ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2794
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Alright, this is the last time I'll call for votes. It's December 26th on the west coast of North America, where me and Russell Carroll are at. The poll ends on December 27th. I would expect that some time this evening, maybe as soon as 5 hours from now, Russell will close the poll. I'm not going to bother him for an exact time. So that means that if you've been waiting to vote, you should do it now before it's too late. At time of writing, we are ahead, but not by a large amount. Wildlife Tycoon or other games may be planning a last day push, perhaps using large mailing lists to get people to vote. So if you've still got a vote to make, let's do it now!

I've been a little silly and melodramatic over this whole thing, but the truth is that there is real value for Caravel in winning the award. It brings us more exposure and attention, which means more sales and affiliate/distribution deals. DROD's problem is not being a good enough game. Its problem is that we made it for a niche group of players, and we have to somehow get these people to find our game and play it. Being reviewed or getting an award is like winning a small battle in the War of Marketing. That might seem like a weird metaphor, but when you work years on a game, the simple non-event of being ignored is especially brutal. Having the spotlight on us for even a brief moment can accomplish surprising things. This is why I admit, with some embarrassment, that I actually do care about the results of a silly internet poll.

Sorry for all the prodding. I hope I didn't bother anyone with it. If you feel irritated, please just ignore me.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

Tim
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1979
Registered: 08-07-2004
IP: Logged

I almost forgot

I think DROD deserves all the attention it can get. From the best games out of that list, DROD is the only one that still hasn't got any prize yet... Which is very strange as it is probably the only game I've played for more than a year.

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[Last edited by Tim at 12-25-2005 10:35 PM]

Alneyan
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 622
Registered: 07-06-2004
IP: Logged

ErikH2000 wrote:
It's December 26th on the west coast of North America, where me and Russell Carroll are at.

You've lost me here. I am nearly half a day ahead of Pacific Time, and it will only be December 26th in half an hour or so, with Seattle still having nine or ten hours to go until midnight. And then you speak about it being December 27th in a few hours.

I guess Seattle *could* be in the same kind of time zone as Australia, first in the row, but unless something changed very recently, I kind of doubt it is so. Of course, the rest of your post still doesn't seem to fall into a neat arrangement.

Now I know how Arthur Dent must have felt.

Duh, I'm missing the obvious: you are, of course, busy deceiving the other people that were planning on a last day push, so that they will make their final push a day earlier, giving DROD enough time to retaliate with deadly force. Perhaps I shouldn't have brought this up after all.

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[Last edited by Alneyan at 12-25-2005 10:40 PM]

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2794
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Alneyan wrote:
You've lost me here. I am nearly half a day ahead of Pacific Time, and it will only be December 26th in half an hour or so, with Seattle still having nine or ten hours to go until midnight. And then you speak about it being December 27th in a few hours.

Aw, I screwed up. I thought it was a day later than it actually was. It's the 25th here, and I was talking like it was the 26th. Still, everything I said applies--I'm just a little earlier than I thought.

-Erik


____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

MeckMeck GRE
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 594
Registered: 01-03-2005
IP: Logged

Now we are 9 votes ahead. I think this was it for Venture Africa.... long life Drod !

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[Last edited by MeckMeck GRE at 12-26-2005 12:10 PM]

Alneyan
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 622
Registered: 07-06-2004
IP: Logged

The poll runs *until* December 27th, so we must be pretty close to the end now, and DROD is leading the pack by an eleven-vote margin. Gloating may now begin!

bradwall
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 423
Registered: 02-12-2003
IP: Logged

Ahem... well, just voted again.
:-)

EDIT: It's official... I fixed my booboo. Since it appears that I upset people, I have asked my brother (who is now a DROD player) who he would vote for. He has said that he would vote for DROD. So, I asked him if he would take my vote. He has officially taken my vote as his own. So, I am back to voting once and he is using my vote as the other. I humbly beg everyone's pardon.

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[Last edited by bradwall at 12-27-2005 07:33 PM]

bandit1200
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 290
Registered: 10-29-2003
IP: Logged

Voted *again*? Isn't that just a little bit unethical?

