$12256 / $11500
It's official: The Fall All-OGA Game Jam! 2018 starts October 1.
You can start prepping beforehand if you like, full details here:
https://itch.io/jam/fall-all-oga-game-jam-2018
The idea of this Jam is challenge ourselves to use only OGA available assets, so let's see what we can do to show off all the wonderful artwork on OpenGameArt.org!
There is an optional theme:
*** Completing the Set ***
So anyone in need of inspiration can dwell on that, or just start spelunking through OGA works until something strikes a chord!
Maybe just require people to indicate what was improved. The judging would be based on how the additions improved the game. So if you add a new level to an otherwise complete game, the rating would be low because it doesn't add much. People voting wouldn't neccassarilly follow that but I don't consider that a big deal. I would still suggest disqualifying entries that don't list what has been improved.
that's interesting, dulsi. If the rating is based on how much the game was improved playability-wise since the pre-jam version, the arguably "finished" games that are just adding a few things are relatively unimproved compared to a game that was essentially unplayable due to incomplete features now being playable.
--Medicine Storm
I dunno. I see a big difference between improving an old project and finishing an old project.
Also, an 'Improvement Level' rating would not even apply to projects that had not been previously released.
It would also require judges to play two versions of every game which seems like a big ask time-wise.
I could see doing an entirely separate Jam with the theme 'Improve on an old project'.
Heck could even be 'Improve on an old Jam entry'.
But for the 'Finish It!' jam, I think the idea is more encouraging folks to take something across the finish line or resuscitate an abandonded project.
Maybe the verbage is just something like: Previously released games may be accepted provided they were released only in an alpha or otherwise incomplete state. Simple improvements or expansions of previously released games will not be accepted.
Although maybe it's better to just stick to the 'never before released' restriction. That's certainly the simplest, clearest path to take. We'd maybe lose some entries, but maybe that's better than trying to frame the rules just so. Or worse, having someone put time and effort into an entry only to have it rejected because it really was more of an 'improvement' than a 'completion' of a project.
If there's gonna be a new jam, I hope to be able to join forces with a programmer while I can myself be the artist and musician, I realize "finish an old project" might not be the most ideal theme for a team project like that; it still sounds like a promising idea though! Currently I am personally quite fatigued from programming but I'll still support such a jam.. with something,, just don't know what XD
Aww, that post was very rambly....
Basically though, if there's gonna be a new jam, I'll be in again ^^
Though I will go for smaller more polished projects in the future rather than really ambitious, but basically half-assed projects ^^; It seems to me that simple but well executed ideas like Pompeii is what's most competive anyway ^^
And finish an old project is a good candidate for a theme for sure!
And while i can't speak for chasersgaming of course, a finished montropolis would be quite neat...
Oh yes, a finished Monstropolis would be awesome, however i couldn't include that particular game for such a jam as although i havent been posting about the game i have been working on it on and off for a very long time. atually last week i was doing some stuff on it. Im very much still an amatuer at programming and Monstropolis is kind of a big task coding wise for me, so what i like about taking part in the gamejams is the experiance i gain from practicing coding, over coming the hurdles i face, and take that into the next project to make those improvements. Monstroplis is and will be a result of all the efforts made over the last few years of learning. :) Also, im not sure of @Withtheloves intentions about whether this jam will be part of OGA or not and if it is, then would the assets need to be released as before. if so i wouldn't submit Monstropolis as I would want to keep the 'Monty' character to myself, as part of Chasersgaming.
