ANNOUNCEMENT: FFHacktics Halloween Sprite Contest 2009!!

[Vanya]

Holy shit! Nice job guys!
I'll update the entries at some freakin' point... pro'ly after my hangover is gone... I drank a lot at my bachelor party. X_X

[MiKeMiTchi]

^ Nice experience, Vanya!

3 hours left, I think.

Improve and prepare your final entries!
To all judges, let's prepare now.

edit: The line is dead now!
It's time for voting!

[Vanya]

I'll give the judges a couple of days to do their thing.
You guys can start as soon as I updated post 2.

[Sen]

I give up I don't have enough time for my other entries

[MiKeMiTchi]

I finished my verdict. Can I post now?

[jimmyjw88]

Yeah, I don't have time to fix mine. Oh well, hope both my entries aren't too bad ^^

[Vanya]

I finished my verdict. Can I post now?

As long as you took into account the entries I haven't added to the first page yet, then go for it.

[DarthPaul]

DP's verdict.

It was a tough decision. Some very nice sprites came out this year from some very talented spriters.

My choice is Aquablack's Business Casual Cthulu. I feel it fits the theme perfectly. It is Halloweenish yet terribly funny.

My second choice would have been the ghostbuster.

[boomkick]

My decision:

I liked dwib's Oogie Boogie (did i spell that right?). Well made and is almost perfect.

Ghostbusters would also be my second choice.

[MiKeMiTchi]

Guys, I think we should post the ranks, like the judging in the winter contest.

edit:
Judges, we should rank them, instead of choosing one or two only. And,
be very reasonable. Reconsider the criteria. We might as well make a "everyone
could vote" if those are like those. The contestants spent their time on
making an entry. We should give them quality judgment. I've been entering
competitions like this, won a lot of contests, and I know how painful it is
to not know why didn't the judges chose my entry.
I'm just saying what we need to do as a judge.

Sorry, ..got carried away. I should have post this earlier.



-#1--Oogie Boogie
I'm impressed! Very creative over-all! Funny, scary, fitting, name it all!
What I really like about it was the worms! For me, those were the gummy worms!
And over-all it looks like Majinbuu. Excellent execution. Excellent entry.


-#2--Ghostbuster
Absolutely brilliant concept. Very nice. The sprite was well done. IMO, it fits the theme
very well! Rarely used in halloweens, but they bust those halloween regulars! This entry
surely busted off other entries.


-#3--Headless Horseman
Nice name; sounds scary. Name should have been HorseWoman imo.


-#5--Morrigan
Hmm.. great concept. I like the Morrigan character a lot.
I'm a bit biased with the entry~ Kudos on taking on the Altima sprite. But, the sprite's over-all look and shading could be better,
since two persons collaborated on it. Imo, it does fit the theme decently. Not really original, too.


-#6--Roly's
Roly didn't decide its official name. That's a minus point (not a big deal).
One of the funniest entries, I must say. Executed well and fits the theme
well. Good Job.


-#7--Ifrit
This one's different. Plus points for creativity. The entry is scary, too, coz'
it's Ifrit! The entry was well done, and the first frame was the key frame.
The fire was done well, as well as the over-all look. Hmm.. on the other hand,
for me, it fell short with the "most-fitting" criteria. Ifrit fits other themes
better than Halloween.


-#8--Business Squid
Pretty much contradicts other entries, which is a plus. I don't know about the color choice,
but it is funnier than most entries, nonetheless. Decent entry.


-#9--Pumpkin
Oh pumpkins, I like thee. I really like how pumpkins are implemented into
halloweens, bec. they look cute. Now, for the entry, I think it's quite cute.
But, I don't think it fits its name. The color choice is less creative,
and the body/structure does not really look like a pumpkin to me. Had the potential,
but not executed well. Plus points for taking on a monster sprite.


-#10--The Reaper
Funny entry! It reminded me of Grim?? from the Cartoon Network show!
Sprite was well done, but lacked the "liveliness". I think it's because
the colors look a bit monotoned? Hmm..


