In the annual NESmaker Byte-Off competition, users are given a month to create a playable demo based on a common theme, and the event culminates in an awards show.
THE GAMES
A Bit of Mystery
Every Byte-Off is centered around a theme. As story tellers first and foremost, Austin and I like to give every award season a narrative treatment as a way to give a very clear and unique identity to each year's competition. It is a way for us to drop easter eggs for the community, to call out games in an entertaining way, and honestly...to make sure we are always having fun with this celebration. This year's adventure was a parody of a film noir mystery, and it was a blast to work on.
WHODUNNIT?
Who among you is a super sleuth?
Just like a game of Clue, you need to know the who and the why. After watching all six episodes of A Bit of Mystery, do you think you know whodunnit? More importantly, do you think you know why?
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Get your answer in before the final episode airs in May. The goal is to have a small prize picked randomly from all who enter, and something special for anyone who gets it right.
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Every clue you need to solve this puzzle is in the videos. So, hyper-intelligent individual...who stole Byte-Off V?
Episode 1
The Theme Reveal
Former NESmaker developer and current private investigator Joe Granato finds himself navigating a noir world, pulled into a mystery involving the disappearance of his old partner, Austin McKinley, and the theft of the Byte-Off Awards.
Episode 2
Is Artificial Intelligence Better Than No Intelligence?
In Episode 2, the plot thins. Joe pays a visit to his first suspect, the AI obsessed Professor Hector. But that is only a prelude to an unthinkable tragedy.
Episode 3
So, seriously...scrolling is still a problem?
With a dead body on his hands, Joe begins to grapple with paranoia regarding those closest to him. And as the trap is sprung, he realizes he should've listened to his instincts.
Episode 4
The trick is good, but...could they make our dignity disappear?
Joe follows a strange clue left behind at the scene of the crime, and he finds out that just as they say never to meet your heroes, sometimes it's equally bad to meet your fans.
Episode 5
Floriday Man? Florida, man.
What exactly happened to Austin McKinley? Six weeks ago, he encountered an old foe along alligator alley.
Episode 6
The Midwest Gaming Classic in Milwaukee Wisconsin Was Literally The Bomb.
Austin and Joe are reunited in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There, they'll have to reconcile their differences, as well as the differences between the NESdev and NESmaker communities.
Episode 7
Finally finding the reason.
Just when the story seemed over, the entire ensemble will be reunited to discover once and for all who stole Byte-Off...and why.
AWARD CATEGORIES
BEST PACKAGE
This award goes to the game with the best non-game collateral. This could mean things like box art and manual, but can also be so much more. In the past, users have created websites, comics, trailers, 3d figures and physical representations of their games, and so much more. Put together your best cohesive package that helps your game be fully realized.
Judge:
JOHN RIGGS
Content Creator on YouTube, Twitch, Social Media. Voice Actor, Published Author, Game Developer, Publisher
BEST CHARACTER
This award goes to the game that shows off a character worthy of inclusion on a NESmaker Mount Rushmore. Why is your character unique, interesting, or compelling? Maybe it's the look or style, maybe it's a backstory or the context of the character in his or her world. The winner of this award will create the most memorable new character.
Judge:
WARREN DAVIS
Actor, director, software engineer, sound designer, former video game designer/programmer, and creator of Q*bert
BEST PIXEL ART
This award goes to the game with the best pixel art. The backgrounds, the characters, the animations, the HUD graphics, the cut scenes...if they're in game graphics, they count towards this category!
Judge:
PETE PAQUETTE
Game and film animator whose credits include EA, Blizzard, Dreamworks, Riot, Lucasfilm, and Irrational Games.
BEST SOUNDTRACK
This award will go to the best music and sound effects. Maybe it's haunting melodies, maybe it's clever use of samples, maybe it's motifs that get stuck in your head for days. The winner of this award will demonstrate mastery of making something awesome out of four voices.
Judge:
TONY CORRELLI
Award winning composer and producer whose credits include lil John, SisQo, Ashes Remain, and Dru Hill
BEST NARRATIVE
Tell us a story. This award will go the game with the best narrative. Now, when it comes to 8-bit games, story is not always story in a traditional sense. Stories are also told through visuals and game mechanics. So don't think you have to fill every memory bank with text to be considered for this category. But if you plan to win this award, make sure your game tells a solid story.
Judge:
ANNA MEGILL
Professional game writer whose credits include titles such as Fable, Control, and Dishonored: DoTO.
THE WOMBAT
This is for the weird ones. The wild ones. The ones with the ideas so out there, that it causes us, the creators of the software, to say "how did they even do that?". Maybe, we might even ask why! Whether it be a genre we haven't seen done before or a completely absurd premise or something so technically awesome that our jaws hit the floor. These are the sorts of games that will be in the running for The Wombat.
Judges:
JOE GRANATO and
AUSTIN McKINLEY
Creators of NESmaker, and the only ones fit to judge the weirdest among you.
THE EMISSARY
This is a special category. It's a team up, specifically between someone who grew up in the NES era and someone who did not. Likely, it'll be a father / son or mother / daughter or teacher / student type scenario, where one member of the team opened NES games on Christmas morning back in the 80s, and the other thinks Radiohead is classic rock. This award is given to the best game created by this sort of combo, as a thank you for inspiring the next generation to keep this passion alive!
Judge:
DALE COOP
The man, the myth, the legend, who goes by the handle of Dale Coop, and is the champion of the NESmaker community, and who has also bonded over creating amazing games with his own son, SJ.
AUDIENCE CHOICE
There will be a vote on The Retroverse for players' favorite game. In the end, we'll just look at the numbers, and the people will have spoken. The person with the highest number of votes will win the audience choice award.
Judge:
YOU.
Once the games have been submitted, you'll all have the opportunity to vote on your favorite on The Retroverse!
BEST GAME
This is the game that wins it all. Chances are, it has a combination of many of the categories above - great art, great music, great narrative, great character, a bit unique, and loved by the audience. This sort of game should feel like one that may have even gotten a commercial release back in the end of the eighties.
Judge:
???
This year, the Best Game category will be judged by the mysterious Master of Ceremonies. Can you solve the mystery of the person behind the digital mask before it is revealed in the final episode?