Post by Survivor Guy 886 on Aug 9, 2010 15:03:24 GMT -5
Online Survivor 9 was a weird time for OLS. It wasn't a bad game by any means, but it was sandwiched between All-Stars, and one of the best games of all time in OLS10. Thus, it usually gets lost in the mix. However, it was the start of a brand new era for Online Survivor, and for a game to bear that burden, it did very well.
It's surprising this game did as well as it did, considering we lost most of the all-stars to retirement. The only people that remained were Buffy (Sky), Case, Dampe, and Superfan. Sure, there were returning players in BP, Hill, and Mat, but they had not established themselves enough at this point to be considered true OLS veterans. However, among the new people were standouts that would rise to be the all-stars of the new era of OLS. Keep an eye on Iam, Lil, Penguin, and Game, as they would become the new mainstays in the series, some even surpassing the greats of the past. It truly was the beginning of a new era.
Moving onto the game itself, this season felt fresh, new, and exciting. Since OLS8 used only past challenges, I had plenty of new ideas in stock to use. Get ready for tons of new challenges, with very few games from the past being used. As far as twists, there were very few, as it was a back-to-basics game, but the spiritual stone kept just enough twist to pique your interest.
I also made small changes like the ability to customize your vote, but the big change came in the inactive rule. From this point forward attendance mattered, big time. No more could you drag an inactive into the finals. At each Tribal Council, if there were contestants below 50% attendance, everyone above 50% became immune, and were forced to vote out an inactive. This met with mixed reviews, in that it felt wrong to be forced to vote some way, but at the same time got rid of inactives, ensuring that only those who were deserving would make it to the end of the game. You decide.
As for as the episodes themselves, Online Survivor 9 completely reformatted the design. As you''ll see immediately, backgrounds are now used instead of plain colors, the font size is smaller to cut down on page size, and every contestant is now color-coded to make it easy to keep track of which tribe is which. I must apologize for some color clashes, since I was new to textured backgrounds at the time. However, I don't remember it being that bad when I initially posted it. I think flat-screen computers may have changed the way you view it (tilt your monitor back, or view it with your head below the screen, and you'll see what I mean. It suddenly looks great and easy to read!)
In addition to colors and style and such, I also started actually editing the episodes. Tribe camps I left completely alone, they're the same as before. However, challenges, twists, Tribal Councils, and basically any other major event where I appear have been edited to look more realistic. It also makes it much easier to read.
As for continuing tradtions in the episodes, this season used the carot (^) as a theme to mimic the volcano theme of the real season. Also, the music theme for this season was Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest. I think the music for this season was a perfect mood for a new era. It sounds fresh, unannoying, and peaceful and exciting at the same time. It won't give you chills, but it's just a nice track to listen to. Again, some music had become mainstays by this point and wouldn't be changed, but here's the recurring music in case you're wondering (by recurring, I mean plays in every episode except maybe 1)...
Main Page = Final Fantasy: Mysic Quest - Mine
Recap = Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest - Bone Dungeon
Theme = Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest - Volcano
Tribal Council = Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Final Night
Voting = Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest - Focus Tower
Voteout = Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest - Temple
Preview = Final Fantasy: Mysic Quest - Level Forest
Last Words = Secret of Mana - Theme
In closing, I don't have alot to say about Online Survivor 9. It introduced the new characters for the modern era of OLS, as well as a new method of portraying the episodes. Is it a good game? Yes, you'll enjoy it. Does it really stand out in any special way? Not really. It's a just a good, simple game with not many twists. Survivor at its core. Enjoy!
It's surprising this game did as well as it did, considering we lost most of the all-stars to retirement. The only people that remained were Buffy (Sky), Case, Dampe, and Superfan. Sure, there were returning players in BP, Hill, and Mat, but they had not established themselves enough at this point to be considered true OLS veterans. However, among the new people were standouts that would rise to be the all-stars of the new era of OLS. Keep an eye on Iam, Lil, Penguin, and Game, as they would become the new mainstays in the series, some even surpassing the greats of the past. It truly was the beginning of a new era.
Moving onto the game itself, this season felt fresh, new, and exciting. Since OLS8 used only past challenges, I had plenty of new ideas in stock to use. Get ready for tons of new challenges, with very few games from the past being used. As far as twists, there were very few, as it was a back-to-basics game, but the spiritual stone kept just enough twist to pique your interest.
I also made small changes like the ability to customize your vote, but the big change came in the inactive rule. From this point forward attendance mattered, big time. No more could you drag an inactive into the finals. At each Tribal Council, if there were contestants below 50% attendance, everyone above 50% became immune, and were forced to vote out an inactive. This met with mixed reviews, in that it felt wrong to be forced to vote some way, but at the same time got rid of inactives, ensuring that only those who were deserving would make it to the end of the game. You decide.
As for as the episodes themselves, Online Survivor 9 completely reformatted the design. As you''ll see immediately, backgrounds are now used instead of plain colors, the font size is smaller to cut down on page size, and every contestant is now color-coded to make it easy to keep track of which tribe is which. I must apologize for some color clashes, since I was new to textured backgrounds at the time. However, I don't remember it being that bad when I initially posted it. I think flat-screen computers may have changed the way you view it (tilt your monitor back, or view it with your head below the screen, and you'll see what I mean. It suddenly looks great and easy to read!)
In addition to colors and style and such, I also started actually editing the episodes. Tribe camps I left completely alone, they're the same as before. However, challenges, twists, Tribal Councils, and basically any other major event where I appear have been edited to look more realistic. It also makes it much easier to read.
As for continuing tradtions in the episodes, this season used the carot (^) as a theme to mimic the volcano theme of the real season. Also, the music theme for this season was Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest. I think the music for this season was a perfect mood for a new era. It sounds fresh, unannoying, and peaceful and exciting at the same time. It won't give you chills, but it's just a nice track to listen to. Again, some music had become mainstays by this point and wouldn't be changed, but here's the recurring music in case you're wondering (by recurring, I mean plays in every episode except maybe 1)...
Main Page = Final Fantasy: Mysic Quest - Mine
Recap = Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest - Bone Dungeon
Theme = Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest - Volcano
Tribal Council = Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Final Night
Voting = Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest - Focus Tower
Voteout = Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest - Temple
Preview = Final Fantasy: Mysic Quest - Level Forest
Last Words = Secret of Mana - Theme
In closing, I don't have alot to say about Online Survivor 9. It introduced the new characters for the modern era of OLS, as well as a new method of portraying the episodes. Is it a good game? Yes, you'll enjoy it. Does it really stand out in any special way? Not really. It's a just a good, simple game with not many twists. Survivor at its core. Enjoy!