Keen 4 minimod contest -- with prizes!

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adurdin
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Keen 4 minimod contest -- with prizes!

Post by adurdin »

Hello everyone! To celebrate Keen day 2007 and the third anniversary of ModKeen2, I would like to announce a Keen 4 minimod contest.

The rules are simple: create a mod of Keen 4 that meets the following criteris

1. The mod must be for Keen 4 version 1.4.

2. The main "Shadowlands" must be customised (at least in appearance).

3. The mod must contain either one or two (your choice) custom made levels.

4. The mod must have at least custom graphics for at least two sprites.

5. All customised content in the mod must be original and not previously released.

Entry is open to all members of keenmodding.org, and at no cost. If you wish to participate, please ensure the email address in your keenmodding.org profile is correct, and send an email keenmoddingcontest@andy.durdin.net to indicate your interest.

The final mod must be submitted to keenmoddingcontest@andy.durdin.net on or before the 1st of July 2007.

Contest winners will be announced on the 8th of July 2007.

Three winning entries will receive prizes as shown below.

I appreciate that some of the tools can be hard to get running, so I am allowing two whole months for the minimod to be made. I will be available to assist as best as I can with technical problems during the contest period, on this forum, by email, or by IM -- the email address and IM accounts are posted in my profile. If you wish to contact me by IM, please send me an email first so that I can authorise your account.

Finally, if you have any questions about this contest, please post them in this other thread -- This announcement will be locked, and only updates and clarifications will be posted in it.

Happy modding!


Clarification #1: You may if you wish alter the map level with a level editor; but if not you must at least alter the tile images used on the map so that your level does not look like 'Border Village'.
Last edited by adurdin on Mon Jun 04, 2007 10:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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adurdin
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Post by adurdin »

Two second place winners will receive a The Universe is Toast poster, with artwork by TooMuchSpareTime.

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Last edited by adurdin on Sun Apr 15, 2007 12:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by adurdin »

The first place winner will receive a Commander Keen CD, signed (and illustrated!) by Tom Hall.

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Post by adurdin »

In third place is Zero X. Diamond, with his embryonic mod about the adventures of Aillen O'Riordan as he struggles to rescue the beautiful Faelicia from the evil sorceror Atroxus.

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Although it doesn't have a modded world map, and only one tiny modded level, it takes third place owing to the paucity of entries. But despite being, in it's author's words, "horribly incomplete", it's a tantalising preview of what's to come.

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The custom sprite artwork is very good, and this was the only mode to feature customised sound effects and music. So well done Zero X.! And I can't wait to see this mod when it's complete.

A small note of warning: The Necromancers in "Border Village" will crash the game if you don't shoot them quickly, but they work correctly on Hard difficulty in "Slug Village". Also, Aillen has trouble jumping off left-hand slopes, and walking under low ceilings.


Download it here
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Post by adurdin »

In second place is... I don't know. I've played and re-played the entries from XkyRauh and Levelass, but I honestly can't choose between them. So, a coin flip to settle the matter: Heads, Xky wins; tails Levelass wins. The coin goes up spinning, comes down, and is revealed: tails.


So in second place is XkyRauh's incredibly creative mod, "Save the Quillsheep". XkyRauh has managed to turn Keen 4 into a small puzzle game, with not one but four levels (the first is a tutorial).

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There's an excellent use of patches to blend and modify sprite behaviours, which form the basis for the puzzles. The level design is direct, leading to some surprisingly tricky levels. However, the second-rate graphics andsome bugs that can make some levels impossible to finish without loading a savegame bring this mod down a little.

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XkyRauh, I don't know how you manage to keep up your creative ingenuity! Fantastic work.

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Note that since you can't kill yourself in a level if you mess it up, you'll want to save before starting each level. Also, make sure you only shoot the Quillsheep when they're on the ground.

Download it here
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Post by adurdin »

Finally, in first place is Levelass with "Zoltan's Revenge". Her mini mod, like the third place entry, is a preview of a full mod still in development; I only found one level on the map, but there's apparently a secret debug level also.

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The graphics in this mod were top class--especially the sprites--although they departed from the pseudo-3d look of Keen 4.

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There is a nice variety of enemies (some of them hard to find), whose behaviour has been cleverly altered by patching. And the level has a superabundance of secret areas, which is always fun.

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A wonderful mod, and again I'm definitely looking forward to the finished product.

Note that you'll have to play this mod on Normal difficulty, to avoid a crash.

Download it here
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