And we have a winner

I’m happy to announce the close of the first Digital Man competition. We went from 62 nominees to just over 20 finalists, and with the closing of the polls last week we have narrowed those 20 down to just 1.

Alien Arena has won the competition. Congratulations to the developers of Aliena Arena and its gaming community for their continued support. Their community mobilized an impressive voter-turn out that rivaled that of the 2008 election.

There are other games populating the finalist list which we believe have shown their strength in the open source gaming world, and we may contact them alongside Alien Arena to discuss possible porting. All those games which were nominated should be proud of their development teams and their communities.

The turnout was great, the competition intense, and the results clear; Alien Arena has conquered the Digital Man.

The Digital Man: Processing the Results

Hello!

The polls just closed for the final bout of the Digital Man competition. We’ll be pouring over the data and announcing the winners in a few days.

We’d like to thank the all of you for nominating, voting, and selecting your finalists. Those of you who first replied with feedback on forums and on this site were especially helpful in our crafting of this competition. We’d also like to give a shout out to the guys at Freegamer and PlayThisThing for their aid.

Stay tuned.

The Final Battle Begins

With the results of Round 1, we have created the final poll to determine the overall Best Art, Best Story/World, Most Innovative Gameplay, and the coveted Best Game.

To check out the winners from the last round, click here.

To see the final 4 questions and cast your vote for the final competition, click here.

The Results Are In

Voting is now closed for the first round of the Digital Man competition. The winners of each genre are:

Platformers

Best Art: Yo Frankie!

Best Story/World: SuperTux

Most Innovative Gameplay: Yo Frankie!

Best Game of the Genre: SuperTux

Arcade

Best Art: Frets on Fire

Best Story/World: Armagetron Advanced

Most Innovative Gameplay: Frets on Fire

Best Game of the Genre: Frets on Fire

Real Time Strategy

Best Art: Complete Annihilation

Best Story/World: Warzone 2100

Most Innovative Gameplay: Complete Annihilation

Best Game of the Genre: Complete Annihilation

Action and Artillery

Best Art: Hedgewars

Best Story/World: Scorched 3D

Most Innovative Gameplay: Liquid War

Best Game of the Genre: Hedgewars

Multiplayer Shooter

Best Art: Alien Arena

Best Story/World: Alien Arena

Most Innovative Gameplay: Alien Arena

Best Game of the Genre: Alien Arena

Turn-Based Strategy

Best Art: Battle for Wesnoth

Best Story/World: Battle for Wesnoth

Most Innovative Gameplay: Battle for Wesnoth

Best Game of the Genre: Battle for Wesnoth

Simulation

Best Art: Flight Gear

Best Story/World: OpenTTD

Most Innovative Gameplay: OpenTTD

Best Game of the Genre: OpenTTD

Puzzles

Best Art: Neverball

Best Story/World: Neverball

Most Innovative Gameplay: Neverball

Best Game of the Genre: Neverball/Frozen Bubbl

Racers

Best Art: SuperTuxKart

Best Story/World: SuperTuxKart

Most Innovative Gameplay: SuperTuxKart

Best Game of the Genre: SuperTuxKart

RPG

Best Art: Egoboo

Best Story/World: Freedroid

Most Innovative Gameplay: Egoboo

Best Game of the Genre: SCOURGE

Competition Update, July 2nd + Independence Day

Vote

RPG – Freedroid is now tied for Best Game of the Genre with SCOURGE, while still holding onto Best Story/World. Egoboo still claims Most Innovative Gameplay and, in a surprise upset, has now tied with Soulfu for Best Art.

Racers – SuperTuxKart retains its place as king of all 4 categories.

Puzzles – The nominees remain in the positions of yesterday, with Neverball claiming every category but Best Game of the Genre, which Frozen Bubble picked up.

Simulation – OpenTTD is facing some opposition from Flight Gear in Best Art, as the two are now tied. OpenTTD is claiming the other three categories.

Turn-Based Strategy – Battle for Wesnoth and UFO:AI are battling it out, but Wesnoth remains ahead in all 4 categories.

Multiplayer Shooters – Alien Arena remains in the lead in every category.

Arcade and Artillery – Hedgewars has surged back over Scorched 3D, reclaiming Best Art, Best Story/World, and Best Game of the Genre. Liquid Wars gains a lead in Most Innovative Gameplay.

Real Time Strategy – 0 AD has claimed Best Art once again. Warzone 2100 continues its lead for Best Story/World, and Spring 1944 makes its first entrance with a tie against Complete Annihilation for Most Innovative Gameplay. Best Game of the Genre is currently a three way tie between Complete Annihilation, Warzone 2100, and 0 AD.

