1. Grow Word
2. enQbate
3. PLANned

Wahoo! I voted for 6 of the entries :D but I won't say which and I won't say how much ;)

It feels great to get a chance to give back to these wonderful folks who spent so much hard work putting these amazingly creative games together! It was a blast playing them :3

I can't wait to see who wins (although they're all winners for taking the time to make these games).

whyyy whyyy!

I voted for enQbate and Sprout. If I paid for a third vote, it would go to Gateway 2.

Gazu! I was going to ask you the same thing: Whyy didn't you enter this time?

Is there actually an entry with an exceptional or innovative use of either Premiere Pro for video or After Effects? I'm not sure what that software is capable of: is there something of it in gateway maybe?

Wouter,

I used Premiere in "Tower of Babblers":

Whether that counts as "innovative" is up to you guys :P

-Lars

Ah yeah, that's very nice done!

For some reasons I can't play Growbal Warming: I get redirected to the credits page.

sprout #1
Gateway 2 #2

enQbate and Orbit... though all of these were so amazing!

Can't decide between Gateway 2 and Sprout...

1. Gateway 2
2. Sprout
3. Rings and Sticks

1. Tower of Babblers
2. Gateway II
3. Sprouts

Let me start by saying that these games are exceptional, and it was really very hard to rank them, as they are all very different in game style, graphics (art), and level of difficulty.

Tower of Babblers gets my top spot solely because it has simplicity of design, and more importantly, very high replay value for me. I could not see myself returning to the other games.

Gateway II comes in second because of its storytelling. Exceptional ability to pull me in, with or without point and click or riddles.

Finally, Sprout. Though Sprout was not overly appealing to me as a game per se, the art was exceptional. Where ToB drew me in with simplicity, Sprout drew me in its complexity.

My .02. Congrats to all though. You will certainly make judging difficult for Jay and Co.

Jay, I was going to, but the work, study, and (realy) UFO afterlight. It won't happen again! xD

Like heck am I giving PayPal $.33 for my vote. I could get better rates from Shylock.

@xFredx - It should be "at least I'm giving them $0.66, last time they got nothing!"

or "maybe I should give a larger amount!"

Instead, all we get is a pathetic excuse for not contributing. :(

Congrats Jeff, Jay and Co. for the shout out on Yahoo!'s The 9 this morning!

Sprout got my vote :o)

jay-- your @xFredx comment convinced me, even though i have never donated to something other than necessary (thats not cause i'm a mean person :P haha, just never needed to, really)

cummon rest of JiG-- if a starving (haha not really, but it goes well with the plea) college student can muster up some money to donate, you can too....

i'm sure you have 4 dimes, 1 quarter, 6 nickles and 5 pennys laying around at your disposal....
plus, you wouldn't want some bad entry winning, would you :P

i say
1. enQbate
1. rings n sticks
and 3. sprout.......

Jay or who is reading:

Could you please rent a drop box at UPS store next time? Some of us do not have credit or debit cards. We are kind of on the pay as you go system. I had to filch my husband's card to vote. Please everyone PAY AND VOTE. NO EXCUSES!!!!!!

Thanks,

Linda M. Wireman

Thank you, Linda! Your kind and generous support of these competitions is very much appreciated.

I will also take your suggestion to heart for the next competition. I hadn't thought of doing that before, but I agree it's a good idea.

This was incredibly hard to decide this time around.

At least, it was, until I remembered Sprout. That one gets my vote!

I would have voted for Grow Word, but I don't have a paypal account.

You may use a credit card with PayPal.

I like the idea of giving to the designers, and was happy to fork over some money.

However, I also think the prize is more accurate the more people vote. Perhaps if the first vote was free, and then a minimum of one dollar for the rest of the votes... or some variation on that. Linda also brings up a good point. I'm just speculating, however.

I enjoyed EnQbate, but the "grow" theme seems a little tacked on, to say the least. I also wouldn't mind a clearer explanation in the game of what happens when the path backtracks on itself. I ended up splitting my vote between "Rings and Sticks" and "Sprout". "Rings and Sticks" implemented the theme really nicely and, I thought, lent itself well to some pretty complex (yet solvable) puzzles. "Sprout" also nailed the theme and had a lovely, elegant interface and clever in-game interactions.

