rRPC - The Remix Role-Playing Competition (Congratulations to Jason Covenant and evktalo)

[FenixDown]

The ReMix Role-Playing Competition

　

Concept:

The ReMix Role-Playing Competition (rRPC) is a ReMix competition in which participants assume the roles of heroes and villains from various role-playing games (such as Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger/Cross, Dragon Quest, etc.) and use those characters' themes in a series of elimination rounds. The participants will be separated into two brackets determined by whether the character theme they are using is a Hero's theme or a Villain's theme. The Hero Bracket represents the journey the heroes undergo as they must combine their themes with the themes of various locations typically found in RPGs (towns, dungeons, etc.), while the Villains Bracket is a more direct conflict amongst rival enemies as they combine their themes with their opponent's until only one remains to serve as the final boss in the endgame.

There is a legend that had been passed down through the ages, one of an item of unimaginable power: The Divinity Orb. Some have said it possessed the power to grant any wish you desire, others said it was a source of unlimited power, while others still believed it held the secrets to eternal life. Wars were waged, blood was spilt, as countless warriors converged upon the towering home of the Divinity Orb, but before anyone could obtain it, the Orb and its resting place suddenly vanished without a trace. Through the generations of retellings, the details surrounding the legend became muddled and vague, and eventually people simply lost interest in the old stories.

Until a mysterious tower ripped from the fabric of legend suddenly appeared. The Divinity Orb’s resting place has returned, and now all eyes rest upon the ancient structure. And as an encroaching wave of darkness draws toward the Orb, brave men and women begin their arduous journey to the Divinity Orb’s resting place to defend it from the forces of evil. In the end, only one may obtain the Divinity Orb…

Compo News:

The first ReMix Role-Playing Competition has concluded! Congratulations to our winner, Jason Covenant, and our runner-up, evktalo. Thank you to all the participants and voters and to anyone else who followed the competition.

Previous Rounds:

Hero Bracket Round One

Villain Bracket Round One

Hero Bracket Round Two

Villain Bracket Round Two

Hero Bracket Semifinals

Villain Bracket Semifinals

Finals

Set-up:

The Brackets:

- The Heroes and Villains will have their starting positions decided randomly and those will be revealed at the start of each bracket’s opening round.

- Each individual match-up of the Hero Bracket with be given a randomly determined source track associated with each rounds’ theme (i.e. town themes, battle themes, etc.) that they will have to mix with their character’s theme. Heroes do not use their opponent’s theme in their mixes.

- Each match-up of the Villain Bracket will be a direct VS. match, in which each participant must mix their character theme with the theme of their opponent.

- Mixes will be due one week after the start of each round

The Fallen:

- Any competitor, regardless of whether they are a Hero or Villain, will become one of the Fallen if they are eliminated in a round.

- The Fallen are no longer able to win the rRPC. However, they will be granted optional mixing opportunities that will not be available to participants still in the running (i.e. mixing unused source themes, other Fallen themes, etc.).

- Fallen mixes that are submitted by the round’s deadline will be included with the round’s submissions, though no vote thread will be created for them. Reviews for Fallen mixes should be posted in the main thread along with the round’s reviews.

- Collaborating with fellow Fallen participants will be allowed, however, the main mixer must use their character’s theme.

- This is completely optional. No one who has been eliminated from the compo is required to make any more mixes. It is just a means for the eliminated to still be able to participate.

The Summon System:

RPGs have implemented numerous battle systems over the years, so it only makes sense to include such a system in the rRPC: the Summon System! As competitors advance in the rRPC, they acquire the themes of those they have defeated. Those themes can then be used in place of their own. And the fallen competitor can also be called upon to collaborate on a mix, so long as it is their character that is being summoned.

Rules:

- You may select only one character theme that will be used for the duration of the competition. If your character has more than one theme that is strongly associated with them, you may choose which one to use for the entire compo.

- Collaborating with other competitors or non-participants will not be allowed unless otherwise noted.

- For competitors who advance past the first round, the "Summon System" is unlocked, which enables you to replace your character's theme with that of the theme of any participant you have directly defeated. You cannot acquire any of the summons your opponent has in their possession.

- While utilizing the Summon System, participants may collaborate with the original user of the character's theme you are summoning so long as the majority of the submitted mix is done by the competitor.

- The Summon System will not be available during the first and final rounds. Also, if you are eliminated, you will not be able to use Summons for any Fallen mixes.

- Voting will be open to everyone and will last for one week per round. After the votes are tallied, the winner of each match-up will advance to the next round. Once each bracket is down to only one hero and one villain, those two will then advance to the final battle.