-#11--Vampire
Jimmy used a lot of base sprites with this one, making it a bit custom and adds points
to creativity. Fits the theme well, too. The colors could have been better, though.
Decent entry.


-#12---Raziel
Entry had the potential, but imo it fell short. A unique entry, but not executed
well in sprite form, because of the colors and shading.
It has a 'scare factor'. (coz Seu did put a reference pic)


-#13--Bloody Q
Hmm.. Tough. Over-all, it looks decent. Not much creativity going on.
Original Qucavi was scary, but this time, it's scarier with the blood.
So, plus points for that.


-#14--Skelelator
Skeleton head fits the theme,
but the Calculator outfit and colors ruined it for the theme.
Not really creative with the sprite itself, but one thing that I
really liked with the entry was the NAME. Skelelator FTW!
Quite creative and funny!


-#15--Devil's Servant
It's just the Male Wizard, but horny! There were some color problems,
and it's less creative than other entries.


-#16--Black Cat Witch
Same as Devil's Servant, but this time, with the White Mage w/ cat ears. I'm
not saying it's bad overall. It's just that, it needs to be original. And, the
pot, oh the pot. The shading\light source is poor and does not match with
the witch's.

[jimmyjw88]

Haha. Very nice judging there Mike ^^
Well, that's better comments than I expected. I don't think my entries are good too, thought maybe very last rank. Hehe ^^
And yeah, Grim Reaper. Haha. But he has skulls though.
Anyway, thanks Mike =)

[MiKeMiTchi]

I give you my thanks for appreciating my comments. jimmy

[Xifanie]

Fuck, MikeMitchi takes this seriously; and probably more than a lot of contestants.

[Vanya]

Guys, I think we should post the ranks, like the judging in the winter contest.

Yes, please follow that format. ^_^

First post updated FINAL!!!!

Now if everyone will excuse me I'm off to the courthouse to get civilly hitched.

[dwib]

Congrats Vanya, hope it's amazing
I like Mike's attitude towards this whole thing a lot, it's making me excited for the next holiday contest

[DarthPaul]

I do things your way Mike...if that is your real screen name.

-#1--Business Casual Cthulhu
Let's face it, when I signed up to judge H.P. Lovecraft wasn't in my realm of thought.
You put together a really good sprite, and it still makes me chuckle. Excellent.


-#2--Ghostbuster
Actually I was hoping someone would tackle this concept. Very familiar, and very "Halloween".
The proton pack wasn't necessary really but it pulled him together for a very rounded of design.
Great job.


-#3--Oogie Boogie
What can I say, I recently watched Nightmare Before Christmas again, and you pulled
off a very nice sprite. The presentation looked great, and you even went the extra mile
to add the worms. Hoping to see what you do for Xmas.


-#4--Morrigan Aensland
You get this spot for not only having a solid sprite idea, but also daring to use Altima,
which could have been a mistake. However you made it look very nice, and the detail
was extraordinary. However it was obvious this was a bit rushed. Either way keep up
the good work.


-#5--The Jersey Devil
I am pleased at the initiative that this sprite took. Very original and very well put
together. The tail look slightly awkward, and the head could have been "better" for
lack of a better word. Still very nice, and you went the extra mile.


-#6--Ifrit
Not so unique, but the creativity was there and that's all that counts. I would
have liked to see a better forward view if possible, and I think that is what held
it down. Solid attempt.

-#7--Vampire
The vampire is a staple of Halloween culture. You brought forth the spirit of the
Nosferatu, and it didn't fucking sparkle.



-#8--Scarecrow
Doesn't scream Halloween as much as it screams Thanksgiving, but it
has a charm. Also it is a bit menacing. Good job.



-#9--Pumpkin
Any Halloween sprite contest needs a pumpkin. Nicely implemented,
and inspires me to do a Bomb jack-o-lantern.


-#10--Headless Horseman
Sleepy Hollow has given us a monstrous trick-or-treater this year. Not good,
but not bad. The color scheme needed to be less vibrant in my opinion.


