SEGA Saturn Coding Contest (C4 - 2006)
Impressive visuals on SEGA Saturn
6th June 2006 - 31st December 2006


final results



Quick-select ranking:
Overall
Graphics
Sound
Gameplay


Downloads for SEGA Saturn:


Unpack the rar archive and burn the CUE sheet (ISO only in case no CUE is present) on CD-R (CD-RW is no good) slowly (<= 8x) with Nero, CDRWin or compatible.

Run CD on a modchipped Saturn or perform the swap-trick.

NEW in version 2:
Download Type
C4 2006 CD
C4 2006 entries
Description
All entries on a single multiregion disc.

This is your choice!
All entries, each on a separate CD.
Use only in case you use a less compatible emulator.
Not recommended when running on a real Saturn.
Mirrors
from megaupload.com (NEW version 2)
from megaupload.com (NEW version 2)





This is not a direct Saturn screenshot, but a render image from blender.


Comments by judge Tassian:
Let me say this first: it was a real treat to see how good all the entries were and how well the really important aspects of videogames were covered: a fun gameplay, flashy 3D graphics, cool 2D graphics, nice sound and long term fun. This variety also made it really hard to judge the entries. It's a very close call.



For judging, all entries have been run on a real SEGA Saturn. The original single game CD images have been used.
Overall
Amon
Arnold
Ceno
Tassian
Wins 1st!

"Bounty Getters",

proof of concept

by Zaksund.

This is your prize




Overall best entry due to the profession feel. 1.
Also mit seinem Entry hat Zaksund wirklich gezeigt, dass man ein professionelles Spiel für den Saturn erstellen kann, ich finde einfach alles daran geil, Menü Sound...
1.
A very nice fighter mock-up. Unfortunately not playable at all :/

Too sad there's no actual fight. The demo so far looks pretty good and makes me hungry
for more. Keep up the good work and I'm expecting a playable demo for this year's contest ;)
Rating: 2nd.
2.
After seeing this proof of concept you can't help it -- you just have to start hoping that Zaksund will turn the proof of concept into something playable. The caracters look interesting and you start asking yourself, what the game would be like. This entry holds what it promises: it's an interactive proof of concept which is flashy and makes you want more of it. Zaksund definitely meets the goal of C4-2006.
1.
Wins 2nd!

Port of a Super Mario Bros. clone,

by VBT.

This is your prize




VBT adds a new twist to this classic NES game. It has become more of a maze game 5.
VbT's Super Mario Clone müsste man nun noch weiterproggen,
dann würde es ein richtig feiner Clone oder Port werden.
2.
This entry was kinda hard to judge. I mean, it has no flashy 3D graphics, no special effects or anything else that would "push the Saturn to its limits" but dammit - it's Super Mario Bros!
Super Mario Bros. was like the first videogame I ever played back in the days and when I first
saw the title screen of this entry fading in I just thought "OMFG It's SMB! x_X"
No need to mention that I finished the whole game without losing one single life ;)
Anyway, I have to be objective so here's what I have to say about this entry:

I have to be honest - I spend most of the time during testing with this entry but just because
I loved the original SMB so much. The programming is very well done apart from a few bugs here
and there but I'm quite optimistic that they'll be fixed in future releases. The game engine
should be a very good base for upcoming games once it's finished. Keep it up! Rating: 3rd.
3.
The key feature of this entry is the feeling of being mostly complete, despite the lack of an AI. Here's a game that you can play from start to end. Ok, there're no enemies, components from the original game are missing but due to the limited time that all contestants had, this is a very good entry. This entry fulfils the goal of the C4-2006 to code a demo/game that has good graphics and is fun.
2.
Wins 3rd!

"Charette A Bestiaux",

A multiplayer real-time tank battle game,

by Vreuzon.

This is your prize





4.
Bei Vreuzon's Entry blickte ich leider nicht durch,
ich hab bestimmt eine viertel Stunde versucht herauszufinden welchen Panzer ich eigentlich steuere, oder kann man gar keinen steuern?
5.
"LOL". This was what I thought after playing a few rounds of this nice little gem. It somehow
reminds me of a mixture between Mass Destruction and Death Tank Zwei which undoubtly is a very
good thing ;)

That was one nice entry indeed! :) It should be polished a little bit and then given a commercial
release. Oh wait.. it ain't 1996 anymore, huh? Dammit -_- Anyway - The funniest of the 6 entries!
Rating: 1st.
1.
This is a very charming entry. The game may not be the prettiest of all entries but the author definitely has put a lot of thought into the gameplay and that is the strongest aspect of this game. It's a lot of fun to play, especially if you play it with more than one person. With a multitap, this game has the potential to be a real party game. Despite the fact that it doesn't fully meet the goal of C4-2006 to produce a game with flashy graphics, it still is so much fun, that this drawback is outweighed by the sheer amusement when playing the game.
3.
4th in overall

A 3d textured landscape flying demo,

by Rockin'-B.

