the feeling that the organisers weren't thrilled about having GameGuru in the competition, and this is their way of showing it.

Just like the games I don't think they looked at the Judging sheets either

@Dvader - Yea lot of work went into my game too, all the mentions of Growth etc, custom music sfx.

I'll treat it as a learning curve. Never again will I enter that contest.

I've uploaded my entry to gamejolt now, it's free there for anyone who wants to try it. Saviour V2.... I think it's bug free too.

Version 3 will be expanded but I will be charging for that one (not much though)

http://gamejolt.com/games/saviour-v2/108249

Came in for me as well,

Presentation 7 / 20
Gameplay 3 / 20
Engagement 4 / 20
Penalties 0
Theme 0 / 10
Total 14

All the same I got this which kinda surprised me. I know I could have padded out the story a little but still doesn't explain the judges completely missing it.


Seems pretty much straight forward and is more than the winning entry had for a story.
All the same they are right about the gameplay if your going to compare it to others who put a lot into it and mine was basically what they say it is. I didn't expect anything less with using GG in a comp like this, it just isn't ready. Also I only spent four days working on it, if I had taken the full month it may have worked out differently and would have had the time to work on gameplay, sounds etc. As it is I spent most of the time struggling with a theird person character which would work in one standalone and then fail in the next. So my own fault on that one.



@DVader I reckon if judges were random to play then unfortunately your first judging was done by someone with no real understanding of the software limitations. This would explain the winning entry too who was probably judged first by someone less picky and consequently made it through to other judges. 0 tells me whoever it was got out of the wrong side of bed that day or really didn't want to be judging anything other than 2d games, perhaps made in their software. Whatever don't let it get to you we all know your capable of producing something great. I think you were just unlucky.

I got 1000 points! YES!
Hahahaha just joking...

I had 2 games for the "contest" here are the results.

CANYON JUMPER EXTREME
0 Points

Mental Grow
0 Points

Judge's Notes
Game Crashed within the 10 minute screening.

Hmmm ja, thanks RPG Maker guys, I'm 100% sure, I'll not buy your software.


You find the games here in the cat. "Showcase"

Here is Curse of the Draugr`s score.

Judge #1's Review
Presentation 10 / 20
Gameplay 9 / 20
Engagement 11 / 20
Penalties 0
Theme 5 / 10
Total 35

"Judge's Notes
Hello and thank you for your submission! The game does what it sets out to do. Somewhat reminiscent of slender man in that you're finding clues throughout a desolate landscape. What it lacks is early engagement. I as the player am not compelled by anything that happens in the first 5-10 minutes. It almost seems as though this game should function more like a hidden object game than an adventure game. Didn't really catch adherence to the theme for the contest in this game."

I must admit the 0 score does not exactly inspire you to make games. Considering it's supposed to be all about that, not good. The fact only one judge has looked at the game also seems a poor system. Surely it would be far better to have all the judges play each entry? Or at least 2 or 3. Gaming can be very personal and everyone has their preference and so one judge per entry is a little unfair.

After reading my last post. I'll add I don't mean any offence by the comment I made about effort, I can rant a little at times, lol. I realise everyone put in a lot of work. I only played a few of the entries, and out of those none had any scripted events like the truck dropping you off, logging into a computer, with several options, having to wear a helmet before entering the de-contamination zone or being scalded, or lastly setting off the bomb near the end. Plus the last zone with growing foliage. I think I put a lot of work into the presentation, in fact most of the time was in that area. The games I played were good, but had little in the way of custom scripts. Mostly good use of sound and trigger zones in the main.

@synchromesh. I agree. Looks like laziness to allow a 0 score of any kind. Probably forgot to add any. Or was in a real bad mood.
@Gtox. I was actually amazed and also not really surprised at the same time. I didn't expect the world, but I figured on more than 0 :p
@Rolfy. At least you got a score What was your game? I'll have to give it a look.
@Mookai. I didn't see Mental Grow, but the screenshots of Canyon Jumper looked pretty good to me. Certainly not worth 0 points. Not quite sure what the judges want.
@Tarkus1971. This is the first contest I have entered which was not run by TGC. Completely put me off entering any others. I wish good luck to whoever gets the prize now. I will not be bothering with this site again also.

Edit- Slaur3n, your post snuck in-between my starting this post, lol. At least you got some points off judge1! I did play your game and found it nicely done. I thought it set the scene well at the start.

I played your game DVader, i liked it alot and it definetly dosent deserve 0 score!! Seems very odd

I have also got my scores in.

