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Sakura Wars Official Thread Banner Contest! VOTING HAS NOW BEGUN!!

R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
So Sakura Wars: So Long My Love is coming out in exactly one month, and I need to get working on the official thread! This is a great game in one of my all time favorite series’, so I want my official thread to be attractive, informative, and maybe (just maybe) help Sakura Wars not get quite as lost in the shuffle and it’s certainly going to be next month what with Final Fantasy XIII, God of War III, etc. coming out as well. However, I don’t yet have a banner, and I’m not good at designing attractive banners like the ones that adorn several official threads here on NeoGAF.

To that end, I’d like to ask my fellow Gaffers for assistance. However just asking isn’t very fun, and since this is a very special game to me I thought I’d try to make this as interesting as possible. That’s when it came to me; a contest!

From today (February 23rd) until midnight EST on Tuesday March 9th, contestants will design and post their entry banners in this thread. From Wednesday March 10th through midnight EST on Friday March 12th, everyone on NeoGAF will be invited to vote on their favorite banner. You may only vote on 1 banner, since there will only be one winner. Each vote = 1 point. The person with the most points wins, and their banner will be used for the Official Thread of Sakura Wars: So Long My Love!

So what’s in it for the winner? The winner will get a free copy of Sakura Wars: So Long My Love on their system of choosing (PlayStation 2 or Wii). I will be supplying this to the lucky winner. When I pick up the game I will send it to you via Priority Mail USPS (so it might take a day or two, sorry!), but at least it’ll be free right?

A couple of good resources for making a banner:
NISA’s official Sakura Wars site: http://www.sakurawars.us/
RPGFan.com’s Artwork section: http://www.rpgfan.com/pics/Sakura_Wars_So_Long_My_Love/art.html

Rules:
- Please keep it safe for work (no suggestive fanart or language!).
- Banners should be no larger than 1024 x 320 (not everyone has a widescreen monitor!)
- Should contain the follow text somewhere in the banner “Sakura Wars: So Long My Love Official Thread” (Placement and size are up to you!)
- Only one entry per contestant (however, if you submit an entry and decide to change it before the deadline, you may do so!)
- Only one vote per contestant. You do not need to be a contestant to vote on a banner, but you may not vote for your own banner if you participate!
- Banners posted on March 10th will not be accepted (however I’ll be a little lenient if your banner is posted at, say, 12:05)
- All countries are eligable! For US and Canada residents the shipping will be USPS Priority Mail, for International (outside of North America) the shipping will be Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelope, so you'll have to wait 6-10 days to receive your prize (sorry!)

Prize:
First prize will receive a free copy of Sakura Wars: So Long My Love on your system of choice, PlayStation 2 or Wii (information about the versions and the game in general can be found in the official hype thread here)

Vinnk and his site www.risingstuff.com is willing to offer a free copy of one of the following games:

Sakura Taisen (Dreamcast)
Sakura Taisen (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen 2 (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen (PS2)
or
Sakura Taisen Hanagumi Columns (Sega Saturn)

To both the 2nd and 3rd place entries.

DISCLAIMER: This contest is not an official contest of NISA, Red Entertainment, Sega, or Idea Factory, nor is it official endorsed by any of the above parties. I’m running this contest purely out of love for this game and this franchise (and the fact that I was trying to figure out what to do with my extra pre-orders anyway…).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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EDIT: Okay, contest is officially closed to entries. This has been wonderful, thank you everyone for participating! The following are the entries for the Sakura Wars Official Thread Banner Contest. Please vote once and ONLY ONCE. Each vote gets 1 point, most points wins!

Names of the creator is ABOVE their entry!

spats

sakurawarsbanner2copy.png



Ikkarus

SoLongMyLove.png



soulhouf

051_3.jpg



Android18a

sakwar.png



TunaLover

SakuraWarsBanner-sunrise-new.png


radiantdreamer


banner2.png



u_neek

23wnxi1.png



Koren

stbancon.png



Durante

bannerxsdx.png



Kid Marin

SW_banOK1.png


Remember, voting is open to EVERYONE!! You do not have to be a participant to vote, but you can NOT vote for your own entry! Only one vote per person please! Thank you!
 