This is not a direct Saturn screenshot, but a render image from blender.

This is not a direct Saturn screenshot, but a render image from blender.
With graphics in mind this game takes third behind Zak and VBT. Overall well done. 3.
Zu deinem Entry kann ich nur sagen: Es sieht zwar gut aus aber ich hätte so gerne ein POS...
Weisst ja schon.
3.
This one was very interesting. It shows the capabilities of homebrew programming on the saturn
very well. Okay, there's no real gameplay but it's a very good base for something fresh :)

A very nice demonstration what can be done with the Saturn when it's done right. Just
keep up the very good work you provided so far and this one could turn out to be the base for a
very nice game. Maybe a racing game or something like Thunderhawk? Anyway - I'll give it rank 4.
4.
The lack of time probably was the most limiting factor of this demo. Despite its obvious flashiness, there're some glitches that the author admits he couldn't remove due to the lack of time. Nonetheless, this is a marvellous demo of what is possible on the Saturn in terms of homebrew software. It's an interactive 3D environment that is fun to explore and very impressive. Thus, this entry has also reached the goal of C4-2006.
4.
5th in overall

A 3d car demo done with Game Basic,

by VBT.


Apart from a really long load time this demo sports a really nice 3d car. If the loading screen wasn’t just black it would of tied for first. 2.
Die 3D Demo von VBT wäre doch schon mal ein Anfang zu einem sehr guten Autorennen, oder nicht?
4.
I know that there's surely a lot of work and time put into this one and I even like the car's
3D model but to be true, this was the entry that bored me the most out of the six. The first
time I booted it up I even thought the CD was broken or something since all I could see was a
black screen. It was a nice, deep black, though. Then there was the car and I thought "Wow, a
racing game!" but all I got was this lousy T-shirt (SCNR ^^)

Not much to say about this one. It's a nice car in front of a nice background accompanied
by a rather dull tune. That's about it. Rating: 5th, because I liked the car.
5.
The demo seems to show some Game Basic features. For this purpose, it does a nice job. I prefer VBT's other entry, though. The lack of interactivity and the extremely long loading time put it at the fifth position of this category.
5.
6th in overall

A graphic demo in hires interlaced (or VGA output),

by Charles MacDonald.


Very nice effect on the c4-2006 text on the screen but that’s all 6.
Was soll ich zu Charles Mac Donalds Entry sagen? Ich finde es sieht nicht toll aus und hat keinen Sound garnichts.
6.
A nice little GFX demo. Period.

As stated before it's a nice little graphical demo. Not more but surely not less. It's
nice to watch for a few minutes but that's all. Would be nice on a credits screen of a game, though.
The programming seems solid at least. But still I cannot give more than place 6 since there's just
not much to judge in here.
6.
The demo is very basic. It would've been nicer with some CDDA sound or at least a little interactivity like changing colours at the press of a button. The graphics of this demo are still nice to look at despite its limitations.
6.


Graphics
Amon
Arnold
Ceno
Tassian
1st in graphics

"Bounty Getters",

proof of concept

by Zaksund.

This is your prize




Gives the feel of a professionally made game. 1.

1.
The Graphics as far as they are present are very well done. Everything looks quite "professional"
to me. I like the fighter's models a lot :) Brave and Yurien are my favourite ^^
That's 1st place!
1.
This game, or better say: proof of concept, features 3D graphics. It comes with a 2D title screen at startup, but the character selection screen is a composition of 2D text in the foreground, a 3D animated polygon character behind the text, a rotating floor underneath the character and a 2D title screen in the background. The graphics a very well done, the animated 3D characters are nicely designed. The movements of the characters, the rotation and also the changing of the characters is very smooth.
2.
2nd in graphics

A 3d textured landscape flying demo,

by Rockin'-B.

This is not a direct Saturn screenshot, but a render image from blender.