Judge #1's Review
Presentation 10 / 20
Gameplay 7 / 20
Engagement 10 / 20
Penalties -5
Theme 3 / 10
Total 25

Judge's Notes
While Steve has a pretty nice aesthetic overall, there are some fairly large disconnects within the game that leave the player feeling slightly odd. There is quite a large disconnect between the opening cinematic, with nicely drawn images, on rough paper, as if the game would be a fairly realistic, if fantasy setting, but then you're dropped into a cartoonish world, where everything has a black outline, or most things do at least. This difference between expectation and reality is some what jarring for the player. The overall look of Steve however, within the various worlds is fairly homogeneous, and blends together quite well. The voice acting is not too bad, and the script itself too the point and passable for sure. The audio design has a few shortcomings, with a very realistic death sound for Steve, as well as a fanciful and very high pitched "ping" when collective shards, there is once again a disconnect, and the player is left not knowing what sort of game it is. The biggest shortcoming of Steve however, is its gamplay. Toted as a puzzle game, there is pretty much no puzzle in this game whatsoever. It's much better described as a 3d platformer, as the only times that are in any way difficult or requires the player to think are the various platforming sections. Unfortunately the inconsistent controls for jumping and running, as well as the very oddly placed platforms make this a lesson in frustration more than anything. This is a game about collecting gems and the difficulties therein. Unfortunately, on the 4th level, the one about bridges, falling off the level, or at least in my case didn't cause Steve to die as it should, and I was left in a weird purgatory and had to restart the entire game. Overall there are some decent qualities to Steve: the cartoonish graphics are fairly well done, and the voice acting is good as well, but there are a bunch of small problems that drop it down to something lower than it could be. Well done creating a game in so short a time however, it's quite the achievement in and of itself. I look forward to see what you produce in the future!


It is what it is.

None of us stood a chance. If it wasn't 2D or made with RPG Maker, then, it was always going to score low. I understand that with everyones games, they required a powerful-ish computer to run them, but, surely, the judges would have foreseen this, what with it being an 'Indie Game Contest'.

I feel this has been a learning experience for us all. A lot of great games came out of this for GameGuru and we should all continue to work on them. I am grateful that this has given me the kick up the backside to actually complete a game (kind of) and one that I am proud of.

The competition wasn't fairly judged, nor was it well organised or executed. This has only left me with a sour taste in my mouth with regards to RPG Maker and Game Dev Fort.

Let's all get back to enjoying what we do in our community and enjoying everyone's games as they should be enjoyed!

I am going to play everyones entries over the coming weeks and will give an honest review on everyone's WIP/Showcase threads. If you would prefer for me to not leave feedback, please let me know via PM.

Good work everyone, I think we all did a good job, regardless of what the 'judges' said. *steps down from soapbox*

Cheers

Jay.

TBH I haven't played any of the top winning entries 2d games simply aren't my thing, has anyone around here played any of the other entries? Perhaps we have our own bias here...lol.

A score of '0' is pretty much a slap in the face I agree, since they themselves state that making any game within a month is laudable so the ethos doesn't match the final sentiment and makes me wonder who's cage GG rattled. Still, for all we know a lot of those other games created in rpg maker or whatever didn't fare very well either. Perhaps the touting of GG as 'no coding or modeling required' and a drag/drop and go game creator backfired on us all since the judges would have no idea what was custom and what was provided.

Rather than getting uptight I personally will be entering this again next year when GG is in a much better state and learn from this to produce a more worthy entry. I would hope all you guy's do the same as I know for fact you can knock them silly given a chance. If, next year I put the extra effort in and produce something to shout about and the result is the same then I will maybe throw in the towel.....I hate to give in or up or even sideways.

http://contest.gamedevfort.com/submission/710

i played a farming game that seemed to cost you more buying seeds than you got back from selling the produce... great design
i also played a game about stock markets and spreading rumours to effect the outcome, i thought the idea was pretty cool and unique.

some of the winning entries did have some high praise from reading the comments before it ended and nice "unique" touches to the way they played, i have a very slow connection so i didnt get to try many though.

personally i agree with rolfy (paraphrasing though) and don't feel GG is ready to be able to deliver a "near commercial quality" game in under 1 month - this competition after all is more about promotion for the company running it then us as developers... that being said, RPG maker has been around a lot longer and is a good program in it's own right (i think it's a great tool for 2D RPGs, i personally recreated the walking dead with it a year or so back and did enjoy using it)

will GG stand a chance in the next year or so? let's hope so

edit, that doesnt excuse getting a 0, i think that's just some broken judging... i understand they get a lot of entries but 1 judge per game seems a little low? i would ask them to get someone else to judge it (maybe a quick demo video to show it's worth more than a 0 at a glance too), seeing as it's still open-ish.