- There are no restrictions on musical styles/genres. If your mix has lyrics, please be sure to include those in your PM when submitting your mix.

- Be sure to follow the Competitions Code of Conduct.

- Have fun and be as creative as you want!

Sign-up:

- Sign-ups for the rRPC will last for two weeks beginning on Friday, 5/23 and will end at midnight EST on Friday, 6/6.

- You may sign up for the rRPC by PMing me (FenixDown) a list of 3-5 characters you want to run as in order of preference. This will be managed in a first come, first serve manner.

- Submissions for characters should be typed as: [“Game Title” - “Character’s Name (Theme Name)” - “Hero” or “Villain”].

- Please by courteous and post your list in the thread so everyone can see which themes are already taken, just remember only lists submitted via PM will count.

- Only characters from RPGs will be accepted. If you are unsure if a character qualifies, ask me. Generally speaking, if the game they are from contains enough RPG characteristics (i.e. leveling systems, emphasis on story, an example being Super Paper Mario), I will probably allow it. Non-RPGs that feature RPG characters (i.e. fighting games like Persona 4 Arena) will not qualify.

- Presently, I am aiming for 16 Heroes and 16 Villains (for a total of 32 participants). Depending on how sign-ups go, those numbers may change. If one bracket is filled up when your character list is submitted, any characters for the opposing bracket will be bumped to the top of your list.

Voting:

- Join the rRPC Social Group to access the voting threads. You don’t have to be a competitor to join or to vote.

- Vote once in each match-up thread for the round by posting the name of the ReMixer you want to advance.

- Consider the technical quality of the mixes when voting, as well as how well the arrangement incorporates the two themes and your overall enjoyment of the mix.

- For your votes to count, you must cast a vote for every match-up of the round. Competitors must vote in their own match-ups.

- Any votes that try to vote for both/neither of the competitors in a match-up will not count. You must make a clear decision.

- Do not post reviews of the mixes in the voting threads. You may make a single post in the compo thread per round to post reviews in.

Music Submission:

Please send all entries to me (FenixDown) via PM on the forums with a link to a trustworthy hosting client (like Dropbox or box.com) and I will download your mixes from there. I will only accept submissions sent in 16bit, 44.1KHz WAV format. Please do not send MP3s, I will encode the MP3s myself.

All file names must be in the following formats:

For Heroes:

ReMixer - Mix Title (ReMixer’s Character Name & Round Source Name).wav

Example: FenixDown - Tonedeaf Terra (Terra & Tone of the Town).wav

For Villains:

ReMixer - Mix Title (ReMixer’s Character Name & Opponent’s Character Name).wav

Example: DarkeSword - Kefka Beckons (Kefka & Lavos).wav

If you use a Summon, replace your character’s name with the name of the character you are Summoning. Any Fallen mixes that use a provided source should use the Heroes format while any mixes that use two character themes should use the Villains format. If you collaborate with someone, include (feat. Collabing ReMixer) after ReMixer.

You are free to capitalize your name and mix title however you like, but please be sure to properly capitalize the character names and source theme titles. I will not accept files that are not named properly, repeat offenders may be disqualified if it becomes a problem.

FAQ:

What is the schedule for the rRPC? How are the rounds divided?

The first round of the Hero Bracket will begin on Monday 6/9 and will last for a week. The first round of the Villain Bracket will then begin on Monday 6/16, during which voting on the first round of the Hero Bracket will begin, both of which will last a week. The two brackets will alternate each week (Hero weeks: 6/23, 7/7; Villain weeks: 6/30, 7/14,) until only one Hero and one Villain remain, after which there will be a final round between the two that will take place on the week of 7/28.

What games can I select my character theme from?

You may select your character theme from any RPG. They can be Japanese RPGs , Western RPGs, Tactical RPGs, Action RPGs; if it’s an RPG, it should be fine.

What criteria is there for what characters I may use?

You are free to pick any character you want, as long as they: a) are a playable hero or a villain from an RPG, and have a theme that is recognizably their own whether in name like Terra's Theme, or in association like The Red Wings for Cecil from Final Fantasy IV.

What if my character changes sides in their game’s story? Which bracket should I submit them in?

You should consider how often the character in question is working alongside the heroes of the game opposed to how often they act as an enemy. Depending on the situation regarding sign-ups, I may suggest going with the side that has the most open slots available.

Does my villain have to be the final boss of his/her game?