This is not a direct Saturn screenshot, but a render image from blender.
Clipping issues, total polygon display number is wrong (always zero), if you leave town you can never go back. Nice looking 3D town. 3.

3.
The graphics are very nice and probably the thing that I liked the most. Everything is very smooth and at a rock solid framerate. The only drawback is the drawing distance being too short. I flew too far several times and then just couldn't find my way back :/
Anyway - that's still 2nd place.
2.
This demo features a full 3D world with a sky, terrain with different elevations and buildings that have mapped textures. There's also lighting of the objects in this little 3D world. A lot of the graphics parameters can be manipulated, so that even sort of absurd and strange perspectives are possible. The 3D world has a number of clipping errors. But despite this fact, you can move smoothly through it and wonder, what sort of 3D marvel will be next in the Saturn homebrew scene.
1.
3rd in graphics

A 3d car demo done with Game Basic,

by VBT.


Great use of polygons for the car, 1000 polygons alone, excellent background gives great contrast to the car 2.

2.
The Graphics are quite nice considering it was the author's first Saturn Demo, as I mentioned before, I especially liked the car. I looks quite solid. No open spaced. Just very well done.
I'd give it a good 4th rank.
4.
This entry features a 32bit background with a >1000 polygon 3D model of a Ferrari convertible. The demo seems to be written in Game Basic. Despite a few minor clipping errors, the Ferrari model turns an moves smoothly on the screen. The demo ends with sort of a fade out and a credits screen.
6.
4th in graphics

"Charette A Bestiaux",

A multiplayer real-time tank battle game,

by Vreuzon.

This is your prize




A solid game with a classic scorched earth feel 5.

4.
The Graphics are very nice and do they're job well. Sometimes there's a little too much "fuzz" on the screen like rocket trails, etc. so that the game can get a little chaotic.
But overall I'd give it a good 3rd place.

3.
On first sight, this game seems to feature graphics that have sort of an old school Atari VCS style. But they're actually work really well when you get used to their crude charm.

The game features 2D graphics and a number of scaling effects (at the beginning of each game the tanks sort of "fall" onto the play field) and also rotation of sprites. The player has a top view of the battle terrain.

Admittedly, this is definitely not the flashiest entry in terms of graphics. But the graphics serve their purpose, that's why I can't see a major point of criticism here. Considering the limited time, the graphics are crude but good and my guess is that the author can easily beautify this game with enough time at hand.
4.
5th in graphics

Port of a Super Mario Bros. clone,

by VBT.

This is your prize




New graphics effects added to this classic game such as the title screen 4.

5.
The Graphics are all okay but obviously most of them were not made by the contestant himself,
so I can only give it rank 6. They are converted quite well, at least.

6.
The game, which is an homage to the old Mario Brothers series, has a very nice and crude 8bit-ish charm. The purpose of the game doesn't seem to be to make the flashiest possible Mario Brothers version that you can produce on the Saturn but instead VBT probably wants to be faithful to the feeling of the 8bit version. The overall look of this pure 2D game is clean and simple. The scrolling is very smooth.

The only minor criticism I have is the fact that the artwork is not entirely original. I call this a minor criticism because sticking to the well known art- and pixelwork of Mario Bros. gave VBT the chance to concentrate on other aspects of the game.

"Morphing" the title screen from a mosaic to the clear version of the screen is a nice gag since it causes a little moment of surprise when you recognise what you're about to play.

Bravo as well for the nice graphics that come with the end credits of this game.
3.
6th in graphics

A graphic demo in hires interlaced (or VGA output),

by Charles MacDonald.


Really nice text effect but leaves you wanting more. 6.

6.
The hi-res mode looks quite nice as well as the demo effect itself. Looks good for what it's meant
to be - a nice little GFX demo. It could have been a little more varied, though.
It's place 5 from me.
5.
Charles' demo is a very classic 2D demo. It features a rotating "C4-2006" logo with an interesting "plasma" effect and also some zooming. On the right hand side there's a vertical print of Rockin'-B's homepage's URL. The graphics aren't spectacular but still nice to look at.
5.


Sound
Amon
Arnold
Ceno
Tassian
1st in sound

"Bounty Getters",

proof of concept

by Zaksund.

This is your prize




good use of music and sound effects 2.