However i have other unfinished games, Never a Doll day was a bit of a disaster, i would love to go back to that and see that through, even 'Lone the elemental stones' didn't get the attention it needed, or deserved from myself i feel, so again i would love to go back to that, but ultimately, if i would do any game at all, it would be the very FIRST game I ever coded, 'Corrado Sprint'. Re-doing that game from what i know now to what i knew then would mark some sort of milestone in my life, and really show the progression from where i was to where i am now. More of a personal thing for me, but im sure we all have different reasons for participating in game jams. What was the first game you made? or just a game idea you had? Maybe you could make those for the jam. :)
Chasersgaming | Support | Monstropolis |
@chasersgamning: I have been thinking about how a 'Finish It!' Jam would connect to OGA. I don't know if an 'All-OGA' requirement is a good fit for it or not. Not sure the 'at least 6 OGA assets' requirement fits either. On the one hand, I would like the jam to tie back to OGA. On the other hand, I can see where if you're talking about reviving an old project, there's a good chance it doesn't use OGA assets.
I actually keep meaning to open up a more general discussion about the 'All-OGA' requirement. Do people think it worked well for the 'Fall All-OGA Jam'?
The requirement doesn't seem to have scared anybody off, at least not judging by the number of submissions. I know there was some concern that the lack of 'complete' art sets on OGA would be limiting for folks. Did anyone have that experience? I'll admit that even though I started with what I thought was a pretty complete set (surt's Ikaros), I did end up making a few tweaks and spinning a few sprites of my own (mostly UI stuff).
That said, I do think it's cool that all 21 games used exclusively OGA art, making the whole jam a great showcase for OGA.
@withthelove the jam you ran I would say was a great success, and it didn't put anybody off, I'm glad you run it and I believe the feedback has been positive. I always kinda sat on the fence with holding an ALL OGA assets, the consensus I believed was that some wanted it,some didn't,and I think,for me anyway, that those that would want to participate may not want to release certain assets openenly, so the ALL aspect would rule themselves out, bit like what I've mentioned with Monstroplis above, but for other personal reasons. So I went with the 6 asset rule, to try and cover both bases, To at least favor OGA in some way. However, here for this jam it opens up a different set of questions. It would make sense that if this will be an OGA jam then the assets should be inclusive in some way, but like you mentioned above, what if the project doesn't contain any OGA assets? , does that rule that particular game out?, it would prett much have to,one way around that would be to not be OGA associated, but then that's what's driving the jam, so maybe another way for the 'finish it' jam could be the incentive to not only finish it, but to add,include some assets(but not all) from OGA, if assets have been added to the project then you could require them to share it if you wish, or not. It's a tough one this, if the focus is on the games, then it really shouldn't matter about the assets used, although to incorporate OGA in some way would be good, if the focus is on the assets then it could make certain projects difficult to finish if OGA assets is a requirement for some projects. What do you want to see from this jam?
Chasersgaming | Support | Monstropolis |
@Sping:
> Basically though, if there's gonna be a new jam, I'll be in again ^^
Yay! Always love your submissions!
> I hope to be able to join forces with a programmer while I can myself be the artist and musician, I realize "finish an old project" might not be the most ideal theme for a team project like that .... Currently I am personally quite fatigued from programming
At this point I think I am duty bound to bring Medusa Must Die! to life for the 'Finish It!' jam, otherwise I'd gladly sign up to coop a Jam project. Maybe for the next one, unless you are also super excited about the idea of bringing my vision for Medusa Must Die! to fruition. In that case, PM me right away! ;)
@withthelove glad you like my games :3 Yours are quality too!
If you have discord we can maybe talk about that medusa thing, I would like to hear more about it but I make no promises ^^'
My discord tag is
Spring-Enterprises#6354
(If you don't have discord it's also ok, we can talk about it in IRC chat then maybe)
@chasersgaming:
Yeah, a vision is starting to form for me.
I'm thinking:
Another All-OGA jam with the theme 'Finish It!' and a stipulation that old projects will be accepted so long as they have never been publicly released before and meet the All-OGA requirement.
I know that's more restrictive, the most restrictive of all the ideas we've discussed actually, but I do really like the Jams having that strong connection to OGA. As noted in the prior discussion, there are so many Game Jams going on all the time nowadays, I think it's the connection to OGA and the OGA community that makes these jams special and worth putting on.