V

VGChampion

Member
It's nice to see the game have a following. I've been interested in it ever since I read about it in Nintendo Power but it's just one of those games that doesn't have a lot of followers over here. Yet at least. It's awesome that you're offering the game for free to someone.
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
VGChampion said:
It's nice to see the game have a following. I've been interested in it ever since I read about it in Nintendo Power but it's just one of those games that doesn't have a lot of followers over here. Yet at least. It's awesome that you're offering the game for free to someone.
Click to expand...

Well it just seemed silly to do a contest with no prize, ya know? I already had a couple extra pre-orders that were either going to sit in my room doing nothing (or be given to a friend if I can find ones who'd take 'em), I figured I might as well offer one of those to Gaffers, since you'd probably be the most interested. :)
 
L

LiK

Member
RurouniZel said:
Well it just seemed silly to do a contest with no prize, ya know? I already had a couple extra pre-orders that were either going to sit in my room doing nothing (or be given to a friend if I can find ones who'd take 'em), I figured I might as well offer one of those to Gaffers, since you'd probably be the most interested. :)
Click to expand...
I know someone who's a huge fan of the series. He owns every game ever made. I can't wait to check out this new localized one too see why it's so good.
 
A

androvsky

Member
I've been waiting for nearly a decade for one of the Sakura Wars games to come out in the U.S., trust me, RurouniZel's actions seem perfectly reasonable. :)

Besides, I'm glad you're doing stuff like this. I had similar notions, but wound up getting too busy/lazy as the game's release date approached. That, and NISA is already buttering up the podcast I was planning on sending extra copies to. :lol
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
LiK said:
I know someone who's a huge fan of the series. He owns every game ever made. I can't wait to check out this new localized one too see why it's so good.
Click to expand...

My collection as of a couple of years ago (sorry, photo's kind of old!)

SakuraTaisen01.jpg


I'll have to update this pic. There have been additions since...
 
H

hellclerk

Everything is tsundere to me
Eh, because of the lack of premium package for Wii owners, I can't bring myself to actually buy the game, but I'll throw my hat in for this, and if I win, just hate that red head with the Texas accent that will rape my ears.
 
A

andymcc

Banned
doomed1 said:
Eh, because of the lack of premium package for Wii owners, I can't bring myself to actually buy the game, but I'll throw my hat in for this, and if I win, just hate that red head with the Texas accent that will rape my ears.
Click to expand...

are you saying you don't own a ps2? :lol
 
M

MCX

Banned
Where does this game fall in the Sakura Taisen timeline? Man, I really wish Sega had localized this series during the Dreamcast days. This will be my first entry.
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
Kid Marin said:
NA residents only ?
Click to expand...

Didn't think of that one. Hm. I can do US/Canada shipping. I'll add this to the OP, thanks for bringing this to my attention. I can add Europe if it's not too expensive (anyone know how much shipping to Europe from the CT/NY area typically costs?)
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
MCX said:
Where does this game fall in the Sakura Taisen timeline? Man, I really wish Sega had localized this series during the Dreamcast days. This will be my first entry.
Click to expand...

Forgot to answer this, sorry. It's the last game timeline wise, but the game is self contained. No previous entries need be played to understand this game.
 
M

MCX

Banned
RurouniZel said:
Forgot to answer this, sorry. It's the last game timeline wise, but the game is self contained. No previous entries need be played to understand this game.
Click to expand...
Thank you, sir.

spats: Very nice logo!
 
H

hellclerk

Everything is tsundere to me
andymcc said:
are you saying you don't own a ps2? :lol
Click to expand...
No, my parents bought me a GCN back then, and by the time I could buy one myself, the next gen was kicking into gear. I chose to buy the Wii.

Anyway, spats has given me some competition with the high polish...
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
spats said:
I guess I'll start then...

sakurawarsbanner2copy.png
Click to expand...

And we're off to a blazing start! Well done! ^_^

I will be collecting these in a post once the deadline hits, so that they can all be compared next to each other, and also make it easier for people to see all the entries in one place so they can be voted upon.
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
bernardobri said:
International shipping is a no-no? (South America)
Click to expand...

Where in South America? I mean what country specifically, I need to try and research the shipping cost.

Nekobo said:
Great logo placement there! :lol
Click to expand...