1.
The sound that's presented in this demo is also very nice and perfectly fit's the "let's fight" atmosphere. It somehow reminds me of Street Fighter III. That would be a 1st place as well.
1.
This proof of concept has a lot of nice sounds and music. All selections made in the demo's menu are accompanied by sounds and samples and the character selection screen even has quite a groovy background music. The background music is CDDA while the samples are played via the Saturn's sound chip. Even the composition of the sounds (style, melodies, etc.) is good, not only from a technical viewpoint. A nice feature is the sound test in the options menu. It lets you play all samples and CDDA audio. Soundwise, this demo is definitely ahead of all other entries.
1.
2nd in sound

Port of a Super Mario Bros. clone,

by VBT.

This is your prize




Wonderful music that really goes along with the game as well as classic sound effects 1.

2.
Same as for graphics. The few samples as well as the BGM are nice, but also ripped from the original SMB, so again: 4th rank.
4.
VBT uses both CDDA and Saturn generated sound. The generated or sampled sounds are clear and well done. So is the CDDA sounds which mostly is background music as far as I can tell. The sound has no glitches and is a wonderful feature of this game which adds to the nostalgic 8bit feeling. The only drawback (if you can call it that) is, that the used sounds aren't VBT's original work.
2.
3rd in sound

"Charette A Bestiaux",

A multiplayer real-time tank battle game,

by Vreuzon.

This is your prize




Sound go along with the game but lacks background sound. 4.

3.
In the sound department there's also not much to argue. Some BGM would've been nice but the
provided sound effects fit the game very well. I somehow felt that the tanks themselves should make some kind of a "moving sound", though. I'd give it place 2.
2.
This game doesn't feature any music and also doesn't have any CDDA tracks. It features a small number of sounds like shooting sounds, explosions and hit sounds as well as a nice little splash at the beginning and at the end of each round. The sounds themselves, as with the graphics, serve their purpose pretty well. And actually, the funny little "bling" sound when you're hit (maybe sampled by hitting a small can or metal bucket) is sort of cool because it gives you the impression that you're playing little toy tanks on a small battle field.

There's only a single sound glitch: when you enter the help screen, a sample from the title screen gets looped until you start the game.
3.
4th in sound

A 3d car demo done with Game Basic,

by VBT.


A nice background music piece, reminiscent of outrun. Which goes along with the theme of the piece. 3.

4.
Well.. it's nice that it has sound at all but maybe.. the song just didn't fit the scene
and on top of it it's not made by the author so.. a 3rd place for having programmed sound at all.
3.
The Game Basic demo features a very simple melody on a single sound channel with a rather beepy type of instrument. It obviously was only added as a small demonstration. I could have lived without the melody but considering that this was VBT's first Game Basic demo, it's good to see that there's the possibility of sound. And after all, it's better to have strange sound than to have no sound.
4.
5th in sound

A graphic demo in hires interlaced (or VGA output),

by Charles MacDonald.


None 5.

5.
None existent, unfortunately that's 5th place :/
5.
This demo doesn't feature any sound.
5.
5th in sound

A 3d textured landscape flying demo,

by Rockin'-B.

This is not a direct Saturn screenshot, but a render image from blender.

This is not a direct Saturn screenshot, but a render image from blender.
None 5.

5.
None provided. That's 5th, sorry.
5.
This demo doesn't feature any sound.
5.


Gameplay
Amon
Arnold
Ceno
Tassian
1st in gameplay

"Charette A Bestiaux",

A multiplayer real-time tank battle game,

by Vreuzon.

This is your prize




Decent AI, with the option to watch the AI fight. 1.

3.
Whereas the gameplay is where this entry shows its strong side - A whole lota fun!
I unfortunately couldn't find a friend to battle it out 1 on 1 so I had to stick with the CPU but that was fine as well. I especially liked the way you aim - very well done!
1.
Here it is: the winner of the gameplay category. You're asking why? Well, let me call it the "tetris effect": The game has a simple idea, simple graphics and sounds, but yet is a lot of fun to play and it's easy to get used to the controls.

The game uses many buttons but this doesn't make it difficult to play. The d-pad moves the tank forward and backward and turns it left and right. X and Y turn the turret left and right, holding A releases a crosshair from the cannon for aiming and letting go of A shoots the canon. The C button shoots a soft gun from the front of the tank.

