The Week of Awesome

III

The third annual week of awesome is here folks! and today i've the pleasure to announce the changes that are to come for this years competition. some highlights include reorganizing all and clarification on several rules, an additional prize to post-reviewers, and sponsors will now get something for adding anything to the prize pool! for last years competition, see this thread: http://www.gamedev.net/topic/660249-the-week-of-awesome-ii-the-second-annual-unofficial-gamedev-competition/, with judges thread: http://www.gamedev.net/topic/661418-the-week-of-awesome-ii-the-judge-thread/ and the first year: http://www.gamedev.net/topic/645699-upcoming-unofficial-gamedev-competition/ Be sure to check out what prizes we have this year as well, already we have doubled the prize values from last year! with that out of the way, let's get down to business:

the competition has begun!
the competition is over, see the judging/afterparty thread here

Dates:
[spoiler]This years competition will be held from August 10th, 00:01 (EST timezone) to August 16th (23:59 EST timezone).[/spoiler]

Where:
[spoiler]Right here, on gamedev.net will be where the majority of the competition will be handling updating, and information handling. I'm also planning this year to periodically compile twitter posts that use the #gdnjam tags during the competition!
[/spoiler]

Rules:
[spoiler]
Some minor changes have been made to the rules this year(see the bolded rules):

• There will be a theme
• The theme will be announced at midnight when the competition begins; games must incorporate the theme in some way
• Games must be made during the 7 day period of the competition (i.e. you can't submit a game you made previously or are making now)
• You may use any library, game engine, tools, art, or audio to develop the game, provided you have the appropriate license to do so (if licensing is required for what you use); note that this means you may use code, art, and audio that you or others may have made in the past (the explicit limitation is that you may not use existing game logic (i.e. you may use libraries and engines, but you still have to actually make the game during the 7 day period)) however this does not mean you can create assets specifically for your game prior to the start of the competition, this includes outsourcing work to others, or making assets for what your general idea for a game will be. the bottom line is that if the asset existed before the idea for your game, it is ok to use, but it is not to ok to create something specifically for your game before the start of the competition.
• You may target any platform (but at least 3 judges must play your game, so if you develop for something the judges don't have, you can't be accepted as an entry; see the supported platforms list below for what can be developed for.)
• People may work in teams of up to 4 people (a person may only be on one team, though), I have decided to allow for one additional person per each team.
• Games must work on the judges' platforms (that is, if you have a bug in your program and it works fine on your computer but not on a judge's, you must fix it for it to be judged (during the 7 day period; no work/updates/fixes may be done after the 7 days); at least 3 judges must be able to evaluate it for it to be accepted as an entry)
• Games must now include a sponsors splash screen at the start of the game, that either lasts for a minimum of 2 seconds, or a button is used to bypass the splash screen. Not including this splashscreen will disqualify you from entry, the final splash screen will be provided 48 hours before the end of the competition.
• Games will be preferably distributed as stand-alone startables(this means your game shouldn't install itself on the platform. This allows for easier access to testing, and distribution of the games in large packages. Although this doesn't mean disqualification, it will be preferred.
• Any online game must be provided in an offline format when submitting the game.

Major highlight of changes: 4 people can be on a team, clarification on what qualify's as prior asset usage, and the addition of a splash screen at the beginning of the game.[/spoiler]

Supported Platforms:
[spoiler]
Supported platforms that are guaranteed to be used by the at least 3 judges:

• Windows 7, 8
• Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer
• Linux

please note that this list will change, and is just a preliminary list of what is supported. all platforms supported will be finalized at least 72 hours before the competition begins.
[/spoiler]

Judging Criteria:
[spoiler] I believe last year we struck an excellent balance for what points go to each category, as such no changes will be made to this year's competitions. However, please note that the method of being awarded participation points well be further clarified.