Took me a couple looks to see that too. It's quite a nice detail! :D

EDIT: USPS international shipping rate for Priority Mail® International Flat Rate Envelope is doable. So long as you're willing to wait 6-10 days, I will make this an international competition! However, the copy of the game you receive will be the North American edition, so it will require a North American PS2/Wii.
 
B

bernardobri

Steve, the dog with no powers that we let hang out with us all for some reason
RurouniZel said:
Where in South America? I mean what country specifically, I need to try and research the shipping cost.



Took me a couple looks to see that too. It's quite a nice detail! :D

EDIT: USPS international shipping rate for Priority Mail® International Flat Rate Envelope is doable. So long as you're willing to wait 6-10 days, I will make this an international competition! However, the copy of the game you receive will be the North American edition, so it will require a North American PS2/Wii.
Click to expand...

Chile
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
bernardobri said:
Chile
Click to expand...

That will do, after researching the USPS having an international flat rate since it's just a game it won't weight over 4 lbs. so it's fair game. :)
 
I

Ikkarus

Member
Boerseun said:
I like the idea behind this one, but having the larger foreground character behind the logo while the smaller background characters are in front of it doesn't work.
Click to expand...

Thats a very good point. I completely over looked that part. I'll re-edit.

If you or anyone else have any other suggestions, feel free to comment.

Edit:

SoLongMyLove.png
 
A

Android18a

Member
sakwar.png


It looks simple, but it took a deceptively long time.

Process: Cut logo out of desktop wallpaper, cleaning it up (hardest bit), Create extra sign bit at the bottom to match the logo and look like part of the original design, find a font which actually sort of matches.

I just went for something simple and striking, rather than a character-based design. I wanted to make it clear, yet make the "official thread" part look as if it was part of the game logo itself.

This is how I always do them on my "home" forum =3

And having done the transgaf logo recently, I have a taste for it!
 
R

radiantdreamer

Member
Here's my entry:
banner.png


Scanned art from the Sakura Taisen I-V artbook, and did some photoshop on it.

Here's a screencap of the number of layers I used:
bannerlayers.jpg


A 320 height is too narrow to put a good focus on the characters and have room for a large enough logo.
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
radiantdreamer said:
Here's my entry:
banner.png


Scanned art from the Sakura Taisen I-V artbook, and did some photoshop on it.

Here's a screencap of the number of layers I used:
http://radiantdreamer.net/temp/bannerlayers.jpg[img]

A 320 height is too narrow to put a good focus on the characters and have room for a large enough logo.[/QUOTE]

It looks nice, however it's 480 pixels high and the rules are for 320 pixels in height maximum. Everyone's playing by the same rules and this banner will need to be adjusted, or I'm afraid it'll have to be disqualified. :-(
Click to expand...
 
R

radiantdreamer

Member
RurouniZel said:
It looks nice, however it's 480 pixels high and the rules are for 320 pixels in height maximum. Everyone's playing by the same rules and this banner will need to be adjusted, or I'm afraid it'll have to be disqualified. :-(
Click to expand...

Alright. Your thread, your contest, your rules. :D

banner2.png


Was definitely trying for a more artsy bold look. I think I might have over-shaded everything, but it definitely gives more depth than flat sketching, especially for Gemini Sunrise. I might go back and darken a few of the characters a bit to make Gemini stand out more and put more depth between her and the others.
 
D

Deadly Monk

Banned
Finally! Is the Wii version widescreen? That's actually a deciding factor for me because I want to play the game on my plasma. I'd rather not have to hook my PS2 back up.

This is on the official site:

[Format] ：Two Dual-Layer Discs, with English and Japanese Voice Acting (Premium Package)
Single Dual-Layer Disc, with English Voice Acting (Standard Package)
Click to expand...

Is that telling us the only way to get Japanese voices is to buy the premium edition on the PS2?
 