I managed to get in touch with a friend in the antipodes who has been playing the demo for a couple of months and I believe she has voted.

ajschatz
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 29
Registered: 09-15-2005
IP: Logged

Congratulations DRODers. I lay down my hook before thee and submit myself to your smiting power. Not even the entire animal kingdom (with its lions and elephants and aardvarks and millipedes and robins) could stand in the way of the Delver clan in their quest for the sweet nectar of Pleigh Erz'choys.

Perhaps we shall meet again in the future, but for this year, I do concede defeat.

____________________________
The hook is sharp, Erik

bradwall
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 423
Registered: 02-12-2003
IP: Logged

Go ahead and slap me for being a DROD fanatic if you want. My first mod down... what a sad day. I thought it would never come.


When I am Emperor Brad, you will be sorry.



EDIT: Besides... I don't think that what I did is unethical. I followed all the rules. I have to have a valid email address to create a user for their forum. It will not let me register twice under the same email... but they don't say that I can't create a different user with a different email address. So, technically, since I didn't break any rules, I don't see that I did anything 'wrong'. Followed the rules... didn't break a one.


EDIT 2: It's official... I fixed my booboo. Since it appears that I upset people, I have asked my brother (who is now a DROD player) who he would vote for. He has said that he would vote for DROD. So, I asked him if he would take my vote. He has officially taken my vote as his own. So, I am back to voting once and he is using my vote as the other. I humbly beg everyone's pardon.

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[Last edited by bradwall at 12-27-2005 07:34 PM]

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2794
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

ajschatz wrote:
Congratulations DRODers. I lay down my hook before thee and submit myself to your smiting power. Not even the entire animal kingdom (with its lions and elephants and aardvarks and millipedes and robins) could stand in the way of the Delver clan in their quest for the sweet nectar of Pleigh Erz'choys.

Andy, I'm not sure if it's over yet. Russell was a little ambiguous about whether the poll closed at the end of the 26th or 27th. I believe the poll is still open. Maybe you should try for one more big push?

It was a gracious speech, but I can't accept a victory early.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

Alneyan
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 622
Registered: 07-06-2004
IP: Logged

Erik, you got to be ruthless. Kick him while he's down! He would've done the same, had he been the one winning at the polls. Trust me, his heart is black, very black indeed. You should settle for nothing less than his removal from power, and exact punitive reprisals to pay for our war effort. We are the Righteous, so nothing we do can be wrong.

Ruthlessness aside, I have to disagree with you, Bradwall. At most, I could argue voting multiple times is legal (I see no broken rules), but I wouldn't say it is legitimate (or ethical). With no provision for multiple votes, I took it as implied that it was to be one vote per person, regardless of how many accounts said person has.

Whereas you should only have one identity, you could create a swarm of accounts with virtually no trouble, since it is child play to get an infinite amount of mails for registration purposes (I can get 500 of them running simultaneously on my own domain, and I can erase them to make room for new accounts just as easily). Of course, that sort of thing would completely break down the whole idea of a poll... well, unless the poll was about figuring out who is best at coming up with the most effective rigged voting schemes.

Banjooie
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1645
Registered: 12-12-2004
IP: Logged

Now, my question is: why would you /admit/ to registering two accounts to double-vote?

bradwall
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 423
Registered: 02-12-2003
IP: Logged

I fixed it everyone... ok?
I am sorry. I worked out the issue and I am back to square one.
Will everyone just forgive me?!? *sniff*

Alneyan
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 622
Registered: 07-06-2004
IP: Logged

bradwall wrote:
I fixed it everyone... ok?
I am sorry. I worked out the issue and I am back to square one.
Will everyone just forgive me?!? *sniff*

Depends. How much are you willing to shell out for forgivance?

I won't forgive you myself, since I wasn't annoyed in the first place. All I did was explain why multiple votes don't seem fine to me, but you didn't irk me, you silly goblin son of a wubba! (Okay, I really got to work on my DROD taunts)

I guess I can mod you up, though I wasn't the one who modded you down. I really dislike modding down people, and it doesn't make much sense to mod down someone who is honest.