-#11--Devil's Servant
This one seems a little lazy, but when you look past that
you notice that it simplicity brings a little charm to it. Well played.


-#12--Bloody Cúchulainn
Less than unique, it still feels like a decent sprite, and
if anything fits the roll nicely. Definely put in the shadows
by Oogie.


-#13--Skelelator
Not impressed for the most part except that it does have a
nostalgic feel to it. The calculator clothing was a bad design
choice. Giving you slack however I think you made the best
choice of available outfits.

-#14--Raziel
Definite chill factor, but the execution is sorely lacking.
The wings are awkward the sash-thing is poorly rendered,
and overall it looks flat. Kudos for effort.



-#15--Death
Even being a skeleton death is normally bulkier. The scythe is the only
reason I can tell, and the colors are too dark. The idea was there but the
result wasn't.


-#16--Black Cat Witch
Sorry but this one screams "bad cosplay". The witch premise suited more effort
than was put in and the colors were too strong. I liked the thought of the pot,
but even it was not well done. You had a month and more effort could have seen
this to be extraordinary.

[PX_Timefordeath]

Vanya, you forgot to put PX_Timefordeath & Saigas for the Morrigan Sprite. Also, awesome format, as everyone gets criticism and knows how to improve and what was good.

[SilvasRuin]

Artist: Jumza
Calculator as Skelelator
Calculator M + Skeleton

Quality:  It looks alright, but I feel the shading of the smock/apron thing could use some more depth.
Theme:  Skeletons are staples of Halloween, so it does fit the theme.  
Creative:  I do not feel it is very creative, sorry.  It's mostly a head swap.
Scary/Funny:  It's neither scary nor funny.



Artist: Jumza
Black Mage as Devil's Servant
Black Mage M + Skeleton

Quality:  I feel the horns could be improved upon, but it doesn't look bad.
Theme:  I don't feel that it fits the theme as much as it could have.  It isn't anything that feels traditional of Halloween.
Creative:  It's not all that much different from a normal Black Mage, so I don't think it's all that creative.
Scary/Funny:  I don't find it scary or funny.



Artist: Cold 52
Meliadoul as Headless Horseman
Meliadoul + Balmafra + Generic Knight + Custom

Quality:  The jack-o'-lantern face looks messy.  It could really use some simplifying and cleaning up.
Theme:  It fits the theme very well.
Creative:  While a headless warrior isn't very hard to do considering the sprite sheets, it does hold a pumpkin head to the side.  That is fairly creative editing as it goes above and beyond what a normal sprite would have.  I would like to see the finished version.
Scary/Funny:  While many monsters are staples of the RPG genre, especially ones that might be associated with Halloween, I personally feel a Dullahan type monster is above average in intimidation.  Killing a skeleton is easy; just break its bones.  Killing an empty suit of plate mail?  That's a bit trickier (and more durable).  I don't really feel any are truly scary, but this is rather sufficient from the point of view of the characters.



Artist: Jumza
White Mage as Black Cat Witch
White Mage F + Custom

Quality:  I don't much care for the color scheme, and the outline of the cauldron bugs me.
Theme:  Witches certainly fit the theme.
Creative:  I don't really see a cauldron as very doable in a sprite, but basing a witch off of the traditional Devout look does win some favor for creativity.
Scary/Funny:  Neither.



Artist: Zalge
Bomb as Pumpkin
Bomb

Quality:  I don't see any glaring problems with the sprite.
Theme:  Jack-O'-Lanturns are all about Halloween, so it passes this part with flying colors.
Creative:  I certainly wouldn't have thought of using Bombs as a living Jack-O'-Lanturn.  It does well here.
Scary/Funny:  The concept amuses me, and I can just imagine characters being suddenly startled while trying to harvest some pumpkins.  It gains some favor here too.



Artist: Seushiro
Monk as Ifrit
Monk M + Belias + Custom

Quality:  I like it.  I love it.  I want some more of it.
Theme:  Saddly, I just don't see Ifrit fitting in with traditional Halloween.  The sprite does dismally here.
Creative:  Fantastic use of the bases.
Scary/Funny:  Well it gets some favor for being Ifrit and being awesome.