Maybe the coolest thing about this game: it has an intelligent AI. And not only one, no, it can let 6 AIs battle each other (you can actually play with or without AI). And, boy, can those AIs get on your nerves. But still: the game is very fair, has a good level of difficulty and is a lot of fun. But that's not all. It also has long term motivation, a very important factor for a game. This is achieved by randomly generated terrain. So each battle takes place on a randomly generated island that is surrounded by water. And sometimes you even have two islands and your only choice is to do long range shots to kill your enemy. Adding to the fun is the support of multitaps: you can battle with up to 12 people. Due to the lack of a second multitap, I only verified that it actually works with 3 players.

Furthermore, the game seems to save the number of times it has been played in the Saturn's savegame memory.
1.
2nd in gameplay

Port of a Super Mario Bros. clone,

by VBT.

This is your prize




Classic super Mario with a twist. More of a maze game that adds a new challenge to the classic Mario game. 2.

1.
The Gameplay however is almost as fun as the game it's based on and makes me hungry for more.
A LOT more! I mean - add a few enemies, the mushroom and fireflower or maybe even other items
and new enemies and I'll be playing this game for hours! What about a "Great Giana Brothers"
game ;)
2.
VBT's SBL game is one of the best entries of C4-2006 when it comes to gameplay. Yes, it definitely isn't the most original gameplay, but it works. It's a simple jump and run -- and of course it is, it tries to imitate Mario Bros.. SBL concentrates on the most important things: (1) easy controls with good physics (the player moves Mario with the d-pad, A is running, B is jumping) and (2) an overall structure that is sound and mostly complete. You have a nicely designed title screen which lets you start the game, view credits and that presents a help screen. And the game actually has a beginning and an end. So in terms of gameplay, SBL is one of the two complete entries. One major drawback, however, is the lack of an AI. There're no enemies or, for that matter, things that move on their own. The only animated component on the screen is the little Mario sprite that the player controls and the little "200" score that you get for each block that you destroy and the destroyed blocks themselves.
2.
3rd in gameplay

A 3d textured landscape flying demo,

by Rockin'-B.

This is not a direct Saturn screenshot, but a render image from blender.

This is not a direct Saturn screenshot, but a render image from blender.
Not much replay value, you “drive” around. 3.

2.
There's no real "gameplay" in this one but it's still kinda fun to race through the
landscape, to fly up and down and just enjoy this nice little engine. But since I have to be fair and objective I cannot come around with more than a 4th rank.
4.
Though there's no actual gameplay in this demo, there still is lots of interactivity. You can move around this world with the d-pad, you can accelerate or slow down with B and Y and you can change your altitude with A and X. You can also enter a menu where you can change all sorts of parameters of the 3D world which are mostly self explanatory since all changes you make in the overlay menu immediately take effect in the 3D world that is always visible in the background. It's fun to play with this demo.
4.
4th in gameplay

"Bounty Getters",

proof of concept

by Zaksund.

This is your prize




None, Game doesn’t load. 4.

4.
Unfortunately there's no gameplay existent apart from selecting a few options. Okay, now this is
more than VBT-GB had to offer but still it's no gameplay. Places 3rd, for providing at least *some*
interaction.
3.
Well, the gameplay is hard to judge because... there isn't any. Thus, let me modify the term "gameplay" to "interactivity". Zaksund's proof of concept is more or less the startup screen with options menu and character selection of a 3D game that supposedly lets you play two characters which probably compete with two other characters. All features up until the start of the game are implemented. You can manipulate a lot of settings in the options menu, among which are volume of SFX and music. You can also play all samples an music which makes this demo interactive. Thus, this entry is not as passive as you might think at first sight. But after looking at all of the settings and characters, you've more or less seen it all. However, this doesn't limit the fun of seeing a potentially cool homebrew 3D game in the making.
3.
5th in gameplay

A 3d car demo done with Game Basic,

by VBT.


None, hit a key to see the demo over again. 5.

5.
None existent. That's 4th, I fear :/
4.
This demo isn't interactive so it's not possible to judge the gameplay.
5.
6th in gameplay

A graphic demo in hires interlaced (or VGA output),

by Charles MacDonald.


Found a bug, game freezes if you hit start. 6.

5.
I first thought I could somehow manipulate the effect by using the control pad but it turned out that it just repeats itself over and over againg. So I guess that's 4th as well since there's no gameplay provided. Sorry :/
4.
This demo isn't interactive so it can't be judged in this category.
5.


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Copyright (c) 2007 by The Rockin'-B