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2794
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Man, I hope you guys weren't doublevoting. I feel bad about Brad doing it, especially because he's a really decent guy.

If anyone sent in multiple votes, please, as soon as you can, send me an e-mail (erikh@caravelgames.com) and say how many votes beyond the first you put in.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

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[Last edited by ErikH2000 at 12-27-2005 07:54 PM]

ajschatz
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 29
Registered: 09-15-2005
IP: Logged

I conceded defeat for the following three reasons:
A) I have other things to do today other than round up votes
B) I have exactly 84 friends, one of which is a siamese twin, which allows him to vote twice
C) I really love DROD and I am honored to be beaten by this game and this community.
D) I am really a gracious guy

____________________________
The hook is sharp, Erik

Jatopian
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1842
Registered: 07-31-2005
IP: Logged

ajschatz wrote:
their quest for the sweet nectar of Pleigh Erz'choys.

Um... B'hakhgra Du S'tra Moth'ness Ti!
There, two phrases whose meanings are enigmatic to me. Except that "Moth'ness" might relate to "mothingness".

____________________________
DROD has some really great music.
Make your pressure plates 3.0 style!
DROD architecture idea generator

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[Last edited by Jatopian at 12-27-2005 08:32 PM]

bandit1200
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 290
Registered: 10-29-2003
IP: Logged

bradwall, just so's you know, it wasn't me that modded you down. I may have thought it unethical, but I couldn't really care less about mod points. If I could cash 'em in for beer, it'd be a different matter.

bradwall
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 423
Registered: 02-12-2003
IP: Logged

bandit1200 wrote:
bradwall, just so's you know, it wasn't me that modded you down. I may have thought it unethical, but I couldn't really care less about mod points. If I could cash 'em in for beer, it'd be a different matter.

That's fine, Bandit1200. I am not blaming people for modding me down. Now that I have repaired that (my brother now has my other handle and uses it on that forum) everyone has been gracious enough to mod me back. Thanks everyone for their kindness.

Thanks, Erik, for thinking if me as a decent guy. Very kind words.

ajschatz
Level: Goblin
Rank Points: 29
Registered: 09-15-2005
IP: Logged

Congratulations DROD! A well fought battle with a decisive victory. My hook is yours.

____________________________
The hook is sharp, Erik

Tim
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1979
Registered: 08-07-2004
IP: Logged

Have you see this page already?

Game Tunnel: 2005 Special Awards

Look at the bottom of the page.

____________________________
The best way to lose customers is to let little kids running loose on a forum with too many mod points.

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[Last edited by Tim at 12-29-2005 12:03 AM : We may change the announcement now. ]

RoboBob3000
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1978
Registered: 10-23-2003
IP: Logged

Return to Rooted Hold? That must be the as-yet unreleased DROD two-and-a-half.

____________________________
http://beepsandbloops.wordpress.com/

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2794
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Well, I guess we rocked the vote. Thanks to everybody that spent that annoying 5 minutes signing up on a message board and voting!

Andy, you are definitely a good sport. I'd like to put a Wildlife Tycoon demo on our CDs. Since you're already signed up on the forum, I've added access to the Demo Distribution Group. You might have a look at it sometime and post links to your demos if you're interested.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2794
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

RoboBob3000 wrote:
Return to Rooted Hold? That must be the as-yet unreleased DROD two-and-a-half.

Heh. I e-mailed and asked for a correction.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

jamie
Level: Smiter
Rank Points: 365
Registered: 04-15-2005
IP: Logged

If that shady character Andy is monitoring this thread via email, we can just make posts we want him to read, about his dodgy game, then edit in the real changes later.

;-)

Original message:
If the wonderful Andy is monitoring this thread via email, we can just make posts we want him to read, about his wonderful game, then edit in the real changes later.

;-)

____________________________
#f3i2g# Disclaimer: I'm Welsh, left-handed, and stupid. #f3i2g#

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[Last edited by jamie at 12-30-2005 01:57 AM : Mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha]