4th SFML Game Jam Announced

[zsbzsb]

Looks like we have another 4 days to complete this jam!

Maybe they are still working

Are these 4 days official now? When does the jam end?

I think the 4 days is a possible website bug with the timer looping back. Just a speculation...

Guys, what isn't clear? The jam is over, but you have several days to get the game submission together. This works the same as LD, coding is finished but you can still adjust your submission entry by adding more download links, changing description text, more screenshots, ect...

I will have a simple rating and comments system live on the site in a few days so you guys can rate the games.

As for the low number of entries and people saying how they thought the theme was too generic / not good I personally thought it was good and had a good idea - I just couldn't complete more than a prototype as I was at a camp volunteering all weekend. Anyways, what can I do to make it different? I can't exactly force people that vote to then make a game :/

[Ztormi]

I don't think the number of entries was that bad considering the number of votes given.
Maybe have a brainstorming thread before jam starts and theme is voted where people who did vote but can't participate can share their ideas?

[select_this]

I fully intended to participate in the jam but then, as per usual it seems, life stuff got in the way and I spend less than two hours on it; not even enough to demonstrate an idea.

I don't think I would have come up with anything meaningful with the theme anyway; there were plenty of other themes that inspired me, and I voted for those, but this one didn't click with me at all unfortunately.

[Lo-X]

The problem about the theme you didn't like brings me back to my message before the jam concerning the vote limitation.

Have you guys let "0" (not +1 nor -1) for that specific theme ? Because if just one person had voted -1 another theme would have been out.

I say that without having though much about it. Perhaps I say crap.

[Ricky]

I think the 4 days is a possible website bug with the timer looping back. Just a speculation...

Lol. The thing is zsbzsb this is my first jam... ever. Never done LD or anything so I don't really know the process.

[Hapax]

Looks like we have another 4 days to complete this jam!

Guys, what isn't clear? The jam is over, but you have several days to get the game submission together. This works the same as LD, coding is finished but you can still adjust your submission entry by adding more download links, changing description text, more screenshots, ect...

It wasn't clear that you could still submit entries after the jam had ended.
My post was just a response to what it looked like.
I haven't taken part in any game jam before so similarities to Ludum Dare don't help 

I think the 4 days is a possible website bug with the timer looping back. Just a speculation...

I think this mistake was said be me, not Ricky. 

[Hapax]

I just wanted to add that I've uploaded the source of my entry to Github, in case anyone is interested in having a look at the mess 
I was going to update the submission with a link to it, but the state has changed to judging now so it can't be added.

[zsbzsb]

I was going to update the submission with a link to it, but the state has changed to judging now so it can't be added.

You still should be able to edit (not submit) entries, so I will check this out when I make judging live on the site.

[thomas9459]

I am also unable to update my submission (which is a shame, as I just figured out how to make it drag-n-drop installable). I also started working on getting the other projects to compile on a Mac. Would you guys be interested in Mac app bundles for them?

[Hapax]

I also started working on getting the other projects to compile on a Mac. Would you guys be interested in Mac app bundles for them?

This would be awesome! Such appreciation would go for such a gesture. I'd like to be able to return the favour but building is not a strength of mine (I even still don't build SFML for myself).

[thomas9459]

So I had some free time today, and so I managed to get a Mac app for both Struct and Bring It Back. I'd really appreciate if someone else could test them on their computer, just to make sure I actually made them fully independent.

I also started working on getting the other projects to compile on a Mac. Would you guys be interested in Mac app bundles for them?

This would be awesome! Such appreciation would go for such a gesture. I'd like to be able to return the favour but building is not a strength of mine (I even still don't build SFML for myself).

Naw, the pleasure is mine! I just figured out how to create application bundles, and so applying to several projects in a row is definitely some good practice. I also really like the SFML Game Jams, and providing easy-to-run binaries rather than just-try-and-build-it-yourself code will hopefully generate more interest, and ultimately, higher participation.

Also, I would highly recommend you get into build systems. Cmake does wonders in terms of ease of building and cross-platform development (I used to use plain Makefiles/shell scripts, and those were a nightmare). You'll also find a lot of freedom in it too, being able to compile SFML directly from source, so you can make your own modifications too. 

[Hapax]

So I had some free time today, and so I managed to get a Mac app for...Bring It Back.

<3
You have no idea how much I appreciate this  Did you try the game? What did you think? Any suggestions for on what to do/avoid during future stuff? I'm still noob so appreciate any hints 
If someone does build your game for Windows, I'd love to try it so let us know if you hear of someone doing so!

Also, I would highly recommend you get into build systems. Cmake does wonders in terms of ease of building and cross-platform development

It is my stumbling experience with CMake that makes me avoid such building stuff. Maybe one day, I'll get properly into it and it'll just click and I'll understand everything. That's the way it normally happens with me 

[thomas9459]

Did you try the game? What did you think? Any suggestions for on what to do/avoid during future stuff? I'm still noob so appreciate any hints 

Of course I played it! I think that it's well done overall, especially considering it's a Game Jam and also your first game. The only thing that really bothered me was that you don't slide on walls, which makes it kinda difficult to get through the doorways. I'm still very noobish too, so I don't know how much advice I'm entitled to give, and I also didn't go through the source code too much (just looked at the few places where I made changes), so a can't really comment on that either. I will say, however, that the best way to learn to make games is by actually make games, especially small, but complete, games like this.

If someone does build your game for Windows, I'd love to try it so let us know if you hear of someone doing so!

I would really appreciate if someone could do this, since I have barely touched a Windows computer, let alone do programming on one. Also, my Cmake files will require a few (hopefully small) changes to get working on other systems. If someone actually does get a good build of it though, they'll probably it here, so keep your eyes out.

[Hapax]

The only thing that really bothered me was that you don't slide on walls, which makes it kinda difficult to get through the doorways.

I noticed this too and considered how to implement it but ended up not doing so for two main reasons:
not enough time, and
I quite like the difficulty that it adds - wouldn't it be too easy if you could slide through doors to find which ones are open rather than actually remembering? Plus, it increases the panic when you're running out of time and you get stuck on a wall!   
On an additional note, I - just now - completed the final (fifth) level on hard mode! 

I would really appreciate if someone could [build it for Windows]

I was considering attempting to build it manually until I realised that it also requires Thor (and also some implementation of a function) and I don't have Thor (yet) so I'll maybe try at a later time if nobody bothers to do it before me 

[Ricky]

Finally got this thing looking nice enough to share. It's still not done, barely consider it a game but it is playable. I fixed the AI and a lot of things but unfortunately not in time to upload for judging. I am very happy with it however. It was really fun to make it from absolute scratch and I found SFML to be much more powerful than before the jam  .

Source is public domain. Basically do whatever you want with it.




Download http://www.mediafire.com/download/dcw32creus95h75/RavenCatch.zip.