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!
@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.
Tuesday, December 18, 2018 - 18:55
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...'
@AChristian: You need to click on the name of the song. This is the white text that appears above the 'Play' button. This will take you to the main page for the song. From there you should see a link or links to download the song. You will also see the license or licenses under which the song can be used. These will appear on the left hand side of the page. Click on the license icon to read details about the license.
I hope that helps!
whoops, see MedicineStorm already answered and did a better job of it too. But since I typed this up, I'll post it anyways.
Monday, December 17, 2018 - 13:51
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.
Monday, December 17, 2018 - 10:50
@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.
Friday, December 14, 2018 - 15:24
@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.
> 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! ;)
@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.
Thursday, December 13, 2018 - 14:16
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.
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!
@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.
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...'
@AChristian: You need to click on the name of the song. This is the white text that appears above the 'Play' button. This will take you to the main page for the song. From there you should see a link or links to download the song. You will also see the license or licenses under which the song can be used. These will appear on the left hand side of the page. Click on the license icon to read details about the license.
I hope that helps!
whoops, see MedicineStorm already answered and did a better job of it too. But since I typed this up, I'll post it anyways.
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.
@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.
@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.
@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! ;)
@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.
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.
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