While the final boss is usually the main villain of their game, you are not required to pick them if there are other villains available. For example, Sephiroth is the main villain from Final Fantasy VII, but you (or someone else) could just as easily pick Rufus Shinra. You could also choose to run as a minor villain like Don Corneo, as long as they have their own theme.

How are you going to choose the round source themes for the Hero Bracket?

I will be using a randomizer to decide which match-ups will receive each source track out of a diverse list of tracks I have compiled.

What if the character I want to run is a spoiler for his/her game?

If simply running a character as a hero or villain is enough to spoil the game they are from, you should consider a different character.

I am not a ReMixer but would like to contribute. What can I do to help out?

I will definitely be in need of artistic people who can design the brackets and signature images for the participants. Knowing how to use Photoshop would be a big help. If you are interested, get in touch with me or post in the thread.

Getting the word out and bringing in people who might be interested would also be a great way to help.

Edited August 18, 2014 by FenixDown

[Eino Keskitalo]

Wow, this is a fun and cool concept, I'm pretty sure I don't have the time to participate but I'll try to follow how it goes!

[ad.mixx]

I'm definitely going to sign up 'cause I"m not having any luck completing songs for merely hobby purposes anymore. I think deadlines and competition really help.

It sucks you're only gonna allow character themes 'cause overworld themes are just too good sometimes D: but 'tis ok.

I hope this all works out (it should, because <3 <3 <3 RPG's) I'm going to go for something from an NIS game. Yay for more OCR obscurity : D

[Chernabogue]

Interesting. I may participate if I'm available.

[Yami]

Very interesting, perhaps I'll join, if I find the right theme

[Hemophiliac]

Interesting concept.

I do take issue with your decision to encode mp3s on your own. Why can't we encode ourselves? Even though it is technical, this could affect the artistic outcome of the track. Encoding decisions should be left up to the artists themselves.

[ad.mixx]

Interesting concept.

I do take issue with your decision to encode mp3s on your own. Why can't we encode ourselves? Even though it is technical, this could affect the artistic outcome of the track. Encoding decisions should be left up to the artists themselves.

All past compo's have done this. I think it's basically keep things equal across the whole compo. I think it's a good rule to have as it doesn't give any one track a technical advantage over the other.

[DarkeSword]

Interesting concept.

I do take issue with your decision to encode mp3s on your own. Why can't we encode ourselves? Even though it is technical, this could affect the artistic outcome of the track. Encoding decisions should be left up to the artists themselves.

There's very little you can do when encoding your MP3s to affect the "artistic outcome" of a track.

Past compos have done this to ensure uniform and consistent encoding across the board for when music is released. That way you don't get a release with a jumble of CBR320s, CBR192s, VBR1s, VBR2s, VBR0s, etc. Remixes for compos are released as batches and are tagged and encoded as such.

Anyway I'm glad we finally worked through forum issues so that Fenix could get this compo posted up. Needed to delay the next MM compo and Fenix approached me about this idea at the perfect time.

[FenixDown]

Interesting concept.

I do take issue with your decision to encode mp3s on your own. Why can't we encode ourselves? Even though it is technical, this could affect the artistic outcome of the track. Encoding decisions should be left up to the artists themselves.

I made that call for the reasons urdailywater stated. All the previous compos did it, and it keeps things fair and equal for everybody. Thank you for your understanding and I hope it doesn't keep you from participating in the compo.

[Anorax]

Huh, what a nifty idea. I may just sign up for this. Hopefully I can get out of a "remixing block" because I could use some remixing 'encouragement'

[MindWanderer]

Some more questions:

What about characters that have more than one theme? For instance, Kefka has a "story" theme and a battle theme. Can we pick either?

What about themes that belong to a tight group of characters, such as the Four Fiends? Are they ineligible, or can we pick them as a group, or do we just pick one of them (such as the first one you encounter, or the leader)?

[Troyificus]

Awesome concept, especially the Fallen and Summon ideas. I'll be up for this.

[FenixDown]

Some more questions:

What about characters that have more than one theme? For instance, Kefka has a "story" theme and a battle theme. Can we pick either?

What about themes that belong to a tight group of characters, such as the Four Fiends? Are they ineligible, or can we pick them as a group, or do we just pick one of them (such as the first one you encounter, or the leader)?

For characters with multiple themes, you will get to choose which theme you want to use when signing up. The theme you choose when signing up will be the theme you use for the whole compo, so if you decide to go with Kefka's normal story theme, you will not get to switch over to Dancing Mad halfway into the compo. In this case, your opponents will also have to use the theme you selected and will not be allowed to use Dancing Mad with their character's theme in their mix.