• Gameplay/fun factor: 25 pts
• Graphics: 20 pts (that is, does it look good, aesthetically, and do the graphics contribute to or detract from the game experience?) (note: it's not a contest of who has the most realistic graphics; rather, this category is about how well the graphics help the game express itself and create an engaging experience for the user)
• Theme: 20 pts (that is, how well the game incorporates the theme)
• Audio: 10 pts (similar to the above, but with audio)
• First time user experience: 10 pts (that is, is it easy to install and run and start playing?) (clarification: your game doesn't need an installer; in fact, a download-and-play (without an installing process) is probably even preferable; what I meant by "easy to install" is that it includes all the necessary dependencies (or has good instructions for obtaining/installing necessary dependencies) such that a user can easily run you game without having to fight it; you'll also want to include at least some minimal instructions or a tutorial/in-game hints/tips).
• Participation: 10pts(that is, you post to the relevant threads on your progress, post dev journals, and in general participate with the rest of us rather than locking yourself away until your done. you don't have to go overboard, but a post every couple days with what your doing/upto will likely net you these 10 pnts)
• Judges score: 5 pnts(this score is up to each individual judge, with no individual category to hold them down, overall it's up to each judge to define what criteria they will choose for this category!)

Participation will change slightly, you are free to post blog updates, dev journals, and twitter updates and such, but you must drop the link into the competition thread(That is not this thread, but a thread which will be running during the competition) last year i made alot of extra effort to track down blog posts from folks you didn't post very often what they were doing(although they made posts into their own respective blogs). so please remember to post at least the links into the competition thread! also, based on what i saw from last year's competition, i've also written up few guidelines for our judges as well to follow:

• Remember each game is only built in the 7 days, so not all functionality may be straight forward, if you can't figure out a game, give them some leniency and contact the lead dev, this can reflect in the FTUE, or even the judge category, but should not spill into the other respective category's!
• I will generate the participation points i feel each team has obtained, each judge is free to figure out their own points, or simply use the numbers i distribute, expecting each judge to read through every persons dev blog, journal, and post is a daunting task, and I won't expect each judge has the time to dedicate to such a task, but you are certainly free to do so.
• don't normalize your results, yes this is a competition, but don't explicility boost/lower scores so that you have a linear worse->best of all the games, if we end up with ties in the prizes category's, we'll deal with how to resolve them then
• Please stick to whole points, and no half point system.
• I expect each judge to include at least 2 or 3 sentences about each game, so please remember to write down your thoughts on the games directly afterwards!

[/spoiler]

Splashscreen:
[spoiler]

http://i.imgur.com/sC42nGU.png
This splashscreen must appear before the main menu of the game is reached, please see the rules for what is expected of the splash screen!
[/spoiler]

Prizes and sponsors:
[spoiler]
This year i will be putting up 600$ to the prize pool, but we are also including a reviewers prize as well to the person who takes the most time to write up reviews on all the games(or as many as they can do.) We will also be adding a sponsors splash screen for anyone who wants to contribute to the prize pool(see below for details)
First place

• 1000$ USD
• 1 PC copy of GTAV
• 1 year license per team member for Houdini Indie

Second place

• 450$ USD
• 1 PC copy of GTAV
• 1 year license per team member for Houdini Indie

Third place

• 275$ USD
• 1 year license per team member for Houdini Indie

Fourth place

• 175$ USD

Fifth place

• 100$ USD

Reviewer prize

• 100$ USD
• 1 PC copy of GTAV

The reviewer prize will be given to the person who does the best overall reviews of as many games as they possible can. I will be clear however that this will be an arbitrary decision made by me, and not by the judging panel. you must drop a link to your reviews in the judging thread to be considered for this prize, it would be best to follow the judging criteria above to have the best odds of being the winner. All participants will also receive site rep(with the winners receiving additional rep!) Please note that all cash prizes will be distributed though paypal(if you don't have paypal i'll work with you to figure something else), each winner must also claim their prizes within 30 days of the winners announcement thread. cash well attempt to be distributed to all members, however if need be the money will be given to the team leader. The copys of GTAV will be gifted through the rockstar social club, as such an account with the rockstar social club will be required to receive a copy of GTAV. The Houdini Indie linceses will be distributed by ben mears once winners are announced. They are also providing temporary licenses for the competition and to get familar with the software before hand, if you'd like one, please pm ben mears or email him at: ben@sidefx.com List of sponsors