Arcade – Frets on Fire and Armagetron Advanced are now tied for Best Art. Armagetron Advanced is retaining its lead for Best Story/World, and Frets on Fire keeps its hold on Most Innovative Gameplay and Best Game of the Genre.

Platformers – The game remains unchanged with Yo Frankie! possessing Best Art and Most Innovative Gameplay while SuperTux holds onto Best Story/World and Best Game of the Genre.

For our participants in the United States, happy 234th birthday to the country! Don’t blow off your typing fingers with firecrackers over the weekend.

Note: I am unsure why the mannequin at 1:00 is lighting fireworks as he works at a cafe.

5 Days to Go and a little correction…

Vote

Platformers – Yo Frankie! remains in the lead with Best Art and Most Innovative Gameplay, while SuperTux claims Best Story/World and Best Game of the Genre.

Arcade – The arcade war has escalated with Armagetron Advanced now taking Best Art and Best Story/World, while Frets on Fire has clenched its fist around Most Innovative Gameplay and Best Game of the Genre.

Real Time Strategy – 0 AD is still taking the cake for Best Art, while Warzone 2100 holds a lead on Best Story/World. Complete Annihilation and Kernel Panic are currently fighting over Most Innovative Gameplay, while 0 AD has entered a tie with Complete Annihilation for Best Game of the Genre.

Action and Artillery – Hedgewars is claiming the Best Art and Best Game of the Genre categories, with Scorched 3D taking Most Innovative Gameplay and Best Story/World.

Multiplayer Shooter – Alien Arena remains the lead in every category.

Turn Based Strategy – Battle for Wesnoth has defended its position as the all out winner in every category.

Simulation – OpenTTD remains in the lead in every category.

Puzzles – Neverball is winning Best Art, Best Story/World, and Most Innovative Gameplay, while Frozen Bubble keeps its hold of Best Game of the Genre.

Racers – SuperTuxKart is winning in every category.

RPG – Egoboo is now winning Best Art and Most Innovative Gameplay, while Freedroid claims Best Story/World and Best Game of the Genre.

It’s come to my attention that some of the posts I’ve made on game community forums, alerting teams to close matches, have been viewed as an attempt to sway results. This was not my intention in the slightest: I was attempting to promote further competition in a humorous manner. I apologize for the perceived deception and will keep my multi-colored bar graphs to myself from here on out.

Now entertain me with your bloodsport!

-sqm

Competition Update – June 30th

Note: Voting can be done daily!

The flames of contest have engulfed our gaming communities! Here’s a look at the current standings.

RPG: Soulfu remains in the lead for Best Art. FreeDroid now hold Best Story/World and Best Game of the Genre, and is in a tie with Egoboo for Most Innovative Gameplay.

Racers: SuperTuxKart remains far in the lead in every category.

Puzzles: The puzzle genre remains the same as yesterday, with Neverball bringing in Best Art, Best Story/World, and Most Innovative Gameplay. Frozen Bubble is holding down the Best Game of the Genre title.

Simulation: OpenTTD remains steadily in the lead in every category.

Turn-Based Strategy: UFO:AI has been steadily creeping up in the ranks, but Battle For Wesnoth is still taking the lead in every category.

Multiplayer Shooter: Alien Arena remains far in the lead of all its competitors.

Action and Artillery: Scorched 3D has made a comeback, stealing away the Best Story/World title from Hedgewars and nearly claiming Best Game of the Genre as well. Hedgewars remains in the lead with Best Art and Best Game of the Genre, with Liquid Wars pulling in a tremendous amount of votes for Most Innovative Gameplay.

Real Time Strategy: 0 AD now claims the titles for both Best Art and Best Game of the Genre. Warzone2100 clings to Best Story/World while Complete Annihilation rises to take Most Innovative Gameplay.

Arcade: In a massive upset, Frets of Fire has overtaken Armagetron Advanced overnight. Frets on Fire is now winning in every category.

Platformers: The platform genre remains the same as yesterday, with Yo Frankie! claiming Best Art and Most Innovative Gameplay, and SuperTux taking Best Story/World and Best Game of the Genre.

If you haven’t voted today come here to throw your vote in and boost your favorite games.

Competition Update

A flood of votes came in over the weekend. Here’s how they break down.

RPG – Soulfu is leaps ahead of the competition for Best Art. Freedroid currently holds the spot for Best Story/World, with Egoboo trailing not far behind. Freedroid and Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup are tied for Most Innovative Gameplay, and Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup is eeking out a slight lead for Best Game of the Genre.