For groups of characters who share a common theme, you should pick one character from the group to run as. For the Four Fiends example, you are free to choose whichever fiend you want. That said, it should be noted that no one else will be able to run as one of the other Four Fiends using the same theme.

[MindWanderer]

Very cool. I'm definitely in, I've been having trouble self-motivating lately as well. I'm anticipating the villains bracket to fill up first....

I also really like the idea of an optional losers' bracket--a real losers' bracket makes the compo drag on too long, but this will just be for fun. And the summons idea is good, too (and Darke should think about using it, it makes even more sense for Mega Man).

[DarkeSword]

Very cool. I'm definitely in, I've been having trouble self-motivating lately as well. I'm anticipating the villains bracket to fill up first....

I also really like the idea of an optional losers' bracket--a real losers' bracket makes the compo drag on too long, but this will just be for fun. And the summons idea is good, too (and Darke should think about using it, it makes even more sense for Mega Man).

Let's just say someone helped Fenix develop this compo concept from what he started with to what it is now.

[DragonAvenger]

Let's just say someone helped Fenix develop this compo concept from what he started with to what it is now.

Yep! Me!

And DarkeSword helped, too >.>

[FenixDown]

Yes, I'm very grateful to you both for everything you've done to help me put this together. And thank you to everyone who has already posted showing interest in the compo.

[Ethan Rex]

I'm definitely going to sign up 'cause I"m not having any luck completing songs for merely hobby purposes anymore. I think deadlines and competition really help.

Sadly this is me as well. This looks rad as hell though, and if I can bust my ass and get some other music stuff off my plate I'm totally down to do this.

[Phonetic Hero]

Color me interested. Not sure I'll have the time, but I'll be mulling it over for sure

[StarDragonJP]

Dude, this sounds awesome. I was hoping someone would do one like this. Are any rpgs applicable? Though I guess the Super Robot Wars games wouldn't, since they use anime songs for the character themes.

[FenixDown]

Any RPG is fine, so long as the character and music theme you use is from an RPG. Even if Super Robot Wars ends up as a no go, there are so many other RPGs to consider.

[FenixDown]

Just a friendly reminder that sign-ups will be opening tomorrow. It will probably be around noonish EST when that happens, give or take. Just wait for the official post, instructions on how to sign up will be included there and edited into the opening post as well. I will be asking for a list of characters when you sign up, so be sure to consider possible back ups in the event your first pick is already taken.

Good luck to all of you!

[NovaReaper]

Just a friendly reminder that sign-ups will be opening tomorrow. It will probably be around noonish EST when that happens, give or take. Just wait for the official post, instructions on how to sign up will be included there and edited into the opening post as well. I will be asking for a list of characters when you sign up, so be sure to consider possible back ups in the event your first pick is already taken.

Good luck to all of you!

Can we use boss themes if the person doesn't have a character theme?

[FenixDown]

Can we use boss themes if the person doesn't have a character theme?

If the boss theme in question is associated with the character you have in mind. Gilgamesh (Clash on the Big Bridge) from Final Fantasy V and Magus (Battle with Magus) from Chrono Trigger are good examples that are acceptable. If the boss theme is just the standard boss theme of the game, it probably isn't tied closely enough to be any character's theme.

[FenixDown]

Sign-ups are now open.

- Sign-ups for the rRPC will last for two weeks beginning on Friday, 5/23 and will end at midnight EST on Friday, 6/6.

- You may sign up for the rRPC by PMing me (FenixDown) a list of 3-5 characters you want to run as in order of preference. This will be managed in a first come, first serve manner.

- Submissions for characters should be typed as: [“Game Title” - “Character’s Name (Theme Name)” - “Hero” or “Villain”].

- Please be courteous and post your list in the thread so others know what themes are taken, just remember only lists submitted via PM will count.

- Only characters from RPGs will be accepted. If you are unsure if a character qualifies, ask me. Generally speaking, if the game they are from contains enough RPG characteristics (i.e. leveling systems, emphasis on story, an example being Super Paper Mario), I will probably allow it. Non-RPGs that feature RPG characters (i.e. fighting games like Persona 4 Arena) will not qualify.

- Presently, I am aiming for 16 Heroes and 16 Villains (for a total of 32 participants). Depending on how sign-ups go, those numbers may change. If one bracket is filled up when your character list is submitted, any characters for the opposing bracket will be bumped to the top of your list.

You don't have to do this, but it would be helpful to have youtube links to the themes you are submitting. I am fine with digging up the music myself but it would save me a little time down the road. Best of luck everyone and if you have any questions, let me know.

Edited May 23, 2014 by FenixDown