And now it's time for the announcements you've all been waiting for. We have some Big Winners of the
Fourth Annual People's Choice Awards!
I know you're all excited, but please hold your applause until the end...
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The Goblin by
Jacob wins the award for Most Promising Hold.
In
The Goblin, a hold with just one monster (those wubbas don't really count), Jacob puzzles us with an amazing variety of fun and creative uses for the conquer token. This hold was still in HA during the nomination period for this award, but has since sailed to the coveted position of top user-rated hold. Congratulations, Jacob!
MetDROiD Echoes by
geomatrx wins the award for Technical Design Excellence for Scripting.
MetDROiD Echoes is an epic non-linear adventure where Beethro finds special items that allow him to access new areas in the hold. The scripting in this hold is so well executed, the statue key, portable orb, and other special items feel like normal game elements, even though they're scripted. Well done, geomatrx!
The Consequence by
Oneiromancer wins the award for Technical Design Excellence for Layout and Aesthetics.
My favorite of all Oneiromancer's holds,
The Consequence was built as an exercise in constraints. In each room, he designed a puzzle that fit certain colored game elements into a predetermined layout. The result is both aesthetically beautiful and fun to play. I even found a red herring on the red level. Great job, Oneiromancer!
Val Unrich by
the spitemaster wins the award for Technical Design Excellence for Concept.
In
Val Unrich, the spitemaster shows us a novel way to extend puzzles across more than one room. The protagonist, Val, is allowed only a certain number of turns as a wraithwing that can kill monsters, before he must he must return himself safely to land. As he becomes more powerful, his time as a wraithwing increases. Great fun for optimizers and regular folks alike. Hope to see more from you, spitemaster!
Terrakept Resonant by
Chaco wins the award for Creative Design for Storyline Excellence.
So who is that annoyingly arrogant person named Chaco who taunts Beethro, arranges for him to fall into deviously dangerous puzzles, and occasionally opens and closes doors at just the wrong time? If you think I mean the architect and forum member, you haven't played
Terrakept Resonant, in which Beethro is pitted against a deliciously evil villain. This was very well written, Chaco!
(And now I do mean the architect and forum member.)
Think Outside The Box by
larrymurk wins the award for Creative Design for Difficulty.
Think Outside the Box is a fun themed collection of puzzles in larrymurk's signature style. That is, logical thinking is required; you can't walk in and solve anything by accident. Solving this kind of puzzle makes the player feel smart. Excellent job, Larry!
MetDROiD Echoes by
geomatrx wins the award for Creative Design for Entertainment.
Second award for
MetDROiD Echoes! And not surprising, since this hold is packed full of entertainment value. It's got DROD puzzles, a mazy nonlinear design, special items that unlock new areas, a full storyline, minigames, and even secret hold art thrown into the mix. This is awesome, geomatrx!
Volcano 3.0 by
vylycyn wins the award for Graphics Design Excellence for a Modification.
Volcano is a beautiful style modification that captures the hot atmosphere you'd expect inside a volcano. It features a balance of molten-looking items and solid spaces for walls and walking. It looks amazing, vylycyn!
Elfstone as a Gossiper in
The City Beneath wins the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Elfstone has one of the most interesting voices in TCB. She delivers her lines with a quirky clarity and conviction. If I didn't know better than to trust gossipers, I'd actually believe there was a secret room somewhere on the west side of The City. Great job, Elfstone!
MetDROiD Echoes by
geomatrx wins the award for Best DROD 2.0 Engine Hold.
Third award for
MetDROiD Echoes! If you haven't played this hold already, you've got to try it. Just be sure to have pen and paper handy, as you'll need to note inaccessible areas to be returned to later. It's quite a ride. Once again, congratulations, geomatrx.
Calamarain, for
Witherwood Castle,
At A Distance and
Below Witherwood, wins the award for Novice Architect Excellence.
Calamarain came on the scene about a year ago, and quickly wowed us with poetry, stories, and art. And then he started making holds, too.
Below Witherwood is his best. It features interesting puzzles based on game element interactions, two of his own innovative custom game elements complete with beautiful custom sprites, a good story with voice acting and custom character avatars, and a surprisingly satisfying postmastery level of logic puzzles. Wow! You are a prodigy, calamarain!
larrymurk wins the Lifetime Architectural Achievement Award.
Over the past four years, Larry has given us more than 20 fun-themed holds, including two Smitemaster's Selections, filled with great puzzles that make us think. I'm sure I'm not the only person who grew from noob to DROD player by struggling through some of Larry's easier rooms. And I've still got a long list of more challenging rooms left to solve. There's
Odyssey, Perfection (Smitemaster's Selection)
Easy or Hard, Odd Jobs (
novice,
medium, or
expert),
Fun Park,
Arena 3, Master Locks normal and expert (Smitemaster's Selection)
Lost Temple,
Lone Soldier,
Magic Show,
DROD Learning Zone, SSSlitherin (
normal and
expert),
Don't Kill the Messenger,
Award Ceremony,
Psycho Therapy,
Magic Show 2, and
Think Outside the Box. And he's still making them! Tomorrow this list will already be out of date, when a terrific new larrymurk hold will hit the Holds board. We love you, Larry. You're the best!
Terrakept Resonant by
Chaco wins the Hold of the Year award.
Not only does
Terrakept Resonant have a great storyline, it's got a very nice visual design, and the themed levels are packed full of interesting puzzles. What's becoming recognizable as the signature Chaco style has fully emerged in this hold. The levels are themed by monster, and each room on a level features a different use of that monster as lynchpin of a puzzle that involves several steps. This often tricky, but always fun, architectural style is extremely well executed in Terrakept Resonant. This hold is incredible, Chaco!
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Alright! Lets have a big hand for Jacob, geomatrx, Oneiromancer, the spitemaster, Chaco, larrymurk, vylycyn, Elfstone, and calamarain! These creative people have helped make DROD a great experience for everyone this year. Thank you all!