(To respond a little to Michael's comment -- it's true that when you're done playing those two games, you're not likely to go back and replay them, but that's inherent in the game type of each. Space Invaders isn't automatically a better game than Myst just because when you're done with Myst, you don't break it out again.)

There were other games I enjoyed, of course -- Grow the Robot had pretty nice puzzle design, and I dug the tree-constructing puzzle in Frog and Vine. Then there was Grow Word, which was my least favorite of the batch (and I usually love Tonypa's games). It's essentially a cryptogram, but with a really awkward interface. Meh.

I've gone with:

1. Sprout
2. Gateway II
3. Tower of Babblers

Like Michael said a few comments up, it was reeeeally hard to come to any decision at all. Last night, I was sure I couldn't narrow it down to less than 5 entries. I still feel that more than just the three authors I chose should absolutely be encouraged to continue designing games, as they clearly have the talent.
But then, this is a competition, and part of my voting is meant to decide who gets the Audience Prize.
So voting for all has the same effect (apart from the money) as voting for none. Thus I forced myself to decide on just three. \o/

Good idea about the multiple votes support, Jay. Now I'm glad that I had so much trouble coming to a decision. More of my money goes to the people I wanted to give it to, yay!

Alas, as a minor with no job let alone a PayPal account, I can't vote. Woe for the young and lazy. But if I could vote, it'd be for Sprout.

I wish I could, but I got no credit card.

@Francis

Point well made. That is what makes judging these games so difficult. They are each unique and special in their own way.

I have always been a repeat game play kind of person. So I will be swayed in that direction. If Space Invaders and Myst were to go head to head, I would vote for Space Invaders. I'd be in the minority, but I'm okay with that.

To each his own.

Something I found interesting about this competition was that there were no standouts, each game was unique and of a superb standard.

For the first one, there were a few games that REALLY stood out, while many of the others got lost in the mix.

Overall, I must say I enjoyed this competition even more then the first, and I hope future competitions will raise the bar even more (And that JIG might get another Sub entry.)

I would vote for Sprout but I'm not paying to vote

Bugpy, it's oooonly one little dollar :D

These games took months to make, it would be a nice token of your appreciation :D

It's practically pocket change, even couch change! :D

But of course, it's completely up to you...

I wish I could have given more, but I did vote!
Good luck to everyone who entered! I really did enjoy every single game, some moreso than others, but they were all fun to play!

Sprout got my vote. It was not an easy decision; in my view, there were probably four or five games worthy of it, but Sprout won out for being charming, which is not something that is easy to come by. :)

There were a couple that were disappointing, but I'll keep it positive and not talk about them. There are no audience razzies to be handed out.

an interesting consequence of this set-up is that not only does the winner of the audience prize get 200$, but (s)he also (presumably) will get the most donations compared to anybody else.

perhaps the 200$ should be split up a little?

or not-- either way the winner deserves it

I paid in £1 for Sprout, which comes to 2 dollars on Paypal. Sprout was a genuine work of art, and I believe in supporting the arts.

£1 buys me half a pint of beer in London and Sprout gave me more fun and wonder than yesterday's quick half pinter down the pub.

Thumbs up!

I would if I could but I can't so I won't. I don't have a credit card. Sprout would get my vote. Wonderful artwork.

Oh, I didn't even realise till now, that if people would vote for me, I would receive their donation :)
I thought the winner would take it all, so it's kind of split up already now.

Yes, Wouter, it was Amor Lassie (where has he been?) whom suggested during our first competition that the audience vote money should go directly to each respective game designer. I liked the idea very much and wanted to try it this time.

Now that a couple of days of voting is behind us, I can begin to evaluate the relative success of the idea. So far, I am seeing mixed results.

At least for this competition, there have been several games that have stood out from the rest of the pack and, perhaps not surprisingly, those games are receiving most of the votes. It will be a shame to have to inform some of the game designers that they did not receive any votes, something I am not looking forward to.

Maybe you're just way too nice to hold a competition Jay. I understand your sentiment towards all the developers, but remember that in almost every contest of every sort (sports, television etc.) results are spread out in detail in public.(this will sound a bit harsh, but:) If people are a bad losers, can't accept public loss, then don't enter a public competition.

