Keen Awards 2024: Nominations

[shikadi]

I would like to nominate for really keen stuff: (I hope it's the correct category)
https://pckf.com/viewtopic.php?p=111705#p111705 - K1n9_Duk3's guide for source modding.
Because source modding gives almost endless possibilities compared to regular patch-based modding, anything to make it more accessible is a plus.

[Dave216]

2.6: Best Gameplay Video

•jimmyBojie's (aka. biffstudly) Canmore's Redemption ReShade series

[K1n9_Duk3]

Best Gameplay Video:
I am probably a little biased, but I loved watching emmxyzzy's reactions to Foray in the Forest.

[SodiumtheGlitcher]

Call me out for being stupid, but is it okay if I nominate my Keen 1 levelpack The Life of Mars?

I know, I'm biased. But it's the only full Vorticons levelpack to be released all year (Inside the Vorticon Hyve is still in beta status). Is it okay for me to nominate this?

[Quillax]

Happy new year, everyone! The year that is 2024 has ended a few days ago, so I think it's time that a deadline is set.

The deadline is January 18, 2025. That's two weeks after this announcement, which should be plenty enough time to find any noteworthy content made in 2024 to nominate. I hope we get a lot of cool stuff to vote for!

The nominations list in the original post is all up-to-date. This includes the additional nominations I made through editing my own post.

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One question I've been having for months is about "2.3: Best Music". For context, Dave216 nominated a bunch of songs from Keen Dreams Gold Edition as separate entries, and I was thinking of nominating his Aurora Bliss soundtrack as a single entry. This would be similar to 2023's Keen Awards, where the Canmore's Redemption soundtrack is one nomination, while some of the songs from Foray in the Forest were given individual nominations. The reason for that was because Foray in the Forest has some songs that were not made for the mod and made before 2023 (only a few of such songs were used, though). In retrospect, however, that created an unfair competition. A pack of songs is more likely to gain votes than an individual song, unless the former is all bad. In fact, the poll for 2.3 in Keen Awards 2023 shows that the Canmore's Redemption was quite ahead of its competitors.

My question is: Should the Aurora Bliss soundtrack be nominated as a singular whole, or as separate individual nominations? Should the former or latter also apply to the Keen Dreams Gold Edition soundtrack? (This is assuming the latter soundtrack is mostly original songs.)

The difference between the two soundtracks is that the former is composed by one person, while the latter is composed by multiple people. If the latter was nominated as a whole, then multiple authors would be credited; we've had nominations with multiple authors credited in the past. Or do you think nominating an entire soundtrack is unfair to those who only have a remix shared on YouTube or SoundCloud? Then again, some people would say that quality trumps quantity...

A similar question could be made about "2.1: Best Graphical Artwork", where a mod is put up against three individual art pieces. In this case, however, a mod's graphics is very limited in colors and resolution, which could put the mod at a disadvantage depending on the voter's tastes. On the flip side, the mod has way more artwork and thus more chances to wow the voters and win their votes, but as I just said earlier, quality over quantity can be possible.

Back to the question regarding 2.3, I'd merge the Keen Dreams Gold Edition songs into one nomination, with emphasis put on the original songs (meaning that Bobby Prince would be left out). However, I'd like to know what you guys think about this.

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Call me out for being stupid, but is it okay if I nominate my Keen 1 levelpack The Life of Mars?

I know, I'm biased. But it's the only full Vorticons levelpack to be released all year (Inside the Vorticon Hyve is still in beta status). Is it okay for me to nominate this?

It's perfectly alright to nominate your own work. People have done that many times in the past. Also, betas and demos can be nominated too (I just added Inside the Vorticon Hyve and Mura to the list).

[SodiumtheGlitcher]

It's perfectly alright to nominate your own work. People have done that many times in the past. Also, betas and demos can be nominated too (I just added Inside the Vorticon Hyve and Mura to the list).

Thanks for the clarification. Now I have some competition

[szemi]

January 18th is good since the update of Keen Dreams Gold is almost done!

[NY00123]

While I might usually not show that much forum activity, I think there was at least a bit more during the last months. So, I guess that I may still post something.

I was a bit unsure if the following could be a bit similar to self-nomination, because I helped with testing works of the person. That said, looks like it shouldn't be much of a concern. So:

Keenest Person of the Year

• K1n9_Duk3

I think there's clearly more than one project (including ones to be considered significant) in which K1n9_Duk3 had a part. My relation was in testing at least two. So, rather than nominating one single project, I guess that I may cover the person in question.