K

Koren

Member
kiryogi said:
? Which artbook are you talking about?
Click to expand...
There's a lot of artbooks and official guides, I own 7 ou 8 of them... I'd like to be able to scan a couple of things for the contest (maybe in the Chronicles book, it must be 4-500 pages of arts, pictures and text), but I'm not at home. :(
 
K

kiryogi

Banned
Koren said:
There's a lot of artbooks and official guides, I own 7 ou 8 of them... I'd like to be able to scan a couple of things for the contest (maybe in the Chronicles book, it must be 4-500 pages of arts, pictures and text), but I'm not at home. :(
Click to expand...

for V? I own a good majority as well All the softbank data/designs and the chronicle set. Amongst other things. I just don't recall that image, then again it's been a long time since I've flipped thru any of the V materials.
 
I

Ikkarus

Member
Can I ask where you guys got the Sakura font from for your banners?
I couldn't find it when I tried looking for it. :(
 
K

Koren

Member
kiryogi said:
for V? I own a good majority as well All the softbank data/designs and the chronicle set. Amongst other things. I just don't recall that image, then again it's been a long time since I've flipped thru any of the V materials.
Click to expand...
I see, sorry... There's several books with episode V, but seeing how he speaks about it, my best guess is the ST 1-V illustrations from DNA? I don't remember if I own this one.

I must say that the pose reminds me something, but not the style... Maybe he used some artistic filters (and/or work) to get this result?
 
R

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
Some great entries so far!! One more week left in the contest for those looking to enter!
 
R

radiantdreamer

Member
kiryogi said:
? Which artbook are you talking about?
Click to expand...

Specifically, this one.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sakura-Taisen-W...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2ea8c173ac

I scanned in the black and white sketches, and painted shading on it to give it more depth, added a lot of color filtering and such too (as you can see from all the layers).

Here's a scan of one of the pages I used:
scan.jpg

Bad scan and didn't want to flatten my book too much. Now you know why she's on the left side. :lol

Ikkarus said:
Can I ask where you guys got the Sakura font from for your banners?
I couldn't find it when I tried looking for it. :(
Click to expand...

For me, I just used Times New Roman.
 
V

Vinnk

Member
Awesome banners. Wish I had the skills to do one myself.

However, to support this worthy cause, I (and my site www.risingstuff.com) is willing to offer a free copy of one of the following games:

Sakura Taisen (Dreamcast)
Sakura Taisen (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen 2 (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen (PS2)
or
Sakura Taisen Hanagumi Columns (Sega Saturn)

To both the 2nd and 3rd place entries.

So that should give a bit of motivation for more entries.
 
R

Raging Spaniard

If they are Dutch, upright and breathing they are more racist than your favorite player
This is a pretty cool idea, hopefully I'll have time to contribute :)
 
A

androvsky

Member
Vinnk said:
Awesome banners. Wish I had the skills to do one myself.

However, to support this worthy cause, I (and my site www.risingstuff.com) is willing to offer a free copy of one of the following games:

Sakura Taisen (Dreamcast)
Sakura Taisen (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen 2 (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen (PS2)
or
Sakura Taisen Hanagumi Columns (Sega Saturn)

To both the 2nd and 3rd place entries.

So that should give a bit of motivation for more entries.
Click to expand...

o_O

*runs off to learn the photoshops*
 
T

TunaLover

Member
Vinnk said:
Awesome banners. Wish I had the skills to do one myself.

However, to support this worthy cause, I (and my site www.risingstuff.com) is willing to offer a free copy of one of the following games:

Sakura Taisen (Dreamcast)
Sakura Taisen (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen 2 (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen (PS2)
or
Sakura Taisen Hanagumi Columns (Sega Saturn)

To both the 2nd and 3rd place entries.

So that should give a bit of motivation for more entries.
Click to expand...

Wow, that's pretty awesome on your part Vinnk =)
 
I

Ikkarus

Member
Vinnk said:
Awesome banners. Wish I had the skills to do one myself.

However, to support this worthy cause, I (and my site www.risingstuff.com) is willing to offer a free copy of one of the following games:

Sakura Taisen (Dreamcast)
Sakura Taisen (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen 2 (Sega Saturn)
Sakura Taisen (PS2)
or
Sakura Taisen Hanagumi Columns (Sega Saturn)

To both the 2nd and 3rd place entries.

So that should give a bit of motivation for more entries.
Click to expand...

Wow, thats awesome! I need to tweak a few things on mine before the deadline but hopefully it invokes more to participate. Competition is always healthy.
 
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