You already created a nice atmosphere round the comp that makes everyone a winner, and no one will loose publicly here, I wouldn't worry too much about all the stupid money stuff.

All the best.

I'd like to donate to my favorite game and to JIG in the same transaction; is this workable?

Hi Kat!

Yes, it is, just indicate in the comment portion of the PayPal form how you would like the money distributed.

And thank you kindly for your support!

I voted for you, Wouter :) PLANned was a nice straightforward implementation of the theme and a fun little puzzle game.

Kat!!! You're awesome! Thank you thank you thank you! \o/

:D

Actually I totally agree with wouter, bad losers are just that. Even if they only get one vote, if they just don't win they will be upset. And there is no such thing as bad press! The exposure we get here is worth the trip to the asylum it takes to put a game together on such short notice.

I personally am not worried about winning or losing, my chance to enter was all I wanted and the warm welcome I have received here alone is more than money can buy. I know I did not make the best game but in the end I am just happy to have it featured on a site I know and love so well.

And here ends the sucking up, haha! No really I do feel this way, I am not just tooting horns or stroking egos folks. I submit to many flash sites and this one has made me feel immediately welcome. I have had my nose blasted off for the simplest questions on other sites, but here learning is not only fostered but also deeply encouraged.

Thanks for the love!
madd

You know, after reading starkravenmadd's comment I somehow came up with the idea that there should be the overall prize, a humor prize, a music prize, and a graphics prize. or maybe not a prize, just an award. Whatever. It's just an idea.

Here comes my 10 cents, the bucks I will send via PayPal

I have been really busy lately so I have had no time to play all of the games till the end yet. Therefore some of my comments are rather short and rude. Please try to take them in a constructive way and do not hesitate to pay back ;)

"Rings and Sticks" by Komix
This is a new and fresh idea. Some of the levels are somewhat simple after all. I really enjoyed playing this. No clues or instruction given, which is good.

"Gateway II" by Anders Gustafsson
Oh my, this is absolutely my favourite =) I liked everything in this game: story, atmosphere, plot, classic puzzles, usability aids, sounds… And do notice that there are no instructions given. You just have to find everything out all by yourself. The absolutely best thing in this game was the idea of mental growth, something that you don't see often in casual games. Anders has really done lot of work with manuscript.

"PLANned" by Wouter
I only played a few levels but I will definitely come back to this game again. But there is no so much growth in it, or is there? And why the flow of blood between levels? So, this is somewhat out of the context: the growth. I also miss the possibility to continue where you left like you could do in Komix.

"NOBuzzle Tree" by Shu Wan, Cheng
There is the grow theme, absolutely, but somehow I found this rather boring (sorry about that). Unlike in Eyezmaze Grow games there were no humour, no action or nothing. You just have to guess the order, which is not fun after a while. And why the instructions?

"Grow Word" by Tonypa
I was thrilled at first, because I really like crossword puzzles. But then I noticed that this is actually just what we call as "krypto" crossword puzzle in Finland. After all there were no more growth left than the key words and the word play with the game title.

"Orbit" by Sean Hawkes
There are number of good ideas in this game. The possibility to pause the movement is one of them. And there is the growth implemented too. Very nice and polished layout, just like one of the puzzles in Jonathan May's "The Dark Complex". I have not solved Orbit yet but certainly I will come back and try when I have more time. Unfortunately this seems to be a game that is tricky but not very long. Or is there more than one level? And if there are more levels, I wonder does the other levels bring anything new?

"Tower of Babblers" by Lars A. Doucet
This is absolutely the funniest game in this competition, like Monthy Python in a nutshell. Or Monthy Python crossbred with some kind of Super Mario clones. Amazing what you can achieve with well-picked sound effects. The babble is so fun that I will definitely play this again. This is my personal second best game after Gateway II.

"Sprout" by Jeff Nusz
Simply adorable… Layout is total opposite to Sean's polished Orbit and therefore also so refreshingly different. This is like playing a fairy tale or picture book. There's a great potential in this kind of a game since the player easily starts to "grow" a story around it. At least I continued the tale by imaging what would happen to that one bird, how the villagers would react after certain incident (no spoilers ;), and what could happen after the end. The point is that the game comes more interesting when there are figures with what you can identify. This is my third best in this competition.