Racers- SuperTuxKart is destroying the competition with a heavy lead across all categories.

Puzzles- Neverball has gained a significant lead in Best Art, Best Story/World, and Most Innovative Gameplay. Frozen Bubble holds fast to its slim win in Best Game of the genre.

Simulation – OpenTTD is now winning in every category.

Turn-Based Strategy – Battle for Wesnoth has soared in the polls, now holding the top spot in every single category.

Multiplayer Shooter- Alien Arena is still leading in all the categories, but Tremulous has been steadily creeping up behind it.

Action and Artillery – Hedgewars is ahead in Best Art, Best Story/World, and Overall Best Game, but is facing stiff competition from Scorched 3D. Liquid Wars still holds the title for Most Innovative Gameplay.

Real Time Strategy – Kernel Panic holds the title for Most Innovative Gameplay, while 0 AD moves ahead in its domination of the Best Art category. Warzone2100 is currently winning for Best Story/World and is tied with Complete Annihilation for Best Game of the Genre.

Arcade – Armagetron Advanced is holding its territory with Best Art, Best Story/World, and Best Game of the Genre. Frets on Fire is currently taking Most Innovative Gameplay and is only a few votes behind Armagetron in the rest of the categories.

Platformers – Yo Frankie! is winning Best Art and Most Innovative Gameplay while SuperTux holds the titles for both Best Story/World and Best Game of the Genre.

If your game isn’t where you’d like it to be, toss your daily vote in here and tell your friends to do the same.

1st Day of the Race

Voting has begun! Click here to go to the survey and make your voice heard.

With only a few hours left in the first day of voting we’re already seeing some trends among the nominees.

The Multiplayer Shooter genre, which has the most votes of all the genres, is being swept by Alien Arena with a 50% lead in nearly every category.

UFO: Alien Invasion is just behind Battle of Wesnoth in 3/4 categories, though currently taking the Turn-Based Strategy cake for best art.

In Simulation, Open TTD and Vegastrike are tied for Best Art and Best Story, while Open TTD leads in Most Innovative Gameplay and Best Game.

Frozen Bubble is trouncing the competition in the Puzzle genre, currently winning in every category.

SuperTuxKart is pulling a similar maneuver in the Racers genre, with Speed Dream not far behind.

The RPG genre is currently the seat of the most competition. SCOURGE is claiming the Best Game of the Genre title while Soulfu stands above the others for Best Art. Egoboo is currently tied with Freedroid for Best Story/World, and also with Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup for Most Innovative Gameplay.

Hedgewars is sweeping the Action and Artillery genre, save for Most Innovative Gameplay, where Liquid Wars is steadily outpacing the others.

Real Time Strategy is a bit of a free for all at the moment. 0AD and Complete Annihilation are currently tied for Best Art, with Glest and Kernel Panic not far behind. Warzone2100 is in the lead in Best Story/World and Best Game of the Genre, but is tied with Kernel Panic for Most Innovative Gameplay.

Armagetron Advanced and Frets on Fire are duking it out in the Arcade genre, with a tight race in all for categories. Armagetron Advanced is currently ahead in Best Art, Story, and Game, while Frets on Fire maintains its hold on Most Innovative Gameplay.

Lastly, the Platformer category is the seat of a brawl between Yo Frankie! and SuperTux. Yo Frankie! is way in the lead for Best Art, but is tied wth SuperTux for Most Innovative Gameplay and Best Game of the Genre. SuperTux is holding fast onto the Best Story/World vote.

This is only the first day of voting, so if the games you support aren’t doing so hot grab your community and get them mobilized. Vote here.

And as always, if you have something you’d like to see changed drop me a line in the comment box. I get to every one of them.

Vote!

Voting has begun! Click here to go to the survey and make your voice heard.

Voting for each genre is based on the follow categories:

Best Art – The game you believe holds the best character design, scenery, and general graphic awesomeness

Best Story/World – The game which takes place in the richest, weirdest, or most impressive context

Most Innovative Gameplay – The game that showcased the most innovative gameplay; from a new way of hotkeying to a method of erupting in flames

Best Game of the Genre – The best game in its genre

If you don’t know some of the games, check out the Nominees page for a link to their site and a video of their gameplay. We encourage you to try some new games and maybe even find a new favorite.

We have 62 Nominees in 10 different genres, so please bear with the ugly surveymonkey and submit your vote.

The next round of voting will take the top finishers in each category from each genre and pit them against one another, in order to see which game is truly the best.