• 1000$ USD - stormynature
• 600$ USD - slicer4ever - LiquidGames click here to find info on some of the games i've made!
• 300$ USD, 3 Copys of GTAV - theflamingskunk
• 1 year licenses for Houdini Indie, a 3D software for creating art, animation, and effects - ben mears - Houdini is a procedural approach to content creation that involves building node networks that define a “recipe” to create detailed game art that can be applied over and over. You can wrap up these networks to create custom “smart” assets that are built by artists for artists. And with recent technological advancements, these assets can be loaded into game editors such as Unity or Unreal Engine or even custom game editors using a simple API.
• 200$ USD - lactose

Becoming a sponsor To become a sponsor, drop a message in this thread and i will pm you, or pm me directly. Becoming a sponsor gives you a name, link and small description to add to the splash screen as well as a 64x64 logo image next to your entry. please note that if you wish to contribute with a monetary prize, i must have your contribution before the start of the competition, i also must have your final link, text, and image at least 72 hours before the end of the competition.
[/spoiler]

Judges:
[spoiler]
This year i'm aiming for 7 judges to split into 2 teams to halve the overall workload(i plan to still do all the games to add a 4th judge to all games) list of judges so far:

• http://www.gamedev.net/user/146744-slicer4ever/
• http://www.gamedev.net/user/89462-servant-of-the-lord/
• http://www.gamedev.net/user/47521-swiftcoder/
• http://www.gamedev.net/user/200374-migi0027-????/
• http://www.gamedev.net/user/69073-cozzie/
• http://www.gamedev.net/user/203442-theflamingskunk/
• http://www.gamedev.net/user/136081-nightcreature83/

[/spoiler]

Participating Teams: [spoiler]

Team: Slaughterhouse Gaming
Members: riuthamus, shadowisadog, ByteTroll, DKoding
Website: http://www.riuthamus.com/

Team: New Old Things
Members: endurion
Website: http://www.georg-rottensteiner.de

Team: BecauseNerdsCanBSexy2
Members: Alienguard, Muscat88
Website: -

Team: Ovensparrow
Members: MarioLuigiMan, Onigiri Flash
Website: ovensparrow.github.io

Team: Team YAG
Members: lede, zylick, and janderson2005
Website: http://www.etekworld.com/teamyag

Team: Pink Elephant
Member: Markypooch
Website: -

Team: JamCats
Members: JackOatley, Speedchuck, HayManMarc
Website: -

Team: dmatter
Members: dmatter
Website: -

Team: Moonshot Software
Members: Wyrframe
Website: -

Team: Oddfellow Games
Members: WASDMagician
Website: -

Team: SmokeyBacon
Members: Elit3d
Website: http://www.kyle-thomas.com | http://blog.kyle-thomas.com

Team Name: Bang Bang Attack Studios
Team Members: Developer_X + wife.
Website: -

TeamName: Unicore
Members: Orymus3
Website: http://www.gamedev.net/blog/2070-the-week-of-awesome-iii/

Team Name : Aletheia Game Studios
Members: Cefleet, Matthew P., Rebecca V., Anna F.
Website: http://aletheiagamestudio.com/category/week-of-awesome-3/

Team: 581eGliese
Members: Prot , topkek
Website/Blog/Twitter handle: Twitter

Team: StoutWalrus
Members: ArThor
Website: -

Team: Lone Wolf
Members: Mr. Lawliet
Website: -

Team name: aroymart
Team members: aroymart
Website: http://grasspunch.com/

Team name: Sjs-Studio
Team members: stenol26
Website: http://sjs-studio.com/en/

Team: Thaumic Games
Members: Thaumaturge
Blog link:  http://www.gamedev.net/blog/1923-thaumaturges-journal/

Team: DifferentName
Member: DifferentName
Website: differentname.com

Team: SpaghettiSauce
Members: __Toz__ 
Website: -

Team: SwankyPants
Members: Aielemental
Twitter handle: aielemental

Team: mousetail
Members: mousetail
Website: -

Team name: Melkon
Members: Melkon
Website: -

Team: Casey Hardman
Members: Casey Hardman
Twitter: @Casey_Hardman

Team: Flamingkiwi
Members: Flamingkiwi
Website: https://twitter.com/Flaming__Kiwi