"Frog and Vine" by Matt Slaybaugh
I'm sorry but I could not see anything new in this one. I have played this kind of games too much when I was a child. This is of course a matter of taste. Unfortunately also the music and sound effects were annoying. Good that the music could be switched off. What comes grow theme, I think that leaves and building things upwards is not enough.

"Grow the Robot" by Starkraven Madd
Nice idea and there's the grow theme. Good and challenging puzzles and he welcome story was excellent! But why the instructions? And is it really necessary to waste so much time for showing what happens if you fail? How come the file size is so huge? It took ages to download. Is it because of the sound files? But sounds are great. The song fits like fist in the eye ;)

"enQbate" by Aquilino Griffin
Once again the idea is not so original, or at least not for me. Nothing surprising after all. Good polished layout and sound effects of course, but that is all. Oh man, I'm so harsh! Please forgive me.

"Chicken Grow" by Bart Bonte
It is hard to grow chicken I must say. Good and challenging puzzles, but like Aquilino's enQbate, not very original. The instructions were funny in this case but revealed too much. BTW Bart, is there a special reason why you reveal your competition entries before dead lines? You did the same before last JIG competition.

"Jelly Fusion" by Matthew Dirks
I have to admit that I like to play this. There's the challenge and puzzling. Green is the colour of growth but is it enough? Unfortunately not for me.

"Growbal Warming" by Richard Ohanian
Playing with the words does not make the game. Way too much instructions and this time also unfortunately necessary. Without instructions I would have been totally lost. The game is not bad however. Very original idea and good puzzles. The game controls were unnecessarily difficult to use.

__
quote Amor Lassie: "there is no so much growth in it, or is there?"

The squares "grow" when you click on them? Or do you mean some kind of lack of a deeper meaning of grow?
__
Thanks Larsius, that's nice! :)
__

to Amor Lassie:

Thanks for the constructive criticism. :)

The file size was huge because of the music. I actually wanted a 3rd song but dropped it to save size. It is funny because all of my other films in the past I have been chastized for making the sound to weak in sacrafice for file size, now its the other way round. I will get it right one day! ha!

The instructions were there because not everyone is familiar with logic gates and a few testers could not figure it out. Maybe they are denser than others but I had the request so I added the instructions.

And I have already adressed the fail 'skip button' issue, but thanks for reitterating it.

Glad you took the time to play! Thanks again.

Wouter, thanks for the correction. How stupid of me that I really did not considered that as a growth.

Starkravenmadd, remember that people learn through trial and error. Actually the problem is that some people don't even know what the logic gates are. Instead of giving direct instruction you could have of "test lab" where you can learn the functionality of logic gates by testing them one at the time.

Sorry Bart, I meant: "before the Jay have the change the release the entries", not: "before the dead line". What an awful mistake from me :(

However, remember folks that you should let the competition arranger a change to be the first one who release the entries. I guess that it is not said anywhere in the rules but still, it is not nice.

Oh my, I take my previous apologizes back. So actually I recalled right on both times. Here are the facts:

JIG competition I deadline was August 25, 2006 @ 11:59 PM (-5 GMT). Bonte's "Free the bird" was released at Lazylaces on August 25, 2006 and the first readers comment in there was sent 07:56 AM (GMT). So it was sent to Lazylaces at least several hours before competition deadline.

JIG competition II deadline was February 23, 2007. Bonte's "Chicken Grow" was released at Lazylaces on February 18, 2007. Several days before competition deadline.

Hi Amor,
Well seems like I was a bit too overexcited to have finished a new game and that's why I put it on my site straight away.
Next time I will have to contain myself :)

You're welcome, Jay. =^..^= says hi.

Y'know, with your habit of saying "thank you kindly" ... you remind me of one of my favorite former clients. She was a little old Polish lady who woud say "thank you kindly" ... but unlike you, she would use it in a somewhat sarcastic manner. (;

Yay for JIG and the soon to-be-announced audience prize winners! *\o/*