I really thought about entering this comp myself, but in the end and at that time
I decided that GG was not quite up to it,.....so I didn't enter.
However I was pleasantly surprised by just how many of you guys did enter, and
gave it " your damn best ",...... so kudos.
When you enter competitions you never know what is going to happen,....I entered
four TGC comps, two of my entries came nowhere, the other two won, much to my
surprise,........so,.......... " you pays your money, you takes your chance ".
Having said that,.....yes,.....the only games that were going to win this comp were
the games made in "their" engine,........of course.
So "chin up" guys, you made some great games,....nothing to be ashamed of,....I
enjoyed everyone of them, and a year from now,.....well,.....we will damn well show
them,......won't we ?,....."their" engine or not. . Well done to all of you guys.

@unfamillia

At least you got points for theme, I got zero points for the growth, and was asked "what growth theme", considering I said in my readme file, that my interpretation is the various trees, grass and plants I managed to reuse, scaled and as well as placing them in various configurations, if that isn't a growth theme, call me lucy and give me a dress.Growth according to the web is increase in size in it's most simple form, and there was plenty of different "sized" growth used.

But like you said unfairly judged, as I only got judged once, meaning I didn't get 8 other opportunities....like most games, in fact majority of 2D games got judged more than once.

Judge #1's Review
Presentation 5 / 20
Gameplay 3 / 20
Engagement 3 / 20
Penalties 0
Theme 0 / 10
Total 11

Judge's Notes
Congrats on making a game in a month. That is a wonderful accomplishment. The enemy voices seemed to be off with most of them saying something after they had already died. Most enemies just stood around doing nothing. I was able to kill everything from very far away with 3 rocks. It was very enjoyable to go around and hit things with rocks. It doesn't really feel like a complete game. I don't see where the growth theme comes into play. Thank you for entering our contest. We appreciate all your hard work. Keep working to improve your skills! We are looking forward to seeing your entry next year.
Final Score: 11

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_pFfSjYuZXkdEgyLThtbmtabE0

Meh....

Got my results too, what a smack in the face...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for submitting Saviour in the 2015 Indie Game Maker Contest. We've had an absolute blast hosting this contest, and we hope you've enjoyed being a participant.

We've received many amazing entries, each of which had our judges impressed with your tremendous creativity, commitment and drive. From great visuals to challenging levels and unusual themes, we've enjoyed seeing what you've realized in one short month.

Finishing a project is tough, but managing something in a month is applause-worthy! So, congratulations to you for being a step above the average Joe and accomplishing something most people only dream of.

Below, we've included the scores and comments from our judges. Each game was played a full hour by at least one judge. The more rounds a game passed, the more judges played it through.

Judge #1's Review
Presentation
0 / 20
Gameplay
0 / 20
Engagement
0 / 20
Penalties
0
Theme
0 / 10
Total
0

Judge's Notes
Install and launch errors/crashes. Takes several minutes to resolve minor steps. Forced reboot. Played on Windows 8.

Not going in next year at all.

Strange that the GG games only had feedback from a single judge. I received feedback from 2 judges. Here is what I got.

Judge #1's Review
Presentation 13 / 20
Gameplay 14 / 20
Engagement 15 / 20
Penalties 0
Theme 4 / 10
Total 46

Judge's Notes
Neat top down shooter. I think a few sections require too much memorization though, as you can be killed by stuff shooting onto the screen ramming you with very little time to react unless you are in the middle of the screen. Also once barriers start showing up, it gets even more difficult as there is very very little room to maneuver. Consider adding controller input.

Judge #2's Review
Presentation 17 / 20
Gameplay 12 / 20
Engagement 14 / 20
Penalties 0
Theme 3 / 10
Total 46

Judge's Notes
Short but sweet shooter. All the enemies and environments looked really cool and the skeleton dragon was a crazy little touch. The mouse controls were interesting and mostly sold, although having the middle button as the special attack is a strange choice and not very intuitive. I also wish bumping into parts of the stage wasn’t an instant death, that was a little irritating. Still, it played very well and I would have enjoyed more.
Final Score: 46

It appears each game was played a full hour by at least one judge.
The more rounds a game passed, the more judges played it through.

It appears each game was played a full hour by at least one judge.
The more rounds a game passed, the more judges played it through.
That is debatable :p

Well that's quoting from them ... but it wouldn't surprise me either

well i will not be putting anything into any comp until i can achieve what i need. so gameguru will not be getting my games out till they put into the engine.
that includes swimming inventory world effects etc. i can do a dungeon level but that is limiting really so no point just yet and also as i intend it to be a large number of games from a game world no point trying to do levels if we get infinite terrain, so i will sit back for now, but do keep going and take gg to the max, there will come a point where they can't ignore the quality of games produced. so do keep going

Oh, I suppose that means my game made it to the 2nd round then. I didn't realize that. Thanks for the insight.