Artist: Sen
Black Mage as Scarecrow
Black Mage M

Quality:  The face could use some work.
Theme: It fits the theme to some extent, though not as well as others.
Creative:  It does get some favor for creativity, but I feel the artist could have diverted farther from the base for this.
Scary/Funny:  Neither.



Artist: jimmyjw88
White Mage as Vampire
White Mage M + Orlandeau + Beowulf + Calculator F + Mediator M + Oracle M

Quality:  The eye on its right on the diagonal view looks just plain bad.  The rest of it looks good.  I'm surprised there hasn't been a vampire sprite made like this before now.
Theme:  It does well to fit the theme.
Creative:  It's a good combination of sprites, but vampires aren't all that special.
Scary/Funny:  In appearance, not very.  Most of the fear one would have for vampires would come from their abilities, which can be hard to convey in a still sprite.



Artist: Bastard Poetry
Bloody Cúchulainn
Cúchulainn

Quality:  It's just blotches of blood flicked on to him.  I'm not going to give points just because the base was good.
Theme:  Shambling corpses can fit the theme, so I suppose it works...
Creative:  As before, it's just blotches of blood flicked on to him.
Scary/Funny:  It does win points for scary.



Artist: Seushiro
Islude as Raziel
Islude + Demon

Quality:  It looks great.
Theme:  I'm afraid I don't see how it fits the theme.
Creative:  It is a very good combination of sprites that really does match the inspiration.
Scary/Funny:  I suppose it does win some favor here.



Artist: jimmyjw88
Purple Mystery as Death
Purple Mystery

Quality:  This really could have been better, I think.
Theme:  Faceless wraiths tend to be good costumes for Halloween, so it does well here.
Creative:  It does get some favor for creativity, but not much.  Some of the others are clearly far more creative.
Scary/Funny:  Eh... I suppose it is scary, to some extent.



Artist: RolyTunedIn
Generic Dragon as The Jersey Devil
Generic Dragoon, Various

Quality:  It looks strange but good.
Theme:  Urban legends don't really equate to Halloween for me.
Creative:  It is a very interesting combination.
Scary/Funny:  ...it certainly looks funny if nothng else.



Artist: Dwib
Cuchulainn as Oogie Boogie
Queklain, Elidibs (human form)

Quality:  The bugs could probably be made to look less shapeless, the opening could have been made to look more like a tear, and I think he should have been more filled.  Otherwise, awesome.
Theme:  Oogie-Boogie is all about Halloween.  Well, Halloween or botched Christmases.
Creative:  Fantastic.
Scary/Funny:  I'm highly amused to see an Oogie-Boogie.



Artist: Aquablack
Funeral Butler Dude as Business Casual Cthulhu
Squidraken, Funeral Butler Dude, Demon (human form

Quality:  Looks fantastic.
Theme:  I'm afraid I don't associate Cthulhu with Halloween.
Creative:  Very.
Scary/Funny:  Awesomely entertaining.



Artist: Dwib
Teioh as a Ghostbuster
Teioh (Hatless Thief) & Mustadio

Quality:  Awesome.
Theme:  Awesome.
Creative:  Awesome.
Scary/Funny:  Awesome.



Artist: PX_Timefordeath
Ultima as Morrigan Aensland
Ultima (First Form)

Quality:  Looks pretty good, though the shading could be a bit better here and there.
Theme:  I suppose it fits as well as a vampire does, but I'm not familiar with the inspiration.
Creative:  Very nice editting.
Scary/Funny:  Neither.



Ranking pending

[PX_Timefordeath]

Here

SAIGAS DID THE GRUNT WORK TO THE SPRITE. WE SHARE HALF CREDIT EACH.

Oh, and by Saigas

You try doing better in 4 hours!

From 1:00-5:30 in the morning too.

[jimmyjw88]

Haha. Great to see crits. Thanks ^^