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SUGGESTIONS Sticky

A topic by Daniel Linssen created Apr 04, 2016 Views: 1,452 Replies: 16
Viewing posts 1 to 6
HostSubmitted

if you have any suggestions for ways to improve the game jam, please include them here

(+1)

Allow for sound, but only a constant tone on/off or two alternating tones.
This would make it possible to create more accessible games, for instance for blind players

(+2)(-1)

Actually.. make it mandatory? I like the idea. It's probably much easier to recognize audio patterns than visual ones (at least it seems so for me). Alternating tones would probably make me go insane though so I'll just go for the constant on/off :)

HostSubmitted

Amos, I don't think it should be mandatory (especially since things like the manual aren't mandatory) but I'll try and reword the rules so it's more encouraged.

Having it be mandatory feels a bit odd, since then it'd automatically be an "audio-focused" jam. Audio isn't the norm - visual display is the "standard" mode of feedback. "bit jam" would no longer feel as descriptive as something like, say, "beep jam".

I'm glad it's an option, though!

(+1)

Along with that if we are using a phone or controller for the game we could use the vibration motor for a sense of on off feedback to the player to.

If so, only in exact conjunction with the display, though, right? The rules specifically mention controller vibration as a disallowed extra channel of feedback

Submitted

I'd certainly like to "bend the rules" with audio, if it could help make something you could enjoy without your eyeballs. Heck, I might be a renegade and do that anyway!

HostSubmitted (1 edit) (+1)

this is already covered in the rules (in the asterisk section), but I might rewrite it so it's more clear and prominent!

edit: I've rewritten the rules concerning audio. please do let me know if you think it's still not enough.

(+3)

With the exception for audio and questions about similar things with vibration and such, I think there's a better way to rule it that allows all this. The main limitation I feel you are going for in the jam is "One bit of output", and the rules about how to display the screen are just to enforce that. I think it would be reasonable to have as many different outputs as you like as long as these outputs perfectly match which colour is on screen. In fact I don't even think having a screen at all should be mandatory. As long as there is only 1 bit of output since that's what the jam is really about, "the minimum (non-zero) feedback that a game could possibly have."

Some examples of 1-bit output that I feel should be allowed (as long as they all match if you use more than 1):

  • Visual: switch between 2 colours
  • Audio: on/off or two sounds
  • Vibration: on/off or two intensities.
  • CD drive: in/out (the time it takes to move would make this awkward though. If you rapidly switch you could make it stay at certain lengths; although this is still 1-bit, the drive itself converts the 1-bit into different info.)
  • Fullscreen: on/off (this is getting silly but you get the point)
Also, if you follow the interpretation of 1-bit of output this brings up some other points: Do the two states you switch between have to be represented by "blank" outputs? Like instead of switching between solid black and solid white could you switch between a picture of a cat and a map of Spain? Could you start playing music when the screen turns black, and pause it while the screen is white? There's no way these choices of states could give any more information than a manual or included file could.
HostSubmitted

I completely agree with your interpretation. I wanted to keep the list of rules short and simple, while trying to convey this idea as clearly as possible, but I know what I've written isn't necessarily the clearest. do you think I should change or add to the rules, to make them better convey what I'm going for? mentioning that using vibration or images (e.g. cat / spain) is okay seemed like a good way to confuse people.

Maybe make it clearer that the bit is the important part, and not the pixel form? I've thought of it as the bit unconsciously, but in the rules the pixel definitely felt more important.

Since the main thing is just 1 bit of output, can I let my game run in whatever resolution it wants, as long as I only draw 1 color or another (maintaining 1 bit of output only)? The reason I'm thinking to ask this is because I'm going to use LÖVE and I'd like to just leave things at defaults and possibly try porting it to Android.

Like mokesmoe said above, I think the jam rules should be reworded to allow any kind of output as long as it is on or off, 1 bit, no inbetweens.

"make a game in 1-bit colour, on a 1px × 1px display with no audio; the minimum (non-zero) feedback that a game could possibly have."

perhaps changed to

"make a game in 1-bit colour, on a 1px × 1px display; the minimum (non-zero) feedback that a game could possibly have. For accessibility purposes, you can replace using visual feedback with using audio feedback in its place, or any other kind of 1-bit, on/off feedback. You can even use multiple feedback methods in the game, as long as they convey the same, exact, synchronized information. (issue a beep sound at the same time you turn the screen color to 'on', then stop the beep sound at the exact same time you stop showing the 'on' color, switch to the 'off' color instead). Alternatively using different methods of feedback, like sometimes flashing the screen and sometimes beeping is not allowed."

HostSubmitted

thanks for the feedback, though I'll keep the details in the rules section or the page will get too messy. I'll try rewriting the page later today.

Is it allowed to work in teams? I would think so, as there's nothing about that in the rules, but you clarify that.

HostSubmitted

teams are totally fine!