November has begun. We only have a month to get those entries in. Is your entry ready? I'm not sure about mine; there are lots of things I want to fix up before I can say so. It's kind of funny to think how far I've come to be able to say that.

Back when I began using the OHRRPGCE (about ten years ago), I would release anything as soon as it was remotely playable. I continued doing this for many years, and can actually say that the game I am working on now is the first I've approached with more perfectionism in mind. I must digress, as this article isn't really about me, but this contest in general.

I think one reason we haven't seen a lot of new RPGs come out lately is because OHR developers no longer WANT to release a mediocre demo with the promise of later improvement. At this point we know what the engine is capable of, and nobody is going to waste his or her time on a game that doesn't have a certain level of finesse to it. While I do think this is a positive development, it is somewhat disheartening at the same time. It has caused the community to look as if it's dead, and while there are certainly fewer users on the boards, I do think a fair amount of people are still working on OHR games. In the last few contests, we've had enough turnout to suggest this to me.

In that light, I think that the Heart of the OHR Contest is a very good idea, and it's a shame that fewer people have released a game for it so far. The rules of the contest encourage releasing demos in the old fashion: just to show that something is actually being worked on, even if it isn't yet complete. I want to release a game for this very much myself, but I've released so many poor demos that my latest project is one I want players to remember as a rewarding experience, and if it misses the contest, too bad.

That said, I don't think I would have come near completing my demo unless the contest had been running. It's become sort of a deadline for my team. How much can we get done before the contest ends? Can we have our first demo totally prepared by then? Well, we hope so. I don't think the importance of deadlines to projects can be stressed enough. In the real world, deadlines are generally a part of life. When you're at work, you have to finish within a set amount of time or you get shown the door. A lot of indie games fail because the developers don't care when they finish. Pepsi Ranger's contest is, therefore, a rather brilliant idea. It's encouraging people to have something ready by that time, and nothing more.

So even though I'm personally holding back if my demo's not done, I hope that you will consider releasing what you have. Work on it as hard as you can, certainly, but it would be nice to see some new demos at the end of the month. If you are like me, then I hope that the contest has at least encouraged you to work on something more than you had been. Maybe you're getting close to the next milestone yourself? Even if you don't make it in to the contest, I hope that you take its message to heart, and remember that there are those of us who still want to play new RPGs. If a good one comes along, people will enjoy trying it out.

Again, time's running short, so see what you can get done by the end of November!