Team: CodeMus
Members: IYP, GTE, newtechnology, iDingo
Web: -

Team name: Mud Pit
Members: Lactose + artist
Website: -

Team name: gamedevis
Members: AngeReveur
Website: http://gamedevis.cool

Team Name: Luneyco
Members: Lunero and a friend
Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Luneyco/968467719848587

Team Name: Arglebargle
Members: Arglebargle
Website: https://twitter.com/mister_Kipper

Team: Great White North Productions
Members: XXChester, MusicboxDancer
Website: http://www.gamedev.net/blog/908-xxchesters-blog/

Team: Business Enterprise
Members: Calinabris (Aehdan McLean)
Website/Blog/Twitter handle:  http://calinabris.deviantart.com/

Team Name: hu3 team
Members: rodolfodth, devn00b
Website: http://www.gamedev.net/blog/2099-hu3-team-woa-iii/ , http://www.twitter.com/rodolfodth

Team name: Something Fun
Members: ryan20fun
Website: http://www.gamedev.net/blog/1924-ryan20funs-journal-of-rasterisation/

Team: Koding Nights
Members: dkoding
Web: http://www.darkdroid.com

[/spoiler]

People looking for teammates
[spoiler]
People looking for teammates, please either post what you are looking for, or what skills you have to offer! also be sure to update if you fill your position, or join a team.

onigiri-flash is looking for potential teammates to tackle the WoA with!
jaap85 is looking for a team to join, and has experiance in XNA and C#
seraphlance is looking to join a team, he has C#, C++, python, experiance. and some modeling experience
derekl is looking to form a team, he is proficient in any language. and may have an artist friend to help.
hyperfine is looking for a team to join, he is proficient with c++, SDL, QT, and python
melkon is looking for someone to join him, he plans to use c++ and sfml, so if you'd like to join him, send him a message!
riuthamus team members are going to be busy this week, and is looking for another team to join. he is a pretty damn good artist!
[/spoiler]
This thread is both here for asking questions, and telling us you will be competing, as we like to get an idea of how many people to expect. so please post a team name for your team, as well as your members(and be sure to drop an update to us if the team members change) please try to follow the following format for declaring your team:
Team:
Members: , , ,
Website/Blog/Twitter handle:

try to be creative folks with your name!(please remember the sites rules still apply here!)

".

Dates:
Would recommend changing start and end times to avoid ambiguity:
From August 10th, 00:01 (EST-5 timezone) to August 16th (23:59 EST-5 timezone).

Thanks for the tip, i'll update the times when i get home.

Rules:
Typo, 4th rule, last line: "specefically" should be "specifically".
Broken formatting on highlight listing. The Rules box ends with a visible "

".
The site messed up my first attempt pretty badly and stupidly i did not backup the text before i previewed it, so i had to try to fix all the formatting issues, thanks for the cstch.

Prizes and sponsors:
Last year, sponsors were ineligble for winning things (I believe). Clarify if this is still the case (notably, if this also is true for the new Reviewer prize).

No sponsor is exempt from winning, the reason orymus3 did not win his prize last year was because he was also a judge. Being a sponsor does not mean exempting yourself from winnnings, but being a judge will exempt you from winning a prize(but not from competing).

Also, poke me on PM/Skype for sponsoring related stuff.

Well send one out shortly=-)

Sign me and my team up!

Same team as last year?

Sign me up as well, lone developer again :)

alright, i've added you both, riu, i'm waiting to hear from you if your team members will be the same this year, Endurion, if you'd like me to add any website info, or an alternative team name(even if it's an army of one!), let me know =-)

The last two WoA competitions were loads of fun so sign me up!

Team: dmatter
Members: Just me

I'll be posting updates directly to the competition thread rather than my own blog, but if you still want a website: gilldave.co.uk

So...anyone is allowed to participate? I've never worked with a team before, but I'm not sure I can make a game in seven days alone.

-----
Update 6/4:

If anyone's interested in teaming up, I can program, compose music, or help with 2d art assets.

Could you specify when the signup deadline is (if any)?