As an addemdum, I'd also like to leave the door open for projects that have only existed inside someone's head being completed for the jam. Like maybe you once saw a piece of art on OGA and it gave you this great idea for a game to make with it but you were busy with other stuff and never even got around to starting it. This Jam could be the time!
I guess we could run it in the Spring and then it would fit with the general 'rebirth' spritit of Spring or the idea of coming out of hibernation, etc.
As an aside, if there was one other thing I'd change from the last jam, it would be to require that the asset credits appear on the itch.io page as well as the in the game/CREDITS.TXT file. This would help quite a bit in verifying the assets for a submission and it would also get that extra bit of exposure for the assets, since anyone looking that the game would also see a link to the asset. TBH, it's something I've been meaning to do for Yulpers and RRRP for a while now. Since most people won't bother to view a credits screen in game much less follow a URL link listed there, that itch.io screen is actually the best chance for the assets to get some exposure.
That does seem very restrictive criteria, one that doesn't appeal to myself, i could crack on again with Never a Doll day, which uses OGA assets, but somework is inspired by OGA assets and the idea of having to rework some, and add some, and release them, (although i would love to do it), alone creates a massive impact on workload. But I completely understand your drive for the OGA community and its users, and that it creates a 'Special'' connection.
Feel free to run this in the summer if you want, don't feel your treading on my toes, im all good about it. :)
Chasersgaming | Support | Monstropolis |
hmm... maybe an all-OGA requirement is too much, but what about a "must have some OGA resources" requirement? Is there a lot of unfinished projects out there that both do not currently use OGA assets AND have zero asssets that could be added to OGA?
If a project consists entirely of OGA-incompatibly-licensed assets, AND has 100% of it's assets ready, needing no additional assets, how much of an "unfinished" project is it? Not one of the assets used could be added to OGA? not one of the assets already on OGA could be added to the project? Who has such perfect foreknowledge to plan their asset needs flawlessly yet hasn't finished the coding? I'm sure there are some projects like that, but I'm guessing they are few.
--Medicine Storm
Yeah, I spent probably only 10ish hours on the game I was working on for the jam but I spent probably just as much time packaging and researching. I actually made all assets from scratch, so I'd have to pack everything into my game engine and pack everything again into a user-friendly format (which isn't how I pack for my engine) for the oga submission. I really don't mind sharing, everything I've posted so far has been cc0, the most unrestrictive license we have, with the exception of derivatives. The biggest problem I ran into is when I made the music and sfx. Some of the sound packs I used in those could be used freely (some I sampled myself), but some had licenses that could only be used by one end-user, which won't work with OGA submissions. I just really didn't have it in me to open the audio projects back up and figure out which sound was which and replace them. I've made or worked with friends to make music for every jam and personal project except one (the first jam I did).
So, yeah, I'd have to agree with Medicine on this one. The "ALL-OGA" thing turned out to be a bit too steep for me, even with the intent to follow that rule. I much prefer the standard OGA jam rules, because it's pretty much stress-free. I can follow the rules and create stuff that either just isn't worthy for submission or has a singular use, without worrying about how it can be used abroad.
@all:
I know the 'All-0GA' requirement is restrictive and probably precludes some participants from joining the jam but I think benefit of having the Jam strongly showcase OGA works is worth the trade-off.
That said...
> Some of the sound packs I used in those could be used freely (some I sampled myself), but some had licenses that could only be used by one end-user, which won't work with OGA submissions
I do see where this kind of thing could be more of a problem for a 'Finish an Old Project' jam. This is the sort of situation that's not too hard to get into, especially if you are not planning on doing an 'All-OGA' project from the get-go.
I guess we can think about it as a series of subsets:
# people interested in particpating in an OGA Game Jam > # people with old projects to finish > # people with old projects that are 'All-OGA'
So maybe for the 'Finish It!' jam it's:
Name: The OGA Finish It! Game Jam!
Pitch: Got an old half-begun project gathering dust? What about an old idea that you never got around to pursuing? Now is the time! Complete your game using at least six OGA assets and enter it in The OGA Finish It! Game Jam!