Online Community Service Recognition

• Fleexy
• Malvineous

I think the explanation should be obvious; Fleexy is the PCKF and Keen: Modding admin, while Malvineous is the admin of shikadi.net (including its Modding and Keen Wikis).

Most Promising Project

• The Omnispeak Modding Preview Kit by Multimania

To explain, Multimania helped me with making an old level pack (in updated form) usable with Omnispeak. This eventually had a part in leading to the Omnispeak Modding Preview Kit.

[Quillax]

The deadline looms near and will come tomorrow! I'm thinking of starting the polls by the end of that day, so there's a bit more time than you might think. The nominations are currently up to date; I also added some new nominations to my post.

Does anyone have anything for Best Vorticon Level and Best Galaxy/Dreams Level? They could use some nominations, and Keen Dreams Gold Edition could have some competition for the latter.

[SodiumtheGlitcher]

I'll throw some of my Vorticon levels from my pack:

Puzzle for Pogo
Green Mars Capital
an actual castle this time

TBH, I haven't played any new stuff from this year except for Inside the Vorticon Hyve, and I didn't particularly like that one. I was thinking about playing KD Gold, but it has so many bugs that I'm not gonna try it, and Revival of Bliss seems a little too mature for me (considering I'm 13 years old). Same also goes for Mura, because I am NOT a Halloween person.

But that's just me.

[Nospike]

Revival of Bliss seems a little too mature for me (considering I'm 13 years old). Same also goes for Mura, because I am NOT a Halloween person.

Mura isn't a Halloween mod.
I respect that it isn't for everyone though.

[szemi]

Unfortunately, KD Gold has nasty bugs that randomly happens and had to caught on video. Some of them are fixed, but as I promised: It's my child!

[SodiumtheGlitcher]

Revival of Bliss seems a little too mature for me (considering I'm 13 years old). Same also goes for Mura, because I am NOT a Halloween person.

Mura isn't a Halloween mod.
I respect that it isn't for everyone though.

I just meant that it looks like one, and yeah, you're right that it's not for everyone.

[Dave216]

Revival of Bliss seems a little too mature for me

I get it, too. I remember that beast from 'Another World' game scared the living garg out of me as a kid, and when I look at it now, it looks like a black smudge with two red dots for eyes.

Unfortunately, KD Gold has nasty bugs that randomly happens and had to caught on video. Some of them are fixed, but as I promised: It's my child!

Even if you finished the update by the time of the nominations, it still wouldn't qualify, right? I mean, this year you could get nominated for the update for KD gold, not the previous one?

and Keen Dreams Gold Edition could have some competition for the latter.

Well, I could do some cheeky self-nomination from my mod. I do think some levels were pretty neat.
Temple of Khalid
Void Pith
Temple Harepan
Water Abode

[Vortlike]

TBH, I haven't played any new stuff from this year except for Inside the Vorticon Hyve, and I didn't particularly like that one.

Well, you know. It makes sense that you wouldn't particularly like it. Considering that you appearantly also don't like playtesting your own levels. to see if they are not only a reasonable difficulty but also, you know, are even completable at all. But yea it's fine if you nominate your own pack and vote for it too. It should get best of 2024 considering that you "completed" it before the end of 2024.
You know I also haven't played that many level packs of other people recently either. Part of the reason why is that I am mostly interested in vorticon related mods and level packs and there haven't been that many. And sometimes it's because if you are working on something this will distract you from playing things other people made.

However I did decide to give your levelpack a try. considering also that it is the only other recent vorticon creation. But sometimes it is tough playing custom levels when there isn't exactly a lot of quality control. Even when you suffer through required blind drops into dangerous territory. Dependance on RNG. Repetition of precise jumping. You may eventually come to realize that due to a mistake or perhaps some other reason the level you are trying to get through actually isn't possible at all. It does make it extra frustrating and make you feel that the investment you made trying to get through actually may not have been worth it. So for that reason I can understand that some players stay clear of difficult levels entirely. You don't know if it is by design or because the designer just doesn't care or something else.

So perhaps I would consider nominating your level 7 from The Life of Mars. The level called 4-Color LOL Town. As the trickiest keen level. However the most interesting feature. That it is actually not possible at all, has already been patched out. And the surprise is now gone. I wonder if you did call it "LOL Town" because that is you laughing at anyone giving your level a honest try? Thinking that the 4 doors means that the cards are also possible to collect and finish the level without cheating? Perhaps requiring the player to jump down into unknown territory and having to figure out how to avoid falling the fires with trial and error should have been a red flag. It was perhaps my mistake to keep trying after that. But anyway. You should be on your way to win best vorticon level pack of 2024.