Theme: 'Finish It!'
Rules:
1) Game must be completed during Jam. Old projects accepted, old projects accepted so long as they have never been publicly released.
2) Must use at least 6 OGA Assets
3) Must credit OGA works (incl. in-game credits screen and credit game description on itch.io)
Does that sound good? Especially asking the people who've expressed interest in a 'finish an old project' jam.
A little confused buddy, so are the rules: use only OGA assets, or use 6 OGA assets?
Or running both alongside, Like Ludlum has has the jam and compo?
Chasersgaming | Support | Monstropolis |
yeah sorry, guess I was talking out of both sides of my mouth there.
I was defending the idea of an 'All-OGA' game jam generally, but acknowledging that it's probably not a good fit for a 'finish an old project' jam.
So I am proposing a 'Finish an Old Project' jam with the more relaxed 'use 6 OGA assets' rule instead of an 'All OGA' rule.
I get ya, sounds good to me, i can back to NaDD if i have the time. :)
Chasersgaming | Support | Monstropolis |
Here's a thought on the 'Finish It!' jam:
If the idea is to finish a project that's already been begun, is there a point to the 'must be made during the Jam!' restriction? I mean on it's face, no old project will meet this requirement.
And to follow the logic through, shouldn't the Jam just begin as soon as it's announced? What's the point of the usual one month 'planning' period? It seems odd to say 'go find an old project to finish, but don't actually start working on it again until X date, but you can start doing art and etc. before then...'
Well I would say yes, although, like you say they have already been started, but the idea of picking something up you haven't touched for so long and bring it back to life through a game jam is the incentive to do it, otherwise old projects would just gather dust as there is no reason to even think about them.:)
the jam can start when you want it to, the notion of letting people know early is so they have the time to search OGA for potential works for there game, find sets and what not, you did say that your happy to entertain ideas aswell, not just physical half started games, so the time could be of some benefit, as it can take quite a bit of time searching OGA. But ultimately it's up to you how you run it matey, if you feel it's not neccessary then go with what works best for you.:)
Chasersgaming | Support | Monstropolis |
I don't like the restriction on using released projects. It wouldn't neccessarily stop me from joining but I feel it hinders the point of "Finish It." I usually release my games as open source. I tend to put the code up before the game is even fully playable. The exception being opengameart movie video game but that has been released on itch.io. So I would probably have to create a new game.
@chasersgaming: Yeah, I see what you mean. Maybe just going with the usual 'announce 1 month beforehand' strategy but leave it up to people if/when they want to work on the project before the start date. Since the whole idea is a project that you've already worked on, it doesn't seem to make much sense to say 'don't work on it beforehand'. I guess I would probably just change rule #1 to be:
current layout of the website looks confusing
1) Game must be completed and publicly released for the first time during the jam.
Owing to the nature of the jam, working on the project before the jam offciailly begins is allowed. However, entries should not be nor have been publicly released before the jam beigns.
@dulsi: I see your point. Perhaps the following addendum to rule 1 just to leave the window open for projects like yours.
Exceptions to the 'first public release' rule maybe granted for works that have been previously released in an obviously incomplete or unfinished state. Exceptions will be granted on a case-by-case basis, based soley on the discretion of the Jam administrators. If you would like to submit a work that has been previously released, please contact the Jam administrators as soon as possible so they can asses if your work would make a suitable Jam entry. No promises are made.
For whomever might be interested, I've put out a special post-jam update for Roman Rescue Run Pompeii! Tweaks the controls, adds a few levels and exposes the level editor for all to enjoy.
Thanks again for all the kind words about the game!
Woo(f)!!!
Is there an ending too?
The addendum works for me. OpenGameArt Movie Video Game, Troll Bridge, and Color Monsters are all very rough so I would be happy asking permission. (Or at least they are right now. Maybe by the time of the contest that will have changed but that is a problem I would like to have.)
Pages